CITY BOY GEEKINESS

High Fashion is a completely different entity. Sometimes it can be the polished brand-name trends displayed in boutique windows around the world or those outrageous designs lining the runway. Taste is everything! Knowing what's on-trend and when to differentiate between the two is a skill not many celebrities have seemed to figure out quite yet. The next two designers that I'll be talking about today have transcended their acting days to become one of fashion's hottest young designers around. 

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are fraternal twin sisters who have premiered several popular runway collections, as well as writing best-selling books. "The Row" and "Elizabeth and James" are their two current fashion lines which span into both male/female clothing (well, for E&J only) and accessories such as sunglasses and handbags. Currently, the girls have retired from acting to focus solely on their international fashion lines.

I've always known that Mary-Kate and Ashley were fashion designers but I never paid much attention to their lines. After doing some research between both, the men's line for Elizabeth and James could be something I'd check out in New York. The cost may be a little steep, though all fashion pays a price to have something different (not even touching something from Dsquared until I'm ready). The Row is more high-end, it would be perfect for parties or special events to look more polished and up-scale. If you're interested in looking at each line individually, head to The Row and Elizabeth and James (the lookbook site for E&J may be down).

The image below is from the 2011 collection from The Row:

Winter is the perfect time for thick sweaters and jaw-dropping stylish coats - nevertheless, I am no fan of the weather! Besides trying out new fall and winter ensembles for the next couple of months, winter is the perfect time to locate the cutest awe-inspiring accessories to show off in the spring. If you're in Toronto, many small boutique stores and antique shops downtown might hold that special unique item you're looking for?

I'll be the first to the admit that I am no expert when it comes to women's fashion accessories. My time in retail was heavily focused on attire - I did perfect styling with colour choices. From the designers that I've read about and checked up on, one such person peaked my interest. 

Jenny Bird is Canadian-born fashion designer whose accessories collection has prominently been featured on such fashion-forward television shows like Gossip Girl, The City and Melrose Place. Her range of collections (always women only) sports many trendy pieces that include handbags, necklaces, rings and bracelets to name a few. Currently, this Toronto and New York-based fashion designer has spread her accessories to boutiques and the hottest retailers in locations worldwide.

What made me want to write about Jenny this week is that I never realized her collection appeared in shows that I liked. Gossip Girl and Melrose Place are two shows that I absolutely love and still watch (in Melrose's case, when it was still airing). Accessories is always an afterthought when I think of Fashion but this week, it felt right to focus on this topic. Also, her collection is amazing if you thrive on accessories and handbags. Her site says that they're currently working on a new website but if you want to learn more about her, check her out at www.jenny-bird.com. 

To keep this site fresh and interesting, I try to create posts for a variety of genres and topics. However, for the last couple of posts, I feel like I've only been writing about video games. Don't get me wrong, I love video games but there are other topics that I should dust-off and write again - one of them being fashion. 

This latest piece is going to bring back my features entry about showcasing an iconic and interesting fashion designer around the world. For this week's entry, I'm going to be highlighting the colour-inspiring male fashion designer: Matthew Williamson!

To be fair, as Matthew Williamson is a prominent women's fashion designer, I'm not familiar with his body of work. Through some digging and online research, I've come to appreciate his style of taste and the diversity of his collections. Many designers tend to focus on the glitz and the added sparkles to accentuate their pieces but Matthew's prowess is with colour. The fluidity of his pieces offers the perfect balance of colour and individuality. While many outfits embrace the splash of uniqueness to its design, it doesn't verge on the edge of disaster but offers a new take for being trendy.

What brought Matthew Williamson to my attention is his stint in Men's fashion. His collection for H&M was a nice change to see if it will be an area that he'd continue to grow in. Since I'm in Canada, there's no way for me to see his collections up-close but hopefully, if I'm ever in London or the U.S., I might check it out to see if it would be something I'd recommend to my friends. If you want to check out his collection and style for yourself, check out his website at: matthewwilliamson.com.

Here are a couple of runway images to give you an idea of his collection. The second and third image are my favourites from the line of ensembles below.

The designer(s) that I want to feature this week are the twin style icons for the clothing line Dsquared2: Dan and Dean Catan.

I've been familiar with their work for about two years; it was right around the time when I became more interested in fashion and began learning about some designers. Their more stylistic-yet-professional outfits are the types of clothing that I would purchase myself. However, their price range is in no way near what I can afford...ever.

