Dress Rehearsal

Christy: Happy new year 2012 (yup I still exist?!)

2012-01-13T12:34:00.000-08:00

If 2012 is going to be the end of the year, there certainly haven't been any signs of it yet.
Pandora, (our cat as of the end of the summer) doesn't seem in the least alarmed and is taking life at a leisurely pace. Her favorite activities include playing in the shower curtain, waking me up at five am to feed her and visiting our neighbours' homes. We are trying to discourage this behavior but she doesn't seem to understand that every apartment in our building is not ALSO her home. The other day I came home and she was watching me from the other side of our neighbour's glass door.

At least she keeps me company while I write essays.
Which (by the way) I have been doing a lot lately. I have just started my second semester of studying English Literature at Mcgill University. I know Mcgill has a tendency to be a bit pretentious but I am slowly growing to love it I think...

(a blue sky day on campus)
More pertinent to this blog: Laura, my cousin and fellow blogger now lives in Montreal and is studying aesthetics (make up, skin care, electrolysis etc). We frequently are at the same events, both wearing interesting things but somehow we haven't gotten our act together and blogged. But ya! It's been very cool being in the same city for the first time in our lives.

Any family resemblance?
Today I told a friend that my cousin and I had kept a blog for a year and a half but hadn't blogged since Summer and his response was "That's so depressing! To go at something for so long and then give up! that's awful!" (I think he was partly joking) but it's true that it's sad to give up something that actually lasted quite a while.
So here is what I"m wearing today.

My friend gave me this wool dress/shirt thing and it's quite comfy but a bit short to wear with anything but leggings. Best of all: it has pockets! I am convinced that nearly anything can be improved with the addition of pockets.

Take note of the lovely tall bookshelf behind me. We carried it home from a friend's house which was roughly an hour away. It started snowing on our way and it was oddly wonderful.

Christy: Bad Blogger

2011-06-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

I feel like there are seasons for everything and maybe right now is not my blogging season.
However I am going to make an effort to occasionally up date.
This last weekend I went to a wedding with my boyfriend which was a fun excuse to get dressed up. These are the only pictures I have but I loved my dress. It just felt really sophisticated and unlike a lot of the things I usually wear which have a tendancy to look like they belong on small children :).

So there you go. Me looking unusually grown up.
I hope everyone is having a good summer and I'll try to update more.
and also to have slightly more quality updates....

Christy

Laura: silky blues and reds!

2011-06-05T15:44:00.000-07:00

I should probably mention I didn't actually *Wear* this dress today. I mean, obviously I put it on but only for the photoshoot. I'd just gotten home from work and decided the nice weather and lighting should be taken advantage of with a photoshoot of a dress I haven't blogged about yet!
This was one of those dresses that you have no idea when or where you'll wear it, but you simply HAVE TO HAVE. I lusted after it on modcloth for months ever since it appeared, until a little while ago it turned up in the sale section at 50% off! That was as good a reason as any :P
It's 100% silk and it's actually kind of interesting because if you wanted to you could wear it inside out (the lining is a solid periwinkle color). The fit is a bit odd, and I had to sort of alter it a bit (definetly wasn't too professional of a job, hope it isn't noticeable! XD) but IT'S SO PRETTY!

Anywas. what have you all been up to???

it's finally summer!

2011-05-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

I think it's actually here? Spring for sure, and maybe even summer! Yesterday was beautiflly warm, today, not so much, but not too cool for this dress.

In non-fashion related news, a movie I've been recently obsessed with is the Darjeeling Limited. It's in my top-five films for sure and I've already rewatched it several times. Have any of you seen it? If so, what would you reccomend if I like this one? For those of you who haven't--check it out. If you like Sofia Coppola, The Brothers Bloom, and anything else by Wes Anderson you would probably enjoy this. :)

Laura: gereric title here

2011-05-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

*insert creative, yet apologetic sentence about how long it's been since I last blogged, how busy I've been, etc etc*

I really felt like all the pieces of this outfit just "worked". The combination of the sweater and dress also had a slightly "Sound of Music" vibe to it which is never a bad thing! Sammy apparently was pretty psyched about it too cause when I stood up after the last picture he JUMPED up on me!

The dress is one that Rebecca from the Clothes Horse wore a while back, and as soon as I realized I could get it for under 50 bucks on Ruche I grabbed it :P I'll definetly be wearing it without the sweater in the summer, it's very, well, summery.

Dress--Ruche
Shoes--Ruche
Sweater-- h&m
Bag-- vintage Dooney and Bourke

:)

Christy: Hair from the 20's

2011-04-30T18:58:00.001-07:00

I cut my hair! and it's nearly all gone!
Well not entirely but it's shorter than I've ever had it in my life.
I apologize for the photobooth, poor quality photos.

When most of my friends have taken the plunge and cut their hair short they've always said it's freeing and I think I'll have to agree with the cliche.
it feels pretty awesome!
any thoughts?

Sorry for the crappy short post.
Maybe when school is over, blogging will actually happen.
Until then: hope everyone is doing well and staying Stylish!

Christy: Just a normal outfit

2011-04-17T14:59:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to get that feeling that I must have worn every single piece of clothing in my closet at least a billion times. It's a bit depressing actually. I just feel like I haven't shaken it up lately. I mean, I like this outfit but there isn't a whole lot of "wow factor."
Another problem I have been encountering lately is just about every pair of shoes I own seems to be spontaneously falling apart. So when I leave the house I have to think ahead and decide whether I would prefer to wear shoes that a)hurt my heels b)have rusting metal shoe lace holes or c)make squeaking noises when I walk.
I'm thinking of buying a pair of Tom's shoes as they look insanely comfortable.
Speaking of Insane: here's an attractive candid....

Only a month left of school! Then summer and more hours making smoothies at Liquid Nutrition! Happy times :)

Stay Classy

Christy

Laura lives?!

2011-04-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I'm...uh, actually blogging? I have to apologize I really haven't blogged in FOREVER. Thanks to Christy for holding things together here. In my defense I've been working two jobs and haven't had a day off in two weeks...so yeah. xD Anyway, I celebrated my birthday yesterday (it's tuesday) and managed to take a few half decent pics for a change (well, my mom took them...so it's really a miracle they're at least half-decent ;) )
(oooh...question..those of you who use tripods...are they expensive? are there inexpensive kinds? do you like them? which would you reccomend??)

I'm really excited about this dress!! It was my first chance to wear it--and you can get it over at modcloth, it's the "Memphis Style" dress. The shoes are also from there. The sweater is thrifted. I don't normally do orangey colors but I wanted to branch out and I don't think it's too bad! It's such a perfect party dress but it's in cotton so you can make it casual too.

Random tidbits: Crazy over stressed from work, really hungry atm and going to have some trifle from birthday, and also dying to read the latest book by Louise Rennison (she wrote "Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging"...any other fans...? no...? um ok). :D I also found out today that in a week I'll have like three days off at one of my jobs!! I'm SO looking forward to the time off and am already planning all the things to read, watch, and wear! :D

Christy: A child's rocking chair

2011-03-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

Suddenly life has gotten very busy. But in a good way. I got a job at a Liquid Nutrition smoothie shop and I started my training on Tuesday. It was a little bit of trial by fire because there was a sudden rush only a few minutes after the manager started explaining the ropes to me. So basically I was washing blenders and making some of the simpler smoothies as fast as I was able but half the time I didn't know which suppliment was which and where anything was so it was a little interesting....
I'm excited to work there though as I really like the atmosphere and as my friends can attest I like talking about healthy eating and nutrition :)

This lovely rocking chair was found in the garbage by my roommate. It's a little bit broken but she plans to fix it this summer.
I love making summer craft plans....Any suggestions for interesting things I could make this summer?

This might not actually be the best idea. My butt isn't that small....

I love the detail of lace on this dress. It makes it extra soft and lovely.

Stay classy everyone,
Christy

Christy: Bits and Pieces

2011-03-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

It snowed again yesterday but the sun is warmer and seems to be saying "no for serious, it actually is spring. The snow is just an illusion."

I realized that when I start blogging the first thing I always want to write about is the weather which I realize is a bit lame. I mean what is this? a Montreal weather blog?
Yup! pretty much apparently.
I'm in the process of making a sweet potato risotto but it's not working so well because I used brown rice and it's taking forever to cook.
I'm just wearing jeans and a t-shirt today but I thought I would post a (badly photographed) outfit from during my non-posting weeks.

I actually quite enjoyed this outfit. I liked the mix of comfy casual baggy-ness with the slightly fancier decorations and netting on the sweater.
Here's something else I like, no make that adore: brownies from Juliet et Chocolat

This wonderful specimen is a raspberry chocolate brownie with balsamic sauce which is amazing. It's quite possible i've posted pictures of Juliet et chocolat brownies before but they are just so amazing.
I hope everyone is seeing signs of spring!

Christy

Christy: Missing you

2011-03-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

Well, as is pretty obvious from the archives, I haven't posted for a good while. I sort of was stuck in a slump where I couldn't seem to pick up my camera or even bother to record what I was wearing.
Maybe it was the weather or the fact that school was really stressful but I didn't even glance at the blog world for the last couple weeks.
and the weird thing was I realized I really missed it, like way more than I expected. I think my blog has become more of a creative outlet than I realized. It was something I could look back on and be "hey, that's pretty cool."
I also missed being inspired by the countless talented and stylish bloggers in the blogosphere.
So ya....I"m back now. Hopefully for real this time.
Also, I changed my gmail address so if I re-friended your blog, don't be confused that their are two of me.

There's a good artist blur on this one

My expression in this one demonstrates how I feel about blogging again.

Outfit details: dress-thrifted,sweater-thrifted,leggings-HKR, scarf-gift,t-shirt, thrifted

Laura: Travel

2011-03-09T15:04:00.000-08:00

OK, so all I can think of lately is traveling. In particular, the island of Corfu. This is partly from the film "My Family and Other Animals" and partly because of the book I just read, This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart (read it! Mystery, romance, adventure!), which takes place on the same island, only 30 years later. I don't have any movie of This Rough Magic to post pictures from, but I managed to dig up some screencaps of "My Family" and thought I'd post them for you,

In my hunt for related things to put in this post, I came across another blog post that pretty much summed up what I wanted to say PERFECTLY. Enjoy it here!

"Days went by, peaceful, lovely days."

"'I've told you all I'm going to tell you tonight, and as for Lucy Waring, how often do I have to repeat that I took the damned girl home at seven, and I haven't seen her since? That's the truth, I swear to God!'
No actress ever had a better cue. I pulled the window open, and went in."

"I felt tired myself, but restless, with sleep still a long way off, so I went along to the scrubbed and empty kitchen, made myself more coffee, then took it through the salotto, put my feet on a chair, some Mozart on the gramophone, and settled myself for a quiet evening.
But things didn't quite work out that way. The calm, beautiful room, even the music, did not manage to keep at bay the thoughts that had been knocking for admission since that morning. In spite of myself, my mind went persistently back to the morning's incidents; the discovery in the pool, the two men's raw antagonism, and the long, wearying aftermath of the interrogation, with the fresh problems it had brought to light."

"I made my way carefully through the piled rocks and the sea-wrack. Here and there a shallow pool barred the way, and I paddled across with caution, wondering uneasily about sea-urchins, which in these waters (I had read) can drive poisonous spines into your feet. Like hedgehogs, which Lie tumbling in my barefoot way, and mount Their pricks at my foot-fall...Poor Caliban. Was Julian Gale right, I wondered? I had read The Tempest late into the night..."

This Rough Magic brings forth the idea that the island of Corfu is the setting for Shakespeare's Tempest, or even that The Tempest is based on actual events! I have to admit that I haven't actually read the play, but it was quite intriqing...I want to do some more research on it now!

And thus ends this very odd, random-ish post! Actually, I do have a question: Do any of you have any books or films to suggest based on the ones I've mentioned here? I'm always looking for more that take place in some exotic location, have some romance, intrigue, or charm! I'm already a huge fan of M. M. Kaye (who wrote the six "Death" mystery books, each taking place in a different location. "Death in Zanzibar" , Kenya, Berlin, Kashmir, Cyprus, and the Andamans).

So yeah. Suggestions? Thoughts? Are you feeling as stir-crazy as I am with all this snow? (or are you one of the lucky ones who are experiencing summer right now? In which case, can I come visit? :P)

Christy: Nuit Blanche

2011-02-28T19:58:00.000-08:00

I love the expression Nuit Blanche: It means an all-nighter or literally a "white night"
On one night in February in Montreal there's a celebration called Nuit Blanche: where the city literally doesn't go to bed. All night down town there are free shows and art exhibits and other cultural events. The museums are open all night and basically the entire young population of Montreal takes to the streets in the -12 degree weather to enjoy the night.
This took place last Saturday and I went out with a group of friends to enjoy some art.
We saw a show about excess and bourgeoisie lifestyle that took place in the this studio apartment with brick walls where to watch the show you just stood around the edges of the room.

Then after we wandered for a while before going into the more than 6 km of underground malls and metro stations to see the art exhibits that were set up.

We saw such art as this piece depicting a suicidal Flamingo entitled "la vie en rose"

I love that I live in a city that doesn't just survive winter but celebrates it.
Speaking of Winter adventures here are some pictures I took with my friend by this random installation of white globes. "les spheres poleres"

This is pretty much my typical winter outfit: skirt and tights, coat and wooly hat and mitts.
All that said, I won't be complaining if Spring decides to arrive soon :)

Christy

Christy: And then I mugged an old man and stole his sweater

2011-02-26T13:24:00.000-08:00

Actually the title is a lie. No old men were harmed in the creation of this outfit. This sweater did come from what I'm pretty sure was the men's section of the thrift store.
I'm not always sure how to wear sweaters this large. This morning I decided that shorts and tights worked better than jeans or a skirt as it balanced out the bulkiness of the sweater.

