LIP SERVICE

My bad. I have been out of town visiting pals in the hinterlands and have not updated the blog for weeks.
But there will be shoes.

My tireless foot soldier Tom Sandler has been snap happy, shooting the party folk in their finery.

 

SHOE DEPARTMENT

 

Going for the golden glitter at the Literary Review Gala at 1 King West.

Put on these dancing shoes and dream in technicolour.

A black magic woman right down to her pedicure.

Silver platforms are made for an event like the Imagine Gala at the Westin Harbour Castle in support of the Pinball Clemons Foundation.

More Pinball wizardry: sexy suede stilettos.

Leapin’ lizards in pointy-toed blue.

These black-and-white crocodile cuties rock!

Leopard has always been the new black.

A lip-print installation by Canadian photographer/artist David Drebin, who debuted his revolutionary photo sculptures at Art Toronto in October.

This pet portrait spotted at Winners is not remotely revolutionary but it is so cute. Though distinctly royal, it is not a corgi.

The All Saints coat that got away. Loved, loved, loved it but it retails for about $600, and it was either buy that or pay my water bill.

Jewelry designer Rita Tesolin, the coolest woman at FashionCan Runway Shows & Yorkdale Expansion Preview. She is wearing her own bijoux and a rockin’ coat by Simon Chang.

A creepy hologram of either Slash or Alice Cooper in the men’s lounge area of Nordstrom’s at Yorkdale.

A zebra ponytailed pair of Gucci pumps at Nordstrom’s, celebrated for their shoe section.

How can you miss with this fun fur? It goes with everything. And nothing.

SOME LIKE IT HOLT

Holt Renfrew has just opened a location at Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga. It is mind-blowing -- 130,000 square feet of fabulousness with grey graphite stone walls and custom-made marble flooring designed by the New-York based architecture and interior design firm Janson Goldstein LLP.

I went to the media preview shopping night last Thursday and sucked up champagne while oohing and awing over all the stuff I couldn’t afford. Look for other locations renovated with the same fabulous designer footprint.

Among the celeb guests: the dynamic designing Smythe duo of Andrea Lenczner (left) and Christie Smythe. Christie is wearing a coat from their highly-coveted pre-fall line. I am totally obsessed with a khaki military coat from that line but I would be happy to make this one a good home.

Me with a floral Gucci bag that just calls my name. However, since it costs over $3,000, I would have to live in it.

A lifetime supply of nail polish spilling over a bar on display in the men’s section.

This dapper dude was one of the best dressed. His shirt and coordinating pants are by Roberto Cavalli and his jewelry by early John Hardy.

The personal shopper area upstairs complete with fireplace, plush couches suitable for sleeping and attendant washrooms is dubbed “the apartment” for good reason. I could happily live there. Just forward my mail.

This lovely young thing is channeling Rihanna. She works in the mall but is not a Holt staffer, though easily could be.

Love these cool Tin Man brogues. Only downside, you would have to beware of wearing skirts lest you give them a free show.

NEW YORK STORE EASE

At the end of June (where does the time fly?) I spent 10 days in New York attending festivities celebrating the renewal of vows of dear friends journalist Pat Sellers and sports announcer Spencer Ross. There was much drinking of bubbly bevvies, noshing on pinwheel sandwiches and runny/stinky cheeses and doing retail recon, on the eternal quest for a specific pair of Alexander Wang sandals which I had spotted in runway photos and was determined to make mine. No expanse was spared.

The definitive Manhattan selfie, me and New York mag in the waiting room of Pat’s doctor where I was cooling my heels in anticipation of heading out to a street fair in steamy, wilting weather.

Me and May Pang, photo journalist and former lover of John Lennon during the renewal of vows ceremony in the courtyard of Pat and Spencer’s midtown prewar apartment building. I own one of May’s portraits of Lennon, taken during the same photo shoot which produced the iconic New York T-shirt image.

A display of fuzzy Manolo Blahnik mules at Barney’s department store which look like a high-end version of boudoir footwear from Frederick’s of Hollywood.

This is the coolest staffer at Barney’s. I am not worthy.