If I could afford (or find a decent outlet and vintage store that carries their line) then I would purchase maybe a top or ensemble. If you want to check out their collections and some of their outfits for men and women, visit their website by clicking the following link: dsquared.com.

Check out a couple of the items below from their runway and photography ads that interested me. I really like the first, fourth and fifth look from the mash-up picture blow.

Yearbooks remind me of how different fashion styles were back in high school. Usually it takes about 10 to 15 years for people to utter the lines, "What the hell was I thinking?" Recently, I was moving some stuff around and looked through a couple of yearbooks. 

FIRST YEAR
Style: (1st Semester) Casual with a mix of relaxed Punk.
         (2nd Semester) Casual but improving style-wise.

Brands: Bluenotes, Aeropostale, Randy River, West49, Urban Behaviour, Le Chateau, Stitches, and H&M.

Unfavourable Pieces: Stripped Zip-Up Hoodie, Scuffed White K-Swiss shoes, unfitted white graphic tees.
Memorable Pieces: Dark jeans, black buttoned-up top, black vest.

Thoughts: "Thank God for second semester and some important advice."

In my first year of college, my friends now can admit that my fashion sense was lacking. I mostly wore graphic tees with blue jeans and tried to pass that off. For an unknown and idiotic notion on my part, the concept of size and fit did not matter because I ended up purchasing tops that were either one or two sizes too big. Skulls on polos was something I thought I could pull off and I'm so sorry Mel that you had to deal with that. After the new year and my first job, I had a steady income and started to take at least some interest to purchase some fashion-forward outfits like tops from Le Chateau, a vest from H&M, and jeans from Urban Behaviour. My biggest problem was still the size issue because I bought medium and larges when I was actually a small.

SECOND YEAR

Style: (3rd Semester) Casual meets Preppy and Club.

          (4th Semester) Preppy, Urban and Indie (in my wildest dreams for the last two).

Brands: Bluenotes, H&M, Le Chateau, Urban Behaviour, Gap, and Urban Planet.

Unfavourable Pieces: Black running shoes (passed them off as dress shoes), over-sized black polo, over-sized blazer/hoodie combination, and a selection of random pieces.

Memorable Pieces: Fitted clothes, Converse, Argyle sweaters, vests, black zip-up hoodie, sun glasses, and v-neck tees.

Thoughts: "Think a relaxed version of Dan from Gossip Girl yet affordable is where I wanted to be."

Second year really marked a turning point for individual style. I started working at Gap and things were much easier to distinguish where I wanted my style to lean towards. Pulling off skinny jeans is an accomplishment and my outfit pieces were becoming more fitted. The highlight was hearing Michelle say, "your shirt looks really good; it's better than your graphic tees." That joke really made me laugh but hey, I still wear t-shirts and some of the v-necks I got at Bluenotes I still have to this day. Fashion was something that I paid more attention to starting at this period to make me more professional instead of being too casual.

THIRD YEAR

Style: (5th Semester and Present) Preppy, Modern, and Hipster (Really Kemeny?!?!).
Brands: American Apparel, Gap, H&M, Mexx, Le Chateau, Forever 21, Burberry, Banana Republic, and Urban Behaviour.

Unfavourable Pieces: I don't really have any but if I had to choose it would polos. I've never really been able to pull them off and for a time I thought I could finally do it; end result: I can't.
Memorable Pieces: Black double-breasted wool coat, black dress shoes (I think I just heard my high school graduating class all cheering simultaneously), skinny tie, scarf, black fitted pants, and faux-leather jacket.
Thoughts:  "Trends come and go but personal style is all that matters"

I feel if there was a point that I could look at as the fashion style that was really me, it would have to be my style right now. It's professional/preppy yet casual, hipster yet modern-on-trend; it's me and people took notice.

If there was something I could tell myself (five years ago) and to anyone else is that your personal style and tastes will grow as you mature. The brands and outfits that you may have liked in the past will not be the same things you want to wear out of the house in the future. Skulls, white scuffed-up sneakers, and over-sized hoodies may be nice back then but remember to know that you're tastes will change and your personal style will grow. Look back with a smile, remember all the good times, and donate them to a worthy charity. Be confident and brace yourself to cringe when you look back and have your own WTHWIT moment.