The Diva's guide to 2009 spring fashions

Spring is just around the corner, I'm sure of it.

I know it's true because lately I've had an uncontrollable urge to weigh in on the spring fashion trends that are crowding the fashion pages of the latest magazines and newspapers.

I feel positivity giddy about the trends I'm seeing this spring - clothes are boasting the kind of bright, crazy colours and bold prints and patterns that haven't been seen since the mid 1980s.

Sure, we're in the midst of a recession. But that's all the more reason to stop taking fashion so seriously. The 80s may not have yielded a lot of timeless classics, but the clothes were silly, irreverent and FUN, just like this spring's most wearable trends.

Frankie says Relax: I say, let's check 'em out.

Read DMD's take on the latest trends over at my Shooting for Hip column at Better Than A Playdate...

Wanna be a big loser?

Almost every Tuesday night I feel like The Biggest Loser.

And no, it's not just because I plant myself on the couch, munch snacks and watch television; it's because I plant myself on the couch, eat snacks and watch people on television swear off snacks and a sedentary life in favor of a grueling diet and exercise program intended to launch them on a lifetime path to health and fitness.

Yup, The Biggest Loser has become a bit of an addiction for me and why not? It features the most classic redemptive story arc of our time: everyman (or woman) whose obesity is a symbol of their inability to cope with emotional pain and stress are introduced to kick-ass trainers who put them through their paces physically and emotionally until they emerge transformed, in control of their lives and their bodies.

It makes for powerful viewing, especially since there is no doubt that these are real people, whose real lives are being changed. Just ask Julia Hadden.

Wanna read my exclusive interview with Season Four The Biggest Loser contestant Julie Hadden? Click on over to my Shooting For Hip column at Better Than A Playdate...

Ice Princess

Do you think there's such a thing as cold weather beauty?

I have to believe that there is.

Given that another 25 centimeters of snow just fell over the weekend here in Toronto and that the mercury has barely risen above -10 Celsius in days, there had better be.

Otherwise I may as well just give up the ghost and resign myself to spending several months every year packing on extra pounds, sporting dry skin and hair and wearing dreary, shapeless clothing.

But it's hard to be fetching when you're freezing, no question. And staying warm isn't normally very conducive to looking hot.

But as a self-proclaimed diva who makes her home in the Great White North - that's Canada, eh - I believe it behooves me to try. To that end I have a few tips to share before I turn the floor over to all you snow queens out there for your favorite ways to generate heat in the dead of winter.

Click on over to my Shooting For Hip column at Better Than A Playdate to read my tips on staying hot when it's cold outside and to contribute some of your own!

My oral obsession

I never used to give my teeth a second thought.

Oh sure, I've always been aware that they could be straighter, whiter...bigger even. (Yes, in a bizarre twist of fate, despite being a notorious big mouth, the actual physical size of my mouth is rather small.)

But back to my teeth.

I've been a little obsessed with my teeth ever since my last trip to the dentist. While pointing out the worst areas where tarter collects, she casually stated as fact something that has been haunting me day and night ever since.

I have a receding gum line.

It's true. But never fear DMD has a plan! Click on over to my Shooting For Hip column at Better Than A Playdate to read all about it...

Real housewife of Don Mills meets Real Housewife of NYC

I had it all planned.

It was going to be a snark-down of epic proportions: the Don Mills Diva vs. A Real Housewife of New York City.

I mean, have you seen the show? Taking down Alex McCord was going to be my pleasure. When I heard that she was writing a parenting book and her publicist was seeking an interview I could barely contain my glee. She was vacuous! Status-obsessed! And, despite the fact that she is a mom to two young sons - Johan and Francois - completely clueless!

Oh, it was going to be sweet alright. I would write a landmark piece, eloquent and scathing. She would be exposed as foolish and presumptuous and I would be hailed for my rapier wit.

Too bad Alex McCord had to ruin my plans by being kinda cool.

Come on, you're dying to know what happens when the gal from Don Mills meets the gal from NYC! Click on over to my Shooting for Hip column at Better Than A Playdate to find out!

Riding out the recession in style

As much as I might proclaim myself a diva, I've never actually been the kinda girl to spend a lot of money on the accoutrements of beauty.

If something doesn't make a statement, it just seems pointless and by that logic, fancy and expensive makeup, creams and lotions have always struck me as the ultimate waste of money - especially since I can buy the cheap stuff at the drugstore and splurge on something like this.

