When Holiday Gifting, Consider The (Wo)Man Hours

*From Huffington Post Canada

I’m no Scrooge. I love the gift-giving spirit. Yeah, as a teen in the ’90s, I railed against the false pretenses and corniness. But now I think the concept of a “Hallmark holiday” is positively quaint. The prospect of buying a gift from an actual bricks-and-mortar store — as in, not from Amazon.com or www.gilt.com, where I do the vast majority of my shopping — and then attaching an actual handwritten card to it, warms my heart.

That said, overthinking the perfect object to anoint each and every festivity is not an indulgence I am allowing myself this time of year.

Canadian adults are expected to spend about $950 on gifts and holiday décor combined. Jaw-dropping as that dollar amount may be, there is another factor to consider: The (wo)man-hours involved in all this decision-making.

Because for some of us, trying to figure out whether or not to gift that spiffy Disney-themed LED light is a process that can take upwards of 20 minutes — and I haven’t even including the wrapping part, since in my current world, I’ve eliminated this problem altogether by insisting on only using re-usable totes. My no-wrapping policy eases my conscience about waste, though I acknowledge there’s more to be done.

I’m currently juggling Hanukkah, birthdays, kids parties, Christmas get-togethers, holiday mixers, baby showers, new houses and a whole bulk of charity gift-giving occasions. My brain is as spent as my wallet.

As such, I’ve come up with helpful strategies to curb my holiday shopping hemming and hawing.

First, I’ve implemented the “five-minute rule” when choosing a gift. I set the timer on my phone. Usually, I ignore it when it goes off, but it’s a start.

Second, when possible, I’ll repeat presents I give. If it’s appropriate, I’ll buy Champagne, or reasonably priced “pink bubbly,” usually Mumm Napa or Louis Bouillot. I have a variety of fun, original items from the MoMA store stored in my gift closet at home, along with boxes of Zingo and a bonanza of Fingerling monkeys.

Third, when buying a custom gift for someone, I now encourage him or her to exchange it. Self-imposed time constraints may result in me giving less-optimal gifts, and so I’ve decided to adopt a realistic attitude about returns.

In the spirit of my new “less time, less waste” holiday policy, I have jotted up an open letter to all my gifts recipients, expressing the sentiment above and how they might play out. I encourage others to use these letters as templates for their special someone, too, though I’ll warn you — they are a wee tongue in cheek (insert: winky face).

To my close friend, Miss Fantastic:

They say it’s the thought that counts, but I’m spare on thinking nowadays. Please return or exchange this gift I bought you, no offence taken. Actually, I’d be thrilled that you chimed in on the matter. I bought you those silky pajamas in black with the white trim since they were more practical. Personally, I preferred the pristine, less functional white ones with the black trim. If you happen to agree — and we often do — please use the gift receipt provided.

To my son, Pookie-Angelface:

I know you’re obsessed with fire trucks, dump trucks, and all kinds of oversized vehicles. But standing at the store, I couldn’t bring myself to buy another one. So I grabbed the cream-coloured vintage car since I thought it was cute and slightly different from your other toys. More to the point, decisions needed to be made — I had to get home to relieve your sitter. If you hate the car, I’ll exchange it for you. This was a gamble I had to make at the time.

To my friend’s four-year-old daughter:

I wanted to buy you Barbie for your birthday, but I understood that she’s controversial. Also, is Barbie appropriate for a girl your age? Hard to know. Therefore, I plucked an eco-chic design-your-own tutu kit from my storage gift closet at home instead. I’m petrified of global warming, so giving you this earthy-inspired gift made me feel (slightly) better about myself, even if I might be the victim of green-washing. Most importantly, it settled that whole Barbie issue. If you’re more into dolls than crafty tutus, it’s cool with me if you re-gift it to one of your young pals, or even put it in a donation box.

To my darling husband:

You are the one exception that shall prove my “please return or exchange or re-gift this gift” rule. Because whatever you do, DO NOT RETURN, NOR LOOK UP THE PRICE of those John Varvatos sneakers I bought you on Black Friday weekend. I swear I got them on sale, just slightly more than the price I might have shared with you. Also, you cannot return or exchange them anyhow, so why bother getting into a tizzy over it? They look fantastic. Keep them. I beg.

Finally, to others who might not adore what I give you at this present-happy time of year: Please understand that I’m back-logged on wedding gifts from last summer, and while I’m confessing, I have two outstanding presents that I still haven’t delivered from the summer before that.

So this holiday season, when I arrive at your function, please accept my digestible, perishable or pulled-from-the-shelf gift in the handsome tote provided. And if you feel the need to re-use, recycle or return its contents, be my guest. I’d be especially pleased if you re-gifted that Champagne back to me.

HOW I TRIED TO REJECT KIM KARDASHIAN-STYLE MATERNITY DRESSING AND FAILED

*Story appeared in Huffington Post Canada.

Fancy-dancy baby bumps are all the rage, especially among the celeb set. And when I first got pregnant, it felt like Kate, Kim et al. were staring me down from the grocery aisles. Goading me into joining the fun.

But nay, I thought in protest. Maternity fashion was vanity gone haywire. Yeah, yeah, I loved dressing-up more than pretty much everyone I knew, but suction tight maternity dresses and bikini-clad #babybump selfies seemed to be crossing a line. The message: Women should (should! Bwa-haw-haw!) look their best always–before and after their water broke.

So I had a revelation, “I am going to let myself go!”–for those nine months. I would allow my body to roar au naturel. Also, to help combat wasteful capitalism–which I myself was often guilty of–I refused to buy a whole new maternity wardrobe. I was bringing a new life into the world, after all. It was time to be practical, ethical. Maybe I’d purchase some elastic-waist jeans, leggings, a few tops, but that was it.

For a few months, I lived on as this low-maintenance person. I wore whatever fit in my closet. I felt, um, good. Relaxed. “No nausea,” I reported to anyone who’d listen, as if this reflected my even keeled psychological state.

