Toronto Happenings: GUESS Jeans

Nothing 2 Wear and GUESS Jeans in Toronto



I will always reserve a special place in my heart for GUESS Jeans. Not only was I employed by the company in my early twenties, but many of my fashion milestones as a young girl were courtesy of none other than GUESS, and sister company Maricano.

I can remember quite vividly that my first purse was from GUESS. It was a black shoulder bag that held next to nothing because of its tiny size and I was probably around the age of 12 or so when I purchased it by saving up every penny of my Christmas money along with a little help from my mom. Although I have never been a "purse person" I was really proud of this bag, it was probably the first time I can remember thinking consciously about a fashion choice and acknowledging a fashion trend. That trend of course being shiny, patent leather. 

Several years later my parents visited L.A and brought me back an olive green bomber jacket with a fur collar. It was 1997 which would make me only 14 at the time, still pretty young to be wearing something so chic, I was a bit hesitant at first but the jacket soon became my prized possession, I would still be wearing it today if I hadn't literally worn it to death! By the time I donated that jacket to Goodwill it had been to the UK and back 6 times, suffered a broken zipper, a gash in the side, and been a member of my closet for 11 glorious years. 

The evolution of my style has several other GUESS stories sprinkled throughout, especially considering I worked for Marciano part-time while I was in law school. Back when I was a slightly thinner and single version of myself I loved a good Marciano mini dress, something similar to THIS. I wore one while in Vegas with the Bestie, to ring in new years eve, and to a GUESS press event during the Toronto International Film Festival. 

For me the GUESS Jeans logo is an iconic symbol of the 90's, good times, and my love for fashion. That symbol also happens to be just as iconic as their famous black and white ads from the 1980's. 

The ads introduced the GUESS Girl as a symbol of tasteful meets sexy. The ultra feminine curly locks, a hint of bare midriff courtesy of a button-up shirt tied at the waist, or a denim jacket...with nothing underneath. Models like Laetitia Casta, Anna Nicole Smith, and Claudia Schiffer further solidified that image. Who didn't want to be a GUESS model? I know I did, back in the day when I tried my hand at modeling (haha, yup) the one editorial campaign I wished I would miraculously star in was one for GUESS Jeans.

As it turns out, GUESS and I both celebrated our 30th anniversary and birthday this year. The 30th Anniversary Collection, reflects the heritage of the brand, reinventing and reintroducing pieces from the past 30 years, and I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak at the collection earlier this week in Toronto. One of my favorite looks was the short overalls, I swear I owned those in  yellow back in the day. Below are a few images I snapped from the event. That evening new pieces from the Spring/Summer 2014 collection were also on display, check out the leather jacket with gold studs, it now resides on my Spring wish list. 

Also, check out the new Holiday campaign featuring the multiple award-winning and Bollywood icon, Priyanka Chopra. This campaign was shot by Canadian musical icon, Bryan Adams, and captures Priyanka's free-spirited glamour in a collection of signature black and white photographs.

You can look for the GUESS holiday images in December issues of fashion and lifestyle magazines, and learn more about the 30th anninversary collection here.