Of what was everything

It kind of makes me grumpy that she's making me think of cold weather, but this padded jacket by Barbara Í Gongini is perfect. Like a leather-less version of something Lisbeth Salander (as portrayed by Noomi Rapace, of course) would wear. Love. To end on a nicer weather note though, here's another piece from Barbara, which is like a sleeker version of the deconstructed ArtLab tee I've worn countless times. All is forgiven, Barbara.

Rites of Spring*

So, seeing as it's the second day of spring, the sky here decided to dump about 2 feet of snow (and rising) on us. Makes sense. I don't care too much since I have a lot of work to do to prep for my first in-person conference presentation on Saturday (assuming I'm not literally snowed in). What is more distracting than the weather is an innocent little email that told me there are new arrivals in the Barbara Í Gongini shop. Having just discovered that there are two 'rooms' in the online shop (one for the main line, and one for the 'Black Line') and having already used up a lot of time exploring both for anything I hadn't yet seen, I was already hesitant to click on the link. I should've trusted my instincts. These pieces are perfect. The first one is made of a cotton/silk blend, and it's now going in My Top 3 Want List. Sigh. The second piece is just a bib (made of that same cotton/silk blend), an accessory which I'm quite partial to after discovering Sadotna. And before you call the last piece 'culottes', they're called trousers.

*This is the name of a band you should check out if you like Fugazi. Though, if you like Fugazi, you probably already know about them. Vinyl/CD/mp3s available through Dischord Records. Thanks to Mr. Rollins for turning me on to them, as you say.

The Milky Way tastes like raspberries*

Though today is a regular ol' yep-it's-still-winter day, spring has been trying to rear its lovely green head around here for the last couple of weeks. Which has led me to sporadic digging sessions through my pile o' coats, hoping that somehow in the last year, a good spring coat has suddenly appeared. Why don't I have a good everyday transition coat? It really makes no sense...

At any rate, I think this Barbara Í Gongini piece (from the F/W 13 Black line) would be perfect. It looks like I could even fit my laptop in that pocket, meaning I could make a quick getaway to go watch the snow melt in the woods whilst getting some work done. A very important feature in a spring coat, don't you think? The only thing is: would it be as inspiring as the Decon jacket? I'm not sure I'd be able to theorize about that which both is and isn't if I'm wrapped in the fabric equivalent of a hug and surrounded by happy birds and other river valley creatures. Hmm...

*This is a fact! Courtesy of Professor Larry Fleinhardt.

Decon(struction)

So I must've offended some being, as after saying 'thank goodness' for my officemate not using our office, he showed up and nearly killed me with his fragrant self. So I wasted pretty much the entire week living like a nomad, travelling from place to place with all my textbooks strapped onto my back, looking for some non-toxic place to study in. At the risk of offending the same/another being, thank goodness for my department's office staff finally taking me seriously and re-assigning me to my very own scent-free space.* Now I can read Derrida to my heart's content. Oh, and do some work. Honestly, I only had to read a couple pages of Derrida for my literary theory grad course, but I loved him so much that I got my (librarian) man to check out Derrida's Of Grammatology for me to read just for fun. Some people get hung up on the fact that Derrida said deconstruction isn't definable. I say, who cares? When it gives rise to something such as the 'Decon jacket' by Barbara Í Gongini (a.k.a. 'all I want for Christmas'), every one should just be happy to know that it is (and isn't). It makes a lot more sense than postmodernism, at any rate.

*Notice I didn't use the term 'office'; I've been reassigned to a broom closet. Literally. I'm excited to get the walk through next week.

Collection 17

I always get an invite to the Barbara Í Gongini shows, and I always regretfully cannot attend. Thanks to MUUSE though, I discovered that I can at least pretend I was there by watching a (shortened) video of the S/S 13 show at Copenhagen Fashion Week last Friday. I also discovered that Barbara is a red head! Who knew? Anyway, the lemon-yellow, grey, and black pallette remind me of the Marie Saint Pierre boutique, so I'm happier than a clam right now (particularly with the outfits at 2:35 and 2:51).

BÍG is definitely my favorite high-end basics label, and I've been agonizing over what piece I should put on my credit card to celebrate my scholarship (particularly as I missed that sale and have a budget). Any suggestions?

Working Titles

My Internets-fast (courtesy of NY-5) had the very unintended outcome of missing Barbara Í Gongini news, being that there is a fantastic mid-season sale on some pieces. Thanks to an update on Barbara's NJAL page though, coupled with the welcome end of the horrible heat wave that had sapped all* interest in fashion/clothing out of me and a too-long couch-shopping excursion that had me running for the hills (particularly any hills without furniture), I found out the news the long way by heading over to the Barbara's site. There I discovered some wonderful new teaser A/W 12 photos (on the new blog), and some pieces in the shop that I absolutely must have (or at least dream about). 

Visiting the shop surprises me every time, as Barbara's pieces are so basic and yet so spectacular and convertible. I'm particularly in love with the dress that reminds me of the ArtLab Andromache,

the long sleeve that converts into a halter dress (similar to my beloved complexgeometries two-faced dress) (and comes in black), 

and the hooded sleeved circle scarf/cardigan (that also comes in black). 