Anyhoo, with the markets headed south and the chill of recession upon us it seems like my frugal way of thinking is actually in style. Lucky for you, when it comes to advice I've always been the generous type.


Click on over to my Shooting for Hip column at Better Than A Playdate for my best tips on how to look posh and pinch pennies at the same time...

She bangs

It's a big decision in a woman's life.

In my case it was a decision that repudiated more than a year and a half of determination to change, to move forward and embrace a more grown-up and sophisticated version of the Don Mills Diva.

But in the end I just couldn't do it. I couldn't resist its siren call: the lure of the hairstyle I have returned to again and again for the last dozen years...

*Well, obviously my title gives it away...but you should still click on over to my Shooting for Hip column at Better Than A Playdate and check out the photos...*

Fashionably drunk?

Have you ever attended a work event and ended up a little over-refreshed?

Yeah, me too.

But have you ever been a little over-refreshed at a really important work event, where you're scheduled to make a speech in front of cut-throat colleagues, important clients and the international press?

Yeah, me neither.

But then I'm not Toronto Design Council President Robin Kay who launched Toronto Fashion Week last week with a drunken speech that became a major scandal in the local media and left me pondering whether drinking on the job is ever in style.

Want to continue reading my musing on boozin'? Click on over to my Shooting for Hip column at Better Than A Playdate...

The masochism of beauty

No I am not a masochist.

At least I don't think I am, though a logical person might dispute that assertion. I mean, logically, why would I willingly submit to, and spend my hard-earned money on, a painful ritual involving hot wax and tender bits?

You've probably done it too, haven't you? And there's no logic to it. It's the masochism of beauty and it's made a victim of even smart and enlightened women for thousands of years.

Are woman all over the world suffering for beauty and a bigger piece of the economic pie? Muse with me over at Better Than A Playdate...

Buying clothes? Beware the mom zone

Sometimes I think one of the hardest things about being a mom is resisting the siren call of stereotypical mom clothes.

And by stereotypical mom clothes, I mean clothing that doesn't take too much effort, clothing that celebrates comfort over style and function over form, and clothing that, if I am truly honest with myself, I would not have been caught dead wearing prior to giving birth.

I'm not trying to be a smart-ass: it really is hard.

We moms are tired and rushed a lot of the time. Time and money are tight, but our bodies? Not so much (not mine anyway).

And I think that drinking in the silky skin and shiny hair of our children - our beautiful children - goes a long way towards satisfying our inherent need to feel the presence of beauty in our lives.

And that's not necessarily a good thing.

Click on over to my column at Better Than A Playdate to read about which items of clothing are strictly verboten for this diva...

A tale of two dresses

It was the thinnest of times, it was the thickest of times.

Or something like that.

What I really mean is, during the last week I have acquired two new dresses that couldn't be more different. One is soft and clingy and...slinky. One is bulky and cozy and...yet, still somehow slinky.

My two new dresses are both birthday gifts and couldn't be more different. And yet, I love them equally. How can that be?

Let me tell you.

To find out how the DMD is gearing up for a fashionable fall, click on over to my Shooting For Hip column at Better Than A Playdate...

Diva's guide to fall fashion must-haves part 2

The end of summer is nigh and we all survived another bikini season!

Time to put away those hair shirts and embrace the comfortable bulk that is fall. Now that you all know to avoid leather pants and flood pants and most especially, leather, flood pants, let's take a look at five more of the hot 2008 fall and winter fashion trends as per Elle magazine.

I'm pretty sure we've got some keepers this time...

To check out part two of this scintillating series click on over to my Shooting For Hip column at Better Than A Playdate...

Diva's guide to fall's fashion must-haves

Remember when fall meant hitting the mall with your mom in search of the perfect back to school outfit that would instantly transform you into the most sought-after girl in junior high?

Well, fall is right around the corner and just because you're not heading back to school doesn't mean you can't hit the shops in search of fall trends that will make you feel like a schoolgirl again.

Okay, maybe not exactly like a schoolgirl. I mean, there are some cool, wearable trends on offer this fall but they aren't, you know, magic clothes.

And really, who wants to feel like a schoolgirl again anyway? Not me. I was many years removed from academia before I got truly in touch with my diva side.

But it's not about me anyway. It's about the clothes. I picked 10 fall fashion must haves from Elle magazine's September 2008 issue and I'm gonna look at five this week. Ready? Let's do this thing.

