3.31.09

remember when i said i went on a shopping ban? well i'm still on it. honest. i bought this before the ban and it just showed up today.









that's right. whoring it up for the camera with my new drkshdw hoodie vest. i got it on yoox at such a good deal that i couldn't pass it up, considering that this style gets repeated season after season (as in, the chances of me finding one again at this price is slim) and i can use it as a template to make a long sleeve fur-lined version! ooh! i've said too much

i set up jon's tripod on my lunch break (ahem, 2pm) so i could take some decent pictures of it without having to use a mirror. i need to get a black version of this ribbed long sleeve t-shirt i'm wearing.

we took santos out for a walk later and, wearing this with my long green anorak, jon told me i looked like zelda. i didn't find anything wrong with that...? haha.

also i'm feeling the urge for a new tattoo. and then in a few years i will regret it like the huge one on my upper arm that i forget i have... at one point last year i wanted to get my knuckles tatooed. now i'm thinking maybe it was a good thing i thought that one through...

3.30.09

some randomness...



still musing about what to do with my hair. maybe just colour it darker...
i'm also trying something new... no shampoo... i just started (today!) washing my hair with baking soda and rinsing with apple cider vinegar. you might think that's gross. i'm experimenting though. not only to save money (goodbye $38 bottles of shampoo!) but to try and lessen my dependence on plastic bottles of chemicals. next up is to find a good home-made scrub!



took a trip out to visit my parents with miss ribwich. she wets her feet in a pond and watched my parents' dog swim.



we turned off our lights for earth hour and took santos out for a walk around town with the camera. some restaurants were cooking and dining by candlelight, but yaletown condos were still aglow.

i made a purchase today, but it was a purchase "for the greater good" so to speak. so it's allowed. i got 'remembering the kanji'. thanks léon for recommending it and leading me to all japanese all the time. along with improving my french, learning japanese is on my shortlist of things to do. i can't wait to get started, but the book doesn't ship for 1-3 weeks. damn you amazon.

monster mittens version 1

finally! i finally made something i've been dying to make for many weeks, especially when it was so cold and snowing. monster mitts! i have included some inspiration pictures to guide you along with my thought process...

first, this image from balenciaga pre-fall 2009.


second there were these from rachel comey:


i was all set to buy them from bird, but they only had pink left. this is also how i was originally going to construct mine. find a pair of elbow length black mittens and sew fur on top. easier said than done, when spring merchandise is proliferating stores right now. no appropriate mittens to be found.



then there was marni fall 2009. solidifying my desire for monster mittens even more. and i noticed the leather thumb. this got me thinking. how about a slip on mitten that will fit over my long leather gloves? perfect and painfully easy to construct.

step 1.

buy some 4-way stretch interlock jersey. trace around glove until top of thumb hole.



cut out shape leaving a seam allowance on all ends. also cut out a piece that will fit from the bottom of the thumb hole to the end of the fur length.

2.

buy the best faux fur you can find in an appropriate glove length (as long as you want)

trace the shape of the mitt, and extend the lines to the bottom of the fur.



3.

when you cut out your fur shape be sure to do it in such a way as to not cut through the long bits of the fur. slide the bottom blade of your scissors closely to the scrim/backing of the fur.



4.

finish the edges of your stretch jersey pieces and sew onto your fur part. flip right side out.



5.

slide your glove through the mitten.



6.

tada! instant monster mitt!





i have lots of fur, jersey, and i also bought some fleece, so i'm going to make a version 2 that are proper mitts (more cleanly finished, lined/insulated) so i can wear them without the leather gloves.

i'm so happy i finally made these, and i hope it stays on the cold side so i can wear them soon!

the last purchase

this is the last thing i bought before my self-imposed shopping ban today. i got a set of bottles from sara paloma yesterday to put on a shelf in our kitchen. we have these weird shelves above our sink. i have no idea what to 'display' there. we are not really 'display' people, especially in the kitchen. what to put on those two shelves has puzzled me ever since we moved in.

not to mention i've been lusting after her pottery for a year. i got to take a look in person when my mom and i were in san francisco this summer. she was at the renegade craft fair.

anyway, she has put a bunch of items on sale, so now is the perfect time to pick some up!



this is the set i bought. i can't wait to get it! thanks sara!

ebay find: suede margiela tabi heels

hello. SUEDE! that deserves caps on my no-caps-allowed blog. and GREY! more caps. too bad i'm on a shopping ban and they're not my size. size 37, new in box.



i will have a pair of margiela tabi "something" in my life one day. (preferably the boot)

bid on them: opening bid $329

3.25.09

my poor neglected blog. too bad blog. i've been busy.

i think i should just give in to my cross-dressing ways, and just stop buying womens clothing. why is mens clothing so much more appealing to me right now? i wish i had the funds to buy the mens pieces i love and take them to a tailor and say "here, make them fit me", because while i can get away with some things (t-shirts, waistcoats, some jeans) some things (jackets, coats) just won't work on me. i remember a mens size small ann demeulemeester jacket with a black shearling collar at komakino i was trying to make fit. not happening unfortunately.

checking out the sale section at blackbird, there are so many great things.


how amazing is this robert gellar toggle coat? i love toggles. $420.99


i just love coats and jackets in general, actually. this nom de guerre one is fantastic. fireman clasps to remind me of my dad. $535.99


this endovanera vest is cute. $123.99


i like these rachel comey shoes for a man. semi-casual look. hint hint jon. $201.99



but guess what?! i'm going on a shopping ban starting today. i have a possible something to save for in the summer (not confirmed yet) and i won't post about it until it's confirmed. but yes, shopping ban. you heard it here.

