Dior At The ROM

 Let's begin 2018 inspired by beauty and style. Toronto is lucky to have one of the Christian Dior exhibits to celebrate their 70 years in fashion at the Royal Ontario Museum,  Dior: The End Of A War.  The world was just devastated and destroyed by World War II, but Christian Dior persevered and presented his style and the beauty of haute couture fashion to the world. Many wealthy families from all over the world followed Dior including Canadians. The Dior clothes presented at the ROM were donated by wealthy Canadians from Toronto and Montréal. The clothes showed the history of Dior and the personal history of the clients who wore them: for a debutante, to celebrate an engagement then a wedding, attending a high society party in Toronto or having their bar mitzvah. My first introduction to Dior was through my father. When we were living in Manila, Philippines, he used to bring us to Rustan's, the country's luxury Department Store to buy his Dior clothes, sunglasses and the eau savage after shave cologne. My father was very stylish and through him, my brothers and I learnt about luxury designers and style. Christian Dior's style and influence in fashion will endure forever as his clients have stories to tell through his clothes and accessories. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christian Dior was first sold in Canada through Holt Renfrew in 1957.

 

 

 

As for my mother, she used to dress me in young girl's dresses like above made with lace, eyelet and crepe. The trio of elegant dresses above shows the transition from girl, to lady and a woman (bride dress behind), many Dior clients remained loyal throughout their lifetime. 

 "The world is wonderfully full of beautiful women whose shapes and tastes offer an inexhaustible diversity. My collection must cater to each one of them."

- Christian Dior, 1956

Dior Exhibit at The ROM runs from November 25, 2017 to March 18, 2018.

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Dior's Lip Glow

 These Dior Lip Glow products are my current favourite for this winter. Better late than never, but I recently purchased the Dior Addict Lip Sugar Glow which is made from real sugar and the Dior Addict Lip Glow in pink from Holt Renfrew Toronto Bloor Street store. The Lip Sugar glow is like a luxurious lip balm made with sugar which melts on your lips. It perfectly hydrated my dry lips during this winter season. It has a tint of pink which stays long on your lips. Then add on the Lip Glow, a sheer balm that adjust to your natural colour. This product comes in four different colours now - pink, lilac, coral and the new colour berry. Holt Renfrew does not have the berry yet but I am definitely waiting for it and will buy it soon it comes out. Now, I can't wait. 

 

Watch the above video for the tutorial from Bella Hadid.

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La Vie Est Belle

 The recent terrorist attack in Paris is very upsetting and sad. We pray and hope that justice will prevail than evil in this world. We always hope that in this New Year, we will continue to love and respect each other. Most of all, we should respect life which is God's gift to us. Life is precious than any religion or political belief. We may all have our own differences but we should learn to love and respect each other. I believe that God wants us to love and respect each other and to live in harmony with each other to the best of our ability. We should always remember that to love and respect each other is what makes life so precious and beautiful. 

The photos on this post were taken during my stroll at Rue St Honoré in the Right Bank of Paris. It is so dreamy and inspiring to walk there with all of the chic French boutiques and Hotels. Just like when I spotted this beautiful Hôtel Costes Flower Shop full of beautiful and fragrant roses. 

 It is every Bride's dream to wear a wedding gown from Paris. 

Miss Dior parfum is a classic. 

 Goyard is famous for its leather bags and luggage. 

 

Emporio Armani window display at Rue St Honoré.

 Shoes and bag selections from Jimmy Choo and Spanish Brand Castaner. 

