Tips on How to Wear the Blazer

Continuing from Monday's post on blazers, the shapes for spring are not that of your standard blazer. With a flashback to the 80's, where the shoulders are prominent and the fit is oversized, make sure you are not looking for the matching pant to the 'suit'. These new blazers-short or long, with pockets or without, in brights or in neutrals-can be worn with denim, leggings, tulip or pencil skirts, the new peg pant or harem pant and even over a dress. You can wear them belted, buttoned or left open for that cool relaxed feel, but roll up the sleeves especially if there's a great lining to show off!

Here are a few examples on how to wear the new blazer:

Rachel Bilson shows us a casual way to wear the blazer.

Olivia Palermo shows us how to mix masculine and feminine using

a tuxedo blazer and a floral print dress.

Lindsay Lohan shows us how to wear a blazer for a hot evening look.

Kate Moss shows us how a blazer can look both cool and sophisticated.

Madonna Costume Exhibit

1986 'Open Your Heart' Bustier

1985 'Material Girl' dress in music video

Until March 22^nd 2009, you can view the largest private collection of Madonna's film and stage costumes at London's Truman Brewery. From the bustier she wore in her 'Open Your Heart' video to the wedding gown from her 'Like a Virgin' tour, you will find over 300 costumes and artifacts that tell the story of the span of Madonna's three decade career.

Open 7 days a week from 9:30am-7:00pm

Click here for directions to Truman Brewery in London, England

Best Dressed at The Oscars

As this is being typed, the Oscars are still being aired. But what's truly important to us fashionistas is what the stars are wearing rather than who is going to win the award. So here are our top 5 best dressed women at the 2009 Academy Awards-drum roll please...

Best LBD goes to Angelina Jolie in Elie Saab

Favourite dress of the night from Jessica Biel in Prada

Best show stopper gown goes to Sarah Jessica Parker in her 'barely mint' dress by Dior Haute Couture

Best coloured gown goes to Freida Pinto in John Galliano

Best structural dress goes to Heidi Klum in RM by Roland Mouret

MoMA Art Display at Brooklyn Subway Station

In hopes of promoting awareness to MoMA, Museum of Modern Art in New York City, reproductions of works from all parts of the museum will be featured at Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue/Pacific street subway station. The exhibit highlights over 50 works of art by both by well-known and contemporary artists such as Picasso, Van Gogh, Warhol, O'Keeffe and Mattise. The display will be there for you to view 24/7 until March 15^th.

Spring Must Have: Blazers

Blazers replace the cardigan for spring 2009. They come in all shapes, sizes and colours! We saw the boyfriend blazer for fall 2008 and its loose relaxed longer fit is back for spring in light weight fabrics such as linen and cotton and in soft colours like white and taupe. You will find crop blazers, tuxedo inspired blazers, pin-stripes, and even some with fun colourful linings-there's something for everyone! Tip: roll the sleeves up for an updated look.

Cropped tuxedo-like blazer from Urban Outfitters.

Double-breasted boyfriend blazer from Topshop.

White blazer with 3/4 length sleeve by Sally Tseng.

Cotton-taffata boyfriend blazer by Rag & Bone.

Eat

Guacamole

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Spring Must Have: Jumpsuits

One of the biggest trends for spring is the comeback of the jumpsuit. Jumpsuits combine the ease of a dress with comfort of pants/shorts. Don't shy away from this new look-you would be surprised how many shapes and figures can pull this off! Here are our favourite jumpsuits for spring:

Cotton harem pants that can be worn as a jumpsuit or pants by Free People

Strapless stretch-cotton jumpsuit by Twelfth St. by Cynthia Vincent

Culotte jumpsuit with white sash by Alice & Olivia

Light weight pinstripe halter jumpsuit by Alice & Olivia

Samsonite by Victor & Rolf

Launched earlier this week exclusively at Colette was the Samsonite Black Label by Viktor & Rolf. The collaborative project brings us amazing luggage that has the structural quality of Samsonite combined with the fun, detailed look of Victor & Rolf. The travel collection consists of suitcases, boarding bags, beauty cases all with functional features such as padded compartments for laptops and separate pockets for iPods and cell phones. And we have to point out the gorgeous details including a playful airplane print, retro black vinyl trim and oversized buckles and bows!

