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by The Backseat Stylers | April 18th, 2012 
I’m head over heels in love with this editorial in Flare‘s May 2012 issue. Starring actress Sarah Gadon in lace, lace and more lace, this spread, aptly titled ‘Amazing Lace’, is styled to perfection by Liz Cabral and snapped by Chris Nicolls.
It’s the type of editorial I’d like to ever so carefully tear out of the magazine and post on my mood board as inspiration for Spring dressing. Except that I don’t have a mood board, so I’ve gone and done the next best thing – posted the images here so you can all be mesmerized by them too.
  
xx, S
Image Credits: Chris Nicolls for Flare (via Fashion Gone Rogue)
by The Backseat Stylers | August 25th, 2011 
I know what you’re thinking. Another white lace dress, S, really?
I know, I know. I haven’t forgotten that I already posted Jamie King and Alexa Chung in white lace frocks this past month; I just couldn’t resist. Anne Hathaway in this hairpin lace mermaid sheath dress at the One Day premiere in London this week is simply perfection. Plus, the ensemble is Alexander McQueen from head to toe: the dress (Resort 2012), the shoes, the clutch…how could I not post? Hathaway herself is such a delight, too.
I knew you’d understand.
  
xx, S
Images via TFS
by The Backseat Stylers | August 4th, 2011 
While we ever so impatiently count down the days until the August 11th launch of the Janie Bryant x Banana Republic Mad Men inspired collection, Jaime King apparently need no longer wait. The actress officially became the first to step out in a look from the limited edition collection when she wore the ivory lace cap-sleeved dress to the Carrera Sunglasses Escape LA event this week.
King’s styling of the dress, though, was anything but 60′s. Instead of a pair of sensible heels, she wore the very feminine lace dress with a pair of Prada Fall 2011 wing-tip platform espadrille oxfords. You’d never catch Betty Draper in this ensemble, but I’m loving it for all the same reasons I adored Alexa Chung in Erdem last month. The shoes are completely unexpected and bring just the right amount of edge to an otherwise very lovely, ladylike piece.
Craving some Mad Men inspired fashion too? Check out the full Janie Bryant x Banana Republic lookbook here and mark your calendars for the launch next week!
xx, S
Images via justjared
by The Backseat Stylers | April 29th, 2011 
After months of speculation, Kate Middleton married Prince William today in a breathtaking gown designed by Sarah Burton for the house of Alexander McQueen. Details from the Official Royal Wedding website:
Miss Catherine Middleton’s Wedding Dress has been designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen.Miss Middleton chose British brand Alexander McQueen for the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing. Miss Middleton wished for her dress to combine tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterises Alexander McQueen’s work. Miss Middleton worked closely with Sarah Burton in formulating the design of her dress.
The dress epitomises timeless British craftsmanship by drawing together talented and skilled workmanship from across the United Kingdom. The dress design pays tribute to the Arts and Crafts tradition, which advocated truth to materials and traditional craftsmanship using simple forms and often Romantic styles of decoration. Ms Burton’s design draws on this heritage, additionally giving the cut and the intricate embellishment a distinctive, contemporary and feminine character.
The design
The lace appliqué for the bodice and skirt was hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace. The lace design was hand-engineered (appliquéd) using the Carrickmacross lace-making technique, which originated in Ireland in the 1820s. Individual flowers have been hand-cut from lace and hand-engineered onto ivory silk tulle to create a unique and organic design, which incorporates the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock.
Hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace has been used throughout the bodice and skirt, and has been used for the underskirt trim. With laces coming from different sources, much care was taken to ensure that each flower was the same colour. The whole process was overseen and put together by hand by Ms Burton and her team.
The dress is made with ivory and white satin gazar. The skirt echoes an opening flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats. The train measures two metres 70 centimetres. The ivory satin bodice, which is narrowed at the waist and padded at the hips, draws on the Victorian tradition of corsetry and is a hallmark of Alexander McQueen’s designs. The back is finished with 58 gazar and organza covered buttons fastened by Rouleau loops. The underskirt is made of silk tulle trimmed with Cluny lace.
The Fabrics
French Chantilly lace was combined with English Cluny lace to be hand-worked in the Irish Carrickmacross needlework tradition.
All other fabrics used in the creation of the dress were sourced from and supplied by British companies. The choice of fabrics followed extensive research by Sarah Burton and her team.
