Blue Tuxedo

Lately I've noticed one particular colour begin to creep into my wardrobe... and my surroundings in general. It all started with painting my room a light grey-blue many months ago. Since then I've acquired quite a few items in a similar shade. It's probably the only colour that I can wear head to knees (still lacking tights and shoes). It's not quite a blue tuxedo, since I'm not pairing it with a denim bottom, but it feels like it's in the same vein.

Below I'm wearing a thrifted denim jacket, Joe Fresh Style tee, and inside-out thrifted skirt (I had the length shortened a bit). I quite like the slightly deconstructed look caused by the zipper poking out. Notice that I'm covering the labels with my hand. I haven't taken them off yet. Where is that seam ripper?





I've also finally made a Twitter account. I'm currently trying to figure out how to link it to my phone. In case you're wondering what's on my mind at other times of the day, you can check it out here.

Ruffle Drama

D&G via Fincher at tfs.com/AP Photos.
Gianfranco Ferre via Nils at tfs.com/Getty

I'm loving the neck ruffles appearing on a few runways in Milan. It's a look that I secretly try on in my room but never dare wear outside. Well, at least not on campus. I like dressing randomly if I'm out downtown though.

On another note, I've tried experimenting with shoulder pads in my sweaters but I can't get that sleek sharp look (see above) I've been seeing everywhere lately. I just end up with a frumpy lumpy mess. Any ideas?

Melt Away, Winter Cold

Last night I tried to style an outfit around this pretty floral jacket I thrifted at Value Village a couple of months ago and then never wore. I had fun following my boyfriend's silly posing orders. The one shown here was a result of "pretend you're a melting clock!" Probably inspired by the Dali print in the background. Even though it isn't The Persistence of Memory... That ironing board is a hideous relic from the 90s, but Kevin insisted I take photos with it. Oh well, the 90s are having a comeback right?




The weather has decided to be especially cruel last night and this morning, with a short bout of snow and cold winds after what has been a relatively nice couple of weeks. That means that, for the meantime at least, my hopes of breaking out some lighter fabrics have been dashed again. Today I went off to school wearing my Topshop jodhpurs and two layers of sweaters. I did try to brighten things up by mixing lime green and lemon yellow though! I haven't really been posting many of my school outfits on the blog since, to be honest, they're dreadfully boring and super casual.

I'm ready for summer to come now. Please?

Waiting...

Hey guys! Just another quickie post today. I'm on campus waiting to commence exam #4... This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago by my boy Kevin. Check out his flickr! He likes comments. ...My bangs really need to start growing out faster. They're always in my face these days! It doesn't look so great.

I'm hoping to shoot a few outfit photos when I get home today. I ordered a cool pair of tie-dye style leggings from Forever 21 and I've been experimenting with them. They look particularly interesting with lace tights layered on top.

Oh and PS: Here is a photo that Kevin took during his workshop with photographer Bruce Gilden in New York. They ran into Bill Cunningham! Who I think is one of the very few remaining photographers still shooting on film in fashion. I'd like to see New York one day... soon...

Inspired by - Vilsbol de Arce

Just a quickie post for today. I have a Human Resources midterm coming up in the evening. I feel more confident tackling Finance to be honest, I'm just not good with memorizing millions of facts and lists.

Anyways, here's a little photo from Danish label Vilsbol de Arce. I loved looking through the high quality video of their Woven Armour collection, featuring complicated knotted busts and padded shoulders abound! Go check it out.

Lula #8 Spring/Summer 2009

Scanned by loverunway @ tfs.com

Leave it to Lula to make me seriously consider looking for sheer skirts to wear this summer. Always an inspiration.

The 2 Dollar Dress

Yesterday while shopping for ribbons at Dressew I checked out the scrap fabric section and decided to fashion myself a wrap dress out of a slinky green fabric. I added a black belt and coral tassels (also from Dressew) and it was ready to wear! For 2 bucks, this is recession shopping at its finest, I think. Looks like I'll have quite a few scarf/scrap fabric dresses to wear this summer.

I'm now waiting for my grandmother to finish adjusting two skirts for me. Can't wait to try them out!

Dream Catchers, Sequins, Glow-Sticks... Must be London Fashion Week!

I thought the shows at New York were pretty good overall to be honest. I never suspected that I was somehow subconsciously bored... Until my eyes literally burst as the London collections started rolling out. Burst in the best possibly sense, of course. Maybe it's because I just came fresh out of Dressew (the fabric store) again, maybe it's because I had a Tim Horton's iced cap and the measly little amount of caffeine in said drink was already making my hands quiver, but I really, really loved what I was seeing.





Topshop Unique... where do I begin? It's not sophisticated, it's not austere, it doesn't hold anything back, and it's just what I wanted to see. I love squiggly neon stripes zigzagging down leggings and dresses, the multitude of sequins, the thick fringe scarves and jackets, thigh-high boots (Rodarte or Topshop?)... It's a million diy projects just waiting to happen. I guess those who are already sick of nu-rave might be cringing, but you have to appreciate a collection so in-your-face it's unforgettable.




