Hello Ladies & Gents!

This past weekend, Ottawa held another successful Fashion Week (FW/12 edition), and the miss SLY! team was there in full effect to report the action.

miss SLY! Ottawa Fashion correspondents Erin and Julie covered the action in tandem – Runway and backstage moments, with our dedicated photographer Lee, to capture it all in pictures.

And based on the images seen so far, Ottawa had a lot of Fashion to offer, thanks to Designers and enthusiasts that came from all around Canada to celebrate Fashion and show off their take on style.

Not so long ago, mentioning Ottawa and Fashion in the same sentence would have caused nervous laughs, blank stares and multiple head-shakes in disbelief, because let’s face it, Ottawa’s fashion or rather the lack thereof was beyond questionable *shivers*.

But how have things changed ever since, and judging from these pictures, one would agree that O’Town can no longer be Canada’s laughing stock when it comes to Fashion & Style (at least not nearly as much as before) in fact, Canada’s National Capital is fast becoming a serious contender on the matter and we couldn’t be happier. 

This is merely a glimpse of what we’ve got in stores ladies & gents, so prepare yourself for more.

Oh, and before we go, here’s more Ottawa Fashion straight from our Twitter feeds, just to keep you waiting. Shoegasm anyone?

Celebrities Cameo: Rihanna, posing with Kate Moss and Stella McCartney in London (UK) did not attend OFW, but the shot just fitted oh so perfectly in there.

Back to editing, we’ve got Fashion highlights and Bloggers spotlights from Montreal and Ottawa coming right up.

xoxo

@missSLY

It’s finally here. We are kicking off our 2012 Fashion debates series with a topic perfectly fitted to the current Fashion weeks season.

Fashion Bloggers Overload: positive or negative for the industry?

To open the debate, we have selected a group of fashion enthusiasts from across the globe ( South Africa, Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto) that includes bloggers, editors, stylists and makeup artists.

So let’s get started.

Last February 8, the well known Independent Fashion Bloggers network (@_IFB) hosted its sought after IFB Conference in New York, attracting hundred of Bloggers and fashion enthusiasts from around the world, who all came to learn, network and connect with other industry influencers, including DKNY PR Girl, Bryan Boy, Street Etiquette and more. It was a full house, bloggers galore!

And last Sunday February 12, the BlogLovin Awards ( @BlogLovin) an annual event which recognizes online fashion blogging talent from across the globe, gathered just as many bloggers, including Man Repeller’s Leandra Medine who score the blogger of the year Award for 2012.

Add Fashion weeks into the mix, and you have the perfect cocktail for a bloggers overload, which demonstrate the rise of these players to the forefront (and front-rows) of Fashion.

To quote past Fashion[Unfold] participants “Bloggers are the new celebrities”, every one and every brand wants a piece of them, understandably.

With so many bloggers entering the scene, are we heading to a point of saturation, where the blogging quality will suffer? Could this blogging excess become counterproductive to the Fashion Industry, or is it just a new way to consume our Fashion?

And what about you?

• What type of Fashion Blogger do you read regularly and why?
• Do you think Bloggers are saturating the Fashion Industry?
• Where do you see the Blogging phenomenon in few years from now?

See what our panelists have to say, and join us to share your views LIVE on Twitter, for a heated and uncensored conversation via @FashionUnfold under the hashtag #FashionUnfold.

Sarah Monaco, Montreal Fashion Blogger from “I Bleed Fashion” http://www.ibleedfashion.com 

As someone who needs many sources of inspiration, I follow fashion blogs such as “The Blonde Salad” by Chiara Ferragni, “Style Scrapbook” by Andy Torres, “Chic Heroin” by Elizabeth Clark just to name a few.

What attracts me to these specific blogs is their balance between personal style and fashion event coverage – a balance that I try to achieve on my own blog! To me, these blogs are inspiration for what I wish my blog to look like and reflect a similar fashion sense that I have.

I believe blogging about fashion has become “trendy” in recent years. New fashion blogs are exploding onto the Internet everyday, but I doubt this will lead to an oversaturation.

Blogging requires endurance – it takes years to reach an even minimal amount of fame and an extraordinary amount of hard work. Instead, I believe bloggers are finally getting recognition, while making high fashion more available and perhaps even more “commercialized”.

