World MasterCard Fashion Week F/W 2015 - the Good & the Bad

3 beauty events, 4 fashion shows, and 1 awards show on top of my 45 hour work week.  I’m not really sure how I did it but I did. Perhaps going to 8 events in 5 days might be what it’s like to be a full-time “real” blogger. 

World MasterCard Fashion Week (aka Toronto Fashion Week aka the Canadian Collections) happens twice a year – March for Fall/Winter of the current year and September for Spring/Summer of the following year – and showcases some of Canada’s most renowned designers. 

This was my first experience at World MasterCard Fashion Week – the good, the bad and the ugly. If you want to see photos of the shows check out my WMCFW – womenswear and WMCFW – menswear posts. 

Generally

bad: rude people butting in line, 3-inch heels, street style photographers outside (it’s like paparazzi and I’m camera shy when I’m not in the comfort of my room), expensive food, the cold weather and lack of heating in the tent

good: attending my first fashion week, wifi, seeing people I know and not feeling like a loner, free coffee from Kreuig, Maybelline Rebel Blooms Lipsticks and thank goodness for weekends and sleep

Missing the VAWK show (from Sunny Fong of Project Runway Canada)

bad: Leaving a Guerlain event too early, taking a taxi to get from Yorkville to David Pecaut Square and missing the show by a few minutes

ugly: Avoiding the 5-piece Subway-inspired capsule collection. That’s Subway…THE FOOD. Cucumber-print dresses, etc. (see here) 

The Studio (flat seating) 

bad: Sitting in the back row in the studio trying to catch glimpses of the show between two people’s heads. They should really let the short people sit on the ground in front of the first row...I wouldn’t mind

good: Sitting in the front row of the studio (so close you could touch the clothes) and the lighting in the studio

The Runway (levelled seating)  

bad: lighting too harsh to take photos from afar

good: levelled seating and elbow room

Meeting Queen Mary (Adelaide Kane) and the Leith (Jonathan Keltz) from the CW show Reign 

bad: being shy, sweaty and awkward (as per usual) and feeling like a teenage fan girl for even watching the show, not seeing the Prince of Conde 

good: learning that Reign features Alexander McQueen gowns

Sillies at the #fashionmagawards after party with @charcharb1nk 👫😊

A photo posted by stephanie lau (@stephh_lau) on Mar 28, 2015 at 5:17am PDT

The Fashion Magazine Awards (#FashionMagAwards)

bad: having to leave early from being pooped out from the rest of the week 

good: watching re-caps of the shows I missed, taking photo booth photos with my boyfriend and some really good catering from Toben Food By Design 

All in all a great experience. I would do it again...but perhaps I'll pack fewer events into the week and be more choosy about the shows I attend. Next time I will…wear flats, bring snacks, invite a +1 ALL the shows and get more sleep. 

Did you attend World MasterCard Fashion Week (or have you previously)? How was your experience?

Check out my other fashion week posts: 


WMC Fashion Week – The Experience 

WMC Fashion Week – Menswear Recap

WMC Fashion Week – Womenswear Recap

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World MasterCard Fashion Week F/W 2015 - Malorie Urbanovitch & Mikael D // womenswear

I had the pleasure of attending 4 shows at World MasterCard Fashion Week for the Fall/Winter 2015 season. Two of the shows were womenswear designers. Here's a quick recap of the shows: 

Malorie Urbanovitch – Wednesday, March 25, 2015

In a few words, I would describe the Malorie Urbanovitch Fall/Winter Collection as "hip grandma-chic" - knits in quirky colour combos (orange/blue/brown) and green fringe-embellished dresses. Classic silhouettes with a twist = wardrobe goals. The makeup was stellar too – a clean face and vibrant blue on the inner corner of the eyes. This was my first and favourite show of the week. 

