Open toed anything are pretty much at the bottom of my list of things I like.  I think toes are gross; they look like stubby hands and are largely ignored by the humans that wear open toed shoes – nasty, nasty, nasty!  In 2011, my fashion wish is for the open toed boot to get crucified in pop culture and forgotten.

Not only are toes themselves fairly icky, but one or two piggies peeping out for the world to see, squashed and mutilated after a day’s walking, are utterly nasty.  It used to be that this peep toe wonder trend was confined to the hotter months, though with the introduction of the peep toe boot the hideousness knows no seasonal bounds.

I heartily encourage everyone to have a personal goal of a peep toe boot free 2011… I know we can do it!

I’m determined that Lady Gaga must at least make a cameo, and rumors have it she’ll make more than a casual appearance.  Apparently the Mugatu character will be returning, with Hansel and Derek Zoolander fighting to have a raging case of The Comebacks.

It will be curious to see if the script can create new magic with the humor style; what’s old is still old to fans of the original Z, even if it’s been nearly 10 years since the original was released.  It will be interesting to see which face they cast as Derek and Matilda Jeffries’ boy – I would completely weep if they cast Justin Beiber.

Regardless of how the movie does [or does not] turn out, give Zoolander a watch today and remember all the magic of the lols.

Oh, and I just realized DZ is doing the original duckface in his blue steel look – that Jersey Shore oompa loompa totally bit that one and we didn’t even realize it!!

The Christmas season is over, and 2011 is about to begin.  If you also can’t believe this year is nearly gone and done, you’re in good company.  To celebrate, why don’t you start the year with a new phone and no mobile service bill for 3 months?

That’s right.. demiCouture and Mobilicity have combined forces to offer one winner a free HTC Smartphone and unlimited talk and text (a $35/month value) for 3 months. 

Give – You will be holding a giveaway for an HTC smartphone
Get –  You and a reader receive a phone with the Holiday Unlimited package
Share – Share the love by liking the Mobilicity Facebook page and Mobilicity donate $1 per like to the S’Cool Life Fund.

To enter, comment on this flyer on the demiCouture Facebook page.  You have until January 6 to enter, and must live in Canada to win (sorry rest of the world.. this was Mobilicity’s requirement!)

Sales, sales, sales.. but is boxing day actually worth it? People go insane on boxing day, and most of the time it’s not worth getting up for, though you can be the judge of that with the list of sales below.

Main Street

• F As In Frank – 60% off entire store, 30% off online store w/ promo code ‘chucknorris‘
• Eugene Choo – 30% off clothing and accessories, including sale items
• Lark - additional discounts, 1 day sales

Gastown

• Roden Gray – entire store 20-70% off
• The Block – Sale occurring; no discounts specified
• LYNNsteven - 50% off FW10 items, 20% off jewelry
• Times Profile Shop - up to 60% off
• Dutil - 98.6% off selected denim, additional $7-8 off with flyer
• Nouvelle Nouvelle – 50% off entire store

Downtown

• Browns - up to 80% off
• H&M - $100 off your purchase for the first 100 customers, additional sales in store
• Urban Outfitters – 50% off sale items, additional discounts in store
• Aldo - additional 30% off sale items
• Aritzia - additonal 20-50% off sale items
• Winners - sale details on website
• Zara - up to 50% off everything
• Holt Renfrew – 50% off sale items
• American Apparel - 20% off everything (unconfirmed, forum)
• BoysCo - entire store up to 80% off

Kitsilano

• Gravity Pope – 20% off regular priced items
• JNBY- 50% off sale items

Online

• SSense - additional 50% off sale items
• Bluefly - up to 80% off items
• Land’s End – up to 40% off select items

It’s been rather mental over in demiCoutureland over the holidays; I’ve been blogging less than I should, and seasonal stress has been at an all time high! Due to my feeling the Mark Fast contest has not been given the attention it was due, I’m extending the contest until JANUARY 2ND.

That way, after Christmas is over and my head stops spinning things can get hyped properly and you can actually have a moment to scope demiCouture and not feel guilty about pushing holiday to-do’s off to the side.

EXCELLENT, GOT THAT OUT OF THE WAY. What a relief.

Have an extra drank (or two) for me this ho-liday!

V.P.

For those still looking for Alexander McQueen memorabilia, the newest release by Visionaire, A Tribute To Lee Alexander McQueen has been released as a hand studded couture version.

This truly collectible version is only available online until December 31st, at a price of $1,750 per book.   Books will deliver within 3-6 weeks, and if you’ve got buyer’s remorse too damn bad – this piece is not returnable.  At least you get comp’d shipping!

The Alexander McQueen label is likely still reeling from the shock of losing its founder Lee McQueen last February, though the label itself seems to be suffering.

