I really hate the phrase 'Christmas in July', or any variation thereof. But somehow that phrase quite succinctly sums up the feeling of discovering that there's a new Mandula collection whilst finally getting to listen to Herb Alpert (and his Tijuana Brass) on vinyl. In July. The silk jersey tank/dress above is from (the 2011 version of, not to be confused with the 2010 version of) Gallery 8, and I'm quite head-over-heels for it. Hajnalka, I'd send over my next paycheque to you, if only I knew it wasn't my last...
Oh, perhaps I should note that Gallery 8 does not consist solely of images of the one dress (though I imagine it's one of Hajnalka's favorites, seeing as there are so many images available of it). These are my other favorite pieces. All are already available in the Mandula online store, so go on and do some non-existent holiday shopping.
"Gallery 7?", you say. "But shouldn't we be at Gallery 11?" Yes, you are quite right. But I should have a new bookshelf that isn't shattered into pieces too, so here we are. Normally I would post basically the enitre gallery when a new one shows up on the Mandula site, but this time Hajnalka went for more of an artistic approach to the photographs, which I find doesn't showcase the pieces as well as I'd hope (see above). Also, the prices are more heart-wrenching than normal with my resolve to spend as little as possible on new clothes, not to mention wanting to get rid of the bulk of my wardrobe. So, instead this post is solely dedicated to my newest dream outfit, featuring the Mandula Sheer Metallic/Linen Jacket ($795), the Mandula Linen Subtle Harem Pant ($470), and (I think) the Mandula Cotton Tank Top ($87). Sigh.
I feel pretty confident that you will not find anything better looking than this 2007 collection by SestreS to occupy your Friday night with (sort of found at Dirty Flaws, my new favorite blog which I found through Anna-Marie's blog). Granted, 127 Hours, starring the one and only James Franco, is finally opening at my local theatre in about 21 minutes. I, however, have to work at 6AM and have a man with a major presentation on Tuesday, and so it'll be at least a day or two before I get to see it/James Franco. And so I will gladly content myself with these images, being the work of Serbian designers and sisters, Ivana and Jelena Stevančević. It doesn't seem like their work is available online, and may only be available at a small boutique in Belgrade. Even so, I wholeheartedly feel me and that dress at the top would be the best friends. And this crop top below is fantastic. Sigh.
P.S. As the fabrics used here reminded me of my Mandula dress, I thought I'd pass on the news that there's a 20% off code ('black friday') you can use only in the Mandula online store now through Sunday. And, speaking of codes and Anna-Marie, 'cyberminx' will get you 10% off at the Etsy Minxshop. That is awfully tempting with that asymmetrical hoodie still looking all cute at me...
Though my spending money is spoken for (it was burning in my figurative pocket until the new mydearthing collection landed), there are still things that I would like. Such as this most gorgeous lingerie set (brief & braces, plus bra) from London-based designer Nichole de Carle's Onyx collection, which I have been drooling over since Queen Michelle posted it (though I could just do with the brief & braces, and pair it with my own black bra).
Or these pieces from Amanda deLeon, which, yes, have been posted before, but are now on sale (as are some pieces from previous collections, which you have no reason to not snap up if you're a size 2-4).
Or something warm from Mandula, especially as I've just received a coupon code for 20% off (this week only; type 'good bye' at the prompt). They would all go so well with the new mydearthing things. Not to mention my surprisingly delicious Delissio pizza, the hot cup(s) of the best coffee ever, and my toasty warm Eeyore slippers. Yes, Eeyore. Sometimes a Canadian girl just wants to be warm.
The one thing I wanted to find while in New York was the perfect cardigan. I do have an almost perfect cardigan, but it stretches out after the first wear, meaning that I have to wait another two weeks for the next laundry day to have it almost perfect again. One of the things I enjoy about it is the raw edges. But not just because I like deconstructed fashion. For this cardigan, my enjoyment of its unravelling is honestly because I bought it (in a moment of cardigan neediness) at a store that I absolutely loathe (and have never bought anything from since), and so I take pleasure in the fact that, with every wear, I'm slowly giving it the death it deserves. Anyway, since buying it about 5 years ago (it has been a very very slow death), I have felt the moral obligation to get a replacement for it, and, as I did not find such in New York, I'm still on the hunt now.
I really don't understand why it's so difficult to find, as it's a pretty basic piece of clothing. In the span of two days, I have found three different cardigans that would all be perfect...if only. Two of them are too expensive (i.e. the gorgeous Mandula one on the left, and the Vivienne Westwood Man one in the centre), and one of them is likely too big (the Elroy one on the right). I may just go with the too big one though, as it's affordable, comes from a sustainable Canadian label, and has big drapey pockets. Does anyone have any other suggestions?
Well, I just went and made myself feel silly. I'm supposed to be kitty-sitting right now, but I still needed a few hours to myself to fully recuperate from yesterday. And so, leaving the kitty in my man's capable hands, I decided to dress myself up and go to the farmer's market and to the bookstore to pick up the new issue of POP was out and wanted to get that. However, I had forgotten who was on the cover of this issue, and thus I recoiled slightly at the sight of it. Not that I have anything against the cover person (being a certain Ms. Spears), I just never thought I'd see the day when I'd buy a magazine (or anything, for that matter) with her on it. Sigh. The level of silliness was perhaps increased by the fact that I picked up a second magazine, being AnOther, simply because it has Björk on the cover (and because I'm a sucker for publications with nice heavy paper). If I had been the cashier that checked me out, I'm pretty sure my head would've exploded from seeing these two covers together.
