Oh La La Buckler

I am so thankful to have many men reading and following my blog. When I launched GypsyMe I aspired for the ladies as well as the gentlemen to enjoy my posts. And although I sometimes feature some girlie fluff on my blog, I always make sure to add those masculine touches here and there. This post however is strictly dedicated to all those men who dress to impress. If you like to keep up with the season's most fashionable gear, then look not further because I've found your new favourite store.

During Fashion Week, my friend Michelle and I got pulled into a sassy store event while walking up Queen Street West. Buckler is a menswear brand founded in 2001 by Andrew Buckler - known as a designer who “disregards the universal monotony that plagues menswear”. The label melds roguish American style with British edge which makes for fitted, stylish and comfortable clothing for work or play. For work, Buckler has teamed with Gansevoort Tailors to introduce a line of made-to-measure suiting. As for play, the designer offers traditional guys a chance to look ruggedly handsome in the outdoors.

Buckler currently only has stores in London, New York City and Toronto. Michelle and I loved the 700 Queen Street West location and the event. The store had racks of clothing that party goers could explore while they enjoyed music by a guest DJ and complimentary Champagne all night. They even handed us gift bags with some high end men's products which I will pass onto my brother.

Trendy music, free cocktails and an abundance of great looking men - I guess it pays to be in the right place at the right time.

Me, Michelle and an English chap we met at the event

Voila - Some looks from Buckler's fall 2010 collection. I am a big fan of the boots featured with every outfit. There's something very sexy about a man stomping around in big high topped boots wouldn't you say?

Denim on denim is a very popular look right now. Feel free to pair any coloured pieces of denim together. Wear jeans with a jean shirt, jean vest, jean jacket or go wild and wear all three at the same time!

This line focused on grey and neutral tones.

Doesn't plaid remind everyone of autumn? Plaid is trendy no matter what way you wear it. When the weather cools down wear your favourite button up under a cardigan, add slouch cargo pants tucked into heavy boots and you're set.

This menswear brand captures a polished look while staying true to its signature rocker vibe.

Tip top tailored

These are great street wear looks. A little hat and some boots can instantly add some spice to any ordinary outfit of jeans and a button up.

A fitted sweater under a detailed blazer is a strong look for an evening out on the town or a fancy dinner.

Romona Keveza Spring 2011

Toronto's LG Fashion Week is now winding down. Having had such a hectic week, I was only able to catch two shows - one being Romona Keveza's Spring 2011 collection of evening and wedding wear. As the final show Thursday, models gracefully strolled the runway with hair slicked and tied back, minimal makeup and absolutely no jewellery to ensure all eyes were where they should be - on the phenomenal gowns.

The collection featured flirty cocktail dresses as well as ruffled, sleek and lacy evening gowns which all emphasized an hour glass figure. Every fashion show should end with a wedding gown and this one had several. The wedding collection showcased the most beautiful architecturally shaped and mature wedding dresses.

It wasn't hard to catch onto the theme of this particular show - sophistication. And as a little hint in case anyone couldn't figure it out for themselves, a small clip from Breakfast at Tiffany's played beforehand. Lots and lots of inspiration came from old world glamour such as the many dresses that focused solely on lace. It was very Audrey Hepburn à la 2011 if I say so myself.

Keveza is a London, Ontario native who now works in New York. Her gowns are so stunning, but when it comes to weddings I'm not much of a traditional gal. I took at quick peek at some of her past work and couldn't stop drooling over two dresses from her Spring 2010 collection. They are so classy and I just love how both are cut a bit above the knees and one even has pockets. These would be perfect for any fairytale garden or beach ceremony.

PICS

Here are a few things I fancy...

