Ballonet

It's a gloomy day, my new 30-something-year-old couch just ripped, and, for the first time in eight years, I don't want to go to my appointment to get my roots touched up (though this may have something to do with the fact that I still haven't mastered walking again). However, the day is not yet lost, as I found what may be my most favorite dress of the year. I was just thinking while scouring the Internets this morning that, about a year or two ago, draping in a finished piece of clothing was (or at least seemed to be) more of a rare occurrence, practiced mainly by unknown or emerging designers, along with a few Eastern designers without English websites. But nowadays, there's draped stuff all over the Internets and, likely, on dress forms all over the world. Not that this is a bad thing, of course, it's just that a technique that used to catch my eye for being unique has become much more commonplace. At least on the sites I frequent, at any rate. And so I think I was more than ready to see this gorgeous dress at the end of my Internet travels, as there are enough details in this piece to make it a draped dress unlike all others. Particularly, I like that it seems fairly simple in its construction and minimal in the amount of fabric used. I also think that textured pewter-coloured silk is perfect to showcase the draping in its shadows, and the skewed racerback is both lovely and unexpected. I would definitely layer this dress over top of a sheer black slip or tube dress, and have it sweep the ground by wearing the flat lace-up sandals I got married in. 

The dress, by the way, comes from Toronto-based designer Carrie Hayes' newest (and best ever) collection, entitled 'War Machine', which is inspired by post-WWI neo-classicism. The other pieces are quite lovely too (below), with the prints being from actual photos of shipping yards. Brings a whole new meaning to 'rust-coloured', doesn't it?

I'm covered in bees, Part II

I've noticed the recent (and exciting!) trend of coated fabrics as an alternative to leather, and I really hope that more designers jump on this bandwagon (remember that glorious glazed cotton piece by Mr. Pugh?). Canadian designer Sonja den Elzen's Thieves' current collection, for example, has some lovely organic cotton pieces that are treated with beeswax (though I must say I'm a bigger fan of the men's pieces than the women's, this time around). The fabric supposedly both wears and is to be treated like leather. Most of these waxed pieces thus cannot be machine washed, but can be spot cleaned by rubbing more wax on them. While the prices are also comparable to that of leather pieces, I think it's definitely worth investing in a great piece that is so environmentally conscious.

A second example of coated fabric was found last night, when I rediscovered the work of Carrie Hayes at Ukamaku, a wonderful new online shop that features Canadian designers. While I'd more readily go for one of the printed silk dresses from her S/S 10 collection that was inspired by Icelandic geology, this jacket, made of polyeurethane coated linen (in the most perfect shade of green) is rather adorable (and a great deal at $80 CDN, from $295).

However, while I'd prefer to buy a coated clothing item, the time has come for me to buy a new bag. For the other day, I had to stand at my apartment's front door for too many minutes, digging in my once beloved handmade cotton bag (which was last year's Christmas present) for my keys. The thin inner lining simply couldn't handle more than 11 months of me shoving my sharp keys and sharp cornered books into it. Sure, the outer layer will hold up for a bit longer, but I simply can't be standing outside, degloved in sub-zero weather, fishing for keys which I won't have the agility to use be the time my frozen fingers have found them. Sigh. All is not lost though, as moop has also discovered coated fabrics! I've had their highly functional and aesthetically pleasing Letter Bag in my favorites for quite some time, but now that they have it (as well as some of their other styles) available in a waterproof waxed canvas, I think I must cave. And, as in honour of Cyber Monday, with the code 'GRAYFRIDAY', you/I get 10% off your moop order. Yay!

Oh, by the way, here are some more Cyber Monday codes/deals you may want to know about. Yes, I know that Cyber Monday is almost over (or long over) for some of you, but I had a truly busy and life changing day. You see, I've finally found out that I have a legitimate knee problem (and have since being a pre-teen) that can be relatively easily corrected, and I'm on my way to becoming a bona fide grad student. Yippee!

- hier apparel: Today and tomorrow, save 20% with code '20off', AND get a free $25 gift card with any order over $100, or a $50 gift card with any order over $200 if you mention the November Promotion in the Note to Shop when ordering. That means that the gorgeous new wool wrap is essentially $103 instead of $160!
- complexgeometries: Today only, 20% off everything with code 'monday'.
- Glamorous Amorous: Ending tomorrow, 15% off your order with code 'NOV15'. Meaning that the Nichole de Carle piece I still have my eye on is only a few dollars more than my weekly acupuncture/beekeeping session. Sigh.

(And yes, I realize this post seems rather disjointed. Such is the result of writing half before life-changing appointments, and then the other half after said life-changing appointments. My apologies.)