Can I say that I am IN LOVE with Danier’s upcoming Fall/Winter pieces?  And I don’t just mean their coats and accessories! Sure, there are definitely clutches, coats and bags that I love, but one of my absolute favourite pieces is a mixed media pencil dress, which would, believe it or not, work very well as a day-to-night look if you work at a more casual office.  Of course, one can’t escape talking about Danier without mentioning coats, bags and other accessories.  Most notable of all were the leather backpacks, something that was last “it” some 19 or 20 years ago.  I recall taking my camel-coloured DKNY leather backpack to school back in Grade 9 and an older (and much cooler) girl commenting on how she liked it.  Total ego boost!

The same day I saw Danier’s pieces, I was also able to check out Jeanne Beker’s EDIT collection. To be perfectly honest, I thought most of the pieces were rather on the plain side.  Jeans (regardless of wash) and loose-fitting tops have been a standard “uniform” of many women for the past several seasons – especially in cooler weather – to a point that it isn’t even all that exciting anymore.  Of course, with the right accessories, things can be jazzed up a bit, but only to a point.  The one piece that I did like was the mixed media wrap dress.  It is fairly light weight and makes a good pre-fall/transition piece, wearable from late August onwards.

In addition to Jeanne’s fall/winter pieces, there was also a display of FYSH glasses (a Jeanne Beker collaboration), which are now available.  They have a bit of a Tina Fey vibe to them (though nothing new), and were, in general, pretty good.