Click on over to my Shooting for Hip column at Better Than a Playdate to read the rest.

My style, it is a-changing

Things change.

Once I became a mom and hit my mid-30s I was forced to rethink my personal style rules and tips. Heck, even things I believed to be irrevocable truths about beauty and fashion, just didn't seem like the best ideas any more.

Time has forced my to rewrite the book on what does and what does not work for me. I'm a mom. I'm 38 and holding and here's what I've learned, or in some cases unlearned, about style over the past decade.

Check out my hard-earned wisdom over at my Shooting For Hip column at Better Than a Playdate. I'm still no Anna Wintour - but hey, I'm tryin'.

Diva gone wild: a hair story

My husband begged me not to fall back into old habits.

"You're better than that now," he said. "You're worth more than that. We may not be rich, but we've come a long way since those days".

But I missed the excitement of it, you know? The thrill. I missed just being young and adventurous and not caring about long-term results or consequences. Truth be told, I craved the excitement of something just a little bit dangerous.

And so, the night before I was due to leave for the BlogHer conference in San Fransisco, I threw caution to the wind and I did it.

What wild and crazy thing did DMD get up to on the eve of BlogHer? Scoot on over to my Shooting For Hip column at Better Than A Playdate for all the deets and pictures too...

Dignity? Check!

I celebrated the glorious weather this past weekend at my parent's house on the lake where I went swimming for the first time this summer.

And before I did, I performed the annual check that has become my own time-honored summertime ritual, as much a part of the season as grilled steaks and black fly bites.

I performed the bikini check.

Check out the rest of my Shooting For Hip column over at Better Than A PlayDate. I even posted a picture - honest to blog!

Summertime and the dressing is easy...

Oh how I love sun dress season.

Maybe I'm not a sexy, young Bohemian anymore but there's something about breezy, cotton sun dresses that make me long for the days when a tan, a loose bun and a yard or two of colorful fabric was all I needed to take me from an afternoon at the lake to an evening at the club.

Funky, colorful sun dresses are everywhere this year and after the winter we just endured, we deserve a trip down memory lane.

I've already snapped up three (including the one at left for 24.99 at Urban Planet) and as much as I'm enjoying them I've realized that nothing is quite the same the second (or 20th) time around.

Let me tell you what I've learned...

Click on over to my Shooting for Hip column at Better Than A Playdate to read how to wear sun dresses with style and to check out my other finds...

Let's talk about Sex baby

Sex and the City that is.

And I do apologize if that headline makes you wince, referencing as it does, a cheesy and dated song that hasn't been hip for a very long time.

But in this case? It's kind of appropriate.

Because, as much as it breaks my heart to say it, the much-anticipated Sex and The City movie feels just a little dated, a little cheesy and not very darn hip.

Wanna know why the Carrie and Miranda and Charlotte and Samantha aren't my BFF anymore? Click on over to my Shooting for Hip column at Better Than A Playdate for all the deets!

Piercing my illusions

I pierced my navel 13 years ago when I was 25 years old.

I had just been dumped by my long-time boyfriend. I had cried off a good ten pounds of excess weight, was working out like a mad woman and was in the best shape of my life.

It was a painful but exhilarating way of confirming my emancipation. “I am hot. I am fearless. I am embarking on the next chapter of my life.”

I removed my navel piercing almost three years ago when, almost six months into my pregnancy, I glanced down and realized that it had inexplicably migrated halfway around my back.

Apparently that was my body’s way of saying, “You are not hot. You are a mom. You are embarking on the next chapter of your life.”

Click here to read the rest of my latest Shooting For Hip column over at Better Than A Playdate. There is an actual un-retouched photo of my formerly pierced navel over there - honest to blog...

Shooting for health (and thinner thighs)

Before I get into my wrap up on the last four weeks I spent participating in the President's Choice Healthy Eating Challenge I'd like to direct your attention to the name of my column over at Better Than A Playdate.

It's called Shooting for Hip.

Emphasis on shooting: as in aspiring towards, trying, struggling, seeking, working on it, giving it a go, taking a crack at it, etc.

Diva though I may be, I have never pretended to be the picture of hipness and after four weeks of "shooting for" it, I am not the picture of health either.

But I have learned a few things.

What could the diva possibly have learned? Is hipness a real word? How will this healthy challenge end? Click here to find out.