Second Time's A Charm

The Chloë Sevigny for Opening Ceremony Fall 2009 Collection is Sevigny’s second collection with the boutique and her first foray into menswear. During London Fashion Week, Sevigny unveiled her line which was a “slight homage” to one of her favourite designers, Miguel Adrover. The collection highlights included “skinny moleskin trousers, Fair Isle, tiger and leopard-patterned knits, little tweed blazers, dyed thermals and oversize jackets that fall past the hip.” Lots of bold print, voluminous silhouettes, high waists, and even a modern-day James Dean-esque red jacket. The line is a unisex venture, made for guys but scaled down to fit girls. Chloë's own effortlessly cool and idiosyncratic style is one that I have admired for as long as I can remember.


The leopard speckled cardigans, high waisted leather shorts, thick strap and buckle wedges. I need it all.

Photos by James Mountford

Shine Your Light Now

Another year and a wealth of brilliant movies and performances to celebrate. I really wasn't sure what to think when I heard that Hugh Jackman would be hosting the show. But I have to say, within seconds of his opening performance, I realized that it didn't matter what else happened from that point on, because Jackman's opening was that good. He saved the Oscars. I had no idea that he was so talented and hilarious. For her part, Anne Hathaway was also delightful.

Many of my favourite performances were recognized last night: underdog Slumdog Millionaire (which I thought was just fantastic), Penelope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (which as you all know is one of my favourite films of the year), Sean Penn for Milk (which Keira and I saw on Saturday and both agreed was absolutely brilliant- Penn is truly a genius) and of course, the absolutely darling Kate Winslet for her role in The Reader. I found myself bawling through more of the show than I care to admit. I also quite liked the format of the show this year. It had a more intimate feeling with the nominees all being seated in the front and I thought it was really special (and coincidentally, more emotional) the way that they mentioned each nominee individually and spoke about their performance.

One other note, while we're on the topic of the films: I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button yesterday and I absolutely loved it. I really didn't expect to, but I was thoroughly entertained by this film from start to finish. Its bittersweet reverse angle on the aging process is inescapably moving. Performances by Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Taraji P. Henson were beautifully honest.

So besides the films, the other reason to watch the awards is, of course, for the fashion.

Here's a quick rundown of my favourite looks of the night:



Kate Winslet in Atelier Yves Saint Laurent by Stefano Pilati. Her gown was grey degrade satin and embroidered black silk tulle. This lady is all class. I couldn't take my eyes off her. I've been a huge fan since she played Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility in 1995. She is truly a brilliant actress and after several nominations over the years, I was pleased as punch to see her finally take a statue home.



Halle Berry in a strapless black and gold tulle Marchesa gown. Halle always seems to get it just right. She never looks like she's trying too hard, she always looks absolutely stunning. Last night was no exception.


Angelina Jolie in an Elie Saab gown, Lorraine Schwartz jewelry, Ferragamo shoes and a Lana Marks bag. Although I consider myself to be a member of Team Aniston, I have to admit that Angie looked beautiful last night. Her gown is elegant and I am in love with her emerald jewels.


Jennifer Aniston in a silver Valentino gown. I thought it was refreshing to see Jen in something other than black. Her silver gown was flattering and gorgeous. Perhaps I'm biased because I often wear my hair the same way that she did (hat tip to JR), but I think it looks adorable. I like that she's taking a risk- while I always think she looks great, Jen often looks the same to me. I give her points for trying something different this year.


Marion Cotillard looked exquisite in Haute Couture Dior and Chopard jewels. Although sequins and tulle can be frightening together, somehow she made this work to perfection. Maybe it's because she's French.


Who were your red carpet favourites? Total misses? What are your thoughts on the show? The winners?

Photos courtesy of Celebuzz

Oh, Thunder In My Heart

Life has been a little crazy over the last couple weeks. I realized this morning that I hadn't even posted an entry about the Lykke Li concert, which was back on February 11th. On that Wednesday night my lovely date Angela and I made our way to The Commodore Ballroom (she walked, I limped). We were two giddy girls, so excited to see this woman perform live. After we checked out coats, it was drink time. Since the highballs that we'd planned on drinking cost upwards of a zillion dollars each, we decided to switch to cheap draft beer- which did us just fine.


