Casey Wagar

July 22, 2013August 3, 2014 Casey Wagar Fancy, What to wear

Rebecca Minkoff & Hip Jewels

78f6b3900e4611e29f0922000a1fb76f_7 — Image from minkette.rebeccaminkoff.com

When I was in New York recently I went to this fashion seminar put on by Fashionista and Rebecca Minkoff spoke about her hugely successful – and growing – line. Originally specializing in handbags, Rebecca and her brother (also her business manager) talked about how they’re expanding her brand to be a complete lifestyle collection including clothing, shoes, jeans, sunglasses and jewelry. Much like her handbags, all the items are well priced. I’m especially into the jewelry collection. There are some cool pieces that are sure to sell well. Made up of various metallics (silver, gold, rose gold,) studs, glitter, spikes, enamel, leather and vibrant colours, the designs are fun with a bit of a rock and roll vibe. The pieces also look hip when layered. Pile them on! Check out the whole jewelry collection here.

At the same seminar, Zac Posen also spoke and wisely said that the customer is the ultimate muse. And I’m sure this is true for Rebecca. She understands her customer and you can tell she designs with them in mind (think young-ish, hip, cool style but not over the top or super obvious). She’s also opening her first boutique in Soho this fall. I took at peak at the space recently and it’s going to be a super chic spot. Looking forward to checking it out next time I’m in NYC.

Make sure to watch the video below of fashion blogger Leandra Medine from the The Man Repeller having fun with the spring jewelry collection. She definitely represents the vibe Rebecca is going for.

July 21, 2013August 3, 2014 Casey Wagar Fancy, What to wear

Super Cool Michael Kors Two-Toned Ankle Strap Pump

Black and white is huge right now and it’s going to continue to be throughout the fall. And the ankle strap isn’t going away any time soon either – which is a good news because I love heels with ankle straps. They’re chic, current and can be pretty sexy too. That’s why these Michael Kors black and white leather pumps with an adjustable ankle strap are kind of perfect right now. The heal isn’t too high (4 inches) so one can actually walk in them – which is always a bonus. They also come in all black too. At only $165 this is a really good shoe and a great price. Check them out on michaelkors.com.

July 15, 2013August 3, 2014 Casey Wagar Fancy, Fancy Stuff, What to wear

Chandally Jewelry – A New Fave

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — “Shalosh” organic cuff – 18k vermeil & blue sapphires ($740)

I always insist on checking out Henri Bendel, one of my favourite spots to look at cool jewelry, when I’m in NYC. They often have awesome truck shows with really cool and talented jewelry designers. And during my recent visit a couple of weeks ago I met a lovely jeweler named Sharon Chandally. I was super impressed with her line – the detail, the craftsmanship and originality. It’s interesting and chic, while still being soft and wearable.

Sharon comes from a long line of silversmiths and you can tell – creating jewelry is in her blood. She sculpted as a teenager and then studied both industrial design and musical instrument construction at university and the skills she learned are definitely apparent in her work. It’s organic with an architectural element that makes it especially original. Having been trained in an ancient forms of silversmithing and finding influence from her travels to places like Israel, New Zealand, India, Ghana, Benin and Japan, Sharon creates jewelry pieces that are practically sculptures.

Her materials include 18K vermeil and sterling silver with stones such as black diamonds and sapphires. I’ve posted three of my favourite pieces here but definitely check out her site to see more of her super interesting designs (I’m totally am getting a ring). This is impressive work and I’m looking forward to following Chandally as her line grows and to see her future creations.

“Kanaf4” long earrings – 18k vermeil ($175)

All photos from Sharon Chandally – thank you!

