Monday 30 July 2012

Fallist

Well, July is holding on by thread right now, which means I have ALMOST completely switched in to fall shopping mode. You know, that time of year when it's still hot out but all you can think about is chunky knits, booties, and tights? I can't be the only one who spends an entire month obsessing over what to wear once the leaves start to change?


Summer is by far the raddest season of them all, with the beaching and the hot nights and the sun and the swimming, but Fall is still my favourite. It's the perfect temperature to utilize light layers and rich textures such as leather and wool.. While it's depressing that the days are getting shorter and undoubtedly another year is coming close to an end, Fall is always so luxurious feeling.


That being said, I used the Stylebook app on my phone to create a few "wish lists" that I think would completely and utterly satisfy my fall wardrobe needs. ;)



Tops: I'm really into basic looking items in neutral colours. I'd love to get my hands on some of these Acne cable knit sweaters. And I am always a sucker for a slouchy tee.


Bottoms: Last fall and winter I was almost strictly a legging girl since a lot of my jeans didn't fit me. Now I'm slowly regaining my appreciation of a nice pair of jeans and I think this combination of different denims would work perfectly for me: A pair of dark wine coloured jeans are great for moody fall days, dark wash skinnies are a standard you can't ignore, wide leg trouser-like jeans would be perfect for days when you wanted to dress up a bit more, and fall wouldn't be fall without a pair of leathers. I also love the idea of wearing wintery shorts in the fall with tights and cute booties, last year I never got around to finding a pair of leather shorts I loved, so I'm going to try again this year!


Shoes: These shoe choices are strangely practical for me, but I think I am a rare girl who can realize when she has enough shoes. (Charles may disagree) I already have some lovely pumps and some great black boots, but I am kind of lacking in the flat department. I'd love a pair of leopard print flats and a pair of rustic-looking over the knee brown boots. Also some studded army boots for when I want to feel like a bad-ass. I included these Newbury Booties by Rag & Bone because they're so similar to the "summer boots" I bought to wear this summer. As it gets cooler in the fall and we expect crappier weather, I wouldn't mind having the same style of bootie that aren't made of the not-so-rain-friendly suede material. 


Jackets: I'm actually pretty set for jackets. I have a buttload of nice blazers and a couple really nice winter jackets. But this fall I'd really love a great leather jacket. (I used to have two AMAZING leather jackets, one brown and one black, but when my waistline doubled, I gave them to my cousin, boo me!) I'd also love a camel coloured cape. What can I say, sometimes I like pretending I'm an aristocrat. (Not to sound stupid, but I only recently realized that it was "Aristocrat" and NOT "AristoCAT", thanks Disney!)


Accessories: The other day I was looking for a black belt, only to discover that I have like 15 brown belts and none black! I think I need to change this. I'm also experimenting with funkier jewelry; for so long I was someone who literally wore one necklace and one necklace only, but I think if you're going for simpler clothing, you should funk it up with the statement jewelry.

What are some of your "Must-Have's" for fall??!



Tuesday 24 July 2012

Losing in the real world. Pinning on the internet!

I haven't had time to blog much because I've been too busy going on Pinterest and writing the beginnings of really deep, go-nowhere rants that just seem to fizzle out before I have made my point clear. Writers block is grand, and I heard the best way to cure it is looking at random pictures on the internet until you go cross-eyed!

Voila!










Friday 20 July 2012

Fit to Work

I wore this Balmain men's shirt to work today. I bought it at the Blogger Sale a few weeks ago, it's so crisp! I feel like I should be shopping in the South of France instead of counting granular tickets and processing asphalt sample sheets!






Thursday 12 July 2012

Closing Time

We went for a late-night DQ run the other night and I became obsessed with taking pictures out the car window as we were driving. It reminds me of what it looks like to drive home after a night of drinking and dancing except there's no fee if you barf in the back seat. 






