What to do while on vacation - Part I: AMSTERDAM

"All my life I have been trying to learn to read, to see and hear, and to write." -Carl Sandburg, author and poet

"You have a much better life if you wear impressive clothes." -Vivienne Westwood, designer

Ok, ok, I know I said I thought I would stay away from de blogspot until I finished up the site revamp and gaining access to a new laptop, but I just had to post my meager thoughts about the upcoming vicenze. So what follows is just a brief summary of my Wish List for July 24-27...

Amsterdam Highlights I hope to hit (keeping in mind I'm only there for 3 days):
- the Bloemenmarkt
- the Leidseplein
- Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Gallery, Heineken Brewery
- A canal tour of the various grachts (canals) - Prinsen, Rozen, and Kaiser among
others
- A couple of bike tours of Amsterdam (suggestions on this much appreciated!)
- PC Hoofestraat (best shopping street in the Netherlands)
- Of course de Wallen, aka. the Red-Light District!

[Other spots I'd like to see while in Amsterdam but won't have time for: a day trip to Antwerp or the seaside, the Vondelpark, the Jordaan neighbourhood, a beautiful restored neighbourhood full of cobblestoned streets, the Nieuwmarkt - one of the oldest Jewish neighbourhoods in Western Europe, and includes the world-famous Anne Frank Huis, as well as being the birthplace of one of the formative influences on my writing and life, Baruch "Deus sive Natura" Spinoza.]

So excited, any other suggestions before I move onto Milan - Bratislava - Vienna - and New York City for Parts II/III/IV and V??

Oh, and on a complete aside, according to a New York Magazine article, after the completion of the latest Fall-Winter couture shows in Paris and Milan, the following are the (ahem, unofficial) Top 5 Fashion Trends for the upcoming fall season, with my personal spin on it:

The Various Fashion Trends for Fall/Winter 2006
(Courtesy of Style.com - Comments and spin by My Canadian Tuxedo)

Trend #1. Knee-high boots - prepare for the Return of the Sky-High Legs(tm), such as at Anna Sui (below), who began to offer the dark hosiery/patent boots option once again. For some reason, even though it's very "pimp", gold and metallics are also making a resurgence. Call me crazy, but I like it! Glam is in!!

Daria in Anna Sui jumper and accessories - my question is this: How will sleeveless fly in mid-December?

Anna Sui gold boots. Because she loves GOLD, bwah-ha-ha!

Trend #2. Black is the new.... black? As there was not much colour on offer at the various runways of Karl for Rochas, Lacroix, Zac Posen et al, it appears that my charcoal and black wardrobe that's been languishing in the back of my closet will see the "light" of day once again. In other words, Goths are it (as in Olivier Theyskens' for Rochas, below):

She looks like she'd be into Marilyn Manson, non? Memo to make-up artists backstage at Rochas - raccoon eye makeup is what happens after the club!

Lacroix also enjoyed plum, turquoise and other jewel tones for his collection. My question is - whhhyy a black pageboy haircut?

Trend #3. The Annie Hall look returns -Unfortch for the rest of the world that doesn't receive the royalties that Diane Keaton surely must for all the blatant early 70s image ripoffs designers have been copping to over the years. Seriously, she was so visionary, doncha think?

Alexander McQueen had tartans, ties, granny boots, and antlers on his F/W 06 runways. Whew!

Just like Diane Keaton, old-school and menswear inspired, eh - seriously, do she and Woody realize how ubiquitous her look would become?

Trend # 4. And the Canadian Tuxedo vote for *WORST FALL TREND*... THE CAPE! How dare they offer this as an "alternative" to my love for tweedy, fall coats! Unacceptable, ugly, unfit in a Canadian deep freeze , but it appears it is (sigh) fast becoming a new trend. Paging the Phantom of the Opera!! Oy, Yves Saint Laurent and Marc Jacobs, what were you thinking....? Don't we remember what a bloody fiasco the poncho was way back when? DO YOU?

YSL Fall 2006 shrug/cape thing= ugly, ugly, ugly.. For a variation on the (ugh) trend, see also Marc "I love the 1970s" Jacobs:

Trend #5. Feminine edges and fur-lined cuffs - Some very cute looks were offered from Burberry Prorsum for fall, and included cutesy feminine detailing like bows, puffed sleeves, more empire waists, and... the return of fur? Somebody page PETA, it looks like protests outside of Bergdorf's and Neiman Marcus will abound if they've got anything to say a about it. For inspiration look no further than Gemma Ward on Burberry Prorsum's runway. So cute!

Gemma Ward is cute as a button isn't she. Now this I can see working in a Toronto winter - this is more of what I want to see in Ready-To-Wear!

For more wickedly good posts about upcoming fashion looks for fall, check out:
* Elle Magazine
* W
* New York Magazine
* I am Fashion
* Shoewawa
* Allure Fashion

That's all until tomorrow, folks!