1st dibs

i've been on 1st dibs a lot lately. i found the most perfect sofa. it combines my love of white and tufting with jon's love of clean lines. personally i think it is the most perfect sofa. too bad it costs a little more than $8,000. i was seriously scheming in my head trying to figure out how to raise the funds, but all i came up with was buying a lottery ticket!


sigh.


i would pair it with one of these vintage industrial side tables


i also really like this 70s driftwood coffee table


and this 19th century japanese boro cloth collage is so beautiful

3.16.09

just got back from a business trip. worst day! after seeing an american vintage sale on haute look, i treated myself to a bunch of (super discounted!) tees and tops that i need to update in my wardrobe anyway. if you want to join email me and i will sponsor you to become a member. if you get sponsored you receive $10 to put towards your first purchase! they are having a stila cosmetics sale on right now too- good prices, but i always wear the same makeup anyway.

here's what i got:


i got this in carbon- a bit lighter than black






i got two of these- gotta stock up!

3.13.09

ugh. this week has been so busy with work. i'm trying not to get stressed out and just roll with it. i was up until 2am last night working. yuck. i'm so behind on paris fashion week.

this post from desire to inspire is amazing. a highlight of some of the amazing spaces by paris architectural firm joseph dirand.





that is all. nothing exciting happening here. hopefully i will get to some of my diy projects next week after things slow down a (tiny) bit.

3.10.09

we got snow yesterday. crazy. when it's cold out miss santos refuses to go for a walk. yet the snow makes her crazy! i took her to the park at lunch and she went nuts.





i couldn't resist these purple tulips. if i could i would have bought 15 bunches because they are so pretty.





i went for my hair consultation today. getting my hair straightened is going to be expensive! (i already kind of knew that, but y'know...) i still will probably do it, just not as soon as i want. my stylist doesn't think i should get a mid-length haircut. he thinks i should see how i like it long and straight, but i think we're going to do a hidden shaved section too. something i can hide when i need to, and then part it differently and show it off. sorry for the let-down, but i don't think there will be a drastic asym cut in my near future! maybe i will work my way up to it. i still like the two-tone bob in my previous hair post.

rick owens f09

(tfs)

no words.

can i just say 'gah!' and 'bring on the icey layers'

doppelgänger

if you adored acne's niara wedge sandal from last spring, but didn't want to pay full price for them like a chump before they sold out (like me), now is your chance to get an identical pair from jeffrey campbell for a quarter of the price.


jeffrey campbell's "asti" $118


my acne niara wedges $sigh.muchmore
this picture is from our old house. how i miss our brick.

3.4.09

(image of gareth pugh jacket from jak and jil)

thanks to gnarlitude, i thoroughly enjoyed these videos- gareth pugh fall 09 film and interview via showstudio.

i completely agree with what he says in his interview about wanting another medium of showcasing his clothes. i think films are a great way to extend the vision of ones work in fashion, just the same as retail environments do. i love visiting designers' flagships to see the interpretation of their label through an interior space. you have greater control over how things are viewed- everything down to how things are hung/displayed, music, colour, dressing rooms, smells, bags and packaging, etc. after working in retail for so long (in my humbly short lifetime) and being a designer myself, i can see the desire for ones work to be showcased in a way fit of their vision. i would imagine if i ever had my own collection, i would be extremely select about what boutiques carry it and how it was displayed. everything matters in creating a mood. some of my favorite retail spaces i have personally visited are richard kidd (rip), komakino version 2.0 (rip), raf simons (tokyo), diet butcher (tokyo), ann demeulemeester (tokyo) - actually a lot of stores in tokyo (so many interesting retail spaces), mandula (vancouver), rick owens (paris), and l'eclaireur (paris) so beautiful and intimidating i couldn't even bear to enter.

back to the videos- i was completely mesmerized. the music at the beginning (0:19 and 0:58) is reminiscent of kabuki, non? the sticks banging together? (haha- obviously didn't learn a lot about traditional japanese music on my trip) then it goes into some cult-like chanting? i love the movements of the model and the visual effects of the curling smoke- reminds me of dropping dye into clear water- how the colour curls and bleeds.

i'm thoroughly inspired and now i want to quit my job and just create amazing things that come from my head. why can't i do that. i am also feeling the urge to shave part of my head... i will feel the wrath of the boyfriend in the morning after he reads this!

i think i'm going to go watch the video again.

attachment

loving these images from attachment fw09 show in paris via scoute. especially the top coat. i need more muppet fur in my life. i have had this muppet-fur-related diy planned forever, and i can't wait to wear it when its done. i should finally do it this week.

3.3.09

i can't remember how i found this, but it made me chuckle this morning.

"Urban Camouflage deals with the question how to camouflage oneself and one’s
identity in the urban space. Our costumes are inspired by the «ghillie suits», the
military camouflage suit. It was an adventure to wear the suit in the stores
because of the conflicts with the employees , the reaction of the customers and
also to see the pretty well camouflage effect in a real situation."



looks like fun!

speaking of camouflage, i am making a prediction:


(garance dore)

help

ok, so i've been looking for the perfect pair of black trousers for a looong time and i need some help! here are some inspiration pictures. so what i am looking for is a pair of black trousers with pleats, slightly tapered leg, ankle length. they can have a cuff or not, but preferably not because i am short. fabric-wise no cotton. lightweight wool or wool blends, linen blends, etc. basic black, no pinstripes, etc.



also, what are those shoes? i've been trying to figure it out... alaia? topshop?









there was a great pair from acne in the fall, but i waited too long and now they're gone, replaced with a cotton version (no)

these look too big in the thigh, too long and the fabric looks too crunchy/shiny.

these look ok, but hello, i don't have $650 to spend on a single pair of pants unless they are the most amazing pair of pants ever made.

sooo... keep your eyes open for me! i am running out of places to look!