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.

You are currently online.

It seems as though I always want to spend the most money when I have none to spend. Sigh. Anyway, I'll pass on my current wishlist (of sorts) to you in the event that the Internet gods hear and send these lovely items my way.

1) I saw a couple different colours of wool crepe fabric sitting on Lauren's work table when I was there in June, but don't recall asking what would be made with it. But the Internets have revealed that what I saw are new colours for the much-loved mydearthing Opening Dress. I love the new (4-ply) bronze colour, but am also tempted by the (2-ply) navy option.

2) Queen Michelle's post this morning led me to a new-to-me label called Factory by Erik Hart, whose new pieces are available at I Don't Like Mondays. I'm not sure where the pieces are produced, but I quite like the fact that the leather used in the jacket and the dress is actually vegan. I'm not one of those vegetarians that likes eating fake meat products, and I don't know if I'd want to pretend that I'm wearing animal skin either. But it's nice to see an alternative provided for those who do like the look of leather.

3) Now that I'm a fan of that lace-up pointy toed shoe style, I kinda sorta like these Melissa oxfords (also available on IDLM). However, I can't help but think that plastic would make my feet revolt (and/or revolting). 

4) You may remember my post from a while back on Audrey Cantwell's new label, Ovate. I just had a second look at that post this morning and discovered that Audrey has just put up an e-shop for the first Ovate collection. I didn't know that those lovely looking loose knit pieces all contain leather (sigh), but I also hadn't noticed that the sheer chiffon pieces have a vertical print down the centre that is a line of poetry in Rune script. Those felted high waist leggings are pretty sweet too.

Yeah We Know

My new favorite editing outfit:

OAK cardigan (sorry, it's no longer available) + Dinosaur Jr. tee, in grey with black print/logo (from amazing show in NY last month) + mydearthing Panel Skirt (if you don't have it already, you'll have to wait one week for the Etsy shop to re-open) + complexgeometries mega hose + monochrome Chucks + long flowing hair (which I will mourn for months, if not years, if I actually cut it as planned)

This outfit not only gave me the will to sit in Starbucks for nearly two hours (something I never ever do anymore), but also to edit nearly twenty consecutive pages of a Master's thesis for said nearly two hours. I must say, however, that the mesh part you can fold over or wear like a strapless top on the cg leggings is quite (i.e. immensely) annoying. If you walk at all (or at least like me), it simply does not like to stay folded over (as mesh over mesh just slips and wiggles until it's not mesh over mesh), nor does it like to stay up over a bra. And due to the doubled fabric, you can't just discreetly yank it down/up back into place - you have to go lock yourself in a bathroom stall and totally reconfigure everything from the waist up. Meaning that, if you're not willing to give up your coveted seat and/or possessions to walk to the much-too-far-away washroom, you end up stuck with this bunched up mass of mesh fabric under the bust, not unlike a ruched waist cincher that you never wanted to wear. Sigh. At any rate, it's a good thing I purposely bought my Dinosaur Jr. tee a size larger, as you couldn't see the bunched-up-ness going on underneath it. Also note that the bunched-up-ness that you do want going on in the leg area does not act as any type of mosquito repellent (and may, in fact, be an attractant). I did say this was a 'favorite' outfit, right?

While I'm here, I will also share with you the fact that the Dinosaur Jr. tee is hands down my favorite non-metal infused tee ever. I may or may not have worn it for longer than 24 hours at a time in the recent past/present. Anyhow, I'm off to edit another twenty-or-so pages today so that I'm officially more than half way done this little freelance job. Wish me luck.

P.S. Because I'm sure I've done a great job of selling the cg mega hose, complexgeometries is having a 48hr online sale starting tomorrow (July 12th) at 12PM EST. By using the code 'twentyfive', you'll get 25% off. This is for all stock, not like the random sales they've been having on select items lately. Check it out tomorrow, and be warned that all sales are final.

The Perfect Match

mydearthing Steel Spine Tunic + Gravis waxed canvas shoes (yes! you can get waxed shoes!)

I never really liked the look of this style of shoe until I saw a pair on Lauren of mydearthing. Actually, the very pair you see her wearing the above picture. Now with trip #3 to NY looming and both pairs of my trusty Chucks falling apart simultaneously, I needed to go on an emergency shoe buying trip to Gravity Pope in order find a comfy everyday pair that wouldn't take more than a couple wears to wear in, and that didn't contain any leather. I was very happy to find these laced Gravis shoes (worn with the laces tied on top of the tongue in a bow, not hidden inside), which were instantly comfy, not too pricey, and are made of my second favorite fabric (the first being tencel). And they have finally solved the question of what shoes to wear with my boyfriend jeans other than flipflops. My very metal mydearthing tank tops the outfit off just right, making me wish I had the evening off to enjoy the pairing. Sigh.

Top Tee Find of...Ever

So I was excited to see complexgeometries' Facebook status about a secret 72-hour sale, hoping that my favorite, the wave t, would be included in said sale (it is not). However, today's package (as Canada Post has not yet gone on strike) has made me pretty much forget all about the wave t. For I have in my hands (well, on my torso) the very best garment to ever be included in the 't-shirt' category. To state it is clearly as possible, the mydearthing Steel Sighlens T is the greatest tee you could ever hope to own. The fabric, made of cotton-wrapped steel yarn, is simply incredible, somehow (i.e. probably magically) merging chainmail with a light breezy jersey to form a slightly structured shape. As for the design, the neckline is perfect, the drop sleeves (i.e. no normal sleeve seam) make a basic even easier to wear, and the sheerness means this piece is great for any season with all its layering potential. For the warmer weather, I highly suggest a sheer oversized tank with some hell's windows underneath, or the very essential mydearthing Y Back Tank. Lauren only has a very limited amount of this fabric, so don't say I didn't warn you...

