girls on film

OK, Marni collaborating with H&M...  I hope it's good.  I've never been interested in any of the other designer collabs they've done, but Marni's prints and colour combinations might translate to low end without too much trouble.  Could be worth a swing by the sale racks after the crowds have dissipated, seeing as my Buy (almost) Nothing Month is drawing to a close.  You know, I did just fine keeping the shopping to the bare minimum.  I still don't need anything, and I still don't have any money, so with the exception of Christmas shopping, I'll try to keep myself on a short leash.

Also, this is happening.  The Great Gatsby starring Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire and Leonardo Dicaprio.m Another cautious Hmmmm....  Will it be good?  I think Carey will make a good Daisy, for one thing.  And I can't wait to see the costumes.  I wrote a paper in university about the costumes in the 1974 version and they were so spectacular and accurate, I'd be really disappointed if this time they hired, say Ralph Lauren, to do all the costumes, which would just turn into a vanity project.  No, I just  checked IMDB, and the costume designer is Catherine Martin, who did a bunch of other movies with Baz Luhrmann.  Whew.  I guess there's still another year to wait until this one hits the theatres.

In The Make

I spent some quality internet time today on a totally engrossing site called In The Make.  It features photographs of artists of all types and their studios, as well as interviews with the artists.  The photography is beautiful, the interviews are fascinating, and the spaces featured are so inspiring.  I love studios, workshops, sewing rooms; the places where creative people get creative are so varied and such a window into the work that goes on behind the scenes.  I'm inspired to do a little more to make the workshop at work more personal and exciting, though I fear that the first step should be cleaning up!

Wave

I can't remember where I came across this tattoo photo, but it's been sitting in a folder and I just find it so interesting I can't put it in the trash.  I don't have any tattoos, and I don't really think  I want one, but I do appreciate seeing one that I think is unique and visually arresting.  This one is so simple, but it's pretty and so effective and striking.  The temptation might be to add more detail or embellish it more, but I love it as it is - well edited.

dark days

I had to put my buy nothing month on hold for a day because of the 50% off day at Value Village.  I wasn't even going to go, but then Karl wanted to shop for hockey gear, and I could hardly not go.  I showed terrific restraint though; no novelty purchases.  I got these pants, which are everything I've been looking for in a pair of pants: high-waisted, a little stretch, a funny colour (maroon), and hey, three dollars.  I also got this pretty mauve top.  I have an issue with t-shirts lately.  I think I want them, like I think in the morning - Oh yeah, t-shirt today.  But I don't really like most of them when it comes down to shopping for them.  I have a couple I really like, but most are too simple, too casual, too boring, too sporty: weekend wear.  So I think that this kind of top is my answer to the t-shirt feeling.  It's stretchy, comfy, fitted, and easy, but it's also kind of pretty and interesting and work-appropriate.  Anyway...

Serenity now

Last weekend I went with my six best friends to hide out beach-side for a couple of days of sloth, gluttony, board-games.  It was blissful, and I feel so lucky to have such amazing ladies in my life, and the opportunity to spend quality time with them.  Krista took this beautiful picture of a few of us walking on Rathtrevor Beach just before dusk while the others prepared a meal.

More Mennonites!

These amazing photos are by a photographer named Morad Bouchakour.  His website features a whole series of photos of Mennonites in Mexico.  Well worth a look.  Once on the page, click the big arrow to browse through.

plain and simple

So I read a good book, Irma Voth by Miriam Toews, about Mennonites in Mexico, which made me curious about their culture, and I disappeared down the Internet rabbit-hole for several hours.  The best find was the blog Long Hair and Modesty (link on the right).  It features plain dress from such diverse religions as Amish, Mennonite, Muslim, Orthodox Jewish, Catholic and many more.  It's so fascinating to see all the subtle variations, the radical differences, what's OK for some and not OK for others.  Some cultures in which girls are totally covered up seem to be alright with makeup, and some that allow an ankle or an elbow to show are makeup free.  I really want to do some more research.  I mean, why are Hutterites into polka-dotted scarves and pointy shoulders?  What is the significance of pink or baby-blue nuns robes?  I wish there was a class I could take on this.  It's all so interesting.

