When Papyrus apologizes, they care enough to send the very best: 
It wasn’t even a big deal. In fact, it probably wasn’t even their fault. The stationery store had promised to send me a package, and it got lost in transit. But 2 weeks after the mysterious and minor disappearance, the manager of the downtown Calgary location at The CORE hand-delivered a lovely token of apology.
Personalized note cards! I just happen to work with one of the most knowledgeable printing experts in the country, who immediately told me that Crane & Co makes The Best Paper In The Business. When the White House requires stationery, they order exclusively from Crane. The 200-year-old company eschews killing trees — it prints on paper made from cotton. He went on to tell me about their embossing technique that uses a hand-crafted die and no ink, but these details weren’t even necessary. The cards had me at Hello, Little Piggy.
Just when you thought classic good manners appeared as often as pigs fly… 
Category Archives: Style
Miss Match Steps Out
If you love a pair of shoes so much you buy a pair of colors, who says you can’t wear both at once? Not Sing Tao journalist Phoebe Cheng (aka Miss Match), who picked up both sets of heels in Hong Kong. Much more subtle than my constant Aircast clash, while adding oomph to the Oval Room at the Fairmont Palliser.
Tiffany Tours the Tiffany Tour
Cuff me. Please. 
This Jazz Age-inspired diamond bracelet is one of the select pieces from the Tiffany & Co collection currently making pit stops at flagship stores around the world, including Sydney, London, Los Angeles and… Calgary!
Every year since 1845, Tiffany & Co publishes their Blue Book. Historical fun fact: it was the first mail order catalogue to be distributed in the United States. Now, with The Great Gatsby making it a banner year for bling, Tiffany is taking its catalog on the road. Four heavily insured items were driven across the Rockies in a heavily armored vehicle for a brief but breathtaking appearance tonight in the Oval Room at the Fairmont Palliser.
When Tiffany’s elite gemstones travel, it seems only fitting that the security detail keeps the aesthetics to the same high standards.
Tiffany’s design theme for 2013 is Art Deco, in keeping with the pieces designed specifically for The Great Gatsby. Baz Luhrmann’s film sets may have been entirely computer generated, but the jewels adorning his actresses were real. Unfortunately, the Savoy, a headpiece of diamonds and freshwater cultured pearls, only appeared in the pages of the Blue Book. Perhaps it was just as well — only four headpieces were made and at $200,000 all four are already spoken for. No sense setting your shopping sights on something that isn’t available.
However, there was more than enough ice on hand to melt the hearts of those invited to the champagne reception.
Mount Lefroy looms in the background of these diamond and platinum chandelier earrings.
Rocking the namesake: don’t mess with Tiffany while she’s wearing a $727,500 Tiffany ring.
H Project Opens at Holt’s
Alexandra Weston, Director of Brand Strategy at Holt Renfrew, brandishes her FEED bag given to her by Lauren Bush, who runs the charitable foundation of the same name. Pay $40 to buy one of the cotton bags, handmade by Indian artisans, and you’ll feed 25 schoolchildren in India.
That’s the point of H Project, the new boutique at Holt Renfrew in Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto. Satisfy your need for retail therapy and you’ll be fulfilling the real needs of struggling folks around the world. 
Buy a WeWood timepiece at an affordable price point of $120 and a tree will be planted. A portion of your purchase of Proof sunglasses, made from sustainable wood, will go toward sight-giving surgeries to people in India.
Many designers sell items with proceeds going to charitable causes, but rarely do they come together under one roof. Some, like Cornelia Guest and her cruelty-free handbags, were already selling their socially and eco conscious items elsewhere. Others, like Canadian designer Jenny Bird and her Guardian Tusk jewelry collection (proceeds go to the World Wildlife Fund) developed lines exclusively for H Project. In all, Alexandra has gathered thirty brands of apparel, accessories, home décor items and beauty products for the boutique, elevating fashion from style statement to ethics edict. 