While we were waiting for Lykke to take the stage (and talking through the opening band, which we weren't fond of), we met up with my friend Leah. Leah's always entertaining and definitely kept us laughing right up until the show started.

Then Lykke appeared on stage. Shrouded in loose, filmy black with a cowbell in hand for the melodic opener Dance Dance Dance – which she can, bouncing about with hip-hop-informed, shoulder-centric moves for much of the night. The 22-year old is charming, confident, and sings disarmingly pretty songs.


For her encore, Lykke performed, with genuine emotion, an exceptionally amazing live version of Tonight and an awesome cover of A Tribe Called Quest's CanI Kick It? (which is one of my favourite songs in the world...so I was stoked!)


Such an effortless combination of talent and wiles are hard to come by, and easy to fall for.

Falling Ahead Of My Dreams

Photo: Source

We looked like penguins
in the early morning
drifting to and from
that part of sleep
that still feels comfortable.
Curled close-
warm breath on my temple

The longest eyelashes,
the longest lingering looks
how your lips hit the tip of my ear
(like someone familiar)

And I find some kind of happy in all this.
I smile to myself.

I just read about ache being the feeling
that something vital is disintegrating...
that loving all the way might ache and sting,
but loving only half way leaves us with a hope
that could never live out loud.

Kiki Cool

"Being fun is way better than being beautiful. I would rather entertain people." -Kirsten Dunst

I've pretty much been meaning to feature Kirsten Dunst in one of my personal style entries since I started doing them. I know there are a lot of haters out there, but I am a huge fan. She keeps things simple, but adds her own quirky touch. Kirsten's innate and unfussy sensibility is a blend of sophistication and 70s panache, which creates a very modern look. She wears lots slouchy pieces- large tees and over sized sweaters and cardigans, dresses and adorable little high waisted skirts. She has been wearing these things far longer than they've been trendy. She adds to her look by wearing accessories like sunglasses (more often than not), scarves, cute beanies, belts and bags. There isn't an ensemble on this page that I wouldn't personally rock. In my opinion, she comes across chic in an "I'm not trying too hard" kind of way, which is my favourite way there is.





I'm kind of obsessed with the way that her red bag matches her nails, which match her lips to perfection in these next two photos:


**Photos are not property of Work In Progress. They have been taken from various websites. If your photo has not been credited and you would like it to be, please e-mail me.**

48 Hours Of Awesomeness- Day Three

Photo: Push.ca

The contest was all wrapped up as of 9am this morning. Here's a final photo of all the teams (amazingly, still standing) after enjoying the ride for 48 hours.

The winning team will be announced on Monday night. The judges have a tough job ahead of them, that's for sure. Take a look at the final blog posts here:

Boardroom
The Circle
Evolution
Showcase

*****

UPDATE: Congratulations to contest winners from The Circle! Dave Chamberlain and Colton Showers, representing The Circle snowboard shop in Whistler, showed DC, Push.ca and Grouse Mountain that they truly "Enjoyed The Ride More." When asked about what he thought of their blog (before he knew they had won), Dave said that he felt that despite their amateur photography and blogging, they "probably had more fun than anyone else."

48 Hours Of Awesomeness- Day Two

Happy Valentine's Day! I have been up at the top of Grouse with the four teams trying to enjoy the ride most for 48 hours. The boys are certainly tired today, but still in great spirits- shredding, taking unreal photos, and documenting all the fun they're having on Push.ca! The blog posts they've been turning out are fantastic and soooo funny (especially considering that they're all running on very, very minimal sleep, if any). The lodge was pretty much crazy packed all day today- and it seems like there are many people jumping on the "48 Hour" bandwagon, even outside of our contest. I answered more questions than I knew the answers to, and gave out a gazillion stickers.