July 4, 2013July 4, 2013 Casey Wagar Fancy

Famous & Fancy Vanderbilt Mantelpiece

The Metropolitan Museum in New York is unquestionably one of the best museums in the world (and one of the three largest) and I always find it super hard to process the countless unbelievable pieces throughout all the exhibits. But one of my favourite exhibits is The American Wing which is comprised of many incredibly beautiful pieces from The Gilded Age (think Gatsby). One piece that’s always fascinated me in this Vanderbilt mantelpiece, which originally dominated the entrance hall of Cornelius Vanderbilt II on 5^th Avenue & 57^th Street. The famous mansion (really an American castle) was, and is still to this day, the largest house ever constructed in New York. It was dismantled and demolished in 1925 and the property is now the legendary store Bergdorf Goodman.

The mantelpiece was donated to the museum by Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt after the demolition. And it’s huge (15’ h x 12’ w x 3’ d) – you can basically walk right in. The artist, John La Farge, created the lavish structure that includes two female figures that act as architectural support for the intricate tiled mosaic which depicts a woman holding a garland. Above her head in Latin is the phrase “The house at it’s threshold gives evidence of the master’s good will.” Well that’s telling of the owner, isn’t it?

The Vanderbilts were known for their garishness, over-the-top opulence and extravagant spending – they were beyond fancy. And this mantelpiece is a good reminder of just how extravagant they actually were. It’s also one of the few remaining structures from the famous 5^th Avenue mansion.

I like to think I went to a party or two at the Vanderbilts in a past life. In fact, I’m pretty sure I did.

July 2, 2013August 2, 2014 Casey Wagar Fancy, Supermodels

90s Supermodels Back Big Time – Naomi Opens Atelier Versace, Christy Stars in Two Fall Campaigns and Cindy Covers Muse Magazine

Fifteen years after her last Versace runway appearance Naomi stuns as she opened Paris Fashion week the Atelier Versace A/W 2013 show in Paris on Sunday. She strutted down the runway like she hasn’t missed a beat. Naomi has long been associated with the brand and was a close friend of Gianni Versace’s so it was super cool to see her in a Versace show again after so many years. It reminded us all of the great Versace shows of the early 90s. At 43, Naomi continues to be one of the busiest of all the original supermodels.

This week it was also announced that Christy Turlington stars in the two major fall campaigns – Prada and Jason Wu, not to mention reprising her role as a Calvin Klein underwear model. The photos were recently released and she looks incredible. Both Cindy Crawford and Grace Coddington have said that Christy Turlington is the most beautiful women they’ve ever seen. Her face is pretty much perfection. In fact, Christy’s face inspired the faces of the mannequins at the Met’s Costume Institute – you know you’re gorgeous when…And Christy is a true activist and does a lot a great work with her charity Every Mother Counts.

I’ve always loved Cindy the most – there’s just something about her. And she’s also been working more lately than she has in years. Although she hasn’t returned to the runways or starred in any major campaign recently, she’s seems to be doing non-stop editorial work to the point where it’s hard to keep up. Her latest is the summer issue of Muse magazine where she looks better than ever in the spread and looks legendary in a “Cindy Crawford” shirt on the cover. I loved the shirt so much, I even went and had one made! Yep– I sure did. Check out the video below to see more.

Now if we could only see all these girls together again on the cover of Vogue, I’d be a very happy fancy fruit.

June 20, 2013November 26, 2014 Casey Wagar Fancy, Fancy Stuff

Jeffrey New York

As many times as I’ve been to New York, and even though I’ve been meaning to go for years, last month was the first time I’ve ever taken the time to check out Jeffery – a very cool, chic and unique store on West 14th in the Meatpacking District. Carrying clothes for both men and women, Jeffrey has a pretty incredible collection of designer clothes and accessories – you will for sure see some pretty unforgettable shoes, bags and jewelry pieces. And most of the staff seemed friendly and attentive. Continue reading “Jeffrey New York” →

June 9, 2013August 3, 2014 Casey Wagar Fancy, Red carpet

Angelina Stuns on Red Carpet

Angelina has kept it pretty low key since she underwent a preventative double mastectomy but she made some pretty glam appearances on the red carpet recently for the premieres of Brad Pitt’s new movie World War Z. For her first showing, she wore a black floor-length Saint Laurent dress with a shear front. It was simple and not super exciting but suited her low key vibe. It reminded me of the red Azzedine Alaia Azedine dress Rihanna wore to the Grammys and I liked that one way more. But Angelina still looked beautiful, healthy and increadible as usual.

