An Open Letter to Vancouverites:

Regarding Civilian Apparel During Olympic Games:

So it seems were hosting these Olympic Games, starting next week. As you may have heard, the City has issued a comprehensive conduct handbook to their employees detailing such complexities as wearing socks that match ones shoes and appropriate eye contact and smiling (not too little, not too much). I'd like to take this one step further and ask all Vancouverites to take a good hard look at what you're wearing. Is it "world class"? Is it, perhaps, totally boring? Is it a black Gore-Tex jacket of the North Face or MEC persuasion, paired with khakis and sensible slip-on shoes? Oh, it is? What a surprise. Because it seems like that's what we all wear, every day.

There are exceptions of course. A few brave souls dress fantastically on a daily basis. If you need proof, check out local street-style blogs The Eyeline and Style Quotient. These fashionable residents don't use the typical excuses of rain, commutes, or budget - they live here and they have great style. Why can't more of us?

I think that we need to up the ante during the Olympics. Think of it as an event we can all partake in. Like it or not, the eyes of the world will be on us, and those eyes are judging. The city is beautiful, we can be too. Wouldn't it be neat if we ended up with a reputation as a stylish city? I'm not thinking Paris or Milan status, just a step up from our current rep as sporty-dull-waterproof. And it could be pretty easy; I don't want anyone to feel overwhelmed. Here are a couple of basic pointers that go for guys or gals: if it's not actually raining, leave the slicker at home and try a jacket with some colour, print or texture (you can pack an umbrella). Neutrals are okay, but they're just the start - basics need accenting or YOU are the reason I'm falling asleep on the bus. A couple of accessories with some pop can do a world of good. Shoes matter. I'm not saying everyone needs to suffer, just steer clear of butt-ugliness, folks.

Please, let's not have the volunteers in their blue raincoats be the only Vancouverites that stand out on this "international stage". Thank you for your attention to this pressing issue.

Sunshine shirt on Groundhog Day

I got a couple of nice compliments on the yellow and turquoise combination today, but I must credit the inspiration to Karla's Closet. I usually wear turquoise one piece at a time, or with neutrals, but it's more dramatic paired with a colour, isn't it?

Oh, here's a link in case you missed me quoted in the Style feature in the Vancouver Sun today.

Work and Play

Work

Play

Similar skirts... I designed the pink one as a sample at work last year, then I found the purple one in at the thrift store last summer. Pleats, buttons and pockets.

Have I already explained that the little mat beside me is for my cat to sit on so her pads don't get cold? She likes to sit for hours on end on the cold cement and I felt sorry for her little toes, so we got this little mat, and I can hardly believe that she's smart enough to have figured it out!

Happy Birthday Marissa!!

Today is Marissa's birthday, and she was a little reluctant to acknowledge it. I'm so glad that she did though, because we had such a great time last night. Mexican food at Bandidas, drinks at Krista's, dancing at the re-opened Cobalt. I haven't laughed so hard in ages!

A Roll in the Hay?

I love this photo of Anja Rubik from Vogue Nippon. Usually bridal "fashion" is so boring - it moves at the speed of a narcoleptic tortoise. But isn't this hot? Note to brides to be: texture, short, deep V, booties, lacey veil. I don't know who the dress is by, but I know someone who could make you one...

Fundamentally Pretty

These beautiful pictures of Julia Stegner are from Self Service F/W 2009.
I wish I could do that with my hair - it's very FLDS!

El Nino = Shorts in January!

Out for dinner on Saturday for a friend's birthday. Red suede shorts. Polka dots and leopard print.

Big news: I can do push-ups now. When I started with my trainer, I could do three in a row. This week I did three sets of ten. I was so surprised. I literally high-fived my trainer, irony-free. Then as a reward I baked chocolate chip cookies. Oops, rewarding with food, not a healthy eating practice. Oh well. Just keep reminding myself that if I was a little smaller these shorts would actually be comfortable!