Odd Molly Giveaway!!!

There is an Odd Molly gift bag filled with uber cool goodies waiting for the first person to email Eat.Live.Shop the name of the model who is featured in the new Odd Molly campaign for spring 2009!!

Odd Molly Opens Flagship Boutique

On February 13^th Odd Molly welcomed 400 special guests to celebrate the launch of their new flagship boutique in downtown Stockholm. The doors opened to the public the following morning on Valentine's Day where everyone was able to enjoy the cool decor and special vintage touches.

Prints, prints and more prints

With the wide array of prints available for spring in clothing and accessories it is time everyone gets print happy! The old rule of wearing only one print at a time is so passé and has fortunately been replaced by mixing prints. Mixing prints has become an art in the fashion world! Lots of people find prints to be intimating and overwhelming so it's no wonder many of us shy away from them. Mixing prints is a great way to add fun and interest to your look, but can be challenging as you don't want to end up looking crazy and mismatched. Here are some tips to remember when mixing prints:

1. Keep colours in the same colour palette. Keep at least one colour consistent in both patterns.

2. Black and white prints always look great when mixed together.

3. Combine structured prints with loose prints- eg. Stripes mixed with floral patterns.

4. Mix small patterns with larger scaled patterns. You can also mix like prints- eg. small polka dot blouse layered underneath a larger scaled polka dot print cardigan.

DIY Fabric

Do you have a favourite picture or graphic print that you've always wanted to see on a pillow or blanket or even a shirt? Well with Spoonflower you can do just that! They are an online site where you can design and print your own fabrics. Each design will be printed on 100% cotton from Moda and is made with eco-friendly dye. For only $18 per yard (or $5 for a custom test swatch) you can have your very own custom fabric within 2 weeks. The Spoonflower website provides tutorials and advice on how to get your custom look done easily and looking professional. Well what are you waiting for?!

Below are some of the designs by people just like you and me!

For more information visit http://www.spoonflower.com/.

Spotlight: Brave Belts

We sat down with belt designer, Scott Irvine from Brave Leather, to get the scoop on the brand and the new styles available for 2009.

What makes Brave stand out from other belt brands?
We use the very best materials and creative production techniques that other less experienced companies cannot duplicate. Each belt is Canadian manufactured where each cut, bevel and finish is done mostly by hand. All of Brave's belts are vegetable tanned which is an eco-friendly alternative to dying leather. When you add world class cutting edge design you get the recipe for a great brand.

Where do your inspirations come from?
My inspiration comes from many places- some from European travels, some from the "life" that our natural materials provide and some from the simple love of trying new things and experimenting with new production techniques.

What styles can we expect to see from Brave in 2009?
It is an exciting time in the world of belts because so many different looks are "right on" right now. Skinny belts and wide belts, stud detailing, black, browns, neutrals and bright colors are all huge for 2009. We also have some cool cuffs and clutches for spring with lots of stud detailing. Overall the most exciting part is the belt as a fashion piece; it is such a great way to update your wardrobe. One waist shaping new belt can update an awesome trench coat, a great sweater or your favourite dress. In difficult economic times this is a great option to look fresh and find great value per wear in one item.

Here are some of our favourite styles from Brave's spring 2009 collection:

For more information http://www.braveleather.com/.

Mexican Feast Part 4: Enchiladas

Quite often when people think of Mexican food burritos and tacos come to mind, but one of my favourite main dishes are Enchiladas! So here is our final recipe in our Mexican series: Enchiladas.