Buy Nothing Day

I used to hear more about Buy Nothing Day years ago than I have recently, and as a result I've missed observing it a few times.  This year it's November 25.  It's a pretty cool idea, just to raise people's awareness about consumerism, which is sure in the air these days.  My variation is Buy Nothing Month, hopefully.  Not NOTHING nothing, but no clothes, not even second hand clothes.  I certainly don't need anything, and it's mostly an attempt to break the habit of incessant shopping.  Sadly, disappointingly, I use shopping as a mood enhancer.  Even if I don't buy anything, which I usually don't, I like a stroll through the mall after a busy day at work, or a trip to Value Village on the weekend when I'm feeling in need of some invigoration.

So for the month of November, I'm not buying any clothes, even those little cheap cheer-ups like socks and undies.  I'm allowed to browse, but no buying, because like I said, I don't need anything.  Honestly, I don't even want anything.  My problem is that I have a "one of everything" mentality, especially at the thrift store.  A pair of pants in every colour, a blouse in every pattern...  I have to remind myself that I don't need one of everything; I'll always have favorites that I want to wear, then there will be things that I like the idea of owning, but I just don't wear much.  Those are the things that I buy when I'm bored.

Anyway, we'll see if I make it through a couple more weeks.  And after that, it's the dreaded holiday shopping season!  If anything can turn me off shopping, that could do it!

Take A Letter

Ahh, the long dark nights of fall are here; what better reason to start getting into some new TV shows?  I'm almost finished watching the second season of Justified, a great show on the FX network.  The ex-wife, Winona, is a court stenographer, and she's got the best wardrobe.  I couldn't find many good pictures, but she wears all these cute little pencil skirts and girly blouses.  That's who I'm channelling lately when I want to dress "officey". 

Then I saw these pictures of Rose Smith from Marie Claire Australia, and it's that same kind of feminine 50's vibe, albeit with a leather lace short-short twist.  Not sure a knee-length skirt is the most flattering on me, but what am I talking about?  That didn't stop my from wearing super-pleated diaper-esque pants today.  Sorry world!

ray of light

 Fell back today.  A little more light in the morning, a little less in the afternoon - it'll help with the walk to the bus in the morning, but so would dressing in day-glo colour combinations.  I love all of these examples above, and I'm going to try to avoid the blahs this winter with a daily burst of brights.  Vancouver can be pretty dismal; people tend to think that shades of grey are exciting, but I think a little colour is good for morale.

sip

This time of year I really look forward to a cup of tea.  I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but a cup of tea with cream in the morning warms me up and somehow mentally gets me going for the day.  Last week we went to a little dinner party at friends' house and after we ate our hostess was making some mint tea and mentioned that she had splurged on a bunch of new varieties of tea.  We agreed that it was a wonderful luxury to look at a vast array of teas to choose from.  Then one of the guys spoke up that he felt just the opposite; for him the luxury was having only two choices - streamlined and easy.  It kind of spun my head around to hear that.  I know that the simplicity theory goes for clothing as well.  A well edited wardrobe of a few favourite pieces that are at your fingertips every morning...  Sounds nice, but it's not me. I like choices and the freedom to decide based on my mood, whether I'm feeling spicy chai or soothing chamomile, chunky knits or flowing layers.

Polina Uagen by Emre Guven for Marie Claire Turkey

Aren't these stunning pictures?  I was never a big magazine buyer, with the exception of a monthly copy of Vogue.  A couple of times a year when I was in school I'd splurge on a fancy foreign fashion magazine, after poring over my options in the bookstore to make sure I was choosing the best one.  Then I'd keep it for years as it cycled down the food chain from treasured and pristine to eventually being cut up for collages.  But these days we're so spoiled.  Every magazine at our fingertips on the internet - Marie Claire Turkey?  Who even knew?  But thank you!