But by month five even my husband’s button downs were splitting on me like sausage casings. Still, half-imagining myself to be practical, I decided to buy large sized normal pieces (read: non-maternity) that I could re-wear postpartum, say with a belt.

Sweats weren’t exactly versatile. Rather, I needed just a few key outfits that could work from day to night–especially night. A pink A-line dress, a white kaftan, and a silky maxi soon followed. I brought them to my tailor, since roomy regular clothes don’t quite fit the way proper maternity ones might. A slit here and a plunging neckline there guided the eye just so–as in, away from my swollen hips and legs, and the grim-reaper veins on my ankles and hands.

True, it was all a tad indulgent, but overall, my plan still erred on sensibility. Or so I told myself.
I wore my new white kaftan for my stroll to the coffee shop. Compliments ensued, from baristas, from people on the street. “Hey hot mama,” a passenger hooted out a car window.

Did you say “hot mama?” Far from offended, the praise went down better than my vanilla Frappuccino–a wild declaration for this pregnant chick to make. And though the tiny growing baby inside couldn’t hear their words, I imagined he or she was feeding off my buzz. And that was when it occurred to me: My low-maintenance days were probably over.

“Wow, you look lovely,” my husband nuzzled into my neck. I had on the kaftan again, since I only had three outfits. But this time I wore it with wedges. And I got a blow out. Because it was near-impossible to flip over for my hair dryer with my gut.

Oh, yeah! Full of hormones, and knowing that the numbers on my scale were dashing up the ranks, the flattery made me feel like I was a star of some kind–even if just the star of my own life. Finally. After nearly two decades of agonizing dating, all that studying and working and weighing my talents against a tanking market–then to at last to find my love, get married, I finally, finally became pregnant!

And I was fancy!

I stormed back to my genius tailor, Hussein Padar, with a new python maxi, a khaki tunic, two navy print dresses, another kaftan, and a red spaghetti strap number. I bought them mostly on sale, mostly online. A few were donated from friends. Et voila. After his strategic sewing, I had a made-to-measure maternity wardrobe. Here I come! I mean, here we come.

Yet with each decadent step forward, my guilt followed. It wasn’t so much about spending money, because I knew I’d re-wear most things post-partum. Rather, I felt like I was endorsing the position that expecting women couldn’t take a frump day–that regardless of their health, wealth, or state of mind, women had to be attractive at all times.

But did I need to be a sex object 24/7 to the horrors of my internalized Gloria Steinem (pre-Sanders women-bashing Steinem, that is)?

Um, apparently.

Because I loved the praise–especially since every other person seemed to wonder if I was carrying twins, which I wasn’t (“are you sure?”). And I wasn’t covering up my stomach with a muumuu as pregnant women did decades ago. Instead, I was felt like shining at 150-plus-plus-pounds and with a 40-plus-plus-inch waist. At age 30-something, yet. I was a soon-to-be mom, not a teeny twenty-something we’re led to believe is the pinnacle of beauty, and I felt terrific. Curvy.

Most importantly, I had this telekinetic belief that adorning my bump was introducing my growing baby to the splendors of life, like flowers and artwork.

A second thought settled in: Maybe maternity fashion wasn’t the devil incarnate after all; maybe there was something glorious about all these proud mommies grooming themselves and their young to be — and trying to attract their mates, despite having already mated. And if this amounted to celebs flaunting bandage dresses and crop tops with their blossoming midriffs, so be it. All this excess could be evidence of a good thing. The best thing.

It was now obvious to me: #babybump signaled that a new rounder, more maternal beauty standard was finally en-vogue. I had to raise my half-filled champagne glass to that.

So, during my recent second pregnancy, it was time for my sequel performance. My costumes were pressed and ready to go. As I waddled about with my beach ball stomach that held my 10-lb baby.

“You’re HUMONGOUS!” they cried.

Oh yeah! Bring it on. I took plenty of pics this time.

–SUZANNE WEXLER

How I Became Obsessed With Maternity Fashion, Kim-Kardashian Style

*Story appeared in Huffington Post Canada.

But sweats weren’t exactly versatile. I needed outfits that could work from day to night–especially night. A pink A-line dress, a white kaftan, and a silky maxi soon followed. I brought them to my tailor, since roomy regular clothes don’t quite fit the way proper maternity ones might. A slit here and a plunging neckline there guided the eye just so–as in, away from my swollen hips and legs, and the grim-reaper veins on my ankles and hands.

“Wow, you look lovely,” my husband nuzzled into my neck. I had on the kaftan again, since I only had three outfits. But this time I wore it with wedges.

I stormed back to my genius tailor with a new python maxi, a khaki tunic, two navy print dresses, another kaftan, and a red spaghetti strap number. I bought them mostly on sale, mostly online. A few were donated from friends. Et voila. I had a made-to-measure maternity wardrobe. Here I (we) come.

Meanwhile, with each clumsy, decadent step forward, my guilt followed. It wasn’t so much about spending money (I really did re-wear most things post-partum.). Rather, I felt like I was endorsing the position that expecting women couldn’t take a frump day–that regardless of their health, wealth, or state of mind, women had to be attractive at all times. But did I need to be a sex object 24/7 to the horrors of my internalized Gloria Steinem (pre-Sanders women-bashing Steinem, that is)?

Um, apparently.

Most importantly, I had this telekinetic belief that adorning my bump was introducing my growing baby to the splendors of life, like flowers and artwork.

Ok, there was obviously an undercurrent of narcissism involved too. But better to focus on the positives, such as how #babybump signaled that a new rounder, more maternal beauty standard was finally en-vogue. I had to raise my half-filled champagne glass to that.

So, during my recent second pregnancy, it was time for my sequel performance. My costumes were pressed and ready to go. As I waddled about with my beach ball stomach that held my 10-lb baby (“You’re HUMONGOUS!” they cried), I bid adieu to guilt–and took plenty of selfies.

