A plethora of inspiration boards.

I like to think of myself as a renaissance woman.  Inspiration for me is everywhere but I do have an abundance of sources… 

On Fashion – Working in the industry, I am constantly surrounded by clothes and accessories.  Like a chocoholic in Serendipity.  I have many wonderful fashionistah friends who always have their own distinct personal style.  Brunch is never just brunch — it’s a lookbook.  Reading magazines (my faves are Harper’s Bazaar & Vogue) and fashion blogs will also keep you up to date on how to adapt a trend. 

Whoa gorgessity! Emma Stone covers July Vogue. As far as I'm concerned, it's the fashion bible.

On Beauty – The best resource for beauty is Allure.  I learned how to apply makeup from reading the tutorials, collecting books from Kevyn Aucoin and practicing on my friends.  I still beg them to let me before we go out; but they willingly oblige because I do a fierce smokey eye.  In my early 20’s I visited my first Sephora in Paris.  As you can imagine, the clouds parted, the rays of sunshine beamed down and angels sang ‘Alleluia.’  Then I entered, sprayed glitter in my friends’ hair, sampled eyeshadows and played with lipgloss for two hours.  A heavenly experience.

The glorious Sephora on Les Champs Elysees, Paris.

To Live Well – As a bohogi, it sounds cliche but I value every experience from having sangria with friends to afternoon walks in the park.  I love to travel and experience different cultures, so I constantly look at Conde Nast Traveller and dream of an exotic adventure.  I never know how or when I will get there, but I put it out there and make a plan to go.  The universe always delivers!   

Read more about finding inspiration on living well on BlogHer and don’t forget to enter the Life Well Lived Sweepstakes.

My absolutely favourite museum Caixa Forum in Madrid, Spain. They have installations, documentaries, live performances and an amazing gift shop.

Ubiquitous.  Definition:  Existing or being everywhere at the same time;  constantly encountered; widespread. 

Ubiquitous, this is how I feel about Rachel Bilson of late.  Soon she will be reuniting with that loveable emo Josh Schwartz, creator of Gossip Girl and The O.C. on her own tv show, about a girl who communicates with dead people.  The premise sounds kind of like Ghost Whisperer or Sixth Sense, but I am sure Mr. Schwartzie will put a special spin on it;  like, every week she gets into some zany romantic comedy, has gorgeous bachelors lined up and traipses around LA dripping in Lanvin and Louboutin’s.  Did you catch her on How I Met Your Mother?  (On an unrelated sidenote, I think in real life it wouldn’t take Ted Mosby that long to find a serious girlfriend. He’s a great catch, except on days when his hair does a weird thing.)   

In the meantime, Miss Bilson has been doing the fashion week rounds in every city (New York, Milan, Paris), giving us a plethora of looks to which we can aspire.  But remember, she has a stylist and she probably has the clothes on loan so don’t feel bad about yourself.

Rachel celebrating Cavalli in the trademark leopard print. I am obsessed with this mermaid tail, sweetheart neckline and off the shoulder action.

At the Chanel SOHO opening, working a high ponytail and fringed mini dress.

Personal Umbrella Holder & Hottt Pink ruffles at Dior SS 2011. Photos courtesy Huffington Post

I'm sneaking in an oldie but a goodie at Marc Jacobs. Couples that colour co-ordinate should never break up. Photo courtesy Style.com

Mademoiselle Leighton and Mademoiselle Blake have landed in gay Paris to begin filming Season 4 of our guilty pleasure, Gossip Girl.  The first stills preview amazing fashions from Monsieur Eric Daman, who kicks it up 10 notches every season.  And now it’s off the radar.  Let’s dissect shall we?  Apres-vous…

Besties B & S taking a stroll on a cobblestone street in designer duds. Ooh lala! C'est la vie.