In the future, I see opportunities for blogging remaining the same (collaborations with designers, directors, etc), and while the types of opportunities won’t change, the number of them I believe will surely expand.

Tanki Em, Fashion Editor & Fashion Week columnist at http://cptstreetmag.com/

I don’t see bloggers as new celebrities but rather as the current & next generation of free spirited media. Fashion bloggers should be the next level of fashion writing in its raw form, but in my opinion, this is not the case yet.

I do not read much fashion blogs because most of them are image driven, perhaps we should start calling them fashion picture blogs, however I do spend a lot of time on ifashion.co.za as it offers industry news and fashion updates.

Internationally I read Style.com, additionally I have a Twitter list of “fashion” blogs and if something catches my attention, I read and share it within my network.

Many blogs are starting to look alike, covering the same trending topics, which makes me wonder where the originality of blogging has gone. Bloggers have the potential to contribute to the growth of the industry; and I do wish they would realize and focus on that, rather then the attention they pay to the more materialistic side of blogging.

Few years from now, it’d be great to see bloggers outgrowing the pictures trend, and developing a more in depth coverage of Fashion, to complement their blogging style and develop more personalized trends.

Rebecca Leung, Engineering Manager by day & Serial fashion entrepreneur by night at http://canadian-fashion.ca/

I rarely read blogs anymore, at least in the sense of consuming written content.  (I say this as a former blogger and someone who enjoyed blogging, both in a group and solo.)

The only blog I read regularly is The Sartorialist, which has good content, careful curation of pictures so I don’t feel like I am going through a lot of dud articles to get to a great one.

One of the main problems I see with blogging is that bloggers tend to be young.  I’m not a fashion ingénue; I’m a working woman so I would have different interests and concerns. Solo blogs also have the problem of slow content renewal and limited resources to truly explore an issue.

In terms of oversaturation, yes, there are a lot of fashion blogs out there but I think the number of blogs is irrelevant because the most sincere and consistent blogs with original content will always capture people’s attention and float to the top of the blog world.

It also seems to me that blogging actually reinforces the influence of the greater fashion industry.  Blogging reaffirms the visual status quo. The most popular bloggers are slim, young and beautiful enough to be easily plucked from their suburban home into a fashion shoot.

Blogging is a tool and like all tools, it can either be used poorly or well. A handful of good blogs with original, consistent, well thought out content will naturally be widely read and will have the power to push products and clothing.  In general, I think the greater blogging community will become commodified as one of the many marketing tools available but I don’t believe it will reach an audience as wide as the traditional fashion mediums.

Elissa, Creator of The Look - http://thelook-trends.tumblr.com/

In my opinion bloggers have a positive impact and have transformed the fashion industry.  Through this modern form of journalism and new age marketing medium, bloggers have increased designers consumer base.

Now more than ever, people turn to popular blogs for fashion and style inspiration, as well as Fashion designers, who are aware of this efficient and effective way to reach a wider audience and increase their consumer base.

Bloggers are playing an active role in the ever-changing fashion industry, providing their readers with tools to express their own individuality by interpreting the latest runway trends and adapt them to their personal style.

This is a new age and a new form of journalism, where bloggers have a positive and influential impact on the fashion industry.  We are The Look of fashion and we are here to stay.

Stephanie Menard, Personal Stylist and Certified Makeup Artist - http://missfanny07.tumblr.com/

I absolutely love reading blogs. The ones I follow the most are beauty and fashion blogs. I use them as important tools everyday.

I love reading different point of views from people around the globe on various topics. On the other end, having easy access to so many blogs also diminish the reliability of the tool itself.

If we can continue to accurately identify the work of different people and their talent in the fashion industry, we could all benefit from the blogging mania we are experimenting at the moment.

Hence, I try to follow some from reputed people in the industry, whether they are local or international, and base myself on many recommendations my pears in the fashion and beauty industry suggest.

Social Media as Twitter also allows us to discover lesser known people worthy of a follow.

I believe that blogging phenomenon is definitely here to stay; it allows different people to reach their goals out of passion, dedication and hard work, and reach a bigger audience.

Join us for a heated & uncensored Fashion Debate

Live on Twitter via @FashionUnfold

#FashionUnfold

If there was an illustration to feature today, it ought to be this one of Whitney Houston by Fashion Illustrator Hayden Williams, aptly titled Queen Of The Night.

