Seeing as how I’m moving to New York City on Sunday and also how this film is coming out tomorrow, I thought that this would be an appropriate blog post! Even though Amy already talked about it months ago (always so ahead!) on Avenue Public Relations’ Journal, the buzz is still lingering and in fact, heightening as the release draws near.

The September Issue takes audiences into the world of VOGUE as they create the September 2007 issue of the magazine. Why Sept’07 you ask? Well, if you are into the fashion, you would know that VOGUE’s September 2007 issue impacted the fashion industry more than any other publication with its 4lb of glossy pages and its record sales of more than thirteen million copies. What makes this film so novel, though, is the fact that 20 year editor at VOGUE, Anna Wintour, has never let anyone scrutinize the workings of VOGUE until filmmaker R.J. Cutler.

Also adding to the sizzle of the film is fashion’s most powerful woman Anna Wintour. Not only known for that bob haircut and sunglasses, Wintour is also known for her personality: terse, emotionally distant, stubborn, and demanding. Even Condénast has to recognize Wintour’s significance; the publisher picks up the tab for her hair and makeup, as well as her annual $200 000 wardrobe tab. To get a better idea of Wintour, watch The Devil Wears Prada. Many say that the unapproachable character of Miranda Priestley in The Devil Wears Prada is based off of Lauren Weisberger’s novel; Wintour’s comment on the film during an interview with David Letterman was “we really like fiction at VOGUE.”

Watch The September Issue trailer and Anna Wintour’s interview with David Letterman here before you go see the film tomorrow!

Barb :: Aug.27.2009 :: Fashion :: No Comments »

Buying clothes is something that I find incredibly difficult; a lot of things don’t seem to fit me well. My shoulders are broad, which makes me go up a size but that leads to me getting a shirt that doesn’t taper or flatter me well. I’m short, so I have to be careful about which jeans I buy so that when I hem them, the wash doesn’t look awkward. When I opted to search for a solid black skinny jean, how could I possibly go wrong with this wardrobe staple?

Last month, I grabbed a pair of BCBG skinny jeans for 60€ and thought they fit great when I tried them on in the changeroom. But when I got around to wearing them for a whole day, I found that they stretched. All right, I get that denim is bound to stretch, but it felt as though I had brought the wrong pair home with me! The stretch led the jeans to feeling like a size larger than what I had bought. Definitely not going back to BCBG for another pair of jeans (why I went for jeans in the first place, I’m not quite sure), but I sure do love their tops and skirts.

A big surprise greeted me when I came back to Toronto last week: Aritzia was actually having a decent sale. Let me tell you, this store seldom has sales and when it does, items usually have savings of $5 to $10 dollars. But this time around, there were some great deals to be had. One of which was a jet black pair of Earnest Sewn “Harlan” cigarette jeans for $60 CDN (retail $210).

I know of Earnest Sewn jeans brand, but never really heard them talked about the way I’ve heard people talk about 7 for All Mankind, Rock and Republic, or J Brand (I can’t even fit my calves through their skinny jeans). Really, for $60 CDN, I figured I’d give the pair a try. And hey, it’s one of the few things that I see that aren’t made in China (this pair is made in the USA)!

The Earnest Sewn signature screen printed waistband

Each pair of Earnest Sewn jeans comes with a handkerchief that shows off the great things about the jeans, such as the “Earnest Sewn story” on the inside of the jeans, signature polished copper button, and signature screen printed waistband size indicator. I’ve never seen so much detail put on the inside of a piece of clothing, aside from JUZD tees. The screens are easy and fun to read, and are well placed on the reverse side.

Now, the test drive. I finally had a day to wear these jeans after a cold front swept across the east coast this past week. The jeans are so underrated; they’re incredibly comfortable and stretch nicely. The pair gives enough so that it conforms to your body and makes it yours. The denim’s a little heavier than I would have liked for the summer weather, but it’s not so thick that I would be sweating in this weather with them on. It makes for a great year-round pair of pants.

With that said, I certainly would buy another pair of Earnest Sewns, even at its steep retail price.

About Earnest Sewn
A New York label founded by former Paper, Denim & Cloth designer Scott Morrison. Wanting to avoid the “assembly line production” concept, some of the operations are left to specialists, the wash process uses a hand technique so that no two jeans are the same, and each pair is hand stamped by Morrison after each completed step. This attention to detail definitely earns the company’s its name with its earnest approach to its product.

Barb :: Aug.23.2009 :: Fashion :: 7 Comments »

So I’ve finally packed up everything in my apartment (in case you aren’t in the ‘know,’ I’ve been living in Paris for the past year for my studies, and rented an apartment for the summer) and am ready to go. Well, just the laptop has to go. But what fun would it be if I didn’t do my last post in Paris for the year?

I’ve had plenty of people come over to Paris this past year, and what better way to end my time here than to have another friend come over? So a friend from high school,Yohan Yee, (who spends his summers in London) came over for a day and a half, and we trekked through the many neighborhoods of Paris even though it was sizzling hot!

Crossing one of the many bridges that connect the left an right bank, I saw the most interesting thing! I honestly had thought this was another Bateau Mouche, but thought it was weird that there were people posing like supermodels on the deck. Then I realized it wasn’t another tour boat – it was a movie set! Wowee, now I’ve seen everything! (Okay, not really)

Movie set on the Seine! Click image to enlarge!

And there you have it, the next post will be from Canada!

Barb :: Aug.12.2009 :: Life, Trendy Finds :: 1 Comment »