Barbie Expo Montreal: The Only Review You Need to Read

*This article was first published on fab feminist site Bust.com

I loved Barbies as a kid. Then as an adult, I learned that the dolls were an embarrassment to humanity. Now, I’m back: I heart Barbie. My change of opinion happened after visiting the new BARBIE EXPO that opened mid-February in downtown Montreal. The must-see exhibit claims to boast the largest permanent collection of Barbie dolls in the world, from JLo and Duchess Kate Barbies, to Chanel and Vera Wang Barbies, to Steampunk Barbie with green hair and a long frightening coiled neck.

After perusing the expo’s mind-boggling array of 1000+ high-fashion Barbie dolls, I was reminded that Barbie is just a fun dress-up toy to inspire the imagination—and is probably not a symbol of all that is evil in this world.

After Hijab Barbie and Mattel’s tall, curvy, and petite Barbies created recent media stirs, now in proper Montreal form, Barbie gets reinvented once again as a cool-girl with a fantastical fashion streak. This depiction manages to transcend Barbie’s locked and loaded reputation as an icon of conformity—a reputation Mattel has long tried to reinvigorate after she was introduced in 1959. But Expo Barbie likely succeeds in transforming her image because the collection was put together by independent curators, and not by Mattel. As such, these dolls don’t look like they’re trying to sell anything—they simply appear as fixtures of private life, and reflections of whoever bothered to collect or design the elaborate outfits in the first place (some garments went through 200 hours of fittings with their designer.).

With Barbie as fashion muse, the exhibit is flying high with entertainment: There are Barbies à la Beyonce, Kimora Lee Simmons, Cher, Farrah Fawcet, Marilyn Monroe, and Princess Grace. There are dolls outfitted by Dior, Armani, Bob Mackie, and Ralph Lauren. Then there are Barbies donning feathers, kimonos, a sari. There are even underground alternatives tattooed Barbies. In terms of diversity, there are Barbies of various races and complexions represented, although the majority of dolls are white, though not necessarily blond. Barbie’s body proportions from head shape to height are even toyed with—though again, she’s almost always skinny, or in the case of Flashdance Barbie, gaspingly thin.

Even with the expo’s all-encompassing lens, the doll still gives off an unrealistic body image.

But overall, the expo creates a more forgiving impression of Barbie, allowing the doll to come across as whimsical and playful—a woman of reinvention like Madonna, or an eccentric style blogger of sorts—rather than a blond blue-eyed bombshell who mothers have come to protest against, not to mention who has attracted a string of tacky plastic-surgery enhanced followers. And like me, you may end up leaving the expo remembering Barbie as that childhood doll you adored because it was simply fun as heck to change her outfits—not because you were somehow brainwashed and misguided by the Dreamhouse fantasy.

The Barbie Expo was put together by the administration of Les Cours Mont-Royal, a shopping mall in downtown Montreal that was once regarded as the city’s mecca of fashion, but now has an unfortunate vacancy rate. Looking to bring-in a high-style attraction, the administrators created a committee of curators, architects, designers to collect the Barbie Expo dolls from around the globe. The team purchased some of the Barbies outright from collectors, while others were donated. The free-of-charge Expo gives 100% of proceeds from the suggested donations to the Make-A-Wish foundation of Quebec.

Many of the Barbies featured were once sold to the public as limited-edition dolls by Mattel. Others were created by artists or private collectors themselves, allowing Barbie to surpass market barriers and enter more expansive spheres, such as the one exhibited by Hijab Barbie (a.k.a. @hijarbie), sewn by 24-year old Haneefa Adam of Nigeria (Hijarbie is not part of the exhibit).

“Pure coincidence,” Valerie Law said of the expo’s timing, which opened on Feb. 10, right on the heels of Barbie’s new silhouettes featured in Time, and moments after Hijab Barbie became an internet darling. Law is the VP of marketing for the Soltron Group that owns Les Cours Mont-Royal. “We brought this exhibition here to Montreal because it is a fashion capital. And no one is really highlighting that about the city.” Law cites the elegant Zuhair Murad Barbie as her favorite.

As Montreal’s Barbie Expo is not affiliated with Mattel, the exhibit is likewise sans bubble gum pink displays. (The much-maligned gender-specific sales presentation found in many toy stores is a stigma Mattel also tried to overcome by featuring a boy in a 2015 commercial.) Rather, at the expo, the backdrop is a fresh white and black, with swirling crystal chandeliers. This more classical, and far less dizzying environment is more suited to dragged-along daddies, brothers, or even not-quite-so girly-girls visiting the expo. Meanwhile, Barbie aficionado’s will have their eyes popping out at every turn. They may even find themselves manically posing in the Barbie selfie booth with #ExpoBarbie. (umm… guilty.)

Heads-up: There are no actual Barbies for sale at this independent charity exhibit. Also, curvy, tall, and petite Barbies and Hijarbie have yet to make their debuts at the Barbie Expo.

Once upon a time, while at The New School, Suzanne Wexler wrote her M.A. thesis on “The Erosion of Public Discourse: The Martha Stewart Trial and Other Provocative Tales.” It was supervised by the late and great Christopher Hitchens, along with linguist Melissa Monroe. After moving back to Montreal, she wrote feature articles and trend reports for major Canadian newspapers. She also got married and had some super-cute kids. Now she’s working on a book of humor essays. Find her at www.suzannewexler.com.

Do you BELIEVE in Green Drinks?

David "Avocado" Wolfe, spokesperson for the Nutribullet — David “Avocado” Wolfe, spokesperson for the Nutribullet

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GREEN DRINKS?