From top trending topics on social medias, to tributes populating the cyberspace tonight, the outpouring love is undeniable. Clearly, Whitney Houston was still The Queen for many, and to us, she always was and always will be.

Two years ago on the very same February 11th, Alexander McQueen left us, and today we bid our adieus to a Legend, a gifted and extremely talented woman whose music we have been very lucky to listen and enjoy, for decades.

Our thoughts go out to her family and Friends…

She will be missed.

@missSLY

A Model walking down the runway, during Martin Lim Fall/Winter 2012 presentation.

By far one of the strongest collections presented during this 22nd edition of the Montreal Fashion Week. Elegant and always effortlessly sophisticated.

The 4 days event brought new names to the forefront of Montreal’ fashion scene, plenty Fashion enthusiasts showcasing their personal style and of course, tons of Bloggers who came in to weigh on the fashion.

All of it captured in photos, videos and quotes that we will cook over the weekend here at miss SLY! and serve you fresh in the coming days.

Until then, Happy Friday to all and enjoy the weekend!

xoxo

@missSLY!

The 22nd edition of the Montreal Fashion Week kicks off today, at the Marche Bonsecours. Four days of fashion made in Montreal will parade down the runways, showcasing what Designers have in stores for the upcoming Fall/Winter 2012 season.

Fashion week tradition obliges, professionals and enthusiasts will attend in numbers, to support local talents and show off their personal interpretation of style by the same occasion.  From top trends on the runways to street styles from stylish attendees, there will be plenty Fashion to report back in days and weeks to come.

And if you are unable to attend the shows in person, you can still follow the action live on Twitter under the official hashtags: #MFW22 & #SMM22. Plus, you can also watch the livestream starting 6pm, every night on MFW Official WebTV.

Once again, miss SLY! will be on the scene to capture the essence of this 22nd MFW edition, and because covering fashion shows can become somewhat redundant unless you put a spin to it (top shows, top trends, memorable streets style etc…), we felt the importance to explore a new coverage angle during this Fashion Week.

Call it the Montreal Bloggers Week!

As miss SLY! focuses on Bloggers attending the shows, uncovering their personal style, driving force, coup de coeur and much more.

Any idea who will be featured on miss SLY! Montreal Bloggers Week? Here’s a hint and stay tuned for more. But for now, start following our live updates on Twitter via @missLY along with our newly assigned Fashion correspondent @foodH20fashion .

For full schedule and more info, visit montrealfashionweek.ca

xoxo and see you at the shows!

Fashion[Unfold] closed 2011 with a bang (literally).

From famous Fashion Blogger Bryan Boy to one of Fashion’s most popular brands on Twitter DNKY PR Girl, our final debate – Bloggers Represented vs. Agents-Free, was definitely one to attend.

And we are excited to announce the Official 2012 kickoff of the live and heated discussion, back on Twitter Wednesday February 15 @ 1PM (est).

Once again, Fashion[Unfold] will bring enthusiasts and professionals together for a passionate, informative and engaging hour of fashion and networking on Twitter, under the #FashionUnfold hashtag.

YOU are invited to join us for the live Twitter event, to share your two cents on the selected topic. Whether you are a Blogger, Journalist, Designer, PR practitioner, Student (just to name a few), we welcome you to share your uncensored point of view LIVE with us on WED.FEB.15. @ 1pm (est).

1. Save the date: Wednesday.Feb.15 @1pm (est)
2. Follow@FashionUnfold on Twitter
3. Tweet your opinion under #FashionUnfold
4. Network with fashion enthusiasts worldwide
5. Have fun with it and come back for more

The Countdown is on: 15 Days To Go (at posting time)

Tweet you all there!

@FashionUnfold

The power of social medias never cease to amaze. Especially on Twitter, where one tweet can lead you to so many interesting things in a matter of second.

From beautiful photos, fun blog spots to heated conversation, Twitter can be a fun leisure. And in today’s case, we stumbled on this stunning and colorful Illustration by Moie Preisenberger.

Great Fashion is timeless. For this piece, Moie featured a look by Basso & Brooke, London based Fashion Designers & Digital Textile Print Pioneers, from their Spring/Summer 2009 Collection.

