Fashion in unexpected places....

Canada has yet to hop on the online shopping bandwagon. I mean, yes, most stores have a website and it looks pretty good, but it is nothing compare to American online shopping. I find that disappointing. Especially when some of the cute and lesser known stores don't have robust websites or offer online shopping.

With this in mind, I was surprised when I came across the Jacob website (www.jacob.ca). Though the site does not operate as smoothly as it could, I really like it. In particular, I like how the clothing is displayed on the mannequins rather than on people. It's something different. Now, some of you will say, "But I can't see what it looks like on real people". Let's be honest, the models on fashion websites do not have a realistic body and the clothes are pinned, tucked and altered until they look fabulous in the photo. It's not a true representation of the clothing anyway.

So. Without further ado.. what do I think about the clothing? I have a few pieces from Jacob. In the past few seasons I have found the quality and style of the clothing collections has improved. I really like the dress collection that Jacob has. In fact, it has an "Atelier" collection of fancier dresses that you could wear to weddings or prom. I like this, it tends to class the store up a bit.

Back to the dresses...

I adore this red lace dress! Lace is really trendy right now and well, red is always in. The black band around the waist helps to give some definition, and an hour glass look. I find dresses like this to be really slimming in the waist and the neckline is just at the borderline of sexy and trashy. I had the opportunity to see this dress in the store and it seemed to be of good quality. I often find that lace can look cheap when it's coloured, or it can look cheap because it's made in a factory in China. In person, this dress was neither! I would give it a 7/10 in the summer dress department. It would get a higher score, but it is a tad short for wearing to work. However, if it was any longer it might be a tad matronly. Oh well!




Now this is a dress I tried on! I was looking for a classic black sheath dress and this dress caught my eye. I tried it on but found I was in between sizes. My personal rule is that if it doesn't fit properly at the store then don't buy it! As Sandra Bullock said in the Blind Side.. "The store is where you like it the most!". Best words to live by. Although I did not end up purchasing this dress, I would rate it an 8.5/10. It was a heavy cotton fabric so it didn't cling to my body and I liked the length and sleeveless shoulders. This is a classic, conservative, dress for work. If I had bought it I would have worn it with a sweater or a shrug to cover my shoulders at work. At night, I would have worn it as is with some jewelry. That is one thing I love about the classic black sheath... you can wear it for almost any occasion  with the right accessories.

That is all for today folks! Both of these dresses are quite charming and I would recommend giving Jacob a try. Take a look at the website if you have time!