As the high waisted trend fairy continues to grace us with her presence, sometimes we’re left at a loss (especially when the current trend cannot be worn by much of the purchasing crowd). So, the question remains this: where to get your high waisted denim fix? I have your answers.

• Urban Outfitters (830 Granville Street)
  Located right by the Adidas store and American Apparel. The in-store selection varies, so if they’ve run out of stock for any reason, they have five pairs of high waisted jeans online. Prices start from approx. $70 CA.

• Dutil (303 W. Cordova)
  In Vancouver’s Gastown district. An all-denim boutique for the jean connoisseur; Dutil provides an epic selection of blues, whites, colors and everything in between from J-Brand to Rock And Republic. This one will cost you, ladies and gentleman. Prices range from $100-800.

• Holt Renfrew (737 Dunsmuir St.)
  In Vancouver’s prestigious Pacific Center mall. A house for labels from Marc by Marc Jacobs to True Religion, there is always a wide variety of denim from the lines who cut the most flattering jeans. This retail experience never disappoints. Since Holt Renfrew is the Neiman Marcus of Canadian soil, be prepared to pay. If you can visit while they are having a sale, you will potentially save loads.

• Mintage Vintage (320 W. Cordova)
  While stock varies with each visit, Mintage has a varied denim stock of both the new and vintage items. They have sales fairly often, and are on the same street as Dutil!

• True Value Vintage (710 Robson Street)
  True Value carries a dependable stock of largely vintage jeans for both men and women alike. Chances are you’ll find what you’re looking for (if you’ve of average pant size) at this underground treasure chest.

• Used Vintage (831 Granville Street)
  If you venture up the zebra staircase to Used’s domain, you won’t regret it. The owner is beautifully helpful, and she always has a bountiful amount of stock (I have found wardrobe favourites there I had given up on locating!) and it is reasonably priced. I suggest you take a gander.

The cream of the Boxing Day crop (or week, which ever you prefer) for Vancouver shoppers has been compiled!

• Dutil /80% off denim / (303 West Cordova Street)
• Roden Gray / various sales / details / (231 Cambie St)
• Livestock / up to 75% off / details / (239 Abbott St)
• Hart and Sole Clothing / up to 50% off / details / (843 Granville St)
• Complex / unknown, though sale is comfirmed / (231 Abbott St)
• Mintage / entire store up to 100% off (that is no typo) / 320 West Cordova)
  
• Winners / additional 25% off sale items / various locations throughout Canada
• The Block / unknown, though sale is confirmed / (350 West Cordova St)
• DKNY / entire store 50% off / (2625 Granville St)
• Chanel / shoes + accessories starting at 30% off / (900 West Hastings St)
• You And Whose Army / unknown, though sale is confirmed / (385 Water St)
• El Kartel / unknown, though sale is confirmed / (121-A 1025 Robson St)

While H&M is way off in Coquitlam (until the spring at least!) it’s worth a mention that that location will be worth checking out if you are nearby.
Happy bargain hunting, and don’t forget to abide by the rules of a successful shopper while you’re out and about!

This boxing day, plan to be lining up bright and early at Dutil on Cordova Street in Gastown. For those unaware (ignorance is not bliss for this one), Dutil is a one stop denim only boutique housing the best brands fashion has to offer.

Some labels carried include: True Religion, Paige Denim Stronghold, Capital E by Levis, Rock & Republic, Stitches and J Brand. This shop is packed to the ceiling with every cut and size of jeans imaginable, so it is a good bet that you’ll find something that tickles your fancy.

This sale (according to their Georgia Strait advert) is due to last all week, but the best selection will of course be rewarded to the eager beaver shoppers.

All I know is if I can get J Brand for 80% off, I’m there.

This is not a usual post for this blog, but I feel it is a very important topic that requires attention.

Let’s start with the basics. As a blogger that focuses often on Vancouver-based retail experiences, if you have an awesome store, I want to link you up.

