Obsession of the Week

The shirt-dress has always been a consistent fashion staple.  Its lightweight material and easy silhouette makes it a summer must-have.   It is universally flattering and suits all body types.  The shirt-dress is great for all occasions.  Dress it up with some stiletto heels and a chain belt, and you’ve got the perfect night time outfit.  Throw on a pair of wedge heels and it is a great day outfit.  A conservative shirt-dress is the perfect work dress.  Add flair by wearing it in the of -the- moment patterns like checks, and stripes or go with bold colours and you are stylish and chic.

This chambray linen shirt-dress by Nautica is $69.50 and available at most department stores.  It is the ideal day outfit and can be worn with wedges or flat gladiator sandals for an easy breezy look.  Throw an armful of colourful bangles and you are very en-courant.

This Hugo Boss Black shirt-dress comes with the skinny brown leather belt.  I love the sleeves and the detail at the top.  This can be dressed up with dramatic makeup, stilleto heels or open toe ankle booties and some edgy jewelry or worn to the office with wedge heels. This is $550.00.

DVF was the fashion pioneer behind the shirt-dress.  This bright orange silk dress is very in for spring/summer and looks great with wedge heels, ankle boots or strappy sandals.  It is $385.00.

The floral daytime short-sleeved shirt-dress is by Topshop.  It is great with this thick braided belt and can be edged up with a short fitted jean jacket or leather jacket and some ankle boots.  Throw a crinoline underneath and you can take this into night.

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Accessories are a great way to amp up any wardrobe.  Throw on an armful of colourful bangles this season to a plain black or white tee and you’re right on trend.  Belts are also an easy way to update your look and add life to a dress from last season.  My favourite summer accessory though,  is the hat.  They come in all shapes and sizes, like the 70′s boho floppy hat, the summer cowboy hat, the floral hat, but the best shape that suits pretty much everyone is the Fedora.  Originally worn exclusively by men, the Fedora is a right of passage for every woman.

Not only is it a great way to protect yourself from the harmful rays of the sun, it is a super stylish way to add flare to an otherwise plain outfit.  It is also great for those bad hair days or in between blow-outs.

Seen on pretty much every fashionable celebrity, the Fedora can be worn day or night.  At night, wear it with a black ensemble like Posh.  Pairing a fedora with a girly floral or maxi dress really edges up the look.  Seen all over The New York 2011 Spring Fashion Week, the Fedora is timeless and a must-have summer wardrobe staple.

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What began as a dark denim line has turned into a full-blown sportswear collection which blends the masculine tomboy with a girlish edge.  Tough chic is another word to describe their collection of tailored menswear jackets, sheer skirts, dresses and sweaters mixed with nudes nautical stripes and bold pattern.  They have created the perfect blend of modern and traditional elements in their line which attracts an array of fashionistas from the more classic dresser to the edgier fashion risk taker.  This spring their line is the ideal blend of structure meets flowy.  Layering sheer over solid is a running theme in a lot of their line this season.  Amongst my favourites are, the sheer black maxi skirt with the tailored white tank, the white crochet shorts with the nude top, the camel lambskin motorcycle jacket and the Alexandria lace-up booties which are exclusive to Rag & Bone and can be purchased at their online store.  The perfect juxtaposition of the expected mixed with the spontaneous, Rag & Bone is a force in the design world and has brought it up a few notches to compete with the likes of Helmut Lang,  Alexander Wang, and other seasoned designers with a similar edge.

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With the partnership of John Eshaya’s Jet T-shirts, and fab jewelry designer Tom Binns, the resulting marriage is the perfect tank and t-shirt.  Heidi Klum is sporting the Pearl tank whose statement necklace graphic is inspired by Binn’s multi-strand cultured pearl and crystal necklace.  The necklace retails at $2365, which is a bit pricey, so if you love the look, invest $165.00 in the t-shirt instead.  Katie Holmes is wearing a silk screened t-shirt with a piece of jewelry emblazoned on it and has paired it with skinny jeans, cowboy boots  and an over-sized bag to create a casual look.  First Lady Michelle Obama believes that you should always look stylish even when painting the house and is working her t-shirt on top of a ladder doing chores.  Wouldn’t you think she has someone else who could do that for her?  The Pearl tank comes in a black T version as well.  Check it out at www.johneshaya.com. 

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While flipping thru the celebrity trend magazine People Style Watch, I came across a page showing the beautiful Kate Bosworth wearing the most incredible pair of jeans. At Hush we are always on the hunt for unique original jeans and these ones by Current Elliott are just that!

Known as the Army Twill Pant, these are the perfect summer jean. With their paper thin weight and light distressed wash these jeans could carry you right through the hot season.

Worn with everything from a loose tee to a cotton blazer this slouchy jean is sexy, comfy and right on trend. The one thing to note when sporting these pants is that like their boyfriend jean counterpart, they require a belt to help achieve the loose baggy style.

We would wear them with a great pair of flat sandals or this seasons hot shoe, the wedge!

Look for them at www.revolveclothing.com .

