Shoe-gasm Vol I

My shoe of the week is the Steve Madden Grettta


First came across this shoe on Lookbook and while at first it said nothing to me, it eventually began to grow on my sensibilities. Chunky heels have been in season for a little while now and they're way more comfortable and easy to walk in than most of the sky-high stilettos that women seem to gravitate towards in the Caribbean. This may be the one time I advocate chunkiness.

The shoes come in black, chestnut, purple and taupe. I would have asked for a pair but they don't have my size in black. Maybe I'll ask for the chestnut instead...hmmm.

Grettta is on Sale now for US$69.98 at the Steve Madden site that I linked to above the photo but if that's still too pricey for your liking I found a pretty decent dupe on Go Jane.



Looks almost identical and it's only US$26.40. Obviously it won't be the same quality but hey, once you don't go cross-training in them you should be fine to skimp a bit on price.

Fashion Warrior

We reach...


As in, Trinidad & Tobago has finally begun to leave an indentation of itself on the global fashion industry. To call Anya a fashion warrior is most befitting...this entire season of Project Runway has been a battle of epic proportions, from dubious start to glorious finish. Lack of practical experience and technical ability as well as some incredibly vulnerable moments of self-doubt...on camera no less pitted the odds against her, and yet somehow, she triumphed.
What is for you is for you...and this win was clearly meant to be Anya's.



Don't get me wrong, I am not being biased; I have a wide spectrum of critiques of her performance on the show and her final runway colection. I mean, I'm no Nina Garcia by any stretch but I've followed Project Runway from its inception, and I have a very strong opinion of what I like and admire within the fashion universe. Anya's speciality is dresses and pants. Those are her strongest design areas...or maybe her only ones. As many people noted...we haven't seen a sleeve yet...barring a few cap sleeves as in the dress below (which I loved)


But seriously...who needs sleeves when you have creations like these in your dossier? And are sleeves even that hard to make? I don't know...I've never sewn a thing in my life except for one very unfortunate glove. When you can make this:



from $11.50...then you're a gosh darn designer, and a good one at that, to pull a win out of your rookunks when you lose all your money running around Mood.

For people like me, who seem destined to live vicariously through the success of others that have been in the game since toddlers...it's refreshing to see someone relatively new to the industry achieve this level of success.
It shows that tenacity and determination, as well as a natural talent and eye for style (and a strong sense of personal style too) might be exacly what you need to be good, no...great at something like designing. That's the fabulous thing about designing...all you need is a unique and strong vision and a damn good seamstress (oh and money...to buy cloth).



I've got an old sewing machine in a box somewhere in my home...I swear I will dig it out and try my hand at conjuring up some crop tops a la Ayoung Chee. I say that a lot though and it never happens so let's see if this Project Runway win is what it takes to get me to stop talking about what I want to do and just do it.

Back to my thoughts on Project Runway...humility and expressing a desire to learn can never do you wrong. Anya showed the judges that she was a blank slate in terms of technique, that she was willing to do what was necessary to move forward. I think she showed the most capacity for growth and in an industry that constantly forces you to re-invent yourself...and the cloth wheel, that open-mindedness is invaluable. Her personal sense of style and her unique perspective and inspiration in terms of where she grew up (this beautiful twin republic we call home) already puts her significantly ahead of the challenges she will face. I have the utmost confidence that her personality will get her through the toughest of times.
I cannot fathom the opportunity that will now be afforded to her...and what she is going to do with it. Blessed is the person who can wake up in the morning and do what they love.
Thank you Anya for showing us all what it means to overcome adversity and challenges, and thank you for humbling those of us (myself included) who may have judged you so many moons ago. Thank you for inspiring a whole new (and old) generation of creatives. Thank you for never turning your back on this place and for keeping the accent strong (ha!) and flying the flag high in the darkest of our days.



Photographs sourced from Small Screen Scoop, and Tumblr.

My Christmas Wishlist

I often make the annual mistake of assuming that people care what I want for Christmas. This year is no different...I'm going to drop heavy hints...and hope someone catches them...



 
  


















