Off with your head, DANCE til your dead

I dance ballet, jazz and lyrical and I constantly have to revive my dance closet with new gear. Some of the costumes I had to wear for our shows... are pretty funny.

Like this one (I was a monkey one year):

But I also have to get dance-wear for my every-day training. One of my favourite pieces I wear for jazz and lyrical is the Jo&Jax unitard (Tease in Royal Blue and Black). Here’s my favourite part of the unitard: the back!

Sports bras for most girls are the usual lululemons. They are breathable and supportive.

For ballet we usually wear pink ballet tights and a leotard. Shopping for leotards is exciting. There are so many nice ones out there. I really like Capezio and Bloch. They also have shorts, shoes and accessories. I shop at Discount Dance for cheap dance wear.

Dance till you're dead.

The Royal Wedding

Hopefully everyone had a chance to watch William and Kate’s wedding, because everything was beautiful! Everyone’s dresses and suits were all so elegant and then there’s Kate. Her dress was amazing! Her dress was perfect. It was simple and clean yet intricate and detailed. The bodice fitted nicely and her train flowed gracefully. The long lace sleeves gave the dress a vintage Victorian look which represents the British history. Her dress was by Sarah Burton the successor of Alexander McQueen (R.I.P).  I’m sure after watching this spectacular wedding, many engaged women will have a Kate Middleton inspired wedding dress. I would.

You must have also seen all the fascinators and hats on all the women that attended the wedding. I thought that was a very brilliant tradition. It’s not every day you can show off your over-the-top hats. I’d like to wear something like that one day.

Here are some of my favourite ones:

         Sophie Winkleman                           Tara Parker Tomkinson                         David and Victoria Beckham

And then theres' Princess Beatrice and Eugenie....

StyleQuotient

I found this website that has pictures of just regular people in Vancouver that have style. I wouldn't wear some of the stuff but I appreciate that they have their own style. It inspires me. Here's the blog, StyleQuotient. And kudos to that person that manages that blog. I don't think I can go up to random people and ask to take their pictures!

SWEAT it off

Last month during Spring Break I attended the S.W.E.A.T. program at the Art Institute for Fashion Marketing. There are other courses you can take like Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Recording Arts, etc. I learned a lot during this course. My teacher Guy Babineau taught us things like magazine advertising and historical fashion figures. During our 4 days there, we worked on our own individual pages for our mock magazine. I had to do the Runway Review. The hard part was making it look like part of the magazine. But I managed. By the end of this program I was jammed with information. I definitely will go back, but maybe for the Fashion Design course. 

This is the page I did (sorry the page had to be cut off bit).

Menswear for Me.

          Menswear for womenswear. I'm pretty sure most people have worn something that guys usually wear like a dress shirt, oxfords, blazers, or ties. I'd add a feminine touch like a belt or a girly colour to it. There are also womenswear that are inspired by menswear already.

Suspenders are awesome. I'm planning to get some soon. I think they're especially good on shorts.
Dress shirts are sweet. But I'd add a belt or shape to the waist to not look baggy.
Oxfords; they're expensive if you want nice ones. I'd definitely get a slim fit pair. I have a pair of Steve Madden ones. I love them!

 

        

 I watched the Victoria Secret fashion show today. It was amazing. The models are gorgeous and everything was extravagant and extraordinary. The ideas and creativity was...  I can't even explain it. If you missed it, that's quite a shame but wait till next year's, it'll be bigger and better!

 

      If you want to watch things about fashion instead of reading it sometimes, the H&M fashion videos are helpful and interesting. and guys can watch them too! ;)

        Keep reading!

What is Fashion?

Coco Chanel: Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”

         Most people would just think Fashion is clothes; what you wear on your body. But there's so much more than that! You're wearing art! Fashion is infinite. The descriptions are endless! People say don't let the clothing wear you, but really, the clothing is the body and you're the clothing. You have so much more than just a piece of fabric. Ultimately, clothing just helps you cover yourself up however you want to.There is no real definition of Fashion.

Diane Von Furstenberg : "I am inspired by women and I design to inspire them."

Lauren Hutton : "There's no such thing as fashion. Fashion is an idea to make you think that you're not in it at all times. Fashion is what you're offered four times a year by designers-and style is what you choose"

Karl Lagerfeld: You have to take time off if you have a boring job. But my job is perfect. I do it in the best conditions.