My bangs need serious trimming but our scissors have disappeared so I've been unable to fix them myself. For those of you who have bangs, do you trim them yourself?
If so, how does this work out for you? One time I was attempting a hair repair I got a hair in my eye and I spent at least ten traumatizing minutes trying to get it out.

This highly attractive photo was taken in my bedroom mirror. Apparently that's the face I make when taking pictures. I guess I had to find that out one day.
My past week has been pretty quiet. I haven't really seen a lot of people or left the house except for dance and school. It's been a bit odd actually....I'm not sure how I feel about it. Usually I'm more social. Maybe I'm just getting in touch with my more introverted side.

Anyways, hope everyone is having a good weekend!
Christy

Laura: The Blair Essentials

2011-02-24T13:28:00.001-08:00

I've written about this stylish character before, but I was looking thru episode photos just now and felt inspired to post about her again! It's the one and only Blair Waldorf!

Classy, smart, outspoken, opinionated, born into money and style...she always knows exactly what to wear, how to act, ...what to say, and how to stay on top. :D She's basically the modern super woman.

She's my style icon--she manages to mix preppy with ladylike chic and classy with quirky. Hope you enjoy these photos of some of my favorite of her outfits!!

This last coat...eeeek. The shoes!!! The tights!!!!!!! XD

Looks like the key to Blair's style is in the details. The quality of the coat, the sheen of the fabric, the intricate lace...and of course the eye-popping color and pattern combinations! Blair is definetly not one to go un-accessorised--she's always got a handbag, jewelry, hat, scarf, headband, or something to tie her outfit together.

Thinking...I believe Blair might score an ENTJ on the Myer's Brigg's test. Thoughts?

Laura: Top pics from fashion week

2011-02-17T18:51:00.001-08:00

So fashion week is upon us once again, and I've seen some photos of the new collections surfacing online...and wanted to post my very favorites! Do let me know what you think, or if I missed any you think I should have posted!

Ralph Lauren

This dress, I must have.

Anna Sui

*Sighs dreamily*

I think Anna Sui is probably my favorite designer, hands down (Chanel in second). There's such a variety between colors and fabrics and textures. It's very visually appealing, and I could SO see myself in them! (I wish. ha)

Christy: Always winter and never christmas

2011-02-16T16:38:00.000-08:00

I feel like I'm hitting that phase in blogging when you realize you beginning every blog post with an apology for being away so long.
I guess life happens. School happens. cleaning the house happens.
Also laziness happens.
but I apologize.
How was everyone's valentine's day?
Did anyone special surprise you?
This dress is one I thrifted.

It didn't look especially amazing on the hanger but it's actually a very good dress staple. it's pretty but not overly fussy or stand-outish.

Toady in class I was beginning to think about spring/summer clothing and I found myself getting excited about rompers and shorts and light breezy dresses.
it seems like a whole new world of possibility.
I think I'm going to start online window shopping soon....If I buy new clothes I want to be sure I like them.

Hope you guys are all enjoying the winter and not being bogged down by February blues.

Christy

Outfit details: dress-thrifted, belt-thrifted, cardian-thrifted

Laura: Green sweater

2011-02-13T14:15:00.000-08:00

I finally got the new size for my shoes, and wore them out and about today! They're super comfortable and I like the little lift I get from the 2 inch heel instead of just being flat. The only downside is I don't think the stain/polish is super great because after some snow melting there were a few smeary patches. I guess I'll either have to invest in some sort of leather spray or avoid the wet.
That's Sammy, in the foreground.
Ooh, I so cannot wait until it's spring and summer and I can go outside to take all sorts of artsy pictures! I envy bloggers who manage to look stylish in the snow. Between turning red/blue as soon as I step outside, to probably not having a great quality camera, it just doesn't seem possible. That, and I have little tolerance for deep snow...and I hate the thought of getting any of my outfits wet. So for now you'll have to make do with haphazard shots in which I amputate my own feet and generally look very sketchy. :P

Oh, this is Chester. He's our resident fatso! :D

Sweater-- Abercrombie
Skirt-which-is-a-dress -- French Connection
Tights -- H&M
Shoes - Modcloth

Laura: One to Watch

2011-02-11T15:48:00.000-08:00

OK, Hey guys! I haven't done any celeb style posts for ages, and I thought I'd do a "spotlight" post on up and coming star Hailee Stienfeld. You probably know her from the recent western-remake hit, True Grit. She was perfect in the film, and her style choices seem to show that she's got a surprisingly level and mature head on her shoulders for a fifteen year old! I searched through hoards of photos and couldn't find one I didn't like. Anyway, these are my favorites. Enjoy! :)

You probably recently saw this on the Fug Girl's site...in case you were wondering, I voted AWESOME. :P It's unusual but just the sort of unusual that works. :)

I think this is one of my very favorites of her gowns, next to the swan dress I posted first. It's so elegant and it's hard to do white at that age without looking all bridal or prom-y but she manages to do neither! I especially like the long sleek pony-tail...it really pulls it away from "homecoming" or anything like that.

OK, no, THIS is my other favorite dress XD I love the cozy, 70's vibe. S

Love the dots, so chic!

Which is your favorite look? Have you seen True Grit?

Laura: Duck bags and stripey coats

2011-02-05T16:38:00.000-08:00

eek! Yup, it's a Dooney and Bourke vintage bag. 70's or 80's? I found it on etsy for a mere 30 bucks and still can't get over it!! I at first thought it might have been lost in the mail as it took ages and ages to come...but it did arrive. And I love it to pieces. :D It's so sturdy and solid. I love the shape of it!
OK...I apologize for the very gross pic in general of me. My hair decided to be a bit crazy, I see. And perhaps I should have taken my mom's suggestion and SMILED. XD Also, how bad is taking pics at night, with a flash??
This is my new coat. It was on Modcloth but I found it for cheaper on another site and nabbed it. It's not as warm as I was expecting but I really like the style so I'm happy with it :D
Another new item are the shoes...also from modcloth (yea, I'm obsessed!!!). However I got a 8.5 as people were saying they ran a bit small. They're comfy but my feet keep slipping out and they'll probably stretch...so I've ordered a size 8 to compare.

A + B in the Sea wrote a really good post recently about capsule wardrobes, quality, not buying every single thing you see, etc. Which I thought I would also write about.

I had a bit of a epithany the other day when I 90$ (on sale!!) modcloth dress I'd ordered arrived, and I realized it was made completely out of polyester. I had read this but I guess it just hadn't sunk in exactly what polyester was. Well, let's just say it's scratchy and see-thru and cheap, and I have a 20$ forever21 top in it. Besides that, the dress just didn't fit right and I'm sending it back. Then I went thru my modcloth wishlist and culled every single thing that was polyester (practicly half of it) and am now vowing to only buy things that are good quality. Especially online. ESPECIALLY when they're 90 dollar dresses!!! I want things that last...that have that expensive, lush, feel. And somehow polyester doesn't fit the bill. Silk, wool, cotton, cashmere. Yeah, that'll do! But polyester is the kiss of death.

So there's my little ramble for the day. See ya'll later!

Christy: The Mysteries of Udolpho

2011-02-01T11:45:00.000-08:00

I've finally chosen a topic for my major paper for one of my english classes. I'm doing it on the Gothic parody in Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. If you haven't read Northanger Abbey I would suggest you pick it up and give it a try. It's shorter than a lot of Austen's other novels *cought*mansfield Park*cough* and it's very light-hearted and funny as it makes fun of the type of Gothic romances that were popular in the 1800's...in particular a very over the top novel by the name of "The Mysteries of Udolpho" which is the story of the orphaned Emily who is imprisoned in a "haunted" castle by her evil aunt and her Italian Husband. It's pretty great....but also pretty full of long pastoral passages describing the countryside....snore.
in other news!
IT"S FREAKING COLD

I am pretty much in a perpetual state of bundled-ness.
on the morning that this particular photo was taken it was -27 without the wind chill and i was wearing long-underwear underneath my leggings.

Montreal natives are very hardy. We still wear skirts and dresses in February, we just bulk them up with wool sweaters and multiple pairs of tights and leggings.
Booya we're tough!

Don't forget the cozy socks!!

I'm sorry I haven't been commenting/reading blogs so much lately. Now that i've gotten the preliminary research done on my Northanger Abbey essay I should have more time to catch up on what all you stylish ladies are up to!

Christy

Laura: if wishes were horses...

2011-01-30T12:36:00.000-08:00

My "Gallop with Glamor" dress arrived!!! And there was no way I was waiting until Spring to wear it, so I decided to debut it with tights, and a sweater.
unfortunatly when all your family is either sleeping or renovating you can't get them to take pictures and I end up blurry or beheaded.

I'm sure you'll be seeing this dress a LOT more once warm weather (*sigh*) returns!

Dress- Modcloth Sweater- Hollister Tights - Modcloth Earrings- Forever21

Laura: news!

2011-01-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

So I'm afriad I don't have any exciting outfit pictures to share, however, I do have some exciting news!! You may have noticed it over in the sidebar, but if not, I have a tumblr!! I'm basically WAY too excited about this. It's super addicting.

thesilentphilosopher.tumblr.com

Here's a couple of pictures from it to encourage you all to go over there and follow me ;)

You know you want to! Oh, and do you have a tumblr? Please do include the link in the comments for me to check out! :D

Christy: deep freeze

2011-01-23T13:07:00.001-08:00

Brrrr it's -21 without the wind chill today. I have a pair of black micro-fiber long underwear which kind of look like leggings so I'm wearing those today along with over the knee socks.
Very cozy, but not quite cozy enough to stop the icy wind.
but instead of posting those pictures I'm going to post these which are from a day when it was at least warm enough that I could stand on our porch without dying.

Last night I went skating with my roommate and some international students and it was so so cold. I was wearing two pairs of gloves and my hands were still freezing. It reminded me of how much I love skating. I just need to drag my butt out of my apartment to go more often.
Do any of you skate? I can go really fast and kind of skate backwards but I can't do any fancy tricks.

Hope you are all staying warm!
Here's a song I've been enjoying lately. It's a bit strange but I find it kind of beautiful.

outfit details: sweater-Zara, shirt-thrifted, jeans- forever 21, boots-gift

Laura: The Big Bang Theory...

2011-01-19T11:13:00.000-08:00

Yup...everyone is doing it and I just couldn't resist. You should know I thought of many awkward puns to go with this post that were just too juvenile for me to actually post XD (be very glad about that)
I always loooved the look of bangs but never really thought I should do it because of a few rather scarring experiences when I was younger (age 5-9, full thick bangs...age 16...bangs that were supposed to be "Sweeping" bangs but I kept making thicker until it looked gross and weird).
Last night after going thru several lovely tumblrs, all full of girls with beautiful bangs, I realized that if I don't do it now I'm never going to do it. Several minutes and one pair of scissors later I was left with a huge chunk of hair in the bathroom sink and my mother wailing "Nooooooo!"
I have to say I'm pretty happy with them. Even though I cut them myself and they're probably a little too thick and short. It's just hair, it'll grow out. :P What say you?
Also, any funny hair-cut stories involving bangs? I would love to hear! :D

Laura: Golden Globes

2011-01-17T08:22:00.001-08:00

Alrighty, so last night was The Golden Globes! Not many of the people and movies I wanted to win won, although a few made me pretty happy (The Kids Are Alright, Colin Firth, Jim Parsons)...but I was more interested in the dresses, anyway ;)

Here are my favorite gowns of the evening!

Hailee Steinfield is perfectly stunning. She somehow manages to keep her age in tact (14!) while remaining more poised then I have or ever will be in my life...

]
It was nice to see Angelina in a color, and this green is marvelous! Hehe, just reminded me of "The Lady of the Green Kirtle" a la The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis...

I feel like January's dress might be the dividing sort--you either love it or you hate it. And I love it. I feel like I would hate it on anyone else but her. She manages to make very little clothing un-slutty. And the color!

This is maybe not the *most* stunning dress of the evening, but I wanted to include it because I think it's Christina Hendrick's best red carpet gown so far of the career. THIS is how curves are done!

Anne always looks classy and sparkly. This is no exception. Love!!

Probably one of the most controversial choices of the evening. Yeah, it's pretty frumpy. But hey, it's TILDA SWINTON! She can pull anything off.

I seriously think it impossible for Helen Mirren to ever NOT be on the Best Dressed list.

I think this dress is a bit ill-fitting around the middle, but otherwise, I love it. Elizabeth Moss looks fantastic and the color is perfect on her. Another of the "maybe not the best, but compared to her other choices..." Plus I can't ignore anyone from Mad Men ! XD

Love anything beaded, anything 30's. And Jayma's dress hits the spot!!

Natalie Portman shows us all how dressing for pregnancy is done...

Not unlike Tilda, Helena Bonham Carter is one of the very few celebs who can wear practicly anything and I will love it. Case in point re: her footwear!

Christy: And the sky spat out the snow

2011-01-16T17:26:00.000-08:00

Right now I am super not in the mood for blogging but I am forcing myself to write this post. Look at me being all "good bloggerly". I don't even know why I don't feel like blogging. I probably shouldn't over analyze it. I can attest to the fact that over-analyzing things very very rarely leads to anything good.

