Dubai Shopping

They say you must try the shopping in Dubai. Not least because of the largest mall in the world, but because of the attractions inside the mall will blow your mind. I'm not much of a stranger to malls, but even the Dubai Mall was daunting. I went there twice, once with Mass and once with my gf, Erin. With both of them, I took home a pair of shoes. Dubai Mall is sectioned off into areas of interest. So, for example, if you are looking for athletic wear, they will have an arm dedicated to various brands (both Western brands and their own local brands) or if you are into the high end fashion, there is a branch (or two) dedicated to the likes of Alexander McQueen, Giuseppe, and Tom Ford. Safe to say that if you're looking, you will find.

I bought this Balenciaga dress at a local boutique for 70% off. In fact, the entire store was 70% off (they were closing down because a Prada was going to take its place). Mass, being the valued shopper he is, loves a good bargain. So we searched high and low trying on every dress in the store in my size - I always complain I don't have enough dresses for weddings etc. This is from the '09 / '10 f/w collection I believe.

We tasted some of the different restaurants while there and to be honest, none of them blew me away. All very decent, but nothing to boast about. The arabic food, of course, was a totally different story.

What I did enjoy and differentiated from say Hong Kong, was that the consumerism wasn't completely in your face. In many Asian countries, i.e. Japan / China, you can turn left or right and there will be something for you to buy. In Dubai (& Abu Dhabi for that matter) the consumerism was segregated to the malls and the specific shopping areas. Basically, you're not forced to buy if you aren't searching for it. Which, I like.

Mass is so used to my elevator antics now.

Balenciaga dress, Zara heels, Chanel bag

Ladies Day

Yesterday was International Women's Day. Now I can't say I was aware of this holiday before my facebook newsfeed at 7am, but any reason to celebrate us ladies is fine with me. Coincidentally, it was also the day where my gf and I decided to meet up Bicester Village for some much needed girl time and shopping. You may or may not know that I LOVE myself a good deal. In fact, I swear by the Outnet. I don't often shop for high street items; I tend to like to save my money for a quality piece. If that quality item comes with a bargain price tag, then we're sold.



You can understand how Bicester Village got me excited. For those of you who haven't been and are planning on going, it is a simple 45 minute train ride from London Marylebone station for about £30 return fare. When you arrive at Bicester North station, a shuttle will whisk you away to the outlet where you can hunt for the bargains. Of course, like many outlets, you have to search and the stuff is likely to be from two seasons prior. However, if you're like me, I know that no matter what the trend is right now, I would look disgusting in pastel yellow so it doesn't matter if its not current. Like the French girls do, always wear what suits you, not the season.

After a long coffee chat, my gf and I walked through all the stores first before buying anything. I think this approach allows you to consciously budget your money and decide what you really want vs what is just a good deal. In the end, I came out two pairs of shoes richer, both dawning gold and black contrasts. I'll show you the second pair soon as I plan on wearing them asap!


Gucci sandals

Next stop, the antiques trade show, thanks to another generous gf who gave me a spare ticket!

Little Tin Soldier for Giants

This is not me…

Photo by Linda Dearie of Little Tin Soldier "Apples and Oranges"



This is Linda from Little Tin Soldier and her ridiculously cute pug, Sophie.  I am a huge fan of Linda’s blog – she uses color marvelously and many of her photos feature the adorable Sophie.  The best part though?  She creates illustrations of her outfits and they are just wonderful to see.  If you don’t read Linda’s blog, you really should stop by.

I think I’ve liked every single outfit Linda has ever posted, but this is one of my favorites for several reasons.  It’s simple in silhouette, but not boring.  It has an orange element.  And it features tonal pairing, which I personally find difficult.

Because I love this outfit, I wanted to try to recreate it with pieces for giants.  I hope the following pieces do the original outfit justice and I think they do. 

The shirt I selected is the Mossimo Applique Tank in Hot Orange from Target.  I like the neckine a lot.  I think it can be worn without a necklace and still look good.  And if you do pair it with a necklace, the applique is the same color as the shirt and won't compete with the necklace.

