Style Crush: Lilyanne Nguyen

{Lily with her adopted dog, Maximus}

Recently, I had an epiphany. I was suffering from a sadness that had been slowly taking over me and I wasn’t sure if things would ever look up again. Dramatic, maybe, but for a long time I had felt like I was fighting a losing battle. Cue: Lilyanne Nguyen and her blog, Bleed for Fashion. I had found myself enamoured with her amazing sense of style, great writing, and vibrant photography. Yet one thing about Lily struck a chord with me more than anything else: how real of a person she is. On the blogosphere; the majority of fashion bloggers keep it short and sweet and let their outfits do the talking. Not that there’s anything wrong with that (I’m a sucker for street style!), I appreciate how Lily gives her readers a look at her life and what goes on beyond the clothes. From the positive affirmations she shares on her blog (check out her Instagram, it’s chock full of inspiration: @lilyannenguyen); the love she has for her furry friend Maximus; or the optimistic outlook she has for the future, there are countless reasons why I consider her my style crush. She is more than that though, she’s a role model.

I had the opportunity to pick her brain a little bit and here’s what she had to say:

1. Please introduce yourself!
My name is Lilyanne, but I prefer Lily for short. I’m a 26-year-old living in Vancouver who’s still trying to figure out this thing called life. I also have a personal style and lifestyle blog called Bleed for Fashion.

2. When did you start blogging?
I’ve been blogging since I was about 13 thanks to websites like LiveJournal, Xanga, and Myspace. But it wasn’t until 5 years ago did I decide to start Bleed for Fashion.

3. Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration everywhere (books, art, nature, etc.) and in everyone I meet.

{A glimpse at her home office}

4. How does your sense of style represent who you are?
Well, my style varies every day and is really dependent on my mood. That said, I often get asked to define my style and I always find it really hard to answer. I guess you could say it’s minimal, or whatever-it-is-that-I’m-into-at-the-time. Apparently that also makes me “edgy,” whatever that means.

5. What is your favourite article of clothing and why?
My many pairs of black jeans. I wear that shit with everything.

6. What is your most treasured possession?
My mom’s diamond rings that she gave to me.

7. Which living person do you most admire?
It’s impossible for me to just choose one person, as I most admire both my parents and my boyfriend. Growing up, my mom always had that incredibly tough love, whereas my dad was always the epitome of both strength and fragility. As for my boyfriend, he is my rock, and I’m extremely lucky to have him.

8. Where/when are you happiest?
When I’m lying in bed with my boyfriend and our dog, Maximus. In that moment, nothing else matters.

My most sincere thanks go out to Lily for taking the time to answer my questions. Check out her blog over at Bleed for Fashion to find out more about this witty, beautiful, and charismatic woman.

 

images via Bleed for Fashion

Milan Fashion Week Favourites

When I first started writing about fashion, I would always use the word fascino. An Italian word, it translates to glamour. I used to think that for something to be beautiful; whether it be a person, collection, or photograph it had to be glamorous. In retrospect, I think my younger self knew more about fashion than I would give myself credit for. When you think about Italian fashion power houses, they are defined by glamour. Versace, Giorgio Armani, Emilio Pucci, and Dolce & Gabanna are a few names that make people stop in motion when announced. The culture in Milan is rich, like the fabrics and colours used in their designs; as well as the roots of tradition. Many of the fashion brands whose legacies live on today have been passed down generation to generation, with heirs waiting their turn to light the torch, and continue to give new life to the term fascino.

Here are my favourites from the Spring/Summer ’15 collections shown in Milan:

Designer all my attire, the one that you admire

I am so incredibly blessed to have a plethora of friends who inspire me to do more with my life. Will has been my best friend for the last seven years and he has made those years some of the best I’ve ever had. Not only is he insanely smart, he’s straight-up; ambitious; and has a heart of gold. He is a go-getter who accomplishes everything he puts his mind to and on top of that; he’s handsome and has the best taste in music. Talk about an all-around amazing guy! Here, Will shares some of his favourite Toronto hot spots; what makes him happy; and which person he would love to go to dinner with (hint – the title is their creative expertise at work):

1. Please introduce yourself!
Hi, I’m Will I’m a full-time student at the University of Toronto at Scarborough, where I’m doing a double major in Political Science and Women’s and Gender Studies Co-op.