Let me just say, I'd hate to be one of the judges because all of these guys are so awesome and are doing an absolutely amazing job up here. The creativity that continues to flow from them, even after being on the mountain for more than 24 hours absolutely astounds me. Very impressive. It's definitely going to be very tough to choose a winner. They are all super fun guys with hearts of gold and it has been a pleasure to kick it with them over the last couple days.

This afternoon, the kitchen was abuzz with the sound of chopping carrots and cheering as the guys competed to see which team could chop the most carrots in 30 seconds using a DC snowboard (why carrots? click here, and watch the Ikka commercial). Team Showcase was the big winner, chopping 11 carrots. Their prize? A brand new DC snowboard for each of them. Josh also wins the "sweetest gesture of the day" award for giving his old board away to a kid who had his board stolen at the mountain today. The kid, of course, was beyond stoked and we were beyond impressed with Josh's stellar kindness.


We're down to just about 11 hours left in the contest. You can bet that the guys will be pulling out all the stops in the final hours.

Make sure to keep reading the entertaining blog posts filled with epic footage and incredible photos:

Boardroom
The Circle
Evolution
Showcase

48 Hours Of Awesomeness- Day One

It's Friday the 13th. 9am today marked the start of the "Enjoy The Ride More for 48 Hours" challenge that DC is running up at Grouse Mountain as part of the 48 Hours of Winter weekend.


The teams have been hitting the slopes, shredding the gnar, blogging on iMacs about their adventures and chilling out at DC's Billy Mays kitchen in the chalet all day and will continue doing so right through until 9am on Sunday morning.

This evening was super fun times at the top of the mountain for those of us enjoying some eats and drinks at Altitudes Bistro, while loving the incredible view, and then hanging out in the kitchen, giving out stickers and dog leashes and od'ing on the crazy amounts of caffeine coming out of the espresso machine.

You can check in on what the teams are up to as they document all the highlights and fun they're having right here on Push.ca!

Time Is Catching Up With Me

It's running me deep,
deep into the ground.
I lose grip- but there's something
holding tighter than my strength.
It's all I want.
The week is almost over
sadness comes- goes.
Smiles rise and do not fade-
until morning
Not a breathing soul but me.
Alone- even more than before.
I've been searching.

Romantic Tragedy?

Photo courtesy of New Line Cinema

I have been discussing love and relationships and dating with my girlfriends more than usual over the last few days...ever since He's Just Not That Into You opened in theatres last Friday, as a matter of fact.

He’s Just Not That Into You provides a bare bones guide through the strategic world of dating by getting rid of all the excuses and “what ifs” that come with the territory. As the lives of this interconnected group of friends in Baltimore illustrate, even smart, beautiful, successful women can become needy, desperate, delusional, and even a little crazy. Many more fall into the "making excuses trap." The film dissects the signals we put out as we interact with each other via the internet and over our various phones and blackberries, in text messages and emails, and in person.

I have to admit that I walked out of the theatre feeling like a frustrated lonelyheart. It really seemed to me to suggest that the chase involved in finding that perfect person is pretty much a fruitless waste of time that causes only heart ache and misery. It spotlighted the mind games and the bullshit and reminded me of exactly what exhausts me so much about dating and gives me anxiety over the possibility of never actually finding my soul mate or living happily ever after. I left wondering if I was doomed to wander the universe alone for the rest of my life.

The film doesn't peddle the fantasy that a happy ending is the inevitable climax of every meet-cute. For all its humour, it recognizes that love is ephemeral and elusive. This might be the most thorough, realistic chick flick of recent times. And to be honest, that scared the hell out of me.

Thankfully, as the film points out, there are always exceptions. Here's hoping that I can find MY exception...
(where is my Ben Affleck, anyway?)

-------------

A friend of mine sent me a quote last week that I love so much. Relating back to personal growth and relationships, this has become somewhat of a mantra for me recently:

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement, there is life and in change there is power."