The contact-lenses the models sported at Ann-Sofie Back kind of spooked me, I admit. I didn't notice them until one particular model with bigger eyes came up and... a little yelp ensued. But moving on to the clothes, I rather like the ying-yang closure on the last coat, as well as the shredded sweater and dress. I once made a dream catcher in elementary school. I wonder if I could incorporate that into clothing somehow.



Basso and Brooke never cease to impress with their amazing patterns. I love the Baroque inspired motifs throughout the collection. Sometimes a great pattern almost eliminates the need for innovative cuts and other details. I'd love to wear one of these works of art just as they are.



I quite liked the sweater dresses at Armand Basi. He has inspired a DIY studding project. And these creeper-style shoes are everywhere now! All over the blogosphere, all over the runways. Looks like I caught on pretty late actually. A good practical trend, in my opinion.



A great new silhouette debuted at John Rocha. The pants are very voluminous and bottom-heavy but I kind of like them. It feels a bit Japanese, like it could have been on a Limi Feu catwalk as well.

Phew! This was quite a long post by my standards. I'm more of the one-photo "Look at this! Isn't it pretty?" kind of blogger. Maybe it's the caffeine. I hope it was inspiring!

Welcome to the Jungle

First of all, oh noes! Rumi just bought a pair of my favourite Aldo wedges! That means there is no chance of this style not becoming ubiquitous by summer's end, since she just makes them look too good damn it! I guess I'll just have to go crazy with ribbons, and other bits and bobs lest I start to tire of seeing other bloggers sport the same shoes... I was actually kind of expecting this style to be popular though. Just wishful thinking.

Ok, now that my rather high-school rant is over with, I spent an inordinate amount of time yesterday afternoon seeing what I could pull of with my new shoes. I wore this outfit to see a small gallery opening last night. Sadly I didn't bring the snake with me. His name is George, and he spends much his days sprawled across the couch.





The dress is thrifted (I pinned it all up myself though), the yellow tights are from We Love Colors, the black tights on top were purchased in Romania, the shoes are from Aldo, and George is from Ikea (in case you were wondering).

Doo.Ri Fall 2009

Doo.Ri's fall collection really impressed me with its attention to detail and dark yet soft elegance. I love the crystal beaded tights, cobweb-like chain necklaces and beautiful inky illustrations on some of the dresses. The torn leather reminds me of Yohji's fall 2008 collection, and some pieces reference the recent trend towards more elaborate knits (Sandra Backlund!) except they are more toned down and ready-to-wear. It also gives off that same wispy feel we all know and love from Olivier Theyskens' work at Ninna Ricci. The formula of draped jersey paired with touches of more experimental details will probably see Doo.Ri through tough times in the fashion industry. I'm hoping!





photos via thefashionspot.com

Fashion 156's London Preview

So New York's all a wrap now. People raved about Rodarte, argued over Alexander Wang, scratched their heads at Marc Jacobs, blamed everything on the recession... yada yada. Time for London! Just when you thought you could take a breather. Unfortunately for me a bucketful of midterms are fast approaching and I'm afraid they'll ruin my photo browsing fun.

Anyways, Fashion 156 has some lovely previews up from designers like William Tempest (left), J Smith Esquire (centre) and Romina Karamanea (right). Hmm I see a bit of McQueen inspiration.


images via Fashion 156

DIY Tassel Shoes... and Other Stuff

Today I went to Dressew, Vancouver's local fabric store wonderland, looking for some yarn to start my pom pom hat project. Unfortunately, they didn't have the best selection of yarn colours. It was a bit shocking, really. Anyways, I did end up buying some tassels, with the idea of attaching them to my shoes. Here is the result:



I think they turned out brilliantly. But the opportunities are endless. I'm also thinking of replacing the suede laces with a deep blue coloured ribbon to match the tassels. Or maybe other beads and bits and bobs like at Louis Vuitton Spring 2009:


images via style.com

I also picked up a pair of shoulder pads to insert into a sweater to give it that angular Balmain-look. Haven't decided which one looks best with them though.

And lastly, I looked at this thick fringe made from twisted yarn and thought about sewing a few rows on top of the shoulders of a sweater as well. I'll need to find a good match in colour though.

My New Aldo Wedges

Ok, I admit, this photo is very inspired from Tommy's photography at Jak and Jil. What can I say, his shoe shots are always on my mind. With that disclaimer out of the way, I would like to introduce my new shoes:



I've been needing a pair of lower heels in black for school-wear, so I went into Aldo looking for a good bargain on last season's items. I was supposed to limit my search to black ankle boots. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I ended up buying these at full price instead. They are insanely comfortable since you can adjust the width of the strings spanning across the foot. I guess the main objectives have been fulfilled. Comfortable: check. Black: check. Goes with everything: check. Stable heel: check. Price? Meh, at least I didn't really break the bank.