Style Soul Food

It’s no secret to most who know me that style is one of my few true passions. I wish I could be one of those prodigies who can design, sew, model, manage, market and do any and everything associated with the fashion industry. While I’m not nearly bold-faced enough to publicly vocalize my opinions of the way most Trinbagonians dress…I feel like it can’t be perceived as THAT judgmental and snobby if I just offer some gentle nudges towards what I think is a slightly more refined and sophisticated means of dressing/styling oneself.
Every morning, without fail, I get to work at some ungodly hour, make myself a cup of coffee, and pore over my google reader which is basically just a steady flow of advertising and fashion blogs and news (the less prominent feeds are the architecture, interior design, technology and human rights blogs).
Here are some of my favourite/recommended sites and blogs to follow if you have any interest in fashion or would like to update your aesthetic or just looking for something pretty to look at :)
Lookbook – a fantastic place to start if you’re looking for fashion inspiration. The photography is also quite impressive since a lot of these persons do their own photography and editing. Here you can find all kinds of fashion genres, from prep to goth to classic chic. You find every range of products from luxury items like Chanel and YSL to your basic fashion retail stores like Forever 21 and American Apparel. It’s a brilliant resource for people like me who love to shop and reference clothing, since posters to the site are encouraged to list the items they’re wearing and where they purchased it. It’s also really great for discovering new fashion blogs since most of them also have their own blogs independent of their lookbook feed.
The Three F – Hands down my absolute favourite male fashion blog. Filippo Fiora is amazing, he’s brilliant, he is everything I want my little brother to be, style-wise (barring a few questionable shorts thrown in the mix sometimes). His shoe game is crazy crazy crazy off the chain (barring, again, some questionable Prada brogues I saw in a post once, he seemed to like them…I find them vile).  I want his shoe closet to share with all the men in my life.
LA's Blog – My latest discovery. Now, you should know I am a ZARA FREAK. I love Zara…almost everything they produce is something I would wear or carry on my shoulder. This girl’s style is so effortlessly chic, and it’s primarily because of her predominantly Zara/Bershka wardrobe. She doesn’t overwhelm the senses with exorbitantly priced designer goods or shoes, so her style seems accessible but still looks expensive. I know frequently purchasing  from Zara is still out of the price range for most lower to middle income Trinbagonians, but hey….there’s always Sale…:)

Ok…that’s all for now. I have a few more up my sleeve but I’ll save them for a later blog post. Maybe this can be a regular installment.

Bless,

Ceo

Made in T&T

The entire country has Anya Ayoung-Chee Fever; God knows I have it. The symptoms: the nagging urge to shave the sides of one's head and an unrelenting propensity towards massive, dangling earrings. It's disarming how effortlessly Anya pulls off the statement earring look, inspiring a nation of trend-hunters (because let's face it, Trinidad & Tobago is a trend-savy place) to go in search of the perfect monumental earlobe adornments. However, as fantastic an example of what I'm about to talk about Anya is...this blog post is not primarily about her.

This is about the uprising of local designers and artisans of my generation and a little before...and the attitude towards it. I admit off the bat that I've not always been an avid supporter of local products, whether it be out of sheer ignorance, disinterest or a philosophy that prompted me to believe that local meant lesser, no exceptions.

4 years ago, give me TT$3000 to spend on any clothing and jewellery I wanted and I'd immediately run to the computer to select one of the many mass-produced items available from stores like Forever 21, Zara, H&M, etc. Ask me to pay $150 for a pair of completely unique, hand-crafted statement earrings from a local jewellery designer and I'd balk. Ask me to pay $350 for a pair of custom, one-of-a-kind high-waisted shorts from a local fashion designer and I'd look at you like you'd gone mad.

Now, after spending 3 years away from home, and then returning to my island, full of vibrant, creative and wholly enterprising people...I see that locally produced goods carry much more value than I could ever get from my (still) beloved clothing chains of 'foreign'.

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to purchase two pairs of statement earrings (again, on my Anya Ayoung-Chee beat) from two local jewellery designers, Nakita Hyatali and Shereece McKenzie. Gorgeous, stunning conversation pieces if I say so myself (and I love a good ice-breaker). Last month, I was taken to local artist and designer Keegan Simon's 1ndividualAesthetic pop-up shoppe at #6 Carlos Street and was impressed by the funky, imaginative, often graffiti-inspired pieces by this young entrepreneur.

In this same locale -evidently a breeding ground for up and coming designers- Shannon Alonzo held her much-anticipated pop-up shoppe of her line Shorts Are E.V.I.L. and items sold out within a day or two.
Now I would never advocate the purchase of anything that 1) is of poor quality 2) you don't like simply because it is local. In fact, even while the country waited with bated breath for Anya's premier on Project Runway, tongues wagging and voting fingers twitching, I was concerned with only one thing...that she was good. I won't support a designer or an artist whose work I think is poor...the rules still apply. However, I won't readily write-off any local artist or designer until I've seen their work and can make a fair assessment of their products.

I'm thrilled with my earrings, and in the market for more. Shereece is making me a custom piece inspired by one of Anya's apparently favoured accessories, and Miss Hyatali is soon going to get a request from me as well for another pair.

Why blend in when you can stand out? Why wear the same old mass-produced items that hundreds (maybe thousands) also have, when you can own a much more exclusive piece of clothing or jewellery. Buying generic stuff is great and easy on the pocket, I'd never say no, God knows I am online-shopping-banton, but don't put local out of your thoughts.

If Anya has taught us anything, it's that anything they can do, we can do better (or at least just as well).

Bless

Ceo  

Shereece McKenzie (Left) Nakita Hyatali (Right)

ps. Sorry for the horrible pic...taken with camera phone, better ones to follow :)

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