hunting and gathering

Images from: If You Seek Style

14 Days of Outfit Inspiration from Zara, NastyGal and Asos.

Ab. Fab

Searching For Perfection

For about 6 months now I have been bitching and complaining about how I need a new bag. Any ear that would listen would get a full spiel about how I just can't settle on any one bag - how not anything will do. This bag needs to be perfect in every possible way. It must be leather (as much as I love animals, I really hate fake leather. It looks cheap... and it's too disposable. I want to have this bag forever. I want to pass the bag down to the children that I may or may not have. I want it to be perfect) it preferably will be either black or brown or most ideally both black and brown. It will have two straps, cross body and shorter for when I want to carry it with a pathetic limp arm like Paris Hilton. It won't be overly structured, because I am not overly structured and it will be a good, medium size to fit what I need while not encouraging me to go overboard and put my shoulder out.

Anyway, the search has brought me to many but few are good enough for me to just go for it and make it mine. Nothing is speaking to me loudly enough.

Until today. Today I got an email from Anthropologie, and while I find their clothing lately to be too much on the embellishment side - too many ruffles, too much embroidery, too girly. I do, however consistently love their bags. Beautiful patterned linings, soft buttery leather, and always providing a number of good slouchy options that fit my ever growing list of needs for my perfect  bag.

These are the options as of late. (in order of preference)

While I was searching, I went to Asos to try to find some other options... although it really doesn't fit my criteria, I just think this is kind of beautiful and wild.

Above and Beyond

Shoes: Aldo, Pants: Domino, Nokomis, Black Merino Sweater: Club Monoco, Thrifted, Gingham Top: Dace, Nokomis

Finally treated myself to some new winter wedges. After buying these shoes a while back,  I have a new found love for wedges and being tall. Fantastic. Stella seemed to like them too....



DAY FOUR

Silk Button Up: Vintage, Lace Slip (underneath): Vintage, Green Moto Pants: Zara, Suede Lace Ups: Vintage, Glasses: The Observatory

 Whatever I lacked in vintage from the day before, I surely made up this day. My silk top and great suede booties are from the Value Village I raided in Victoria. Whew. What a day we had there. I had to re-pack all my bags at the airport to fit all my new steals in. I can't believe someone was throwing these shoes out! Or so I thought..... but after traipsing around in them all day - I think I may understand. Off to soak my barking dogs I went, but it probably won't stop me from wearing them again. No pain no gain ladies.

Also, everytime I wear my hair like this I think to myself "I'm a Pony!" on account of a girl I went to University with would pile her hair up into a friggen fountain on the top of her head... and everytime she would jog down the halls and up the stairs we would all chant "I'm a Pony!"- I just can't move past it.

Savings

Whoops! Day Four will have to be reserved for Monday - when Im back at work! The suspense is probably just killing you, isn't it?

DAY THREE

Fringe Cardi: F21, Silk Top: F21 (altered by me),Shiny Leggings: F21, Boots: Frye, Gravity Pope, Red Lipstick: "Sephora Rouge", Jewelry: Vintage and Millicent Designs

Holy Moly! I clearly should be sponsored by Forever 21... ahem. It's an unsual day that I am head to toe in clothing that has no vintage representation. Oh well, I guess the giant ass ring from the Antique Mall in Edmonton must count for something, right?

Oh. Right. The Ring (& my smeared Rouge) c'est magnifique.

DAY TWO

Sweater Dress: FCUK (thrifted), Leather Belt: Vintage Deborah, Tights: The Bay, Woven Boots: Corso Como, Ebay. Earrings: Millicent Designs

I brought Stella with me to work!! Just a girl in her favourite colour combination of Cognac Brown and Black, her camera and her bestfriend.

Four Days

DAY ONE

Wearing: Crop Top: Artizia (thrifted), Highwaisted Trousers: Vintage, Judith. Heels: Audley Almond Toes, Gravity Pope. Jewelry: Millicent Designs and Vintage

I gave myself a challenge this week - I decided as I only have 2 weeks left in this beautiful building I work in, that I would do an outfit post every (working) day this week. I always find outift posts of people's everyday wears to be the most interesting. Nothing overly fussy here, just what I throw on before I run out the door to go to work.

HBC

Since knowing I was going to move out of the country, I started to feel nostalgic of all the little things I always took for granted. Being from the prairies I'm used to the vastness of canola fields and lonesome hay bails, but recently it's been harvest season here and I don't think prior to this year I have really noticed. On my weekly pilgrimage down Highway 2 I noticed the farmers hard at work tilling the fields in the dark. A giant machine all lit up plowing through the dried up land, so much dust turning up I could barely see 3 feet in front of me on the adjacent highway. It really made me realize how crappy my own work ethic really is compared to these guys. I have some mad respect.

Anyway, on my last trip West I went to the Hudsons Bay Company in downtown Vancouver with my best friend, Amber. I remembered seeing this amazing Bay Blanket jacket as done by Canadian designer, Smythe on the cover of Fashion Magazine during the Winter Olympics last year.There is nothing more quintessentially Canadian than the striped wool blanket associated with Museum dioramas showcasing Natives trading with the British. I was really excited to see it hanging on the racks in front of me and had to try it on.... now, if only I had some extra dosh sitting to around to make it mine. 

The Resistance

It seems every year I forget how much I love autumn. I will venture to say it wont be around much longer here in Alberta, but I am excited at the prospect of it potentially still happening in New York when I get there. The reason for my love of this season is my uncanny ability to dress like a 1940's french spy. Growing up, my grandfather only allowed me to watch British Television programmes in the evening... mostly because it was the only TV he could relate to at the time (I should state that now, at age 84, he loves shows like Desperate Housewives - or "the desperate women" as he calls it). To this day a show called, Allo!, Allo! still flashes into my mind. Whenever I put on a beret and some leather gloves, I feel like I channel Michelle "The Resistance" Dubois and try to fake my best french accent. Something about fall makes it feel perfectly acceptable to wander around looking mysterious and like you're up to something - perhaps it's all the layers and high collars leaving everything under exposed?