I’ve seen (albeit 2nd hand) how tough manning a retail space and managing everything on the surface and in the background as well. When I can’t find a web page or blog to link up to one of my favorite stores, it hurts me. It hurts because I know exactly how much free online advertising and easy customer references these places are turning away.

You need the basics. These include:

• A branded site and/or blog related to your business.
• A highly visible business address located on your primary page.
• A list of brands/styles/types of items you carry in store.
• Photos of clothing in-store, as well as the displays to entice potential shoppers.
• A press/customer inquiry form or address by which you or your employees can be contacted.
• An “about us” page. Put a human side to your shop! This does not have to be overly corporate; I find (especially with vintage shops/smaller boutiques) if there is a story as to how this space came to be it encourages me to stop by and see more. It also gives your potential customers a reason to visit your store in lieu of a larger retail chain.

Remember:

Any site is better than nothing.
If you cannot afford to buy a domain or have someone whip up an extensive web space, sign up for free blog space. WordPress (yoursite.wordpress.com) and Blogger (yoursite.blogger.com) offer free accounts with many pre-configured visual options. These are very easily managed options, and even the least web savvy users can excel using these publishers.

Domains are REALLY cheap!
There are many options for those wishing to personalize their domains (yoursite.com). Sites like Godaddy offer domain purchases for$6.95 US. The only downer is that many American-run domain sellers cannot sell .ca domains; so if your .com (etc) version is already purchased, you will need to find a Canadian domain seller. Keep in mind as well that there are requirements for having a .ca domain where you must be a Canadian citizen, etc. This is explained thoroughly on the sellers’ sites before and after purchasing.

You don’t have to spend hours updating daily.
You can do weekly or monthly or seasonal stock updates. Of course, if you have time to do trending reports and how they directly related to the stock you sell that will help with readership. While simply having the space will absolutely help you with (at the very least) basic search engine marketing, the more often you update and the more thorough content you provide equals more regular visitors; which in turn converts into more potential sales.

This site will help you brand your store and help consumers remember its name.
Every time a person Googles your store, or types in your shop’s URL into their browser’s address bar they are remembering its name. Your store’s brand is very powerful. In a sea of shops who [to the untrained eye] sell very similar wares, this is your ultimate weapon. If you properly associate your style and what is unique abut your items to your shop name; this will be automatically correlated by the consumer every time a person types your keywords, or your URL. If you brand, you will create loyal customers.

Professional photography isn’t as expensive as you may think.
I’m not talking about a posh (and very pricey) experience, but professional equipment and a keen eye for angles and arranging can bring exactly what you need to your images. This way you can project the best of what you have to offer and reel customers in with your delicious images; while keeping things relatively inexpensive.

If you don’t have time to do this yourself; get someone such as myself to do it for you. We can work within your budget, and work out something that gives both parties what they need.

[CONTACT ME]

Basically, the bottom line is get on it. The more time you wait the more business you lose.

Since we are all beyond sick on Coquitlam by now and its monopoly on H&M in the Lower Mainland, the news of the opening of a flagship store in Spring 2008 comes none too soon.

The store will take over most space that Holt Renfrew left vacant in the Pacific Center mall off Robson Street in downtown Vancouver, and promises to provide the full H&M experience without having to make a trek far out of ones way.

Just think: no more horrendous drives or Skytrain hops down to suburban hell! I can hardly contain myself. This store is said to have three levels (for men, women and children’s styles) spread over 33,000 square feet of retail space. According to Sandi Green (H&M Vancouver’s marketing director), the store will also be holding guest designer appearances and other special events among the full (yes, full) line of all H&M lines.

It’s almost the end of December; and Spring is fast approaching with only a minor count of months to go. Prepare yourself, the opening of this location will be a gong show. I suggest you book days off as soon as a date is announced.

UPDATE:

FLAGSHIP STORE DETAILS RELEASED!!

You And Whose Army? is a lovely little shop tightly wedged within the streets of historical Gastown. YAWA carries one of my most favourite labels, Gsus Industries. Since the local Heaven’s Playground shuts its doors a few months prior, there are a dwindling number of retailers carrying up-to-season Gsus stock.

