A Little Contrast

March 11, 20164 Comments

never hurt nobody

I originally tried to shoot this dress last weekend, but it was far too cold and windy and I ended up with no decent images to work with. Some outfits never see the light of day (of this blog) when that happens (although, it doesn’t happen much), but I knew I had to reshoot on a warmer day to get some good shots of this dress, and you can probable see why. It’s such a simple and classic idea – black dress with contrasting white collar – but it has some details about it that really make it stand out, imho. I had been searching for a dress like it – that’s to say, an easy black dress with a white contrast collar – it felt like a no brainer that I would pick this one, but what really sold me on this piece was the trumpet sleeves and peplum hem. Trumpet sleeves are fun as heck! But rather impractical in the winter when you have to bury them under layers. I’d been waiting quite awhile to shoot this one, so as to avoid needing a coat while shooting, which I obviously jumped the gun last weekend and paid dearly for it (I was just really cold. I’m dramatic). But clearly I lived to tell the tale and was able to share this dress with ya’ll.

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Olive has some pretty awesome pieces in their shop and I’m happy to be able to share this brand with you because I love, I think, almost every piece they have available in their shop, which is rare for me (that sounds gross pretentious, but I’m picky). Be sure to check them out!

– WHAT I WORE –
Dress c/o Olive | Tights: old | Shoes: H&M
Larkspur Vintage | A Little Contrast

ACT THREE. SS’16

March 10, 20169 Comments

and the beautiful gaby

This blog has brought about me getting to do some pretty cool things and meeting some pretty cool people. I’d count styling and modelling (although, not this particular season) for Canadian design label, ACT THREE., and meeting/working with this look book dream team one of them. Getting to be a part of Sarah’s process and team for the last 3 seasons has been really special. ACT THREE. is a label I really stand behind and feel proud to be able to work on and share with you all. This whole collection, from the dresses, to the photography, to the styling, to the art direction, to the modelling, to the hair and makeup was a true labour of love. Our work together is always very collaborative allowing us to create some pretty magical images. I love these dresses and this lookbook, and Gaby’s beautiful face, so I hope you do too!

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You can now shop some of the collection online at Victoire, or in store at Victoire (Toronto and Ottawa) and Coal Miner’s Daughter (Toronto)

Photography: Danielle Suzanne
Art Direction: Sarah McGowan
MUA and Hair: Christina Jair
Styling: Alex Spence
Model: Gaby Cetrulo
ACT THREE. SS '16 Lookbook

Outfit: Beatnik

March 1, 2016March 1, 201610 Comments

gimme a beat

Unintentionally, this outfit ended up seeming quite inspired by the Beat Generation – Breton stripes, beret, turtleneck, loafers, whole lotta black – a term coined by Kerouac in the late 40s to describe his group of non-conforming literary peers. To be honest, there was no real uniform for this subculture of “beaten down” youth (read: hipsters) of the 50s-mid 60s. The outfits likeness to this subculture is only really inspired by a caricature (read: stereotype) version of a beatnik. But it’s kind of a fun and interesting style trope none the less. Fun because it looks so damn cool, and interesting because it’s so universally understood; even if you know absolutely nothing about beatnik culture, it’s “style” still influences many outfits and trends today.

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Aside from any perceived influence this outfit may have, I mostly wanted to showcase my knapsack, which I have been carrying around with me everyday since I got it. It’s pretty wonderful to have full use of both arms while out and about, a feeling I didn’t realize I was missing all these years being a religious purse carrier. Now I’m hoping I can find a wee bit smaller one, of similar style, in black…so if you spot any on the wide web (or in store), please let this gal know!

Endless Days in British Vogue

February 26, 2016February 26, 20162 Comments

ENDLESS 70s

This very 70s inspired editorial was published in British Vogue last summer, but going on a year later, its still relevant. The 70s isn’t going anywhere just yet, although, part of me feels maybe we are transitioning into more of the boho, hippie, yet still kind of glam 70s (is that even a thing? it is now); peasant tops, fringe, patterned flares, a sort of Pennie Lane/Almost famous direction of dress…the coolest of cool 70s. Sure, we are still seeing some pseudo-psychedelic prints in A-line cuts, but more and more flowy pieces with smaller floral prints are popping up.

