I have this horribly sick habit of buying one or two new winter jackets every year – don’t ask how, why, or if I need them. It just happens.

I’ve had my eye on Mackage and Soia & Kyo jackets, but I think S&K have stolen the show this year. Rather than continuing to ride off the novelty of giant buttons on houndstooth, they’ve taken it a step further this season with asymmetrical lines and a wider variety of materials and styles.

I love me some wool jackets.

I rarely like down jackets, but I’m so sure that if I manage to find it in stores, I’m all over the Carolina Down jacket in Grey or Black. It’s classic and it’s striking. At the measly price of $260.00 (choke choke, that’s a good month of brown-bagging worthy), it’s almost a steal. No, actually I lied it isn’t, but I damn well want it anyway.

Radical and aggressive; am I describing the collection or the shoppers? Who knew polka dots and deconstructed lined could cause such a stir.

This year’s H&M designer collaboration, which featured the daring designs of Comme Des Garçons founder, Rei Kawakubo, was announced and released in 200 select stores worldwide. And just like all of H&M’s previous collaborations, this one was met with its fair share of shock and excitement.

But based on what we all know about Comme Des Garçons, I’m sure you – at some point or another – questioned what was to come.

Even fashion blogs were raving until they saw the collection in its entirety.

On November 8, 2008, our questions were answered when the collection made its debut in the Harajuku district of Tokyo, Japan – 5 days prior to its wide release.

It was a collection that must have caused a few scuffed shoes because the typical Comme Des Garçons feel of androgyny, asymmetry and atypical beauty flowed through the every stitch of every garment. It was simple and busy at the same time. It was frilled and it flounced.

It was Kawakubo at her best.

See the closet for yourself.

We all have our guilty pleasures. Some indulge in chocolate-y treats with no less than 400 calories a pop, while others enjoy frivolous television shows that make us realize how empty our lives are without an Upper East Side penthouse loft and/or kisses from Nate Archibald. I prefer to try on endless amounts of make-up at Sephora.

I’ve been a Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect in A Stitch of Brown gal for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, the chronic discontinuation-of-fabulous-lip-gloss-colours syndrome faced by my pal Christian forced me to branch out.

My initial feeling was one of hesitation. For a lover of fashion, I’m simple girl with simple needs. I had a good thing going with my three product make-up bag, thrown together after my mother suggested I needed to “do something” about my face. Christian’s very unwise decision disturbed my entire world order; I had to find a new gloss that looked the exact same and the only way to do that would involve trying them on.

Cautiously entering the Eaton Center location, I glanced around and tried size up the challenge that lay ahead of me. Approaching the Sephora brand display, I swiped the vampiest Dita von Teese-like red I could find and tried it on to get my feet wet. The colour was hideous, but at that very moment, I had an epiphany; make-up was easier than I thought.

27 (yes, 27) shades later, my lips were raw from applying and reapplying, but I had selected NARS Dolce Vita as my replacement and gained a new-found haven of relaxation. No calories, no dead brain cells and you come out better looking than when you first went in! What more can you ask for?

I’ve been looking around for awhile to jazz up my laptop. I’m not into putting stickers on my beautiful aluminum MacBook Pro… or attaching ugly plastic casing to make it look, umm… different. But when I came across Incase’s limited-edition laptop sleeves, I think I found something worth purchasing. Incase teamed up with Arkitip Inc. to bring a little bling to this laptop thing. Don’t get me wrong, the MacBooks are fine just they way they are, but they are becoming somewhat ubiquitous for my taste. So check out these graffitic (is that even a word?) laptop sleeves.

http://www.goincase.com/projects/arkitip
http://arkitip.com/curated/

Jessica Jensen designs coveted bags. Stunning design, superb quality, and an emerging brand, her product offerings are gaining large recognition internationally. Having graduated from Ryerson Fashion Marketing and worked on over 25 international brands, Jessica Jensen is extremely well versed in the world of fashion.

The element that has me captivated by the purses is the fact that each piece boasts a certain timelessness that’s rare to find. I had the chance to delve into the subject of Jessica’s expertise (after the jump).

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