 

I really like the color of this cardigan and think it will pair nicely with the tank.  And the crew neckline will not compete with the scoop neckline of the tank.  This is the Cherokee 3/4 Sleeve Cardigan in Apple, also from Target.

I chose a wider-cut pants than the slim pants that Linda is wearing because they generally more flattering to wider hips.  I kept the cropped length though because it's just pefect.  These velvet pants are on sale right now at J. Jill and come in sizes small - 3x.

Linda's necklace was handmade by her, and this necklace has been handmade by Etsy seller, Shagpile.  It's made of a combination of new and vintage buttons and can be found here.

 

The flats I chose are the Jessica Simpson "Matini" flat in Iridescent Gold.  I have a couple pairs of Jessican Simpson flats and they are very comfortable.  These are available here, from Zappos.

I am especially enamored of the necklace and shoes I selected, but really like it all.  What about you, Style Nation?  What do you think of this recreation?  (Hee.  Awesome, unintentional rhyming).

Gracey

Shopping for Giants

This is my Valentine's Day gift to you all.  As comprehensive a list of tall/plus sized clothing and big shoes as I could compile.

Tall/Plus Brands

All of these brands carry tall lengths (at least 35”) in plus sizes, but usually only online.

·         Ann Taylor: 35” inseam in sizes up to 18;  but no long tops only pants, some jackets and some dresses

·         Old Navy: 36” inseam to size 20

·         Gap: their Long & Lean, Perfect Boot, Sexy Boot and Curvy pant styles are the longest at 37” in sizes up to 16

·         Banana Republic: pant inseams of 36” and denim inseams of 37” in sizes up to 16

·         J. Jill: 35” inseam in sizes up to 20

·         Eddie Bauer: 35” inseam in sizes up to 20

·         J. Crew: 36” inseam in sizes up to 16; very small selection

·         New York and Company: 35” inseam, up to size 18

·         American Eagle Outfitters: Long = 35” and XL = 36”, both up to size 18

·         Lucky Jeans: 36” inseam, up to size 16; they have a handy “Hard to Find Lengths” section on their site.

·         Lands End: up to 36” unhemmed/uncuffed, up to size 18

Tall/Plus Websites

All of these websites carry tall lengths in plus sizes from a variety of brands.

·         Alloy: 37” inseam, up to size 25; as the juniors sizing indicates, this site carries younger, trendier clothes

·         Metrostyle: 35” inseam (varies by style though), up to size 20

·         Tall Couture: up to 39” inseams (varies by brand/style), up to size 18 (varies by brand)

·         Long Tall Sally: this British site carries inseams from 34” – 39” up to size 20

·         Top Shop: 35” inseam, up to size 16; even if the pants aren’t long enough, visit for the cute tops and dresses

·         Simply Tall: they carry inseams up to 40” (even their leggings have a 39” inseam) and they carry up to size 24 ; and some of the items are fairly stylish

·         Long Elegant Legs: 36” inseams up to at least size 18 (more sizes in some styles);  it’s fairly pedestrian you can find good work basics

·         Roamans: inseams at least 35” up to size 32; again, pretty pedestrian but you can find some good basics

·         Dorothy Perkins: this British site carries cute, trendy clothes up to size 22 (inseams = 36”)

·         The Buckle: denim with an inseam up to 37” and up to size 16

Shoes (Brands and Sites)

·         Nine West: up to size 12  

·         Barefoot Tess: this site carries sizes 9 – 15

·         Tall Couture: sizes 10-15

·         J. Crew: they offer a small selection of their shoes up to size 12

·         Piperlime: sizes up to 13

·         Nordstrom: sizes up to 14

·         Zappos: sizes up to 15 (?)

·         Payless: sizes up to 13

·         6pm: sizes up to 12

·         Endless: sizes up to 16

Two other sites I’d recommend are Ruche (up to size 18) and Spotted Moth (up to size 20) – neither carries tall sizes, but they both carry a small selection of unique plus sized clothing that you won’t find on any of these other sites.

Does anyone else have any sites or brands they'd like to suggest?  I'm sure I missed some.

Happy Shopping!