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Carla Wax Jewelry has garnered a cult following for its eclectic mix of tough-luxe charm with a feminine edge.  Her newest designs feature, a lot of chain, pearl, and swarovski crystal embellishments which will infuse an every day look with a rocker spirit.  She uses a mixture of different metals and intersperses real gold and silver plated chain to create unique pieces . What I love about her designs is that it has that vintage feel but with an added modern twist.  The addition of a vintage looking brooch within a chain and pearl necklace or bracelet gives it that punk vibe that can alter a standard jeans and tee into an edgy night time look.  It’s versatility combined with classic elements makes Carla Wax Jewelry my absolute favourite go-to accessory in my closet. 

Carla Wax Jewelry has appeared in many magazines including Marie Claire, Hello Canada, Real Simple and Surface.  Her pieces have been worn by celebrities at press events and awards shows.  Currently all of her jewelry is 60% off.  Go to info@carlawax.com for an appointment.  

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Move over Free City, there’s a new sweat line in town.  Kings of Cole Clothing Brand was inspired by the desire to create the “ideal hoodie” for men, and the perfect “boyfriend hoodie” for women.  Not only are they incredibly soft, they are cut longer and more tailored, avoiding that just got out of bed and threw on the nearest sweatshirt look.  It’s stylish but also insanely comfortable.

They come in a standard pullover hoodie, a zip-up hoodie, and they have a great line of sweatpants.  The thing that makes Kings of Cole different from other lines is its incredible fit, and rose gold colored zipper and hardware detailing on the pants and the tops. 

They come in an array of colours that are the hot new hues for spring and summer. They are available in muted neutrals like ivory, white, light grey, chestnut, and pastels like green, bordeaux, and indigo.  One of my favourites, is the military black which goes with pretty much anything.  

There are two limited edition sweatshirts available right now, the full-zip hoodie with skull detailing featuring tiny fine crystals and the sweatshirt with a cause, the anti-bully “ByeHater” full-zip sweatshirt.

Kim, Khloe Kardashian, and Gwentyh Paltrow are just some of the celebs seen wearing the cozy chic sweat line. 

Joshua Lipsey

It is available online at various locations and in Toronto at Core Concepts where you can purchase these fabulous sweats or you can take owner/trainer and resident hottie, Joshua Lipsey’s hard “core” classses.

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While the Little Black Dress is always a wardrobe staple, make room for the new LBD (little blue dress).   This spring it is all about colour, and shades of blue are all over the streets and runways.  Cobalt, a first cousin of royal blue and spring’s new black, is a bright fresh hue that makes us feel ready to take on the world.  And while the cool colour is all the rage in clothing, cobalt is making its presence in accessories like bags and shoes.  Brian Atwood makes a fabulous cobalt platform pump and Isabel Marant has a pointed cobalt suede kitten heel with a bow that will have heads turning whenever you make an entrance. 

If you don’t want to go monochromatic, add a poppy red or bright yellow to the mix, or go neutral with a beige sandal, and if all else fails, black is always a fail safe option for accessorizing the new “it” colour. 

But, if you dare to be bold, try mixing different shades of blue together like indigo or denim for a “colour-dipped effect.”  Either way you can’t go wrong with the new LBD.

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There’s a new designer in town and her name is Dandi Maestre.  No  she’s not related to Leighton.  All over the pages of Flare, Vogue, Lucky, Style and People Watch to name a few, Dandi Maestre is a jewelry force to be reckoned with in the design world.  She takes her inspiration from nature and utilizes organic elements like antlers, bone, driftwood, crocodile and other natural fibres in order to make unique fashion forward exotic pieces.  Some of my favourite’s include her croc cuffs and bangles, horn necklaces, huge stone rings and her croc purses with the antler handle.  If you want to ease into the bright colour trend of Spring 2011, add a shot of colour with a brightly coloured cuff, or ring.

Her collection is available at Holt Renfrew, her own studio or at various stores across Canada.

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For those of you who live in your sweatpants and, gasp, lu-lu lemons for day wear, behold the new denim line that will swear you off your “George Costanza’s” forever.  “MOTHER,”  is a new brand of denim, that looks like jean, but feels like cashmere.  The line launched this Spring 2011 and has become a cult favourite amongst fans ever since. 

The secret to the feel of these lux jeans is the fibers they weave into them which are more typically used in knits.  But, it’s not just the feel of these fabulous bottoms you will love, it is the fit.  With a variety of styles and colours, ”MOTHER” is the denim of choice these days.  There’s the Curfew, the Drama, the Looker, as well as the Runaway Skinny Flare which will help ease some of you die hard skinny jean wearers into the seventies trend.  They also make a denim ankle skirt called the Straight ‘A’, a short, a mini skirt and a variety of denim chambray shirts.  The brainchild behind the line, Tim Kaeding and Lela Tillem, were past rivals working for 7 For All Mankind and Citizens of Humanity. They know denim and now they have brought their expertise to this new inventive line of jeans.

According to Kaeding and Tillem, their inspiration came from their desire to “take what’s currently happening in premium denim styles like leggings, slouchy, etc., and make jeans classic and sexy again.”  They went with a wide leg high waisted minimal look with lots of bright colours.  They did away with grunge in favor of beautiful.  “Isn’t that what girls jeans should be?”  Good point! 

Their plans for summer and pre-fall have included a studded denim jacket, a chambray boat neck shirt, and a twill poncho and they will continue to expand the line with new styles beyond jeans, skirts and shorts in the fall 2011 collection. 

Look for “MOTHER” at Canadian retailers TNT, Holt Renfrew, Mendocino, and Aritzia. 

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