48 Hours Of Winter

With Grouse Mountain open for shredding for a full 48 hours from February 13th to 15th, DC thought it would be sweet to take the "Enjoy The Ride More" concept to a whole new level.

Team riders from four shops -- The Boardroom (Vancouver), The Circle (Whistler), Showcase (Vancouver), and Evolution (Whistler) -- will be be riding at Grouse for 48 hours. While on the mountain, they will have to authentically show us how they "enjoy the ride more" by uploading photos, videos and blogging about their experience live on Push.ca. Teams will be expected to post something every four hours on the site. The shop team that can last the entire stretch and deliver the most creative blog posts will win a day of catboarding at Powder Mountain Catskiing in Whistler, a head-to-toe DC kit, plus spending money.

It's going to be crazy!

Highlights of 48 Hours of Winter include:

· Skiing
· Snowboarding
· Terrain Parks
· The Yeti Snowshoe Series competition
· DC presents "Enjoy the Ride More!" contest
· Ice skating
· Midnight snow shoe tours (depart)
· Endless dining opportunities
· Theatre in the Sky's ‘marathon of winter action sports' films
· DJ spinning tunes all night long
· Air Grouse Mountain Ziplines

DC launched the Enjoy The Ride More snowboard campaign in November 2008. The campaign features professional snowboarders, Devun Walsh and Iikka Backstrom alongside TV infomercial legend Billy Mays. For those of you planning to head up the mountain to check out it out this weekend, be sure to stop by and visit me in the DC kitchen at the top of Grouse Mountain, where I'll be hanging out all day Saturday. We'll enter your name for product giveaways as you drink espresso and watch the Billy Mays infomercials. A couple of the other reps will be demoing the new and totally rad DC snowboards as well, so that'll be a great opportunity to see how much you can enjoy the ride!

Check back for coverage of the weekend!

Monday Morning Randomness

In an attempt to forget about my throbbing knee cap last night while I was watching The Grammy's, I spent some time putting together images of a few things that have been on my mind lately. Inspiration is everywhere. Sometimes it's subtle, sometimes it's overt.

This weekend when I was organizing one of my closets, I unearthed a box containing all of the old CD mixes that I made in my early twenties. Most of them weren't labeled, but even the ones that were didn't indicate more than the month/year or "J-Sto's Mix" ...so I just played them all, all the way through. Nostalgia. So many memories. Songs strike chords. When has it ever been good when it doesn't feel right? Except now. This is my new sense of balance and boundaries. I think I understand. Genuinely.

I wanted to share this horoscope that I came across. I do believe that there is some wisdom in horoscopes. I often read them all- even the ones for the other signs. Sometimes there is very good insight mixed in with all the generalizations and bullshit. And more than anything, there's always a little bit of hope, and who doesn't need that?

If you're fully alive, the answer to the question, "What is the meaning of life?" keeps evolving. Last year's truth can't possibly be true for the person you are changing into. So what's the answer for you these days? Only you can decide, of course, but I'll offer a suggestion ... "The meaning of life is creative love. Not love as an inner feeling, not as a private sentimental emotion, but love as a dynamic power moving out into the world and doing something original."

Creative love sounds perfect to me.
Maybe tomorrow there will be fireworks.

I always hope for a happy ending.
How crazy is that?

Photos in this post are not property of Work In Progress.

Marc's Daisy

Remember when I told you that little Daisy Lowe was going to be the new face of Marc? Well may I present to you some of the flesh-friendly photos featuring the Brit "It" girl shot by Juergen Teller.


I had been particularly excited about this campaign because as you can see, the circumference of Daisy's limbs leave little confusion as to which are arms and which are legs. I must admit that I am a little on the disappointed side, however, that this is decidedly less quirky than Juergen's other Marc ads, like the ones featuring Miss Posh aka VB. Now those were cheeky. (I added them below just for you, Mel!) Daisy is a gorgeous woman and without a doubt, the photos are hot.

Perhaps the fact that these ads are more demure is a sign of the tough economic times? Rather than daring shoppers to wear his clothes, Marc is simply trying to show them that they can.




