My current obsesssion,

thanks to Refinery 29 and Alix Rose, is Australian designer Tina Kalivas. Her Spring 2010 collection is gorgeous - bold and intricate tribal prints in contoured cuts that don't overwhelm the body:

*all photos from TinaKalivas.com

This collection already has me excited for Spring. I just need to figure out how to get my hands on it...

Today's outfit is brought to you by...

my Hunter boots! Mainly because I have a question to pose to you. Many of you have similar boots (if you don't, I highly recommend them) and I'm wondering how to clean them. They're supposed to be purple, but they're badly discoloured from the salt last winter when I used and abused them in the snow.

I read somewhere that white vinegar cleans salt stains off winter boots; I tried it and it didn't really work. So I'm wondering, can anyone offer any tips or advice for my pretty purple boots?

A Haute Mess on Facebook

Since doing the Fab Fall F21/Twitter Giveaway I learned that a lot of you would rather connect on Facebook instead. Well Facebook loyals, here it is: I've created a page especially for A Haute Mess! Please check it out, and suggest it to your friends who might be interested.

Become a friend of A Haute Mess on Facebook!

Shopping turned on it's head... Literally.

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the launch of GAP's new customer program, Sprize, which is being piloted at the 10 GAP store locations in and around Vancouver. Sprize is "turning shopping on it's head" - literally, the entire Robson St. location had been flipped upside down, from the mechandise and mannequins inside to the cars, bikes, trees and even a hot dog stand lining the street outside. Besides the transformation of the store for the Sprize launch, the program itself is turning shopping on its head with an innovative yet simple program. Basically, if you're a Sprize member (becoming one is free and you sign up in-store) all of the purchases you make are tracked, and if any item goes on sale within 45 days of purchase you are credited the difference on your Sprize card. Me, having a lifelong track record of making purchases only for them to go on sale shortly after, thought this was too good to be true - it's actually not. Scott Key, Senior Vice President of Customer Relationship Management at Gap Inc. ensured me that even if there is a second or third markdown, customers will continue to be credited the price difference as long as it's within the 45 day post-purchase period.

Why test the program in Vancouver? Obviously because Vancouver is crazy awesome. But not exactly. According to Scott Key, "Vancouver was one of our first retail locations to open outside of the U.S. It's always been a very successful market for Gap and the performance of our Sprize program here will inform how and when we roll out Sprize to other stores." So there you have it. Local frugalistas - go get your Sprize on. Gap fans everywhere will thank you.

On another note, besides the ego-boost and self-importance felt for receiving an invite, gift bags are a major perk of attending events such as the Sprize launch. This one even came with a Gap gift card to motivate media to sign up for Sprize, use the gift card to buy something and experience how the program works. Did someone say free money? Of course I was game and bought a shirt immediately. I swiped my Sprize card and am hoping it gets marked down so I can use the difference to go buy another. This could get addictive.

ps. I promise that's not a hole in my tights. A bit of leaf, maybe.

Saturday night

left me feeling all sorts of terrible Sunday morning, but I like to think that before Senor Cuervo invaded my blood stream... I looked half decent. Only half decent because as soon as there's a dance floor in my near future my potential of looking good decreases by at least 50 percent. It's a flawless statistic, perfected by years of research and mathematical prowess - no big deal. But as usual, I digress...

"Boudoir Crossing" strikes again for a night out, as I'm wearing a La Vie en Rose lace bralette for all to see under my distressed Talula slouchy tank. Also wearing a Pleasure Doing Business bandage skirt, Hue back-seam nylons, a Nolita belt, and Christian Louboutin ankle boots. I kept accessories minimal - the lace, skirt and sky-high heels were a whole lot of look all on their own.

It's funny how you take the time to look your best when you go out only to look your worst a mere few hours later, sitting in a pizza place elbow deep in cheese and ranch sauce. Have I mentioned lately what a classy lady I am?

The Centurian

Happy 100th Post to me! In honor of the big 1-0-0 I made myself a blog award. Not to give to myself of course, but a namesake: the "Haute Mess" Award. I'm new enough to the blog world that I don't even know if I can do this, but guess what? I'm doing it anyway.


Recipients of this award must re-distribute it to at least 3 blogs they think are deserving. For its inception, I award the Haute Mess Award to the following blogs:

Bleed for Fashion
Bon Bon Rose
The Starving Stylist
Haute World
Late Afternoon
Le Mode du Jour
We Were Damsels
Tink in My Closet
The Anthology
Delightfully Tacky
The Haute Pursuit

Fashion is For
Fashion Chalet

Thanks for having blogs that are a mess (as in collection) of all that is haute.

P.S. Yes, that is Benny hanging out with Anna Wintour and Uncle Karl. No big deal.

P.P.S. To redistribute this award please don't feel obligated to make it as obnoxiously large as I did. Obviously resizing it to normal blog award size is totally legit.

Help save lives with Jimmy Choo!

I received an e-mail from Jenny at Jimmy Choo informing me about this cool contest they're having and she requested that I write about it on my blog. There's no way I couldn't - this contest and campaign are dedicated to raising awareness and funds for AIDS victims and the grand prize is amazing. It's seriously what dreams are made of.

The Competition:
Jimmy Choo and the Elton John AIDS Foundation have launched a photo competition to support the launch of Project PEP, a charity collection that donates 25% of sales to the Simelela Rape Centre in South Africa. The money goes towards providing the HIV-preventative treatment PEP (which must be taken within 72 hours of exposure to HIV) and counselling to victims of rape in South Africa, which has the highest count of rape in the world.

The theme of the photo competition is "You, Your Shoes and 72", and as you can see from some of the photo entries below, there's been a very diverse response:


The Prizes!
The overall winners will be announced after the competition close on December 7th. On offer is a Grand Prize of the ultimate Jimmy Choo VIP experience – the winner will be invited to spend a day of luxury at the Jimmy Choo Headquarters and choose 7 pairs of shoes and 2 handbags to keep. Are you drooling yet? In addition, over 100 exclusive Jimmy Choo prizes will also be awarded.

To enter the contest, simply upload of a photo of you, your shoes and 72 at JimmyChoo72.com. You can also make a donation to Project PEP here as well.

I would obviously love to know about my readers' entries, so please drop me a line to let me know :) GOOD LUCK everyone!