Wednesday 11 July 2012

"Hymn to the Immortal Wind"

After seeing this collection by  Natalia Grzybowski over at Chameleonic a couple weeks ago I just fell in love with it. And I LOVE this editorial. The all white up against the ocean and the rocks is so striking. I can almost smell the salt. I just love the structure of these pieces. They are totally unique and out-there without being too "Lady Gaga-ish". You could wear these outfits and not have to explain to anyone about being "Born This Way"


All of the peplums and draping look so crisp and perfect. It makes me want to just reach out and touch the fabric. (Scientists need to get on figuring out touch-o-vision, it would make online shopping a dream!)


This collections embodies why I love fashion. It's whimsical and different, but structured, sleek and just beautiful. 








Tuesday 10 July 2012

Blue Steel, Le Tigre, Magnum

I was going through some pictures on my computer the other day and came across these HILARIOUS shots that my dear friend Julia (The Fashion Keeper!) took for me a few years ago when we lived together.


Basically, I had it in my head that I wanted to be a model. And idiotically I believed this sketchball company (I forget what they were called) when they said they could train me and help me become the next big thing in modeling. (All for the low LOW cost of X amount of dollars!)


Anyways, wanting so badly to take part in it, my parents paid the fee for me, only to never hear back from the "agency" again. Kind of a bummer experience, but one of those learning ones. I should have really known it was a scam by how unprofessional they all were. I remember the one "scout" had this horrendous pedicure and literally a GIANT floppy hat that kept flopping down into her face. Half our interview was spent by me watching her try to (unsuccessfully) wrangle the thing. 


I remember when I got home from the casting, Julia was right there with me, jumping up and down yelling "My friend is going to be a model!!!!" Always so supportive. The agency had asked me to take photos of myself to "see how photogenic" I was. So she helped me pick out a stylish yet neutral looking outfit and agreed to take some pictures for me. So we staged a mini photo shoot in our living room which quickly turned into me making silly poses and faces just to make Julia laugh.


And even when the "agency" suggested that I "Tone up" by walking 5 miles a day, she was right there too. Walking. We figured out that it was 2.5 miles from our house to Dairy Queen, so we would walk to DQ, grab a Blizzard and walk home. We were fully committed models in training I tell you. 

I really just wanted to share these photos with you guys cause I was feeling a little nostalgic, and am really starting to miss my friend. She lives in England now and is busy chasing her own fashion dreams. (which by the sounds of it, it's starting to really work out for her!) Plus I'd like to use these pictures as proof of my past skinniness, and mention that some day, (soon) I will have those legs again!


Work it!




I feel like they kind of have a Terry Richardson feel, no? The sparse white background, the furry carpets.  This is the closest I'll ever come to modelling. LOL



Monday 9 July 2012

Walkin' after Midnight

After meeting some friends for drinks on Saturday, Charles and I cavorted around the city taking shots for possible album artwork for the new Right by Midnight album (Out soon! Check out a preview of their single "Move On" here!) 

Running around late at night in Ottawa is unbelievably fun. There is this sense that you have free-run of the city. There's barely any cars (cause everyone knows that Ottawians go to bed early, even on the weekend!) And the entire city seems to be lit up. It's really, REALLY pretty.






Friday 6 July 2012

Blue Planet

I wore this to work today and everyone looked at me like I was from another planet. I guess construction and fashion don't always go hand in hand. 


I love this skirt. As trendy as these mullet skirts are, I think they're great. I am still having a little weight issues, so swathing myself in a long and billowy maxi skirt makes me feel like I'm just adding bulk. With the mullet skirts, I get the length, but still make it apparent that I have long legs, thus making me feel skinnier. Wow that seems like a lot of thought to go into a skirt called MULLET. 





Wednesday 4 July 2012

If you build it...

