A little bit of class, A little bit of Rock and Roll

The best possible way to explain the essence of Madame Wolfe, is throw some distressed denim, a little bit of fringe, and top it off with a shot of Jack's. 

What more could a girl ask for?

Well, after shooting her designs, I walked away with a smile on my face and a pair of micro mesh short tucked away in my purse...but don't worry..they were a gift. 

                   f/18  1/100 ISO 100

    f/18  1/100 ISO 100

    f/18  1/100 ISO 100

    f/18  1/100 ISO 100

    f/18  1/100 ISO 100

Designs by Jenna Etcheverry 

Styled and Shot by: Anna Hovis

A Dream in Mexico

Taking a vaction in Mexico was absolutely a dream. Soaking in the beautiful sunshine and fresh salty air with the breath-taking scenery will make you forget about the world.

A sheer, tropical coloured garment becomes the perfect match to feel both comfortable and beautiful in one piece. It has a freeform silhouette with a thin string attached to accentuated the waist.

The rays of sunlight penetrating through the sheer fabric intensifies the colours of sunset. The colour combination of tangerine orange and lemon yellow creates contrast with the aquatic blues of the ocean, forest green from the palm trees, and the range of browns of the sand. The bleed through effect of the saturated colours not only creates emphasis but also harmonizes with the scenery through similar value and saturation.

The principles of movement is repeated within the composition of all three images as demonstrated through the curve line quality as well as the action of the model, concurrent with the tropical state of mind.

1/250. F3.2. ISO 100

1/250. F3.2. ISO 100

1/250. F3.2. ISO 100

Fresh Faced

When grocery shopping a couple weeks ago I was walking through the produce section admiring the many bright colours. Fruit makes me think of the tropics and ultimately spring. With this in my mind I couldn't help but want to incorporate some of these juicy colours into a fashion shoot. And that, my friends is how this shoot was born. Incorporating makeup and fruit, I wanted to showcase the ways you can add those vivid colours into your looks without feeling like your dressing up for a costume party. Whether its orange or red lips, green nails or any other colour, adding the colours to our makeup palette will bring it from drab to fresh. 

ISO 400. Shutter speed: 1/8. f-stop: 5.0

ISO 400. Shutter speed: 1/5. f-stop: 5.0 

ISO 400. Shutter speed: 1/5. f-stop: 5.0

Wearable technology that doesn’t like technology?

How much time would you say you spend on your phone on a daily basis? Well, I don’t know about you guys, but my life depends on my phone. While the introduction of Internet and smart phones makes our lives much easier, sadly, we have gotten so used to them that we would probably be lost without them. For that reason Kunihiko Morinaga designed a fashion line made of radio frequency shielding fabric that allow us to carry our mobile devices without them being a distraction. It is a quick reminder that sometimes we should take a break from our cell phones and embrace and focus on life!

ISO 800, f 4.5, 1/60

Not only is the concept of the designs important, as well, the designs are beautiful pieces to admire. They are a weird combination of complexity and simplicity. Yes, that’s right, the designs by themselves are very simple, but their creation is very complex. “We used fabrication techniques for outdoor gears that protect us from rain and wind and applied it to the garments to protect us from the storm of information” (Kunihiko Morinaga).

ISO 800, f 5.0,  1/50

Some of these techniques require seamless tailoring with no stitches, laser cutting and heat crimping, such as this winter coat.

                                                             ISO 800, f 4.5, 1/60                                     ISO 800, f 5.0, 1/60

 Or this beautiful dress covered in shield fabric.

ISO 800, f 5.6, 1/60

By the end of the exhibition I went home with a stuffed stomach and my own little pouch to ignore everybody’s call, haha, I’m totally kidding… just yours. 

From LaSalle to LaRunway

Went to Toronto's 2014 MasterCard Fashion Week 
a couple weeks ago to support 
Aime by designer Monica Mei again, 
except this time after her showcase
 I was able to see a different world of fashion, 
the Runway.

1/1250 | f/2.0 | ISO 1600

This runway showcased Claudette Floyd's pieces.
She studied at LaSalle College based in Montreal, 
hence the lovely punned title (hey, at least I tried!).
Here are a couple of my favourite pieces from her show.

1/1250 | f/2.0 | ISO 400

Love the sheer fabric flowing behind this model as she does her catwalk.

