giveaway!!

*thank-you for entering! the contest is now closed. congratulations to hanna!*

you are in luck! i was contacted last week from chickdowntown.com to hold a contest for a free item of clothing of my choice! (ps. they have a massive sale going on right now, i was actually browsing the site before i was emailed to do the contest!)

as a prize, i picked a pair of current/elliot skinny slouch jeans (a $214-248 value!). this is my favorite fit of jean- a bit narrow but still comfy and slouchy. they are giving you a choice of three colours if you win:


super slouchy skinny, as seen here (my personal favorite)


skinny slouch in loved, as seen here


or skinny slouch in love destroyed, as seen here

so here are the rules:

-leave a comment and tell me what you would wear with your jeans if you win.

-make sure there is a way for me to contact you if you win. so include your email, or at least make sure your email is in your google profile (and your profile is open to view!).

-the contest will close July 5 at midnight, when a winner will be randomly chosen.

-the last rule, (sadly) this contest is only open to US residents! sorry! (i can't even enter my own contest)

tabi love

ok, i think it's officially time to stop buying clothes and start buying tabi sock patterns. seriously! damn you 1stdibs! i want these sooo badly!



actually i really like anything that's mounted on a little black stand like this.

speaking of tabi...

hello there, distressed/dipped tabi from totokaelo!! i would like to have you, but not for $775.



and hello giant satchel. i would like to have you as well. i haven't checked in with impulse/totokaelo in a while. i had no idea they were carrying margiela (and drkshdw) this could be dangerous!



i went to the margiela store in tokyo (omotesando) lets just say... it was torture.

so many tabi variations. so many colours.


(image from naoyafujii again)

i'm obsessed.

UF3-Q

say hello to my new lamp! it traveled with us back from tokyo. we got it at hhstyle in harajuku. we were looking for a ceiling lamp to put over the dining table, but they were out of stock on most of the ones we liked. so the plan is we're going to retrofit the UF3-Q to hang over our table.

we were originally looking at the hanging L3 lamp, but i think our little polka-dotted space ship UF3-Q will look great!

this is a picture of hhstyle in harajuku. i forgot to take a lot of pictures when we were there, so i will share a few from one of my favorite flickr-ites naoyafujii.


(image from naoyafujii's flickr)

6-14-2 jingumae - shibuya-ku - tokyo


(image from naoyafujii's flickr)

this is the building right beside hhstyle. it is now the nike street wear (nsw) store, but i have seen it still referenced as the hh style building other places. it is pretty amazing, inside and out, especially at night, as you can see.

i miss tokyo.

also, watch how akari light sculptures are made:

monocolour dream coat

the holy grail















you have chosen... wisely.

beetle and flor

i love ceramics and porcelain. and i also love natural history, including skulls.

design*sponge posted these great porcelain animal skulls from beetle and flor today. i just love them! especially the beaver skull with the gold teeth.





they also make porcelain skunk and muskrat jaw pendants.



they have an etsy store here.

i really want that beaver skull! 5 months till my birthday! i will start my list now.

summer polish

over the past 8 months or so, i've been a bit obsessed with nail polish.

last summer, since i was homeless and not spending money on rent, i would frequently get my nails done. why not? painted that is. no crazy fake nails. then when we moved into our new place i would give myself manicures at the dinner table at night while watching tv.

there's a great blog that i've mentioned before called 'all lacquered up' that is an excellent resource. she paints all the new colours from all sorts of brands on her own nails and shows them in different lights so you can get a real idea of how they look.

on friday i got a white manicure and pedicure. i wasn't sure how i would like it, but it's actually a fun, fresh colour to have on your nails for the summer. but it's wednesday and my fingers are chipping already.

here are some colours i'm liking for summer. i'm not into the obnoxious brights.

peach.

peach with a white and pale grey outfit? yes. i've been trying to push peach on some of my clients, who are resisting. maybe for the next meeting i will have to paint my nails peach.

