One of My Faves..

...Of the model world is Ms. Crystal Renn. She is absolutely gorgeous and an anomaly in the industry because of her success. Why? She just happens to not be stick-thin, yet she lands spreads in magazines like Vogue, Glamour and most recently, an amazing 18 (!) page spread in January's Elle Canada, on a regular basis.

A few faves from the January shoot (click on them to see a bigger version):









Look at what she's wearing, especially the clothes. Crystal is a size 12. Does it have a negative effect on the photos? Hell no! She makes the clothes look better in my opinion.

Though there was a time when Crystal was thinner and modelling successfully. However she was forced to slim down even further, nearly losing a 1/3 of her body weight, later causing her serious health problems. She later regained her health and 70 pounds, now becoming labelled a "plus sized" model. In 2006 when she closed Jean-Paul Gaultier's S/S fashion show, she received plenty of praise and media attention. Although that's great, it's also a bit saddening when a "plus sized" model appears on the runways algonside her waif-like counterparts, it happens to bring up that much attention. It should be the norm and it'll probably benefit the designers' accounts in the long run.

I'm always happy when I see her in fashion spreads. I know I'll see more of her in the near future. She has a book coming out called "Hungry." It'll be an interesting read.

It's the most wonderful time of the year ... la la la la

Don't you just love Christmas? Everyone just seems so happy, humming away christmas tunes as they buy presents for their loved ones. I for one, am not only excited for Christmas but for what it brings with it. No, I am not talking about Santa Claus. I was thinking about Boxing Day, and if you are a shopaholic like me, you know you can't wait for those prices to drop. Christmas also makes me anticipate the New Year and ofcourse New Year's parties. If you are in a conundrum about what to wear, you have come to the right place. There have been a lot of trends this fall, and a lot of them are very holiday appropriate - sequins, shiny metallics, chrome coloured nails and red lipstick!

Here are a few that are on my wishlist:

1) Club Monaco Sequin Blazer Clearly this is not for any plain Jane, but this is the kind of piece that will pull together a simple outfit and add that glamour factor. Pair it with some skinny jeans and a plain white T and you are good to go to any party! Although the price is a bit steep at $295, there are several affordable look alikes at stores like Urban Planet or Sirens.

2) American Apparel Foil Print Nylon SpandexMicro-Mesh Long SleeveMini Dress

If you want to be a bit daring, try American Apparel's Foil Print Nylon SpandexMicro-Mesh Long SleeveMini Dress with some sheer leggings and over the knee boots. This dress is not only affordable but comes in a gorgeous metallic black-gold and a metallic blue.

3) China Glaze Khrome Collection

I have been completely obsessed with the China Glaze Khrome colour collection since I saw some models wearing a metallic gold colour in issues for Dec/Jan. They look fantastic on short nails and don't emphasize any boo boos that you may have made while applying nail polish (and trust me, I make plenty of mistakes especially while painting the nails on my right hand with my left hand). Although I wasn't able to locate the gold colour that I want, I did pick up a sparkly gunmetal colour from their Romantique collection called Awaken which I thought looked similar to YSL's Tuxedo grey.

4) YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in Red muse

I think I would pay for the packaging of the lipstick itself. I love how sophisticated they've made the tube with the gold and YSL logo above the colour of the lipstick. It's genius that they included a tiny mirror on top of the lid so everytime you apply lipstick, you don't have to frantically search for a mirror in your bag, you can just use the lid. Now, the colour, its a red that every girl should have. Even if you are someone who generally shys away from bright colours, you know you can totally pull it off, especially for the holidays.

Polymer Clay and Precious Stone Jewelry

This holiday season, why not get your best friend, loved one or yourself, for that matter, a gift of unique jewelry. Following are some suggestions:

If you are into nature-inspired ornaments, earth coloured accessories, or unusual looking jewelry, I came across an online store that sells just that. Naftali's handmade modern polymer clay jewelry will add a touch of class and sophistication to your attire. The picture that caught my eye was of the Eggplant and Olive Leaf Earrings. The strong olive colour and the thick look of these earrings (they are light weighted) give them a lot of personality and uniqueness. Similar to these are the Brown Mica Leaf Earrings, which remind me of dark brown beetles. Then there are the Autumn Leaf Necklace and earrings, mixing red, brown and orange in a fiery blaze of autumnal enthrallment. The Green and Gold Long Leaf Earrings are more like butterfly pupae, then just curling, half-yellowed leaves. Even more pupae like are the olive drab, dark brown and tangelo orange earrings called the Brown, Green and Gold Polymer Clay Earrings. For all their nature friendly and imagery inspiring qualities, these ornaments are a little pricey. They range from $40 - $50 due to the intricate handiwork and gold-filled or sterling silver ear wires.

However, don't be disappointed yet. Perhaps, you are not such an eccentric anyway and love the more traditional and elegant look. So look no further and peep into the window of young jewelry designer Adina Serbanescu's (figuratively speaking) jewelry store.




The first pair of earrings, shown here, has gold fill wires and chains, with a beautiful combination of small pink tourmaline stones, yellow delicas seed beads, and single, sangria red, semi-precious beads hanging at the end.
The pair on the left is silver ear wires and hoops with a soft coloured combination of (tea green) coral stones, yellow seed beads, and amazonites. The last pair, shown here, is also silver with a sea green bead and a Van Gogh painting set in a bezel with resin. (Talk about classy and traditional!) These wonderful treasures are lowly priced at $20 for the first two with the gold fill/silver and precious stones, and $15 for the third pair. So, if you live in Toronto save on shipping by buying local. To get your hands on one of these or to look for similar finds, contact my wonderful friend Adina at adinaserbanescu@hotmail.com.

Happy Holidays everyone!