1/1250 | f/2.0 | ISO 400

This piece is lovely as well, the top had an interesting pattern cut, so I took many shots until I found one that displayed the pattern best. The rest of the day was quiet for myself and my last thoughts that day were,
"Toronto city is so pretty."

P.S. You can also take a look at Claudette Floyd's other garments at this link here: 
CLAUDETTE by Claudette Floyd

Boyfriend Jeans

Boyfriend jeans are definitely my favourite type of jeans in the spring time. They give you freedom to move freely and has the effortless look. More importantly, you won't have to struggle to get into them in the morning like skinny jeans. There are numerous ways to style them but here are just a few: 

f 1/16, 1/320, ISO 200

Everyday:

The easiest way to style boyfriend jeans is to keep it casual. Pair it off with an everyday jacket and a t-shirt then you're ready to go! 

f 1/16, 1/320, ISO 200

Fridays at the Office:

Styling these jeans with a structured blazer allows a more put together look, perfect for casual Fridays.

f 1/16, 1/320, ISO 200

Girls Night Out:

Lastly, styling them with a fancy top, statement jewellery and some wedges will make it look evening appropriate.

Man Crush Monday

Recently, my boyfriend came to visit me from Calgary for a week and was able to set up a few meetings and location scouts for one of the shows he's working on. Luckily I was able to tag along for a few of them, as I saw it as a good opportunity to take some photos. 

Being in a creative field, Geordie's style can be best described as business casual. Typically his outfits are built on layering, since Calgarians need to be prepared for drastic weather changes over the course of a few hours, and his job requires him to dress comfortably to go from being on set straight to a meeting. His go-to pieces for the week included patterned dress shirts, fitted pants, a blazer or cardigan, and combat boots. Simple layering of men's basics in combination with trend pieces allow for versatile and timeless dressing in professional settings. 

ISO 1600, f/3.8, 1/60

  

ISO 400, f/3.5, 1/60

ISO 200, f/3.5, 1/60

ISO 800, f/2, 1/50

Happily Ever After

As a little girl happily ever after was always the closing phrase when the princess bride rode off (horseback of course) into the sunset with her handsome prince and lived a perfect life from then on. In this case, the fairytale ending starts and ends at the dress and exclusively at the perfectly constructed, breath taking dress. 

I've been lucky enough to be working for the past year or so at a bridal boutique as a buyer and wedding consultant.This however has been not so lucky for my wallet, as I am forever now saving up for those 18 "perfect" dresses (let's be real, it's closer to 5). Everyday I go into work is like a fairytale come to life and I'm always excited to help all the damsels in distress

find the perfect dress to kiss their prince at the stroke of midnight.

These are some of the top selling happily ever after dresses of the month!

f 2.8, 1/4, ISO 100

                                                  Eve of Milady 

f 2.8, 1/4, ISO 100

                                                  Maggie Sottero

f 2.8, 1/4, ISO 100

                                                   Ronald Joyce

f 2.8, 1/4, ISO 100

                                                  Mori Lee

Daywear dresses with English Breakfast Tea

ISO 400     F-stop 4.5     Shutter speed 1/10     21 mm

     Introducing to you, Wendy Valere, a grandmother of four generations, who is from Trinidad but grew up for much of her schooling life in England. She had traveled much of her retired life, where she saw the world and all it had to offer. That was, until her husband unexpectedly passed away just years ago. She also recently has been diagnosed with a chronic skin disease called scleroderma, which essentially is the hardening of the skin. Therefore, her movement is becoming more and more limited. With this evidence her life is anything but glamourous. However, in her new one person condo, with her 40 year old Amazonian bird by the name of Billy, she lives a life she makes the most of and tries to enjoy the little things life has to offer. Therefore, this lifestyle shoot was a glamourized version of what Wendy does to relax and have some time to herself.

ISO 400     F-stop 7.1     Shutter speed 1/4     50 mm 

     With Wendy's English lifestyle past, tea (english breakfast tea to be exact), is a favourable time of day for her. Now, to just throw in your favourite daywear dresses, some pearls and a selection of your favourite little sweets to top it all off. 

ISO 400     F-stop 5.6     Shutter speed 1/8     50 mm

     With all that is going on in Wendy's life, it's the little things in life that need to be appreciated. A little pampering time for yourself is always a necessity.