Fashion Ratatouille – I am loving how Blair mixes two oversize prints of cherries in a halter and a parachute bubble skirt.  How do they achieve this hemline magic?  Small strings are affixed to the hem and a corresponding one midway up the skirt folds to tie.  It’s a variation on the bubble (which is highly underrated as far as I’m concerned).  Serena matches her sequin birdcage mini dress with a boyfriend blazer.  Girly + Menswear.  Well played ladies.

Munching on Macarons – These delectable treats are a french confection, a tiny puff cookie made from whipped meringue and filled with decadent cream.  Kind of like an Oreo, but waaaay better.  They come in a variety of flavours from raspberry and chocolat to green tea or rose; such yummy and beautiful fare be found in fancy patisseries such as Fauchon.

Known for their fashionistah packaging, Fauchon serves baked goods a la chi-chi. If you happen to be in Paris, can you grab me a box?

I’m on Vacay, Can’t You Tell? – Nothing says vacation like palazzo pants.  This outfit combination is killing me (in a good way).  I am adoring the unpredictable colour combination of peach high-waisted floods with a nude silk tank top and emerald green stone necklace.   A tan braided belt (a serious necessity in a wardrobe) and lady-like shoes finishes the look. 

Serena stops traffic in her peach palazzo. Have you ever noticed? European men are so forward. It's like they haven't seen a woman before.

#5 Rompers Ahead. In my opinion, Urban Outfitters has the BEST rompers of the season. Checkout this Staring at the Stars cutout romper in coral. TDF (to die for)!!!

It’s a miracle.  A few days ago, the LC hit another milestone:  30,000 visits!  Yay, success!  As my little blog that could continues to thrive, I’d like to send some love your way.  Here is a countdown to the Top 5 most read posts on The Love Collage. 

5.  Resort Report:  Rompers Ahead - 1,838 hits  And a part of me questionned if the masses would catch onto rompers.  There are more fashionistah adventurers making their way through the fashion jungle than I suspected.  Carry on!

4.  Paris Je T’Aime - 1,978 hits  This one is kind of obvious.  Everyone loves Paris (the city, not the heiress). 

3.  Big Bang Theory - 3,796 hits  Another popular one which started to get hit a lot in the Spring.  Perhaps because many stylish women change their look when the sunshine comes out. 

2.  She’s Got Kevyn Aucoin’s Smokey Eyes - 4,466 hits  I suppose the DIY quality of this post makes it a smash, as well as the tips that come from the great master himself. 

1.  “She Is My Style Icon” – 6,701 hits!!  There are two reasons why this one is unbeatable:  Alexa Chung and Rachel Bilson.  They are style muses to many. 

For your wonderful reading pleasure, please join my Facebook group (the link is on the left sidebar), follow me on Twitter, subscribe or grab my RSS.  Tell your friends & thanks a million for keeping up with the LC.

The patron saint of the LC and my style icon: Rachel Bilson. On a sidenote: wearing one's hair like this has a high KB quotient.

Torontonians by nature are foodies.  Blessed with the multicultural delights of foreign foods and an array of dining options, you can eat well here as often as your heart, stomache or wallet pleases.  While our streets lack the charm of Paris or old world Montreal, there are some hidden gems of french cuisine tucked nonchalantly in the city.

I love that name Jules. This picture doesn't do it justice. Please visit their website or better yet, go to the bistro.

With a facade that is easily missed on Spadina, Jules Bistro (147 Spadina Ave.) is a cafe specializing in Southern French cuisine with an emphasis on bistro classics.  Once you step through the threshold, you are immediately transported to a cozy restaurant in France, with whitewashed brick, vintage crystal chandeliers, wooden tables, gilded mirrors lining the banquette walls and dim mood lighting.  Menus are transcribed on giant chalkboards (a touch I am quite fond of) and the open kitchen is doubly effective: watching cute chefs is highly entertaining and the fragrant aromas of fresh meals in preparation mount the anticipation.  Writer’s aside: This is a great date place, picture flirting over a shared carafe of wine, making sexy eyes over flickering tealights.  Oh yeah, hottt.

