FOGO A GO GO

So I have been out and about in the spring drizzle doing nothing as fabulous as meeting Iris Apfel, but that is like seeing a unicorn twice. But meeting Fogo Island Inn founder Zita Cobb didn’t suck either -- two landmark women within several weeks! It is to plotz.

For the uninitiated, Fogo is the largest of the offshore islands in Newfoundland/Labrador and the trendiest/hottest travel destination. "Fogo Island is a salty Narnia," says Zita.

Me and the aforementioned Fogo Island Inn founder, social entrepreneur Zita Cobb at the Holt Renfrew reception on April 12 for their Fogo Island pop-up shop featuring such artisan goodies as hand-made quilts. Fogo Island is home to 2,400 people in 11 communities. Cobb grew up poor on Fogo but is making up for it. Her inn has a two-night minimum with rates starting at $1,545 Canadian with a three-night minimum in July and August. Too rich for my blood but there are B&Bs on the island.

 Bumped into Hans Gerhardt, genial former GM of Sutton Place Hotel (or the “Slutton” as we used to call it) and his gracious wife Helga at the party. Ahhh. We have such fond memories of the Slutton’s Loni Anderson/Burt Reynolds memorial suite and hearing Shelley Winters anecdotes from the hotel’s legendary butler Werner Jankowski, which got more colourful depending on the amount of champagne he consumed.

Yummy grilled octopus from Buster’s Sea Cove eatery at the seafood end of the St. Lawrence Market. We braved the cluster fuck on the day before Easter to get turkey parts and scarf down this dish, best octopus I’ve had since Greece.

When I went to university I hung out at pubs sipping flat draft beer (I hated beer and drank it through a straw fashioned from a piece of red licorice – I know, so wrong for so many reasons) in jeans and a shapeless T-shirt. So I was taken aback so to speak to spot this coed at the Duke pub on Prince Arthur in her backless black top. Kudos to her; I never could pull that look off.

Me at the Winners location at Bathurst and Lawrence, one of the best sources for Runway items. I am auditioning a Christian Dior black swing coat reduced from whatever to about $1,300 which is still undoable. A fellow shopper agreed. “Winners has to get over themselves charging that much.”

A close-up of the coat, which didn’t fit me but will be a good fit for someone in the Forest Hills neighbourhood. At least I had a Christian Dior on my back.

If my fellow shopper was outraged over the price tag on the Dior, she had a meltdown when I showed her this Etro man’s white cotton shirt with embellishment. It was marked at $399.99 “comparable at $680.00.” Seriously? Charging $700 for a white shirt with froufrou at the neck? It must be palatable in a parallel universe. In some galaxy Gene Roddenberry is smiling.

Me and fabbo femme around town Val Dooley celebrating her “fossil” birthday party on Sunday at Dora Keogh Pub on the Danforth. Val has undergone tons of iterations from restaurateur to realtor. I have known her since she had the fashion line Toots way back in the ‘80s when we were zygotes.

Me, writer Rosie Levine and photographer/image consultant Yanka Van der Kolk doing peace work at Val’s party.

Who doesn’t love a bargain? As I have always said, full price is for amateurs. So I was chuffed to get this perky pair of fuzzy slides almost free.

They are knockoffs of the hot ones from Prada which retail for about $450 a foot. Not gonna happen. So I checked the Nordstrom website and found reasonable facsimiles from knock-off czar Steve Madden going for a palatable $40 but they were sold out in the bold colour combo. Oh well. Then during a drive-by at the Winners Dundas Square location, I spotted these beauties that were knock-offs of Steve Madden by the Qupid label priced at $20. Gotta love it. Sold!!!!

I really didn’t need another hat; I’d have to be a multiple-headed hydra to wear all the ones I already have. But I sauntered into the BCBGMAXAZRIA  shop on Bloor Street because they were advertising a closing sale with up to 80-percent reductions.

How can a girl resist that siren song? I scored this 100-percent wool topper in an intoxicating moss green regularly priced at $110, reduced 50 percent then take off another 30 percent. Hello? I am so there.

