Category — art

Shake it out! You wish you were Florence Welch with her poise and regal Elizabethan good looks. She epitomizes fashionistah adventuress in this McQueen.

Every Spring, the fashionistahs flock to worship at the altar of Anna Wintour.  En masse, they come in droves to fete the designers and out ballgown each other at an annual event, The Met Gala.  The soiree marks the opening of the fashion exhibition of two Italian designers, Impossible Conversations: Elsa Schiaparelli and Muiccia Prada at the MOMA.  If you are in New York and a lover of fashion history, you should probably check it out.

Now back to the extravagance and audacity that is the Gala.  Best-dressed lists are subjective and my point of view is that these celebs chose to go a more adventurous route, the path less beaten, choices more playful and memorable in their selection, statements so individual, they seared into the fashionistah collective consciousness. 

Fashionistah Grain of Wisdom:  When selecting evening attire, you must wear the dress and not let the dress wear you.

My girlcrush Emma Stone unafraid to rock a red floral Lanvin mini. Red lipstick + red dress. Why? Why not?

Pow! January Jones punches you in the face with her vibrant yellow Versace. Love how she paired the architectural detail of her structured peplum with a turquoise Art Deco necklace.

Gwyneth tips off her figurative hat to Prada in this satin hi-low mini dress. Deceptively modest in the front, daring in the back!

Inspiration Board via Vintage Mint. I like how she used an eclectic mix of images and postcards within a shabby chic frame.

Hello dearies,

Behind the scenes, I creep my Stats to get a handle of what you lovers of the LC are reading.  The last few months, I have been getting a lot of people reading my blog because of Pinterest.  If you aren’t into Pinterest (yet), crawl out from under your hole and let me tell you it’s highly addictive.  Think of Pinterest as a virtual corkboard, where you can “pin” your favourite images from the web and collect them on separate inspiration boards.  You can share these with your friends and follow other people.  Personally, I think it’s very cool that so many people are ‘pinning’ The Love Collage.  It just means that you are picking up, what I’m putting down. http://pinterest.com/source/thelovecollage.com/ 

Here are the most popular Pin’s on my blog:

Lauren Conrad's Hair. Olivia Palerma tried to oust her for top spot in barrel curls but you cannot challenge the power of the LC.

Blair & Chuck, specifically Blair's headband. Haha. BTW, I refuse to watch Gossip Girl because of Dair. Good one Josh Schwartz (insert sarcasm)!

My fashion choices. I am really jones-ing for the right pair of Acid Wash jeans but I am VERY particular. This is a nice pair on Ashley Tisdale. Not gonna lie, I also love High School Musical due to my teenage heart.

I like my stationery of the subtley quirky, snicker laugh, ironic variety.  In celebration of the LC’s 2nd birthday, I thought of some eyebrow raising gift ideas of the papery kind.  I often receive sketchbooks because my friends know how much I love to wax poetic (“dear universe…”) or whip out my glue stick (“ooh, I like this outfit. must save”) or madly scribble (“scratch-scratch-scratch” the sound of a 15 second gesture drawing).  Also, I like to stockpile stationery in case someone makes a grand gesture that is deserving of a well-thought out and sentimental love note.  With technology, text messaging and emails, people rarely send letters or cards.  It’s a rare treat to receive a letter or card in the mail.  *Le sigh

Bangs A Sketchbook by David Choe. Why? This is what I look like after I neglect to trim.

For my craaazy cat lady LC followers: Cat Companion Journal by Jeffrey Brown

Better than Barbie & countless hours of F-U-N! Methinks that Paper Doll Parade by Suzy Ultman is a present that keeps on giving.

If someone spent the time to stitch me a notecard, that's true friendship/awkwardly nerdy (which I love). Sublime Stitching by Jenny Hart

Happy birthday LC! I confess I enjoy fireworks, especially in the shape of a heart.

Writing my blog for the past two years has been both a rewarding and exciting endeavour.  I write about haphazard musings that have taken hold of my fancy, from the frivolous to the heartfelt.  Time and again, I am surprised to meet strangers who follow me regularly, am utterly thankful for your ongoing support and am touched by those who embrace ‘living with inspiration.’  In many exchanges, I am asked how it was that The Love Collage came to be (here is a refresher).

