I am slightly late in the game with this article that was released in September about Vancouver fashion.  To sum it up, MSN Travel listed the top 10 worst dressed cities in America and threw in some international and Canadian cities for good measure.  Vancouver ranked as the 3rd worst dressed city in the world because of our affinity for yoga pants.  To my horror, the Jersey Shore (10) ranked as better dressed than Vancouver.  I cannot believe that Jersey Shore Oompa Loompas ranked higher than Vancouverites.  But I digress…

If a casual approach to style makes Vancouver the worst dressed city, then yes, Vancouver’s fashion style is not so hot.  For one thing, the fact that I have been told many times by Vancouverites that I am one of the best dressed people they know is telling.  I am absolutely NOT the best dressed person, not by a long shot, but by Vancouver standards, the effort I put in certainly stands out.

How much effort do I put in?  Well, when I look at my closet, I always ask myself one question…what would my European Nana do?  She taught me to always dress with the expectation of running into someone I know (picturing an ex is good motivation!) and to always put in effort when going out to meet people because they will appreciate it. It also makes you feel good, which makes you look even better.

Would Nana appreciate the comfort of yoga pants?  No, since she doesn’t understand what the word “comfort” means.  She is the person who wore her high heels when she sprained her ankle, because it was more “comfortable” that way.  Yeah, she’s  awesome.

My question to yoga pant enthusiasts is: If you lived in Paris, would you go to a café to meet up with friends in yoga pants after working out?  Ummm, I don’t think so.  Since Vancouver isn’t Paris (who am I kidding?!?!), do take a page out of Nana’s style and filter your yoga style: don’t wear your yoga pants to work (unless you are paid to do so), with heels of any kind, or to establishments where you hope to meet anyone of substance.  Harsh?  Well, that’s my Nana.

In all honesty, who really cares what MSN Travel says about Vancouver style.  So long as you are happy and, perhaps, comfortable (sorry Nana), does it really matter how the world perceives your style?  Not really, but I might judge you a teensy bit when I see you at the pub in Lulu’s — I do write a fashion blog after all.

With summer on its way (or already here depending where you are dear readers), you must be cautious when spritzing yourself with perfume.  One thing that reeks unrefined to my Nana is a lingering perfume smell after you have vacated the room.

The best way to spritz your favourite scent on is to spray a couple of squirts into the air and dance through it.  This way you are lightly covering your entire body in perfume, rather than dousing your neck, wrists, knees, etc. in spray.

One final tip is to restrain from spraying more perfume on throughout the day. The nose becomes desensitized to fragrances and, often, you won’t be able to smell your own scent while others still can.  So beware of suffering from over-spraying!

While some women prefer one signature scent, I am highly indecisive, and love having many.  Below are the perfumes I currently covet on a daily basis: (left to right) Joe Malone, Grapefruit; Coco Chanel, Mademoiselle; Burberry, Brit; Yves Saint Laurent, Elle; Yves Saint Laurent, Young Sexy Lovely.

My fashionable Nana always has style on her mind.  Her biggest pet peeve is the colour black.  She thinks it’s criminal for a woman to rock head-to-toe black without any colour.  She argues it makes you look “in a mood”.

Because I often fall victim to wearing head-to-toe black, Nana frequently reminds me to “add a spot of colour”.  Lucky for my Nana, I heart scarves and adding colour!

Nana’s top tip is to add the spot of colour close to your face.  Check out these fashionable scarves that would do her proud:

Before I started frequent travel for work, flying on an airplane was a stressful experience.  If my mother was flying to Ireland (to visit my Nana) she would plan her “plane outfit” months in advance.

Never mind celebs who must impress the paparazzi, my family must impress Nana!  One year, my mum spent a small fortune on a safari style Simon Chang suit that she only ever wore on a flight to Belfast and sold at a consignment store the following year.

Nana expects that when you fly into Belfast you arrive fresh, well dressed and ready to be received by family and friends.  When the time came for me to travel to Belfast without my mother, I was well informed of the expectation.

There I was at the international gate, 17 years old, decked out in a Nana appropriate outfit: black Club Monaco skirt lined with silk, leopard print; black stockings; fitted red, sleeveless, cable knit Gap turtleneck with a black, t-shirt underneath; knee-high boots; and, coordinating red leather jacket.  No way was I going to “let the family down”, as my mother put it.

Nowadays when I travel for work, it’s a luxury to dress casually as opposed to formally.  Even though I comfortably rock my Lulu’s, hoody and sneakers (casual yet hip, of course), I am still pretty surprised at the state of some people on an airplane.  It doesn’t take much to make an effort and, if you are being received by family and friends on the other end, it’s not about you, it’s about respecting your relationships and putting in the effort.

I won’t mention the time when I was 20, fresh off an alcohol fueled, all-night club hopping fest in Edinburgh, Scotland to catching a 6am flight to Belfast (still half-pissed, okay totally pissed) and being met by my dear Nana in Belfast.  Suffice it to say, I am still living that one down.

Heed Nana’s advice when flying and think about who is meeting you at the other end of your transatlantic or cross-country journey and plan accordingly.  You never know, you might just get bumped to first class just for looking good!

My Irish grandmother is my fashion inspiration–always has been and will continue to be.

When I was a little girl and Nana traveled to Canada to stay with us, each morning I would watch her get dressed and help her select outfits and accessories to wear.  Now, at 28 years old, she continues to be my style icon.

Nana’s greatest gift to me was teaching me all about classic style.  Starting today, every Tuesday I will write a post full of my Nana’s wise words.  I hope you learn as much from these posts as I have learned from my stylish Nana.

Banana Republic Weekend Chino

Spring is definitely in the air with cherry blossoms in bloom, daffodils peeking out of gardens and light, cotton chinos hanging in Banana Republic’s windows.  My style icon, my Irish grandmother, taught me the best trick to test how easily trousers (pants for us North Americans) wrinkle in three easy steps:

1Take the chinos in your hand (best to do this in the store before you have committed!)

My new Banana Republic Weekend Chinos

2Squeeze your hand into a fist and hold for 10-15 seconds whilst still holding onto fabric.

Close up of the post-squeeze lack of wrinkle

3Release your fist along with the trousers to examine just how wrinkled the cotton fabric might be–but hopefully, as pictured above and below, not extremely wrinkled at all.

Passed the test and PURCHASED

If the pants are slightly wrinkled but loosen up, the cotton is of good quality.  If the pants are uber wrinkled (and they aren’t linen), move on to a better cotton.  The worst is wearing a new pair of khakis to work and, when you get up from your desk, your trousers appear more wrinkled than an elephant’s trunk.  Happy chino shopping!