New Old Finds

Lately I'm more interested in the housewares department at thrift stores than I am in the clothing.  I keep finding great handmade ceramic treasures, and it seems kind of sad that they've been abandoned after someone put their time and effort into making them.  Just like seeing handmade clothes, I feel like I should save them and give them another chance to be appreciated.  Below are some of my latest favourites.

Murphy Brown

Is it possible that the TV show Murphy Brown might be due for a rebirth in the cultural awareness?  Three times in the last month I've seen the same young guy on the bus watching episodes of it on his phone, and I wonder if there's a new generation that might appreciate it in a nostalgia/kitsch way, like Golden Girls or Three's Company.  I watched it pretty often and it was good, in my memory.  Kind of captured that zeitgeist of the powerful working woman trying to have it all, big hair, big shoulder pads, unconventional personal life.  I guess it was a ground-breaking concept on TV.

Below the belt

Not jeans, not leggings, not unflattering thrift-store man-pants.  Maybe just a nice new pair of trousers?  The Zara website makes me think that it's not too much to ask, but I have my doubts.  In my dreams, that perfect new pair of pants would allow me to buy some chunky sweaters at Value Village and instead of looking schlumpy I'd look, well, like a model from the Zara website.

Fall Guys

I love these looks and I wish that I could pull off menswear to this effect, but there's something about boobs and hips that kind of interferes with those long lean lines.  Definitely doing the neckerchief though!

First Fall Ideas

I feel like it's time to start thinking about what to wear this fall.  The weather is still going back and forth between hot and cooler, and I need to do a big closet clean out once I'm sure I don't need easy access to my shorts, but it would be nice to have some inspiration when the time comes.  These are a few pretty pictures I gathered up during my browsing.

Sneak Preview

New fall Exhibit B bowties will be hitting the shelves soon, right around the time our new online shop launches!  We've been busy sourcing fabrics and doing tech-y online things (obviously I'm not the one doing those things..) and getting excited about the coming season.  Summer is great, but fall is when stuff gets done!

Summer colours

Aww, I'm a bad blogger.  Oh well, there are just so many things I'd rather do in the evenings than turn my computer on.  The weather has been so amazing and there's so much dog walking to be done!  

I've been making an effort to cut more flowers this summer, though by this point everything is pretty dried up.  These hydrangeas make such a fantastic, easy bouquet, and I picked the little yellow bits from the side of the road on a walk last weekend.  I should remember to plant more flowers with cutting in mind.  I have been snagging poppy seed pods from neighbourhood gardens to distribute in the front garden.

1Granary

These images are from a new print magazine called 1Granary, put out by the students of Central St. Martins. How fantastic for a fashion school to be able to do that - I'm retroactively jealous!  

Our boy LeRoi

We love this little monster!  He's doing a great job getting adjusted and only has minor little tantrums, mostly when he's being ignored.  He has so much energy but he's a big suck when he's sleepy and wants to snuggle and watch Mad Men with us.

I've decided that having a dog makes you a better person, not in some benevolent, higher plane woo-woo way, but in very specific and concrete ways.  More walks - constant walks - , keeping the house cleaner so he doesn't find stuff to chew, eating at the dining table like civilized adults because eating on the couch is too much temptation for him.  Doing the dishes promptly so there isn't food smell lingering.  Talking to neighbours, introducing yourself to fellow dog-owners and being very conscientious of good etiquette.  Basically losing some of my lazy habits!

What's new?

I've been distracted; we got a dog!  I can't be bothered to even turn on the computer in the evenings when there are walks to take and snuggles to occupy my lap.  His name is LeRoi, he's a 1.5 year old boxer, and I'll post pictures when I have some good ones.  I guess that's one thing about not having a cell phone - I can't take dozens of spontaneous pictures of my pets!  We'll do a photoshoot when the sun comes out this weekend.  In the meantime, here's me.  New haircut, favourite newly thrifted shirt...

Tilda the Muse

There can't be many photographers who wouldn't swoon at the chance to work with Tilda Swinton, but she and Tim Walker do kind of seem like a dream team.  Weird and whimsical, spooky but beautiful; what a creative vision.  She's one of those actors to whom I feel such a connection because of their on-screen roles and their personal style, yet her real life is totally out of the public eye.  I'm content with the image I have of her and I have no interest in seeing her in the "celebs are just like us" section of the tabloids, pumping gas or taking out the garbage!

spots and stripes

We've had a whole week of sunshine and heat and it's so fantastic!  The summer clothes come out, the garden starts to pick up steam - the only thing driving me nuts is the crows making a racket at five in the morning.  I got these red and white striped pants and these heels at the thrift store last week.  I love the detail on the heel of the shoes, and I made it through most of the day at work in them, so they aren't too uncomfortable!  The rain is supposed to be back this weekend, so I've been making the most of the sun all week - shorts every day.