060313-angelina-jolie-350 — Photo from fashiongonerogue.com

For the second premiere, she wore a super good-looking black Saint Laurent suit. I love this look. It’s modern, simple and chic. It’s also a really easy to emulate – a well fitting black blazer with matching skinny pants that sit lower on the hip and slightly sheer black blouse with a bow tied at the neck. Then black stilettos. All of these pieces would also be great worn separately – good basics.

angelina-jolie-brad-pitt-world-war-z-paris-premiere-01 — Photo from celebitchy.com

Then after two solid black looks, she surprised everyone at the next premiere in an awesome and striking custom Ralph & Russo peplum dress with gold metal detailing on the sides. This is an awesome dress – super flattering, modern and feminine – and she looked amazing. The white stilettos keep it simple and the rose gold bracelet is pretty great too. I’m not familiar with Ralph & Russo but I’m sure we’re going to be seeing a lot more of their designs from now on.

Angelina#1 — Photo from fashiongonerogue.com

May 27, 2013May 13, 2015 Casey Wagar Fancy, Red carpet

Cannes Film Festival – Fancy Dresses & Jewels

Cannes 2013 — Cindy Crawford, Nicole Kidman, Cara Delevingne and Jessica Chastain on the red carpet.

Love looking at all the fancy dresses, jewels, celebs, models, parties and yachts every year at Cannes. It’s so over the top, it’s awesome. This is where some of the biggest stars go all out because Cannes is all about excess – so there’s no need to hold back. Here are a some looks I thought were fancy and memorable this year. Continue reading “Cannes Film Festival – Fancy Dresses & Jewels” →

May 24, 2013November 26, 2014 Casey Wagar Around Town, Fancy

Kouvert – What’s your hidden reality? And…what to wear??

karolina-kurkova-in-christian-dior-fall-winter-show-11-12_l — Karolina Kurkova in Christian Dior Fall Winter Show 11/12

ISES Calgary and the most respected professionals in the event industry are putting on an event (not to be missed) this Saturday day in support of the Canadian Cancer Society. Taking place at F2 Furnishings, Kouvert is going to be a combo of incredible culinary preparations and unforgettable entertainment. This is a group that knows how to throw a memorable party – and do it better than anyone. Continue reading “Kouvert – What’s your hidden reality? And…what to wear??” →

May 8, 2013May 6, 2015 Casey Wagar Fancy, Red carpet

Met Gala – Good, Bad & Punk

MetGala2013
The biggest night of the year for fashion. And my thoughts this year are mixed. The theme was “Punk: Chaos to Couture”. There was SO much opportunity to be super fun and creative but aside from a few people (SJP & Madonna to name a few), it just wasn’t very punk. Kind of disappointing. It felt like many attendees missed the memo altogether. But having said that, there were still many memorable looks. I wish I could mention them all.

Sarah Jessica Parker in Giles Deacon and Philip Treacy

One of faves. Could this be any better considering the theme? It doesn’t really get more “punk to couture” than this. It’s super high fashion yet doesn’t take itself too seriously. This is totally something Carrie Bradshaw would wear to the Met Gala. And her thigh-high boots are custom plaid Christian Louboutin.

Madonna in Givenchy Haute Couture

She’s Madonna man. And she didn’t disappoint. Fun. Fashion. Punk. One of the best of the night. And the detail on the Givenchy blazer is incredible. Madonna doesn’t want the readers of People magazine to like what she’s wearing and few can pull off this look quite like she can. It makes me like her again.

Giselle Bündchen in Anthony Vaccarello

Love this. Perfect for a supermodel like Giselle. It’s glam, sexy, fun and edgy. It looks like to a model in the early 80’s going to some puck rock bar in the East Village. And I like her hair styled like that too.