What does always lead to good things is wearing cool sweaters.

My friend Charlotte's comment on this outfit: "Christy are you crazy?? You're wearing shorts in January! You're going to freeze!"

I won't deny I was a bit chilly but I didn't find it unbearably cold. I'm pretty sure this is because my legs are immune to cold from my high school years of wearing a kilt throughout the coldest months of the year.

Here's a little peek into what our kitchen looks like. There's my mac book where I do all my blogging.

ya it's a bit cluttered....
Hope you guys are all keeping warm!

Outfit details: sweater-thrifted, shorts-forever 21, tights-sears, necklace-gift

Christy: un-even hems

2011-01-13T09:03:00.000-08:00

Today is an incredibly grey day and I'm finding it hard to stay cheerful. For me, if I wake up to the sun coming through my window then everything is instantly better.
I have a bit of a back-log of outfit pictures so this outfit is from a few days ago.

I love having winter boots that I can wear under skirts without feeling ridiculous.

This is a dress that I found at a tiny thrift store in BC. It was the kind of thrift store where everything is 2$ instead of the horribly inflated prices of 7$ or 10$.
It was a long dress which looked a bit like a nightgown before I altered it and my friends with me were laughing at me a bit for wanting it but I realized it would be really cute short. I feel like a lot of thrift shopping is just seeing the possibilities in strange pieces of clothing.

Outfit details: Necklace-gift,dress-thrifted, black tights, boots-rockport

Laura: green shoes, were my delight

2011-01-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

These are my new love...however impractical they may be, they are BEAUTIFUL!
Yes, I am standing in front of the washing machine, and behind the cat's litter box...

They're super velvety and soft and plush and bright. I feel like a cross between the Wizard of Oz, and Marie Antoinette.

Shoes--Modcloth
Dress--H&M
Skirt--Forever21

Christy: Day at the Museum

2011-01-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

My roommate is away for the weekend so the apartment is a bit lonely. However It's also kind of nice to have my own space for a little bit. We'll see how soon "I have my own space!" becomes "I am alllll aloonnneee! what do i dooooo?!"

Before Christmas I went to the Montreal fine arts Museum with my friend Tim. We had a wonderful time poking around the exhibits and he took some pictures to document our adventure.
I wanted to share them because I think they really capture how rich and magical Art Museums can be.

I love how you can just get lost in a painting and forget everything else. In this photo I was enthralled by a painting of swimming polar bears that was hanging over the doorway.

This is one of my favorite paintings in the permanent collection. I want to be lying on my stomach on that roof top terrace, staring over the city to the distant sea.

The afternoon at the museum was thoroughly enjoyable as you can see from Tim's lovely pictures.

Exciting events of today: Went to work and looked at Look Book between taking calls. Helped my aunt buy make-up. Went to a free student dinner and climbed the stairs up Mount Royal and enjoyed the illuminated sky line. Went to Broadway cheese cake and borrowed my friend's money to buy a small white chocolate raspberry cheese cake. Yum yum yum
Successful day? I think so!

Laura: Best Films of 2010

2011-01-04T17:42:00.000-08:00

Bear with me as I don't know how to do cuts, so this is going to be a rather long post.
I've seen a LOT of movies throughout 2010, and wanted to make a list of some of my very favorites here for you. These aren't just ones that came out last year, but ones that were new to me.

In no particular order...

You Can't Take it With You
(starring Jimmy Stewart, Jean Arthur)
A lovely film that you want to live in. Jimmy Stewart falls in love with a girl from a very eccentric, poor family, that his parents certainly won't approve of. A hilarious scene that had my mom and I in stitches was when Jimmy gets the date of the girl's dinner party wrong, and he and his stuck-up parents end up at the house admist a painting session, dance lesson, and general confusion. Watch it!

It Happened One Night
(starring Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable)

Watch this for the travel, watch this for the darling little striped suit that Claudette wears, watch this for the chemistry between runaway heiress Claudette and undercover reporter, Clark.

Shutter Island
(starring: Mark Ruffalo, Leonardo DiCapri, Michelle Williams)

Leo plays, as imdb says, a "U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane." The longer he is on the island, however, the more mysteries he unearths. Nothing is as it seems. If you like thrillers, mysteries, and trying to work out the ending before you get there, you'll enjoy this.

Mermaids
(starring: Cher, Winona Ryder, a young Christina Ricci)
A coming of age story set in the 60's. Completely charming with a witty script, as evidenced by Winona's character's quotes: "Please God don't let me fall in love and want to do disgusting things... Dear God, I love the way he throws."

Keeping Mum
(starring: Rowan Atkinson, Maggie Smith, Kristin Scott Thomas)
A british comedy with murder & mayhem.

How to Marry a Millionaire
(starring: Lauren Becall, Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe)
This is my favorite Marilyn film, the character she plays is completely sweet, and so self-concious about having to wear glasses, she doesn't wear them in front of people no matter that she's blind as a bat without them. This has been called the sex and the city of the 50's...three single girls, looking for men, living together, dirt poor. I thoroughly enjoyed this and hope you do too!

The Virgin Suicides
(starring: Kirsten Dunst)
Basically I think seeing this movie has turned into some kind of prerequsite for being a fashion blogger :P If by some strange chance you HAVEN'T seen it...I'm telling you, you have to :P It's very sad...but utterly perfect at the same time.

Rebecca
(starring: Joan Fontaine, Laurence Oliver)
This 1940 Hitchcock adaption of the book of the same name opens with some of the most beautifully poignent lines ever written...
"Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter for the way was barred to me..."

The Lady Vanishes
An early Hitchcock film, this is utterly charming while still managing to be mysterious and Hitchcocky. Although, it's more charming them mysterious like his later works. I feel like this is an unusual film especially for the period that it was made in...the heroine is not helpless, the hero is not necessarily dashing, but is rather quirky and funny. The romance isn't big and bold but is understated and sweet.
The Mystery: The heroine sits across from an old lady on a train. When she wakes up, the old lady is gone and nobody on the train has seen her, or remembers seeing her...dun dun dun!

Casino Royale
(starring: Judi Dench, Daniel Craig, Eva Green)
High stakes poker + hot women + bad guys + cool weapons = James Bond. End of story. :P

An Education
(starring: Carey Mulligan, Rosamund Pike)
Another one of those...if you're a style blogger, chances are you have seen this. If not, then rush out and do so immediatly! It's a coming of age story in early 60's England. Young girls falls in love with older, wiser, fellow...

Inglorious Bastards
(starring: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Melanie Laurent, among others)
Sort of a "what if" during WWII. Kind of quirky, not your typical war movie. Stunning sets, and music!

Never Let Me Go
(Starring: Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan)
Another one of those utterly beautiful, too perfect for words films/books. I really can't put into words how much I loved this movie. So there you have it. :P You're going to have to check it out simply because it is the BEST movie ever, and I'm getting sick of writing reviews here XD

Marie Antoinette
(starring: Kirsten Dunst)
I'm pretty sure I was the last person on earth to see this :P I saw it in June of last year which sparked a still on-going fascination with Marie Antoinette. Now that I've read a few books on her, I feel like I'm in a pretty good position to say that the movie is accurate besides just being beautiful, and it covered all the important bits of her life, although I felt like it was very "snap-shot-y".

Glorious 39
(Starring: Romola Garai, Juno Temple, Bill Nighy, among others...)
In some ways, I'm not sure this movie deserves to be on my top 2010 list, because it didn't "speak to me" or invoke something deep inside me. It didn't have great characterisation, and I didn't feel it really had any HUGE earth-shattering end twists. However it really is a goregous movie to watch. The colors and costumes and sets are very well chosen. The acting is decent, but I didn't feel the characters were especially special. The whole thing has a VERY Hitchcocky vibe to it which along with the beautiful sets made it watchable. I would reccomend this movie all the same.

Cracks
(starring: Eva Green, Juno Temple, among others)
Now, THIS movie was a good movie. However I read the book first, and was highly disapointed in how they changed the ending. To me, the ending of the book, however brutally hard to read, was much more pyschologically interesting and made a much stronger point. The ending of the movie completely went in a different, less interesting direction, possibly to keep the rating of the movie down, which I can understand. I loved the movie, in every way it's completely like it should be, and it's veryveryvery beautiful...but I wish they hadn't done that to the end of it.

Pirate Radio (other title: The Boat That Rocked)
(starring: Tom Sturridge, Bill Nighy, Phillup Seymour Hoffman, Talluah Riley, Gemma Arterton, January Jones, Nick Frost, and more...)
Possibly one of the most upbeat, happy, and simply BRIGHT movies I've seen. Watching it makes me instantly feel better. It's stuffed chock full of amazing 60's music, since of course it is about a "pirate" rock and roll radio station that is broadcasted from a boat in the middle of the ocean. Totally British, totally 60's, and totally quirky. :)

The Constant Gardener
(starring: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz)
This is a slightly sad, slightly melancholy, possibly thriller-ish movie. Which seems a bit contrary, but there you have it. As the movie ends it's possible you'll be crying, but most of the film is pretty fast-paced.

Defiance

(starring: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell)
A holocaust story. A story of three brothers who end up saving the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of jews, by hiding in the forest, creating a village for themselves. Wonderfully done, superb acting, and a true story to boot.

And there you have it! I'll be making a post about my favorite and most memorable books read in 2010 as well. Hope you enjoyed this. What are your opinions on some of the films I mentioned? What was your favorite movie you saw last year? Let me know!

Laura: Lara's Theme

2011-01-02T10:19:00.000-08:00

As you can tell, I was definetly inspired by the film versions of Dr Zhivago for this outfit. As soon as I spotted the hat on modcloth I had to have it :P

If you haven't seen the film, you should check it out. Either the original 60's one with Julie Christie, or a not-half-bad remake mini-series starring a younger Keira Knightley.

Here's the famous theme from the Julie Christie version..sooo lovely!

Christy: Well hey 2011, what are you doing here?

2011-01-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

I just made turkey soup out of the left over turkey carcass from Christmas. Which seems kind of a fitting thing to do on New years day: you know, make something new out of something old.
Ok that's officially my corny statement of the day.

These pictures are actually from new years eve at my parent's house before I packed up and headed back to my apartment.
Last night we had a really fun New Year's eve party at our apartment. It wasn't a huge party but it was the perfect amount of people: enough for it to be festive but not too rowdy. At midnight we opened the bubbly (with more or less success depending on the bottle. my bottle took a few extra tugs so maybe it was 12:01 when the cork popped) The party ended around 3 am when I was nearly asleep on the floor. When one of the hosts is mumbling " no no, I don't need to go to bed. The floor is really nice" that's usually a sign that people should start either going home or finding places to sleep on the sofas and floor.

I didn't dress up super fancy but it was a really comfy outfit. I got some new leggings for christmas so that was a cue for me to re-discover all my dresses that are really too short without leggings under them.

We woke up at 6:45 this morning to see the first sunrise of 2011. What we mostly ended up seeing was a mist-rise but it was still a cool experience, standing huddled together in the chilly morning by the canal, watching the street lights disappear into the fog.
On our way back to the warm apartment we theorized about the symbolic meaning of a first foggy morning of the new year. I'm not sure what it is about the beginning the year, everything seems symbolic and significant.

I'm excited for the new year, hopefully it will see me blogging and living more.
I have yet to produce some new year's resolutions but who knows. Maybe some will appear at the last minute.

Lots of love
Christy

Outfit details: boots-rockport,socks-sears,leggings-HKR, Tunic-HKR,sweater-Stitches,necklace-garage sale,gold chain-gift

Christy: Layover

2010-12-30T09:38:00.000-08:00

I find that the week between Christmas and New Years has an unusually "in limbo" feel to it. I wrote a poem the other day about how this week is like a travel layover, where you're waiting in the airport for the next year to arrive so that you can climb on board. I thought the idea fit pretty well.
This morning I actually woke up early instead of sleeping in and went for breakfast with my friend. We managed to get the early bird special and I got blue berry pancakes which were pretty wonderful.

My friend Noemie gave me a pair of boots that had been passed to her but didn't fit her. I have a theory that a piece of clothing once passed along can often pass from hand to hand several times before settling down again. Well hopefully these boots have settled with me for a while.
I love the bright colour.

It being almost the New Year, I was flipping through the archives of my year in blogging and I was a little disappointed with myself. I could tell a lot of my posts were done quickly and that I had often been lazy and taken pictures in rooms with terrible lighting rather than venture outside. I still may do a retrospective of this year because even if my blogging was sometimes sub-par I do think my style has evolved and I have grown more adventurous over the past year.

The scarf I'm wearing here was a Christmas gift from my friend Sophie. Up close it's incredibly intricate. It was a really lovely gift. This t-shirt is one that got left behind in my cabin at camp and this sweater belongs to my mom so this outfit is a serious sporgus-board of people's clothing. But that's the best kind of outfit right?

So maybe I'll try to do a retrospective. Or maybe I'll just make it my new years resolution to post more often and to make my posts higher quality. Either way...it's a new year soon.
Christy

Outfit Details: boots-gift,scarf-gift,t-shirt-found,pants-forever 21, sweater-thrifted

Christy: Sister bonding time

2010-12-28T13:15:00.000-08:00

I'm back at home for christmas week and I'm having some "sister bonding time" with my dog, who is the only sister I have, being an only child.
I'm feeling a bit blah and wrung out because I got some kind of flu yesterday. On one hand it really sucks to be flat out on my back on December 27th but on the other hand it forced me to relax. I spent most of the day lying on the couch watching TV and reading Never Let me Go. The book is amazing so far and I would highly recommend it, likewise with the movie.