Breakfast - The MOST important "meal" of the day

My girlfriends, dresses, big hair & cocktails :)

Memories of Paris

Afternoon naps

Rainy days

Packing up the car & going on road trips

Beauty

Night time

Love

Pieces Don't Fit Anymore

I've been twisting and turning in a space that's too small

I've been drawing the line and watching it fall

You've been closing me in , closing the space in my heart

Watching us fading and watching it all fall apart

Well I can't explain why it's not enough

Cause I gave it all to you

And if you leave me now

Oh just leave me now

It's the better thing to do

It's time to surrender

It's been too long pretending

There's no use in trying

When the pieces don't fit anymore

The pieces don't fit here anymore

You pulled me under so I had to give in

Such a beautiful mess that's breaking my skin

Well I'll hide all the bruises; I'll hide all the damage that's done

But I show how I'm feeling until all the feeling has gone

Why I can't explain why it's not enough

Cause I gave it all to you

And if you leave me now

Oh just leave me now

It's the better thing to do

It's time to surrender

It's been too long pretending

There's no use in trying

When the pieces don't fit anymore

The pieces don't fit anymore

You pulled me under so I had to give in

Such a beautiful mess that's breaking my skin

Well I'll hide all the bruises; I'll hide all the damage that's done

But I show how I'm feeling until all the feeling has gone

I don't know why

Well I can't explain why it's not enough

Cause I gave it all to you

And if you leave me now

Oh just leave me now

It's the better thing to do

It's time to surrender

It's been too long pretending

There's no use in trying

When the pieces don't fit anymore

The pieces don't fit anymore

The pieces don't fit anymore

Oh, don't misunderstand how I feel

Cause I've tried, yes I've tried

Still I don't know why

No I don't know why

Even more alluring than reading these lyrics are actually hearing James Morrison's sexy, smoldering and raspy voice belt them out. Not many people I chat with know of Mr. Morrison or his exquisite songs. It's as if the man can find the perfect words to describe his heartaches and muster all that sorrow to exude it in the songs he sings. I would be one happy woman if he could just serenade me every night before I fall asleep.

Happy Oktoberfest

It's that time of the year again when people gather to indulge in beer, sausage, sauerkraut and polka music all in the name of Oktoberfest. There are 700, 000 visitors who flood the Kitchener-Waterloo region to celebrate the second largest Bavarian festival in the world (the first being the original Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany). Carrying a "go big, or go home" motto with me at all times, I dressed in dirndl, alpine hat, sipped some fine lager and danced my little heart out. I wouldn't have had my first Oktoberfest experience any other way.

My partner in crime for the festivities was a local celebrity/my best friend, Nicole Stuber. Nikki, who was crowned Miss Oktoberfest 2007 and looked dashing in her lederhosen getup, is still very much involved with each annual Oktoberfest. She works very hard every year to organize, run and attend most of the week's events including charity breakfasts, competitions, galas as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. We started the night at her club (The Kitchener Schwaben Club) and split a German combo meal which included sausage, sauerkraut, schnitzel, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffed cabbage rolls and bread. We washed down the carbs with more carbs AKA beer. After the traditional meal, I'm sure the traditional dirndl which Nikki lent me for the night was about to bust at the seams. So we hit the dance floor where I was taught all the official Oktoberfest dances along with the song lyrics all somehow revolving around beer and Jagermeister.


We were joined by two brave ladies to create the only all-girls team for the log cutting competition. Two girls had to sit on each end of a log while the other two took turns sawing. The team with the most cuts in the log in the allotted time won. We were pretty proud of our third place finish considering first and second place teams were made up of burly lumberjacks. Our prize was a lovely set of 2010 Jagermeister foam horns in a shade of construction orange.

We ventured over to Condordia Club, which was over capacity very early on in the night. Luckily Nikki had all the connections and we had no problem getting into the private board room and sneaking some Jagermeister shots with the club president. Adjoined to the club was a huge tent filled with veteran beer chuggers, music and more delightful carb-induced meals.

I learned a lot about the German culture this week. Not only do Germans love beer, but Nikki's cousin who was visiting from Germany, taught me that the knots tied onto a woman's dirndl are an indication of her marital status. I found the rundown very interesting.