ISO 400     F-stop 4.5     Shutter speed 1/8     25 mm

     It's amazing to see how daywear dresses and tea time can brighten one's day.

ISO 400     F-stop 4.5     Shutter speed 1/10     20 mm

     

     As, for Wendy, this photo shoot of her life glamourized made her feel as in her own words, "As a movie star". 

     

1 Shoe, 3 Ways

Although it doesn't feel that way, it is spring, and summer is right around the corner. I took a head-start (back in January) to the season when buying new items for my warm-weather closet, which included new wedged peep-toe sling backs. 

Take a look at how you can style these versatile shoes: 

ISO 200  |  f/5  |  1/20 

These shoes can be made casual, or dressy, and sometime even a bit of both… Whether it be for a lazy Sunday, a spring wedding or just to spice up an outfit, these wedged peep-toe sling backs are a must-have. 

ISO 200  |  f/9  |  1/20

ISO 200  |  f/9  |  1/20

ISO 200  |  f/9  |  1/20

Remember to keep it fresh (with a hint of Chanel perhaps?), it is spring after all! 

Boys, Boys, Boys.

If you haven't noticed already I prefer menswear, so this is another similar shoot. These are three of my best friends, Liam, Jahmal and Jeremy - aimed to show more of a natural, realistic portrayal of menswear and not try to be commercial about it at all.

• F-stop : 1.8, Shutter Speed 1/30, and ISO 1600 
  

Each has their unique style but they all hold an overarching preference for subtly, with little to no logos and generally neutral colours - letting the cut and style speak for itself.

• F-stop 1.8, Shutter Speed 1/15, and ISO 1600
  

Jahmal, above, is a talented music producer - among other things - and is breaking into the big leagues. As a result, he was gifted the OVO Roots Varsity Jacket from his mentor and was wearing it during the shoot.

And lastly, this is Jeremy - he has an athletic lifestyle and I think it really reflects in his clothing choices and in the way he wears them.

Rock Those Lips

Every girl likes to rock a bold lip every now and then. But it is important to remember not to over do it with the accessories. Let the lips do the talking. Try pairing your vibrant lips with one statement piece of jewelry to compliment your look. You can use either a necklace or a pair of earrings to frame the face.

1/50 F 4.5 ISO 800

1/50 F 4.5 ISO 800

1/50 F 4.5 ISO 800

Time to Work it Out

It is that time again ladies and gentlemen...It is time to get fit for bikini season, well at least for me it is. I want to shed some of those "winter warmth" pounds I have accumulated over this disastrously, long, bone cold winter. This summer is pretty eventful for me, I am in a wedding party, going to Greece and hopefully, visiting sunny Florida. Thus, the aspiration to look my best. So, I dug out the box and got all my gym essentials that I need to start working out again.

ISO 400, f5.0, 1/25

I have my brand new sports bra that is from Under Armour, which provides great support and it is extremely comfortable. In addition, you can wear it by itself, if it becomes too hot with a shirt, or just to show off your abs of steel.

ISO 400, f5.0, 1/25

Then, I have my FILA shirt, which has a black triangle design on it, making my waist look smaller than it actually is and that is always a plus. It also contains a moisture-wicking performance fabric which keeps me cool. 

ISO 400, f5.0, 1/25

Lastly, the necessity when going to the gym, is Nike running shoes. These runners are comfortable, and light. In addition, I love the pop of colour.

ISO 400, f5.0, 1/25

Happy Exercising!!

Brightening Up Spring

With the arrival of spring, warmer weather has come our way. Spring reminds us of bright colours, warmer days, and happier people. Unfortunately the beginning of spring welcomes us with melting snow, puddles, mud and dirt, exposing dull looking grass and bare trees.

To brighten up the mood, my friend and I found a few accessories to bring a simple lace shirt to life. We decided to pair the shirt with pink necklaces that can be a statement piece, yet also being feminine and simple. We were able to use one of the necklaces as a bracelet, as well!

Brighten up the beginning of spring with some fun, colourful and eye-catching accessories. 

ISO 400   f/5.6   1/6

ISO 800   f/5.3   1/4

ISO 800   f/4.8   1/8

ISO 800   f/5.3   1/5