Sienna Miller in Burberry

This is spot on considering the theme. This spiked leather jacket is unbelievable. And so good over a long white dress. Love her hair pinned up to the side and her choice of accessories too. This is cool. And this is Sienna.

Gwyneth Paltrow in Valentino Haute Couture

“Gwyneth totally nailed it this year!” said no one. Major disappointment. Even though she annoys so many people, she has great taste and can wear pretty much anything. She normally does red carpets so well but this pink Valentino wasn’t a good choice. It’s boring on a night where attendees are encouraged to take chances. Apparently this had to do with the whole “pink is punk” idea but why not try and have a little more fun?

Cara Delevingne in Burberry

Big time model of the moment and this dress is made for the night. Love the spikes on the top. It’s like refined, modern punk. Why couldn’t Gwyneth have worn something like this? She would have been one of my faves if she did.

Jennifer Lopez in Michael Kors

I like this sheer long sleeve animal print dress. A lot. It reminds me a bit of Rihanna’s long sleeve alligator Tom Ford dress at last year’s Met Gala. And although it’s not super punk, it’s still a little edgy for Jennifer Lopez. And she has the attitude and definitely the self confidence to pull this off. I think her hair works well for the event too.

Rooney Mara in Givenchy Haute Couture

The detail on the dress is super impressive (the cut, the fabric, the zippers). It’s more goth than punk, and it’s not a big stretch from what she normally wears on the red carpet, but it’s still a solid choice.

Gwen Stefani in Maison Martin Margiela

When it was announced that Gwen Stefani would be in Maison Martin Margiela, it seemed like a no-brainer. Although, this is different, she didn’t bring it the way we all thought she would. How could she have not have gone with the punk theme? Gwen Stefani is super cool and can rock some pretty different things. So needless to day, this was pretty underwhelming. Gavin’s suit is pretty hip though.

Cameron Dias in Stella McCartney

Super different and a good colour. Also love the gold spiked belt. At least this is interesting and she took a chance. And apparently the cape is backless. But she looks a little stiff.

Beyonce in Givenchy

I know it’s the Met Gala and you’re totally supposed to go all out but this isn’t working for me. The fabric on the bottom is pretty incredible reminds me of old school Versace and the matching boots are cool but the fit isn’t very flattering and it sort of looks like House of Dereon (Beyonce and her mother’s fashion line). And that’s not a compliment.

Linda Evengelista in Marchesa

Not totally sure what’s happening here (Game Of Thrones I guess) but it’s Linda Evengelista and she’s a modeling legend. Also, along with Stella Tenant, was one of the only original supermodels to attend this year so I felt I had to mention her.

Christina Ricci in Vivienne Westwood

She got it. Plaid. Vivienne Westwood. Enough said.

Katy Perry in Dolce & Gabdana

This is straight from the runway for Dolce & Gabbana’s Fall/Winter 2013 show. It’s a cool look (very Dolce & Gabanna) but it’s not punk. She should’ve been able to take more of a chance and not just wear something styled the exact same way we saw on the runway a few months ago.

Anna Wintour in Chanel Couture

This is one of the night’s worst. Is she above the theme that she helped create?!? I don’t get it. She’s supposed to be the most powerful woman in fashion and she shows up to one of the biggest and most important nights in fashion in an uninspiring floral (really?) dress that excited no one. And it’s not like she’s not capable of going with the Met Gala theme. Remember the Chanel dress she wore in to the Met Gala in 2008 when the theme was Superheroes?

Blake Lively in Gucci Première

Another disappointment of the night. Blake is capable of so much more. Sure, this is a pretty dress and the detail is interesting but she’s young and cool. She could’ve had fun with her look and done something different. Like she’d be awesome in something from Balmain’s most recent 80’s inspired collection.

Kim Kardashian in Givenchy

Well this was unfortunate. Givenchy sure seemed like the go-to designer of the night. But this – not so much. In fact it’s pretty bad. Her face at least looks pretty at least, right? I bet she was SO MAD that the first time she is allowed to go to the Met Gala she’s pregnant.

All above images from buzzfeed.com (Getty Images).