Gracey

Here we go!

SHOP the italianese is up and running!



As an opening bonus, I will be adding an additional selection of menswear from Mass' closet within the following day or so. I am excited for your feedback.

THANK YOU for your support.

Kendi Everyday for Giants

This is not me:



Photograph by Bryan Skeen.

 This is Kendi, from Kendi Everyday.  Isn't she lovely?  Do you read her blog?  If you don't, you should.  She's not just lovely, she's witty and fun to read, as well.  Check it out, I think you might like it.

Kendi (and the above outfit) are part of the inaugural post in a series I like to call "(Insert Blog Here) for Giants."  The idea is to take an outfit from a non-giant blogger and provide my readers with the pieces to recreate it in tall and plus sizes.  What do you think?  Sound like something you might be interested in?  Well, I hope so, because here we go:

  

 The Breakdown:

• Tall v-neck cardigan (up to 20) - Old Navy (find it here)
• Blue peasant blouse (sizes 14 - 18) - Ruche (here)
• Tall trouser jeans (up to 20) - Old Navy (here)
• Steve Madden "Intyce" boots - Piperlime (here)

The boots pictured are Kendi's exact boots, and you can find her self-same necklace here.  Again, I went with a feeling, not an exact duplicate outfit.  I love the blue of this blouse, and paired it with slightly lighter jeans and a lighter brown cardigan, all of which I think are perfect for spring.  (If you wanted to go the polka dot route, like I did yesterday, you can find a lovely, ruffly navy polka dot blouse here).

But, enough about me.  What about you?  What do you think?  Do you like the idea of these posts?  Do you like what I picked?

Gracey

LUCY IN DISGUISE

LUCY IN DISGUISE vintage jacket, ASOS trousers, UNIQLO belt, QUEENS WARDROBE blouse, MIU MIU shoes and purse, STREET VENDOR from Sardinia silver cuff

Everyone knows Lily Allen as a singer/face of Chanel/Karl Lagerfield's muse, but she demonstrated her fashion/shopping sense in her new vintage boutique in London last weekend. LUCY IN DISGUISE is the brainchild of Lily and her half-sister Sarah, where you can buy or rent designer vintage that they have either searched endlessly or hoarded over. They even have a blow-dry bar downstairs and a seating area for men with ps3 and vintage Playboys (which are surprisingly very tasteful; it was the first time I was actually trying to find naked women in a magazine).

We stopped by there opening day and picked up the jacket above. The actual designer is S.Howard Hirsch whom we believe to be an interior designer turned fashion designer from the 60's. It was love at first sight. The material is quite thick and velvety and surprisingly warm, which comes in handy for the brand-spanking new 13 degree weather that's been sporting about London these past few days.

24 hours in Soho

GUCCI trousers, QUEENS WARDROBE blouse, BALMAIN (knockoff I think) blazer, BCBG ponyhair wedges, MULBERRY bag, KENNETH JAY LANE ring, NECKLACE from Sardinia street vendor

A couple Saturdays ago, we stayed in Soho literally from lunch til the wee hours. There's something to be said about having a huge city to venture and explore in yet we stay in the confines of a few streets for over 10 hours. At least it gave me a chance to wear my new Gucci trousers that I picked up in Sicily from one of the Parisi stores. The Parisi family practically owns Taormina including its access to designer goods. Thankfully I spent just enough time searching in their outlet to find these bad boys from s/s 2010. I love how reminiscent the flare is of my high school days.

red, white and blue?

LISA: FENTON JEWELRY by DANA LORENZ necklace, AA jumpsuit dress, BCBG belt, TOPSHOP shoes, RAYBAN sunnies, SHANGHAI purse (seen here)

MASS: NICO DI DONNA shirt/pants, LARDINI loafers, MARC JACOB sunnies

In celebratory spirit of the 4th I wore my blue and white with a dash of red ensemble. Ok, reality is, I never once factored in the 4th as a theme for my Sunday attire but happy coincidence right? This Sunday we covered all our main food groups: Chinese and Italian. Dim Sum at Princess Garden with fellow Canadians, and pizza/pasta at Portobello (seriously one of the best restos in ldn for pizza, near portobello market aka notting hill). In between was spent eating gelato at Cocorino and smoking cigars. Guess we really were in American spirit with all that eating :)