When I originally built my website in Wordpress, you only had one instant to choose a title.  The title was everything and for me, it had to convey sincere meaning with a dash of wit. 

“What should I name it?  Hrmm, what should I name it?”  Perplexed, my eyes darted around the room searching for an idea to spark a revelation.  I stared out the window.  The afternoon rays were peaking through the wooden blinds.  I sighed heavily.  My head twisted to the left.  There it was.

A month prior I had decided to feng shui my bedroom.  In my tidied love quadrant, lay charms meant to invoke love, the theory being that a mini-shrine to love would create an abundance of love.  This presumption made sense to me and plus, there truly was no real harm in creating a tableau in hues of red and pink.  Sitting atop an otherwise empty shelf was a vintage postcard of entwined tango partners, a tanned Spanish George Hamilton look-alike in a 70’s one-piece dance outfit and his female dance partner attired in ruffled flamenco garb, an oversized faux rose bouquet and a love collage which I had painted and carefully pieced together on my birthday.

And so became the title of my blog, The Love Collage.

I have come to grow very fond of this title because it captures the sentimentality of memories, the passion of dreams and the small things we treasure.  The Love Collage is more than a diversion – I write because I love to write but am ever thankful that you love to read.

The Love Collage is inspired by…

Early Carrie Bradshaw. I do type in cute outfits where possible or paint my nails between checking emails. Mad skills.

Do you dream in black & white or colour? A sketchbook a day keeps the doctor away. The mini hoarder in me collects postcards, jots down observations and sketches inspiration.

NERD Alert: I am like reallyx3 into the library lately. I want to wear a tweed blazer with patches on the elbows and my Lisa Loeb glasses. Nerd pick-up lines: "Study much?" "Do you want to be my french tutor?"

The possibility of travel: In 2012, I have resolved to hang glide from Sugarloaf Mountain in Brazil (tandem of course). Oh yes, I am a fashionistah adventuress.

The Love Collage presents Creative Heart Collective Fall Show and Sale for local artisans, crafters, designers, bakers and retailers.  The mission of the event is to give artists, entrepreneurs and retailers an opportunity to connect and showcase their wares with the community in a fun and inviting atmosphere.  We will also be hosting FREE community workshops where attendees are invited to participate in arts and craft activities.

The focus for the show will be:

• Emerging and local artists (small sized artwork, prints, cards)
• Indie arts and crafts (toys, art/craft supplies)
• Fashionable artisan gifts (jewellery, accessories)
• Homemade food (baked goods, preserves)
• DIY presents
• Apparel & Vintage

Creative Heart Collective is looking for high-quality artisans, bakers, artists, crafters and local retailers to exhibit and sell their work on Sunday, September 18th, 2011, 12pm – 6pm.  This daytime event will be taking place at The Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street West) in The Ballroom (click to view images).

Submissions will be accepted until Saturday, July 30th, 2011, however, please apply early as the number of available spots is limited and will be curated on a first-come, first-served basis.  For more detailed information on how to apply, please visit www.creativeheartcollective.com

Bill has the eye: You must. You really MUST.

I have always been a lover of the art-house, tiny cinema genre of film.  The kind of movies that rarely make it into the mainstream and are rented at the independent local video store.  This afternoon, as a guilty pleasure, mini popcorn in hand, I took in a matinee screening of Bill Cunningham New York, the documentary about the famed eccentric New York Times photographer and fashion columnist.  

The film observes the 80+ year old Cunningham as he navigates New York on his bicycle, shooting street fashion in the mornings, editing his images, writing his columns and photographing society events in the evenings.  It is a character study of a humble, hard-working and unassuming city anthropologist; his passion has not waned over the years, his enthusiasm for discovering trends and capturing fashion in real life still all consuming.  Through candid interviews with his many muses and industry contemporaries, you are able to understand why over the span of his career, he is respected for his vision, integrity and kindness.  Truly a MUST SEE.

“A lot of people have taste but very few are daring to be creative.” – Bill Cunningham Watch the trailer here

One of Cunningham's favourite muses, the eccentric Iris Apfel describes herself as "the oldest living teenager." Playing dressup in her closet would be TDF (to die for).