At any rate, at least I found a new favorite fall outfit for this excursion. Or I should say fall/winter outfit. You can practically see snow in the air, it just has to find the courage to materialize and show up on the ground. So, said outfit was my ArtLab jacket (layered over my marriage day hoodie), my (burgundy) Mandula dress (layered over a tee) worn as a top with the bottom tie as an empire waistline, my Wolfgang Jarnach pants (which have the most unique and expertly crafted seams that I have ever seen on a pair of pants - see below), and, of course, my trusty monochrome Chucks. I really think I did the whole New York trip wrong. I should've known that I thrive in colder weather that not only allows for but requires tons of layers. Next time.
And on a related note (related in my head anyway, as my Wolfgang Jarnach pants remind me of another pair of skinny-ish navy pants I used to wear...), it's been a whole decade since meeting my man and since first hearing AFI (my man being responsible for the latter, pretty much as soon as I had met him). So here's a video from the first AFI show I ever attended, which changed my world as I knew it.
The show was in March by the way, and not close to Halloween, as you might think from the jack-o'-lanterns. Just like you might think my deck is where pumpkins go to die. Methinks we carved them a wee bit too early this year, though the frost/snow goblins would've gotten them in the end anyway. Sigh.
As the smoke seems to finally be clearing, and my fear of having to survive the rest of my life on canned food has abated, I had the feeling that today in particular I would find something amazing to post. So here it is: the new Mandula collection. In other words, it's going to be okay. But if you're still worried, it looks like Hajnalka has the face masks covered. Ah, methinks February is looking like a good time to finally visit Vancouver again. Hopefully I'll have recovered financially from my NYC trip by then. And yes, I'll likely mention my trip many times before I leave. My eight day vacation is nearly fully booked with all sorts of adventures, and so it's hard to think of anything else (besides the question of how long my stuff will smell like a campfire). But don't worry, I'll likely be taking a blogging break the whole time I'm gone, as I'm too frightened to take my beautiful lap top with me...
To finish off this much needed week off, I will be attending an outdoor wedding this weekend in the mountains. It just snowed there the other day, so I need to be prepared to both feel my best (especially temperature wise), and look my best. Or at least as good as my man, who will be in a rather dashing tux. So first, I'm going to start with the perfect sexy dress that is just the right length for a short dress - this of course is the utterly gorgeous mydearthingHusband Dress in ink.
Then, remember the Mandulacotton bias cut tunic that was in the sidebar on the right in My Top 3 Want List? Well, it's been taken down because I managed to get my hands on a sleeveless version, in this rich burgundy/wine colour (above right). It's quite a departure from my normal palette, but it looks smashing overtop of the Husband Dress.
However, with the Husband Dress layered underneath the Mandula tunic, the slightly cowled neck gets squished down into a deep V neck. It looks quite lovely really through the cotton gauze, but in order not to draw people's wandering eyes directly to my chest, I'm going to add my ArtLabCouture Noir Bib overtop to cover up the contrast, add some more texture, and provide some comforting blackness.
Next, I'm going to have two options for warmth up top, as my arms are still bare at this point. If it's rather sunny and warm, I'm going to go with the mydearthingWay Shrug. My forearms are still bare with this piece, but the alpaca wool is really quite warm, that it might just do the trick for a normal summer day in the mountains.
If the weather is against us though, I'll be going with my David Choudraped jacket. I always like seeing women borrow their men's suit jackets at weddings to keep warm at a cold reception hall for some reason, so this will give me that feel (though more fitted), without stripping one of the groomsmen of his required uniform. (I'd love to link you to this order this jacket for yourself, but David is moving to Japan quite soon, and will be closing down his shop during the move. He does have a few ready to ship items still available though!)
And on the bottom? Well, some complexgeometries leggings of course! Depending on the temperature, I'll either go with the lighter megahose (still available for you smaller folk at Reborn), or the warmer long leggings. The question is whether I can fit all the other clothes needed for the weekend into my backpack...
So, I've been at this hitching post for over a year and have typed out over 600 posts already. Weird. I should probably start dating these summary posts, but for now, here's my first Top Finds of the spring season, meaning the kOs posts of the last three months that you should read if you feel like you've missed out on...something. Happy first day of the summer!
Okay, this was originally just an excuse to post some more Mandula, because I wish Hajnalka's gorgeous creations could always be at the top of all my browser windows. Or perhaps I should just put them on my desktop, as it seems I need to take up a permanent position in the middle of the road to ensure that my favorite neighbourhood creature does not get run over, and everyone's wireless networks seem to be password protected these days. But (I digress) I think that this perfect Bless cardigan (at Reborn)
could both hold their own (post) if need be. Though it could be those weird foot acupuncture points speaking, as I was informed they would 'help' my emotions. And we all know I get emotional over clothes. Sigh.
This is the archive of kOs, where you'll find all of the old kOs posts in their original habitat. Any new posts as of August 2013 are now at musingsofbuffyleigh.wordpress.com and on Twitter @buffyleigh. See you there!
Most of these photos are not my own. Unless specifically stated, the pictures posted are used only for my personal commentary and not for commercial reasons. I do not get compensated for blogging about these photos and the pieces contained within - I simply want to share the viewing experience with you. And my wearing experience, in the very likely event that I give in to temptation and buy them for myself.