YAWA carries both men and woman’s pieces, and plenty of accessories for both. Items are priced reasonably, and if you ever are near when they are having a clear-out sale, absolutely grab what you can. The clothing lines carried are all funky street wear brands exported from London, New York and Montréal and will provide a spark for anyone’s at home collection.

The sales people are always friendly and offer their help while staying at a comfortable distance. There’s no over-the-top Future Shop style selling here. It’s all very relaxed and enjoyable. If you’re in the neighborhood, I would suggest keeping an eye out for their front display; the store’s most coveted coats and ensembles are usually displayed here.

Take a gander over to You And Whose Army…you just may find what you didn’t know you were looking at, and it just may be on sale!

Listen up, Canadian hipsters.

If you still haven’t succumbed to Christmas shopping mania, or are still freaking out because you can’t find someone on that never ending list of yours the perfect gift; listen up.

American Apparel’s online store is offering free next day shipping with the code LastChance07 until December 18h, 2007. You can still freak out (like me) for fun, nobody will rob you of that. At least this way you can count on missing out on mania as frantic buyers grab the last shreads of what’s left in-store.

This is also a great way to guarantee the size and style you want will be available to you, instead of taking the gamble that they’re sold out of that black cardie or vegas legging your sister just had to have.

So stay home, be an online shopping hermit and check out these deals. It’s rare that free shipping (let alone next day service) is offered anywhere online, so seriously consider taking advantage of this deal.

That is all.

I had the supreme pleasure of spending some time at Mandula in Vancouver (882 Homer Street) with my friend Kim and the designer/owner Hajnalka. We chatted over some wine and Toblerone and I tortured myself over her designs.

Every single thread created within the doors of Mandula is hand dyed, organic grown fabrics treated locally in Vancouver. As if the beautiful threads were not reason enough to shop here, you’re also supporting the local Canadian fashion industry on so many levels.

She has the funkiest hand-wrinkled scarves, and many of the pieces have long ties you can wrap around your arms, torso or wherever you choose. It really gives you the freedom to give your outfit your own personal interpretation and flair without a great amount of effort. I put on my favorite Alexander McQueen-esque plaid dress (or a skirt, if the black tube top is folded down) for a bit of a photo example of exactly what you can find at Mandula.

These beauties will cost you. The dress I am wearing below costs approx. $750 (I assure you, it’s worth it!). If you can afford these threads, then bust out that Platinum card as fast as you can and bid Hajnalka or one of her associates a hello! You will be in good hands.

I’ll post some photos I took of the clothing below. The whole set is located on Flickr.

A lovely local fashion designer (and friend!) Kim Cathers [formerly of the W. Hastings shop Discollection and also known as "kdon"] has begun to make her original and always stylish creations available online.

As her first wave of business, Kim is making her possibly best known accessory, the kdon hat, available through order on her blog Discollection. I’ve owned a few of these hats now for quite some time, and I love them to death.

If you’re still unsure if the kdon hat is for you, check this out:

• These babies are reversible
• They go with everything
• They can be dressed up or down
• They can be customized
• They’re original
• They’re affordable ($40 CA)

Best of all, your purchasing supports the local Vancouver design scene.

Order them here!

Even if you’re not from around the city, you can feel good knowing you’re supporting a growing industry and you didn’t have to travel any distance to actually do it. The postal service does all the work!

Last night was Paperbird’s fashion preview/tease at 1181. I say it was a tease because we got to see six outfits. That’s it. I’ve got to tell you, I was expecting at least double to triple the amount of clothing shown. I’ll start from the beginning.

The venue was 1181 on Davie Street. 1181 is a quaint, classy lounge. Unfortunatley, the actual sizing and layout of the room could not accommodate the mob of fashion hungry onlookers. You could see absolutley nothing of the girls walking up and down unless you were in the first few rows of people watching.

