It’s the season of leather once again, and oxblood is a red hot color trend this season.  With A.L.C.’s FW11 collections being filled with this lovely hued skin, it’s only natural we’re going to want a piece of the action.  A.L.C.’s Aimee skirt crests at nearly seven bills, while we have Topshop’s piece at $150.

They’re quite similar; both oxblood red, A-line cut and mini length – thank you, high street knock offs!

We can feel the weather start to turn, and with that comes the requirement for heavier coats.  My favorite top layers are usually patterned, which makes for a far more interesting look overall; I’ve chosen both plaid and zig-zag layers to play with this time around.

For more of a country style, pair a plaid overcoat from Asos, and wore it skinny cords, which are getting much attention right now.  A grey cashmere sock is ideal tucked in (or exposed) within an oxblood Topshop Alistair bootie.  To amp up your intensity, choose a strap laden glove like Gareth Pugh’s, and contrast your outerwear pattern with another; I chose the Chinti & Parker striped sweater.  You can’t go wrong with a wide brim like Lanvin’s, nor with some brilliantly fall hued Super sunglasses.

For a slightly more femine touch, layer Missoni’s ziggy coat with pairings that bring out the colors within the main piece.  Reiss’ blue trilby and Vanessa Bruno’s dusty rose skirt are excellent examples of this sort of styling.  Since I’m all about the contrast pattern, I’ve thrown in a pair of leopard Valentino gloves, though have turned down the heat with Wolford’s Logic 15 tights and Beau Coops highly functional Beau 5 cap toe ankle booties.  Topshop’s Lilac Round sunnies are tossed in, though note the color is meant to blend instead of be bold, as to balance the rest of the look.

Leather trenches are popping up everywhere, and they are reaching beyond the confines of the average black leather trench.  The four selections below are fall ready; it will be no wonder if the high street faves pound out a few versions of their own.

Darker shade lovers, Forzieri’s and Dolce & Gabbana’s have you taken care of.  If you’re looking for a suede [and live in a climate to wear it], Michael Kors’ short suede trench is perfect for dressing as an urban adventurer.  My personal favorite is the sandy shaded Bendetta Novi; washed leather always does me in every time, and it is a pleasantly military with double breasting and epaulettes.

I hate that damn song, but I have to admit it works perfectly for this video.  Check out the amazingly awkward and terrible dancing by beautifully dressed people below.

As I’m in the mood for travel, I’ve been picking through luggage listings aplenty of late.  I’ve come upon the most delightful throwback trend; rolling trunk luggage.  These may look like old steamer trunks, but they’re perfectly new and feature rolling wheels for easy navigation.

Cooperative’s rolling trunk keeps things very affordable; it isn’t a full size case for long hauls, though the price is certainly right. Kitschy travelers will enjoy Cafe Luggage’s Paris, though the real prize piggie is J. Crew’s extra deep Centenary is for the truly elite traveler [also available in black and yellow].

Leather sleeved pieces are popping up everywhere; on tops, tees and jackets are appearing with leather sleeves.  These are the evolution of the all over leather top, though leather trimmed and sleeved pieces are not only easier to wear and style, but more comfortable due to the majority of the piece being textile (leather isn’t pliable and more difficult to move in).

There are four standout pieces as to what has been released so far; one can imagine these will keep appearing throughout the coming months.  Two of the more utilitarian pieces are by Scotch & Soda; the woolen biker jacket and military jacket.  For the sleeker shopper, 3.1 Phillip Lim’s leather and silk top [also available in black] and Nicole Miller’s leather and sweater knit top.

Bike boots are on everyone’s top lists, which is why they’re a top trend for Fall 2011.  It’s always a beautiful thing when you can access such style for a cut rate and still get a decent pair of kicks out of the deal, such is with Topshop’s new Armour biker.

These boots are much less when compared to Jimmy Choo’s price for a similar style, though the alternative argument could be made that this is a classic look that warrants investment in a pricier pair. How would you go?