Here I am in the snow with Killarney. She's a Golden Doodle, half golden retriever, half poodle. She is insanely friendly and is convinced that everyone is her new best friend.

I'm feeling better today than I was yesterday but I'm continuing to take it slow as I recuperate.
It's kind of a good feeling though, knowing the only thing you have to do is rest.
I hope you are all having a restful time in the week between christmas and New years.
Christy

Outfit details: dress-thrifted,belt-thrifted,sweater-stiches,socks-ardene,tights-sears,slippers-sears.

Laura: Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-26T09:40:00.001-08:00

(me with my cousin, Elizabeth)
Hope you all had a lovely Christmas Day yesterday! Here's a couple of pictures of what I wore yesterday and today:

These are my new tights from Modcloth, btw. I love them, however they keep falling down...which is very frustrating.

I was feeling very festive all decked out in red :P

What did you all get for Christmas? Two of my favorite gifts were Marie Antoinette on dvd, and a book Selkie Girl, which was quite lovely (reccomended if you liked the film Ondine). :)

A Menagerie

2010-12-24T12:08:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted properly in like a gazillion years!! Seems like I hardly have a chance to dress up nicely though :( When I get home from work, the last thing I want to do is shower and get all dolled up only to take it all off a couple of hours later.
This is a new dress, and it's actually a dark pine-ish green but the pictures made it look a bit teal/blue. I got it at Forever21 for under 20 bucks!! And the necklace is also from there.
A random outfit from a week or so ago.

Does anyone else have a lot of trouble taking decent pics in the winter? It's like the lighting just goes wacko all of a sudden, regardless of whether or not I'm in or out. Thankfully there's photoediting sites like picnik to the rescue!

My main reason for posting (besides getting christy off my back XD) is to show off this charming necklace from ModCloth!!! It's my first purchase from the site, and I'm definetly going to be going back for more. I also ordered a pair of tights which I'll post about later.
The animals are so detailed, and very good quality for only 15 bucks. The lion at the bottom has a very nice weight to it. And the little golden elephant halfway up the chain is too cute!! So, that's it for now. And, um, why did this suddenly turn blue and underlined? Anyway...have a very Merry Christmas tomorrow!! :D Hope it's a very stylish one :P

Christy: Almost christmas

2010-12-23T12:26:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you but every year I feel like Christmas sneaks up on me faster.
Like Tomorrow's christmas eve? What the heck? !! how did that even happen?
My most exciting pre-Christmas discovery has been the web sight Taste spotting which is a visual collection of recipies from hundreds of different food blogs. It's very exciting and as I read it I find myself exclaiming to whoever is in the room "this looks so good," and "oh my goodness! we need to make this" Check it out! you'll be sucked in.
Here's what I wore the other day.

Nothing exceptional but it's a bit unusual for me as I rarely layer dresses over shirts.
I apologize for the crappy quality of the pictures.

This dress had an extra flounce which made it end at an awkward length on me so I cut it off. Yay for DIY and hemming.

I hope everyone is getting their last minute shopping and baking done.
I'm off to work now! Last day until January!

Christy

Christy: Winter stream of consciousness

2010-12-19T20:33:00.000-08:00

Here's my little winter inspiration stream of consciousness
Warning: Very long because I was suddenly very inspired by wintery looks

I hope you enjoyed this stream of consciousness. Some of the pictures are linked to the websites where I found a lot of the pictures.

Christy: Grey Scale

2010-12-16T13:17:00.000-08:00

In the winter I really love wearing grey, which may seem a little bit counter-intuitive as everything else tends to be grey-ish in the winter (when it isn't white that is) but I find that Grey is a really cozy colour if you get the right shade. It also looks really good with reds and purples.
So here is my very grey-centric outfit.

i decided to try and spice up my use of self-timer with some Christy-dancing shots.
They're more or less successful..I guess.

The excitement of today was having my first driving lesson in the snow. Driving in the snow isn't really that different but I nearly slid into a parked car once. oops!
After my lesson I met up with my friend for coffee and then we joined some of his friends for a snow ball fight. The snow wasn't really the right consistency for snow balls as it was the icing sugar variety. But we did manage to get soaked. I love winter!

Know what else I love? Christmas lights in my apartment!

Stay Warm!

Christy

I am wearing my roommate's sweater with an H&M skirt and Ardene OTK socks over tights from sears.

Laura: celeb style twins? :P

2010-12-13T10:32:00.000-08:00

So I just happened to notice Georgie Henley (of Narnia fame) and I have the same leopard print beret! :P I don't know, maybe it's a really dorky thing to be excited about, but I'm pretty excited. ;)

(This was at The Bay in Montreal...this chair was super comfortable, super hip, and...super expensive.)

Anyways, I got the beret at H&M for 14 bucks in the beginning of November :P

Christy: Winter Song

2010-12-10T06:38:00.000-08:00

I just downloaded this song

I have a definite weakness for Christmas/winter music. I usually buy my parents CDs of Christmas music which is a tiny bit selfish as I always enjoy them myself.
Today is my last exam and I can't wait for it to be over. I'm feeling pretty relaxed about it but this may be a false feeling of security.

When I was studying earlier I looked up suddenly and saw this little visitor in the window.

I opened the door and stuck my head out but she ran away.
Tea was on sale at IGA so I stocked up.

Love Lady Grey tea! Claire says it tastes like Fruity Pebbles cereal but I'm really ok with that.
Good luck to everyone who is writing exams!
stay warm, drink tea and listen to christmas music to de-stress!
oh also, owning a cat is always nice.

Christy

Christy: Dancing in a winter wonderland

2010-12-08T09:04:00.000-08:00

Today I dragged my roommate away from studying for her international development exam to take some pictures for me on our balcony.
The snow is just making me feel gleeful. This morning I couldn't concentrate on anything so I made cookies and cut up some paper to make Christmas cards.
Snow makes me giddy!

As you can see our balcony is quite snowy. We did shovel but it's the light powdery snow that shifts and drifts so you almost feel that shoveling is pointless.

The snowy background was so bright that I look a bit dark in these photos.

Here's a candid shot of me laughing that I actually like. (My roommate says to mention that she took this photo and that she is awesome <3 )

Here are my cookies. They were supposed to have more brown sugar in them but we were running low so I just used normal white sugar.

Outfit details: i'm wearing a H&M skirt and cardigan with a smart set t-shirt and a scarf from Italy. My boots are from the Bay

Laura (is not dead after all)

2010-12-07T07:19:00.000-08:00

OK, so I'm back! *gasp* Back from...well, being here. Or, not here. Basically working (I finally got a job, albeit part time), and trying not to clean my room (yeeeah). Anyway, it's also started snowing rather nastily, so outfit pics are rather difficult as lighting in my house sucks. I will definetly try to get on that though.

In the meantime, I'd been kinda avoidng the blog cause I didn't have anything interesting to post, but I just saw the pics from Oscar de la Renta's Pre-Fall 2011 collection and it's kind of BEAUTIFUL. So I decided I'd drag myself in here to post my favorites for you :)

I could really see Carey Mulligan in this one (above)
(above) this one practicly screams Diane Kruger/Marion Colitard

Christy: Sloppy Style

2010-12-05T12:05:00.000-08:00

I feel like when I'm getting dressed I'm always torn between wanting to be stylish and just wanting to be comfortable. I usually end up somewhere in the middle.

I look a bit like a stumpy boy in this picture but you get the idea. The sweater is a guy's cashmere sweater I thrifted: So cozy!! I'm such a sucker for cashmere. I'll buy the ugliest things if they're soft.

I'm getting super pumped about Christmas. I'm a little bit at a loss of what to make for gifts. I really like making christmas gifts vs. buying them but I also don't want to give someone something lame that they pretend to like because they don't want to hurt my feelings.
Last year I did pretty well at making presents. I made coasters out of old book covers and I made a tea cozy and a skirt for two of my friends.
Do you have any suggestions for creative/easy/cheap Christmas presents I could make?
The necklace I'm wearing in this picture was made by my friend.

On Friday night I went to see a friend's dance show. It was so much fun and also kind of inspiring how much work went into it.
I think my friend Rhea put it well "It's refreshing to see that people still care enough about something to work so hard at it. People are more interesting when they're passionate about something."
After the show, I went out with a group of friends to get dessert of some kind. We wanted to go to Montreal's iconic chocolate restuarant "Juliet et Chocolat" but it was so full there was a lineup outside so instead we popped into the care depot and bought three pieces of cake to share: rasberry cheese cake, coffee cake and ferrero Rocher cake. I also got Candy Cane hot chocolate. I am so enticed by seasonal drinks: pumpkin spice lattes in the fall, candy cane hot chocolate in the winter....

Yup...so back to studying. Hope you guys are all having a good weekend!
Christy

Christy:Essays and white sweaters.

2010-12-02T13:23:00.000-08:00

The essays: Social philosophy, Intro to political Ideologies, One flew over the cuckoo's nest, Literary criticism.
I feel like school work is pretty much the least interesting subject on the face of the earth to blog about but it's what's on my mind right now. Actually I just feel school has turned me into a boring person in the last few days. I make conversation by asking people how they're feeling about exams and whether or not they have finished classes. I mean come on?!?! who does that?
me apparently.
I'm excited for Christmas but it seems so far away. What I'd really like to do during Christmas visit is go and visit Laura (my blogging buddy and cousin) in Ontario and enjoy the picturesque landscape that is fields covered in snow and long meandering roads.
We'll see if that happens.

I'm sorry I'm being whiny. I know I'll be in a better mood tomorrow.
I also wish we had more snow. we only have a light dusting and I'm ready for thick snow drifts and trees frosted with icing sugar.
Here's what I want the world to look like

My friend Tim took this picture when we had a snow ball fight in a surprise snow fall a few weeks ago.
Here's what I'm wearing today
Snore....ya I know it's boring. The sweater makes me feel like I should be going skiing though

I promise my next post will be more outfit and less whine.
hope everyone's week is going ok!

Christy

Christy: Hold your camera to the sky

2010-11-30T20:03:00.000-08:00

I really love big sweaters. Just saying.
I thrifted this one recently. I like the colour as it's a kind of unusual shade of green.

These pictures are taken on my back porch. The chair I'm sitting in is remarkably shaky so I'm trying my best not to move. We found a lot of random crap on our porch when we moved in, like an old micro wave which we adopted, even though it weighs about a million pounds and barely works.

You can really see the bags under my eyes in this one. I guess I'm tired.

My camera is such a chunk a munk (it's an older model and weighs nearly as much as our microwave)

Outfit Details: sweater-thrifted,skirt-Simons,socks-Ardene

Christy: Muffins are the food of Champions

2010-11-28T17:37:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit believer in muffins, good muffins that is. Bad store bought muffins have a tendency to be overly wet or dry and crumbling. I like that muffins are less sweet than cupcakes and make good breakfast foods. Muffins and tea is one of my favorite breakfasts ever.

So I decided I would share one of my favorite muffin recipes with you.
This cranberry yogurt muffin is both super easy to make and pretty healthy.
It's also delicious

Cranberry Yogurt Muffins:

Temp: 400 F
Cook time: 20 min
Makes: 12 large muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup yogurt (plain unsweetened)
1/2 cup sunflower oil
1/2 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)
(1 T of honey optional)
1 egg
1 cup of flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup cranberries (frozen or fresh)

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and fill greased muffin tins.

Other variations
use raspberries or
blueberries + lemon zest

This recipe is amazingly easy and the results are moist and not too sweet.
I hope you guys enjoyed this recipe. I'll have a regular outfit post up soon
have a good Monday!

Christy

Christy: Last weeks of school blues.

2010-11-25T12:57:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's November but I've been feeling a bit blue lately. I have final essays and exams looming on the horizon and like everyone else at school I'm tired and wanting school to just be over. I have a huge painting to finish for my painting class and it's leaning against my kitchen wall reminding me of how much work I have to do. It's a bit depressing really.
Even listening to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows audio book while I painted didn't make me feel completely happy.
On the bright side, only 2 weeks left! And then Christmas will really seem soon.

Those are my roommate's heels which I just wore to take these pictures. They're actually a bit big on me. Later that day I switched belts, because I couldn't tie the woven belt in a way that I liked.

i know the proportions on this photo are wonky but that happens when you're leaning back and using self-timer.

I hope everyone is escaping November blues more successfully than I am.
Happy thanksgiving to all Americans.

Christy

Outfit Details: skirt-thrifted, sweater-thrifted, belt-Russia, Heels-Steve madden

Christy: The kind of weather to wear Pants

2010-11-23T07:39:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting at my kitchen table looking out at the rain. I have successfully finished writing a short paper this morning and I am feeling rather smug and un-inclined to do any more work before I have class at 12. So instead I'll fill you in a bit on what I've been wearing and eating.
Here's what I wore the other day. I didn't have time to blog that day but I feel like today would also be good weather to wear this outfit in. Note the cozy socks pulled over pants and the large, brightly patterned scarf.

Lately I've been favoring black or grey pants over jeans. maybe it's just because I'm not in love with any of the jeans I own right now but black pants just seem so much sharper.

This weekend I experienced a bit of Asian culture when my roommate hosted a dumpling and bubble tea making party at our apartment.

There are the dumplings we made ready to be cooked. We made bubble tea in mugs as we didn't have enough tall glasses to go around.

