A video for your morning

Please watch this. It is so mesmerizing! I can't watch it without thinking about what a lot of work it must have been though!

Women I Love, Part 8

Vivienne Westwood is just about the best fashion role model, in my opinion. She has built a career on starting trends, not following them, being a total individual, and staying true to herself. I did a paper on her in school, and I always think about her self-taught approach to pattern making. She disregarded conventional patterns and cut fabric on the body as it hung, reasoning that the body isn't flat, why would one cut a pattern flat on a table. Makes so much sense!

She has been a pioneer for decades, but remains humble and naughty, and as cheeky today as in the 70's when she was designing rubber fetish wear for London's punks. I love that she dresses and presents herself in a way that tells you she knows that she in absolutely beautiful. I wish we could all do that!

Geez Lou-Freakin'-EEZE!!

Holy hotness, isn't this girl some kind of beautiful? She's my new it-girl pick! Her name is Ataui Deng, and apparently she's Alek Wek's niece, which I can believe.

She's done some runways this past season and is featured in The Row's new lookbook (above). I just think she's so stunning, and it's refreshing to see a new face that isn't just like all the others out there. Cheers to a great new look - gimme more!

Sweet Sunday

I love my Sundays. Here I am among the peas, it's nine at night, new red shoes from the Village of Value, life is good. How did you guys spend this lovely day?

"Death is the mother of beauty"

-Wallace Stevens

I tend to keep cut flowers around for a couple of days past their prime.

Sometimes the results are particularly rewarding.

These photos make me wish I was a painter.

Finally!

We've lived in this house for over a year and this week I finally got around to making real curtains for our bedroom. I'm a real stickler for a DARK room, so I used the heavy lining and everything. Now we are just like grown ups!

Karl and I picked the fabric out together - he kept choosing anything with elephants for some reason, but we compromised on something vaguely jungle-y.

Other window coverings we considered:

Bob Marley flag

fuzzy blanket with wolf and owl scene

alien with a joint poster

Metallica flag aptly accented with tinfoil over the windows

multiple gauzy scarves with fringe

Blerg

I think I overexerted myself at work today and melted my brain. I was to lazy to go outside to take these pictures, or to adjust the camera to get my head in. Then I looked in the mirror and decided it was probably better that way. I like this dress, but it might be too short to wear with bare legs. Maybe if I put another button at the bottom? What do you think?

Resort 2010 - Thakoon

I'm digging the wearable shapes and bold colour and bleachy print of this collection. It's nothing crazy but it all works and sometimes that's enough.

Plus I really love how it's photographed with a light source, as if this very pale model was actually being exposed to the sun.

Cute top below, eh? Personally I'd wear it with a bra, but that's just me.

Fully Saturated Colour (insert "bright" pun here)

Yes, I jacked the Rachel Roy navy and acid green combo, though I like it better with a pair of navy shorts I have. Self-tanning religiously. Still pale.

Goofy new shoes, toe-cleav peep-hole!

Still life with sprinkler.

Karl took pictures of me goofing around.

This is why I love having a yard!

New little bright pink studs, and my standard starfish earring.

My neighbor gave me this gorgeous specimen of a peony. It's quite incredible. I was trying to take a picture of it with a background that didn't include a glass of beer or the TV, so Karl brilliantly suggested a bi-fold album, and chose me this one. Big bonus points to anyone who can name it. So easy...

Looking a Gift Horse in the Mouth

I know that I should be grateful for every gift I get and not whine, but at the risk of sounding like a brat, I really hate gift cards. I think they are such a scam and I would, of course, prefer cash. In the last couple of years I have receieved a number of gift cards for birthdays, Christmases, thank-yous. Some were easy to use up: Holt Renfrew, the liquor store, Chapters, Pacific Centre Mall. Others were harder: La Senza, Walmart, Sears. You know, I had to really make an effort to find something to buy there. And when it's not somewhere that I would choose to shop, or even if it is, I don't really want to spend a cent more than the card is for, because they already have the money, I don't want to spend in addition to that. And I also don't want to end up with a couple dollars still on the card, because again, they already have the money, and now I'm left with two options: leave that couple of dollars to them for "free", or plan another visit to spend a few dollars over the remainder. Either way the store wins. I really hate that.

At the moment I have three gift cards in my purse, with less then three dollars on each of them. What can I buy at La Senza or Chapters for that much? Grrr... It's really the principle that bugs me, and that they won't give you any change. I have argued with numerous cashiers about this, and they are usually apologetic, but insist that their policy is that a customer has to use up the entire card. I finally remembered to use up one card the other day and no balance was reading on the cashier's computer, so I read the really really fine print and found where it said that after a certain amount of time a two dollar "administration fee" would be deducted every month. For what administration??

Resort 2010 - Marc Jacobs

It feel like it's been years since Marc Jacobs did anything that really turned my crank, to use a horrible expression, so I was really happy to see this collection. For one thing, sometimes I don't even believe in "resort". Like how is that a season? Isn't it just an excuse to sell more things? Because a lot of designers do collections that sure don't look like something you'd wear on vacation (Burberry Prorsum!). But don't these outfits make you wish for a fantasy holiday to pack for?

The soft colour combinations...
The drapey sleeves...

The retro swim-suity vibe dresses...
The wackadoo print mixes...
Thanks Marc, we can be friends again!

Women I Love, Part 7

Shelley Duval is just the cutest. She has such an expressive face it's like she hardly needs to act. I find myself watching The Shining on TV on a pretty regular basis (it's the only horror movie I really like), and I love her in it. For one thing, her wardrobe is killer. All these corduroy blazers and jumpers and culottes. And as she gets more and more scared her eyes just get bigger and bigger. It's almost funny, but it's not, because she just looks so innocent and worried.

And I will be so pissed if anyone ever does a remake of Popeye, because there is no other Olive Oyl. If you look at the comics, there could be no one else but Shelley Duval. It would be blasphemy.

I think the looks so beautiful because she really couldn't look any further from the way I look. Sometimes I'm most attracted to the opposite - dark hair and skin, tall and skinny, huge dark eyes, long neck. In my dreams...

Bananniversary!

Karl and I went out to dinner tonight to celebrate three years of wedded bliss. Three years goes by pretty fast, but I'm thankful everyday to have found the love of my life!

I know it's blurry; it like it.

OK, that's enough mush. The heat let up a bit today so I wore the starry leggings I got at the thrift store a couple of weeks ago. I made the top a couple of years ago, but it's 100% silk and the love of my life threw it in the washing machine and it's taken me a while to make peace with the washed silk look. Maybe I should make another one.

I have been loving our heat wave though. It so rare here, I'm more than happy with the sweaty days and warm nights!!

Resort 2010 - Rachel Roy

I like getting my mind changed.  I always thought that Rachel Ray was one of those "wife of..." designers beacuse she's married to Damon Dash and he must finance her delusions of style etc. etc...  But I really like her collection for Resort 2010.  I love the colours, the silhouettes are classy with a little edge.  Obviously I was too hasty in my earlier judgement - she's talented.  The acid green and coral accents are perfect!  Don't get the headpieces, but maybe Nicole Richie can explain them to me.

Note to self: look for acid green to pair with navy.

Full, high-waisted leather shorts?  Can I get on that list?

P.S. Love the green background!

Adorn Recomends...

Necklaces!  Don't forget about them.  Easy to wear, cheap at flea markets, colourful and fun, plus they make an interesting display in an otherwise boring bathroom.

Don't stress about matching them to an outfit, just throw on any old one and people will think you planned it like that.

You can even make one out of a bit of old hardwear lying around and a silk cord - see above, longest one.  Ohh, arty!