Happy Halloween!

Hopefully there are some good movies on TV tonight because I'm just staying in to give out candy. And try not to eat it myself.

Rainbow Brights

I recently did a big cull of my old nailpolishes. They just don't last forever, and I tend to forget about some colours after a while. So it felt good to trash the crusty old ones, to hopefully make room for a perfect grey and just the right mint green.

thanks Kanye

Check out more funny and clever protest signs here.

Sunshine in October

Sometimes the weather is totally agreeable. This weekend was crappy and rainy - perfect for baking bread and making soup.

Today was cold and clear, perfect for wearing my new coat. I love it so much, but it's kind of boiling hot.

I heard an interview with Scott Schuman (The Sartorialist) on the radio the other day, and I'm still trying to decide if I agree or disagree with something he said. When asked who he thought had great style and why, he replied that it's often "young people" because they have yet to settle on their personal style and are therefore more adventurous and willing to try different stuff. He kind of said that once you've defined your own style, which there seems to be so much emphasis on these days, you almost get into a rut, with too many "always" and "never" rules. I kind of agree, but I think he's skipping over people who aren't necessarily young, and who do have there own defined style, which just happens to be adventurous and willing to try different stuff. I just felt like I didn't fit into his two categories. I'm not young and playing with my identity (goth one day, preppy the next), but I don't think I've got this specific, rigid look.

Any opinions? Does having a personal look mean limiting yourself to a narrow view of fashion? Did you leave your experimentations in your youth?

Links of my links

When I have spare computer time, I like to check out the links on blogs that I like. These are just a few good ones I was looking at today. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks black sequined pants are a good investment.

Hail Mary

Garbage Dress

The Fashion Void That Is DC

Am I Racist?

I don't think so, but: Asians make the cutest babies and elderlies. They rule in the 0-5 years, and 65+ categories. Check this out:

What we wore:

I read the other day that there is apparently a challenge when wearing over-the-knee boots to avoid bringing to mind Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Point taken. I think the anchor print dress and fringed suede gloves accomplish that.

Karl got dressed up for the Islands show, rocking the cowboy shirt and tighter than usual jeans. He is quick to point out though that the jeans are 30 year old dead stock GWG's he found at Value Village - original tags and all. They are not, as he says, "hipster jeans". Gotcha.

What we did:

Jessica gives it a thumbs up.

The other night we went to see my friend Nick's band, Islands, at the Rickshaw. It was a great show. They are so awesome and talented, and I wish they came here more than once a year! Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of when Nick was wearing the bedazzled cape. Next year.

Some sweetness for your day

I remember having this issue of Bazaar when it came out and loving these pictures.

New habits

So I'm trying to be really good about going to the gym, after a long summer of not being very good. I blame my crazy schedule in the summer, but I know that's a lame excuse. The unintended side effect is that I change out of my cute outfits at the gym and come home in sweaty sweats, and unfortunately I'm not one of those vigilant bloggers who recreate outfits that they didn't get a chance to photograph. I could try to make time in the morning, I guess.

Anyhow, I got a little dressed up for homemade pizza goodness at Krista's house tonight and remembered to take a picture when I got home. Newly thrifted dress - the African-esque print attracted me because of some of the prints in Dries van Noten's spring line. The boots are Roots, thrifted, and satisfied my need for comfortable ankle boots and my desire not to spend much money.

Travels

We had an amazing weekend on Quadra, and I was going to post some pictures, but looking through them I realized that they were all food related. Turkey dinner, tapas dinner, pressing apple juice, drying chili peppers. We're all a little obsessed. But it was wonderful, and the weather was nice so we did some walks and a hike and picked mushrooms.

Whenever we go up there, or actually any time I travel, I try to take just the bare minimum when it come to toiletries. Especially when we went to Europe, and every precious ounce mattered. My favorite trick is to pack anything creamy or gel-y in old lip balm pots. Just wash them out when you finish the balm ( I guess you could buy new ones at a beauty supply place), and squirt in your moisturizer, face wash, sunscreen, foundation or whatever. Depending on how much you need, it's any where from enough for a couple of days, to enough for weeks. And the lid screws on tight so it won't leak or explode, and it's well under the volume you're allowed for airplanes. Just put a little label on the lid so you don't try to wash your face with sunscreen.

So happy it hurts.

This is what fashion is about for me. Thank you Viktor & Rolf. Their whole Spring 2010 collection is, um, how you say, off the chain? No? Check it out at Style.com.

DI-trY?

Saw this leather bow bib collar thing on Pixiemarket.com and I thought it was so cute, but not necessarily $172-cute. Couldn't I just make one? We've got lots of leather scraps at work, and it probably wouldn't even take much sewing. Add it to the "someday" list. Also, I love her hair and blouse.

lo and behold

Isn't she lovely?

from fashioncopious.com

Call me in five months...

I'm pretty sure I'll want you then.

Sophia Kokosalaki, Spring 2010

Where do I start?

Dries Van Noten, Spring 2010 RTW

The prints, the colours the accessories, the draping the tribal motifs, the necklaces... Life is good in the land of Dries, and I want to be there. Next spring. Actually, this time last year, Karl and I were in Belgium, the land of Dries, and yes, it was marvelous. Unfortunately I did not come back with souvenirs in the form of suitcases full of clothing.

Book Lust List

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a huge library devotee, but there are some books that I really would love to own. There are books that need to be collected, to be there at your fingertips for inspiration, to be really YOURS. Of course, those are usually the really expensive ones, big and full of glossy pictures, that I have to wait until I get a gift certificate for a book store to even consider. But just in case, sometimes I like to pick a few out, so my fantasizing muscles don't atrophy.

October Hydrangeas

I un-gardened the garden today. Tore everything out except the beets and kale, cleaned it all up, spread the fall rye seed, and planted all my spring bulbs in pots. I just couldn't resist the gorgeous sublime colours of these almost finished hydrangeas. The bush needed pruning anyway, so I cut a couple of huge bouquets. As soon as I brought them inside the cat wanted to show off that they match her eyes.