You have to bring the dumplings to a boil three times to ensure that the filling is full cooked.
I still have three dumplings left in the fridge which I'm about to go eat now.
Man! I love food.

Hope everyone is staying warm and not going crazy over school and the approaching thundercloud of finals.

Outfit Details: pants-Forever 21, sweater-H&M, t-shirt-Urban outfitters, scarf-Italy,socks-thrifted

Christy: How do I love Montreal? let me count the ways.

2010-11-17T15:02:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wish I could just pack up my bags and leave for some exotic and foreign city where I could experience the strange delights that travel offers but other times I realize I'm still a tiny bit in love with Montreal, even though I've lived here all my life.
Granted, it isn't as beautiful and cultured as many cities in Europe but it's an interesting mash up of french and english culture and there's usually something going on.
If you ever have a chance to visit it, I would strongly suggest you do so.
When Laura was here I was reminded again of why I love it. We went on a ramble one afternoon with our cameras in our chic winter coats and we discovered so many nice photo opportunities, even just around my apartment.

Graffiti always makes an interesting backdrop. Here I am with my camera and winter coat, feeling that I look like a pro.

This beautiful building is so close to my apartment. The outside is so interesting that I always wonder what the inside is like.
I also love the houses with multi-coloured brick. It's so bright and cheery.

When Laura and I were wandering the streets the light was just beautiful

Laura captured this picture of me while standing on a fire escape. We had to run away quickly when we heard someone coming.

I loved the setting for this picture of Laura. It seems sort of mysterious.

That's just a little glimpse into our ramble.
Hope everyone's week isn't too hectic

Laura: Emma Watson

2010-11-16T14:27:00.001-08:00

I know I've included at least one of these pictures in the Celeb Style posts quite recently, but seeing Emma out and about so often in the past week or so for HP related events, I couldn't wait for the next Celeb post to come up. :P Here's a quick look at how her style has evolved since she entered the show business!

circa 2002-2003, Emma doing her best to look as grownup (and adorable) as possible!

circa 2003-2004

circa PoA-GoF. Here, Emma tries out a uber-trendy look.

circa PoA-- Here Emma is still wearing flats, and trying to navigate the tricky "child star premiere" outfit (and looking slightly maid-of-honor-ish)

circa 2005
Ah yes...well, at least I wasn't the only one who owned a pair of "leg shortening" boots. And who hadn't quite gotten the hand of layering. 14 yr old me would have been all over the sequined, flowy top!

Circa GoF?
Definetly something I would have wanted to wear when I was about 13-14, so it's understandable Emma chose it. However, I don't think many of my 14 yr old outfits were too wonderful either...The ribbon headband looks rather "fairy costume"...and not in a good way.

circa GoF?
A good example of the "trying to figure out your style" look. I'm also sure we can all remember this look either from our own closets, store racks, or on one of our friends.

GoF
Definetly starting to find a "style", although still experimenting, and looking very chic!

circa 2007
Trendy? check. Experimenting? check. Unfortunate, unflattering jeans? check.

Circa OoTP
Pretty dress...also a foray into "blonde+tanned"...

OotP...still tanned? Still blonde? Still wearing blue?

circa 2008
A red lip certainly signals Emma's on her way to effortless glamor!

2008
Emma's first non-Hermione role, as a Princess in the Tale of Despereaux. Also one of my favorite of her outfits. The color is unexpected and beautiful!

2008
In the front row of a Christopher Kane fashion show. She's dressed to impress with a sleek grey jacket. I only wish there was a full length picture!

circa 2009
Emma's moving in the fashion circles now. Here she's wearing a bold Rodarte dress at one of their shows.

2009
After getting a contract with Burberry, Emma's style skyrockets! This gold-foil dress is one of my favorites of hers, and also marks one of her best styles (form fitting, short dresses).

2009
At a premiere for HPB, Emma manages to look fresh, grownup without looking fussy, and red-carpet worthy. All while holding an umbrella in the pouring rain!

2009
Again with the now trusted style recipe--dresses above knee, structured heels, and she's good to go!

2010
Unusual choice, but a wise one. She now knows how to rock a complicated piece while not looking overwhelmed!

2010
The perfect outdoor concert outfit. Large bag to carry everything, comfy jean shorts, over-the-knee boots, and a killer corset!

2010
This chic coat has got to be Burberry!

2010
I'm drooling all over my keyboard at this coat. It's structured and shows off her pixie cut perfectly. The shoes just add to the overall sophistication of it!

2010
ah yes...that dress. That it seems like a lot of people actually don't like (or at least don't like how she accesorised it). I don't think it would work with most people, but she seems to be rocking the "lots of stuff piled on at once/90's glam" look and working it...

The close up is just perfection!

2010
This long, black dress is all rather minimalistic. The jeweled clip in her hair adds a touch of whimsy.

And that concludes my ode to style, a la Watson! :D Hope you enjoyed. Which of these is your favorite look?

Laura: Celebrity Style

2010-11-15T17:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, Christy's been bugging me to do an outfit post, and I plan to soon :P However, I have several stunning celeb outfits lurking in my bookmarks that are simply begging to be posted!

My favorite: I just about fell off my chair when I saw this look. Somehow Emma makes the extreme GLAM of the 80's work here. Her new hair cut is definetly helping her here as well. I love the bold lip and jewlery, and the velvety-draped dress!

Keira, hitting the style spotlight once again!

Both ladies look lovely, but I'm in particular a fan of Keira's style here, especially her navy booties!

Love love love this...the ultra-slicked-back hair, and the bright pumps!

I doubt anyone else could pull this off, but it's very "Kirsten Dunst" for sure.

Natalie Portman shines in matching shoes and gown!

Sofia Coppola's outfits are always super chic, in an almost Parisian way. Loving the black wedges!

Christy: Lace and boots

2010-11-12T08:31:00.001-08:00

Laura's visit was a lot of fun. It was a bit of an odd visit because I had classes and work but we managed to hang out in the odd nooks and crannies of time and on Tuesday I skipped my class and we went thrifting.
I bought a lace T-shirt which was something that I'd been wanting for a while.

Another purchase I made with Laura was....duh duh duh
A pair of boots!!
For a long time I had been on the hunt for a pair of boots that are both stylish and will not die in Montreal winters.
Winter in Montreal is not kind to boots. The salt in the streets encrusts your boots and destroys them. The slush seeps through all but the most water proof seams and if you buy cheap boots you can count on buying a new pair next winter or maybe even by Christmas.
So the pair I bought are rockport from the Bay. I was at the Bay with Laura and my aunt, trying to help my Aunt find a sweater but instead I found boots.

They're leather and have a heel to keep me out of the muck. So now i'm excited for real snow so I can try them out.

What kind of boots do you guys usually end up buying?

Outfit Details: shirt-thrifted, boots-the Bay, skirt-Simons, tights-Zellers

Laura: Long time no see

2010-11-10T09:48:00.000-08:00

SO SORRY I've been such a bad blogger. I'm (hopefully) making up for it with lots of nice pics in this post and more coming this week. I just got back from a week in Montreal, visiting with Christy. It was cool getting a taste of her life and seeing the city. Sunday afternoon we went for a photo adventure around her neighborhood and got some nice shots, which I'm posting some of here.

This beret is a new thing, I picked it up at H&M while I was there and am totally in love with it! It never leaves my head now :P

Yay! Cousins&BFF's

Laura: Celebrity Style

2010-10-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

*woot woot* Here I am! With a passel of the latest celeb looks. :)

We've already seen the dress Carey's wearing, but Keira's white frock is new to me. I especially like that she paired it with the blazer.

Clemence Posy, who's been having a moment in the spotlight with her new role on Gossip Girl, and with the latest HP installment coming up where she reprises her role as Fleur.

Kiernan Shipka, who plays Sally Draper on Mad Men, is clearly channeling the Betty/Sally in her...

Not bad, Emma Roberts, not bad.

Part of me thinks Diane Kruger looks like she's about to dive into a pool, or go ski-dooing (spl?), but part of me loves this electric color. What say you?

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm not a huge fan of Taylor's music, I find it quite unoriginal. But she keeps popping up in these adorable outfits that it's impossible not to like!

This outfit is awesome. Helen Bonham Carter? 'nuff said. (well, I want those boots!)

Okay. So I love this dress, but Leighton's hair reminds me a bit too much of PROM (it should be loose and relaxed), and the shoes are way too matchy-matchy. But, I do love the dress!

This photo makes me think of a few things:
1) Ilsa Fisher was the PERFECT Becky Bloomwood (even if the movie failed to meet my expectations)
2) Ilsa Fisher must have direct connections with The Hair Goddess (either that, or access to a huge team of trained professionals...)
3) Dress? cute. Shoes? not feeling it.

Yay, Carey looks cute! Random, but while searching for this picture I found out she's no longer with Shia. I'm not the world's biggest Shia fan, but I did think they were cute together. *sniffle*

In other, non-celeb news, as Christy mentioned in the end of her recent post, I'm going to visit her next week! From Monday to the next Tuesday. So, so excited! I get to be the country girl goes to city :P I'll probably get lost a gazillion times while navigating the public transit system, but I'm so excited! :D We'll try our best to take some pictures for the blog admist our busy schedule. :)

Christy: Gregorian chant

2010-10-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm listening to Gregorian chant and it's Awesome! I just went to GrooveShark and searched Gregorian Chant. It's really good music to write essays to.
On a completely different note, Last week I saw "Never let me go" and it was amazing. It was so heartbreaking but so beautiful. You just wanted to fall into the on screen world and soak in the perfect light of each shot.

Last week (before it got cold)I wore shorts with tights which isn't something I usually do but have decided I like.

But then I realized that that grey sweater really wasn't adequate for the weather so I re-mixed what I was wearing in a way that made more sense for Fall.

My friend brought me this Pashmina from Italy before Pashminas were Cool here.

I have been avidly cooking and baking this weekend. Part of my motivation is not wanting to turn the heat on (and pay for electricity) so when I bake, it warms up the house. This weekend I tried this recipe for pumpkin roll and it tasted wonderful. Unfortunally, in making it I didn't let the roll part cool before putting in the cream cheese filling and so the filling just oozed out Everywhere which was quite unpleasant. Thankfully, I saved it by shoving it into the freezer so the filling could re-harden but it never looked super beautiful after that point.
What did look beautiful where my pretty healthy Cranberry Yogurt muffins.

I hope that everyone had a fab weekend. Laura will probably be visiting me in my new apartment sometime in November. So who knows what kinds of blog shenanigans we'll get up to then :)

Laura: Movie Style

2010-10-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about films latly--well, I'm always thinking about movies it seems but I have some in particular I wanted to post about. The esethtics of these three movies just seemed so perfect, "artsy", and inspiring. And, *cough* I actually haven't seen the first one yet cause it's not playing near me, but I read the book, so does that count? ;)

Never Let Me Go

I so can't wait to see this! The book was really special--the sort that stays with you after you're done and that you want to go on and on. The character of Ruth (played by Keira in the film) fascinated me. She seemed the most realistic of the characters, the sort you could actually find in real life. I would describe her as a bit of a control freak, needy--needing love, acceptance, popularity. She has this very specific way of how she wants everything to go and she struggles to create a world through fabrications, her imagination, or her own will that matches up to how she wants things to be. I'm not saying that's the way to be, but I know I recoginized bits of myself in her (hopefully not to that extreme) and although her character is portrayed as rather bothersome at times, I could see why she was the way she was.

I have to admit I'm insanely wanting hair like Keira's now. But we all know how blunt bangs go...aka, not very well, probably unless you're Keira or some other form of super-being. :P
If you've seen this, what did you think? Did it live up to the book, or was it even better (as some are saying)?

The Lovely Bones

As a story, I wasn't particularly interested in this movie. The whole inbetween/heaven thing was just blah, seemed like the story couldn't find a direction (find the killer? or have your first kiss?) But I loved the visuals, the movie takes place in the 70's and everything is saturated with color.

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

This is such a weird movie, I just have to say that :P I found it really confusing at first, so I'd reccomend reading a synopsis or something before starting. Lily Cole is probably the only model-turned-actress who's actually good!
The whole movie was something I wanted to live in--tumbling orange hair, crazy costumes, embroidered dressing gowns worn as coats, living in a caravan...I do wish it had won the Oscar for Art Direction, but Avatar beat it out (not surprisingly, although unfortunate). By the end of it the whole thing felt like a dream where things change every second and the randomest things happen...in a good way. Definetly need a imagination to see this!

Cracks

I'm sure you've all seen this floating around on various blogs...seems like it's the latest "craze". I just recently saw the movie, having read the book months ago. The movie would have been perfect except for something they did with the ending--the movie is tamer in that aspect, but less interesting, in my opinion, then the book's ending.
Otherwise...the costumes, the sets, the casting...utterly perfect. :D The boarding school mixed with a touch of exotic flair from Eva Green with a dash of elicit love, fear, jealousy, and desire make for a intoxicating ride :D

So there you go. Basically what I've been watching really recently. Hope this post wasn't toooo image-heavey and didn't clog up your computers! XD Have you guys seen anything amazing latly? :D

Christy: The colours of fall

2010-10-15T18:06:00.000-07:00

Outside it is raining like crazy and the wind is lashing poor beautiful leaves down from the trees. Happily, I don't have to go anywhere tonight so I'm baking pumpkin spice muffins and trying to get homework done (trying being the operative word)
I had to run to the store to get something for my muffins and since it was just around the corner I ran out into the rain in sweat pants and two baggy sweaters and flip flops (to avoid the horrible fate of wet socks)
I felt like a huge weirdo once I arrived at IGA and was confronted with lots of normal looking, well dressed people doing their groceries. I got out of there as soon as I could.