Remember in Field of Dreams when Kevin Costner is told "If you build it, they will come" by James Earl Jones, and then he builds a baseball diamond and his dad and all these other dead baseball players all show up...well I just developed this great new spinoff of that movie, starring me, where I build a fabulous closet that magically gets filled with all my favourite designers and shoes and bags that I normally would never be able to get in real life. Much like how Kevin Costner would have never been able to play baseball with his heroes without his magic Field of Dreams (omigawd it's the title of the movie!)


Sounds promising right? And of course at the end of the shoot, I'll be keeping all the "props" and whatnot.


Anyways. Here are some drool-worthy closets that I've come across on Pinterest. I wonder what I should call my movie. "Closet of Wonders" or "Boudoir of Fancy", I don't know...maybe it sounds like some sort of romance novel.








Sigh....if I build it, Alexander Wang will come...


Tuesday 3 July 2012

Rant: One Tiny Rivet (WITH AN UPDATE)

If any of you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen my mini rant involving some Rag and Bone jeans that I recently bought, washed once, and had rivets fall off.


Well, I feel that 140 characters is insufficient for the disappointment that I feel. 


I have said many times, in real life and on this blog, that I have no problem paying a little extra for something that fits a little better and feels like better quality. And to be honest, if I had known that these jeans were going to downward spiral after one wash in the machine, well I probably wouldn't have shelled out the amount of money that I did to get them. I am not a rich person. Buying these jeans was a big decision for me because of the price.


It's one thing to have a pair of $40 Zara jeans fall apart after an over-exuberant bending experience, but to have a pair of REALLY expensive, allegedly good quality, designer jeans literally start to fall apart, isn't just disappointing, it's enraging. Right now I feel, as much as I love these jeans, (I actually said they were my favourite article of clothing on Capital Fashion's post about me last week) I would have been better off just burning my money. 


These jeans are totally white and at first glance don't even look like any special brand. The label is hidden all of the time, I did not buy them to be a brandwhore. The reason I bought them was because I loved the soft white material and the fit. The zipper felt wonderful and they were the perfect length for me. Plus I was under the impression that white jeans were a summer staple, and wanted a pair that was going to last me for a few seasons. Well, I bought these mid-June, we are barely in July and they already have rivets falling off. 


Now having worked in retail before, I completely understand the concept of return policies. And I completely understand that there is literally nothing I can do now. I have washed the jeans (by the way following the washing instructions to a T), and since washing them, voiding the return policy, I have also chucked the receipt. Basically, I am now stuck with a pair of defective jeans that cost more than I would like to admit and pretty much all I can do is just hope that more stuff doesn't decide to fall off them.


Having that one rivet fall off these jeans has made me pretty much lose all hope in expensive "quality" clothes.  My entire philosophy of, "Well it costs more because it WON'T fall apart." was completely dashed the second I heard that little rivet fall to the floor. I am beyond disappointed since now I have nowhere to turn. Do I go against my nature and pay less for something that is sure to fall apart, or do I take my chances with "quality" expensive items that may last for years or may fall apart after one wash. MY WORLD HAS BEEN TURNED UPSIDE DOWN. 


You may be reading this thinking that I'm overreacting, or being a tad dramatic, but you didn't just pay $180 to have the rivets fall off your jeans.


:(


FASHION UPDATE!!!!!!
The area manager at Rag & Bone JUST called me! She was so nice, and offered a few solutions to my denim dilemma. She said I could either mail her the defective jeans and she would send me a new pair, or she could just mail me a new Rag & Bone rivet! I opted to get a new rivet, since as you well know, I am (Charles is) very good at fixing things! 


Getting a very personal call, and friendly solution from the head office of a company like that is very refreshing. And while yes, my jeans still fell apart, the fact that they are more than willing to help a sister out in a time of need like this is more than enough to instil some brand loyalty in this shopper.


And did you also know that Rag & Bone is predominantly made in the United States? Another reason to be pleased with them! Like my boss says whenever someone comes through for him, "You are a gentleman and a scholar and I take back all the bad things I said about you."