I just hope these shoes don't become as ubiquitous as last summer's Nine West gladiator wedges.

I was also planning to look for a grey grandpa-style cardigan to replace my old one that has mysteriously disappeared. The only suitable replacements I found were rather ridiculously priced. Actually the prices of many items in general has gone up. Four years ago I could buy gorgeous leather boots at Aldo for $100-120. Now the sandals alone are more expensive. Inflation or pocket gouging? Hmm...Actually I'd prefer the latter because the former scares me. At the rate our governments are inflating the money supply to try to fix the crisis... I should stop there before I word vomit a lecture about the Austrian theory of the business cycle. But I do encourage you to look it up if interested!

What I wore today:

A Couple of New York Faves

images via tfs.com

1) Yigal Azrouël's studded, feathered beauty of a bolero. This might become a blogger favourite, great for adding an edge to a plain black top, but I'd love to see it worn over top of brighter colors for spring.

2) Marc Jacob's bright pink hooded jacket and silly but fun glasses. I'm craving something in this shade of pink. Blazer? Leggings? Hmm... When did I start liking pink?

Diane von Furstenberg's Pom Pom Girls

Can I mention how delighted I am to see that Diane von Furstenberg has finally moved away from creating another collection full of wrap-dresses? I almost lost faith! But now it has been renewed. I feel like a kid in a candy store. For a person who loves to layer on the prints during winter (to keep things from looking too Vancouver-dull), this is absolute comfy cozy colourful heaven. Where can I get myself a rainbow plaid coat and pom pom hat? WHERE?



Images via style.com

VPL - Gimme Gimme

I prepped this post before extending the width of the blog content area so this is the very last time images will be smaller. Bear with me!

One of my favourite New York collections was VPL, which debuted a lot of basics mixed up with the more unexpected, like a monkey fur capelet for example (human hair? synthetic?). I was quite inspired by the wide range of looks and the versatility of all of the pieces. For myself, I would love the one-legged body suit, wide elastic belts, breeches (are those made of jersey?), cocoon jacket, bright yellow leggings, those loose shorts on Daul, the sheer blue top on Hannelore... the list goes on. Oh! And all of those lovely necklaces.







Photos via style.com

Blog Updates!

I've finally gotten fed up of having to shrink every image so that it has a 550px width to fit into the blog container. I hope you all enjoy the larger width of the blog content area! I don't know why I kept it so small. I was probably concerned about the 800x600 resolution users. But then, checking my google analytics account, I realized only 100 visitors ever to view this site still use 800x600. That's measly compared to the amount of readers who probably think my blog is too small.

I also changed the font in the header yet again. I can't seem to settle on one that I think properly represents the blog. Any suggestions?

Also, I hope the new background isn't sensory overload! I seem to be on an everything space and sci-fi kick these days. Dark matter? Neutrinos? The expanding/contracting motion of the universe? Bends in the fabric of space-time? Yes please!

Background from The Hubble Site.

Goth Wear, Then and Now

There seems to be a bit of buzz about "alternative shoeware" on the blogosphere these days. First, Rumi buys herself an awesome pair of demonia boots, then Lucrecia seems to be eyeing a pair of creepers, then Shay from The Ongoing Project tells us a little bit about the days such footwear was indeed pretty alternative.

As for me, at first I thought: let the subcultures have something left to themselves damn it! But I do admit that I think they're kind of cool. And I like seeing Rumi's boots paired with something else besides PVC trenches or PVC skirts.

I really wonder how goth went from the sleek glory days of Bauhaus to the more Halloween-like looks we see today. Bring back the suits please!


images from listen.to/bauhaus

On a more random note, did anyone know that it was Peter Murphy of Bauhaus sitting in the chair getting blown away by Maxell audio tapes? Just another wtf moment I had wile perusing google images today.

Preen's Candy Coloured Goodness

Fall collections? Cold? What cold? It looks like Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi should spend some time here in Canada. These sheer, cut-out, bodycon, rainbow-bright looks were obviously not designed with the likes of me in mind, still shivering at a cool 5 or so degrees. Ok, granted, the rest of Canada does see much worse in the winter. But walking into American Apparel last week, I really felt a pang of longing for warm summer days spent wearing not very much at all on the beach.

Ah sheer summer goodness.


pics via style.com

Be Mine, Valentine

Today I walked around the city with my boy taking photos and doing some grocery shopping for a yummy Valentines Day dinner. I ended up shopping his closet this morning, stealing a cream sweater I gave him for Christmas and a plaid shirt... which I also picked out. I've been looking at fashion week photos lately but since I'm not working off of my laptop I didn't save anything for close analysis yet. Hopefully tomorrow you'll see a break from these self-centered posts!





What we made for dinner: orange poppy seed roasted vegetables and brie. Mmm. We've been cooking out of a vegetarian recipe book, hoping to better hone our food-making skills. I still can't cook without a recipe. If left alone to my own devices I'm pretty sure I'd eat Indian food out every day...