Gap & LOULOU Shop 'Til You Drop 2012

The calm before the shopping storm at Gap Masonville last week

My big head on a big poster featuring all the fun extras for Gap LOULOU Shop 'Til You Drop shoppers.  I've got one night onlyyy, one night onlyy, that's all I have to spare...

Chillin' with my mannequins, all decked out in pastels & pretty spring brights. 

The LOULOU & Gap Candy Bar where shoppers filled out ballots to win sweet prizes (& eat sweets, obvs)

RLR's resident street-styler Ashley kills 2 trends in one look:  perfect length mint green boyfriend roll-up shorts and a bold paisley blouse.

Friends Colleen and Jill add some brights to their spring wardrobes.  LOVE Gap's cobalt broken-in straight khakis (yup, I'm wearing the same ones above...).  Photos by Ashley Dance.

Gap asked me to be part of LOULOU Shop 'Til You Drop last Wednesday at Masonville Place in London and I just had to share pics from the night with you.  Shoppers came in droves to shop with us and walked away with great prizes, gift bags, treats and 30% off everything at Gap.  My spring trend report highlighted the season's key trends: from ways to wear pastels, to mixing prints, to bright whites, to the new distressed, low-slung denim.  Afterwards, my stylish shutterbug, Ashley and I invaded the change rooms to get ladies out of their dull winter duds and into Gap's spring brights, sweet pastels, pretty printed shorts and flirty spring dresses.  The result?  Loads of happy shoppers and some very refreshed closets. A huge thanks to Ashley, my friends at Gap and LOULOU Magazine for a super fun night.  Can't wait for next year!

Check out more pics from LOULOU Shop 'Til You Drop here:

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Ashley Vamps it Up

Ashley in animal print, denim & hot pops of red - (Sweater: Forever 21; Sunglasses: ALDO Accessories; Jeans: H&M; Pumps: Spring; Wristlet: Coach)

As the weather teeters between spring and summer try an animal-print pointy-toed pump with black pants, a trench coat and a great red bag or do as Ashley did by teaming denim with a printed sweater and red pumps.  Va va voom!  Thanks Miss Ashley Shutterbug for all your help at Lou Lou Mag's 'Shop 'Til You Drop' at Gap the other night.  You totally saved my life and helped make the night super fun. Ashley's pics from the night (she's a budding photographer, too) up on RLR next week!

xo

Paris in the Springtime

Isabel Marant Etoile's Spring Campaign - photos via isabelmarant.fr

Le Roller Girl.  La Bicyclette.  Le Boom Box.  Ahhh...Paris in black & white.  Is there anything better?

Pretty in Pastels

Originally posted in The LOOK

When it comes to colour, our favourite hues are a deeply personal matter.  My daughter, for example, is OBSESSED with pink..in fact she'll wear nothing else..to the point where she asked me the other day if we could rename her Pinkie-Pie - she was so not kidding. Meanwhile, my friend takes one glance at an orange sweater and a look of complete confusion crosses her face,  "Ugh," she'll say, "I just don't get why anyone would choose to wear orange."

This spring, runways were rife with vivid pastels in sorbet shades like lemon yellow, mint green, and soft bubblegum pink.  Yum!  The new pastels are a pretty departure from all the bold, vivid brights we've seen for the past few seasons and are a much less intimidating way to experiment with colour.   Love 'em or hate 'em, here are some key ways to wear pastels right:

Liven up your neutrals:  Punchy pastels contrast beautifully against whites, denims and neutral beiges & tans.  Try adding a pastel tee or sweater to your white jeans for an instant spring pick-me-up.

Go Head-to-Toe:  Top-to-toe pastels are not for the faint of heart, but look amazing when worn right.  Choose sleek silhouettes to avoid looking like a cupcake

Try Small Doses:  Take advantage of accessories to test out the trend.  A group of stacked pastel bangles or a great pastel bag will help you look totally current.

Add Spice to the Sweetness:  Nude or tan extras are super safe choices but I love how Emma Roberts unexpectedly teamed black with her mint frock.  A black leather bomber or killer black shoes add some necessary edge to all the ladylike sweetness

Splurge vs. Save: Instant Spring Updates

Splurge: Gucci Noah Calf Hair Pump, $725, Nordstrom

Save:  Coltskin Heeled Court Shoe, $99.90, Zara

Since ‘hot’ so quickly changes to ‘not’, it can be tough to keep it all straight. From this season’s top belts (goodbye skinny!) to the new silhouettes, to today’s ‘It’ print, I’ve put together 10 instant wardrobe-updates to keep you looking current this spring.  Check out the the full spring It-list at iVillage.ca

Last season's round toes have been replaced by pointy-toed pumps, which make every outfit look just a little more grown-up.  Though neutral shoes are always safe, I love these graphic printed pumps to add texture and dimension to your work wardrobe.