Prints and exotic influences are so in Vogue right now, we wouldn’t mind revisiting Fashion archives circa 2009, and we have Moie to thank for that.

Moie Preisenberger is a Fashion Illustrator from Brisbane (Australia), whom we have the pleasure to discover on Facebook, and now following her work on Twitter.

Moie’s Illustrations have this je-ne-sais-quoi we easily fall for, remember the Sexy Cyborg Femme?

You can follow Moie on Twitter via @eskimoie

xoxo

@missSLY

Last November, miss SLY! got introduced to Mèreadesso Woman, a Toronto high end skincare line of products that combine simplicity, ease, and effectiveness.

Following our introduction and beauty review of Mèreadesso Woman newly launched Lip Treats, we hosted a successful giveaway. Lip Treats winners called it the perfect primer that keeps your lip color in place, all while smoothing your lips.

So in our continued effort to support local business and promote talents in Fashion, Beauty and Arts, we chatted with Mèreadesso Woman founder Linda Stephenson.

Linda revealed us more about her skincare line and the magic behind it all, plus she even brought an extra treat for miss SLY! readers, right on time for Valentine’s.  

miss SLY! : Who is Linda Stephenson?

Linda Stephenson: I am a botanist, chemist, mother, wife and as a product developer, dedicated to effective simplified skincare.

mS! : Mèreadesso Woman, what’s in the name?

L.S: It is a combination of “mère” for mother in French (as a nod to having no extra time when I became a mom) plus “adesso” which means “now” in Italian.  So literally: Mother-Now-Woman.  I also thought the name sounded elegant…

mS! : Your skincare line promises a simplified and efficient beauty process, why aren’t more lines adopting this approach?

L.S: Well, in defense of all the great companies in the industry, 40 years ago you could not combine certain ingredients – you didn’t have the grade of raw materials or the processing equipment to hold the formula together – so you had to “layer” some of the beneficial ingredients.

Now technology has come along so far that you can now have stable products that have all together.  However you have had women that have been “trained” for 40 years that you need “6 steps to beauty”.  And let’s face it, you have retailers that are quite happy to sell 6 products instead of 1.

mS! : Seems like you found the winning formula, so what has been consumers response to Mèreadesso Woman so far? 

L.S: You know, I thought the response would be good – because I believe in this line so much – but the response has been phenomenal!

I especially love when customers are so skeptical that it is possible – and when they see how well and quickly the products work, they are actually blown away and I love that level of surprise!

mS! : With such a different approach to skincare industry standards, how does Mèreadesso Woman stay competitive? 

L.S: Well, I think that simple and elegant is timeless – like that perfect little black dress that never goes out of style.

And just because it is a minimalist line does not mean that I won’t continue to develop innovative, efficacious products that give back time to our busy lives.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this interview, where Linda talks about what it takes to succeed in the Beauty industry and dishes on the influence of bloggers and social media.

And talking about Bloggers’s growing influence, as we did in a past Fashion[Unfold], we are happy that Linda chose to partner with miss SLY! for her first-time Blog Offer Special, and YOU get the treat.

A 20% off shopping code to spoil yourself and/or loved ones, right on time for Valentine’s Day. Simply use the Code: missSLY20 on http://shop1.mereadesso.com/ and shop up until February 14 2012! (for US & Canada only)

Thank us later and stay tuned for Part. 2.

Happy Friday!

@missSLY

Accompanying the online launch of the Karl by Karl Lagerfeld Collection which debuted today, Net-a-Porter produced an exclusive face to face interview featuring Karl interviewing… well, Karl himself.

Matter-of-factly sharp, brilliant and insightful, the witty exchange was very Karl.

This was the first time the iconic designer interviewed himself on camera, let’s hope it won’t be his last, as he claimed.

“There is no secret to success, the secret is work, get your act together. And also perhaps a decent life: Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t take drugs, all that helps.”

“It is up to you to work and make every day as perfect as possible. It’s a question of will and discipline.”

“I like to be surrounded by girls who are inspiring. It’s their attitude, their spirit, their approach to life that makes them muses, but they don’t have to be fashion freaks, I am not too crazy about them.” – On the word Muse.

If you needed a good kick to get you going today, or to keep you on the right track, Karl’s words of wisdom will certainly do the trick, as they did for us.  Enjoy the full video below.

A Fashion Illustration by Hayden Williams.