The old joke about Canadian identity goes: we may not know who we are, but we definitely know who we’re not. Many a Canadian has bristled when a well-meaning “talking head” from south of the border has suggested that we become the 51st state. But apparently, we know what we have: style.
As a contest sponsored by the Globe and Mail last year shows, Canada is not exclusively a nation of toques and Hudson's Bay blanket coats. (The image above actually comes from an antique collection located in Minnesota. I couldn't resist the design and colors.)
I particularly like how the judges (in the thoughts from the judges section) discuss style—they largely stay away from designer labels and articulate mood or cut instead.
And if you check out the two stylish winners, you’ll also note the absence of labels; again, it’s the look, not the provenance that matters.
So you might say that we Canadians don’t have a need or a desire for labels. Especially those that try to call us “American.”
As a contest sponsored by the Globe and Mail last year shows, Canada is not exclusively a nation of toques and Hudson's Bay blanket coats. (The image above actually comes from an antique collection located in Minnesota. I couldn't resist the design and colors.)
I particularly like how the judges (in the thoughts from the judges section) discuss style—they largely stay away from designer labels and articulate mood or cut instead.
And if you check out the two stylish winners, you’ll also note the absence of labels; again, it’s the look, not the provenance that matters.
So you might say that we Canadians don’t have a need or a desire for labels. Especially those that try to call us “American.”
Both very stylish!
ReplyDeleteReally cute, really chic take on a Canadian outfit.
ReplyDeleteI always think of Pierre Trudeau when I hear "Canadian style". When I lived in Westmount in Montreal, I often saw him out walking alone, in the winter, though a couple of time we did walk and talk together.
He always had his beret on, and, even in the dead of winter, a real rose in his lapel.
It was a far cry from his more flamboyantly dressed days when he was younger but he always drew all eyes to him.
Christine