The Royal School of Needlework
The Royal School of Needlework (RSN), based at Hampton Court Palace, assisted the Alexander McQueen team in accurately cutting out the delicate motifs from the lace fabrics and positioning the lace motifs with precision into the new design. The lace motifs were pinned, ‘framed up’ and applied with stab stitching every two to three millimetres around each lace motif. The workers washed their hands every thirty minutes to keep the lace and threads pristine, and the needles were renewed every three hours, to keep them sharp and clean.
The RSN workers included existing staff, former staff, tutors, graduates and students, with the youngest aged 19.
The RSN’s work was used primarily for the train and skirt of the Bride’s dress, the bodice and sleeves, the Bride’s shoes and the Bride’s veil.
Veil and Jewellery
The veil is made of layers of soft, ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers, which was embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework. The veil is held in place by a Cartier ‘halo’ tiara, lent to Miss Middleton by The Queen. The ‘halo’ tiara was made by Cartier in 1936 and was purchased by The Duke of York (later King George VI) for his Duchess (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) three weeks before he succeeded his brother as King. The tiara was presented to Princess Elizabeth (now The Queen) by her mother on the occasion of her 18th birthday.
The Bride’s earrings, by Robinson Pelham, are diamond-set stylised oak leaves with a pear shaped diamond set drop and a pavé set diamond acorn suspended in the centre. Inspiration for the design comes from the Middleton family’s new coat of arms, which includes acorns and oak leaves. The earrings were made to echo the tiara. The earrings were a personal gift to the Bride from her parents for her Wedding Day.
Robinson Pelham have also designed and made a pair of diamond earrings for Miss Philippa Middleton. These earrings are more floral in nature to compliment the headpiece worn by Miss Philippa Middleton during the Service.
A tourmaline and diamond pendant and matching earrings have been designed and made for Mrs. Carole Middleton. Two gold stick pins, one with a single gold acorn at the head and the other with an oak leaf, are also worn respectively by the Father of the Bride, Mr. Michael Middleton, and the Bride’s brother, Mr. James Middleton.
Wedding Shoes
The wedding shoes have made hand-made by the team at Alexander McQueen and are made of ivory duchesse satin with lace hand-embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework.
Continue reading →
by The Backseat Stylers | March 15th, 2011 
I’ve been intrigued by Nicholas Kirkwood’s shoe line ever since I discovered it during The Room at the Bay’s The Next British Invasion event last Fall, though cautiously so. The designs are as close to artwork as shoes can get, so even Kirkwood’s tamest work is outside of this shoe addict’s comfort zone. Having picked up my very first pair of Kirkwoods during a shoe shopping spree at The Room’s recent end-of-season sale, I’m feeling decidedly braver and ready for a pair that pushes my footwear boundaries even further.
Enter these floral lace sandals from the Spring 2011 collection – sounds innocent enough, right? But where this particular sandal and the dainty, lady-like Valentino lace pumps that already permeate my closet diverge is at the suede latticework, shoestring laces and the signature Kirkwood contoured platforms. There may be lace involved, but these sandals are not for the faint of heart.
Are you up to the challenge of rocking these fierce platforms? Available at Bergdorf Goodman for $1,195.
xx, S
by The Backseat Stylers | March 5th, 2011 
On Feb 3, 2011, Mr. Backseat Styler and I got all decked out in our 1960′s best for a night out on the town courtesy of the LCBO. Held at the Carlu in Toronto, everyone from Suzanne Rogers and Ainsley Kerr to Toronto’s twitterati and fashion blogging crowd showed up to take a swig or two of a Cosmopolitan in honour of the LCBO’s Classic Cocktails and the evening’s guest of honour, Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant.
In between martinis, I had the opportunity to chat with the lovely Bryant, who was all glam in a gorgeous red St. John number.
Continue reading →
by The Backseat Stylers | February 8th, 2011 
I’ve already posted the Alexander McQueen Spring 2011 womenswear and shoe collections I’ve fallen head over heels with, but the love doesn’t end there. Though I’ve never quite gotten the appeal of McQueen’s skull clutches in the past, the house has finally designed one that’s right up my alley. This lace knuckle duster clutch from the Spring 2011 collection is the perfect combination of hard (note the skull and four-finger knuckle duster) and soft (now note the floral lace overlay and lovely shade of blush). It’s both perfect for an evening at the opera and a heavy metal concert…should I ever decide to do either (again).
