Suzanne Carillo

Pinterest Is An Enabler – Sequins For Day – Stories For Pugs

January 18, 2018 by suzanne carillo

I think Pinterest is an enabler.

Once I’ve pinned an item to my board I figure if I find it on sale I’m totally within my rights to buy it. In fact, I have a bit of an obligation to buy it because I’ve pinned it.

My Pinterest board is my dream board. We’re all about making our dreams come true right?

Damn your brilliant marketing strategy Pinterest!

Have I justified my purchase enough?

No?

My thrifter’s guilt is coming in full force.

“Just ignore it!” my mini Suzanne with the devil horns and pitchfork tells me.

“That cheapo thrifter “environmentally concerned” miser-Suzanne is a loser! You don’t want to be a loser do you?”

Needless to say Thrifter Suzanne was cowering in a dark corner of the change room that day muttering something about ethical standards and moral responsibility.

The sheen from the sequins was so vibrant it blocked her out.

And if that wasn’t enough my SIL told me I had to buy it.

“Really at that price, she exclaimed, It would be a crime not to!”

It was two against one.

I surround myself with enablers.

Being a style blogger in itself is an enabler heavy zone.

We all like to “encourage” each other to buy. We live vicariously through other’s purchases.

This is how excited I was when I found this sequinned top on sale at Anthropologie.

It made me break out in my best Elvis imitation while dancing and waving my arms like a bird.

This is the kind of stuff that style bloggers get excited about… ~~Elvis and flapping our arms like birds~~, wearing sequins during the day.

Here I am “praising” the joys of sequins during the day.

It is also possible I am praising cookies. It was getting close to snack time.

It even made me get into a bit of a Flamenco mood.

That is a risk you take when wearing sequins during the day, you may have sudden overwhelming urges to dance Vegas showgirl style for an audience of one snoring pug. Be prepared to let loose.

This top was meant to be worn for New Year’s Eve but…

Full disclosure…I was in my fleece PJs before 8 pm while we watched movies and ate popcorn. Not exactly blog worthy but very life/relationship worthy.

We can’t all be going out to fancy soirées and hanging out with A-list celebrities.

Most of the time I’m just going to thrift stores and hanging out with my pug.

#imsodamnglam

Here I was telling Zoë one of her favourite stories.

It’s the one about Annabelle the Pug taking a walk to visit Grandma Pug.

Along the way Annabelle encounters pug eating dragons, a super skinny albino pug that keeps asking about a ring and whispering, “My precious!” and five little piggy pugs screaming wee wee wee all the way home. Needless to say the story ends at Zoë’s favourite part where all pugs get to eat and eat until they fall into food comas. At which point Zoë told me to stop making things up because it’s a well known fact that pugs can’t fall into food comas or even explode from eating too much. Zoë pointed out that her cousin ate a week’s worth of food in less than an hour and was just fine, although she did say her furry pants were a bit tight after that.

#truestory

#noBS

#askmysister

So yeah.

Wear sequins during the day. Why the Hell not?

Do not however eat a full week’s worth of food in an hour. Our pants don’t stretch as well as furry pug pants.

Do you find your Pinterest is a consumption enabler?

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My Date With Dior – Christian Dior Exhibit ROM

January 15, 2018 by suzanne carillo

I recently had the opportunity to take in the Christian Dior exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Christian Dior Exhibit ROM

A brief bio on Christian Dior

Dior’s parents envisioned a diplomatic life for their son however Christian’s interests were in architecture and art. He briefly owned a successful art gallery which collapsed with the Great Depression. Afterwards, to make ends meet, he sold his fashion sketches and eventually landed several jobs with design houses allowing him to perfect his designing skills. At the age of 41 Christian Dior chose to open his own design house where he revolutionized and dominated the fashion industry for a decade. He was one of the first to grow his brand through licensing deals of perfumes, stockings, accessories, jewellery, shoes and handbags.

He died at the early age of 52 from a heart attack.

What I found extremely interesting in this exhibit was how Dior’s sketches were left open to the interpretation of the flou (dressmaker) or tailleur (tailor).

These geniuses were truly able to see beyond the mere sketches before them and interpret the dream.

Some of the sketches were so vague I marvelled at the details of the finished gowns.

The imagination and skill level of the team members and artisans required to realize these visions was astounding.

Specialists were brought in to do beading and embellishments.

Every piece Christian Dior designed was given a name.

The year and the season were often woven into the label.

Each collection had between 150-175 designs suitable for all times of the day.

I noticed that often they were marked, morning dress, afternoon dress, early evening dress, dinner dress or late evening dress. Apparently you were expected to change four or more times a day.

Each sketch was assigned a head seamstress or tailor to interpret Dior’s sketches and turn them into reality.

Every dress was designed for one in house model to her exact measurements and only she modelled that particular dress.

Once the dress was completed all items such as fabric and trims were recorded.

Each one of Dior’s designs were made to order so you could choose the fabric and trims to personalize your dress.

“…some people will always wear a brooch in the same place…Another woman with fashion sense will…pin it, with a coloured chiffon scarf, to the hip pocket of her suit – it will look marvellous and be twice as effective.” – Christian Dior

” A wise woman never discards a dinner or evening dress that’s becoming to her, no matter how often she’s worn it.” – Christian Dior

“There is no key [to good dressing] If there were it would be too easy, rich women could buy the key and all their fashion worries would be over! But simplicity, grooming and good taste… cannot be bought… they can be learnt, by rich and poor alike.” – Christian Dior

I created a thrifted outfit inspired by Christian Dior.

Everything I’m wearing is vintage.

The tight fitted jacket with overstated puffy shoulders and the fuller skirt is reminiscent of la Belle Époque which was Dior’s inspiration for many of his deigns. My 1980s’s jacket is embroidered with floral flocking. Dior was partial to embellished pieces.

Are you a fan of Dior?

Linking up with the lovely Patti for Visible Monday.