In the midst of all this global artisan accomplishment, a local artist from the Alberta Printmakers’ Society strutted her silkscreen stuff.
Limited edition bags, handmade in Calgary, free with purchase at H Project. Take a stand and self-indulge. It could help change the world.
FCUK in YYC
Soon.
Soon these barns at the Calgary Polo Club will be full of ponies. Soon the grass will be green. And soon I will be wearing my helmet and using my mallet. But if I’m going to show up at the club like a hop-along groupie, at least I can do it in style. French Connection’s Nix Nights Block Dress has a discreet side zip and a subtle stretch in the fabric, giving anyone a flattering look that will fend off all Pretty Woman types.
After a working winter in California or surviving the subzero temperatures of being put out to pasture in Alberta, many of the horses have returned, enjoying their last few days of hay and relaxation before summer prep begins in earnest. Reassuringly structured and boxy, French Connection’s Westbourne Bag could tote a healthy selection of carrots…
…which would catch the attention of this guy. Enjoy that mane while you have it, buddy! You’re due for a haircut.
With the distance between all the paddocks and fields, it’s good to have alternate transportation at the CPC, especially if you’re moving slower than usual. Paired with their Polly Plains daisy white tank, French Connection’s floaty floral maxi skirt flows pleasantly in the breeze, allowing for easy pedaling.
The official polo season hasn’t started yet in Calgary, which means there’s still time to get your perfect divet-stomping dress. The styles seen here are available at French Connection.
OMG it’s opening!
The paint on this mural had barely dried when Target finally announced that the long awaited Western Canada rollout will begin: tomorrow morning at 8 am.
It’s a big box bonanza: 10 stores in Alberta, 9 in BC and 3 in Manitoba. In Calgary, bullseye devotees will be able to cruise the wide, well-lit aisles at the Chinook, Forest Lawn and Market Mall locations. Shawnessy shoppers will have to cool their jets until May 14.
Despite a nationwide press release, they’re calling it a soft opening. Perhaps it’s a nod to the lack of any type of star-studded gala, like the party that launched Target in Toronto. There are no events scheduled anywhere tomorrow — not even any red and white ribbon cuttings.
However, the attention to local detail in this mural almost makes up for it. Not only because this chic cowgirl is strolling past the city skyline punctuated by the Calgary Tower on her way to the Stampede grounds. But because, geographically, it’s pretty accurate. The Tower is a few blocks northwest of the building the mural is painted on, while the Stampede grounds are just across Macleod Trail, to the east. The copy continues the theme from Target’s television ads. And even though some people are still miffed over the first commercial use of the song to Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, Target has Canadianized it. Bon travail, neighbour.
La Tomatina
Crutch-free but Aircast, I limped in for a lap around Holt’s this weekend. Since there are no high heels in my immediate future, of course I was drawn to the shoe department, where greenhouse-grown tomato red pumped-up platforms seemed to straddle every display, across the designer divide. This pigment is no blushing pre-teen peach. This is full blown, in-your-face, plan-your-outfit-from-the-ground-up to grow from the hot hue of non-organic fruits injected with color-inducing chemicals. Splat!
Preparing for battle, Prada upgrades their classic patent leather platform to a juicy peeptoe. 
Gucci drives an accelerated edge of souped-up salmon into their wedged weapon of choice.
Miu Miu’s patent pump packs sly stilletto sparkle.
Tangential forces take Jimmy Choo’s tangerine to another level of fructose friction.
But blood orange doesn’t have to mean blood blisters. Prada waves the neon cantaloupe flag with a low-heeled peace offering to flatlanders everywhere. But an actual tomato truce? Never. There ought to be a festival or something.
Color Blocking
The good new is… 
Look at my nose! This camera doesn’t pick up the details that are still bugging me, but the skin graft scar is starting to settle down. Also, I’m getting a little better at the coverup action. A lot of the time I go with concealer only — no foundation or powder, which can accentuate the lumps and lines instead of hiding them. Today I’m using Lancome’s Maquicomplet in the Camee shade, which is darker than my actual skin tone, but seems to do well against the scar, which is still a little red. The creamy liquid is enriched with a hydrating botanical complex, antioxidant protection and light-diverting agents, which seems to be a magical combo for me. Also, it never gets flaky. Which is good because I have enough stuff going on with my beak right now.