Brilliant. Looks like we're going for the cheaper couch so I can get one more pre-grad school purchase in. And speaking of, anyone have any thoughts on the Ikea Kivik sofa?

*With the exception of the desire to wear my new Marie Saint Pierre S/S 12 skirt every day. That thing is a lifesaver in 30+ degree weather, particularly after a check-up appointment that ended in some unexpected injections and very colourful bruising! I <3 MSP!

Sunday Morning Coming Down

I'm writing this as I await for my man to wake up from his slumber (the initiation of which was definitely not aided by a too-late Tim Hortons medium* double-double coffee), as I simply have to watch the last episode of the first season of Camelot before I can do anything else. Anyway, I can at least manage to pass on these photos on to you, teasers of the upcoming Barbara Í Gongini season which were in my inbox this morning. The first photo, as you can probably tell, is from the high-end line, while the second photo is from the Black-line, which, this time around, features even more basic basics such as jeans and, apparently, some chalk. I somehow don't find jeans with a plain tee very inspiring, but I have faith in Barbara, and will use this teaser to remain excited to see the whole collection, rather than being satisfied with these few photos. Also, I'm not sure what's going on with the blue outfit below, but I just wanted to give you a heads up that there will be blue. Blue!

*Tim Hortons has changed their coffee sizes, and so the beloved large double-double is now a medium double-double. Just doesn't have the same ring to it. Why, Tim, why?

Back to School

I can't help but think I'm not supposed to be here today. A year ago, at the beginning of NYFW, I was in New York for the very first time, building the foundations for what would be my most expensive addiction yet. As I later returned around the time of NYFW in February, it seems weird to now be reading about other people getting ready for NYFW and getting fashion show invites in my inbox when I'm stuck here, without any future itineraries planned. Sigh. Not only that, but today is the first day of university. And, when I live in my city's university area and have to walk by one too many frat houses to get to work, it's hard to escape the sudden influx of 18-year-olds and American Eagle graphic tees. If I could, I would go to school for the rest of my life (and by wearing pigtails, I'd make quite a passable, albeit rather mature, 20-year-old). And yet, here I am, for the fifth September in a row, not needing to calculate the shortest distance between classes, or pinpoint the least busy washrooms, or stand in line for an hour to get the one textbook that Amazon doesn't have in stock. Again, sigh. I'll keep my fingers crossed for next September. School or NY.

Anyway, if I could do my first day of university all over again, this is what my outfit would be: 

Barbara Í Gongini cardigan (now only 56 Euros!) + The Future of Frances zipper tencel top + 

mydearthing silk husband tank + Norwegian Wood asymmetrical circle skirt + 

moop waxed canvas Letter Bag + my chucks 

In reality, I wore non-memorable blue jeans, two long sleeved tees, and a black puffy vest. I don't even want to try to remember what kind of shoes I wore. I was still blond at that time (and 11 years younger), so I'm just going to pretend that was a different person. I mean, I didn't even drink real coffee back then. Not to mention being unable to understand the Joy Division and Pixies references in the Gilmore Girls. Eek.

Barbara Í Gongini, S/S 12

Though I do enjoy getting (legitimate) emails of all kinds, some of my favorite emails are the ones from Barbara Í Gongini's PR, as they each contain not one but two magical lookbooks of Barbara's newest collection inside. Before I delve into the S/S 12 ones that I just received today, however, I must point something out. To those of you that hone in quickly on miniscule details, yes, I did correctly make use of the caps lock key when typing out the label's name. Prior to this morning's email, all but the initial 'b' and 'g' were capitalized when referring to the label specifically and not the designer. However, as the press kit and lookbooks now have the name using conventional type cases, I will do the same here.

But so. Whereas last time around I preferred the BÍG Black (i.e. basic) Line to the main line, with the S/S 12 collection I've gotten stuck on the main line (above). There are quite a few favorites that could easily end up in My Top 3 Want List, so you may very well see a new one in the sidebar later today. Particularly the dress below (though I'd wear it with the oxfords, not the heels). Similar to the A/W 11 collection, the starting point of the main line is the square, though this time there's also the added theme of deconstructed menswear (I especially heart that deconstructed/reconstructed mens button-up on the right of the middle row). And, of course, the collection showcases Barbara's penchant for making minimalist shapes quite complex through functional details such as zippers, buttons, and unexpected (arm)holes. Though the sustainability rating this time around is only at 30%, as opposed to A/W 11's 80%, these pieces would serve a freelance editor just as well as a professional David Foster Wallace reader, amateur recipe tester, or expert New York visitor.* Sigh.

And really, I think the reason why I'm spending more ogling time on the main line is that I'm already taking for granted the wonderful androgynous basic-ness of the Black Line. That, and the ironic fact that the B-L is much less black than the main line, with the palette consisting of white, khaki, grey, and black. The B-L, however, is more affordable than the main line (and has a higher sustainability rating of 40%), and so it is more likely that I'll be adding another B-L piece to my wardrobe (via here) sooner than a main line piece. And really, one can't complain about that.

*And yes, all these labels can indeed refer to one individual. Such as myself.