Here’s a quick snap I took of the library at Canadian Parliament. I used Photoshop to invert the image as I wanted to make the sky look ominous. Overall I love the look – something from a horror movie. Fitting as Halloween approaches!
Author Archives: Nyree Costello
Picture Perfect Tuesday: Canadian Parliment
House of horrors? Nope just Canadian Parliament. Hand held. Available light.
Picture Perfect Tuesday: American Pride
I came across this emblem on the back of a pick-up truck in Ithaca, New York. I am always amazed at American national pride and love this particular display.
Fashion Fun Friday: The Humble Cardigan
As the temperature drops, I’ve noticed that the cardigan sweater has become a wardrobe staple of women working business-casual environments. A friend of mine commented on her growing collection of cardigans as a testament to the length of time she’s been working for the government. Office workers, especially government office workers, don the cardigan on a daily basis. Now that I find myself working in a business casual office, I am acutely aware of the number of cardigan wearing peers. The blazer is something I’ve fully gotten behind. Ask anyone I work with and they’ll confirm my love of a good black blazer. In fact, I currently have five black blazers in full rotation. The cardigan however is not a staple in my wardrobe. Or so I thought.
Over the years the humble cardigan has evolved from its knitted beginnings with buttons; to zippers, different fabrics and, as I discovered, a more modern version that just hangs open by design. These I have in abundance (in black, of course), so imagine my surprise to discover I’ve been on the cardi-wagon all along! When done right, the trusty cardigan can look like a million bucks.
Here’s a couple ways to rock your cardi at work:
- Wear a skinny belt on a light-weight medium-length cardigan. Bonus Points: over a pencil skirt for a classic corporate look.
- Layer a longer cardigan under a cropped leather jacket.
- Pair a floor length cardigan with a short skirt and tall boots.
- Tuck a fitted, waist-length cardigan into high-waist skirt or pants.
- The draped open-front cardigan (my fav!) looks sharp when matched with skinny jeans, tank and kick-ass heels. Bonus Points: Add a statement piece necklace.
Now it’s time to rock our brains! When someone compliments your awesome cardi-look, segue into this history lesson:
The cardigan was named after James Thomas Brudenell, the 7th Earl of Cardigan, who introduced what came to be called the cardigan jacket in the mid-1800s. (Thank you Encyclopedia Britannica!) Cool right? It’s gets better…
Brudenell was also the British general who, in 1854, led the charge of the light brigade of the British cavalry in the Battle of Balaklava. This battle was the memorialized by Alfred, Lord Tennyson in his famous poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade.”
Picture Perfect Tuesday: Call me
Remember when phones looked like this?
Fashion Fun Friday: Crimped Hair
I think crimped hair is finally back!
Recently I read this article on Yahoo that stated crimping was making a comeback at Stella McCartney’s show in Paris. The author lamented that crimped hair was one of those beauty trends that “you cringe and cross your fingers that it won’t catch on.” I feel quite the opposite. For years I’ve been hoping this 80s trend would make its way back. Anyone else with me!?
To this day I regret tossing my pale pink crimper into the garage sale pile in the early 90s when I decided that I’d never crimp again. Note to younger readers: EVERYTHING comes back, so if you really love something that is no longer in fashion. Keep it.
One great thing about crimping is that you can create many different looks, such as this chic look that Beyoncé rocks here:
And speaking of rocking, it can also make you look like a rock star. Those who know me well know that I’ve always wanted to be a rock star. Save for the lack of talent, I’d be a great one. Check out Guess model Gigi Hadid’s rock star crimping! #LOVE
If all over crimping is too much for you, you can try doing a few strands to add interest. Or try it on a ponytail like Portia de Rossi:
Whatever look you choose, have fun with it.
Here’s how to get started:
- Determine the sections of hair to be crimped for your desired style and section them off.
- Crimp one section at a time and no wider than the plates of your iron starting at the highest point first – whether that’s right at your scalp or 3 inches away.
- Clamp the hair with the iron and hold for 5-10 seconds.
- Repeat all the way down the hair shaft towards the ends
- To soften the crimp you may lightly separate with fingers.
- To finish, set your style with strong hold hairspray
Picture Perfect Tuesday: Castle
Some images are just set up and ready for you to hit the shutter. Like this one:
Fashion Fun Friday: White After Labour Day
No white, no floral patterns, and definitely no sandals after labour day.
We’ve all heard these “fashion rules”, but have you ever stopped to think about where they originate? What’s the deal with no white after labour day anyway?
You can blame high society snobbery for this one. Basically a bunch of women from old-money families were upset that their exclusive richie-club was being run over by new-money. So they came up this fashion rule and a few others to ostracize the new-money wives who were not in-the-know. (High school flashback to the year of the must-have Club Monaco sweatshirt!)
Even though the rule was originally enforced by only a few hundred women, over time it trickled down to everyone else. By the 1950s, fashion magazines made it clear that white clothing came out after the May long weekend in Canada and Memorial Day in the US, and put away after Labor Day.
These days, fashion is more relaxed and there is no longer a hard and fast rule about what colors to wear and when – think winter white! For example, even through we’re well into September I wore a pair of floral pants to the office this week. Why? Because it was sunny and warm out. Weather should play a more important role in our fashion choices rather than a date on the calendar. And while I’m sure most of you would agree, we still hear people make comments about ‘no white after Labor Day’ – all thanks to some snobby millionaires from 100 years ago.
Picture Perfect Tuesday: Reflection
I often challenge myself to see the opportunity of an image in every day things. Like the beautiful day reflected in glass.
Picture Perfect Tuesday: Marsham Street
Today I present to you “Marsham Street, London England”. This was shot with my click and shoot, hand-held, leaning on the side of a building for stability. When planning to do any night photography, I’d recommend bringing a tripod along, however this shot was unplanned so I used what was available and took a long exhale as I depressed the shutter.
The Publicist Diaries 