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.

WINNER'S CIRCLE

I don’t normally get out of bed for less than 70 per cent off but I make an exception for Winners. Okay, we know it is hit or miss but when you hit, it can be epic – like the Rag and Bone black jumpsuit I scored for just over $100 because it was missing a button and it was seriously mislabeled. It was tagged a size 4 and I haven’t been a size 4 since I came out of the womb.

On Tuesday, Winners/Marshalls hosted their media spring preview at their Spadina showroom and I was so there.

The cool graffiti signage at the entrance to the showroom.  They should install it in one of their shops.

I am obsessed with these sandals, which are just the right side of skanky with a combo of camo and Versace chain.  The best Winners locations for shoes are College Park and Cloverdale Mall. Just sayin’.

This is my fave piece, a fringe belt – yes, a fringe BELT – to be worn over just about everything. Allegedly it has the endorsement of Kardashian Kendall Jenner, who rocked it over black leggings.

This lasared leather dress just screams Celine to me but at a fraction of the price.

The definitive winning combo: A soft mauve fedora – what a knockout colour and it actually fit my ginormous head – with the requisite platform brogues.

The best tank for your workout because who can’t relate to this? Behind it is a fabbo pair of Kate Spade floral pants.

HOLIDAZE

Happy New Year. The holidays are finito. It’s all over but the caloric aftershock. I am still suffering from fromage overdose. I consumed so much cheese I swear I have become lactose intolerant.

The upside is there are heavy-duty sales going on. On New Year’s Eve, I dropped by the Kind Exchange location in The Beach just for the exercise, lured inside by the 50 per cent off signage in the window. They were doing brisk business, primarily women seeking the perfect LBD for that night. They'd left it dangerously late, but everyone seemed to find something, thereby alleviating the eventuality of showing up at the party in underwear. 

I scored a Mickey Mouse tank for $3 (because a girl can’t have too much Disney product on her body), a Calvin Klein moto jacket for $17 and a Stella McCartney dress for $30, which I had interviewed at Winners for 10 times the price. I had a brief flirtation with a Danier black leather blazer but was discouraged from purchasing it by fellow shoppers who pronounced it too big and boring.  Such is the camaraderie among thrifters. 

Big bargoons are to be had at Anthropologie, my go-to for yummy dinnerware, specifically the hand-painted plates from Paris when they are on sale. I glommed onto an impossibly cute bunny bread-and- butter plate that was originally $14, marked down to $6.99 and reduced another 40 per cent. It was a no-brainer:  my Starbucks green tea latte costs more than that. 

But the granddaddy of savings is the $1.98 floor at Ends in The Beach. Everything is new and everything is $1.98 -- including trousers and jackets. Lots of samples but you have to be prepared to hunt. I cashed out with a bag of goodies totaling $18 and including a fake fur collar, three tank tops for Rob originally marked at $45 each, a wool beret with cool grommets and an army jacket. 

Merry markdowns everyone.

Our version of a Christmas tree this year -- because our kitten Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. is a one-cat wrecking crew. This arrangement somehow remained unscathed for a remarkable two weeks.

Me and Christine Henry, my bestie from grade 10, doing a selfie at the subway after our traditional holiday dinner in Greektown. The venues vary but the wine count is inevitably in the two-bottle range.

We had a minor holi-blaze this year involving the old-crow-regarding-skull installation on the kitchen window. The skull is a candle which I left unattended. No casualties, except the old crow got a hot foot.

I encountered this foxy TTC fare inspector at my local Starbucks. She manages to look like Pam Grier à la Foxy Brown even decked out in bulky Kevlar vest. But not all fare inspectors are so affable. I got yelled at by one for taking a photo of an ad in the subway. Apparently photography is forbidden on TTC property. Seriously?

Cute couple alert at our fave local eatery, Xola. They are fashionistas with complimentary head wear and are both texting after dinner, for which she picked up the tab.