THE SUPER SIT-DOWN WITH SUPERFOOD SPECIALIST DAVID WOLFE (Aka the ‘NutriBullet guy’)

BY SUZANNE WEXLER

These days, celebs are obsessed with natural food diets, whether its Gwyneth promoting her latest clean-eating recipes in cookbook It’s all Good, or Jenna Dewan Tatum (Channing Tatum’s wife) downing Kimberly Snyder’s ‘Glowing Green Smoothie’ to lose her baby-weight. Indeed, from eating raw to vegan to juicing – or to eliminating corn and bell peppers à la Gwyneth – A-listers are turning to nature in the hopes of cleansing their skin, their souls and their waistlines.

Enter DAVID “AVOCADO” WOLFE, the much-adored spokesperson for the NutriBullet, a $100 blender with a whopping 600-watt motor. Wolfe is a leading authority on the natural foods movement, and has authored nine books in the last twenty years on topics like raw foods, superfoods, mushroom hunting, and natural hormone strategies. On the successful infomercial, Wolfe whips up smoothies loaded with spinach, goji berry, and chia seeds, singing the merits of each ingredient along the way. And thanks to his enthusiasm, mass audiences are now swallowing heaps of kale just like Gwyneth, Jenna, Jessica (Alba) and Fergie. Heck, I’m chugging a leafy mango-berry concoction right now.

But no matter how willing I am to go with the movement’s flow and ‘drink the drink’, the skeptic in me does have a few questions for the bright-eyed bushy-tailed natural foods expert: How do laypeople navigate the incredibly complex world of natural foods? Does a single green drink really do anything? Just like his smoothies, Wolfe’s answers were an unexpected, delightful blend:

From raw foods to superfoods, there are a lot of different diets that you advocate. Is someone supposed to do them all or just pick and choose what’s relevant to them?

It’s more pick and choose what’s relevant. For example, in Montreal, I’ve been able to inspire a number of mushroom hunters. Then there’s the superfood bit, which is something a lot of athletes really tune into.

But how are people supposed to know what they might need, health-wise? In addition to reading relevant books and literature, should they consult a doctor or naturopath?

Great question. Some people like the analytical western data, which is cool. I’m all for it. In that case, they should see a western trained doctor, or integrative doctor, and get analytical data on their hair for example, or blood work, or hormone levels. It’s really good to get that baseline information.

Then some people are like ‘I’m my own best doctor. I’m my own best nutritionist. I’m going to go with my intuition.’ […] And so that’s [another] tool that’s available.

SW: Do you know about Paul Offit? He recently wrote a book called ‘Do you Believe in Magic? The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine’, plus a New York Times Op-Ed challenging the overuse of megavitamins and antioxidants.

DAW: Yeah. I know who you’re talking about.

SW: I thought you might. So he was saying that overuse of antioxidants might be potentially damaging, and that too much vitamin A and E might cause cancer. He alleges that the natural food industry lacks scientific research and regulation. How do respond to that?

DAW: Here’s the thing. We live in a world where alternative medicine has been vilified by mainstream western medicine. The analytical research that we’d love to do in alternative medicine has been blocked quite strongly by western prejudices for some time. Now this is breaking down in recent years. We’re starting to see a little bit more of the type of research that we’d want to have happen.

SW: So do think there are merits, say, to being on a 10 percent superfood diet, and a 30 percent raw food diet, or do you think people need to go to extremes to see benefits?

DAW: Well I think everybody has to do the piece that makes sense to them. If I make a crazy superfood, super herb drink, I think people feel benefits from that immediately. I’ve seen that. So I’m not one of these people that says it has to be all [or nothing] to get any benefit[…]. But what I like to do is to continue to expand the choices of superfoods and organic herbs and organic foods in general. I also [advocate] eating more fresh, raw food.

SW: Speaking of superfoods, what’s your relationship to the NutriBullet company?

DAW: Well, it’s not my company, but I’m a spokesperson and consultant for the company. And I’ve been deeply involved in the development of the recipes and of the product itself. It’s been a runaway success for all of us. I’ve always wanted to be on TV selling blender foods ever since I can remember, since I was 10 years old actually. To me, the NutriBullet is like a dream come true.

SW: You really dreamed of selling blenders?

DAW: Yeah, I had the dream of selling the blender on TV, and the dream of being the guy who gets people healthy with natural food. All of that came true.

SW: So you definitely back-up the product?

DAW: Absolutely. It’s the best. You can’t get anything like it for under $100 in the world.

*Photo from Jittery Cook

SIDEBAR: RECIPE FROM WOLFE, ADAPTED BY FOOD BLOGGER JITTERY COOK OF http://jitterycook.com

David Wolfe offered a DIY, improv-friendly NutriBullet recipe for Diary of a Social Gal readers with a base of blueberries, raspberries, coconut water, kale and a dash of honey. Optional ingredients included hemp seed (protein), hemp seed oil, or olive oil.

Food blogger Jittery Cook customized this concoction for Diary readers:

David Wolfe‘s Berry Kale Nutriblast Smoothie

1/3 c each blueberries, raspberries
1 c coconut water or enough to cover the other ingredients
2 leaves kale, stem removed, roughly chopped
1 t honey or coconut nectar
2 T hemp seed (or 1 T hemp seed oil, or 1 T olive oil

Combine all ingredients in this order: kale, berries, seeds, sweetener, coconut water. Make sure you stay below the maximum line. Blend in the Nutribullet for 45 seconds. Sprinkle on a little cinnamon. Start sipping right away or carry your smoothie with you in the travel cup provided. Makes a single serving.

The Rise of the Bouffant

**Photos by John Mahony of the Montreal Gazette

MONTREAL – Walking around the ABA (Allied Beauty Association) hair show this week felt a lot like traipsing through a Tim Burton film set. Wayward crinkled curls, offset to one side, with green and blue extensions poking out, echoed looks from characters in Edward Scissorhands and Burton’s version of Alice in Wonderland.

If that sounds frightening, it wasn’t (necessarily) the case: the point of the look was to emphasize texture — one of the biggest themes at this year’s Palais des Congrès event, where manufacturers and distributors of professional beauty care products presented their latest innovations and techniques to Quebec stylists and industry insiders.