During the daytime, emo indie-rock plays (Strokes anyone?) and attentive foreign waiters suggest dishes.  My friend N chose the French onion soup which was made with fresh baked croutons, vegetables and cheesed to perfection.  I went for the Ratatouille* Quiche, with delicious herbed vegetables, goat cheese, the flakiest pastry and a side of frites (I had to ask this question myself.  It’s fun to say but what exactly is ratatouille? a vegetable stew; usually made with tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onion, and seasonings).  If you fancy a cheese platter with your wine, they’ve got it and the dessert of my life, a very Amelie creme brulee.

After we left the cafe, it was raining cats and dogs.  To top off my very laissez-faire French afternoon, I thought I would invest in a clear parasol, channelling Catherine Deneuve in Les Parapluies de Cherbourg.  Ooh la la!

Oh Catherine. Love in the rain.

Fulton Birdcage: There's something very retro about a clear umbrella-ella-ella. Makes we want to dance in the streets, kicking up puddles.

Topshop Cool. No TRY. Just is.

The mention of Topshop conjures great memories for me.  More than a decade ago, my fashionistah friends and I embarked on a summer ‘European Study Abroad,’ where we mixed fine art, sight-seeing, fashion, copious amounts of partying and dubious amounts of shopping.  We tasted our first champagne and we got busted at customs (ahem, for shopping, not for drugs).  Many wonderful friends were made and memories forged while blazing a trail from London to Paris to Barcelona. 

When I remember Topshop in its former inception, it was about promo tops in baby pink and blue (2 for 1), cargo pants with sewn in pouches (remember those?), essentially cheap and cheerful.  In its modern-day renaissance, it’s synonymous with Brit fast-fashion, uber-trendy, mixing better-best price points with vintage and diffusion lines.  MK & Ash shop there, so does Alexa (saw her trying on booties) and Gwyneth.  Let’s just say it’s a lot cooler. 

Merchandised in mini shops to work a look.

If anyone has visited the London flagship at Oxford, it’s a multi-level sensory explosion of colour and trend.  As we take the descending escalator deep into Middle Earth, your heart beats with the rush of accessories, shoes, jeans, designer lines and reconstructed vintage.  You better get good reception on your phone because you can literally loose a friend.  Then mix that with the chaotic zoo of fashionistahs clamoring to grab their size while it lasts.  It’s definitely not for the faint of heart and like a 90’s dance song, ‘it’s gonna make you sweat.’

As many globetrotting fashionistahs lament ‘why not here!!?’, the gods are looking down favourably upon us in Toronto.  We get a touch of Topshop when it arrives at Jonathan + Olivia (49 Ossington Ave.) on June 19th.  Similar to New York where it soft launched at Opening Ceremony, the brand is testing before a major launch.  But c’mon we all know it’s going to fare well.  Did you know that the Toronto locations of Urban Outfitters are among the most profitable per square footage in the chain?  I swear we must have the highest hipster per capita.

My favourite Topshop buys of all time are a fuschia sundress embroidered with gold floss in an Indian sari style, a black body-con dress with a flared taffetta trumpet skirt attached and giant bow (Very Robert Palmer ‘Addicted to Love’) and a grey herringbone ruffle jacket with 3/4 bell sleeves.  While you have to rummage and edit through a lot to find what suits your style, there is always something very forward and unique about their offering.  I was trying on playsuits (translated as rompers) more than two years ago.  Hello!!??!

Here are some fun items I hope to see when Topshop lands in our fair city: 

Monet meets Alaia: Painted Floral Bandeau Dress

Mesh shrug in that 'Dashiki Chic' style I enjoy so much

Flapper Style: Do you have fringe on your pockets or are you just happy to see me?

Jingle-Jangle: Ball chiffon bangles make pretty noises