Still life at Starbucks: My fringe bag purchased in Italy hanging out with my green tea latte.

A stoic news vendor in midtown Manhattan decked out in a New York Post apron.

A rendition of Rome’s legendary Spanish Steps circa early 1900s in the City of the Soul Rome and the Romantics exhibit at the Morgan Library.

Here kitty, kitty. A Gucci sweater going for $1,800 at the Dover Street Market on Lexington Ave., where I lusted after everything but could afford nothing. Not nearly enough dough in the kitty.

A phenomenal pair of men’s jackets from Dolce & Gabbana at Dover Street Market. I don’t remember the price. I just kinda glazed over it.

This vest has so much going for it – including pewter buttons – and was on sale for about $1,200 which is more than a ticket to Rome.

The Empire State Building meets palm tree as seen from the rooftop lounge at 230 Fifth, at 230 Fifth (duh) and 27^th St. which is kinda touristy but you can’t beat the view. Just don’t have the lobster roll. You are paying $20 for a speck of lobster and a whole mess of white bread.

The re-newlyweds Pat and Spencer have a smooch at 230 Fifth. Awwww.

A black cat on brick, street art on West Broadway in SoHo.

The coolest cat in SoHo, a staffer at Alexander Wang flagship store at 103 Grand St., where I went in search of the elusive sandals (see below).

The highly-coveted and elusive Alexander Wang sandals which were ringing in at over $1,000 U.S. online and there was no way I was paying that. I discovered them on sale at Holt Renfrew for $619 the day before I was going to New York but I knew I could do better. I did the B’s – Barney’s, Bergdorf’s – but no go. I finally tracked them down at the Alexander Wang SoHo location but they only had one pair left – size 7 – and I am so beyond size 7. They were breaking my heart! So I texted my pal Barbara in Toronto and asked her to call Paul, the manager of Holt’s shoe department, to put aside a pair. She did and left a message about being reduced a further $169. When I got back from NYC and went to pick them up, Paul said, “You got a great deal. See the price?” They were $169. Yes, $169 reduced from $892! Foot note: Barbara can’t understand my passion for them. She calls them the “man repellers.”

Moi and the ravishing Katie Boland, my ersatz goddaughter and an extraordinarily accomplished actor/writer, mugging during lunch at Balthazar on Spring St. after bargain binging at Topshop.

Designer street performers doing their juggling/acrobatics outside Saks Fifth Avenue on Fifth Avenue.

The poster for Isaac Mizrahi: An Unruly History outside the exhibit at The Jewish Museum. He is having a good-hair day.

 A study in camel and red by Mizrahi.

Then there was this cashmere camel coat cut as a jumpsuit. What was he smoking? Imagine extricating yourself from a jumpsuit/coat in a public washroom where the coat would be puddling in the puddles on the floor of the loo.

Mizrahi is a gifted sketch artist, as illustrated by this design.

Mizrahi also designed for theatre and ballet. These creations could be not-too-distant cousins of Big Bird.

A frothy number featured in the amazing Manus x Machina in an Age of Technology exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is a blockbuster for the museum’s Costume Institute.

Feel free to fold and mutilate this Issey Miyake creation.

Examples of machine-made 3-D printer fabrications. Good luck getting a coat over these babies.

This glimpse of the stage door is the closest I got to the hottest ticket on Broadway, Hamilton.

Hopefuls camped outside the Hamilton box office in anticipation of scoring a ticket, autograph or a drive-by of the actors.

A newscaster doing colour commentary on Broadway is eclipsed by the colour of his pants, which match his little red wagon.

The requisite shot of the lights of Broadway taken in daylight.

An homage to Broadway veteran Tommy Tune in the window of Brooks Brothers clothiers.

It’s a kiosk at the Saturday street market on Lexington Avenue but it could easily be a souk in Morocco.

These look like piles of fruits and veggies but are actually mountains of fridge magnets that should not be ingested.

A vendor in the Goodwill booth at the street market totally rocks a vintage Pucci jumpsuit. Note it is not a coat.

Me, caterer Freya Clibansky and the inimitable Pat Sellers gobble carbs at Vanessa’s Dumplings during our annual Chinatown graze.