Additonally, the amount of people concentrated in the one spot made the venue extremely hot. Normally, this would be tolerated, but the show was over in, say, 10 minutes. The outfits were largely unimpressive and the models sub-par. I eventually weasled myself [and my camera] close enough to get a few shots of the girls, but most of the time the projection from the wall was covering their face with the “gossip” text. It was very distracting to the actual clothing, and seemed a bit amateur.

I really don’t know what happened here. On the Paperbird site, I really like their designs. They are a tad on the plain side, but pair with other pieces that have more flair and individuality and you’ve got a winning visual ticket.

Apparently the Small Town Jeans show at the Bourbon (in Gastown) was off the hook. It was unfortunate that both shows started at the same time! Apparently I made the wrong venue choice.

For anyone who is a fan of Made By Elves shoes, you know that they are exclusive to Urban Outfitters. Currently, UO.com is having a free shipping promotion for all orders mailed within America with the code FREEBIRD07.

Even though I reside in Canada, I still got to take advantage of the free shipping and subsequently got to avoid a potential extra $30 US tacked onto my total plus potential duties by shipping to a local receiver in the States. Picking up parcels for items manufactured in the States is also helpful; as you can actually use the North American Free Trade Agreement to your advantage when attempting to [legally] avoid those pain in the ass duties.

My local place is located in Sumas, Washington and is called Ship Happens. This particular place will receive (and hold) your packages for 60 days and charge you $4 US or Canadian to pick up your parcels. If you wish the items to be sent to you afterwards by freight, that can be arranged for $16 US or Canadian. I would suggest you check out the internets for your local operator if you’re not located near the Abbotsford, BC area.

This is a perfect time to take advantage (as I did) of the online sales in-store customers are no privy to. I bought a pair of Made By Elves Chain Gang heels at $29.99 US, and a gorgeous pair of high waisted Lux schoolboy shorts for $29.99 as well. The favourable exchange also makes a slight difference in orders, as well as the fact that products still are based on different pricing models for American and Canadian stores.

This free shipping madness all ends on 11/26/2007, so I would suggest you get your virtual butts into their online retail mecca before it’s too late!

This one is for the boys and the girls. Obviously pea coats are a wardrobe staple throughout the seasons (and has 300-season staying power under its proverbial belt), but the US Navy version has specifically caught my eye. I was lucky enough to find one at a local Value Village (and for a measly $7!).

Since bulkier coats are hot this season, and everyone wants to look like their favourite rock star (cough, cough…Pete Doherty…) it’s a fair idea to pick one up no matter what fashion circle you tread within.

They are also being seen on the runway, being flogged by many major designers like Marc Jacobs and labels such as Burberry. Besides being a snappy visual, pea coats are amazingly warm. It’s no wonder that sailors have been wearing this design for hundreds of years!

Men, this is an easy oppourtunity to pick up a piece that for once dosen’t require any layering, but rather sits on top of it all. This coat will be the finishing touch on your daywear and will translate beautifully into night time wearing.

Ladies, coats such as these can be either beautifully androgynous (think with an Englishman’s hat and your best cigarette pants, with leather boots or patent shoes) or quite feminine (perhaps with a mid-thigh length skirt with embellishments and colored stockings); all depending on the cut of the coat and what pieces you pair it with.

This is a very versatile wardrobe option that anyone can pull off, you must only have a strong sense of style and character to carry the look with you!

Tomorrow (November 8th, 2007) is the official release of Roberto Cavalli’s line to selected H&M stores worldwide. I have been into my local shop (in horrendous Coquitlam, B.C.) and confirmed from an employee that that specific location will be receiving shipments and items will go on sale tomorrow.

