great loves too must be endured

have you ever had writers block while starbucks is blasting let it snow? i challenge you to produce anything other than thoughts of christmas in that situation.

on that note, as november winds down, thoughts of a white toronto are romancing me. everyone in toronto is cringing right now. but from a 10degree, west coast vantage point, winter layers, fires, and snowy sundays in yorkville are recurring in my daydream bubbles.

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image by garance doré quote by chanel

i was at the library in my velvet skirt..

when i thought of this quote from chanel.

--i dont understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little - if only out of politeness. and then, you never know, maybe thats the day she has a date with destiny. and its best to be as pretty as possible for destiny. --

its true. if your outfit isnt ready for anything, you arent prepared for much.. besides your laptop and cubicle. makes more sense the longer you think about it.. i was in the library for six hours.

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ps happy one year anniversary to my blog

you know what i like?

when i was in vancouver a couple of weeks ago, i got to spend an entire day by myself. i like that. that morning i had my americano, croissant, and morning paper at a cafe de france (obviously) on hornby. i stopped reading to watch the world go by because i love the energy of weekday mornings. a truck stopped at the light in front of me, and the man driving was looking at me, and just as i was thinking he might burst my daydreaming bubble, he mouthed "good morning" and disappeared from my life forever.

i live for moments like that.

en vogue octobre deux mille neuf

be impressed that ive even made it to october. its amazing how half an hour with vogue paris can completely reboot my attitude. i dont know about you, but i always look forward to the en vogue section the most.

if there is no woman, there is no dress

i think these looks play with genre and texture very well.. while remaining understated. despite my marriage to black, i am so into that blue dress, especially with the shoes.. and everything else.

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quote by chanel

landscapes and cynicism

dear vancouver art gallery, thank you for making me less cynical. please understand, i come from the land of the rom.

i have never seen an exhibit that i didnt love at this gallery, and i assumed expanding horizons: painting and photography of american and canadian landscape 1860-1918 would be the first.

yes, i am an art historian that can be snobby about my art, and landscapes are one of those genres that oftentimes feel the wrath of my snobbery.

one may also find that many canadian art history students have some attitude towards the group of seven, as they are shoved down our throats everywhere we turn. i am one of those students. however, my frustration with the group of seven is how their works are presented.

these artists married the canadian landscape with abstraction, and pushed for a canadian presence in the abstract art movement.. which was huge. do galleries tell me this? nope. do they display these works with international abstract artists from the 1920s to show me their greater significance? absolutely not. so what do they do? give me the exact same white cube room with the exclusively group of seven works, talking about the artists biographies blah blah blah.

in comes vancouver art gallery *sigh of relief*

expanding horizons uses themes like the emergence of nationalist ideas, and the relationship between urban expansion and nature to decipher the artistic fascination with the landscapes we inhabit. the exhibit includes painting, photography, and video. you can almost feel your brain cells being re-activated. my friends and i spent quite some time in this exhibit, and we were amazed at how the juxtaposition of different kinds of landscapes made them so much more interesting and fresh. i actually became enamoured with an aj casson and sat with it for a while. probably the same one that i would have ran past with my eyes closed in a group of seven room.

yeah.. you too

especially you, purple. i like how the heading for this on jak&jil was 'dandies'

.. cant live with them cant live without them.

i just like these

random inspiration for a new week. these ensembles are a nice example of high fashion meets everyday, i think.. i just bought a sweater from zara that has the same shoulder cut as the first one. i like the idea of a big shoulder sans the fuss of pads.

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fashionistadiary

fred herzog

after having a lovely breakfast at the omlettery in vancouver with friends, we stumbled into the equinox gallery where fred herzogs photography took me to another planet. i love photography, but it is extremely rare for it to have this much impact on me.

his imagery is extremely large, and focuses on urban scenes, from what i thought were insightful angles. the size and depth of the nostalgic-with-a-twist imagery pulled me right into the scene, simultaneously making me feel integrated and removed.

i highly recommend clicking these images for detail, and checking out the rest of this collection, here.






ps. the second last one is called waterfront flaneur. thats how herzog sealed the deal with me, in case he hadnt already.

decisions decisions

this wilfred coat fits perfectly, and i cant decide on a colour.. the light grey is darker in real life, and the dark grey is a touch lighter than the picture. opinions are encouraged.

les cheveux blonds

i keep forgeting that im not a blonde anymore, and this girl makes me nostalgic for my past locks. her entire look is working for me actually, seems very vancouver.. urban vintage. speaking of which art, shopping and hotel reviews to come. . all good.

i reblogged this image from veronicahhh.

its about that time of year

this time last year i was in vancouver for reading break, and tomorrow i shall do it again. bring on the rain.

xx

fencing mask throw back

remember this viktor and rolf show from 2006? i think that this was one of their most memorable runways. i have recently taken up fencing and i have a new appreciation for the fencing masks they designed for every girl.

the fascinating and romantic thing about fencing is the formality and anonymity created by the mask, all the while protecting our lovely faces. v&r definitely have the romance down, and while the mask is protective, my primary interpretation was a play between the male-domiated sport of the past and the modern woman; women can now participate in the male sphere. the idea that the collection was very ready to wear directly links these women with their everyday context, and the mask can be symbolic of their having their guard up against the modern world... seems like a prada theme, no?

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paish, the middle one is for you.

id asked my mother what she did in the war when her flat had been blown up. she remembered taking a bottle of shocking perfume, by schiaparelli. she said, when theres nothing left, you stick to the superfluous

*jane birkin

a woman is closest to naked when she is well dressed

iloveyouaudreyiloveyouaudreyiloveyouaudrey. coco avant chanel finally made its way west enough for me to see it in theatres. can you tell i was really happy with it.. i thought audrey was perfect. and beyond her acting, the resemblance is remarkable. gabrielle chanel has always been a woman that ive looked up to, and i was grateful to see a movie that didnt shamelessly use clothing as its centrepiece (as we saw with satc), but focused on chanels strength and intelligence that made her successful. as well, i was worried about the portrayal of her relationship with boy capel, but it was everything i wanted it to be; inconvenient, generally imperfect, with a foundation of respect and passion.

ps. when she walked out in her "boy" costume (top) i actually gasped 1: because of how the suit was such an innovative fit, and 2: because of the strong juxtaposition between her and the bourgeois women around her.

and its true, i wore breton stripes the next day.

nothing to declare except her genius

this outfit is what i have been trying to put together all week, but i really need a billowy knit like this.. it must be able to flip between jacket and sweater as i see fit. imagine early victoria mornings in it with knit tights and espresso?

also: those shoes.. army green suede, well done.

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jak&jil

tights stripes and city streets

featured on the legs of veronicahhh, these striped hue tights fit perfectly with the surface of broad street. all i think of is the coupling of flanerie and self-fashioning..