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by The Backseat Stylers | September 27th, 2012 
Stuart Weitzman has collaborated with five young celebrities on his second Young Hollywood Cares collection to benefit ovarian cancer research. The footwear designer co-designed exclusive styles with actresses Chloe Moretz, Julianne Hough, AnnaSofia Robb, Brooklyn Decker and Nikki Reed.
Retailing from $375 to $425, the collection features a black pony hair pump with magenta trim from Robb, a buckled bootie with metallic cap-toe from Decker, a textured black pump with burgundy platform and ankle strap from Reed, a patent leather lace-up bootie from Hough, and my favourite of the group, a tan and navy animal-print embossed brogue from Moretz.
The Young Hollywood Cares collection will be available at Stuart Weitzman flagship stores in New York, Beverly Hills and Boston, as well as online at stuartweitzman.com, starting next week. I think I need those incredible Weitzman x Moretz brogues in my life, and the fact that the purchase will benefit a good cause is like the bow on my shoe box.
  
xx, S
Images via WWD
by The Backseat Stylers | September 4th, 2012 
Nothing cures the end-of-summer blues quite like a fall fashion shopping spree, and it seems that’s exactly what the doctor (i.e. yours truly!) has ordered for you. We helpfully suggested recently that you hightail it to Sherway Gardens for your pick of the fresh new outerwear arrivals, and this week we’re proposing a second trip to the upscale shopping centre in Toronto’s west end. The mission for round two is 6 essential pieces your fall wardrobe won’t be complete without (clockwise from top left):
The Belt
The equestrian stretch belt by Banana Republic is a must-have accessory this fall. At a reasonable $68, it’s a flattering waist cincher and is an easy and affordable way to give new life to dresses, coats and sweaters from last year. It’s available in both black and brown, and obviously you need both.
The Print
When it comes to prints, no one does it quite like Clover Canyon. The California-based brand is churning out to-die-for pieces in eye-catching prints season after season. If you don’t already have some Clover Canyon in your closet, now’s the time to stop by Mendocino for your first and definitely not last. The Galaxy blouse ($312) is our pick.
The Clutch
An oversize leather tote or satchel to carry all your essentials with you would be the practical recommendation…but where’s the fun in that? Besides, we’ll assume you’ve already got one. Instead, pop by Michael Kors for a clutch in a gorgeous autumn shade like the ostrich-embossed Gia in crimson.
The Dress
A new season calls for a new party frock. This highly covetable style from Juicy Couture combines a deep mossy green lace with contrast leather trim, and can be both ladylike and fierce based on how its styled. It’s the perfect dress for date night or a girls’ night out. Retails for $328.
The Boot
The riding boot is to fall what the wedge sandal is to summer. If last year’s pair is in bad shape, Stuart Weitzman is the shoe shop to head to for a fabulous new replacement pair. Our pick? The Mount boot, which is the perfect balance of style and comfort. It comes in both black and brown, and retails for $675.
The Cardigan
Cardigan options for fall are aplenty, but great cardigans are hard to come by. Club Monaco’s Diamond sweater jacket ($159.50) is chic, versatile and oh so warm. It’s a piece that can be dressed up for the office or down for the weekend. In fact, we can see ourselves putting it on and refusing to take it off until spring.
There you have it – six items you should run out and buy right now. And don’t forget those fall jackets you were eyeing last week! Long wish list? Not a problem – that’s where Sherway Gardens’ Fall Into Style Contest comes in. Until September 17, enter to win the grand prize of a $1,000 shopping spree at Sherway Gardens or 1 of 20 $100 Cadillac Fairview shop! card® gift cards over on Sherway Gardens’ Facebook page.
Good luck and happy fall shopping everyone!
xx, T & S
Image Credits: Banana Republic, Club Monaco, Juicy Couture, Mendocino, Michael Kors, Stuart Weitzman
Sponsored by Sherway Gardens
by The Backseat Stylers | March 5th, 2012 
Stuart Weitzman unveiled a new, high-end accessories brand, SW1, in Milan last week. The exclusive line will feature shoes and handbags designed by Creative Director Alvaro Gonzalez, who recently joined the company after his departure from Jimmy Choo. Stuart Weitzman, who serves as CEO of the company, says his goal with SW1 is to bring “wearability, supercomfort and great fashion” to the designer shoe and bag market.
The first collection includes about 50 shoes, as well as a line-up of everyday bags and evening clutches and miniaudieres. The shoe designs are all made in Spain, and will retail from $595 for a pump to $795 for a bootie to $995 for a full boot. The handbags, which are made in both Spain and Italy, will retail for $800 to $1,500.
The price points are higher than what Stuart Weitzman’s customers are accustomed to, but design elements have also been kicked up several notches. Architectural silhouettes, standout detailing, and rich suede and python leathers make for statement accessories that are certain to appeal to the company’s existing clients, as well as attract new ones. I’m certainly intrigued.
The first SW1 collection is due to hit Holt Renfrew in Canada, Selfridges in London and other designer boutiques and department stores worldwide this Fall.
    
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by The Backseat Stylers | November 22nd, 2011 
Holt Renfrew is currently holding a street style contest for the Canadian retailer’s newly launched blog, Holts Muse. Naturally, I had to enter. But what to wear in a sartorial battle with, well, the whole country?
With so many pieces in my closet that I’m currently obsessed with, pulling together just one outfit to represent me and my personal style was a tough assignment. After much deliberation, I stuck with my usual, trusty formula: smart-looking jacket + chic blouse + statement jewelry + fierce shoes + one pop of colour. And red lips, of course!
A caption to my photo was required, and instead of ‘Harbourfront Hoedown’, as T earnestly suggested, I titled my submission ‘The Mixologist’. Why? Because this ensemble combines the unexpected: contrasting patterns and different textures, feminine pieces with masculine touches, and fast fashion with designer items. It’s still only one outfit upon which to judge my street style contributions to the Canadian landscape (I’m so dramatic, I know!), but it’s very me.
Check out my submission in the Holts Muse contest photo album on Facebook here. And throw me a ‘like’ if you happen to – it’d make my day!
    