2. What is the most important thing you have learned in university so far?
So far the most important thing that I’ve learned in university would be to take advantage of what’s available. I’ll be the first to admit, I have a pretty strong tendency to procrastinate and generally not do as well as I can. Before I got to university I could pretty easily get away with things like that, but if I do that here I pay the price pretty soon, be it with my grades or my sanity.

3. Where are your 3 favourite places to go in Toronto? Why?
This is tough. Partly because I’m bad at picking my favourite anything, but also because Toronto has so may great spots. I guess the first place would be just about any ethnic enclave. To me, I see these neighbourhoods as evidence of Canada’s success thus far in implementing multiculturalism, and the way they allow people to integrate into our society (did I mention I’m majoring in political science?). My nerdiness aside, these places are great to go to for just about any reason. They’ve each got their own markets, niche shops, local artisans, and amazing food, each from their own culture and each worth experiencing at least once. My second favourite place, cliché as it may be, is Kensington Market. This is a place you hear a lot about from a lot of people, and luckily a lot of what you hear is true! Just walking down Kensington and Augusta Avenue, you’ll see Tibetan cafés and tapestry shops, restaurants serving 100% local and organic food, or even a weed café; you’ll also get to experience the very laid-back and friendly atmosphere that can be found anywhere in the Market. My third favourite spot in the city is this little Thai restaurant called Salad King (fyi, there’s only two salads on the menu), near Yonge-Dundas Square. Walking up to it it may not look like much, but if you like spicy food, you don’t want to miss it. Salad King allows you to customize any dish with any number of chillies ranging from one (“Nice”) to twenty (“May cause stomach upset”), which is why someone like me, who enjoys bursting into flame, would love this restaurant.

4. When and where are you happiest?
Apparently I’m very easy to please, because I’m usually at my happiest in the morning. I’m almost incessantly optimistic, and that combined with waking up warm and in bed with my boyfriend will have me happy as a clam.

5. If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose?
I would fucking love to have dinner with Junglepussy. Her debut album just came out this summer and it changed my life. Her music is all about black power and women’s sexuality, and I cannot get enough of it. That, plus the fact that everything she does, she does so genuinely and unapologetically, which can be hard to come by.

6. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
This is pretty underwhelming, but my greatest achievement was probably my GPA in first year, as dumb as that is. I only consider this a great achievement because I pulled something off that typically dooms first years (never going to class). That said, go to class. You WILL hate yourself eventually if you don’t.

7. Where would you like to live?
I think Canada is a pretty good fit for me. We still have what seems like millenia until we reach any reasonable levels of acceptance of minorities, but until then I think Canada is doing a decent job. However it also depends who you are and where you are; for that reason I’ll be settling in the city. I’ve spent more than enough time in the countryside to know that’s not the place for me.

8. How would you like to die?
I have absolutely no idea. I’ve thought about this before, but I can never arrive at an answer. Most of the time I just can’t decide because dying is unpleasant and I don’t particularly want to choose. But I also don’t really find it worth the time to think about; I’d rather be appreciating what’s happening now instead of thinking about what it’s going to be like when it’s over.

{a throwback to our high school days}

Sincere thanks go to Will for answering my questions and putting up with me for all this time. If you want to see what Will’s day to day is like, check out his Instagram.

Laura Kinsella Millinery

Ever since I was a young girl, I have loved hats. I think that the right hat can give any outfit new life and do as much as a new pair of shoes or bag could. Yet what is more beautiful than something that piques your interest and makes you do a second take? In the past, I found myself ooh-ing and aww-ing over the work of Maiko Takeda. Takeda created pieces for Bjork and gave new meaning to the word eccentric. When I found the work of Dublin-based milliner Laura Kinsella, I was hooked. With past experience in Melbourne, Mexico City, and her native Ireland, Kinsella took her time honing her craft. After years of training, in 2011 she launched her first bespoke collection. Her attention to detail ensures that each piece is crafted perfectly. This is an artist whose work you don’t want to miss out on:

images via Johnny McMillan

London Fashion Week Favourites

Hello again! I took a few days hiatus as I have been waking up at 4:30AM for work and at the end of the day, the only thing I want to do is watch movies on Netflix. I know, I know – what a hard life. I really want to become a better and more consistent blogger. That said, London Fashion Week started and went by so quickly it was like the blink of an eye. I always love LFW because it features some of my favourite talents (J.W. Anderson, Tom Ford, Erdem). The shortest week of fashion month, whoever organizes the events managed to jam pack a crazy amount of talent into four days. I will let the images from the collections speak for themselves, but please comment what you liked and disliked from London Fashion Week, below!

Spotlight: Bella Freud

images via MatchesFashion

Wednesday is slowly but surely taking the spot as my favourite day of the week. Every week, this day marks two special happenings: the weekly #StyleChat on Twitter and Matches Fashion releases their weekly Style Report. If you’re unfamiliar with Matches, they’re an e-commerce website that sell’s high end men’s and women’s fashions. Beyond the realm of shopping, they have an archive of posts ranging from designer hot spots; how to wear guides;  style opinions; and much more. While checking out Matches Spy, I came across Bella Freud. A featured designer on their site, her designs instantly resonated with me. With fall approaching faster than anyone expected, the cold weather is on it’s way. What better way to stay warm (and stylish) than in one of her quirky knits? If I had it my way, I would be wearing the Ginsberg is God sweater every chance I got.

If you love Bella’s designs as much as I do, you can shop the collection at Matches.

New York Fashion Week Favourites (Round 2)

I’m back again, with my second round up of my favourite shows from New York Fashion Week. After a whirl wind start, designers continue to show their very best for the Spring/Summer 2015 collections. I took it as a personal gift from the fashion industry when some of my favourite designers showed on my 20th birthday (The Row, Thom Browne, Rag & Bone) and as motivation to recap the fashion that followed this week. It continuously blows my mind how much hard work and time goes into these collections and the production of the shows themselves. For seven or eight minutes, the world goes away, and these catwalks become home to hungry eyes looking for the next big thing. I’m so thankful that there are thousands of people out there who love fashion as much as I do, and work so hard to put this together every year. That said, here are some of the shows that took my breathe away:

New York Fashion Week Favourites

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for those of us who treat fashion week like Christmas. Although I am at home in Ontario perusing Style dot com, Instagram, Twitter, and live feeds for my fix of the week; with the technology and social media available it feels like I’m really there for the shows. For those of you who are in the same predicament as myself, but want to follow along, I’ve decided to share my favourite shows from NYFW so far. From newer designers like Public School and Suno, to fashion week favourites Jason Wu and Alexander Wang, the shows have me in a dream land consumed by fashion. Who are your favourites so far? Have you seen any shows that you thought missed the mark? Let me know in the comments below!

Daria

Because it’s Wednesday and Daria Werbowy is a Canadian supermodel who I admire not only for her lengthy high-end modeling portfolio, yet her philanthropy, and ability to stay grounded. Shot by Mikael Jansson for the September 2014 issue of Interview Magazine, Daria looks stunning in black and white while standing on the line between playful and rough.

images via Oracle Fox

Style Crush: Sara Donaldson

 

images via Harper & Harley

It has been so long since I made a post about a style crush, but to be honest, lately I haven’t been feeling very inspired. Being at my parents house this summer has taken away the number of people I see whose style inspires me. This has brought me to spending a lot of time surfing the web to find ways to be inspired, and make the most out of my wardrobe. A few days ago, I stumbled across style blogger Sara Donaldson. Based in Sydney, Australia; Sara is one of Australia’s premiere style bloggers. She has a long list of collaborations under her belt, including Uniqlo; Gucci; Swarovski; Westfield; and many more.

I love how minimal her taste is and that she sticks to the same familiar colour palette. As I get older, I have been trying to find out what my “uniform” should be for the current time in my life and I want to buy pieces that really scream who I am. In a sea of neutral shades, Sara shines like a diamond in the rough, with her  beautiful smile; impeccable taste; and the ability to make grey be anything but blasé.