The cure for a High Heel Hangover

I am a total foot wuss, meaning I love high heels but they always hurt my feet.  Except my Manolos  (those were clearly worth every penny).  But my Louboutins cost significantly more and resulted in my taking a cab ride last summer in NYC two measly embarrassing blocks after dinner while the rest of my friends walked like normal people.  Not cool.  (those are the gorgeous and sadistic b*tches in the pic to the left).  So how do you recover from such a high heel hangover when you know you'll need to squeeze into another pair of sky-high stilettos the next night?  Follow Dr. Neal Blitz's advice and you'll be all set! 

Ready for Swimsuit Season?

The most iconic swimsuits of our time have been worn by the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Bo Derek, and Halle Berry (see the full slideshow here).  We've seen acceptable silhouettes go from the fully-dressed craziness of the Victorian era to the wool jersey sleeveless tank suits of the 1920's to the itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikinis of the 60's.  We now sit in an era where you can really wear whatever you want - with however much coverage you want - thanks to creative designers and amazing fabrics.  In my quest to find something flattering (and somehow modern & youthful?) for my post-two-baby-bod, I will head to Melmira in Toronto on Wednesday for a 'fitting'.  It comes highly recommended for great service, selection, and brands that have both style AND support in their construction.  Wish me luck - I'll let you know how it goes! 

The first list of Target Stores in Canada!

I love HBC, but I really can't stand Zellers.  The prices aren't that great, the service is abysmal, I feel so bad for the staff in those polyester uniforms, and the selection isn't even worth mentioning.  It's no surprise then, that I am extremely enthused that Target will be taking over this outdated chain and opening Tar-jays all across the country!   Just check out this cute retro-inspired bathing suit for just $34.99!  If you're interested in the list of the first 105 Stores that will transition from Zellers into Targets, you can see the full list here.  I am so happy to see 2 Burlington locations on the list - maybe the Burlington Mall (now Mapleview's ugly sister) will finally become relevant again (was it ever?).  Cloverdale Mall must be psyched.  That mall is Sherway's ugly sister.  I just hope once these Stores open, that we'll be able to shop online at Target.com as well!

Oakville Spotlight: L'Occitane & Blo

Downtown Oakville keeps getting better and better!  Two new shops I love include L'Occitane and Blo!  L'Occitane is such a great shop for some of the most beautiful lotions you'll ever use in your life, and that smell of lavender infused in some of their delicious creams really makes you feel like you're in the south of France.  Glad to have it finally out here in the west end!  Blo is a heavenly girlie blowdry bar where you can get a fabulous blowout from $33!  Their blowdry menu is adorable, as you can order the "red carpet", the "executive sweet", the "perfect pony" or "high society".  Girl it up indeed :)

Half-yearly sale for Women & Kids at Nordstrom!

Having just placed my first order with Nordstrom online this month, I am now a huge fan of their selection, great prices, and easy shipping.  Grab this uber popular Michael Kors watch at 40% off for just $137.99 or this great L.A.M.B. weekender for 33% off at $169.70 or this hot 3.1 Phillip Lim dress at 40% off for just over $231!  Other steals include 7 for All Mankind Jeans, Nike dri-fit pants, Chantelle and Calvin Klein lingerie, Hue leggings, Sam Edelman shoes, Miraclesuit swimwear, and that was just the first page of 52 pages worth of women's items!  There's Kids & Baby too!  You simply must check it out!

Feeling charitable?

Bring in your old clothes to any Gap location now through May 29th, and they'll not only make sure they reach Goodwill, they'll give you 30% off your purchase!  Talk about a win-win!  You know you've got at least 2 pairs of jeans in your closet you're never going to wear again (we don't need to talk about why...) and a few shirts that would look far better on someone else, so go donate...and save!

Oh dear lord. I think the apocalypse is upon us.

Two words: pajama jeans.  And now I'm completely at a loss for words.

How Old is 'Too Old' for a Miniskirt? The results are in!

Apparently a new survey out of Britain has decided that the age cut-off for wearing miniskirts is 35.  I'd be personally offended if I thought I had amazing legs, but since I don't, I'll just be offended for those of you that do.  Bikini's stop at 47, and ponytails at 51.  This definitely puts a damper on my ponytail-til-death plan.

I know many women with the legs to pull of an age-appropriate miniskirt, the body for a bikini, and the well-tamed silver tresses for a low and classic ponytail, so I think the better thing to do than tell women what age they should stop wearing things, is to help them truly understand what age-appropriate means.  Usually, I find any problems have more to do with dressing right for your body type than your age, and adding accessories that properly reflect your personality and your surroundings. 

See the full survey results here, and be sure to take it all with a grain of (British) salt!  And if you love this mini pictured above, grab it in one of 4 hot colours for $79.50 from Victoria's Secret!

Cannes Fashion: Oh No...are high waisted pants back?

Love Rachel McAdams.  Not crazy about her new boyfriend though (Michael Sheen instead of Ryan Gosling?  Really?), and even less crazy about her pants Friday at Cannes.  The top is all kinds of sparkly bustier goodness, but wrinkled high-waisted trousers?  I'm hoping those aren't about to make their way across the ocean to North America.  I'm all for covering up my post-baby ponch, but she doesn't even have one, and if she did, I'm STILL not sure this works.  Great clutch though.

My advice: throw on a fitted satin full-length skirt with a slight flare at the bottom & go call Ryan.

Win a $2000 Shopping Spree in Downtown Burlington!