Whether it’s internal issues from the heads trying to rake in as much cash as possible from still grieving fashionistas or the design team is genuinely stuck as to where to take the label next, it’s time to jump out of this super luxe pot hole and get back to the roots of McQueen – dreamlike images of clothing, at times terrifying, often grunge and always at the forefront of the design community.

While Sarah Burton has large and heavy shoes to fill, she’s clearly up to the challenge if only she would let herself loose and begin to restore the McQueen label to what it was before its celebrity became it’s defining characteristic.  Instead of bodycon dresses with intricate print designs and incredibly tailored separates, one still years for McQueen designs of days gone by; amazingly draped shaping of 2004, costume finery of 2006,  architecturals of 2008 and English throwback of the 1800s from 2009.

The rawness of the label’s design seems to have been [hopefully] temporarily lost with his passing; a characteristic one can only pray will return with team and directional stability.  This label deserves to be held in the hearts of admirers for decades as more than a label that brought skulls back into mainstream acceptability; the only way this can be done is to ensure the design continues to shatter new glass ceilings.

If you’re a late shopper like myself, this is a prime holiday gifting opportunity! Gastown’s (212) boutique is offering a special pre-Christmas sale on Wednesday the 22nd – 45% off everything in the store (regular price) and an additional 15% off all items already on sale.

WHEN: Wednesday, December 22 from 11AM – 7PM
WHERE: (212); 454 West Cordova [Googlemap]

These are major, but I’ve got too many kicks in my closet! During my epic cleanout, these were decided that since I’ve only worn em once they should go to a better, more loving home.  I got these at SteveMadden.com; retailed originally for $299, currently still selling at $199 – I’m only asking $90 for these boots worn once!!

They’re sold, thanks!

Want em? Email me!

THEY’RE GONE, THANKS!!

Super cute, right??

I got these from SteveMadden.com a couple on months ago, and while they’re labeled as a size 40 (women’s 10), they fit like a 9, so naturally I can’t wear them.  These are genuine leather, studded booties, made in Spain and never worn! I have the box if you need it.

Specs:

-size 9 (39)
-fits a bit narrow
-never worn!
-retails for $100+ US (more like $130 when duties + shipping are factored)
-asking $60

THEY’RE GONE, THANKS!!

There are fewer footwear designs I love more than a Chelsea boot, and for good reason – Chelseas are comfortable, shape your ankle very nicely, go with nearly anything and are [more often than not] quite affordable.

I live in Chelsea boots; jeans, leggings, shorts, skirts, tights.. everything works with these babies.  That brings us to boomerang back to the new Chloë Sevigny x Opening Ceremony x Nana Chelseas that have just been released; they have a beautifully low heel, subtle stitching designs and a thick sole for everyday wear.

Even better is the price point – these boots are $265 per pair.  Not only is that incredibly reasonable for OC, but for a boot like this that one can wear constantly without fear of ruin, it’s a steal!

Wood isn’t just for clogs from the Dutch; wood is one of the hottest design aspects of footwear design right now.  Wood is not only organic in appearance, but a lovely texture juxtaposition to leathers.  I’ve pooled together a group of my favorite woodies currently available – check em out!

All of these wedges share a partial or full wooden base; wood is lighter than you would think, and provides a lovely look.  For architectural edge, Finsk’s wood variation is incredibly fun and I hear tell is quite easy to walk in.  Minimarket’s cap toe variety is a very svelte style, as with Maison Martin Margiela’s leather covered wedge.  Friis’ lace up hiker style and AllSaints’ leather covered wedge are also prime pieces; the AllSaints style being the only with stained black wood.

The glory days for flats are officially over, and the time for sky high lifts has begun yet again.  Check out these insanely tall wedges and heels; these are 5+ inches in height increase! As a tall person I can’t imagine teetering on these bad boys; I can’t even bear the thought of walking around for more than a few hours in three inches, much less five or more.

These are intense, visually stunning pieces, though I can’t say if they would be all that wearable.. you’d have to keep eyes peeled for benches and other areas of refuge during your wear! The three insaneo tall pieces below belong to Lanvin, Giuseppe Zanotti and Chloë Sevigny for Opening Ceremony, the OC pair being just released for pre-sale.

Andrew Richardson may have been the mind behind this tee, but it certainly rings another Richardson bell – Terry, the world’s favorite skeevy photographer.

Apparently Andrew Richardson has ‘become a reference in transcending the pornographic genre ; genius mix of sex, politics, provocation and art’; maybe this Richardson is the British doppelgänger, or vice versa.

There are three very average tees to peruse (though the Avedon Letter is quite funny), all of which can be found at Colette for just under $60 US.

I’ve been quietly watching Wool And The Gang for a while now, and after an admittedly being intrigued by their knit your own bra kit last March, I became soured quite quickly.  A tweet a few days ago brought WATG back to my thoughts; a fellow Tweeter was wondering if she should attempt to knit with her own supplies or get a kit from Wool.