Some hair teams, like the one at Redken, took the theme in a more runway-friendly direction, presenting stunning beehives and bouffants reminiscent of the 1950s and ’60s. The final impression was glamorous and fashion forward, just the right mix for Redken hair model Pascale Hamel to declare “I love it,” about her updo, streaked with blue. “I think I’m going to wear it to work tomorrow.” (She works at Labatt.)

On the Australian Bangstyle stage floor, edgy sideswipes — asymmetrical looks were extremely popular at this year’s ABA — were presented alongside ’30s-style Marlene Dietrich tight curls, along with wavy strawberry blond locks cut with blunt bangs. These looks emphasized the point that the latest textured hairstyles could be bold and structured, crimped or curled, or gently tousled.

Here are a few must-dos from the show:

Paris Fashion Week from Elle.com

Textured bouffants

At Redken, bouffants were revived and reinterpreted.

Sean Godard, a Redken international performing artist, created one of the sharpest looks. It featured a smoothed-over beehive with an off-kilter French twist and was modelled by Marie Breton. The look was inspired by the Louis Vuitton Spring 2013 collection. “In the past it would have been very rigid and dated — and structured. Just by loosening it up a little bit, and changing the volume, changing the parting, makes it modern and more current,” Godard said.

Eve Champagne, a Redken hair artist at the ABA event, created softer bouffants, including the one for Hamel, where she wove blue and purple extensions through a mesh layer. For Alexandra Decterov, Champagne sculpted a soft, almost undone updo fastened with a red flower, again using texture and colour together “to give a little edge,” she explained.

As for the revived bouffant look itself, Terry Ritcey, national education director for Redken, says it’s all about rediscovering glamour.

Product: To hold those updos, Godard and Champagne use Redken Control Addict 28 ($18.59), a new ultra-firm hairspray introduced by the brand.

Asymmetric hair

Many hairdos at ABA were set to one side, creating a fresh impression that was just slightly askew. According to Marilyne Roi, a hairstylist with Bangstyle, the edgiest lopsided looks appear on short, loose locks. “To really exploit asymmetry to the maximum is to do it on short hair,” she said. Short hair easily lends itself to texturing clays and gels, she said, and can be shaped into more dramatic lines. At Bangstyle, the look came alive on Vicky Lemay, who was shown with shoulder-length candy apple red hair set to one side.

Roi said asymmetrical looks are very stylized and add tons of character, and are best suited for bold women.

And for the men

Men’s hair is less about trends, and more about a “one size fits one” mentality, according to Kurt Kueffner, who along with one of the creators of American Crew, developed the sleek new barbershop line Mensdept. “I think there’s a sentiment that it needs to be appropriate, timely, but it also needs to work with their hair type and their head shape,” he said. That being said, Kueffner does see some global trends: “I think any semblance of the faux hawk, Mohawk from the early 2000s hair is gone. You’re not seeing as much spiky hair or overdone hair,” he said. Now, men’s hair is a little more contained, accountable. “There’s more parts, there’s more shine, and there’s more healthy hair.” Kueffner believes Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, and even actors like Daniel Day Lewis helped pave the way for this look.

There’s Something About Seniors

***Images from PowerHouse books.

These days, women 70 and older are expanding our gaze to appreciate one of the most often forgotten forms of physical beauty: old age.

That’s right: Our obsession with youth and smooth skin has just been given a wrinkle that may never be Botoxed. A stunning book called Advanced Style (PowerHouse Books, $40) by street style photographer Ari Seth Cohen released this month captures New York City’s most elegant grandes dames. They sport glamorous hats, gold drop earrings, oversized glasses and colourful vintage scarves. Many are regulars on Cohen’s popular blog (advancedstyle.blogspot.ca), on which the book is based. There is also a third prong to the project, a documentary, which will be released this summer.

“I’ve always been interested in style and fashion, and I thought it would be a great way for people to have an inspiring image of what it is to grow older,” Cohen, 30, said of the project, which he started four years ago as an homage to both his grandmothers.

The book’s cover art features the glorious Gitte Lee, a former model revived in an Italian Vogue 2010 editorial.

A few pages later, there is the simply named Rose, wearing a purpled print kimono dress. At 100 years old, she insists no outfit is complete without an eye-catching belt or elegant strand of beads.

Marc Jacobs was so inspired by Cohen’s blog, he based his Fall 2012 collection on it, the designer revealed to WWD and the New York Times.

“I hope I’m like this when I’m older,” Kim Kardashian tweeted upon viewing the YouTube trailer to the Advanced Style documentary, a playful four-minute clip featuring mega-stylish seniors praising colour, leopard print and larger-than-life accessories.

To them, fashion is a vibrant form of self-expression and an unrelenting source of creative freedom.

“I get emails from younger women all the time saying, ‘I can’t wait to get older’ – that’s the most amazing thing to me,” Cohen said. To him, Advanced Style was always about more than capturing golden- and platinum-age fashion: It was about showing how his muses are advanced in many aspect of life. “Style is a reflection of their vitality and spirit,” he said. Many of his subjects experience daily pains and have suffered through tragedy, but they still enjoy their lives brilliantly. Fashion is simply one of those ways.

Cohen adds quotes to the photos in the book, and posts videos of seniors on his blog, where their personalities come through, and are ultimately where Cohen’s project really hooks you.

“I’m old and nobody has to like (what I’m wearing) as far as fashion is concerned,” says Ilona Royce Smithkin, a 92-year old artist-turned-cabaret performer (who still performs), in a video.

With bright orange hair and long matching eyelashes, Smithkin is one of Cohen’s more eccentric dressers and wittiest personalities. “As long as I look in the mirror and (see) – AH! – this is me,” she says, everything is all right. A Q&A with burlesque star Dita Von Teese and Smithkin is printed at the end of the book.