Sign me up!  I can't even begin to tell you all the great shops I'd spend $2000 in if I won this awesome prize!  Summer dresses from Joelle's, cute accessories from Ohh! Beautiful Things, cool men's clothing from Jeff's Guy Shop, and some more of that amazing COR soap from Saltridges!  I think I'd blow through $2000 in about 20 minutes!  Go enter for your chance to win HERE and you'll also get access to instant savings at participating businesses (like $ savings on certain purchase amounts - love it!).

Weekend Sale Update!

Despite the rainy forecast in the GTA, I wish you all a wonderful weekend!  And what better way to beat the weather than to stay dry inside some of your favourite Stores and grab a few things for the upcoming summer season (on sale, of course!).

Grab up to 30% off toddler and baby gear at Old Navy this weekend + get a free Thomas & Friends DVD with any purchase over $40!  Dresses start at $12 and sleepwear at $10.  Solid deals!  Online too!

Grab some great deals on swimwear & cover-ups at Bluefly.com!  They’ve even got gorgeous Shoshanna swimsuits, like this one to the right, which I love for their great prints & curve-flattering styles.

Jacob just emailed out a coupon for 30% off any regular priced item this weekend, so if you haven’t signed up for their emails get to it, and hopefully you can still get a coupon for this weekend (or just email me at victoriabhughes@gmail.com and I’ll send you mine, as I’m too busy this weekend to shop!).  I love that they added a “Fashion Tip of the Month” section on their website (click on the little white ‘Jacob’ on the left menu and you’ll see it as a subheading).

Don’t forget about chickdowntown.com too – for amazing designer brands like Manolo Blahnik, Prada, Theory, 7 for All Mankind, and more at great discounts!  Check out this cute red & navy silk top from Alexander McQueen at 80% off ($324). 

Derek Lam on eBay!

Designer Derek Lam now has a 5 piece collection available on eBay, with dresses ranging from $175 to $295 and chosen by eBay users from a larger selection as the top 5.  There's one extra dress available only through the iPhone's eBay app incase you're interested in a pink silk poplin tshirt dress!  These really are gorgeous timeless pieces and great value.  The v-neck shift dress is so perfect for work (blazer or cardi) then straight to cocktails (add some higher heels)!

Amazing: Missoni for Target!

A fall collection by Missoni will launch at TARGET on September 13th!  400 pieces of clothing, bedding, housewares and more will be available in Stores and online.  I love those unmistakeable Missoni prints and am already thinking ahead to what friend I will have to ship my order to in the States since Target still doesn't ship to Canada yet :(  Lord knows the Targets right across the border won't enjoy the best selection (that's Buffalo for you...).  Or maybe I could time my next trip to the U.S. to co-incide with this cool launch!

Are you wearing pants?

I've seen a lot of capri 'leggings' and 'jeggings' in the Stores for summer already.  I gotta be honest: many of them truly do not qualify as pants even though the packaging is clearly advocating treating them as such (Hue...I'm talkin' to you!).  I worry that more than a few ladies will commit some heinous fashion crimes and show us way too much of their ladyparts, so to help avoid this I offer the world Amy Sly's delightful "Are You Wearing Pants" flowchart.  Click here for a larger version and by all means, share share share! You're welcome :)

Head Designer out at Gap + 50% off Tops at The Bay Today!

Having worked for Gap Inc. years ago, including the Gap brand itself, and having loved the collections they came up with at the time, with special embellishments and bold colours (that adorable Fairisle scarf that went viral on eBay one Christmas, for example,) I have to say I'm quite happy they've ousted their designer of the last few years, Patrick Robinson.  The bland, colourless, shapeless clothes he's responsible for have certainly been the reason for the ghost-town environment their Stores have suffered.  Cheers to change, and let's hope for more of the clothes that get people saying "where did you get that?" again.

In SALE news, pop over to The Bay today and enjoy 50% off tops from cute brands like I.N.C., Dex and Esprit!  Just in time for the sunny spring weather we're enjoying today (finally!).

What a fashion show at the Met Gala for McQueen!

...and here I thought the Oscars was fashion's biggest night!  The gorgeous dresses truly wowed at Monday night's Met Gala honouring Alexander McQueen.  Check out all the photos here.  Christina Ricci definitely wins the 'biggest dress' award (tie with Andre Leon Talley?) and Jessica Alba & Kate Hudson really rocked the pregnant looks!  Valentino and Natalia Vodianova (photo, left) demonstrate the vast differences in skin tone available these days thanks to self tanner...yikes!  Renee Z and Bradley C were both there...think there was an awkward "ex" moment?  Can you believe Sarah Burton had to fly fresh from the Royal Wedding (where she designed Kate's two amazing dresses) to New York for this fete all in the same weekend?   What a life.  For now I'll settle for living vicariously through all these dressed up dames...until Joelle's big fundraiser on June 6th of course.  Will there be photogs and a red carpet there too?  :)

A new style icon is crowned this weekend...

No, I'm not talking about the new 'princess', but rather her younger sister Pippa!  Not only did she wow the crowd of billions with her ivory satin-based crepe cowl-neck dress, but with her stunning figure and demure presence.  Equally impressive was her laid-back and polished look the day after the wedding, while departing The Goring Hotel with her family.  The good genes and great taste this family has been blessed with is truly staggering (don't get me started on their handsome brother James...) Looking forward to seeing how this young, eligible gal influences fashion in the U.K. and abroad!