Meanwhile, the bad news is… 
Crutches! I thought twice about revealing this, concerned that regular readers may start to think I have major bad medical mojo. That would be one way of looking at it, especially since someone mentioned that my warranty must be up. But I prefer to think that I am renewing it. In this case, a toe alignment issue (aka brutal mutant bunion) meant there was no way around it: the operation had to be done. 
But with this color blocking going on, this post had to be done. I’m loving this royal blue shirt, especially now that I’ve realized I don’t have to wait for a flat abs day to wear it, if I layer something flowy underneath. The brand is confusingly called Ttee, so good luck googling that one. I picked it up at Anthropologie, which always has unique casual wear. Grey shirt, Armani Exchange. Skinny pants, Mossimo for Target — USA Target since they still haven’t opened in Calgary yet. Shoes, Adidas. 
I tried to channel Marilyn from the time she sprained her ankle while filming in Banff, but she makes the crutches look sexier than I ever could. However — you know what she didn’t have? 
An Aircast!! But let’s face it, even with the suspiciously Nike-like air technology, there is no style going on here at all. For $160, you’d think I could at least get a choice in colors. That’s right, my American friends! Canadian healthcare has a lot of good points, but every once in a while, the government decides you’re on your own when it comes to paying for parts of it. And the medical supply store knows you don’t have time to go online and buy the cast for $84.99. However, I digress from the real issue here: if your toes are going to be peeping out from any type of cast, whether it has foam-filled air cells or not, they better be pretty. 
Luckily I stocked up on a couple of bottles from L’Oreal’s Colour Riche Trend Setter Collection: Crazy For Chic, left, and Members Only, right. My toes are wearing Members Only. 
Take that, Marilyn! Meanwhile, let’s both ignore the guy on the walk sign behind me, making it look easy.
Suddenly Last Summer
I. Can’t. Wait.
We finally had t-shirt weather in Calgary today, which got me all restless and dying for polo to get started. Last year we played right through September. These are my photos from the final day of the season: September 30, 2012.
Hair before the match is looking halfway decent, which is nice, because it won’t after I put my helmet on. Meanwhile, Lobo catches a pre-game snooze and misses his first photo op of the day. 
On the other side of the trailer, groom extraordinaire Andres Felix uses his trademark move to get the tail braid just right. I made it my goal last summer to learn how to do this, thinking I was setting the bar a little low for my polo achievement of the year, but it is so damn hard. However, by the time the leaves started turning my tails were staying together through the games… usually with a lot of tape. And never as pretty as the ones pictured here.
Speaking of pretty, see if you can spot the pair of bipeds having a tandem pre-game pee on a tree.
Back to Andres! Besides being able to prep a pony with effortless efficiency, most grooms are usually skilled players themselves. Andres often gets recruited to round out a team in Kyle Fargey’s coaching league. If he doesn’t have a pair of boots handy, he’ll MacGyver up some vet wrap. And why not, if the color matches the helmet?
I was too busy playing to take any action shots. Looove saying that! But after the final game of the year, I had to take some time for a little love-in with Lobo.
It may not have been totally mutual… 
But he managed to PR the moment eventually. Shirt and pants, both US Polo Association. Boots, Friedson Brothers.
The matches in Indio have wrapped and the horses are on the road, heading back to their summer home. The countdown to the Calgary Polo Club 2013 Season is on!
Feeling Beachy Cream
A delivery like this definitely brightens up the day: AERINS’s new Beach Cream has me dreaming of building seaside sandcastles while effortlessly conditioning my hair. I’ll be test-driving this and AERIN’s other Shell Color summer goodies in a future post, my current sans sand situation not withstanding.