(source link)

Mikael D. – Friday, March 27, 2015

Jaw-drops, gasps and standing ovations, the Mikael D. show suitably titled “Mythical China” not only had Chinese drum performers and acrobats but enchanting gowns and ornate cocktail dresses. I couldn’t take any photos because the moment was too pretty to capture (I was also sitting to far back). Mikael D. was flawless closing show for World MasterCard Fashion Week.

Check out my other fashion week posts: 

WMC Fashion Week – The Experience 

WMC Fashion Week – Menswear Recap

WMC Fashion Week – Womenswear Recap

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World MasterCard Fashion Week F/W 2015 - Jaan Choxi, Klaxon Howl & 3.Paradis // menswear

World MasterCard Fashion Week has come and gone. A little fur and some tailored suits, pleated pants, and semi-creepy ready-to-wear, here's my little recap of three of the Fall/Winter 2015 menswear shows! 

Jaan Choxi – Friday, March 27, 2015

I didn’t personally attend this show, but I had Charles attend and take photos for me. Jaan Choxi is a Toronto-based luxury menswear designer which debuted at World MasterCard Fashion Week at this particular show. Charles let me know that the pants were too tight on the models, but some of the pieces were quite swoon-worthy and well-tailored. Can I have the fur-collared jacket in XXXS, please? 

Vintage militaria-inspired runway from @klaxonhowl #wmcfw #tcfw15 #madeincanada

A video posted by stephanie lau (@stephh_lau) on Mar 25, 2015 at 5:48pm PDT

Left (source link), Right (source link)

Klaxon Howl - Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Matt Robinson is known for collections inspired by vintage militaria, workwear and sportswear from the early to mid-20^th century. Overall, I found the Fall/Winter 2015 collection to be a bit dreary. I’m not a huge fan of pleated pants and the muted b-rown and grey fabrics didn’t have much wow-factor. I did, however, like individual pieces such as the bags, hats and jackets. I also took note that the models wear their jackets the same way as my boyfriend (the hip-ness is too real). 

#wmcfashionweek day 5 - @3paradis #wmcfw #tcfw15 #madeincanada

A photo posted by stephanie lau (@stephh_lau) on Mar 27, 2015 at 5:08pm PDT

3.Paradis – Friday, March 27, 2015

A unique pairing of two designers Emeric Tchatchoua and Raymond Cheung from Paris and Hong Kong respectively, 3.Paradis is a luxury ready-to-wear men’s label. Insane asylum-inspired music and accessories of the 0.4 Placebo collection made for a cohesive and artistic show.

Check out my other fashion week posts: 

WMC Fashion Week – The Experience 

WMC Fashion Week – Menswear Recap

WMC Fashion Week – Womenswear Recap

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New Specs from SelectSpecs.com

Buying glasses online is all the rage. Long gone are the days when I purchased my specs from good, ol' Costco. Seems like the glasses-wearing people of the world are trading off brick-and-mortar for lower prices and bigger, better selection. Clearly Contacts, Firmoo… and now there’s Select Specs. Select Specs is a UK-based company with their glasses shipping out of Hong Kong. Styles are priced from $12 (economy, no name) to $200+ (designer).

I’ve been wearing glasses since I was 12, so I happily took the opportunity to review a pair. I picked up the style Infinity A6673 in Brown/Havana (also available in Black), which would have run me $35.25. The process of ordering was simple – choose your style, enter your prescription, measure your Pupillary Distance (PD or distance from pupil to pupil in millimeters), select your lens type, and pay.

The wait between ordering from SelectSpecs and receiving my glasses was unnecessarily long – three weeks before I received tracking info, three days to get to Canada, and the glasses spent another week sitting in customs. In total, I waited about a month.