Once entrenched in Cohen’s old-timey world, and peering through his rectangular looking glass – whether in blog, book or video form – one’s eyes are changed for good. Even Beatrix Ost who wears a vibrant emerald turban (for fashion, not religion) with a matching flower appliqué suddenly doesn’t seem, well, so kooky anymore. Rather, personal style becomes an invitation into someone’s autobiography.

Style strata

Since most advanced-style women shop within their own closet, Cohen says, their wardrobe not only reflects their personal style, but also the era they come from.

“Women in their 80s, 90s, and 100s dress very differently from women in their 60s and 70s,” he points out. “This sense of elegance of grace, and putting on hats and gloves, is definitely more alive in the older, older women.” During the Depression, he says, style was ultimately a sign of dignity and not giving up. This mentality continued in later life.

Meanwhile, women in their 60s and 70s “went through feminism, and they were influenced by hippie culture,” he said. As a result, some wardrobes tend to have ethnic and even punk influences.

Seventy-four year old Montreal model and actress Francine Lacroix still has a talent agent: Sybille Sasse, one of the few who will represent models 60 and older. Lacroix has fond early memories of fashion. She is also amazed about how much has changed over the years.

“My fun growing up was looking at my mom before she went out at night,” Lacroix said staring off wistfully. “I thought she was beautiful, and she was.” Her father owned well-known furrier J.K. Walkden on Sherbrooke St. downtown, and she can remember the pair heading off to the opening of the Queen Elizabeth (1958), the opening of Places des Arts (1963), and, and then to Expo 67. Her mother often wore custom garments by Leo Chevalier, Marie-Paule Nolin and Michel Robichaud.

As her everyday dress code, her mother used to wear a tweed skirt, a cashmere sweater and pearls. But only a generation apart, and outliving her mother by a number of years, Lacroix says she is deeply influenced by casual dressing. She wears Hue jeggings to the mall.

“There were all kinds of balls with the long white gloves,” she recalls of her own glamorous past spent with her late husband, who worked in advertising. Yet today, for openings at the Musée des Beaux Arts, or at La Maison Symphonique, which she still attends, Lacroix dons a nice slacks suit and cape. Because of arthritis, she says she avoids heels (“I wish I still could!”), and says that pants look better than skirts and dresses with the sensible footwear. Rarely does any event she attend require greater formality than a pantsuit.

Lacroix acknowledges that many Montrealers still live glamorous lives but there is a certain formality that is gone. For instance, people here once danced and dined at the piano bar, which has been uprooted by loud, casual restaurants. New York women, like the ones Cohen photographs, are the rare few who can still enjoy that element of life.

“We hope elegance lasts,” she says, noting how daughters used to copy her mothers’ fashions and now it’s the daughters who tell the mommies what to wear. Today, Lacroix also tries to mix and match like young women do. She’ll toss together a blazer, a pair of pants with Hermès jewels and scarves she collected on exotic trips with her husband. “I think it’s so much fun,” she says of the approach, even though she grew up wearing matching skirt suits, and regards formal style with nostalgia. But however casual Lacroix deems herself to be, her style, her jewels, and her radiant complexion (she swears by Lancôme beauty products) tells of her glamorous past.

Facts of life

Living to a certain age, where arthritis becomes a problem for the feet, and buttons become a challenge for the hands, there are certain wardrobe tricks many seniors turn to. Namely, elastic waistband pants, slipover tops, shirts with Velcro, long sleeves and mock turtlenecks. Clothes tend to be less clingy, too. But true advanced-style women, such as the ones selected by Cohen, tend to gravitate toward fine fabrics regardless of physical constraints. They’re also masters at making a stylish impact with bold palettes and accessories.

Cohen’s Valerie (part of the Jean and Valerie fashion duo) may wear head-to-toe leopard print; Mary says “sunglasses are better than a facelift”; Joyce wears gold chandelier earrings and carries Chanel bags; and elegant 80-year-old former dancer Jacquie Tajah Murdoch wears a long black dress, an oversized hat and boasts sharp red painted nails. But in general, there is a formula, Cohen says. “They love accessories and tend to be very good with colour, which helps them feel ‘less invisible,’ ” he says. But their biggest trick, he says, is knowing what they are comfortable wearing.

The hats, the gloves, the confidence, the glamour – there are many reasons why Cohen’s muses and senior style in general seem to be impressing upon younger generations. And while senior fashion fever may not have picked up much beyond Vogue’s annual Age Issue just yet, trendsetters sure seem to be paying attention.

To get a taste of Cohen’s Advanced Style documentary: visit youtube.com and enter the keywords: advanced style film trailer.

Canadiana Craze

Across Canada, many Bay department stores have been outfitted with sections inspired by the striped red, green, gold and dark indigo point blanket. Cashmere robes, cosy knit pillows and giant bins filled with popcorn kernels remind us that, then and now, Canada is about keeping warm.

“Basically, if you think about it, that blanket is to us what the saddle is to Hermès. It’s an iconic piece of our company, and of Canada,” said Suzanne Timmins, fashion director at HBC.

The Bay has attempted similar strategies in the past, but the latest efforts, which also include prints made from historic company archive letters and different blanket colour schemes, have been much more organized, Timmins said.

An old-time Canadiana esthetic happens to be a very popular look nowadays, at home and overseas, which has likely helped The Bay’s branding efforts surge over the last two years.

The famously cool boutique Colette in Paris now carries The Bay’s striped pieces, including a flask and a snowman kit. And Pippa Middleton was spotted strutting to work in London wearing a much-discussed red and black hunting shirt with black pumps, revealing that the heritage look has international legs.

Adding substance to our style was recent news that Canada was declared No. 1 on the Country Brand Index, for the second year in a row, in a study by international consulting group FutureBrand.

Our image of openness, diversity and warmth has made us the most trustworthy nation, brand-wise, in the world, it says.

“We never try to overdo and over-commercialize, but this came right at us,” said Roots owner Michael Budman of the heritage trend, which fits perfectly with the company’s long established strengths. Founded in 1973 by Budman and his friend Don Green after spending many summers at camp in Algonquin Park, Roots has made beaver-stamped sweatshirts part of our national consciousness.