Zara blazer / Tara Jarmon blouse / Zara skirt / Stuart Weitzman shoes (gifted; available here) / Balenciaga bag / FALLON necklace and cuff / Banana Republic bracelets / YSL ring / Chanel glasses / MAKE UP FOR EVER make-up
xx, S
by The Backseat Stylers | October 27th, 2011 
The Stuart Weitzman ’Guything’ loafer has the distinction of having the smallest heel, by far, of any shoe I’ve ever featured on this here blog. In fact, they’re a good 3+ inches shorter than the average shoe on my wish list, but I’m coveting them no less.
Though I can be the girliest of girls when it comes to styling myself, even I can recognize a must-have menswear inspired shoe when I see one. The ‘Guything’ certainly qualifies. The combination of tassels, lush velvet body and contrasting perforated leather tip is utterly irresistible, even to a stiletto addict like me.
Sometimes a good ol’ platform heel just won’t do the trick (blasphemy, I know!) and a polished loafer is exactly what’s needed to complete an outfit. Stuart Weitzman’s latest take would be the perfect shoe to play that role this Fall.
Available at StuartWeitzman.com for $335.
xx, S
Image Credit: Stuart Weitzman
by The Backseat Stylers | September 5th, 2011 
I recently posted that Stuart Weitzman had teamed up with select celebrities south of the border, including Olivia Palermo, to create the Young Hollywood Cares Collection. Now, he’s bringing his charitable initiatives in support of ovarian cancer research to Canada.
This month, Stuart Weitzman will be auctioning off 9 one-of-a-kind designs created by a group of Canadian celebrities, each of whom personally decorated a pair of the brand’s ‘Fever’ pump. These celebrities include Fashion Television‘s Jeanne Beker, LOULOU Magazine‘s style editor Claude Laframboise, actresses Rachelle Lefevre, Chantal Lacroix and Emily VanCamp, Olympic athlete Ashleigh McIvor, and ET Canada‘s Rick Campanelli, Cheryl Hickey and Roz Weston.
I recently attended the launch of the auction, and was incredibly impressed by the level of creativity each celebrity brought to his/her shoe. Jeanne Beker and her daughter Joey O’Neil were inspired by a nursery rhyme; Claude Laframboise drew on Truman Capote’s legendary Black and White Ball; and Ashleigh McIvor designed a fierce yet feminine shoe that represents her gold medal success in ski cross. Each shoe was hand-decorated by the celebrities themselves, and done beautifully too, I might add. In fact, I’ve been daydreaming about how my own imaginary design would look. Next DIY project, perhaps?
Stuart Weitzman’s First Annual Canadian Celebrity Shoe Auction is being held online from now until September 21st, here. Bid on a stunning, one-of-a-kind pair of shoes for a very worthy cause! It’s a win-win situation, really.
       
xx, S
Images courtesy of Stuart Weitzman
by The Backseat Stylers | August 17th, 2011 
Last month, we reported that Olivia Palermo had collaborated with Stuart Weitzman on a fuchsia feathered sandal for the footwear designer’s Young Hollywood Cares collection. Today, the three other styles in the limited edition collection, each co-designed with another young starlet, were unveiled. In addition to Palermo, actresses Scarlett Johansson, Hayden Panettiere and Michelle Trachtenberg also collaborated with Weitzman on shoes that will benefit ovarian cancer research.
Trachtenberg co-designed a denim crystal-snake calfskin extreme platform pump with stud detailing down the back of the heel, which will retail for $425. I’m not in love with the studs on the heel, but that particular shade of blue, especially in an embossed snakeskin, is to die for. Trachtenberg’s shoe is my pick from the collection.
Johansson’s design is a red patent man-tailored cut-out oxford platform with contrast burgundy lacing ($425), while Panettiere’s shoe is a black suede extreme platform ankle boot with metal hardware accent ($498). Palermo’s satin strappy fuchsia feathered ankle-wrap sandal, which she was already snapped sporting last month, will retail for $425.
The Young Hollywood Cares collection will be available at Stuart Weitzman flagship stores in New York, Beverly Hills and Chicago, as well as online at stuartweitzman.com, in September. Will you be buying a pair? All in the name of charity, of course.
    
xx, S
Images via WWD, Fashionista
by The Backseat Stylers | July 26th, 2011
Olivia Palermo has been known to rock some hot shoes on the red carpet, and now she’s putting her fantastic taste in footwear to good use. The street style favourite and former reality TV star is the first guest designer to collaborate with Stuart Weitzman on the Stuart Weitzman Young Hollywood Cares Collection, in support of ovarian cancer research.
Palermo’s ostrich feather adorned strappy sandals made their debut earlier this week, as she walked the red carpet at the Smurfs premier in New York. “She’s a true fashion visionary”, said Weitzman. “In addition to supporting a wonderful cause, the lucky women who buy a pair of these fabulously sexy feathered sandals will look for reasons simply to wear them.” (via fashionetc.com)
The Stuart Weitzman Young Hollywood Cares Collection launches at the end of August. What do you think of the first style unveiled?
xx, S
Images via style.mtv.com
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THE BACKSEAT STYLERS BY T & S
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