P.S. If the tee is currently 'sold' on Etsy, it's only because I just bought another one (selfish, I know). Please allow Lauren a few more hours to wake up and relist it.

The Scent of the Sea

The dreaded day of the removal of my favorite scented neighbourhood feature has arrived. This pile of old lumber (and metal accoutrement) had, until today, been sitting by the train tracks a block outside my front door for perhaps a month now. And for whatever reason, be it its place of origin or some feature of slowly rotting wood, every day since its unexplained arrival, it gave off the most lovely and intoxicating smell. This resulted in me taking in huge gulps of air whenever I walked past or caught its scent downwind, as I practically live for the opportunity of being even momentarily transported back to White Rock or Montauk. But now the train has started running, and so the city gods have deemed it time to take away this aromatic safety hazard. Sigh, times infinity. If I weren't sitting here pining after my lost...pine, I would've put on my best wool, pleated, and voluminous garments to just go stand in the spot where the wood once was, hoping to soak in what's left of the landlocked sea air (while also covering up against the mosquitos, who are likely also in mourning for losing their best breeding grounds). 

This outfit would've consisted of a wool jacket (this formal silk-lined avant garde tux by NY-based designer Michael Brambila would've been very appropriate for the sad occasion), a silk top (this one featuring a gill detail by hier apparel would've been best with the maximized surface area), a voluminous skirt (with my ArtLab skirt definitely being the best candidate, for obvious reasons), and some wool leggings (with my mydearthing Wool Circle Seam Pants being the obvious choice - I didn't want to wash these for a few days after returning from NY last time, as I wanted the smell of Brooklyn to linger a wee bit longer). But, alas, it is now raining, and so, at best, I would just smell of wet clothing. Again, sigh.

So long wood, may you rest in peace.

mydearthing, S/S 11

"The name of the ship was Dawn Treader. She was only a little bit of a thing...

But she was a beauty of her kind, a 'lady' as sailors say, her lines perfect,

her colours pure, and every spar and rope and pin lovingly made."*

And so we have the long-awaited S/S 11 collection from mydearthing (a.k.a. my go-to label), entitled 'Voyage'. Though each of Lauren's collections would be aptly named if she stuck with the previous collection's appellation (i.e. 'Missing Piece'), this round's lovely muted blues, greens, and greys perfectly mirror the landscape of a journey by sea, with the handful of prints rather well-suited for a captain's quarters. Throw in a subtle nautical stripe, some pretty rope details, a tunic reminiscent of an unfurled sail, and a couple revamped favorite mydearthing pieces (i.e. my favorite Y Back Tank as a dress, my favorite long-sleeved dress as a short-sleeved dress, and the essential Husband Tank in a variety of gorgeous silks), and you're set for a wonderful voyage indeed. (Baby bump optional.)

Isn't she lovely? By the way, I have to make mention of an amazing fabric Lauren uses in two pieces of the Voyage collection. My favorite piece, that sheer grey loose tee (called the Steel Sighlens T - nice name, ain't it?), and the Steel Spine Tunic (above top and bottom row) are both made from tissue knit jerseys that are actually fine grade steel yarn wrapped in cotton. While both colours are soft like any regular jersey, the steel component in the dark grey fabric in particular allows the fabric to retain crinkles if you like more of that just-got-out-of-bed look (the fabric of the Steel Spine Tunic is less structured). Sounds amazing, doesn't it? This fabric is limited, so, after I order my own Sighlens T, make sure you grab yours.

*Lewis, C.S. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1970.

This is your opponent, Earthling

While the sun has finally peaked out today (oh, happy day!), this harsh winter weather is still feeling the need to remove all the moisture from my skin as if it's a giant Scotch-Brite scouring sponge. And so today I'm pretending I'm in a warmer and more humid climate by putting this outfit together from my virtual closet. I know the boots don't make much sense here, but I've suddenly become obsessed with them, and will likely be purchasing them in time to break them in for New York. I'm still cringing at the though of buying leather shoes, but it just seems so darn wasteful to keep buying non-leather shoes that last only a few months. Even my beloved Adidas by Stella McCartney snow-walking machines are breaking down, for goodness sakes. Truth is, I was all set to by this pair of Campers To&ether boots after finding them on Yoox.com for about a quarter of what they sell at my local Gravity Pope. Something was holding me back though, even though they were only available in my exact size. Then I came upon a Dutch label called MAG, who uses only 100% ecological leather. And they're pretty much the most comfortable things I've ever put on. They look pretty kickass too. Like something an 80-year old Lisbeth Salander would wear. 

So, the outfit in question begins with the utterly gorgeous (and lined) silk tulle Cinema Tea Gown of the Spring 2011 collection from (the utterly adorable) Alexandra Grecco. I'm not sure if I'd get the dress in grey or in black, but I'd definitely layer it over one of Lauren's new limited edition silk Husband Tanks. Let's go with a pop of colour for this exercise. Then I'd do my regular dress-over-pants thing with my Wolfgang Jarnach trousers (which fit even nicer after biking every day or two), and then top (bottom?) it all off with the MAG boots. Paired with my new best friend (a.k.a. Aveda's Intensive Hydrating Masque) and a nice glass of refreshing Mission Hill Pinot Grigio, I feel much better.

Just because...

...these things all belong together.

(mydearthing, ursa minor, artlab, 

vintage industrial, swan clothing, 

margaux lange, wheeler's studio, take off your clothes, 

retrograph, mstrf)