Ghouls

It was a pretty low-key Halloween, but I participated, which isn't always the case.  The Fax, below, didn't actually perform, they just pretended for some pictures!  Oh well.  Below that, Tyler as the scariest devil fairy, and Krista as a doll.  I think we were all feeling kind of tired, so we didn't last very long at the party.

Tonight we did candy duty with some friends and just ran out of candy and blew out the jack-o-lanterns a few minutes ago, which was perfect timing as the proportion of older costume-less kids was starting to increase.  Lots of  cute little ones though: monkeys, princesses, Spidermen, dragons, pumpkins.  One little guy actually thought we were inviting him into the house and wandered right in following the bowl of candy.  Mom snagged him pretty quick, but I assured her that her two year old would be happier watching Top Chef and eating Gummi Bears with us.

snapshots

Ha ha, I just figured out how to use the camera on my computer.  I'm about to head out to hear my friend's band play at a Halloween party, and this is my go-to costume, Mod Girl.  Just makeup and a cute vintage dress!  But I can wear warm tights and comfortable boots!

wind-up

The sordid love-triangle continues: fashion mags, Tim Walker, and the broken-down doll.

We lap it up, don't we?  It's just so pretty and awkward.

The blouse above reminds me that I still haven't decided what to do with the brown-on-ivory      polka-dot silk organza I have stashed away at work.  I hate the feeling when I only have enough fabric for one garment; no second chances.

an unflattering light

Oh, the sunlight is gone by the time I get home from work.  How sad.  Especially since I was looking forward to capturing the wonderful emerald green of this silk blouse.  Trust me, it's beautiful!

colour creatures

I love these paintings by artist Jennifer Davis.  Her work can be found on Etsy.  I just bought a new sketchbook and I'm trying to get back into the habit of drawing more often.

preview

Gorgeous pictures featuring Rooney Mara, the actress starring in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  I didn't read the book, though if I had been paying attention I could have read it over the shoulders of the hundreds of people I've seen reading it on the bus over the last few years!

Fall glow

The layering season has begun.  As has the season when this katsura tree seems to glow with all of the sunshine that it has absorbed all summer - and it will just be getting prettier for the next month.

Frida Gustavsson by Andreas Öhlund for Elle Sweden

It took me a minute or two to figure out exactly why I loved this editorial so much.  Sure, the styling in great, the hair and makeup is enviable, and the collars...!  But look at her pretty face, doing all sorts of interesting things.  Smiling, squinting, gazing - like a whole range of human emotions!  I thought that was kind of neat, and a nice departure from models who have one look and stick to it in every photos.  Versatility is not to be undervalued!

   

Mod Love

OK, I'm not nearly as cool and the girls in the last post, but I'm working on it.  The eyeliner is going to take some practice.  I know that to get the best effect, I really need to use liquid eyeliner, but that's certainly not happening at seven in the morning with five minutes to do my makeup.  The story behind this dress is that it belongs to my boss's wife, and she sent it to work with him months ago for some alteration that he has since forgotten.  I just couldn't keep walking past it.  I though it deserved a little test drive, and I'm sure she wouldn't mind!

retro

Last night, as I was waiting at the salon, I came across this spread in V Magazine and I was so excited that I almost ripped it out.  Then I remembered that the internet would probably make that unnecessary...  Don't those girls look amazing?  I've got my hair freshly cropped, I have pointy black shoes and some funky pants, and while I don't do turtlenecks, I am going to practice my eyeliner skills.  Well, it's something to aspire to...

Houndstooth would go well with this look, too.  It's a pattern that's been showing up more than usual this fall, and I like it.  I have a houndstooth skirt that I love, and through some semi-sneaky maneuvering I have a houndstooth shift dress to wear a couple of times.  I came across these shoes below somewhere, and they made me think that if I came across something similar at the thrift store, I probably wouldn't say no.  In grade seven I had a pair of houndstooth leggings; they were awesome. See, it's all cyclical.

Kamila Filipcikova by Stefano Moro for Amica October 2011

I love this photoshoot!  It's not just the clothes, though the sleeves in the last picture are amazing, and the leather belly-button belt in the middle is perplexing.  The lighting and the model and the tree - the tree is gorgeous!  It makes me want to head over to the park with my camera to find some low branches.

two things

Kate Moss still looks totally phenomenal, doesn't she?  I read about her recent wedding in Vogue magazine, and I have to say, for a big, expensive celebrity wedding, it looked pretty lovely.  All English county charm and vintage elegance.  She did a successful job turning her image back around after all the drug scandals and debauchery.

On another note, I think we can call this month Uggtober in Vancouver.  I've noticed that the number of Uggs on otherwise cute girls increases exponentially every day since the end of September.  Oh yeah, Vancouver was voted the third worst dressed city in the world, so I guess we have a reputation to uphold!

Haider Ackerman

I'm pretty sure that my favourite collection for the spring was Haider Ackerman.  It was all so beautiful; these are just a few of the gorgeous offerings.  The colours are so inspiring, and the structured draping, the shoulders, the layering - it all pushed my fashion buttons.  Looking at it all makes me want to run in to work tomorrow morning and start tossing olive satin onto mannequins.  Instead of, let's see, finishing the hems of a pair of chiffon pants for a mother of the bride.

spotty

 The time is right for polka-dots, isn't it?  I know lots of designers are showing them in kind of a graphic, modern way, but I'm such a fan of vintage, girly dots.  All of these dresses
are from Etsy.  I especially love the blue and white one below.  I have some polka-dotted organza at work that might make a blouse in a similar style if I ever have time.

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