Ten of My Favourite: Capes

For as long as I can remember, I have loved to wear capes. I've worn them in different ways throughout my life, starting with when I wore them to play dress-up as a child. I later wore them both ironically and then with all of the seriousness I could muster, when I was a Goth. The first winter coat I ever made myself was a cape made from Italian wool and lined with fleece. It had a hood and wee bells dangling from the ends of  its cordon.

Years ago I noticed that people in a lot of European countries also wore capes. In NYC capes were huge during the sixties and seventies, going from shorter mod versions to longer, peace-and-love and flared pants-covering ones. Then, around 2010, they made a comeback and have been holding steady since. Here in Montreal, I only began seeing capes on racks last fall and it's only this year that they could qualify as trendy, although I have barely seen any on actual people. the lack of a garment's popularity in Montréal has never swayed me before and it certainly won't now.

My criteria this time is simply that it looks good. You can easily style a cape with what you have on your arms or legs and feet and by changing what you do with your hair.

...Onward to ten of my favourite capes!

1. The Michael Kors pea coat cape for $295.00 USD.

2. ZARA's checkered studio cape for $269.00 CAD.

3. Banana Republic's monogram colorblock wool cape for $225.00 USD.

4, 5, 6. The next three are all from asos.com.

The Jarlo Kerry Check Cape for $85.43 USD.

The Cooper and Strollbrand Cape for $104.12 USD.

The Mango Wool Cape Coat for $177.96 USD.

7. As much as I would love to point you to stores that have several of the same thing in stock, I'm afraid this is where my mainstream retail list runs dry. That said, I have acquired most of my favourite capes and coats from the thrift store. Along the same vein, I will show you four gorgeous, vintage capes currently listed on Etsy. It's also a safe bet seeing as most capes will fit most sizes.

This Irish wool cape is $94.99 CAD.

8. This 1960's Betty Rose cape is $84.32 CAD.

9. This reversible cape from the 60's is $307.40 CAD.

10. This argyle cape is currently on sale for $40.56 CAD.

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Ten of My Favourite: Dresses for Fall.

I'm going to break from the job contemplation series (after only one entry, no less) and provide you with a shopping guide mini series. I've been helping a friend of mine get her makeover on and, in doing so, I have come across pieces I can't help but share.

Every Wednesday in October, I'll feature ten items that I love. For this set, I'm looking for versatility and silhouettes that can compliment more than one body type.

...Dresses for fall!

1. This dress from Mango is $89.95 and will look as great over bare legs as it will over black, opaque tights. Outdoors, I would personally wear it with the tights, a chelsea boot, a basic black blazer and a layered, black scarf. I live in Canada and layering is essential to anyone who wants to be out from morning until evening in spring or fall!

2. From ASOS, I recommend this punchy dress. It's going for $64.13 USD and I love how versatile it is. You can wear this with practically any shoe I would, however, rock a tall, black boot with this) and, depending on how you style your hair and make-up, this could easily take you from the office to dinner.

3. I'm really loving this dress from ZARA. it's $79.90 CAD and can be worn with a simple or detailed camisole or tank for work, for more conservative events or if you simply don't want to show off your back and the look can then be dramatically changed if you whip that top off before heading out to your next event.

4. The Pink Tartan contrast shift dress deserves to be on this list, for sure. Once again, I can see this with black tights and chelsea boots for a cute early sixties' inspired look. It's $395.00 CAD and you can grab it at The Bay, as per the link.

5. I think this gold stud tie dress from Simon's is adorable. Grab it for a mere $29.95. I will wanr you, however, that this fabric and cut, bought at Simon's, can be tricky. The lining tends to ride up and lose its shape over time. If you buy this one, do it because you know that, at that price, it doesn't matter if you only wear it a handful of times.

6. And, now, how about a little colour?! I love this merino wool LAUREN RALPH LAUREN dress, also available at The Bay. It's going for $249.00 CAD and I would wear it with flat, brown, riding style boots, curly hair and a beanie or with black heels and a scarf in my straightened hair.

7. One last dress from The Bay that I must recommend is the Dorothy Perkins oxblood and black striped dress. Bonus? It's currently on sale for $31.50 CAD.

8. The I Love Glamp dress from ModCloth is a great one for this fall. It's going for $59.99 USD... which I would pay before heading to the fabric store to buy fabric to extend this dress' lining. I personally don't like the effect or the feel of a shorter lining on a long skirt but, again, it's eay to fix this or have ti fixed if you share my opinion on this.

9. I apologize for the tiny photo but finding one I could copy was difficult. You're looking (or squinting) at the colorblocked v-neck sweater dress by Ann Taylor and it's going for $109.00 USD.

10. Last but not least, I like the long sleeve button-snap front collared dress by Calvin Klein. It's $129.50 USD and I love that it can be worn with boots, heels, flat or, depending on how you style it, even a pair of Chucks. If you click on the link, you'll see it in purple and get a better view of it from the front.

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The Bad-Ass Girl's Guide to Wearing Floral Dresses for Spring 2013

I've re-read this title several times and I still can't believe I, of all people, am writing anything that bears these words! That is why, if you're someone that usually says they wouldn't be caught dead in floral prints, you can trust me on this one. If I'm writing this, you can wear a floral dress. 