To keep everyone’s sanity, I have provided a list of things to observe when going shopping [especially] to a place you know will be a mad house. I would suggest you observe the following in order to not incite shopper’s rage:

1. Leave your kids at home. They have no place in a busy retail environment, and don’t even get me started on parents who bring strollers or kids in those backpack style carriers who clog up the aisles and threaten to take you out with their next turn.
2. Wear flats (sandals don’t count). Women in heels, you look silly attempting to maneuver through a crowd. Also, to all those who still feel it necessary to bare their feet in sub zero near-winter condition: please spare us all the drama when you get your nasty toes stepped on.
3. Wear deodorant. There’s nothing worse than shopping next to somebody who smells rank.
4. Eat before you get there, or bring some form of sustenance. We’ve all been there: the mid-shop blood sugar dive-bomb. It’s not pretty for anyone involved, so take precautions to avoid it at all costs! This does not, however, excuse anyone from attempting to mow down while you’re trying to find your sweater size. I suggest granola bars; as they can be consumed quickly and without much garbage or mess.
5. Remember to use your manners. Sure, sometimes shopping can be insanity (especially nearing the holidays or on new line releases!) but a little politeness can go a long way. Rather than rudely shoving somebody aside, or throwing your hands across the area they are reaching for remember a quick “excuse me”. This does not excuse anyone travelling and shopping abroad. Make the effort to learn the local language’s words for “excuse me” and “I’m sorry”, just in case!
6. If you’re bringing an iPod, keep aware of your surroundings. I’ve been guilty of this one for sure. You’re off in your own little musical world, drowning out the horrendous store soundtrack and the gabbing of those around you. You’re a hazard. You can walk into people, knock items out of people’s hands, the list goes on. The bottom line is keep your head out of the clouds and remain on task and aware of the people around you.
7. The change room is no place to take your time. Let’s face it, most places will have lines to get in. Large lines. Get in that stall and get out as fast as you possibly can.
8. Have your payment method ready. Use that lineup at the cash register to your favour and find that credit card, cash, or whatever you’re using before you get to the till. The frazzled cashiers will appreciate it, and you will be able to escape all the faster if you don’t have to rummage through a purse or wallet stuffed with mystery items and two hundred receipts.

Good luck everyone. Hopefully nobody maims/kills anyone from retail induced rage this season!

As we all know, Pete Doherty loves heroin. There are many that argue that he was probably consumed enough contraband to kill off a herd of elephants. I, for one, have come to the conclusion that he must be immortal. The man is either up to his burned out nostrils in positive luck or is Jesus in disguise; trying to judge the state of humanity today and how far he can take things before all hell breaks loose (no pun intended of course).

Seeing these Cavalli ads featuring Pete really saddens me; not because he will probably blow most of this modelling cash on smack, but because he looks so damn good when he’s all showered up and not blitzed! The man is very attractive. It pains me to see him looking like this, when we all know it’s possible to have the below look all the damn time.

Though I do like the photos, not much of the Cavalli line is really being flogged here. For images that are supposed to represent the entire menswear line for Fall/Winter 2007, the lack of actual advertisement for the house is painfully apparent; though we (or at least I) always enjoy a groomed and beautified Pete.

I’ve always enjoyed Doherty’s sense of style, especially his old world hats, fitted pants and blazers. The man is truly the spirit of rock and roll rebellion, put forth both spiritually and visually in the most unapologetic sense. Whether you love him or hate him, you cannot possibly deny the style that lives within his tortured body. Undoubtedly, anything on musical path that he sets his mind on he can conquer, I only hope that he dosen’t kill himself on his way.

I never imagined that within a city [especially one that is becoming more fashion forward as the days go by] as Vancouver that it would prove so difficult as to find some bloody opera length leather gloves.

As we all know, the cropped blazer is raging in popularity, it is the season for layered looks and leather itself is very hot right now; yet these gloves remain elusive!

I refused to run straight into the halls of our Pacific Center mall’s Holt Renfew. As somebody who does not make enough to justify spending a minimum $200 for an accessory, I could not bring myself to admit shopping defeat and throw down that much for these items right off the bat. I also checked Neiman Marcus’ site and found a minimal selection, though also very highly priced.

I searched multiple Winners locations, including the one on Robson and Granville.  I found two pairs of Nine West gloves (one in black, one in brown) with patent leather on the top half of the glove and matte leather on the bottom.  Sadly they were both ridiculously small and priced at $100 each.