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If I’m being honest, I don’t much pay attention to trends. Sure, I’m absolutely influenced by certain styles that become popular, but I don’t make it a point to follow trends or feel like I’m behind on the times if I just can’t get behind a certain trend, or didn’t even know about it. Some of the only times I realize things have become popular is when I enter a big brand store like H&M, F21 or Topshop and notice what they are carrying…that’s when I can actually see an overall image of what is now deemed “in”. But I love the 70s trend, because I loved it before it became a mainstream trend (that sounds pretentious, but it’s true). The 70s always spoke to me, but even more so now than say, the 60s, my first true love. It’s the direction in which I see my style going more and more. It’s fun while still being easy, and somehow it doesn’t feel like costume the way some decades of dress do. Maybe because it wasn’t that long ago…maybe because it’s in now and thus feels less costume-y to dress head to toe 70s? Whatever the reason, I look at this editorial and while it is decidedly vintage, both in dress and photography, it honestly feels like this girl could be walking down the street and not feel totally out of place. I like that, I like living in a world that embraces vintage styles and realizes new isn’t always best. Sometimes what you have(had)is just fine.
British Vogue's Endless Days Photography: Venetia Scott | Editing/Styling: Bay Garnett | Hair: Neil Moodie | MUA: Miranda Joyce | Model: Julie Hoomans

Beauty: 1920s Lip Tutorial

February 25, 2016February 25, 201610 Comments

embracing LITTLE LIPS

Lately I’ve been investigating (ie., reading up on) different lipstick styles from decades past and thought it might be fun to share a few tutorials with you. First up is the 1920s lip, one near and dear to my heart, being a little lipped lady myself.

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After the war – and to help recover from the horrors of it – many women began to assert their feminine power through makeup. There was this feminine ideal of being young and beautiful (sound familiar? A problematic ideal women of today are constantly fighting against, but it is a good example of how far back our obsession with youth and beauty is rooted) and that very much showed up in the style of makeup. I’m not going to breakdown the entire makeup look of this era however (although maybe at some point), just lippy lips for today. It’s actually quite easy to achieve, just a few key pointers before we start – bolder lipped ladies may need to downplay their lips and the ladies like me with tiny shapeless upper lips…well you might actually have to overdraw your cupid’s bow. Here we go, cuties!

– WHAT I USED –

Lip pencil: Follow Your Heart by MAC | Lipstick: Dubonnet by MAC and 01 by Kate Moss

Larkspur Vintage | Beauty: 1920s Lip Tutorial 1. I pretty well always use a lip pencil to outline my lips before lipstick (a v much like precision), but regardless of my habits, I really believe a lip pencil is helpful in achieving this look, at least at first. 1920s lips are all about the cupid’s bow shape and not everyone has such a defined lip shape, so a pencil is v helpful in creating this look.
– using your lip pencil, starting where your peaks meet, outline your lips creating two rounded peaks
– cascade the liner down and under-draw where your natural lip begins to flare out.
– flare the liner out in the corners of your mouth ever so slightly.
I like to think of the squiggle emoji or a cartoon cowboy hat (ya, I don’t know) when doing this. Or if we are separating the lip hemispheres, like a slide.
Larkspur Vintage | Beauty: 1920s Lip Tutorial 2. The bottom lip has a very rounded shape, like a wide U and like the upper lip, needs to be under-drawn at the sides. The upper and lower lip should match up, so keep that in mind when under-drawing.
– starting from the corners of the mouth, outline the lower lip beginning with a slight flare similar to the upper and bring it down, beginning to round
– bring the two sides to meet, creating a rounded u-shape, and the peak of your lower lip should descend ever so slightly, creating that doll-like pout
I like to think of a 2D smile (or stick man smile) shape when drawing this outline.
Larkspur Vintage | Beauty: 1920s Lip Tutorial 3. Now the easy part! Filling in those lips. I used Dubbonet by MAC first, which is a creamy deep berry shade and fairly glossy (perfect for this era) and on top of that, very lightly brushing 01 by Kate Moss – which is a traditional matte red – over the base, which creates nice depth to the lips.
This is when you can clean things up, hide that outline and allow the lipstick to create a more rounded shape at each peak. Larkspur Vintage | Beauty: 1920s Lip Tutorial Et voila! Not too hard, right? I think this lip style is not too over the top (like it’s counter-part, 1930s lip can often be), and could be worn any time.