May
29
YSL in MTL
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My first encounter with Yves Saint Laurent was in high school. A boy I had a tremendous crush on would wear Jazz to class. (See, even back then I was chasing for a bit of heaven.)
Although the boy never returned my affection (he seemed to know it was a crush more than I did at the time) I just couldn’t help but be hooked. My feelings were just too intense. I just couldn’t stop. Thus began my love affair with all things Yves and YSL.
YSL, to me, is like the left wing of all the traditional fashion houses. To explain. Dior, Chanel, Prada, Armani are like the top-tier of fashion. Their time-honoured, bread-and-butter items–such as bags, flats, skirts and suits respectively–are fairly conservative. Nothing risky about them, but fabulous items no less.
Next to the traditional standbys are McQueen, Gautier, Cavalli, and Westwood; totally fun pieces, courageous, imaginative but a bit too extravagant. I don’t want to say impractical, but perhaps more catwalk than sidewalk. (Although why everyday isn’t an Alexander McQueen day is beyond me.)
And thereafter we can probably have two camps, but I’ll generalize for simplicity’s sake. The more subdued (and incredibly sophisticated) designers like threeAsFour,
In this “fashion matrix” (which seems to be the way my mind operates), where does YSL fit? It doesn’t. It’s simply off the grid. Read more
May
28
Bonds that Bind
Filed Under This Just In | Leave a Comment
New Bond novel comes out today! What could be better? Daniel Craig on the big screen! That’s what!
May
22
Cahier Rahier
Filed Under Dished | Leave a Comment
At one point, in my life, I had imagined being a food critic. Except, my critique wouldn’t just be on coulis and cabernets. It would have to include some commentary too. Specifically, girl talk.
Rahier Patisserie |
Arrive here a little after 9am on a holiday weekend and expect a lineup out the door at this popular Leaside café. Moms and tots in extra large baby strollers clumsily navigate through poorly planned pedestrian traffic made up of cellophane-wrapped goodies, Beanie Babies and starved patrons waiting on buttery croissants and brioche. The frenzy is calm but calculated as regulars know that baked treats sell out quickly. Even Ladies who lunch felt the pressure to make haste but decided to secure a spot instead of getting caught up in the commotion. Those who are indecisive are often left with cinnamon palmiers, although excellent, cannot compare to the selection of tarts and mouse-filled chocolate ruffled paniers (as I like to call them). Not to worry. Even if the taking is slim this time around, Rahier’s coffee does not disappoint and still makes the visit worthwhile. After letting several people jump cue, Ladies were finally ready to order from the ample selection of sweets remaining. Read more
May
20
Ready. Teen Set. Go!
Filed Under I'm a Bookie | Leave a Comment
I hate to give the man my hard-earned dollar, but Chapters booksellers has some crazy deals going on right now. There’s a lot of hardcover fiction for less than ten dollars. Insane!
My interest is in children’s fiction, as I’m currently reviewing and editing a middle grade manuscript I wrote a while back with the hope of one day giving my silly-funny story an audience. (Wish me luck!)
I keep reading and researching published themes and styles of the post-Harry-Potter craze of authors out there who wrote great works that went relatively unnoticed (eclipsed by the Rowling serial) and others who arrived on the scene much later; fresh voices offering entirely engaging and extremely well-written fiction.
This weekend I went on a bit of a shopping binge, and bought three books from the short-listed five I initially had set my sights on. Read more
May
14
The Phrenological Comic
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Graphic novels have now become so the norm for pop culture, that publishers and authors alike are attempting to fit themselves into different niches within the genre.
Of wider popularity as of late, has been the “graphic memoir.” Marisa Acocella Marchetto’s Cancer Vixen, and Marjane Satrapi’s,
Another newly-coined niche, which I find a little unclear as to what kinds of graphic stories it includes or excludes is, “typographic comic.” I’d like to discuss one not so obvious, and one obvious (and maybe the culprit of the new term) graphic novels that might better help clarify the terminology as well as offer a different perspective on two entirely different books dealing with private thoughts and perspectives, rendered in an almost similar (parallel might be the better word) fashion. Read more
May
12
Truth is Vanity
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I hate to admit this, (writers for writers!) but when it comes to buying books, the library acts as my middleman.
How it works is like this: I get a sample, and if I like the product, I go back for more, but this time, at a price. Since my guy doesn’t deal, I have to go to his bookie or sometimes his dealer to buy direct.
Before I buy, my sample gets shelved into a few categories. One-time reads only; cute, but bookshelf optional; want to reread again, don’t know if or when I will, therefore not necessary to own; gotta own it, even if I’ll never find the time to reread it; and drat, this book isn’t at the library and it’s not even on order!
Many purchases over the last couple of years have been made under the umbrella of “gotta own it, even if I’ll never find the time to reread it” category. However, Sloane Crosley’s, I Was Told There’d be Cake was decided by “drat, this book isn’t at the library and it’s not even on order” category despite all the attention the book has been getting. Read more
May
8
The Best of the Web
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The 2008 Webby Award winners have just been announced and the picks are AMAZING! The long lists of select sites and contending nominees will truly blow your mind! Check out my personal favourite (in the “Art” category, of course) by the Museum of Modern
May
6
The “Couturing” of Comics
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It appears that comics and fashion are institutionalizing a trend of sorts in their reacquainted art-meets-avant-garde dominion.
In the art world, touring exhibitions (in
Threadless might be the proponent of the fashionomix (Fashion + comix + economics! Oh yeah! I’m copyrighting that!) explosion, of Batmobiles on our backs, but the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is taking the trend (Bloff!) to a whole new level. Read more
May
2
Springs Falls and Leaves
Filed Under Inside Out | Leave a Comment
As I get older, spring has long lost the adage of, “April showers, bring May flowers.” Even with the prospect of gray weather, the buoyancy of what spring is suppose to bring doesn’t really exist. And in reality, it’s just not that simple to do either.
During spring, flowers struggle to kiss the sun’s rays and colour and beautify the earth as the way we all want to hold on to the world all year long; full of colour, hope, beauty and honesty. But, somehow the clovers and dandelions race to suffocate the crocuses and lily of the valley in the annual awakening of life, which I have now come to realize what spring is really about: re-growth, not rebirth. Read more