Cecil Beaton: "Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary" 

Coco Chanel: In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.”

Christian Dior: Zest is the secret of all beauty. There is no beauty that is attractive without zest.”

Yves Saint Laurent "Over the years I have learned that what is important in a dress is the woman who is wearing it.”

Fashion Need

I'm really into fashion. I want to move to New York, go to Parsons and, work at Vogue or just do anything in the fashion field. I'll figure out which field later. That's my dream. But for right now, I just research, read, watch, and shop fashion. I know this goal is far-fetched. If you have any connections let me know. ;)

Shops I shop at and love are: Urban Outfitters, Anthropology, Forever 21, Express, Wet Seal, Arson and Orb, American Apparel, Winners, Sterling (shoes), H&M and Nordstrom. [Those are just some]
Some favourite fashion books: Teen Vogue Handbook, In Fashion, In Vogue, Influence: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson and A to Zoe.
Some good fashion shows: Fashion file, America's Next Top Model, Britain's Next Top Model, the Annual Victoria Secret Fashion show.
Fashion Websites:  Net-A-Porter.com, Dollhouse.com, Style.com, Shopstyle.com, Fashionweekdaily.com, demicouture.ca, vancouverfashionezine.com

Chase your dreams.

Cindy Lou to Pretty Reckless

Ever heard of Taylor Momsen? Shes from Gossip Girl and she's in a band called the Pretty Reckless. She was also Cindy Lou-Who from The Grinch stole Christmas. A lot of people hate her because she acts provocative and very controversial but  many other people love her style. Although I think she doesn't act her age much but I still admire her especially her style and music.  She's only 17 years old. Sometimes I wish I could wear some of the stuff she wears, but I know that I couldn't pull it off as well as her. and also I would get in so much trouble. :P What do you think?

I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!

I never wear watches but I think I should start wearing them but they're so unattractive and bulky. So I found these necklace pocketwatches and I love them, but not many stores sell them. They're really nice, they're not like the old grandpa pocketwatches nor like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland.
The only store I can find these is Urban Outfitters. They're not so cheap but I'll try to find cheaper ones.

My personal favourite: Romantic Cluster Clock Necklace $28.00
A more futruristic pocketwatch: Digital Heart Watch Pendant Necklace $29.00
A traditional one: Assorted Clock Necklace $28.00


Also I've been reading this book The Teen Vogue Handbook: An Insider's Guide to Careers in Fashion and its one of my favourite books although its non-fiction. This book is really helpful if you want to pursue your life in the fashion industry which i want to do. I've learnt so much from it and it made me realize that somewhere in the fashion industry is where I want to go. I'm not sure exactly what field I want to be in yet but I'll figure that out the more older and clever I get.

Rodarte!

 

One of my favourite designers are the Mulleavy Sisters. They are behind the brand Rodarte. Their designs are so different and unique that if you wear them out you will be unforgettable. Many of their sweaters, which i really like, are worn by a lot of celebrities like Kristen Stewart. Their idea in making these kinds of sweaters "are done like broken spider webs-delicately unraveled. They're tightly wound in some places and very loose in others," as they say. 

Their dresses they design are one-of-kind as well. I wouldn't wear their dresses because I'm not sure if I could pull it off but I would definitely get their sweaters. Even at the Vancouver Olympics figue skaters like Johnny Weir and Evan Lysacek wore a crocheted jumpsuit made from them.
Though you can find their collection at Nordstrom you can find a more affordable line at Target. I'll be looking for them next time I go down for the states. You can see their collection here .                     

Welcome. :)

Hey! Welcome to my blog. I named this blog Paperbag Ballerina because the Paperbag Princess was one of my favourite books when I was younger and I am a ballerina, so I blended them together. The Paperbag Princess exuded confidence even though she was only wearing a paperbag.
I'm starting this blog to share and show everyone my high interests in fashion, good finds for shopping, and basically anything that could help us look good. I will occasionaly post some fashion events especially in Vancouver where I am from and also anything thats fashion worthy to share. I'm just starting and I have lots to learn so bare with me and hope you all enjoy my blog.

Comment about what you think, and tell all your friends about this. Thank you! :)