I cringe at the thought of this one particular outfit I wore sometimes during grade nine. It was a dark blue skirt and blouse set with large, light blue flowers printed all over it. The blouse had cap sleeves and the skirt was long and a-line. It was made from that horrendous poly blend fabric that most nineties floral outfits consisted of and, when I remember it, I can't believe some girls were jealous that I had it. You can imagine the palm-to-forehead moment I had when I saw that florals are back in full force. 

That said, if you read any of my Roots installments, you know that I'm trying to break out of my subculture heavy mold and so here we are. If you're a bad-ass and you're not sure about floral prints, read on. I dare you. ;-)

Look number one:

The Hi Lo Freak of Nature Dress in Desert Rose Print from asos.com. $93.

Their styling isn't bad but I would wear this dress with biker boots, a cropped leather or denim vest or a cropped and sleek leather jacket, some black leather bracelets, my favourite Dior red and maybe a smidgen of Guerlain Khôl. I would also omit the fringes on the purse or on the boots. Or on both, really.

 Look number two:

Trollied Dolly Lauren's Retro On The Go Dress at modcloth. $85.

In this one, 1950's retro meets the slightest touch of bohemia thanks to the dress' silhouette and the bangles. I would opt for either of these shoes but definitely stick to classic pinup make-up and maybe even go a step further by wearing a red hair scarf or leather head band. 

Look number three:

NW3 Silk Dress in Flower Print. $287. asos.com

This dress makes me think of small towns and a casual lunch at a vineyard, somewhere on the countryside. It could easily be worn with what you see here but also with a black blazer, black ballet flats, a gold necklace or two and some slim, brown leather bracelets or gold bangles. I'm digging her hair like this but would also recommend a high bun with small braids leading up to it or even a small crown of slim braids. 

Look number four:

The Warehouse Floral Body-Conscious Dress once more from asos.com. Now on sale for $30.52.

This one made me hesitate the most and not just because the print reminds me of the one that made up the aforementioned skirt suit from my high school days. It's just so... nineties. After much deliberation, I decided that it should be part of this set because I can see it being a hit with a lot of people, despite my own original misgivings. 

The two jackets I can see this with are definitely the ones I put in the collage. A nice boyfriend blazer with the sleeves pushed up completely changes this dress. It could also be worn with tall, black biker boots and/or a black pork pie hat. If you want to wear shoes instead of boots with this, I don't recommend the socks and heels shown on the model but maybe a pointy, black ballet flat or basic black pump instead.

Look number five:

The Bailey Floral Dress from Gypsy Warrior. Currently on sale for $24.00.

This dress comes without a collage because I really feel that it stands alone. I wouldn't wear a crown of roses on my head but almost all of the style elements mentioned in above collages work with this piece and make sense for spring. It can also be worn just like this, with a skinny belt, some simple jewelry and a pair of flats, on a hot summer day. 

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Monochrome Madness: My Top Picks For Affordable Mod-Inspired Dresses

for the third and final installment of my series on mod culture, i'll point you to my top ten favourite, affordable dresses (in no particular order) that are either reminiscent of the original era, perfect for mod revivalists or simply pretty and wearable for anyone who loves the looks and wants to style themselves to fit it, without necessarily immersing themselves in any aspect of the overall lifestyle. 

the criteria i set for myself when looking these up were price, versatility (who doesn't love not having to change for dinner or drinks after work?) and silhouettes that could work on more than one body type. this latter point was a but more difficult to address, as the main mod icons were ultra-skinny for a reason: mini skirts and short a-line skirts usually tend to be less flattering on curvier women. and i say this not to discriminate. there exists clothing and styles to compliment every body type; i just don't feel that most of what mod fashion has to offer was made with anyone but the skinny girl in mind. that said, there are ways around this, with proper styling and always making sure that you're wearing clothing that fits. 

the back in london tunic dress from shopruche.com is only $39.99

the ponte colorblock dress by tibi is currently on sale at $120 at neimanmarcus.com. regular price: $345

bloomingdales.com is offering up the rory color block dress by cynthia steffe for $228.

i'm also digging the in de stijl of the night dress at modcloth.com. $79.99.

a personal favourite of mine is the hello collar dress from modcloth.com. bonus? it's only $49.99.

another color blocked shift dress is up for grabs at forever 21. $24.80.

 the asos swing dress with short sleeve and collar. $37.30. asos.com.

also from asos we have the sister jane geo embroidered dress for $115.29:

and the sister jane shift dress with holographic feather collar for $122.08:
(they really like directing this model to tilt her head to the side...)

and not versatile at all but still quite cute, if not hella bold is the asos petite exclusive mini dress in checkerboard:

addendum: i really underestimated a couple of things when i first set out to put this together. firstly, most mod-inspired dresses are not incredibly versatile. you can style them, yes, but i'm looking at the length of these dresses and i'm thinking there is a)no way i could wear this to the office and b)i have curves. this just doesn't work. the second thing i discovered was that it was way more difficult to dig up these dresses than i thought it would be, especially if you consider the fact that i really tried not to present you with monochromatic redundancy. 

all of these dresses are cute but will they work on just anyone? no. if you're looking to wear something mod-inspired and you're not quite sure where to look or you're a mod who wants to find a few non-vintage pieces, i hope this pointed you in a few interesting directions!

this concludes the three-part mod series. next up, i kick off montreal street style photos with a beautiful, classic, lolita, wrap up the roots series and profile a kick-ass shop in st-henri.

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