"Love is stronger than hate"

 - Stéphane "Charb" Charbonnier, late Editor at Charlie Hebdo 

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Weekend at the Musée Rodin

One of my favourite Museums in Paris is the Musée Rodin, located at 79 Rue de Varenne in the 7th Arrondissement. Who would have known that here on the Left Bank, there is still a Mansion, with beautiful gardens filled with sculptures created by Auguste Rodin himself? The mansion is the Hôtel Biron which showcase all of the famous sculptures by Rodin especially the The Thinker, The Kiss and The Age of Bronze. Right outside the garden are sculptural hedges and divine roses all grouped together to smell so good. Scattered around the garden are more Sculptures completed by Rodin like the Gates of Hell, The Burghers of Calais and Balzac. You will be surprised that this place exist in the heart of Paris right beside the L'Hotel des Invalides which is in view from the gardens. This Museum is also a walking distance from the Musée d'Orsay. When in Paris, go discover the Musée Rodin inside and out. I suggest that you walk from the Musée D'Orsay as you will discover many more including the Parisian cafes and shops on the Left Bank. The Musée Rodin is also currently the home of the fashion shows of Christian Dior. 

View of the garden.

The Cathedral and The Kiss. 

Just like Michelangelo, Rodin has mastered the sculpture of the human body down to its dramatic and accurate shape and parts.

Le Penseur/The Thinker. 

Christian Dior has made the Musée Rodin their home to present their fashion shows.

  

 

Photo Credits: Christian Dior, Vogue.com

View of  Les Invalides from the Garden. 

The sculpture in the middle is Ugolino. The two sculptures at the back are The Meditation (right) and The Spirit of Eternal Rest (left). 

After visiting the Musée Rodin then Les Invalides, we walked back to Champs Élysées to have some afternoon snack at Ladurée. 

It was a lovely day spent in Paris. 

Bon Weekend! 

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Fall Style: Pink & Black

For this coming Fall, there are lots of Pink and Black on the Runway Collections and Accessories especially on Bags and Shoes. Pink is a great alternative for Red or Black. During Fall, we tend to wear darker colours because of the gloomy weather but there is an alternative now by wearing Pink. Will you wear Pink for Fall? Why not give it a try and add some colour and joy to your Fall Wardrobe. 

Balenciaga bags in Pink and Black. 

Valentino Rockstud flats in Hot Pink and Black.

Actress Carice Van Houten wearing a Dior gown in Pink and Black during the Premiere of the movie, The Fifth Estate at this week's Toronto International Film Festival. (Photo credit: Hello Magazine Canada).

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Spring Haute Couture Dreams

 

Sometimes it is nice to daydream when you see all of these beautiful Spring Haute Couture collections from  Christian Dior and Chanel. Here in Toronto, Holt Renfrew Department  Store displayed some of the Special Limited Collection of the Lady Dior bags in their store. From the above two pictures, we saw the Lady Dior designed with a flower encrusted with precious pearls while on the left photo is the version of the Lady Dior for a more casual look made in Raffia with a lavender leather handle. These bags are perfect to carry this week when attending the Cannes Film Festival in the French Riviera or the Chelsea Flower Show in London, England. Both events are simultaneously happening this week. With the Chelsea Flower Show dubbed the greatest flower show on earth and also celebrating its 100th Anniversary this year and Cannes Film Festival with its roster of Actors from all over the World, it is just fitting to attend these events in great style. 

Lady Dior Resort Bag refreshing style for Spring and Summer.

The Lady Dior bag was named by the Dior Fashion House after Lady Diana. This is one of Princess Diana's favourite bag when she became the Princess of Wales, carrying it around during her Official functions. This bag is one of the iconic and classic bags now in the Luxury Handbag market. 

Nicole Kidman elegantly wearing Dior Spring Floral gown during the Cannes Film Festival 2013.
This collection is from Raf Simons' Dior 2013 Spring Couture  Collection.
Photo credit:Vogue.com

Beautiful dresses for Cannes from Chanel 2013 Ready To Wear. These finale strapless dresses were pale backgrounds to three-dimensional sprigs and branches heavy with blossom. Although these floral dresses are from the Ready To Wear collection, they look very Haute Couture because these flowers and sprigs were handstitched into the material creating the three dimensional effect. Well, we are dreaming of wearing these Floral dresses together with those gorgeous Chanel sandals.
Photo Credit: Chanel at Style.com


May you all have a fabulous week ahead!

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