I’m a sucker for a Soïa & Kyo coat (as evidenced here and here). One of my first purchases after I moved to Toronto was a short grey S&K coat from Girl Friday on Queen Street. I’ve been addicted since.
I haven’t been too inspired by their coats lately (I mean really, how many trench coats can I have?), but I was all set to lapse on my no-shopping challenge today to snap this one up on sale:
Sadly, it's no longer available in my size. So the no-shopping streak continues.
I bought a Skor bar on my way home from work as a Monday treat, but when I got home, I couldn’t find it. I don’t know what I did with it, but apparently the universe doesn’t want me to eat junky candy bars today. Does that mean I should be eating more expensive but better quality chocolate instead? Too bad Stubbe Chocolates closes at 6; I could really go for an amaretto truffle.
I felt like crap today (hoping allergies and not the onset of another cold), but that didn’t mean I had to look like crap.
First I looked like I was wearing nothing but a trench coat and tights: 
Then perhaps my outfit wasn’t the most work-appropriate: 
Not exactly corporate, but that’s one of my favourite dresses. Besides, my boss wears halter dresses and strapless dresses to work. No one can look down my top and see my boobs, so I’m good. Is that my new Litmus test for what’s work-appropriate? Haha.
If I were Superman, Anthropologie would be my kryptonite. But I thought I’d be ok because after a phase of liking everything (well, not everything, but a lot), I didn’t want anything from the April catalogue. Then I find two items on the website that I really want.
I’m not big on strapless, but the colour, the shape of the skirt, and the side pockets (I’m a sucker for pockets) is exactly what I’m looking for in a summer dress. I’d just throw a little cardigan over this and I’d be set to go.
It’s a basic with a twist, in dark grey.
I was this close to buying both. But is it worth lapsing on my no-shop pledge until May 15? I think I have to sleep on it.
I loved this coat when I bought it, but now I think I’m getting tired of it. I rarely wear it, and I don’t think it’s as flattering as some of the other coats I own. It’s pretty much a giant white triangle with no real defined waist. I think I was sucked in by the gigantic buttons. I have to stop being taken in by things like that.
I hate plain clothing. I don’t need any more basics, and I don’t want anything I buy to be boring. That may explain the lack of LBD in my closet, a pretty glaring omission, but I just can’t bring myself to buy something so “plain.” I want my clothes to be interesting; I want to stand out.
Paradoxically, I don’t want to stand out too much. I’m not exactly comfortable when I do. Case in point: the skirt I wore today.
It begs the question: if I don’t feel comfortable in this skirt, why did I buy it? Simple answer. I love this skirt. When I saw it in the anthropologie catalogue and online, I knew I wanted to try it on. When I tried it on, I had to have it.
People definitely look at me when I wear it because I completely stand out. I see people looking at the skirt before they look at my face. I like it, but I’m uncomfortable. I feel like I shouldn’t be calling so much attention to myself and that I should be fading into the background more. And suddenly I’m back in 1991, in elementary school being teased teased mercilessly for wearing anything “different”, anything that was outside of the standard uniform of the day (whatever that was, I don’t even remember anymore). I learned to dress like everyone else in a hurry. But that was 20 years ago, this is now, I’m going to wear the skirt, and I’m going to learn to be comfortable in it. Otherwise, I might as well stop looking for these interesting, creative pieces and go back to the boring basics you can buy at Banana Republic. I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to look like everyone else anymore.
Anyway, it gets better every time I wear this skirt. By the sixth or seventh wear, I should be fine.
So I joined the 365 Fashion Rehab girls’ no-shop challenge last week, but actually I haven’t shopped for two weeks. It’s been 14 days already, just as long as I lasted the first time I tried this! Strangely, it’s so much easier this time.
But I nearly lapsed today because of MAC makeup.
It was a conscious near-lapse; at the beginning of the month I bought a few of their greasepaint sticks from the Art Supplies collection and I love them. But damn you MAC, they’re limited edition, and I wish I’d bought more than one of the “Uniformly Blue” one.
I stayed strong and resisted. If they still have them on May 15, I might then.