It’s about fall, which calls for layering not only concerning clothing, but for accessories as well.  Colder weather also calls for heavier accessories, in which metal laden cuffs and wrap around are heartily welcome.

The pieces to the right are by Rush Culture and on sale; ranging from $9-22 (regularly $50-80 per piece) and showing some pleasantly punk renditions of past favorites.  I’m quite partial to the wraparound stud ($19), thick rhinestone ($19) and thin studded ($14) shown to the right, though there are scores of others that tickle that sort of style.

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The leather sleeve top is taking up the torch from last season’s all over leather tees and tanks, which is great for accenting a look.  3.1 Phillip Lim has a delicious leather sleeve silk top, similar in cut to a baseball tee with longer sleeves.  Nicole Miller has a similarly designed piece; the major difference being the sleeves are only leather on the top half, though the price is only $330.

In Canada, it’s well known we’re a bunch of media softies.  Afraid of possibly offending someone at some point in time; treading on eggshells is the Canadian way.   A new TV advert from the state of Georgia is giving a tough and honest campaign against childhood obesity; the first of which I found very effective.

While Canada’s obesity rate is not as high as the United States’, we’re catching up and could use a bit of tough honesty.

I’ve been wearing duck boots since I was a toddler at my grandpa’s insistance, and they’ve especially grown on me in the last year.  I acquired the Lands End pair 10 months ago, and have been using them instead of wellies with great success.  The best part is since the sole and a good amount of the lower boot shaping is rubber, the boots are not only waterproof but are much more cost effective.

While the short Asos Aspen pairs [red, green] are shorter and use fabrics, they’re cheekier though ultimatley not waterproof.  The taller lace-up pair is not listed as officially waterproof either, though the Bass Hadwin and Sporto Dylan pairs are both confirmed to be puddle ready.

Woolen blazers are a favorite for many reasons; they’re warm, evoke a little bit of a grandpa look (I always love channeling seniors) and are a subtle way to take the ever present typical blazer to a more interesting level.  One may find shawl collars, tuxedo cuts, contrast collars, patches – there are so many choices.

If you’re like myself and want a blazer for function but get bored of the traditional collars, a shawl is for you;  Scotch & Soda’s piece is a personal favorite.  If you’re getting into the color crew, Topshop’s shrunken tweed is a rich pick, while L.K. Bennett’s Belle offers a more color intense shade and J. Crew’s Blackwatch evokes the actual traditional tartan of The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) infantry of Scotland up until this year.

There’s also Marc Jacobs’ Beatrice, a cheeky selection for dressers wanting to stay away from darks throughout the fall, and Ralph Lauren’s crested long cut for a prep school steeze.

For grey fans, we’ve got scores for you.  Classic cuts include another style by Scotch & Soda, darker grey herringbone by Vanessa Bruno and very traditional cut by J. Crew.  Fans of lighter grey will love Jack Willis’ Stowell blazer, especially due to the double breast buttoning.

If you thought the snuggie, crocs and Toms were bad, enter the Thuggie.  This is the creme de la creme of horrific Canadian design, and if you thought the average Lululemon style in Vancouver was bad, this brings us hurteling into a chasm of all time low.

@NicolB shared that she was seeing these beastly pullovers during the Live at Squamish music festival.  People, there’s no excuse.  Treat the Thuggie like crack cocaine; just say no!

One of the hottest brands coming out of America is R13; they make an abundance of pieces in jersey and leathers, though the meat of their brand is the denim collection.  Currently, you can snag pairs of R13 denim at Prive at prices from $76-95, which is fairly amazing considering some of these pairs crest retail rates of $336 per pair.

demiCouture favorites are the pairs listed below; the black hose fit ($80 from $312), Indiana classic hose fit ($95 from $366), black skinny ($76 from $290), grey skinny ($95 from 366) and the black slouchy skinny ($88 from $339).  Sizes available are 24 – 31, varying slightly between cuts as to what is available for each.

