what to wear...

i have a wedding to go to next month. a beach wedding. whose theme is beige. "beige beach wedding" just do not go with black, grey, navy or pale pale skin. what's a girl to do?! i was going to make a off-white/beige variation of that acne dress with the twisted neckline but now i am without sewing machine and left with a very small portion of my wardrobe in a suitcase that has nothing "beige beach wedding appropriate" in it. i forgot to mention we are homeless for a month and house sitting for a friend of jon's parents until our house is ready. grrr...



i would pick up this thomas wylde dress in a heartbeat if it wasn't $475. i don't really feel like buying something that expensive just because i need something beige for a wedding. it does fits the bill i think. beige, but not boring and i could definitely wear it again as it resembles the beautiful ann demeulemeester pieces from fall 2007 that looks so nice layered with a structured jacket or vest. le sigh. i think my navy sunner dress will have to do. at least navy coordinates with beige, right?!


(style.com)

reborn

reborn is probably my most favorite store i've never been to. it's in montreal and their selection is impeccable. right up my alley. if my closet was this entire store i would be set. they recently updated their site with new spring offerings, many of which are to die for.


this is my favorite dress from acne this spring. i'm going to attempt to make this when my sewing machine is moved into our new place.


my heart skipped a beat when i saw these! hex jeans... with seams!! gah!


the most perfect oversized blazer ever from alexander wang


complex geometries jersey layer tank. light but still layered-looking. i think this one will be mine.


omg... i gasped when i saw peter pilloto's creations


i would never muster the courage to wear these, but they're amazing.


if i ever work in an office... from preen


drop waist coat from preen... yes please!


sharon wauchob vest


mmm... light layers.. chiffon.. scarf... gimmie!

more chair love: bookhou

when i saw this chair i was so disappointed that it's a child's chair! it's so cool. i love the wood and ofcourse the felt. wood and felt are probably my favorite combination of materials in the home. i'm considering an industrial felt rug again. i ordered some samples over a year ago before jon kiboshed that plan. if not a rug then something substantial using felt. i saw on apartment therapy somebody used really thick industrial felt as a sliding barn door... hmmm... the wheels are turning...

this chair is from bookhou, a canadian company that also created these felt trivets that i've been lusting over for a long time.



some other things i love from their site are these storage boxes and tea cosie.

acne heels

yoox is having a extra 25% off promotion right now. i always liked these acne heels but i know i would never get much use out of them because i don't wear a lot of colours that would go with tan/orange. they are cheap cheap cheap if you're a 37 or 38! $128 now.

the story of my life in music

i've had this post on hold for months...

if there was a movie made about my life here is the soundtrack. these songs come from different times in my life and bring back memories. i'm not much into music. usually i like to listen to old music i've had for a long time. i don't really care about discovering new bands and all that. i do time to time discover something new that i will usually listen to all the time, but i never go to shows. anyway...

semi-chronological:

girls just wanna have fun - cyndi lauper

wake me up before you go go - wham

jump - van halen

strawberry fields forever - the beatles

any early pulp

daddies making monsters - demented are go

any early johnny cash

apart - elkland

ready 2 wear - felix da housecat

i'd rather dance with you - king's of convenience

let go - frou frou

she's a study - tv eyes

asleep - the smiths

alone in kyoto - air

fade to grey - nouvelle vague

bela lugosi's dead - nouvelle vague

currently can't stop listening to:

california - joni mitchell

while my guitar gently weeps - the beatles

beauty mark - charlotte gainsbourg

little monsters - charlotte gainsbourg

ultra orange and emmanuelle

i have no idea who would play me in a movie about my boring life... hmm...
who would play the part of you in a movie chronicling your life?

new shoes aka wardrobe pusher

ok people. here are my new shoes i purchased wednesday night instead of waiting in line at h+m. do you like my grey nailpolish? i had a pair of marni heels on my list and originally i was going to get a pair of sandals (see below) but i think these might be more versatile (believe it or not) because i can wear them with tights in the winter time. what do we think? i was apprehensive about the colour because usually i'm a black shoe gal, but my wardrobe is also mostly black, so i thought some colour might be good? oh, and jon mentioned that i could always get the heel painted black down the road if i get sick of it... good thinking...

they are surprisingly comfortable and don't feel as super high as they look. i haven't worn them out because i have 14 days to decide if i want to keep them forever, so i'm going to think long and hard about them. i do love them though and they are works of art in my eyes.