Don't Hate

I read this article the other day from the Guardian, basically about how much the author hates fashion. If you give it a quick scan, this post might be more interesting. Of course, I disagree with almost everything she says. I am totally sympathetic to people who don't care about fashion, think it's silly, don't follow it, don't feel it has a place in their lives. That's fine and understandable. But this woman really hates fashion and I found myself wondering why she gives it so much power over her. She's a journalist, so hopefully fairly intelligent; she's in her mid-thirties; she presumably has a life. But she seems to be so tormented by fashion, so manipulated by it, so haunted by it's negative effect on her life, that she's filled with hate. I mean, get over it. It's just clothes. Sure, she thinks that there is a great soul-crushing corporate machine that exists only to separate women from their money by making them feel so insecure and desperate that they file miserably into mall to buy slutty, dangerous shoes and mini-skirts. I don't deny that there is less-than-savory marketing and negative images of women in fashion, but aren't most of us smart enough to take what we like and leave the rest?

One of her points is that fashion is for vapid, bimbo drones who aren't even smart enough to realize how miserable they are. Smart women don't like fashion, and there is no creative, artistic, intelligent fashion. You can't have fun with fashion, or use it to explore your individuality. Because it is killing your soul, and you are too dumb to know it. We should all be like her, smart but consumed with hatred, knowing that if you let your guard down for even a moment, and say, enjoyed what you wore, you would be sucked into an anorexic vortex of destruction.

The more I though about the article, the less I cared about the parts of it that pissed me off. I was really left wondering how a person gets to that point of being so bitter and upset about something that most of us find frivolous and fun. I thought it was us fashion slaves that were supposed to be the insecure ones... Having read many of the hundreds of comments on the article, I did get the impression that regular readers of her column are treated to a litany of the things she hates, so I guess I'd rather be my brainwashed self than her enlightened self.

Gotta have faith

I managed to take some pictures outside today, just as the rain started. Got these Minnetonka moccasins at the thrift store today. They are super comfy, but not rain-proof. Also got this super chunky ID bracelet. I love it. It says FAITH on the outside, and S. YANG on the inside. It fits my husband perfectly, so it must be for a man, but I like it oversized and heavy on me.

Lusting, all of a sudden

How could I not have a perfect denim shirt? More accurately, how could I have gotten rid of my perfect denim shirt? Temporary insanity. Now I want one badly, but knowing me, I'll be retardedly picky and hold on to memories of perfect denim shirts past, and not find one I like. Right colour, right fit, right snaps, right weight... so many variables.

Cut up good

Viktor & Rolf via Dazed&Confused

A little premature...

But after the sun yesterday I felt like florals and pastels. So sue me. I didn't wear the little top to work; I do draw the line at outfits that make me look like a crazy person in front of clients.

Blue Monday

Have you heard about this Blue Monday thing? Apparently the third Monday in January is the most depressing day of the year. A combination of bad weather, Christmas bills, resolution back sliding and general shittiness. At least we get the worst day over with early in the year. However, I had one of the least depressing days in a while! I don't work Mondays, I'm not feeling too sick anymore, I made it through an intense workout, and it was SUNNY-ish. I puttered around the garden, planting a few wildflower seeds, and was over-joyed to see that life is coming back. Everything looks dead and brown, but there are little buds everywhere: on the lilacs, the hydrangeas, the rhubarb, daffodils poking through the dirt. It was wonderful to see. I just hope we don't get a cold snap - screw the Olympics. Vancouver isn't a winter city. We could host the fall or spring Olympics...

Then I did a bunch of chores and cleaning with no procrastination. I put on a CD - remember those shiny round things people hang in fruit tree to scare off birds? They play music! Specifically OutKast. There was a reason we all loved Hey Ya. It's a rad song. Just try not to shake your butt: I challenge you.

So I sort of wish this was my most depressing day of the year, so it will only get better, but that's pretty unlikely. Third Monday or not, I'll take a good day whenever it comes. How about you, did you have a blue Monday?

Lazy Post

How did I get a cold? I know weather doesn't really make you sick, but I feel like it's more than a coincidence that I got a cold following a week of the crappiest rain even. The kind of rain that feels like there aren't even spaces between the drops. Just wet. And, now, despite my vigilance, I feel like poop. Hopefully this is the last day of it.

I keep fantasizing about spring. So shall I give up my longing for a perfect pair of black platform wedge booties? I should. I tried these ones on at Aldo and they just aren't right. They're OK except for the stupid inner tube around the top. It ruins the whole shoe. They don't need padding - they're not moon boots... Weak Aldo.
And I'm not reckless enough to go hunting down Acme or Velvet Angels or Jeffrey Campbell ones. I'm not going to scrap over sold-out boots that cost a mint.

Black and Purple