Last weekend the weather was deliriously beautiful in contrast to today. I wore one of my favorite bright dresses under a sweater and felt very dressed for fall.

Claire took these pictures for me on our curvy stair case

Of course I'm wearing my old keds. Who cares if they sort of clash with my skirt :)

I bought this black jacket in france when I was thirteen and I still fit/wear it. It's probably one of the better purchases I've made in my life.

I found the combination of patterns very visually interesting.

My my last muffins just came out of the oven. I limited myself to only eating two (with some left over cool whip dolloped on top) The rest are put away in the fridge for brunch tomorrow.
There's something especially lovely about hot comfort food when it's the weather is so disastrous outside.

Outfit details: Dress-Boudoir, sweater-Jones New York (thrifted),Jacket-Pimkie, shoes-keds

Laura: Celeb style

2010-10-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

I've got some quite good pics for this round!

I should love this picture because my two favorite actresses are in it...but Keira's skirt waist (or lack thereof) is a bit distracting. I do love her blouse and her shoes! And Carey's dress is cute, and the usually icky color manages to look fab on her.

This picture? Eeeeh....I'm just not feeling it. The chunkiness of Kiera's heels doesn't suit the look, and Carey wearing what appears to be a sundress not only drags her down but also makes her look like she's in the middle of sweltering hot July. So let's just focus on the eye candy of the pic, Andrew Garfield... ;)

Helen Mirren--Stunning!

I believe this is Lara Stone. Love it! Unusual, and the mask makes me think of Marie Antoinette!

Taylor's been turning out some surprisingly sweet looks latly. This is one I'd nab, especially the shoes!

Krysten Ritter perfects the Mod look.

I really like the color combination of the sweater and dress that Anna Wintour is wearing.

My temp job just ended, so I'm back to sleeping in, lol. And job hunting. :( However I'm going with friends to Michigan this weekend, so that's quite exciting!! :D

Christy: Happy Canadian Thanksgiving

2010-10-11T20:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight was our thanksgiving dinner and I am so incredibly stuffed. My parents are out of the country for two weeks so I didn't go home for thanksgiving but instead had a wonderful meal with my roommate and six of our friends. I was in charge of vegetables-that-are-not-potatoes so I made baked Kabocha squash with some honey and apples and Carrots with a brown sugar glaze. I've been realizing lately that I'm way more excited about cooking than I used to be, in fact I'm starting to read more cooking blogs. They are definitely a foreign but profoundly intriguing world for me.
I know some fashion bloggers read Smitten Kitchen but I was wondering if there are any other must read cooking blogs that I am missing out on. Any Suggestions?
The internet makes sharing recipes so much easier and I love not having to own a cook book to be able to access the recipes in it. Not to say that I'm not a sucker for a beautifully put together cook book with glossy photographs of impossibly beautiful food....

Speaking of beautiful food, take a look at our stunning pumpkin pie we made.

The secret to its amazingness? fluffing the egg whites before adding them to the filling.

Another tasty treat we had tonight was an american invention: pretzel jello salad.
Only Americans would put ground up pretzels, cool whip, cream cheese and jello together and have the audacity to call it salad...

Whatever you classify it as, it tasted surprisingly awesome

This began as an outfit post but I guess I'm just more interested in food at the moment.

oops. :)

Hope you guys all had a good weekend, whether or not it was Thanksgiving. Does thanksgiving even exist outside of North America? Maybe that's a very ignorant question but I realize I don't know the answer.

Cheers!

Laura: pink ruffles...

2010-10-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

So this is basically the most boring post ever. I don't know what was up with the sun today but I could not get a decent picture in which I was not in the dark, or squinting into the sun. Anyhow, this is what I wore today. The sweater is from Hollister, surprisingly--I didn't really think I liked their type of clothes, but when I went in for some jeans this was the first thing I saw and immeidatly had to have it!

Sweater/ Holister
Skirt/ Forever21
Tights/ H&M
Shoes/ thrifted

Christy: Feeling sick but wearing sweaters

2010-10-07T07:18:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a nasty bout of stomach flu so this morning I'm skipping several of my classes. Instead of being at school, I'm sipping flat ginger ale and eating bits of bread and sleeping.
I have to go into school later today as I had a bunch of work to hand in.
Thankfully last night I got all of my work done Before I got sick so it's all nicely printed out.
Yesterday I wore one of my favorite over sized winter sweaters for the first time in ages. The rest of the outfit was pretty meh but I took pictures anyways. Actually my room mate Claire took pictures.
Also, some more pictures of where I live.

An exciting view of our mop and bucket is featured in the next photo.

Our front porch. I was fooling around with the focus on my camera

me on our back porch with the red fire escape in the background.

The incredibly sketchy shed behind our apartment.

I hope that all of you are doing well and are not sick like me.

Outfit details: sweater-thrifted, jeans-forever 21, t-shirt-zara

Christy: Are you sure you're sweater material?

2010-10-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

Fall in my favorite season for sure. I love the crispness in the air, and I love the temperature when you can wear tights and a sweater with skirts and dresses and jeans.
This weekend I went apple picking with my room mate and some international students. It was really beautiful.
We had a bit of trouble figuring out which trees were which type of apple. We're pretty sure we picked cortland apples and Macintosh but who knows. At one point we accidentally wandered into a neighbouring orchard. We only realized our mistake when we bumped into two girls carrying different apple picking bags.
We also went for a short hike up the mountain where we got a great view of the changing trees.

Here are some pictures I snapped.

The view at the top

The street my apartment is on. Those are my friends at the end of the street. They were jogging to the store to buy milk so we could make pan cakes.

Me looking randomly smug in my apartment.
This is one of my new favorite sweaters. It's lambs wool and angora. So cozy

My room mate takes pretty great photos ;)

Laura: What I Wore Today...

2010-10-03T10:01:00.001-07:00

I went on a shopping spree yesterday after working for two weeks (my temporary job is turning into quite a longish temp job! So that's good)...and here are a few of my spoils. Coat/Forever21, Sweater/CostaBlanca, Skirt/H&M, Shoes/Payless, Earrings/Forever21
Normally I wouldn't buy coats unless they're quite good quality but this one was so fun I couldn't resist...and for a mere 40 bucks! It's what I consider "medium" warmth--perfect for autumn.
I recruited Gypsy (cat) and Sammy (dog) into the photoshoot...
Just FYI, my eyeshadow is from the Buxom Stay-There-Eyeshadow line, and it's the "Saint Bernard" color. (the jars are personalized by dog breeds. My favorites besides this one are the Bull Dog and Golden Retriever colors) ...you can get it at sephora.com
My heels were sinking into the ground...I also had to watch our for any little...ahem...presents left by Sammy.

Hope you enjoyed! So sorry I haven't been posting more :(

Christy: A little black dress,

2010-09-26T18:22:00.000-07:00

Earlier this summer I attended a wedding and me and my friend both wore little black dresses. Before this, the only LBD I owned was from Garage so this was definitely a step up.
The wedding was adorable. The bride was a choir director and for her processional, some of her choir sang the most beautiful choral piece I had ever heard.
I love weddings. They make me feel so hopefully and happy, like something wonderfully right is snapping into place in the world. I also love the good food and the chance to oogle all the guests fancy clothing.

Outfit details: dress- Olivas, earings-beads indeed, necklace-gift, purse-Danier,

On another note, I found this article on the over abundance of books by male authors interesting. I've found that I really enjoy blogs written by book authors. I guess this makes sense as authors know how to write but I often find they have interesting insights into literature and pop culture and life in general.

Laura: Celebrity Style and a query...

2010-09-24T15:48:00.000-07:00

First off: I'm curious--what do you guys want to see in this blog?
Even if this is the first time you've visited, comment and let us know what draws you into blogs, and what you most like to read about/see. What do you think of the celebrity style posts? outfit posts? random rambles? Anyway, here's a few stylish celebrities from the past week: Enjoy!

Gemma! I love her sweatshirt, holey jeans, and red flats. The look is perfectly relaxed yet totally chic.

A bit unsure about this look, but I think my love of Carey makes me like it :P

Just plain love this!

Stunning, stunning, dress...although maybe different shoes would be better ;)

Again! The red lipstick is beautiful. Not so sure about the leather pants tho.

More gorgous gowns on Gossip Girl...

Hope you have a totally awesome and lovely weekend! :D

Christy: Hello Cold weather, are you sure I can't wear shorts?

2010-09-23T18:44:00.000-07:00

Before you point out that in the pictures below I am wearing shorts I'll say that they weren't taken this week. Though I did mistakenly wear shorts yesterday and then kind of regret it.

I started taking adult Ballet classes last January and now they're getting more intense. I really wish I had started earlier because my body has finished growing and it's best to start ballet when you're younger so that your muscles get used to the weird things you're trying to make them to.
I really love it though. My friends get annoyed though because I'm often randomly stretching or dancing.

Do any of you dance?

We have pretty much the best futon ever!

outfit details: shirt-threadless, shorts- forever 21, belt-forever 21

Christy: Constitutionalism....

2010-09-21T06:45:00.000-07:00

Constitutionalism is the subject of the essay I am at present trying to write. It's not going especially well so I'm taking a break to write this blog post.
I'm rather sad that my blogging skills have been flagging lately. I know it's a problem all bloggers have so I'm just going to plow ahead and blog a little bit until a time in my life when i have the time and inspiration to do better.

So here is what I wore the other day. I'm going to go ahead and award myself the
"worst use of self-timer on a camera" prize

Outfit details: shoes-yellow, skirt-urban outfitters, sweater-H&M, scarf-gift, tank-21, bag-Matt and Nat

Laura: Celebrity Style

2010-09-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

Tilda Swinton always looks so statuesque and interesting.

I quite like the whole "60's vibe" Alexa Chung has going on here

It's a bit "grandmotherly" but overall I think Helen Mirren rocks this look--not to mention her sweater reminds me soo much of one of mine (although I got mine at Forever21...) -- http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5484050&l=da3352ca47&id=772919061

Coco Rocha is simply stunning in this! Definetly the most elegant outfit by far at the VMA's.

While Taylor Swift usually goes for sparkly stuff that's pretty but often a bit too "princessy", the second I saw this in the thumbnail I fell in love with it. The color is gorge. I'm green with envy over it, hehe!

Emma Stone does glitter and mini for her movie premiere!

I love it when people I like wear things I love...and Rachel Weisz here is no exception.

As you know I'm a huge fan of Carey, and while I probably wouldn't be so crazy about this dress on someone else, she pulls it off, even with the see-thru-lingerie aspect. I also love how her hair is growing out slightly, pretty!

I'm always disappointed in Christina Hendrick's red carpet gowns...either she covers up too much, or reveals too much. But this is the perfect medium--plus the bright print is unique!

This dress reminds me of crystalized sugar, or cotton candy...in a good way.

Christy: bits and bows

2010-09-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

I am often perplexed by how to wear long thin scarves. Today this is how I solved the problem
It's a little eccentric but I enjoyed it.

You've all seen this skirt before but it's a classic that goes with a lot

even a bulky purple sweater

Outfit details: skirt-thrifted, sweater-hand me down, belt-thrifted, scarf-gift, tank top-forever 21

Laura: We're all mad here

2010-09-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

"One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree.
"Which road do I take?" she asked. "Where do you want to go?" was his response.
"I don't know," Alice answered. "Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."

"Curiouser and curiouser."

"I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think
I must have been changed several times since then!"

"I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, sir,' said Alice, 'Because I'm not myself you see."

"(when she thought it over afterwards it occurred to her that she ought to have
wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural)"

Christy: Matching colours

2010-09-11T20:20:00.001-07:00

I still am unable to connect to the internet at my apartment but I'm over at my neighbours house and am using theirs so here goes for a short post:

The other day I had fun matching my eye shadow to my scarf

I get such a kick out of doing little things like that. It's kind of childish I guess but I enjoy it.
I also get a kick out of making amazing food.

Aren't vegetables lovely colours? I think so.
Hope everyone is having a good (and stylish) weekend

Laura: New Styles While They Are New!

2010-09-10T14:49:00.001-07:00

Just FYI, Christy's internet is being spotty and annoying, so I'll be posting solely for a few more days. To entertain you while she awaits for her connection to get it's act together, here are some newspaper clippings I found today and photographed. Some background: we were cleaning out the top of our garage which is a log cabin and is the original homestead building on our property from the 1860's. The bits of paper I found was from the 30's. Enjoy!

Laura: October Vogue

2010-09-08T08:58:00.000-07:00

Carey Mulligan is one of my major "girl crushes" and I was so, so ecstatic to see she landed the October cover of Vogue! It's lovely to see someone new, and unique instead of yet another Blake Lively/Sienna Miller/Gwyneth Paltrow/etc. The styling is stunning...and the entire cover is definetly my favorite of the year.

You can view a behind-the-scenes video here:
http://www.vogue.com/videos/carey-mulligan/

What do you think?

P.S. The Mad Men casting call contest fixed up the competition so all the "cheaters" are out. Blogger allthishappiness is very nearly in the top 10 women contestants, let's all try and vote once a day for her so she can make it in!! :D http://madmencastingcall.amctv.com/browse/detail/P1PUU4

Laura: Celebrity Style

2010-09-07T09:26:00.001-07:00

I haven't done one of these posts for a while, so hope you enjoy!