Like The Bay, Roots is riding a trend that it helped kick-start in some way, interweaving stylized nostalgia goodies like soy candles in maple syrup tins and wooden peg games into its inventory of woolly knits and sturdy leathers. But Budman insists its not all fad. “We are totally against disposable fashion,” he said.

The Canadiana craze has actually been building for some time now, notes Andrew Potter, the Citizen’s managing editor and internationally bestselling co-author of the book The Rebel Sell (Harper, $19.95). Potter’s most recent book, The Authenticity Hoax (McClelland & Stewart, $32.99), deals with aligning today’s earthy, 100-mile diet, yoga bending movement with the status-seeking hippie movements that came before it.

He believes Canadiana shoppers are distinct from most organic-only and localista buyers, even though the posh plaid flannels might overlap on occasion. “Canadians have an identification with shared consumerism,” he noted, much like our national obsession with hockey or Tim Hortons. Potter recalled an example in Douglas Coupland’s 2002 nostalgic picture book Souvenir of Canada (Douglas & Mcintyre, $29.95) in which Coupland remembers reading “Captaine Crounche” on a cereal box in Vancouver. The French made him feel connected to “parallel universe country” Quebec.

“It’s patriotism as brand loyalty,” Potter said. “Like cheering for a sport’s team.”

Also building on Canada’s brand, stores like Red Canoe in Toronto opened in 2002, selling RCAF heritage jackets and CBC Radio bags. In 2004, heritage men’s line Wings + Horn was introduced in Vancouver. When The Bay CEO Bonnie Brooks decided to promote the company’s famous point blanket in 2009, she sent the movement fashion forward by seeking top-tier Canadian designers, like Mariouche Gagné of Harricana, Jeremy Laing and Smythe, to redesign the iconic red, black, yellow and green striped warmer.

The fact that many of The Bay’s heritage pieces are not made in Canada does not seem to ruffle Canadian feathers. Nor does the fact that Hudson’s Bay Company is now owned by American Richard Baker.

“What’s ultimately being consumed is the symbolism. As long as there are no sweatshops involved, it’s nothing (shoppers) will get super-fussed about,” Potter predicts.

Indeed, aside from the Cowichan sweater incident prior to the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, when authentic, First Nations sweaters were knocked off to suit the demands of The Bay’s Olympic Collection, resulting in some serious controversy, Canadian shoppers seem to have sobered up to the idea that many goods that look Canadian might not be come from here at all. Quite the opposite, actually.

“It’s like a signature from Canada,” marvels shopper Constance Lafontaine, while touching a striped woolly blanket on display at the downtown Bay in Montreal. Lafontaine had come to the new company-themed section of the store to buy a gift for her friend in Turkey.

Those blankets were never made in Canada, I point out, but in England since being traded for furs in 1670. “That’s perfect. I prefer U.K. quality over made-in-China quality,” she said smiling, pointing to her Black Havana glasses, also made in England. Lafontaine was toting a Louis Vuitton purse.

The attitude at Roots was much the same. Shoppers were generally unfazed about Canadiana items not being made in Canada, even though the company’s new label features a potentially deceiving Canadian flag and old-time writing. (Items made in Canada and not made in Canada may feature similar looking tags).

Marika Julien, who recently moved to Canada from France, was shopping for hats at Roots with her dad, who was in town for a visit. “I wanted to take him to see this brand because I think it’s beautiful and it’s from Canada,” she said.

“It’s OK,’’ Julien said of the provenance of the hat. “Most items today are made in China, like this hat.’’

Both The Bay and Roots have carefully assembled heritage collections to suit diverse clientele: Those with an eye for quality, those devoted to buying local, and then, of course, budget-conscious shoppers who look at the price tag first and foremost.

Michelle Vrana, a college student from Montreal’s West Island, was shopping for a gift for her father. “He loves sweaters and I love Roots, so I thought, why not?” she said.

That the items are not made in Canada is a bit of a disappointment to Vrana: “But it’s OK, because I’m proud to wear Canadian stuff — as in, when stuff says ‘Canada.’ It’s patriotic and I like it.’’

See-Thru and Sheer, Yet Still Very Proper

A fashion and culture story about how sexy young things are revealing/concealing themselves this summer. *This story appeared in the Montreal Gazette and the Calgary Herald.

I once had a friend meet me for breakfast wearing skyhigh wooden platforms, micro hot pants and a knit bra top. It was her waitressing outfit from the night before. I escorted her back to her apartment, swatting away all the fellas who jumped in front of her. At one point we dived into a cab, but the driver’s eyes were examining her every curve in the rear-view mirror. So we got out.

“I’ve finally gone too far,” she said, fastening my cardigan around her hips. It concealed one cheek of her derrière. I’ve worn jean-shorts that were too short and a dress that hiked up so high I had to yank it down with every step. But her outfit was, indeed, way too much for daytime. Mind you, if I had her knockout figure, there’s no telling what I would have – or wouldn’t have – worn.

Itsy-bitsy streetwear is about as new as the bikini. And with summer in full smoulder, ladies of all ages are once again taking it off. But this season, young darlings are only mildly blush-worthy compared to eras of yore.

Rather, expect to see ladylike conservatism with whiffs of prairie-girl charm on the streets and rooftop terrasses. Think blousy button-ups snapped to the neck, paired with shorts or skirts nipped at the waist.

Funny thing is, many ladies who flaunt their underwear insist the peekaboo look is rather demure.

At a recent party at the Crystal Hotel in honour of the coming Festival Mode & Design, transparent looks were on full display.

“Every time I see a girl in see-through, I think it’s really sexy, ” said Eliane Sauvé, a communications student at Concordia University and a fashion and music blogger. “It’s a way to show femininity without being vulgar.”