mint.

this is coming out in the fall. looks amazing on the runway. i will be sharpening my elbows to get to the chanel counter for this!

evergreen.

an alternative to the dark purples i've been favouring.

all pics are from all lacquered up.

margiela earrings

i've been on a bit of an online shopping rampage lately. i tried to shop in person on a few occasions this week, but it's just so frustrating! i have specific things that i'm looking for, and somehow when you have that agenda, you can't find anything. online shopping has spoiled me.

i did find one excellent item while out shopping- i will share later. finally have them checked off my list! ooh! which reminds me! i made a 'holy grail' purchase a little while ago. i must get the tripod out for some photos.

i ordered these margiela earrings from aloha rag. i had been looking at them for some time. i'm slowly expanding my jewelry collection.

i would really love to have some pamela love pieces (cuff and talon necklace) but unfortunately the budget doesn't allow. not when my options for summer dressing are very limited (ie. need summer wardrobe), and the fact that i've been trying to save up for a new handbag for a year. somehow that never works out. current savings? $0.35. oops.

adrift in tokyo

a few weeks ago jon and i went to see 'adrift in tokyo' aka 'tenten'.



i highly recommend it. there is a better trailer on youtube than this, but i can't find it now.
it finished playing at tinseltown in vancouver, but it's back on july 23 at pacific cinémathèque's kibatsu cinema film festival.

there are a total of 7 films playing over 5 different days in july. check out the link above to see the dates. i'm definitely going to check some of them out. how can you resist a movie called "komaneko: the curious cat"?!

edit: arrrghhh crap. i just realized that all but one play on thursday nights! i just started a watercolour class that is thursday nights for the next month. blast!!! just my luck.

white out

ok, maybe not white-white, but white-ish. i've always wanted white jeans, but every time i try them on i just feel like they are too bright and harsh. my inability to dress for warm weather has led me to purchase this pair of light wash jeans. considering the 2-3 pairs of jeans in constant rotation in my life are black (diet butcher, acne, ksubi), i think these will be a welcome addition and help me to at least stay cooler during warm weather. look ma! knee vents!



sass and bide's neon nights in bleached out. i've never owned a pair of sass and bide jeans before, but i do love their australian cousins ksubi, so i'm hoping these will be a perfect fit. they're just about sold out on my catwalk, but if you're a size 31 or like anything else on the site, i found this coupon code for 10% off "ladylicorice"



i love these shots from net-a-porter's magazine. that purple lace balmain top? pretty fabulous- especially the super-saturated grape colour. the shoulders look funny when you hold your arms like that... the makeup is pretty though- maybe i should put my chanel smokey eye palette to use.

baboon, baboon, baboon!!!!

errr... mandrill...



i think these christopher kane t-shirts are kind of fabulous. i also like the chimp. they are quite the statement. is this the evolution of margiela's 'summoning the storm' t-shirt dress?

aarrgghh

work is so crazy right now! 1 more day (tomorrow) and things will cool off a tad. in between all this work i've been browsing the internet like a mad woman! it's so bad. i was trying to curb my endless clothing browsing, but alas, it is a beast that cannot be tamed. there are so many sales going on right now, i just can't help it!!

i have to share this polyvore set because i'm thinking of bringing some super bold colour into my life! jon is skeptical, but i think with the right accessories it would be an easy addition to my wardrobe... what say you?

yes or no? by stealthmodesteph featuring Tibi

au petit chavignol

last night we had dinner at au petit chavignol on east hastings. such an odd spot for a nice restaurant, but at least it isn't crawling with hipsters (yet). the building is quite cool, built in the early 1920s and was used by the royal canadian naval reserve. their cheese shop, les amis du fromage, is situated next door. unfortunately by the time we finished our meal, it was closed, but i would love to go back and pick up some cheese (particularly some of the goat cheese with black truffle oil and some yummy brie.)