Just a tidbit about the necklace: on the day the previous post was shot, I was carrying a bottle of wine to a BBQ and it promptly ripped through the bottom of the gift bag and broke on the sidewalk of Oxford Street splattering my legs/feet with red wine. I stupidly tried to move the glass (because there were children around) and ended up getting a deep gash in my middle finger. Mass came running to my rescue alongside the entire first aid section of Boots. Soon after the mini-crisis we were buying a present for a friend's birthday at Liberty. In the sale section we found that amazing Fenton necklace (again, 75% off!). Made with gold and VERY heavy, it was the perfect statement piece to add to a nautical dress. I've worn in twice in the last 3 days. Not at all what I was expecting to do that day, but fabulous nonetheless.

The Art of the Basic

LISA: THE ART OF THE BASIC silk dress from Paris, VINTAGE YSL belt from Paris, MARC JACOB sunnies, DVF wedges, MULBERRY clutch borrowed from Mass, CLUB MONACO gold necklace, KENNETH JAY LANE snake ring

MASS: NICO DI DONNA shirt/pants/belt, LARDINI shoes, GIORGIO ARMANI sunnies, UNITED COLORS OF BENNETTON blazer

I picked up the dress and belt from Paris. The dress shop was this independent shop specializing in silk pieces in their most basic forms. Couldn't go wrong with 75% off. I went to meet one of my good friends to go to Christian Constant's restaurant by the Ecole Militare station. This area was familiar because we stayed there for the week in February. I was early so I wandered around trying to find the amazing food stalls and farmers market we frequented daily last time. I soon became distracted with this small and crammed consignment boutique of Chanels and other various designers.

After trying on at least a dozen belts, I settled on the above piece, simple yet classic. I only wish I had more time in there (they were closing in 10 minutes from the moment I started browsing) and wondered how I could've lived up the road for a week without ever realizing it's location. The store seems cheaper too than most consignment shops in Le Marais, most probably because of its southern location beyond the river. Definitely found themselves a return customer.

Mass and I unintentionally matched that day. However not close to as cute as the Japanese tourists I shot below in Paris.

Oh and in other news: you can now access the italianese simply by writing www.theitalianese.com!

EDIT: Mass started his own cigar blog (he has a slight obsession), check it out! http://www.cigarando.com/

PARIS: première partie

ph. by Janet
H&M skirt and blouse, TODS flats, MIU MIU purse, RAYBAN sunnies, KENNETH JAY LANE snake ring, BANANA REPUBLIC purple ring, SHANGHAI lion ring, MARC BY MARC JACOBS leather bracelet, CARTIER watch, GREEK INDEPENDENT DESIGNER necklace gifted from mass from athens

J'absolutely-adore Paris. I'd like to think of it as my 4th home (after Toronto, London, HK). Over my years of residency in London, I've made it there at least once a year. Everytime I go back I fall in love all over again. Maybe it's the language, maybe it's the incredible architecture or culture, maybe it's the butter (I think this could be it), but in the end...I love it more than the first time.

No exception to the rule, I took this trip with one of my gfs for relaxation, cuisine and on every girl's Parisian trip, shopping. And indeed we did. Over the next few posts you'll see some of the items (new and old). One thing we lack in London are fabulous consignment stores. We literally stumbled on dozens of great stores - not just thrift stores - but second hand vintage Chanel pieces that were simply to die for. I was able to purchase a small but fantastic piece - will show you soon!

Above pics are from my favourite area (both to shop and to stay) in Paris - Le Marais. I prefer the northern part because of their independent stores but I soon discovered the delectable bistros/cafes in the southern area thanks to my Parisian veteran friend. It was disgustingly hot in the city which is why my hair was swiftly thrown up each and every day. And can you believe that skirt I found at H&M for £10?

Have a great start to the week and hope everyone in TO is safe and sound from the earthquake and the summit.

Bisous xx