Knot tied on left side = single and ready to mingle

Knot tied on right side = married, engaged or "taken"

Knot tied at back = widowed or divorced

I couldn't understand why Andrea, wearing her beautiful green dirndl, tied a knot at the back of her dress for most of the night. Well aware of the symbolism (or so she thought), she believed the back knot indicated her sacred virginity. When I broke the news about the cold hard truth of her back knot, it clicked as to why men weren't approaching her that night. It's funny how women have to carry around their baggage and symbols for all to see and judge while men freely scamper around in their lederhosen. We had a good long laugh and then shared another pint of beer. Prosit!

My BFF and I dressed in full German garb

The only all-girls team

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Shot skis!

Limbo mania

Secret handshake

A Love Story

Love can fill the heart just as easily as it can break it. I heard the most devastating love story the other day and decided to share it on my blog. It seems like a story one could only read about in books, but this one is real and it doesn't have a happy ending just yet. It breaks my heart to know it may never have the happy ending all love stories deserve .

Awhile back I visited a friend from out of town. During my visit, I noticed a man would always be sitting on the front porch next door. From various trips to and from the house we would always see that neighbour sitting on the porch and pleasantly wave hello and goodbye. I knew it wasn't sheer coincidence this man just so happened to be on his porch every time we were coming and leaving and my friend finally explained his story.

Years passed and his children grew into adults and had families of their own. He never dated again or remarried. To this day, he hardly goes out and continues to turn down all invitations to date. He spends all his days sitting on the porch of the house he once shared with his true love, for the woman who jaded him to hopefully pass by.

He told my friend he is waiting for his soul mate to come back. He waits for her everyday. And he will continue waiting as long as he has to for the one and only woman he's ever loved, despite the fact she broke his heart into pieces so tiny they couldn't even be picked up and mended together again. So his heart remains broken until the day she returns. There isn't another woman out there for him and that is why he refuses to date. That and the risk of potentially getting into another relationship at the same time she may come back into his life. If she ever returned and saw he was with another woman, he knows he would lose his chance at being with his soul mate again.

The saddest part of this story is the man's ex-wife has been happily married to another man for over ten years now. She lives far away and the possibility of ever seeing her pass by his porch is slim-to-none. She's had more children and although the two rarely speak, he knows that she is content in the life she lives now. With all this said, he still grasps onto hope that she will return to him one of these days. He continues to turn down dates, meeting new women and being happy again, because he knows the only way he will truly be happy again is with her.

I still see him sitting on the porch every time I visit my friend. I'll wave hello and goodbye and my heart hurts knowing he's waiting for the happy ending that may never be.

Ghost Soldier

YouTube sensations seem to be increasingly popular these days. Just about anyone can create a video of themselves and broadcast it across the world. Some have become overnight superstars such as "the double rainbow guy" for his exaggerated love and astonishment for double rainbows. However there are actual talented artists who post themselves on YouTube and deserve much more attention.

A boy from Boulder, Colorado that goes by the pseudo name "Ghost Solider" is one of these deserving musicians. This kid has some serious background training in playing the drums and has now posted 87 videos of himself playing drum covers of well-known bands. I along with many of my friends have been blown away by his performances. It impresses me that by being so young and having such a great ear, this musician could literally step in as the drummer for any band out there at any given time.

I can't stop watching his videos because he's just so darn entertaining. I don't know if it's because of his conservative demeanor, big curly red hair or the fact that he somewhat resembles the lead character in Ratatouille. His passion and talent are definitely worth checking out.

Exhibit A - Not-so-deserving YouTube sensation (but still very funny) - Double Rainbow Guy. How does this man have over 17 million views? This boggles my mind!

Exhibit B - Ghost Soldier playing Metric cover

One of his most impressive posts is Ghost Soldier playing the Cousins cover from Vampire Weekend. This is such a demanding and difficult song. Normally drum parts are meant to hold rhythm and timing in the background, but this particular song features drums in the foreground where a lead guitar would normally be.