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Everyone seems to be getting engaged or married right now, so clearly diamond engagement rings are a hot topic.  In the day and age of instant gratification, we seem to shy away from taking the time to actually design our own jewelry.

The process takes many hours of discussion and practical design, so it’s not a light item to consider.  Since an engagement ring is a massive purchase that will [hopefully] be with you for many years, would you take the time and effort to design your own wedding ring?

Mustard is one of my favorite fall colors, not only because of it’s reflection in leaves but because it just looks warm.  Not everyone can pull a strong mustard off, which also makes it quite special; below I’ve two very different looks featuring quite striking mustard pieces, both happening to originate from Topshop.

On the left, we begin with Topshop’s leather trimmed boyfriend coat, a sure favorite for its boxy fit and long cut.  Layered under is a sheer striped button up worn with a pair of rock’n roll acid wash SuperTrash skinnies.  Dieppa Restrepo’s patent oxfords happened to jive perfectly with the rest of the look, especially when topped with Karen Walker’s Helter Skelter sunnies, a felt H&M hat and vintage style cross pin.

The maxi is still hanging onto it’s spot in the trend world, especially when you factor in intensely colored pieces like Topshop’s jersey piece.  I always love a boot with a dress, so naturally Rag & Bone’s Moto II boots are tucked under the maxi.  Continue the rebel train of thought with a distressed MIH Jeans biker, and juxtapose with a nearly tribal Jensen-Conroy necklace and brilliantly eccentric pink Cacharel frames by Cutler & Gross.

Converse sneakers have hit sale site Prive, which equals andro kicks on discount for the public.  Prive is located within Canada, so Canadians don’t have to worry about duties.  Alternatively, Prive ships worldwide, so everyone has access to these deals.

My favorite pair is shown; the stripe and spike pair on sale for $66 (from $150).  Sizes 9 – 15 available, including half sizes for this particular pair.

The entire Converse collection ranges in price from $45-109, and includes AllStar, laceless, boots and high top sneakers.

Get an invite and snag a pair of these sneaks before they’re gone!

The parade of trending flats is always increasing, with the newest member of the crew being the monk shoe.  A monk shoe is a typical flat that features a foldover buckle, though base style differs; we see creeper style soles, typical brogue and platform – the possibilities are lengthly.

Oxblood and similar shades are especially hot this season; Dr Martens’ new Lorne and Asos’ platform Mystery are just the ticket.  For the more eccentric pattern lovers, Asos’ textile monk and Underground’s Hacinenda are two options that happen to be quite affordable.  My personal favorite is Candela’s contrast color cap toe; these are beautiful statement shoes if you’re typically a darker shade fan.

When it comes to basic black, styles from Kurt Geiger and Objects In Mirror are fairly utilitarian, though Lanvin’s satin, Alexander Wang’s Abbey and Ralph Lauren’s Quinlin are sleeker.

Red denim is an easy way to integrate intense color into your wardrobe, and since colored denim has been a mainstay since 2007 you’re not going to be into fording new trends, but staying with the familiar.  Another excellent aspect of buying statement denim is price ranges truly vary; you can acquire pairs like Asos’ waxed, Oasis’ crop or Topshop’s high waisted for under $100.

As for mid tier pricing, one can get delicious cuts like Ksubi’s Super, Mother’s The Looker and my personal favorite, Rag & Bone’s stretch cord pair.  For those into climbing the heights of luxury denim, Citizens of Humanity has a lovely pair of darker red wash, while J Brand and Alexander McQueen’s washes are much lighter.

I wonder how many little fashionistas are going to be wearing this Sober Is Sexy tote during the next set of fashion weeks.

Of course, most of them won’t be wearing it ironically. I think.

Either way, it’s only $19, so whether you wear it once or not is really of no consequence.