these are the sandals i was going to get. can't wear these in fall, that's for sure, but they are a bit more versatile colour-wise...

nom nom

tonight i left the house and jon and i went to an event! and event with lots of other people in close vicinity! first we got yummy hotdogs from japadog, a hotdog stand done japanese style. mine had seaweed, teriyaki sauce and miso mayo. yummy. please excuse the flip flops. i hate wearing flip flops in public but i couldn't drive in my acne wedges.

we went to the opening of the h+m in vancouver. jon got a special invitation through work to get into the opening event that gave us 25% off and the first crack at the goods before it opens to the public tomorrow. well it turns out half of vancouver got the damn "special" invitation! the line-up to get in was around the block! this did not appeal to us so we went shopping at holt renfrew instead, where i made a purchase that i will share later.

by the time we were done the line-up was gone so we took a look. i couldn't believe how crazy it was! i mean, we're talking h&m here! i didn't find anything except a bracelet and a hair clip and jon got a few shirts. i guess it was worth it to get out of the house and get a free glass of champagne.

grey + blonde

this picture from garance doré has been haunting me. pure perfection in my mind. it makes me want blonde hair again but i know well enough not to even go there.

making a list...checking it twice...

i used to be a fashion magazine hoarder. i had an entire bookcase from floor to ceiling with magazines organized by month for reference. it did come in handy when I was in fashion school, but I have no need for a bajillion old magazines now. fashion (trends/fads in particular) is so funny- the fact that something that seemed so fresh and new one season will look so stale and dated the next year. i think it is a testament to one's personal style when you can look back seasons and years and still love and want to wear a certain look or collection. i bought a pair of pants from rick owens' spring 06 collection. only two years ago in "real time" but in fashion-years it's seems like many more. looking at that collection i would wear a great deal of it right now, the same with other older collections from some of my favorite designers. i guess what i am trying to say is that i think i have been able to confirm/define my personal style in a way that (hopefully) i can make less mistakes when it comes to shopping.

that's not to say that experimentation and creativity will be ruled out, but impulsive purchases that coordinate with nothing else in my wardrobe will.

based on the above concept (my defined fashion identity) i have compiled a list of things that I want/need in my wardrobe, regardless of season and regardless of any trends. these things fall into two categories. the first are items that I have loved for many years and still do but have put in the back of my mind in lieu of fast and instant gratification achieved from other things. the second are items from current or future seasons that are missing in my wardrobe or that will increase the versatility of things already in my wardrobe.

I am going to try my hardest to stick to that list and stop mindlessly browsing the internet. I find when it comes to fashion what I don't know won't hurt me! I don't go window shopping in person much, but the internet is at my disposal at all times, which can be very dangerous for my wallet and for my sanity. i have no trouble admitting i am addicted. my motto will be: put the laptop down and step slowly away....

and another thing: do you ever feel over-stimulated? too much inspiration? i am getting to that point with the internet and blogs. about 6 months ago i got rid of any blog or website to do with celebrity gossip (toxic and useless information) except jezebel of course, and recently i have been trying to cut down my home-decor-related blogs a lot because it seems like the same stuff pops up on every one of them. my feed-reader is a blessing and a curse.

sorry for the rambling. i think this is the most writing i have posted in the history of my blog(s) on the internets.

so, do you think that you can or have defined your personal style? do you shop with a list or do you shop freestyle/on impulse?

a pet of my very own

i'm trying to convince jon that we need a dog. technically he is allergic to animal hair but says a dog would be better than cat hair. which is too bad because i love cats and really miss having one around. my cat was my best buddy, but he snored so i would kick him out of bed and he would get grumpy. i also like the idea of a hedgehog, but i can't imagine them being much fun to play with and cuddle.

i would love to rescue a dog from the shelter, or else my first choice would be a whippet! they're so adorable and meek looking but i bet they're mischievous-they have that look about them. i've read that obviously they like to run, but at home they're couch potatoes, which is perfect. i'm home all day working and need company! i've already decided on a name. santos. little santos. it has a simpsons reference but i won't get into it for those who don't know.

i'm working on it, but i have a feeling all i will end up with is a goldfish at best.

chair amore

if i had a gigantic house there would be a chair in every nook and corner. i love chairs- and not sets of chairs. just individual chairs. jaime hayon's 'showtime' chairs caught my eye on apartment therapy. something about the combination of materials that makes my heart murmur. now to find a place to put it...