I checked multiple sex shops along the Davie Street strip; there was nothing but a lot of rubber. Defiantly not what I’m looking for.

I searched many downtown clothing shops and usual vintage havens, to no avail. The vintage stores yielded a few cloth results, but all were sized too small for me. Apparently I’m not elf sized and therefore are not privy to vintage hand-wear.

Some may suggest eBay, but I like to hold auctions as a last resort for clothing. Since gloves depend highly on a good fit, I’d rather choose them in person than remotely guess over a sizing chart. I’ll keep that one as a last resort.

Finally, my friend Kenneth and I re-visited one of the sex shops on Davie (he was intent on buying me a pair of the rubber ones just for the stares I would receive in the street) and to my extreme luck, the tranny that was working told me that Le Château was selling matte black leather gloves in their stores.

Last night I ran into my local Château and to my delight they had exactly the gloves I was looking for.  They are the softest leather, available in a range of sizes and end up sitting just over the elbow.  I do wish that they offered more of a colour range, but I am very happy to have found at least the black ones; and they fit like a dream.

These gloves are priced at $60 CA plus tax.

Stella McCartney has designed a necklace featuring a pendant of a leg. Heather Mills’ amputated leg to be exact.

OK, either this is simply hilarious or a really petty dig. I’m all for the “who cares about Heather” bandwagon as this is simply getting old, but I figure this little accessory was worth a mention if only for the potential laughter.

There are no photos of the actual piece as of yet, but apparently the jewelry will sell for £300 with next season’s collection. The piece was shown in Paris last month to the shock and whispers of the crowd; some who thought it was too obviously a jab at Mills while others thought it to be quite hilarious.

Regardless, if this will spark a new trend in amputee-themed jewelry remains to be seen.

West-coast North America lost a brave soldier in the street style war this weekend.

Granville Street’s (Vancouver, B.C.) location was the only Heaven’s Playground in North America. The store carried Gsus exclusively, and had the most extensive collection that one would hope to get over on this side of the pond. There are many reasons why I like this label, the designs are adventurous, their men’s collection isn’t the doldrums, and they always had outrageous seasonal themes (the latest for Fall being Amish vikings!).

Besides the fact that I will miss their retail offerings, two of my friends are sadly now unemployed. The biggest kicker was that the corporate cats apparently called a meeting this last Friday and told them the store was to close the next day! I really would have expected better.

I’m disappointed that this company did not give their employees a chance to find new work, or liquidate their current stock to the people who had been loyal customers to them for the last few years. It’s quite sad to think that corporate greed won this round.

My thoughts are this: if the company was running the store at a loss for, say, the entire two years they were at this location; then what would be another two weeks? The gains for their employees would increase by scores, even if there was additional minor loss to the company; not to mention the fact that they could save on shipping their whole lot of merchandise back to Europe by having a sale.

Gsus, you could have done much, much better.

On Thursday November 8th, 2007, Roberto Cavalli will be releasing his specially designed line through Swedish retail giant H&M. Madonna’s line sold out in mere hours, so I would suggest scooting yourself down there as early as possible!

View the official H&M press release here.

The press release states that Roberto Cavalli will be creating a collection for men and women described as “…no place for shyness and no possibility of ending up with a mainstream wardrobe of everyday basics.”

I, for one, am eagerly anticipating this collection’s release. I am not thrilled at the idea of many slob-like people buying such items and not understanding the gravity and worth of such a collection (who may in turn pair these pieces and pair them with ill fitting outfits) but one can only hope for the contrary!

The line will be released to 200 select H&M stores (not yet determined) and will consist of 20 pieces for the mens collection and 25 (including lingerie) for the womenswear line; both including accessories.

Good luck and happy shopping!

Hello, my name is Victoria and I love lamé.

This is my confessionary statement of adoration for this liquid metallic fabric that to the uneducated ear sounds so icky, yet so intriguing!

