Chic Delights: Banana Republic

View of the CN Tower from Queen's Park.

Spring in Toronto is a time when even everything comes out from the winter hibernation. The weather is lovely, warm, mostly sunny with some rain to help nurture our trees and flowers. During a lovely Saturday morning walk around Toronto, we discovered some Spring elegance around our City coming out with wonderful colours in nature, in fashion, shops displaying outside their garden wares for sale, bicycles coming out and even Mademoiselle from Marie Antoinette's Court came out to join our Spring fun. Then at the end of enjoying our Spring walk, we were ready to sit down and hang out at a Yorkville patio on this lovely Spring day. Enjoy this first day of June!

Victoria College, University of Toronto in full bloom.

Tulips on Bloor St.

Lanvin Yellow Tote and Chloe Brown Sandals from Holt Renfrew. Yellow necklace that looks like Egg tarts from Banana Republic.

Working outside in the Garden Conservatory at Yorkville's Teatro Verde.

All for sale displayed outside at Yorkville's Teatro Verde.

One of my favourite things during Spring is the bouquet of flowers for sale outside the shops.

A bohemian bicycle ready for a ride.
Do you know that June is designated as Bicycle month? Get your bicycles ready and head out for a ride.

Mademoiselle enjoying the Spring sunny day.

Relaxing and enjoying the Spring day on the patio at Yorkville.

Happy Spring Weekend!

Keira Knightley is back on the movie screen. This time as Anna Karenina, the classic novel written by Leo Tolstoy. Keira is one of my favourite actors. I have watched her in Bend it Like Beckham, Pride and Prejudice, The Duchess, Atonement, among her most notable films. In Anna Karenina, Keira's acting and beauty just flourishes especially when she is working with Director, Joe Wright, the same director in the movie Pride and Prejudice. The movie is released in North American theatres starting on 16th November 2012.

It is about time that a movie is made during this century about Anna Karenina. It is one of my favourite novels that I am reading again. I admire Tolstoy as a writer because he wrote this novel during the late 19th Century about the choices made by women about love, their lives, what they gave up in Society, how they faced the consequences of their choices, which all turned out to be so dramatic and tragic for the main character. It is an immoral novel but was actually autobiographical for Tolstoy as the novel showed his conflict with morality and religion. Tolstoy decided to solve this conflict by killing the sin. Triumph of good vs. evil. Based on the movie reviews, the movie stays true to the novel. What I am looking forward to watch on the screen are the dramatic costumes, the make-up and the movie set, all coming together to showcase the story of Anna Karenina.

Here are some beautiful, haunting and dramatic pictures from the October issue of Vogue USA titled Poise and Passion:Keira Knightley.

Costumes for the movie was designed by Jacqueline Durran.

'Enchanting was that lovely face,' wrote Tolstoy of his creation.
Photo credit: Anna Karenina Movie.

Jude Law as Count Alexei Karenin, husband of Anna Karenina.

The Lover, Alexei Vronsky played by actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Keira Knightly being prepped for the movie by Hair and Make-up Designer, Ivana Primorac. To read her interview about the movie's Hair and Make-up Design, On the Movie's Location.

Photo credit: Style.com.

Even clothing company, Banana Republic, has a capsule collection in their Stores inspired by Anna Karenina.

Everybody is welcome to join my Giveaway.

Photo credits: Vogue.com and Style.com.