Photos: Courtesy of Marc by Marc Jacobs

25 Random Things About Me

1) I talk about Monica, Chandler, Ross, Rachel, Joey and Phoebe like they're my real friends.

2) I love doing impressions of people. My dream job would be to write for and star on Saturday Night Live. I work on perfecting new characters all the time.

3) I love ice. Crushed is my favourite. I wish I had one of those fridges that makes and crushes ice for you. That would be unreal.

4) I've got one hell of a jump shot, and I'll take you down in a game of 21 any day.

5) One day I will write a screenplay.

6) I can't do cartwheels.

7) I write song lyrics, quotes, book titles and author's names on post-its so that I will remember them. I usually end up losing the post-its and then finding them months later in random places, which is kind of fun.

8) I sing at the top of my lungs when I'm alone in my car. I prefer to drive alone for this very reason. I won't sing out loud if someone's in the car with me.

9) I'm fiercely protective of my friends and family. They are my world.

10) I have a crush on Brody Jenner...yes, even after watching 'Bromance.' I can't help it. He's a babe.

11) When I was in grade 9, my basketball coach Mr. Inkster nicknamed me "The Host" after the monkey in Outbreak because I kept getting sick that year. It stuck. Well, maybe just between Cindy and I. He nicknamed her "The Custodian" and I won't let that die either. This leads me to number 12...

12) I'm a big nickname person. I often call people by shortened versions of their actual name or a completely different name altogether. Maybe this is why I really like it when people call me "Jen." It could also be why I don't find it weird that my Dad sometimes calls me "Francine" or "Gloria."

13) I enjoy a good pinot noir. It makes me warm and talky.

14) I could write a biography of Marilyn Monroe. I've read at least 10 books about her. I sorta feel like we were best friends in a past life.

15) Make me laugh and you're in the good books.

16) I believe that everything happens for a reason.

17) I adore my little apartment in the city, and the fact that it's a stone's throw from the beach. I could spend hours amusing myself in and around it, all alone.

18) I'm a fast drinker. No matter what it is, chances are I'll be getting a re-fill before you've taken three sips of yours.

19) I remember most occasions and events based on what I was wearing. I also use my wardrobe as a reference point in trying to determine what year something happened.

20) I don't like to be photographed in the same outfit more than once (yes, I realize that I'm not Paris Hilton, and the paps are not on my tail...but still, I have a thing about it...)

21) My parents are my heros. I feel like the luckiest girl in the whole, wide world to have such an incredible and supportive family.

22) I think that music makes the world go 'round. I especially enjoy songs featuring acoustic guitars.

23) I love people watching. Sometimes I create entire fictional stories about people I don't even know. Often I'll give them names, which later turn into abbreviations or code names i.e. "Hairy Back Guy" becomes "HBG."

24) I buy too many magazines and I want to keep them all. I will re-read them a zillion times, over and over again.

25) I live to inspire and be inspired.

Her Eyes, That's Where Hope Lies

Every woman has at least once in her life been on a quest for her very own perfect mascara. I seem to be able to find one that works for a while and then suddenly, I'm not so impressed anymore. The last one that I fell in lust with was DiorShow. Since that affair ended about two weeks ago, I jumped at the chance to try out something new by L'Oréal. Truth be told, I'm a self professed product junkie who will try anything once, but I'm also extremely loyal to the brands and products that I truly love.

So last week, I received a box of lovely goodies to test out, including L'Oréal's new Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara.

Being that I've tried nearly every mascara under the sun at one point or another, I couldn't wait to see what this stuff was all about.

Here's the deal:

It's a two step process. The tube of mascara is double-ended, with step-one in the white coloured side and step-two in the red coloured side. It's a little shocking to open the tube and realize that the step-one product itself is actually white. The step-two side is your traditional mascara colour.