The good: 

• trendy style
• decent pricing
• free 1.56 thin index lens
• decent quality for the price
• several tint and transition lens options
• free UV coating, scratch resistance and anti-reflection
• comes with a case and lens cloth (granted the case is plastic and not particularly attractive)

The bad: 

• frames came slightly lopsided and didn't sit on my face straight (I went to Costco and the kind optician melted the plastic and straightened it out for me)
• frames were a tad tight on my face
• turtle-speed shipping

Overall, SelectSpecs is a fair option for inexpensive glasses. My previous pair (which I sat on and broke… RIP) was from Firmoo. In general, if you’re willing to trade off quality of build for price, then online glasses shops like Select Specs are the way to go. If you're looking for a perfect fit and can't stand the anticipation (or not knowing what the frames will look like ahead of time), you're better off with your local glasses store. 

Have you ever purchased glasses online? 

Press sample featured

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STYLE: Moon Cats Scarf in Eastern Elegance Review

I don't consider myself to be particularly fashionable but I try. And if there's one way to spice up my Michelin man winter outfits (8 layers and counting), it's with scarves. Moon Cats, an online store, dubs itself "the scarf expert" but they sell all kinds of winter accessories - from gloves to hats and head wraps to various types of scarves for both men and woken. I took the Eastern Elegance Scarf ($39.95) for a ride. 

Eastern elegance is described as a "rainbow paisley thick shawl". Drape this warm pashmina shawl around your shoulders for a classy unforgettable night out. This scarf will bring the feminine touch you need for a romantic beauty style. Its thick fabric will keep you warm in the evening breeze, and its dark colors will easily match your outfit.

The Good: The dark colours do in fact match all of my neutral (mostly grey) outfits. The patterning on the scarf is a nice bit of colour to my somewhat boring everyday style. The gold threading also has a nice shimmer too it, a total plus in my books. 

The Bad: It's definitely not thick. It's -11C today and this ain't going to keep me warm. This scarf is better suited for milder climates or for early fall nights. If only it were a touch bigger. The dimensions of the scarf are 20" x 58" and I wish it was more square (like a blanket) to add some warmth. Furthermore, the scarf doesn't feel like it's of the best quality. I poked it with a finger nail and the threads of the scarf frayed a little (I could see my finger through the other side). 

Ways  wear a scarf (1) hide underneath it (2) wrap it back wards (3) wrap it forwards (4) wrap it around your head as a hood. 

Overall, a decent scarf but it's definitely not built for Canadian winters. I'll be pushing this one to the back of my closet and bringing it out again next fall.

For staying until the end of this review I'll have you know some exciting news! Moon Cats has provided a coupon for 30% using the code FUNSIZEBEAUTY30OFF  (valid until July 31, 2015). This is not an affiliate coupon. :)

Moon Cats offers free shipping for US orders over $50 and it seems like shipping to Canada is a flat rate of $8, which isn't half bad. 

Check out Moon Cats: 

http://mooncats.com

http://instagram.com/mooncatsofficial

https://twitter.com/MooncatsUS

What's your favourite winter accessory? 



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MILLIEMENO Miko Romper Review + Dress Giveaway!

MILLIEMENO is a Canadian BC-based, family-owned online boutique that features clothing and handmade accessories. The site is well-curated for the young-adult woman, probably appropriate for anyone from the age of 14 to 30. The store ships to Canada and worldwide. MILLIEMENO features a TON of adorable items, all of which I would like to put in my closet ASAP. Of the many items available, I chose one of which I was sent for the purposes of a review (spoiler alert: I've been wearing it non-stop this summer)

The Miko ($37.53) is a printed romper that features cut-outs on the shoulders and back. The romper is made out of 100% rayon, which is super light-weight and flowy. As I'm quite petite at 4 feet 11 inches, I was a bit worried about whether or not the small [measurements - S – Bust (17/43) Waist (17/43) Length (29.5/75)] would fit me. Luckily, the fit was perfect! The length of the romper hits me mid-thigh and the arm holes are not too big and not too small. 

The rayon wrinkles easily (which is easily fixed with an iron) and rompers in general make it bothersome to go to the washroom. Other than that, I love that the print is super loud and colourful. I have nothing like it in my wardrobe and it's embellished enough with small details like the cutouts and the drawstring that it doesn't require too many accessories to put a complete outfit together. 