I’ve had this morbid fascination when it came to these accessories ever since I heard Balenciaga was making custom pairs for $100,000 each. That is no typo. One hundred grand. I’ll let you calculate all the necessary life goods that one would be purchasing before a pair of these bad boys, and make no mistake: they are constructed out of fabric; not actual gold. Nicholas Ghesquiére is either a madman, or a genious.

Here’s the deal: I bought my first pair of lamé leggings from the South Granville American Apparel about three weeks ago. I’m not going to lie, I was hesitant. I grabbed up a pair of gold lovelies; and was quite the hesitation monster while feeling quite humbled by the potential of myself looking as C3-PO’s long lost daughter entered the change room.

Suddenly they were on. I looked down and thought: my god, this is magical! I stood inside, kind of dazzled at my own bottom half for a minute or so, then realized my very patient friend Kim was still waiting outside for me to show myself.

There I was. I didn’t really know what to say except for “I think….I think I love them! Are they horrible?” Standing by the room door mirror, I examined the side view damage. Bear in mind that since these are pretty much as tight as you can possibly have a pant-style legging there is no escape for any “generous” proportions. If you’ve got alot, anywhere, they’ll show it.

Kim was more than a little boggled by the visual. We decided that if they were smooth, I was venturing into statue-style liquid gold territory so I rumpled them up some and was good to go.

I decided to brave the crowds of judging eyes, since I had seen them worn by some waifs in Vogue [among other magazines]. I figure, who the hell wears lamé?! Goddamn awesome people do. This will be rad. I paid the $40 CA pricetag, and skipped out of the store as one happy customer.

My first wear was a success; my friend Curtis Santiago‘s cd release party. I chose to wear them as a pant with a very long black Gsus t-shirt that read “sport bores me to death” in matching gold capital letters, as well as my new black ankle boots. I was loving it, and definatley got the crowd reaction I was gunning for.

Now comes the frightening side of lamé. Realize that yes, body type matters with this one. You really don’t want to end up looking like Ms. Beth Ditto [of The Gossip], which is to put it politely; is a giant metallic sausage. Treat that fabric with respect and you’ll come out of your party just fine.

A few items I intend to grab up before the’re gone are the bodysuit (which would look space-stellar under a vest and shorts!), the silver twins to my gold leggings and two headbands to match.

All in all, if you decide to dive into the land of metallics for this fall (and I suggest that if you can, you do!) treat this baby with caution. The last thing we want is to see another Beth or gal in a pink 80s getup with mismatched gold leggings. Spare us all the visual torment!

I’m going to come out and say it.

I love suspenders.

The whole idea of an androgynous uniforms for women have always appealed to me fashion-wise and I am thrilled for the glorious return of the suspender!

There are a few things to consider before you don a pair of these delights:

What are you pairing them with? Nothing, after all, screams visual disaster moreso than strong accessories that clash with your overall look and colors. Be sure to take those pants and shorts into consideration with your top (especially if you’re wearing bold colors or prints) to be sure that they will jive with your final addition.

How androgynous do you want to look? To achieve a more feminine air, utilize a lower cut silk blouse or deep vneck sweater with a more fitted cut. If you’re ready to cross into a realm previously only permitted for the boys (and my personal preference) select a more standard shirt or sweater with a higher neckline and pair with a Palestinian or tea scar and a light blazer. The suspenders can be worn under or over the blazer, depending on how bold you want to be!

What is your style? Bear in mind the ensemble dictates how successful your end visual will be, and how much it impacts your audience. If you’re going for the Kate Moss Dior Homme-esque look, chances are you’ll be successful. If you’re pairing only jeans and a sweater you must be more careful and pay attention to the few details you have that will stand out the most.

What is your body type? Suspenders grab attention towards your mid-section, so make sure you’re wearing an appropriatley cut top that will compliment the look.

Some naysayers will denounce this trend, saying it’s clownish and silly. I heartily disagree, as long as you’re put some thought into all of your pieces and have coordinated well you’ll have this one in the bag.