Karen Gillian, rocking a leopard print dress and dark tights!

Karen Gillian...again. This time, pretty in pink!

You guys already know how much I love Blair Waldorf...and I'm not sure if this is Leighton as herself or in character, but either way it's beautiful!

Jessica Alba has really been putting herself on the fashion radar recently!

By now we all know that this short hair was just a wig for a role, but doesn't Anne Hathaway look darling here??

Emily Blunt's dress was one of my favorites from the Emmys this year.

January Jones's Emmy's dress is very polarizing...you either like it or you don't. I can't think WHY, but I actually do like it. Maybe it's just the crazy factor...maybe it's cause I'm used to seeing her in her "Betty" get-up. I don't know. What do you think?

Sofia Coppola, looking adorable at the Venice Film Festival :D

For some reason I've noticed on blogs recently most people aren't a big fan of this dress on Michelle. I don't really understand that, from the second I saw it I loved it. It's totally her style, and she looks stunning! Very "gamine"

Keira Knightley, shooting a Chanel ad.

And last but not least, Gemma Arterton at her premiere for the film Tamara Drew. I really don't think she's wearing *any* makeup here, but she looks so refreshing and natural without it!

Christy: healthy grains and new bags

2010-09-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

hallelujah! The heat wave is over and I no longer feel like I"m walking through semi-solid air. I don't know if this will help me get re-inspired but at least it means I can start breaking out the sweaters and cardigans again. It also means I can bake and cook without worrying about heating up the apartment.

This week my friend Chloe emailed me the names of some bazars happening in Montreal and I was able to go to two of them. They were kind of hit and miss but We both found some really nice bags.
Chloe found a really kick-ass leather bowling bag. Originally it wasn't for sale because it was just something the lady had used to bring stuff in but she sold it to Chloe for 2$

On the same table I found a black Matt and Nat Purse. It was kind of serendipitous because I had been wanting a bag by them for a while so that was kind of cool.
It's in perfect condition and cost me a steep 3$

Probably my most exciting find though was at the second bazar which is a big strange because most of the stuff there was seriously junk or at least really second rate but just sitting on a shelf with some beat up shoes I found a greenish Coach purse in pretty ok condition except for being a bit dirty. It cost me a crazy 2$

At first I wondered if it was a fake but I'm pretty sure it's not. It also just feels good quality when you touch it. The leather is sturdy and obviously good quality.

Anyone have any suggestions for cleaning leather?

Oh and this posts title? Well I've decided I'm going to learn to cook meals with healthy grains like barley, lentils, millet, quinoa etc. So far everyone I've told this has laughed at me but I find it pretty exciting.
Hope everyone is having a relaxing/fun weekend!

Laura: better to be blair...

2010-09-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

Okay. I'm outta the closet now. Yup, I'm a huge Gossip Girl fan. To be fair though, I probably wouldn't watch it if it weren't for Blair and Chuck. And you have to admit, the clothes are fantastic.

I'd say my style is pretty much on line with Blair Waldorf's style (or rather, how I'd *like* my style to be). It started out with preppy schoolgirl, and has morphed into sophisticated and ladylike. She always managed to stand out while at the same time looking completely chic. I've never thought I was a "preppy" sort of person, but if Blair is preppy, count me in!
I've compiled a few of my favorite of her looks, and I hope you enjoy!

And there you have it! Are you a Blair fan? Or do you relate more to Serena, Vanessa, or Jenny's wardrobe choices?

Christy: Nothing you haven't seen before

2010-09-01T08:25:00.000-07:00

I am struggling with the age old problem of feeling like I have nothing to wear and that I am constantly repeating the same thing. I am tempted to run out and go shopping but I also know that I own a lot of clothes and that lack of inspiration rather than lack of clothing is probably my problem. Are any of you finding this lately?
So in the next few posts I'll try to include some inspiration related things as well as just what I've been wearing.

But first here is an outfit I wore the other day that really is a direct repeat of a previous one. So sorry about that....

The Light on our balcony is really bright but also quite beautiful. Being on the third floor is fun.
Outfit details: shirt-thrifted,belt-thrifted,shorts-H&M

Christy: Way too hot to think

2010-08-31T12:37:00.000-07:00

Outfit details: skirt-thrifted, belt-thrifted, tank-forever 21
If you're wondering why I look a bit red in the race: it's the disgusting heat.
I realized I've worn a very similar outfit earlier this summer but Lately I've been just wearing very simplified outfits because of the heat so I guess it's inevitable that I repeat clothes.
The weather seems to be playing a funny joke on us right now because it is so so so hot outside. And not only is it hot, it's also muggy. This morning around 8 was beautiful when I went for a short run by the canal near my apartment but after that it was just too gross to be outside.
Tonight we are having a joint house warming party with our friends who moved across the street.

Laura: Blue ruffles...

2010-08-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

yay, Christy's back! And she will be prodding me to post more, hehe.

Anyway, I had no trouble getting a post up today cause I just bought a new dress! :D I'm running for ambassader of our town's fall fair next weekend (for those of you who don't know what that is, I suppose it could be compared to "miss america" or whatever on a miniscule, puny, tinytinytiny scale. :P) There's three girls competing, including me. *is nervous* Anyway, I had to get a "Semi formal" dress for the occasion and after trooping through the mall yesterday, and after trying on everything in pretty much every store (WAH nothing in French Connection fit me :'( ) I finally stumbled upon this one in BCBG Maz Azaria. I especially like that it's not...prom-y or all fancy, so I could definetly wear it again! Hopefully it's sophistication will impress the judges :P

Christy: Camp clothing snapshots.

2010-08-27T21:56:00.001-07:00

I've been trying to catch up on my blog reading. Everyone has been so stylish and eloquent over the last little while.
It's pretty late so I'm just going to share a few pictures from my summmer.

Life jackets are actually super comfortable. There were a few times where I left the boat dock wearing mine without even noticing.

For not being a girly-girl, this is a very pink outfit. I kind of love it though...a flannel skirt and cashmere sweater? heck ya!

I really like this t-shirt. Also brightly coloured shorts are love.

I'm really tired right now and should go to bed. Being moved out is strange but cool. We made cookies today and our neighbour came over and it was just really nice and cozy.
I hope everyone has a good weekend!

Christy: I'm back!

2010-08-26T16:38:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone. I've been away in BC for the last 2 + weeks and while I didn't really think much about my blog during my trip I'm quite happy to be back.
Yesterday I moved into my new apartment with my room mate and now I'm trying to adjust to being "on my own" It's an incredibly strange feeling! I'm not sure what to think of it yet.
It still hasn't quite sunk in that if I want to eat I have to make myself food.

For most of the time I was at camp and was wearing normal practical clothes. However, on my last day I went into Vancouver with my friend Rachael and we visited a few cool vintage stores.
Here are some pictures I took, mostly all from the first store we went to.

They had an amazing dress selection. I also really liked that for the vintage clothing they usually specified the decade it was from.

Rachael isn't sure how to react to so many sequins

It was a really fun store with dresses all over the walls.

In another vintage store I tried on this dress. It fit me perfectly and was really cute in an impractical-i-would-never-wear-this-ever kind of way.

So I'm going to try to get back into the swing of blogging. I'm sorry I was absent for so long.
How are you all doing?

Laura: Hair envy

2010-08-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

*sneaks in* I'm still alive, but officially the worst blogger...you now know how all my previous blogs fell to the wayside. I think this one's stuck around cause if I don't post Christy bugs me. :P Anyway, I just had that "nothing to wear" feeling, and couldn't think of anything particularly inspiring to post about...until now!

I reallyreallyreally love Gemma Arterton's cut. I'm an enormous fan of bobs and this looks so sleek and sophsticated and Bond-Girl-esque. I'm thinking about doing something similiar to this with my hair next time I get a cut.Juno Temple has pretty much the exact opposite of my hair, and even if I bleached and permed mine, I'd look like a...orc. And she looks fabulous.

I would do anything for a natural haircolor like Bonnie Wright's!!

Saoirse Ronan (as Briony in Atonement) has the perfect bob of all time, in my humble opinion!

Carey Mulligan joins the pack of pixie-cuts. I once tried one, worst haircut EVER. So I will merely look longingly at this pic...and not actually try it...

Rachel Weisz's hair isn't anything crazy or unusual--I like it because it always looks super healthy. So many celebs hair looks fried, or over-processed, or thin, but hers is so lush and thick and shiny! Another excellent bob. Whenever I'm watching Mad Men I always like how effortless Betty's hair is. Seems like she wakes up every morning looking amazing!

Yup...another bob! This is Winona Ryder in the film Mermaids. Her dark hair cut into a strict, hair-behind-ears shape is perfect for her serious, yet whimsical, character.

Hope you enjoyed! I'm going to be working all this week (not a full time job, unfortunatly, just a week long one) doing some sort of clean up in a house damaged by smoke. I have no idea what it'll be like...hopefully not too bad. I'll just think of the $$ I'm going to make and then will go shopping with! ;)

What are your favorite hair cuts/styles on celebrities or in movies? :D

Laura: brown zebras?

2010-08-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

I picked these up in St. Augustine, Florida while I was there...super cheap, super cute = perfect! I haven't really worn them officially yet but this picture is good enough. :P They are extremely light too, but don't feel tacky or badly made. Once I have incorporated them into an outfit I'll be sure to post them for ya'll. :D I'm a huge zebra fan which is why I had to get them, even if they are brown. Somehow the brown almost makes them look even more awesome imho! :P

p.s. and in answer to a comment, yup, they're wooden. There was a sticker on the backing that got cut off in the photo that said "hand made in the Philippines."

/lame post, is tired.

Laura: Celebrity Style

2010-08-11T16:11:00.001-07:00

I haven't done this for a while! And I believe a few of these pictures might be from a few weeks ago, before I went on vacation. But I still really wanted to post them.

Hurray, Gemma Arterton! Looking lovely as usual. The white/black/red lips/pale skin/dark hair is quite striking.

I'm kind of in LOVE with Marion Cotillard's dress here. The cut is very unusual but she pulls it off perfectly. *spends several moments drooling over the keyboard at the dress*

Ditto, ditto, ditto! This I believe is for a film role though. Still, beautiful. I love 20's styles!

Ed Westwick and Clemence Posy on the set of Gossip Girl. I'm really excited for the next season, with Clemence on it! And these styles look scrumptious, can't wait!!

Karen Gillian, of Doctor Who fame, looks edgy and sophisticated. I love her makeup!

I'm a bit unsure of this one. Her makeup is a little sketchy, and I'm not a huge fan of that color for her hair, but that dress is brilliant. I'm pretty sure I'd look like walking-vomit (uh, lovely mental image there...) if I tried to wear it but it looks fabulous on Emma Roberts!

Finally, most of the blogging world has probably already heard this but I didn't get a chance to post it before--Emma Watson has a pixie cut! And it's too darling for words!!! *clutches to her locks and tries to convince herself why short hair is not a good look for her*

What do you think? :)

Laura: Film & question?

2010-08-10T08:15:00.000-07:00

So I've been toying with the idea of starting a film blog come fall. I recently discovered this lovely one, although sadly it looks as though the author will be taking a hiatus from blogging. sad! I'd reccomend browsing through the archives though, as it's a great read.

So. What do you think? Would any of you be interested in reading a film-blog by me? I'd of course keep up with my posts here as well. :)

Anyway, here are three movies I've seen in the past couple of days, two of them rather fashiony :D

The Painted Veil
Lovely, lovely, beautiful movie. It has made me seriously want to cut my hair into a bob (which is prolly not a good idea), and wear long dropped-waist shifts. It was probably one of the most realistic love stories I've ever seen on film.

500 Days of Summer
I wasn't sure if I would like this or not--I saw about half an hr last year and Zooey's character kind of annoyed me. She seemed so perfectly quirky and interesting it was almost too much. That said, I ended up LOVING it (the ending was perfect--not giving it away tho!), and Summer's costumes were darling. :) Not to mention the extra-cute Joseph Levitt-Gordon!

Man to Man
This is one of the ones I bought on a whim at the movie store going out of businsess, and I'm so glad I snatched it up! It was very well done, not too sentamental, but touching all the same. Kristin Scott Thomas and Joseph Fiennes were exceptional, as always. Some scenes were rather hard to watch, but only because they were so well done. Anyway, I'd highly reccomend it!

What have you guys been watching latly? Any reccomendations? :D

Laura: Calling all bloggers!

2010-08-09T07:57:00.000-07:00

So, this isn't a post about me. This is a post about one of my all time favorite bloggers, Kate from all this happiness. Her posts are always filled with whimsical outfits and interesting thoughts. Anyway, a little while ago she entered the contest Mad Men is putting on, to win a walk-on-role on the show. Here's her pictures she entered:

Isn't she simply stunning?! I can't imagine anyone else better suited, or more deserving, to win. It'd make my day to see one of the style-blogging community get the prize!
As soon as her pics went up, she quickly collected about 6,000 votes. However the last few days they've dropped off and she's moved from the second page to the fifth. :(

Here's where you come in:

1. Vote (click here)

2. Vote every day (you can vote once a day until September 17)

3. Repost this on your own blog, and encourage your followers to repost it on theirs.

We need to get her into the top 10 female submissions by Sept 17 so she can be a semi-finalist! There tons and tons of bloggers out there in the blogosphere. I know we can rally together to help Kate move up to first page (and stay there)!