I’ve loved MAC for years. I’ve tried other high-end brands (Stila, Bobbi Brown, NARS), but I always go back to MAC. One of my best friends in university loved makeup, and every now and then we used to go get makeovers just for fun. I used to spend a lot of money on makeup and I used to experiment a lot, but now I pretty much have a routine, my staple products (now including those greasepaints), and it only takes me 5 minutes to put on my face in the morning before I go to work.
As always, I love the photos that go along with their collections.
Give Me Liberty of London: 
I picked up the Birds & Berries eyeshadow from this collection and I love it. It’s teal and the packaging is adorable, I don’t need to say anything else.
Riveting: 
I think I can be forgiven for a moment of weakness.
I’m a big fan of Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine, the original British What Not to Wear girls (Stacy London and Clinton Kelly have nothing on them). I generally agree with most of what they had to say about dressing, but their rules on staying away from black and never wearing black with colour (they claim that black cheapens colour) are the hardest to follow. In the winter, I wear black all the time (see here for example), and I always reach for the black cardigan because it “goes” with everything even though a coordinating or contrasting colour might be better.
But today I accidentally grabbed the purple cardigan instead of the black cardigan, and hey, it worked.
(Not a great picture, but I was just not having a photogenic day. In the end I said to hell with it and went with this one.)
Purple and teal, not exactly the most adventurous colour combination ever, but hey, it’s a start.
Spent part of yesterday catching up on Gossip Girl. Unfortunately, as much as I like Blair’s wardrobe, I’m getting really bored of this show. Nate and Serena? Don’t care. Dan and Vanessa? Don’t care. Jenny and her problems? Don’t care. Chuck and Blair? Don’t care. Even this past week’s “shocking” episode…really don’t care.
However, I did care about the Matthew Williamson dress that Blair wore; I would love to own it:
Very clever product placement for the Matthew Williamson, because he wasn’t really on my radar before, and now I want to know more about him and his clothes. (Unfortunately, I can’t afford $1,395 for a summer day dress.) The episode was also alluded to in the windows of his store in NY Meatpacking District:
If Gossip Girl keeps up the fashion element like this, I’ll keep watching. Otherwise, we’re probably through.
For someone who doesn’t really like designer bags, I’ve been surrounded by them lately. First was the trip to Michigan for the $1,600 Gucci bag. Then this week my older sister has been sending me links to Kate Spade bags she was thinking of buying. Unfortunately, they’re really ugly bags. Really, really, really ugly bags.
Eaton Square Maryanne, $425
She says she’s attracted to the girly these days. The only thing remotely girly about this bag is the square bow, and even that’s a stretch.
Barrow Street Bon Shopper, $245
Better, but still, it’s just a black tote bag with a white stripe and a bow. I wouldn’t pay $245 for it.
Eaton Square Polka Dot Straw Tote, $295
This is the worst one yet. It’s like Minnie Mouse at a funeral, and something a 60-year-old would carry, not a 35-year-old.
Glimmer Quinn, $295
She ended up buying this one. I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it. It’s a square tote that happens to be a little sparkly. But it fits her iPad. Hey, we all have our priorities.
One of my best friends has been really stressed out at work. She’s been working long hours on a project and dealing with a lot of work drama and crazy people at the same time. So she felt she needed a little reward after all of it.
This was her reward:
This is the Gucci Sukey Guccissima black leather hobo, USD$1490 before tax.
Usually, when I decide I need a present to myself to cheer myself up, it’s a dress, a top, maybe shoes, maybe makeup. Maximum $200. I can’t fathom spending that much on one single item, and I really don’t understand the appeal of the designer bag. I’m all for great quality and style, but I don’t like signature prints and I won’t carry an ugly bag just because it’s Gucci or Louis Vuitton or Coach. I try to understand, but designer bags…I just don’t get it.
At the same time, I’m in no position to judge the money spent because although I won’t spend that much on one item, I spend a lot on clothes and over time it’ll add up to that, and more. And I’m also an enabler; even though my friend and I have almost fought over our differing views on designer bags, I accompanied her to buy the bag…in Troy, Michigan, a four-hour drive from Toronto. We made it a fun day of girl talk and shopping and eating food we shouldn’t (Grumpy Cakes for breakfast? hell yeah!), and in the end, bag or no bag, it was great to spend time with each other.
