Sarah Hyland
What she’s wearing: The Modern Family actress showed up to the 6th Annual Power of Youth Event in Los Angeles, California in a floral Zimmermann dress.
Why we love it: The draping on the bottom half takes this floral dress to the next level since it adds a contrasting texture to the look. The draping technique continues to the back of the dress making for a pleasant surprise when Hyland turns around — it goes from sweet floral dress to a total knockout stunner! She paired it with Brian Atwood shoes in a cobalt colour and a matching Kotur clutch that both bring out the blues in the dress.
Takeaway: Pick a floral dress with interesting design elements instead of just basing your choice on the print itself. If you took away the print from this dress and remade it into a solid fabric, the dress would still be hot.
Kate Middleton
What she’s wearing: The Duchess of Cambridge arrived in the Solomon Islands in a bright geometric Jonathan Saunders dress during her royal tour of Southeast Asia.
Why we love it: If only everybody looked like this while getting off a plane! Then again, there’s usually not a red carpet waiting for you on the tarmac when you get off. We’re suckers for bold geometric prints and this dress has that in spades! Plus it’s in a unique colour combination of aqua, forest-green, and white, which makes it stand out and makes it fun. She accents the look with cream accessories: the heels, the clutch and hat (the Brits sure do love a good hat!).
Takeaway: When wearing bold prints, accessorize with neutral items to minimize the in-your-face quality of the bold print. The neutral accessories will really let the print stand out.
Emma Watson Read more…
When I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower in Grade 9, I was a slightly awkward freshman just like Charlie, trying to make friends and get involved in school. Even though I didn’t deal with the same problems as the book’s protagonist, there were evidently times when I felt alone.
The book’s author, Stephen Chbosky, knows these feelings all to well. On hand to present Perks’ film adaptation at TIFF (which Chbosky also directed), he reminded everyone in the theatre they should never feel lonely. “I’m so proud to be sitting in a room with 1200 people. Whether you like this movie at the end of the day or you don’t, just know that no one in this room is alone.”
His book gathered a cult following when it was released in 1999 and still resonates with many young people who deal with the universal challenges of growing up.
Plot:
The film stars Logan Lerman as Charlie, a bright yet awkward teen about to enter his freshman year of high school. Having spent time at the hospital to deal with the recent suicide of his best friend Michael, Charlie decides to cope with his loneliness by writing anonymous letters.
Hopeful for the upcoming school year, Charlie’s reserved and introverted nature initially makes it difficult for him to make friends. But once he meets the eccentric Patrick (Ezra Miller) and his beautiful stepsister Sam (Emma Watson), he’s soon introduced to a new world featuring mix-tapes, parties, sex, drugs and alcohol.
As things begin to look up for Charlie, curveballs continue to be thrown his way. He fights his growing feelings for Sam and struggles to push away unresolved memories of the past, all while realizing his friends have problems of their own too.
Things I loved:
The cast
The chemistry between actors is crucial in a coming of age story that focus a great deal on love and friendship, and the film couldn’t have chosen better leads. While Watson may forever be known as “that girl from Harry Potter,” it’s nice to see her tackle a more challenging role like Sam, a troubled girl who sleeps with boys for validation. Although she experiences a few challenges with her American accent, Watson flawlessly depicts Sam’s insecurities about getting into university while trying hard not to be Charlie’s dream girl.
However, it’s Lerman and Miller who shine in the movie. While Miller steals scenes as the cynical and sarcastic Patrick, Lerman hits all the right notes by providing a heart-wrenching performance that’ll make you tear up. Also appearing, are Paul Rudd and Nina Dobrev as Charlie’s English teacher Bill and his sister Candace.
The Soundtrack
Featuring songs such as The Smiths’ “Asleep” to 80s hits such as Midnight Runners’ “Come on Eileen” and New Order’s “Temptation ‘87”, the songs in this film will either take you back to another decade or make you want to create your own mix-tapes.
How it stays true to the novel (includes photos from the premiere below!) Read more…
By Sophall Duch
If you’re the major fashion fanatic we think you are, then you know this past week has been INSANE, what with New York Fashion Week, Fashion’s Night Out, the MTV Video Music Awards, the Toronto Film Festival and more. It’s fashion overload and we love it! If you want to check out some of the best looks from the MTV VMAs, take a look here. As for the rest, here we go!
Emma Watson
What she wore: The British actress showed up in this sleeveless black and blue-embroidered floral peplum Erdem dress at the TIFF premiere of The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Why we love it: This look proves florals aren’t just for spring and summer and can work into the fall season as well. The embroidered floral detail pop off this white mini is on trend with its hints of cobalt — a major colour for the fall season. The lace yoke (the part of the dress at the collarbone and shoulders) is also on trend for the fall, so expect to see lace yokes in a lot of upcoming looks.
Takeaway: Invest in cobalt pieces for your wardrobe. This hue has been popular for a while now but is making a huge splash in the fall runway season. If you’re not a fan of showing cleavage, then lace or sheer yokes are a good fashion technique to keep covered while not looking too demure.
Nina Dobrev
What she wore: The Canadian actress wore a stunning red Reem Acra cocktail dress to the LA premiere of The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Why we love it: The vibrant red-orange colour is a surefire way to stand out. Unlike her co-star Emma Watson’s dress at the TIFF premiere, this dress shows off Dobrev’s cleavage while still working in the embroidered lace detail in the sleeves. This dress manages to mix two trends, lace and cutouts, in a fun and stylish way.
Takeaway: If you’re not a fan of long-sleeve dresses (because let’s be honest sometimes long-sleeve dresses look older) using cutouts, lace, or other sheer fabrics keeps things youthful while getting to show some skin in a fun and strategic way.
Ashley Benson Read more…
Our beloved television comedy stars Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother) and Ed Helms (The Office) share the big screen for the upcoming indie film, Jeff, Who Lives At Home.
Directed by Jay and Mark Duplass who have received a lot of hype from their last film Cyrus with John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill and Marissa Tomei – but this could likely seal their mainstream success. It continues Duplass’ theme of family dysfunction with Segel as a naive mopey slacker named Jeff living in his mother’s basement searching for the meaning of life. He reconnects with his brother Pat (Helms) who soon discovers that his wife is having an affair – meanwhile, their mother (Susan Sarandon) is depressed. Holy dramedy, Batman!
It looks to be in the same vain as Helms’ Cedar Rapids or Segel’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall rather than their other efforts – it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to great reviews and is due in theatres nationwide on March 16th.
Glazing the city of Toronto in celebrity magic for one week in September, the Toronto International Film Festival has always boasted the ability to create a buzz and shed the spotlight on industry newbies.
Such is the case for Toronto native Mike Lobel -widely formally known as Jay Hogart from Degrassi: The Next Generation- who is experiencing his first induction into TIFF this year with the rock n’ roll comedy vampire-flick Suck.
One of the hottest Toronto spots to catch a view of a celebrity, the Sassafraz, was the spot of a five-alarm fire today.
The eatery, located in the chic Toronto neighbourhood of Yorkville, caught fire around 11 a.m., and required over 130 firefighters to battle the blaze, reports CTV.ca.
It is being reported that the fire started in the kitchen, and then spread quickly. Firefighters were ordered off the roof for fear of a collapse.
Damage is extensive, with officials saying it is unknown at this point if the building can be saved at all, although a dollar amount has not been announced yet. The fire is not considered suspicious; however, officials were quick to note the investigation into the fire is still in its early stages.
Celebs and fans alike used to gather at Sassafraz, especially during the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