their menu is based around cheese, meats, wine and casual french entrées. there was a lot to choose from, so we opted for a tasting platter (various meats, cheeses, crackers and bread), poutine and a croque monsieur, all to share with sparkling pear juice. i think two dishes would have sufficed, as we were really stuffed by the end!

jon was particularly enamored by their slicer, a huge red industrial steering-wheel operated device, that sliced up paper thin pieces of prosciutto behind the bar. unfortunately once the food came, i was too hungry/excited to bother to take pictures of it, or the rest of the restaurant.

les amis du fromage holds cheese and wine tasting events, which i was interested in first, before i discovered the restaurant. you can see the different events here, which include french, italian, and 101 tastings.

845 East Hastings St.
Vancouver, BC
Tel (604) 255-4218

cook with jamie

i got the 'cook with jamie' cookbook for christmas, and though i've read and flipped through it a few times, i haven't actually cooked a recipe until this week. i tried three of jamie's recipes this week, and they were all really good! i'm not the greatest cook, but i'm trying to cook more so i get better. i was surprised that the recipes actually tasted good after i was finished with them!

ps- we're growing herbs and they're still alive! ie. i haven't killed them yet!




roasted white fish wrapped in bacon, with asparagus and lemon mayonnaise. this was really really good. i used cod with european smoked bacon.


tagliarini with yummy light, zesty summertime dressing. i added grilled chicken breast.

any other good cook books out there? i would really like to incorporate more vegetarian dishes into my diet....

lvr pre-order

gah. can we talk about f09 pre-orders? actually, let's not. i've never pre-ordered anything in my life.... looking at all this loot, i wish i could! actually looking at fall stuff is kind of giving me anxiety. i mean, i'm still trying to find a dress to wear to a summer wedding! i've pretty much given up on summer dressing already. i really couldn't be bothered. i should just move somewhere that only gets summer for a month or something.


ann demeulemeester belt corset. i predict this to see diy versions soon. leather craft course anyone?

i really love the following sweater from ann. many different ways of wearing it.




this is also something pre-order worthy for me. from ann.


rick's take on the boulder shoulder.


this is just stunning. i love when he uses this "mullet" silhouette. from rick owens.


this scarf/shawl is amazing, and reminds me of my friend carlie, who once handmade tassles kind of like this. i see this in my diy future. from haider ackermann.


leather racer back vest from alexander wang. i found a vest exactly like this on polyvore from a japanese brand about a month ago and fell in love. see judy of atlantis home rocking a leather vest.


boots from givenchy....

the spring shoes

we've finally been having some nice weather here, and a few weeks ago i made my first spring purchase. i am starting to learn that it pays off to be patient. i almost bought the suede wedge version, but i'm glad i didn't settle, and waited to find my size in the leather heeled version from antonioli.






i posted these pics on tfs... the unveiling! they came beautifully packaged, and wrapped in antonioli's giant tote bag, which i am wearing below.


i took this picture before we went to tokyo... trying to plan some outfits!

except for the bottom two eyelets digging into my toes, they are pretty comfortable, and exceptionally easy to walk in, thanks to the chunky heel. i've learned to counter the eyelet problem by preparing my feet in advance. my band-aid advanced healing blister cushions and friction block stick are essential in my footwear arsenal. if you have sensitive feet like me, i highly recommend them.

look under the blister section here.

the smaller slim blister bandaids are great for pinkie toes and in between toes (yes, even a simple thong sandal will rip my feet up, not that you wanted to know that) but i have the big ones too, which are perfect for the heel or larger surface area. the friction block stick is something i put on toes where i know there might be rubbing, but not enough to cause a blister.


(i bought my mom the stegosaurus on my business trip this week)

i wore my ann sandals all day yesterday and through the airport/on a flight. i was asked to take them off at security and was so embarrassed to have to stick my bandaid-ed feet up in the air so they could run the metal detector around them! so the preventative bandaids do have a draw-back. but in the long run my feet are thanking me!