After tweeting a reply and staring for a few moments at the screen I started wondering why people bought kits from Wool And The Gang to begin with. They are hilariously overpriced, and while they do have instructional on ‘cool’ knits, you could find these at your local library or [gasp] online if you took the time to search.

Finding a pair of needles and some yarn you like the consistency and color of is not difficult either, and you can get it for a hell of a lot less than the $95 snood or $129 striped scarf.  Knitting something yourself is about making something, being creative and saving money; none of these bases are really hit by a kit that is exorbitantly overpriced.

If you’re a beginner and have never picked up the needles before, try taking a cheap class with a grandma, get a $5 instruction manual at your local hobby joint or watch video tutorials on Youtube (there are tons; I highly recommend this option!).  The ones I found are edited, clear visually and audibly.

Let’s get creative on our own, people.. put the overpriced kits down and step away!!

Fashion may not be considered formidable weaponry, though accessories have gotten harder over the last few years.  A certain favorite have always been bullets and other weaponry for the fact they are the perfect anti elegance.

These crystal bullet necklaces are hung on a chain; each bullet is juxtaposed by different types of crystals if you’re into that type of hippie crap.  For myself, I think they look incredible, and slung in multiples around a neck would be visual brilliance.

Cost of each piece varies on materials used, which varies from gold to chains ($10-20 variance), though the basic pendant is priced at $310.

I love my trash, especially when it comes from Ash.  This is the Trash boot; a studded engineer style worth every penny of the golden horse it rode in on.

I just recently acquired the Ash Polo messenger bag, and love it – the entire collection is leathery, laden with attitude and well made.

The Trash boots have sold out quickly in the larger sizes; only 5 through 7 are available at Solestruck right now.

At $355 they aren’t the most lowly priced boots on the market, though they are made in Italy and those studs take a hell of a long time to apply manually (trust me) – these are worth what they’re being sold for.

Buckled styles are a mainstay in the boot world, and with the nine showcased below there will be no way to deny it.  Through heels, wedges and flats we have a lovely collection of fancy footwear ready for stomping through winter wet.

We will start out with two lovelies from Zara; the wool ankle boot and the contrast buckled wrap bootie.  Both are beautifully priced, made with real leathers and can be worn in so many different ways.  Fluevog’s Lancaster boots are an excellent buy, and much lesser priced than the average Fluevog boot at $289.  The remainders are Miu Miu’s tall strap and buckle, Dr Marten’s Savannahs and Chloé’s flats.

The rest of the company are the height enhancers; our friendly heel and buckle crew.  demiCouture loves include the multi multi buckle Jeffrey Campbell One O One, Burberry Prorsum shearling lined aviators and the walking friendly Jeffrey Campbell Sinki.

Blanche Macdonald’s latest fashion design program grads recently took the stage at The Westin Bayshore, providing quite a curious presentation for those in attendance.  The runway show entailed 45 of Blanche’s grads showing two looks for each grad an extensive display of the school’s current batch of talent.

It became quite clear within the first fifteen minutes of the show that the designs were highly costume design based.  Much of the designs evoked a feeling of sci-fi films, takes on traditional ethnic attire [1] [2] , oddly cropped active wear and some genuinely confusing styling choices.  Pieces were heavily color blocked, many with thick piping and fused with a highly theatrical look.

What was rather perplexing was  what appeared to be a heavy use of synthetics for the graduate’s final presentation garments.  Due to low number of required looks each grad was required (two completed outfits); the majority of the students using what appeared to be low cost fabrics.  Many chose to use [what appeared to be] polyesters and other similar materials; in person the lack of textile quality was clear.

Overall, the entire collection of grads appeared to be going for a very theatrical presentation, though the designs appeared to be design directed towards costuming.  There were times when outfits evoked video game characters (particularly Final Fantasy), raver and sci-fi inspired uniforming,  hooded Star Wars heroines, and even an asymmetric sleeve inspired by elephantiasis.  One could deduce the basis of the inspiration for these looks, and while there was clearly care within the garment construction, the design execution and finishing was where weakness lied.

Construction detailing was also a suffering point with some of the grads’ work; you could clearly see bulging waist corsets [1] [2], uneven and  sagging tailoring of garment busts [1] [2] [3], unflattering folds over a model’s thighs, a dress that give an illusion of a paunch, while others displayed overall lack of tailoring which resulted in an uncomplimentary silhouette.

I do wish that I had been able to view Blanche’s past presentations to identify if this was simply a less impressive collection of students, though unfortunately that reference point was not possible.  While the roster of past successful grads is clear (most notably Tenille Magnusson, designer of Aritzia’s Wilfred range, Dace Moore of Dace Clothing and Lisa Malcic, designer of the Barneys stocked children’s range Beba Bean), I did not see work presented from this runway collection that foreshadowed other such accomplishments.