Sauvé wore a tight lace bodice to the event, with a very visible black strapless bralette underneath. She also had on smart-looking highwaisted shorts, bold-framed nerdy-girl glasses and flat sandals. The overall effect was sort of sexy, sort of serious.

“In French, there’s an expression: We prefer to suggest than show,” Sauvé said, leaning forward.

“I’m not the type of girl to wear low-cut with cleavage,” she pointed out.

Young women in seethrough clothing often believe it conceals more than it reveals. In fact, Sauvé and her two roommates, who were sporting transparent tops at the party, defined their style as conservative.

“I was told my outfit was (ideal) for a picnic,” said Sara Barrière, one of Sauvé’s roommates. Barrière was wearing a white blouse with a visible pink bra underneath, paired with short shorts. She had been at work all day as an assistant at Chatelaine magazine, she said, explaining why her shirt was slightly less transparent than her roommate’s. But she does think that even moderately sheer tops like hers are inappropriate for most offices, unless it is a fashion-forward environment similar to that of Chatelaine.

There are boundaries that come with nearly naked dressing, after all.

“I think it’s a young look, and you need to have a certain body type,” Barrière said. “I feel like if you don’t have big boobs, you can really make it work.”

She also believes the transparent look needs to be subtle.

“I wouldn’t wear a very flashy bra with it. This one is pink and kind of like skin colour – I wouldn’t wear it with a fuchsia bra,” she said. (Her bra was punch coloured.)

Friend and roommate Cindy Boyce, a photographer, had on a very transparent black chiffon top buttoned to the neck. She paired it with a black bra underneath. “It adds a bit of fun in your look,” she explained.

Boyce wasn’t always so confident with the peekaboo factor, though. When she first put on the outfit, her roommates had to give her a pep talk before leaving the house.

“I’ve had this shirt since (high) school and I used to wear it with a little tank top under it. But now I just wear a bra,” she said, laughing.

What happened? “I think it’s a change of mentality,” Boyce said, adding the bra is difficult to see except when light hits the shirt from the sides.

The three girls said the transparent look is “very à la mode” for summer, with sheer T-shirts, blouses and dresses now available at stores like American Apparel, Zara and H&M.

Would they wear a sheer skirt or dress without a slip underneath? “Maybe at the beach!” they shouted in unison, agreeing that wearing visible panties would be pushing the limit. It would also be counter to their fashion politic.

“I just hate those girls that are not respectful to themselves, like when you can see their G-string. I prefer things that are hidden,” Sauvé said. She noted that in the winter she usually wears a lot of black silky and soft items, which have a similar sensual appeal.

A young girl’s charm is rarely without its ironies, of course, along with ample doses of denial.

In the high-stakes game of young courtship, a lady must distinguish herself, after all. For these girls, it all hinges on not looking too suggestive.

“I think all my guy friends prefer things that are not obvious,” Sauvé said. “Like when you’re speaking to the girl and you just want to look at her décolleté …”

Barrière cut in, agreeing: “She (should be) sexy but not obvious.”

The girls ushered over a fellow to endorse their theory on the male perspective. Angelo Cadet, artist, actor and TV host, was happy to oblige.

“Mystery is desire,” Cadet noted when the girls asked him to comment on the seethrough look. “The poet Jean-Pierre Ferland says that when you whisper words to a woman, she glows. But with women it’s words, and with men it’s form. So when you whisper to us your form, we’re in love.”

His charms appeared to be working, so he continued. “See-through, in my mind, makes my heart beat like a tsunami.”

How does Cadet feel when he sees a woman in a corset and a tight skirt? “Hey, that’s for my room, baby,” he beamed. “When my mother’s away.”

Some parting words of wisdom for the scantily clad: When dressed in less than usual for the summer heat, it’s best to travel in packs and bring your girlfriends along. And for the sake of your own sanity, don’t forget to bring along a cardigan (a long one). It doesn’t take much to attract more rubberneckers than anticipated. The blush of denial is adorable, but shame quickly paralyzes. If you wouldn’t wear your outfit to dinner at the house of your boyfriend or girlfriend’s parents, that’s a good litmus test for whether you might suddenly get uncomfortable wearing such getup on the street.

****BRALETTES

A bralette, you ask? It’s simply a bra without underwires, and is flimsier and more dressedup than a sports bra. To nail the subtle look of transparent dressing, bra lettes are far better options than underwire or push-up bras. Pricier options include those made by Cosabella, which sells them in strapless, bikini and large bandsupport styles in a variety of colours. (There are many at Lola & Emily.) Bralettes can also be found at American Apparel, Urban Outfitters and many other young adult-themed stores for less than $30.

Winter Skin

Experts weigh-in on how to keep your skin fresh in the freezing cold. Hot baths deemed ok, while microdermabrasion gets placed on worst-idea-ever list. *This article originally appeared in the Montreal Gazette.

Here I am at my desk, fearing this keyboard will zap me again. These vicious shocks make my hair stand on end, then collapse over my face like a static-cling blanket. And the worst winter dryness problem is my skin. As I type this, my hands are cracking and my elbows sting with every brush of the armrest.

Fortunately, my face is like an oasis of moisture. I took preventive measures with monthly facials, which seem to have done the trick. The rest of me, however, has quite a ways to go. Beauty in the winter is no simple affair. Like many Montrealers, I’d love to be traipsing around at my best, but I’m not exactly sure how to go about it. As such, I’ve been speaking to experts about the in’s and out’s of winter beauty. Here’s what they had to say.

THE SKIN

“The main reason for what’s called ‘winter itch’ or ‘winter skin’ is lack of humidity,” said Wayne Carey, dermatologist at the Carey Wang Centre for Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery in Westmount Square. “It’s a unique problem in winter climates, where relative humidity decreases as you go farther north.”

Since water in your skin naturally equalizes with the moisture in the air, dehydrated skin is usually just a temporary problem. Take a jaunt down to Florida, Carey points out, and your skin should glow again in almost a day.
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