ebay find: marni flats

i found these great flats on my daily marni search on ebay. the colour is great, but i made a list of things i need/want and these are not on it. they are pretty reasonably priced at roughly $120 as the opening bid. size 38 if anyone is interested! though i was drooling over marni shoes today at holt renfrew and now officially dying to get a pair...

bid on them: current bid £60

shoe review: k. jacques agopos

shoe review! today i wore my k.jacques sandals for the first time out of the house (besides the other day where i wore them to walk to the mail box) i decided to review them for erica and anyone else who is thinking of buying k.jacques sandals or who has sensitive feet like i do!

first of all, these are narrow. i have quite narrow feet and they fit mine like a glove. wide feet beware- you will not get them into these sandals.

a feature i particularly like on these is how many holes there are on the ankle strap. i have pretty slender ankles and usually have a hard time with ankle straps that are too loose. no problem with these- there are about 10 holes in the strap and i didn't even have to cinch it to the end!

the inner sole is pretty comfortable while walking, and they are not slippery to walk on pavement. the toe brace didn't rub against my first and second toe at all. i did notice that the heavy stitching on the sole did bother my heel a bit after walking in them, but not to the extent that it might give me a blister. this particular model has a unique back to it that criss-crosses. it fit my right foot perfectly, but my left foot had some discomfort with the straps digging into it. the digging in lessened after about 5 minutes of walking, so maybe it's something that just needs to be stretched out over time/worn in.

**EDIT: i wore them again to get dinner and it's not the topstitching that rubs, its where the heel strap connects to the sole.






(sorry about the gross heel pics)

on a scale of 1-10 (1 being barbed wire and 10 being clouds) purely based on comfort, i would rate the k.jacques a healthy 7.5 or 8. points taken off for the rubbing on my heel and the strap digging in. i wouldn't go on a long hike in these, but they would be appropriate for shopping for the better part of the day where walking is required.

stella mccartney lingerie

i love stella mccartney's new lingerie collection. it looks well made and well-designed with a bit of a vintage influence- especially the "eve" set above ($150 for the brassiere and $52 for the thong) i hate the word thong- you'd think we could come up with a better name than that. the collection appears quite popular as most of the sizes are sold out on net-a-porter. not all the styles list the fiber content, but i was surprised when a few did and they were synthetic. i guess it is hard to avoid with underpinnings such as these, but i thought stella would figure out a way to bring organics or at least natural fibers into this collection (100% silk even?) pretty anyway.


"coco" $150 and $65


"eve" $140 and $65


"jessica" $130 and $55

skull love

i love skulls. i don't care if people say they're 'over' or 'old' or whatever. they're kind of classic to me-they have to be done right obviously. the bijoux de sophie skull necklace jon got me for valentines day has become my new go-to necklace. i would love to get one in white too- especially with the pearl-like beads.



this ring recently caught my eye on notcot. its made from ceramic (yay!) by a comapny called mixko. only £ 23 with international shipping.



even though alexander mcqueen's skull scarves have been such a fad/trend, played-out by many celebrities and knock-offers, i still like the idea of them. the grey and white version is quite nice.

sneakers for sneaking and force feeding

i love these zippered wings+horns sneakers but unfortunately, like all good things, they were not made in my size. just like the coolest pair of drkshdw mens jeans/pants that for some reason purchasing for $650 and taking in actually seems like good logic to me right now.

i have a habit of trying to "force feed" fashion to jon, which he resists quite adamantly. my logic is: i like this + i want this + it doesn't come in my size/is made for men/i am not a boy = you must buy and wear this and like it purely for my personal enjoyment.

i tried with the w+h sneakers.

i tried with this w+h jacket.



finally acne has come to my rescue and released these sneakers that.. wait for it... actually come in my size! amazement! the zipper is the best part. they are not as cool as the w+h ones... but it's a start...



now if only i was willing to pay $200 for canvas sneakers...

indiana jones -orama

three of my all-time favorite movies are the indiana jones trilogy. i wanted to be an archaeologist when i was younger, and i'm pretty sure it was because of the indiana jones movies. i can watch them over and over again and not get tired of them. needless to say i'll be at the movie theatre with bells on when the new one comes out!

for some reason i decided to create polyvore outfits around each movie... yes, i know. i'm a dork.

Indiana Jones- Raiders of the Lost Ark


Indiana Jones- The Temple of Doom


Indiana Jones- The Last Crusade