And how much does such unparalleled versatility in a bag cost? Oh, a mere $2,295. Available at Bergdorf Goodman.
xx, S
by The Backseat Stylers | July 1st, 2010 Patience is a virtue I’ve never possessed. Despite my parents’ best efforts to instill it in me, I’m all about the instant gratification. Except, that is, when it comes to markdowns; I’m as patient as the hours when I have a mile-long list of must-haves and sale season hasn’t quite arrived yet. I’ve been excruciatingly patient in the past, waiting for my beloved 3.1 Phillip Lim leather flight jacket and Chloé wedge boots to be marked down, and was rewarded in the end. Lately, I’ve been taking some serious risks and playing the waiting game for quite a few items on my wish list.
Last week I posted about the Alexander Wang Freja lace-up boots I was coveting. Guess what happened yesterday? I got the call. I got the call! Barneys fiiinally marked the Wang boots down and the lovely K called me all the way from Philly to let me know that she was packing up the very last pair of Frejas in her store to ship off to me. So I didn’t wait all that long for them to go on sale since I only discovered them a few weeks ago, but it was a victory nonetheless since they’d pretty much sold out everywhere. I have a feeling my first Alexander Wangs will be taking over as the fiercest shoes in my closet.
 Unbelievably, the good news continued today. I’d been rather devastated lately, thinking I’d missed out on a lace piece from Phillip Lim’s Resort 2011 collection. I posted about it back in February and was hoping to be able to catch the hairpin lace shift dress or skirt on sale. The collection was so well-received, however, that it sold out at regular price. Or so I thought. Imagine my absolute delight when I happened across the ivory lace skirt on the Holt Renfrew sale rack this afternoon selling at 60% off. I couldn’t believe my luck!
And thus with the successes of the last 24 hours, I can officially announce my retirement from this sale season. I’m done, ladies and gentlemen – the debit and credit cards have been stashed away and I’m now moving on to the business of actually wearing all of my incredible sale finds.
xx, S
P.S. I reserve the right to come out of retirement should I determine that this announcement was, in fact, premature…*wink*
by The Backseat Stylers | June 17th, 2010 
I’ve been coveting this Of Two Minds stretch lace jacket ever since I spotted it in a Shopbop lookbook months ago. I even double-underlined it on my imaginary wishlist when I snapped it on a very chic Toronto Fashion Week attendee. Since then, I’ve been waiting patiently for it to go on sale. Unfortunately, others have less patience than me and my size is sold out in this lovely pale pink/ivory colour. What’s left is the black. More versatile, yes. But also less wow. It finally went on sale last week, but with black as my only colour option, I’ve yet to pull the trigger. What to do, what to do… xx, S
by The Backseat Stylers | May 6th, 2010 Mr. Backseat Styler and I landed back in Toronto on Tuesday and I’ve been recovering from our 5 days in Vegas ever since; hence the delayed trip report. While I was in Vegas, I posted that the weather was crappy and the shopping less than successful, but thankfully our fortunes turned and the second half of our trip was sunny, hot and full of shopping bags. Must have been all the positive vibes you all sent us! What we lacked in luck at the casinos, my shopping partner-in-crime J and I definitely made up for at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets.
My first purchase of the day was this Ted Baker silk blouse I wanted several seasons ago and was never able to locate in my size. This is a prime example of why outlet shopping rocks – there it was hanging on the rack, in my size, at half the price I would’ve paid way back when. It’s a classic top that I’m sure I’ll get lots of wear out of on its own in the spring/summer and under cardigans and jackets in the fall/winter, so it really doesn’t matter that it was originally in stores over 2 years ago.
 
J and I both hit it big at the Elie Tahari outlet, where I nabbed 2 work skirts. The leaf embroidered skirt is wool and much prettier in person than in my photo. I first saw it at The Room at The Bay this past fall, but my size had already sold out by the time I discovered it. I was rather excited to find it at the outlet!
Where I really hit the jackpot though was at the Dolce & Gabbana outlet. With sale goggles on, I grabbed a whole pile of clothing from the additional 70% off rack. My pocketbook was saved from certain slaughter by J, who thankfully lent a critical eye and helped me nix all but one item. It’s a stunning black lace and silk 3/4 length dress that I’ve managed to photograph extremely poorly. With the unbiased thumbs up from J, I nabbed this dress at 85% off the original price. I can’t wait to wear it!
At the end of the day, arms full of bags and excited about the bargains we’d found, J and I made like bandits before anyone had a chance to change their minds and charge us more. Add to my outlet purchases a few items I snagged on presale at Saks that are on their way via snail mail, and I can happily declare that Vegas was a successful shopping trip after all! xx, S
P.S. We did a lot more in Vegas than just shop, but who wants to hear about our non-shopping escapades anyway? Besides, it’s as they say – what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas…
Photo Credits: Style.com
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THE BACKSEAT STYLERS BY T & S
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