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
7 flour or corn tortillas

For sauce:
6 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of flour
2 tablespoons of chili powder
1 cup of water
1 can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
Salt to taste

For filling:
1 pound of ground beef
1 tablespoons of garlic powder
2 teaspoons of cumin
1 tablespoons of chili powder
1 small white onion chopped
Pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. To Make Sauce:
a) To make the sauce, heat butter in a sauce pan. Add flour to butter stirring constantly, you are making a roux, do not let it burn.
b) Add chili powder to a cup of water and mix well.
c) Add chili powder mix, can of tomato sauce, garlic, and salt to pot. Mix well and let simmer, stirring occasionally.

3. To make filling:
a) Put ground beef in a large skillet on medium low heat.
b) Add the onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and pepper.
c) Cook for 10 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if the pan becomes dry.

4. Preparing Enchiladas:
a) Fry each tortilla (only if using corn tortilla) in a little bit of onion for 8 seconds (the corn tortillas must be softened before they are rolled and baked. Frying them gently in a little oil greatly enhances the flavour of the tortillas).
b) Cover bottom of casserole dish with a ¼ of sauce
c) Fill tortillas with beef mixture and roll placing them seam side down in the dish.
d) Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese.

5. Bake for 15 minutes and then eat up!!

DIY Designer Series

As everyone is holding on tight to their wallets, DIY projects have never become so important. Some of fashion’s leading designer’s partner up with The Guardian to do a series of articles that provide instructions on how to make some of their top designs.

One of the articles they published this past weekend included directions on how to make your very own Vivienne Westwood dress! Click here to get started on your own creation.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

The long awaited release of Confessions of a Shopaholic is finally here (well one more day but who's counting)!

'In the glamorous world of New York City, Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) is a fun-loving girl who is really good at shopping—a little too good, perhaps. She dreams of working for her favourite fashion magazine, but can't quite get her foot in the door—until ironically she snags a job as an advice columnist for a financial magazine published by the same company. As her dreams are finally coming true, she goes to ever more hilarious and extreme efforts to keep her past from ruining her future. Based on the books 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' and Shopaholic Takes Manhattan' by Sophia Kinsella.'

*In theatres February 13^th*

Here's a sneak peak of the movie:

Target McQueen Market: This weekend only

We were so excited to hear this past fall that Alexander McQueen was creating a diffusion line for Target. Not only would we have a piece of clothing designed by Mr. McQueen, but we wouldn't max out our credit cards by doing so! Opening during New York fashion week, you can visit the Target McQueen pop up shop to get a head start on your shopping before the collection launches in Target stores nationwide on March 4^th 2009. The McQ for Target line consists of muted colours such as black, white, grey and tan with bursts of cobalt blue and fuchsia. You will also find lots of details including studs and mesh as well as graphic prints and silk screening. McQueen's inspiration for the line comes from Leila Moss, lead singer of The Duke Spirit, a British grunge band from the 80's and 90's. Another reason to check out the pop up shop- young NYC artists will be featured and will be creating one-of-a-kind pieces using prints, fabrics and embellishments from the McQ Alexander McQueen for Target line. Better get to the front of the line (as there is sure to be a big one on opening day) to get your favourite picks of sweaters, skinny jeans, trench coats, dresses, blazers and even swimwear!

Pop up shop is open from February 14th to February 15th- 12pm to 10pm

Check out our favourite looks below!!!

A Valentine’s Day Just For You (and maybe for your sweetheart too)!

Valentine's Day is a day all about love, but why not start with some love towards yourself with these treats!!

Try Brave's bow belt to get a head start on

one of spring's top trends.

Try out the best treat of all at one of our favourite cupcakes shops:

Cupcakes Online in Vancouver

Crave in Calgary

Cupcakery in Toronto

Magnolia's in New York City

Treat yourself to some super cute jewellery with Biko's

heart filagree clip pendant necklace.

Try Odd Molly's tank and short lingerie set for a look that is cute and

sexy without looking like you're trying too hard.

If you prefer to whip together your own yummy desserts, try Crate and Barrel's heart-shaped cake pan for an extra special treat that makes 6 individual mini cakes.