Laura: paisley, in a field

2010-08-07T16:07:00.000-07:00

I nabbed this dress a while ago at a seriously sketchy thrift store. I wasn't sure if it would be wearable, and I'm still not sure. It's just a bit too...something...? I think it's maybe late 70's, but probably 80's.
I am definetly going to alter it somehow--for sure bring up the hem to knee length. I'm also toying with the idea of cutting the sleeves shorter or sleeveless., to make up for the so-high-it-will-choke-you-neck.
The stunning cat here is our outdoor cat, Sampson. He's got to be the most photogenic cat ever! And he totally knows it. :P
The shoot reminded me a bit of the beginning of Pride and Prejudice (the film with Keira Knightley), where she's walking through a field and the lightings all beautiful. Obviously, that was morning, and this was evening. Still...
My mom helped me take the pics. Unfortunatly she's not the greatest "fashion photographer"--always calling out to me to SMILE! and then gushing about how "this picture is soooo nice of you!" (and of course it's the one I dislike the most). Not to mention the gazillion shots of me talking, with my feet cut off, eyes closed, waving my arms...etc. I really, really, need a tripod.
so, in unfashion related news, right now I'm rather obsessed with Cleopatra and related subjects. I found "Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt" by Joyce Tylesdley at the library and have been engrossed in it. I feel like I'm starting to get a better picture of her life and the world around her at that time. Consquently, of course, I now want my wardrobe to look all Egypt-y...not happening, since I don't own anything even remotely Cleopatra-ish. And of course I'm now day-dreaming about traveling in Egypt...*sigh*.
So yeah. How are you guys? Hope your weekends are going fantasticly so far! :D

Christy: I'm really off this time or What to wear at camp

2010-08-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

This really is my last post before I leave. (I know Laura said I was off but my flight isn't till 6:45 this evening)
I just wanted to say I'm going to miss blogging and reading you guys's blogs more than I realized. I'll be back at the end of August though.

So before I go I thought I would share some dressing for Camp tips by showing you
an ideal camp outfit:

Dressing for camp: an outfit breakdown
1. Shorts: shorts are perfect for camp because in Jeans you will probably die of heat prostration after running around all day and if you wear a skirt, some camper will probably see your underwear. Life just happens that way
2. Bright colourful t-shirt: This tells campers and parents that you have a fun personality and it makes you easier to spot in a crowd if your camper is lost and trying to find you.
3. tank top underneath: This is only necessary if your t-shirt has a low neck. you never ever want to look like a slutty camp counselor.
3. sandals or flip flops: I'm not wearing them in this picture but sandals are the perfect camp solution. Preferably sandals you can run in because you never know when you're going to be late and need to run somewhere. (i'm speaking from experience)
5. Fun head band or scarf: This is a good way to express your individuality. It's also safer than a neck scarf which could accidentally strangle you if an enthused camper grabs it.
6. Cheap waterproof watch: Being on time is always in fashion. By having a cheap and water proof watch you'll avoid any tragic incidents.
7.Smile: If you smile and enjoy yourself, your campers and the people around you will too.

I hope you guys enjoyed this outfit break down.
Have a fabbity fab summer and I'll see you at the end of August.
I'm sure you'll all enjoy Laura's posts in my absence.

Christy

Laura: playing on polyvore

2010-08-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

Do any of you guys have a polyvore account? It's basically the most fun thing ever. Kinda like playing dress-up except of course in a much more sophisticated and grown up way. I thought I'd post a few of my favorite "sets" I've done. They're all based on some of my favorite characters from books and film. I hope you enjoy :)

Atonement, Cecelia Tallis.

Bonnie, from Bonnie & Clyde.

Betty Draper, Mad Men.

Penelope Stamp, The Brothers Bloom. :D

Jill Pole, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle

Beatrix Potter

What do you think? :D If you have a polyvore account, I'd love to see what you've made--leave a link to your profile in the comments. Mine is Val_Silph.

Soo...Christy's away for her vacation now, and I get to hold down the fort. Yay :P Hopefully I can get to know you guys a bit better, and vice-versa!

Laura

Christy: Summer stream of consciousness

2010-08-04T13:29:00.000-07:00

I think the beginning of August has been a bit of a shock to a lot of people, myself included. But as I'm going away in two days I still feel like I have a boat load of summer left.
Today I got caught in the rain biking downtown to buy flip flops. (yep I wanted old navy flip flops that bad) It would have been fun except that the rain was so hard that it was stinging my arms and legs and my bike breaks don't really work well when they're wet. Nevertheless I arrived home safe and am now cozied up with my laptop and some Tea.

I just wanted to post some pictures that I find pretty and that have inspired me lately, including some of Zooey Deschanel.
so without further ado: a summer stream of consciousness
(Click on the photos for their source)

Sorry there were so many. Pretty pictures make me happy.
While I was in the middle of making this post my neighbour rang the door bell to tell me that across the road from us there were a flock of yellow birds. I went out to see and sure enough there were at least 30 gold finches feeding on some purple flowers across the street. It was a happy surprise.

I hope you guys are all making the most of summer :)

Christy

Christy: Short time no see

2010-08-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

With typical Christy-Logic I am suddenly enchanted by the idea of buying shorts now that the summer is almost over. Very practical of me I must say.
This fixation is probably due to the fact that I have acquired a new and rather wonderful pair of shorts and I wore them for the first time last night to my Friend's going away party.
(hence, the really bad pun title. Somehow they just keep popping into my mind)

I didn't have any time to take pictures before I left so I got my friend to snap this one of Me and Kelly outside the pub where we were.

However I didn't feel this photo did my shorts justice, so when I got home a bit after Midnight I decided to whip out the trusty self-timer.
Unfortunately my house is notoriously badly lit in most of the rooms. So I made the incredibly classy decision to take pictures in the bathroom.

Photos in the bathroom? what a riot!

I'm not sure why I love these shorts so much. The fabric is soft and drapes well. They have pockets. I like the print. They are different than anything else I own.
There's something fun about buying something completely different than anything you own.
I hope everyone's weekend/Monday was enjoyable.

I'll be leaving the blogging world for BC in 4 days but Laura will continue to update.
The summer is moving far too fast for my liking. I get back from BC the 24th when I'll immediately start school and move out. I'm not ready!

outfit details: shorts-Oliva's, shirt-Zara, flower-H&M

Laura: Movie Style

2010-08-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

The first movie I watched from my stash was Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. Cute, fun, sweet, slightly saucy...I definetly enjoyed it. :) My only qualm was that it had a very modern feel to it, I can't put my finger on how, but it didn't really feel like the 30's. Oh, and not to mention several good looking actors and some gorg costuming, what could be better? I grabbed a few stills from the movie to perhaps tempt you guys into seeing it if you haven't already. ;)

I saved the best for last. I just can't believe how darling this little cream/striped suit is!! And of course she has it on for hardly any time at all. Despite the modern feel the costumes were thankfully period correct. I do love me some 30's outfits!
So, have you seen this film? If not, do you think you will? I think I'll be doing "movie style" posts quite frequently for a while, at least while I get thru my stack of movies. :D

Laura: What I Wore Today...

2010-08-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

I've posted a pic of this top before, I thrifted it while in Florida, but not in detail. It's really kind of strange & amazing--I mean, multi-colored green ruffles? On paper it kind of sounds like a nightmare, or a bridesmaid dress gone horribly wrong.
I feel like it could go with almost anything, anywhere. Today I wore it with my ever-faithful pencil skirt and heels. :D

Something awesome happened yesterday--a movie store near me was going out of business and all their dvds were extra cheap! I went in twice and nabbed eleven titles--The Painted Veil, The Fountain, Doubt, The Good German, Man to Man, A Good Woman, Mrs. Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Sunshine Cleaning, St. Trinian's, I Capture the Castle, and The Constant Gardener (the latter four I've seen already). I'm soso excited about watching them all!! Have you guys seen any of these, did you like them? Thoughts on what I should watch first? :D
I echo what Christy said about the commenters in the end of her last post. It's really awesome getting feedback and knowing there are actually people out there interested in what you have to say XD

Christy: Little house on the estate sale

2010-07-31T13:48:00.001-07:00

Nearly a year ago I attended an estate sale in a richer part of Montreal. All of it was interesting from the vintage play boy magazines to the old furniture but the only things I bought were a vintage crinoline that I later chopped short and this strange jumper/pinafore/dress thingy. I just recently pulled it out and realized that while it's a bit strange, if i removed the top bib part it would make a very decent full skirt.

I decided to take pictures of it before it hit the chopping block. It has a very nice feel and is obviously hand made.

The check print seemed very prairie and reminded me of the days when the idea of wearing pioneer clothes appealed strongly to me.

Though this would have belonged to a very sassy pioneer lady.

I was a little confused as to which part was the front and which part was the back. I hazarded a guess and wore it this way but i may have gotten it wrong.

The next time you see this dress it will be a skirt.

I tremendously enjoyed reading all your comments on my last post about the obstacles in the path of fashion. I feel like I"m getting to know you guys so much better through your comments. Laura and I started this blog before we were really aware of how far reaching the fashion blog community is and I feel like only now am I really becoming a very small part of it.

Thanks for all the advice on the topic of ways to overcome laziness/lack of inspiration. I've been trying to plan my outfits ahead of time so we'll see if there's a spike in my inspiration in the future.

I hope you guys are all having a splendid weekend and I"ll try to update again soon.

Christy

Laura: Blue Shirt

2010-07-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

yay for unimagitive titles! :D And, I'm back again! My summer holidays are officially completed. Florida was awesome, and last week was Ohio, where I met up with a bunch of my online friends for a weekend of complete hysterical fun. :D It'll definetly be a never-to-be-forgotten experience.
I see Christy's been having some great posts while I've been away, and I'm going to try and be better about posting more frequently.

I got this J. Crew shirt at a thrift store when I was in Florida, but didn't post about it before because as it was a Large I had to try and take it in on the sewing machine (it sort of worked, it's wearable and I'm not drowning in it anymore!).
After altering it I decided to go outside and try a few different ways of wearing it.
It's soooo comfy, the perfect "I'm doing nothing today/I'm super industrious today" top :P
Here's me with one of our seven cats, Gypsy (above)

I love the colors in this last photo--the pale blue, my reddish hair, the bright red flowers, the GREEN. :D Also, you may have noticed I took Christy's suggestions to try rounded edges on my pictures--and I'm loving the effect! :)

Christy: Obstacles in the pursuit of Style

2010-07-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

Nobody looks stylish everyday. At least I hope nobody does, because I certainly don't.

That said, I do think that with a little effort I could eliminate a good chunk of the days where
my appearance = death.

This evening while brushing my teeth I came up with the three biggest obstacles to my general stylishness.

Greatest Obstacles in my pursuit of Style
1.My own Laziness
2. My limited budget
3. My mood in the morning as I get dressed

Possible Solutions:(possible resolutions?)
1. Take the time in the morning to chose my outfits. Make an effort to not settle for the first thing I see in my drawers.
2. Go thrifting more, hunt down sales.
3. I find that if I eat breakfast before I get dressed I'm so much more inspired than if I get dressed before I eat.

It remains to be seen whether I follow through with any of those "solutions". What are the biggest obstacles for you guys in looking stylish?
How do you guys overcome them?

I realize that another, 4th obstacle is lifestyle. I've been working at a day camp this summer where we take the kids to the pool every day, making outfits like the one below the most practical.

My aunt took this picture on her new digital camera in my back yard. It was cute how excited she was to snap photos of everything and everyone.
Thanks for all the comments on my bangs. I've been enjoying them even though the present hot weather is frizzing them a bit.

On a completely different note, my latest shoe longing is for a pair of boat shoes (or dock shoes?)
Like this pair,

or these vans

The only explanation for this longing is the fact that I will be headed to BC and to the Ocean in 9 days!!!
I'm sorry this post is random and I'll try to have a real outfit post up soon but I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on obstacles that prevent you from being your stylish best.
Happy middle of the week to everyone!

Outfit details: shorts-levis, belt-thrifted,tank-H&M,hat-winners

Christy: Going off with a bang

2010-07-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

I kept trying to think of good punny titles involving the word Bangs/bang but I really couldn't come up with one (hence the present title). I guess it gets the topic of the post off across at least.
Before I post these pictures of my bangs I want to apologize because: Most of the pictures are a bit ugly. I don't know why but I just look strange in most of them. So please excuse that.

I'm excited about having a new look. It's a lot of fun and I think they look very summery.
I'm a little scared by the fact that it's almost Aug. Even though my summer has been ridiculously long I feel I could do with several more months of warm weather. However I'm excited to see all my friends who will be returning for school this fall. Montreal has really emptied out this summer. It's been a strange experience not having a lot of my close friends with me.
They're all off having crazy adventures while I stay in Quebec.

I've had little summer adventures though. For example I've:
1. Swum in a lake at 2:30 am
2. Gone to a jazz bar
3. Read a classic historical novel (I, Claudius,)
3. Stayed up all night
4. Gone thrifting
5. Discovered more about the blogging world
6.Gone to a concert in the rain
7. Lay on my back watching shooting stars
8. Biked to work
9. Watched copious amounts of Lost
10. Participated in a study where they scanned my brain in an MRI

So on the whole I'd say it was a pretty successful summer and in August I'll be off to British Columbia for two weeks.
What small summer adventures have you had?

I've been fiddling around with the blog layout again. I'm not sure I'm entirely happy with it so don't be surprised if it changes again soon. What do you guys think. Do you like the new layout?

Outfit details: shorts-livis thrifted, shirt-H&M, belt-thrifted, skirt-k-swiss (thrifted),tank-H&M, vest-gift.