GIVEAWAY: 3 winners, open to residents of CANADA and USA 

(1) Like Milliemeno and Fun Size Beauty on Facebook 

(2) Comment below with the dress that you'd like to win from MILLIEMENO.com. There will be 3 winners. :) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK! 

Press sample featured 

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OOTD #4: A Walk in the Park

TWO THINGS. (1) Without a doubt, dresses are my go-to outfit of choice. Wake up in the morning (presumably feeling like P-Diddy), slap on a dress, and run out the door. Florals are especially amazing because they make outfits look almost excessively more put together than they actually are *case in point... ME* (2) I've been going on a lot of walks in the past couple months - to clear my mind, to talk, to unwind. 

This outfit combines two of the things I've been loving lately - one of my favourite floral dresses ... and my first time at Victoria Park in Kitchener, Ontario with someone special. :) 

OUTFIT

< dress > band of gypsies @ urban outfitters 

< shoes > topshop

< necklace > born pretty store* (here, 10% off with the code UAUT10)

MAKEUP

< face > make up for ever mat velvet plus foundation // 35 vanilla 

< eyes > shu uemura lasting gel pencil eyeliner* // black brown

< lips > soap and glory sexy mother pucker gloss crayon* // fuchsia-ristic

A little bit of a tangent but I want to draw your attention to the necklace that I'm wearing. As aforementioned, it's from Born Pretty Store and it costs a whopping $3.97 + free shipping. It came to me in the mail with a FOREVER 21 tag on it. So basically, you can purchase FOREVER 21 quality jewelry for 70% of the price on Born Pretty Store. The geometric circle, triangle, rectangle thing really works for me and the gold-coloured metal of the necklace isn't too yellowy. It's simple enough that it can be paired with a patterned dress or add a bit of life to a plain white tee. 

Anyways, looks like summer time is coming to an end. *back to school* is in three weeks and soon enough I'll have to shove all my beloved floral dresses into the closet and bust out my parka. 

What's your go-to summer outfit? 

Press samples denoted with an asterisk (*). Special thanks to my fave photographer Charles Cheung!

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OOTD #3: Bumbling On...

An outfit post is a rare occasion because: 

(1) I'm not a fashion blogger. My outfits are generally minimalistic and uninteresting. THE MAKEUPS > THE CLOTHES (Note the product listing...as well as 300 beauty posts and 2 style ones)

(2) It's incredibly awkward to take outfit photos of yourself and it's not often I can get a photographer friend to do all the hard work involved with photoshoots. We did a little one for the resident style club on campus (UW Style Society - aka best club ever), which involved holding inchworms, climbing onto waterfall peaks and eating tacos.

(3) I can't pose for my life. Someone...PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO DO WITH MY HANDS. *peace signs* 

(4) It bothers me when some photos are portrait and others are landscape.. and oftentimes there's both.. Case in point:

On another note, I made a cheeky little order off OASAP not knowing what to expect in terms of quality and fit from the online store based out of Hong Kong. It ends up being that you get what you pay for. I love the bumble bee pattern and length of the Sweet Honeybee A-line Dress ($20.90) but there were loose threads and the fabric was slightly see-through.

Dress: Sweet Honeybee A-line Dress from OASAP // Shoes: Converse

Makeup: 

FACE - Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet Plus, Make Up For Ever HD Pressed Powder*, NYC Bronzer in "Sunny" // EYES - CoverGirl Clump Crusher Mascara, Shu Uemura Long Lasting Soft Gel Pencil* // LIPS - Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Crayon in "Fuchsia-ristic"*, Almay Gloss + Balm in "Just Plum"* // NAILS - Get Nailed in "Yep! That's Impressive"*

What have you been wearing lately? Also, let me know if you'd like to see more outfit posts!

All photos courtesy of Charles Cheung (*too much skill to handle*) 

Press samples featured and denoted with an asterisk (*) and are linked to previous reviews 

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