Step-one is designed to fortify and lengthen your lashes. This "basecoat" contains microfibers and ceramedes which are supposed to extend lashes for a longer, more lush look. Letting the lashes dry for a few minutes before applying step-two is key. I learned this the hard way. Running late this morning (as usual), I rushed the second step and my long, straight lashes clumped up and looked absolutely hideous. I ended up having to completely re-do my eye makeup. (Bonus: No makeup remover needed, it easily washes right off with just warm water!) One more tip: it's important to apply it in a room that's well lit-- because should you try to do it in dim light, it would be very easy to neglect to reach the colour wand to the very tips of your lashes. They become almost invisible once step-one is coating them.

When used correctly (and providing you have time to do both steps right), this product does result in fuller, thicker, sexy lashes. Overall, I was impressed. My lashes were fuller and longer! Usually it's difficult to find a product that delivers both--so you end up choosing if you want thick lashes or long lashes. With this, you really can have both. Plus, the primer makes it stay put. That means that I can be a happy girl, rather than a confused raccoon wondering why her makeup has given her rings.

Life's A Peach

Meet the fresh-faced (and often foul-mouthed) Peaches Geldof. She may be known as a socialite, but she certainly has more going on than the next party. She's an up-and-coming fashion icon in the UK/broadcaster/journalist. She has been racking up serious 'It Girl' mileage for quite some time, thanks to her dramatic fashion and perpetual "wild child" headlines in the British dailies.

The daughter of musician/humanitarian Bob Geldof (he created Live Aid and Live 8) and the late Paula Yates, it’s no wonder that Peaches always looks like the coolest girl at a concert. She goes from blonde to brunette in the blink of an eye, is always adorned with unique accessories, and has stylish sidekick pals like Daisy Lowe and Lily Allen.

At age 15, she wrote for The Daily Telegraph representing the voice of youth. At 16 she produced and wrote a documentary for Sky One about teenage sex & angst called Inside the Teenage Mind, and in 2006 lived in Morocco with a Muslim teenager to make a documentary for Channel 4 called A Beginner’s Guide to Islam.


Whether she's DJ-ing with Fifi Brown, burning up the dance floor at a Boombox party or rubbing shoulders with the A-list backstage at Glastonbury, Peaches always looks hot. Is it her eternal nonchalance or just a genetic disposition to cool? It's hard to say. When asked about her interest in fashion, Peaches said, "I love the way you can express yourself through your clothes. I’m quite schizophrenic with mine." I love her hippy headbands, cute beanies and high waisted skirts. Her style is an eclectic mix of chain store, vintage and high end. In fact, Peaches herself is the perfect little mix between grungy rocker and Lolita. She always manages to find a nice balance of the two in her outfits. I think she's just delightful.

**The photos in this post are not property of Work In Progress. If your photo has not been credited and you would like it to be, please e-mail me.**

A Fab Collab

I never could have guessed that Vivienne Westwood would choose our little Pammy to be the face of her next ad campaign; however, it seems that the unlikely collaboration did not come entirely out of the blue.


Pamela Anderson has long been a fan of Westwood's curve-enhancing designs and when the two met at designer's spring/summer Red Label show in London last autumn, they hit it off immediately. It's true, Pam doesn't have the typical look of a fashion model with her messy blonde locks, pencil thin eyebrows and heavily made up face (not to mention those big knockers), but this collaboration really worked like a charm. It was always going to be tongue in cheek. Vivienne’s designs are all about sex and the feminine form. Who better to convey that than Pam? It was photographed near Pamela's Malibu trailer by Juergen Teller, the same genius who shoots most of Marc Jacobs' ad campaigns.


Westwood has most definitely struck gold with this one. The shoot’s models include the designer herself, plus her husband Andrea Kronthaler, and Pamela- the center of attention, of course. In typical Pammy style the photos all just ooze sexiness. They shot the whole thing in one day- it also happened to be Election Day in the US.


Perhaps my favourite photo is the one of Vivienne and Pam celebrating Obama's win (above).

I know I'm not the only one with a huge soft spot for Pam and a big heart on for Vivienne Westwood too. I'm sorry. I just can't help gushing over them and these photos.

Photos: Style Frizz