Anniversaries.

I’ve had a pretty terrible week.  Work stuff has been dominating; I screwed something up last week and couldn’t fix it quickly, leading me to spend the weekend freaking out that I was going to be hauled into my VP’s office and unceremoniously fired.  I texted a friend/coworker who told me I was being ridiculous and that was 0% chance I was going to be fired, and she needed to come over and beat me over the head.

It’s true.  I always, always fear the worst, because it never turns out as bad as I imagine.  You’d think the fact that I know it always turns out better would stop me from fearing the worst, but no, I think that if I think everything’s going to be okay, the opposite is going to happen.  I need to go into my brain and rewire, seriously.

Thank God for my boyfriend.

We’ve been blessed in my family with our choice of life partners.  Will and I have been together for 11 years.  My older sister and her husband celebrated 13 years of marriage (17 years of being together) in Italy yesterday.  My younger brother and his wife celebrated their first anniversary on Sunday. 

At their wedding in Ottawa a year ago (which my mother tried to ruin, but couldn’t), my sister and I walked our nephew Milo down the aisle.

He’s wearing a traditional Filipino barong, custom-made for him in the Philippines.

My sister is wearing a Nicole Miller dress; I’m wearing a dress by Anne Hung, a local Toronto designer.

 

Oak Apples

Fall decided to take a break today, so I took the opportunity to go tightless again.

 

• Oak Apple Dress by Moulinette Soeurs, at Anthropologie
• Banana Republic cardigan
• Bos & Conpany heels, at Balisi (Toronto shoe store)

I loved this dress from the August catalogue and bought it at full price, while everyone was oohing and ahhing over the Babergh Dress. But what’s an oak apple?  According to Wikipedia: a mutation of an oak leaf caused by chemicals injected by the larva of certain kinds of gall wasp.  Um, not the prettiest of images.  Or maybe it’s named after Oak Apple Day.  Doesn’t matter.  I love the dress.

More NY Fashion Week Love

Was still sick all weekend, but as luck would have it, I’m feeling better now that it’s Sunday night and I can go back to work tomorrow morning.

Maybe it was going through all the photos from NY Fashion Week and looking at all the pretty clothes that made me feel better. 

Here’s what I love and what I would buy, if only I could.

Carolina Herrara:

Vera Wang:


  
Doesn’t seem all that “spring”, but I still love the colour palette and all the detail.

Marc Jacobs:

Very 70s-ish, but I love the colours anyway.

Marchesa:

I literally gasped when I saw this photo. I think it’s crazy, but gorgeous at the same time.  I hope someone shows up on the red carpet wearing it.

Oscar de la Renta:

This is so spring-y, I can’t stand it.

Gorgeous.  I also happen to love Coco Rocha.

Monique Lhullier love

I am not a true fashionista.  I love clothes and I like to buy them, but I don’t follow fashion with the interest and knowledge of someone who truly cares.  I was never a Tavi Gavinson at that age, and I’m still not now.  I have expensive tastes, not couture tastes.  Quite frankly, as far as designer fashion goes, I could take it or leave it.

However, I have been following the collections thanks to Jezebel Fashion Week (been home sick the past few days and catching up), and I kinda want a Monique Lhullier gown now.  And an occasion to wear it.  But only if I could spell her name right the first time around.

Va-va-voom!

So Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly does cocktail or garden party.

 
This one is my favourite, because of the colour palette.

Ha’penny for your thoughts

Here I am trying Anthropologie’s Ha’penny Cardigan again (first tried last weekend).

I think it looked better the first time I tried it on, with the collar pulled all the way down.  It looks a little shapeless and sack-like now; it’s crying out for a belt, and I don’t do belts.  I don’t know.  I’m still debating, but $150 for a cardigan I’m not sure about is a lot.

Tweedy Leaves Dress by Tabitha, CAD$188.  I loved this dress in the catalogue shot, so I had to try it on.  I also love Tabitha’s ensemble dresses—it’s a lazy girl’s approach to getting dressed.  But I already have the Doubly Dapper Dress, so I think this one will be a pass for me, as much as I love the print.

Transitioning…

Ah, Sunday nights.  It’s the time when I think, “oh fuck it, I have to go to work tomorrow morning” and “what have I accomplished this weekend?”  Last weekend (long weekend) it was absolutely nothing.  This weekend I had a list as long as my arm, that included putting away my summer clothes and pulling out the fall/winter stuff.

I share my bedroom closet with my boyfriend, and unfortunately it’s not big enough to store all seasons, so when the weather changes, my summer clothes get folded into a box.

Bye-bye flip-flops…bye-bye sandals…bye-bye summer dresses…

The good news is that I have a lot of clothing that works for both seasons, with the addition of a heavier cardigan and tights.  But there are some pieces that are really just summer only.

Like my beloved Height of Summer dress…

And the Circle the Globe skirt…

It could probably work with tights, but to me this is a summer skirt, so I’m ok with putting it away for this year.  I’m just not looking forward to the wrinkly mess it’ll be when I pull it out next May.

The other thing I noticed was that everything I was putting away is colourful, and everything I pulled out was black or grey.  A little depressing.  As much as I’ve already said that I love the cooler weather, putting away the summer clothes makes me a little sad.  But onwards to fall!  Hello to Wolford tights and the Cream Confection Jacket and my beloved Soïa & Kyo trench coat.  And my trip to Europe!  So it’s ok.

From summer to winter with nothing in between

I know I said I like cool weather, but today was frickin’ cold.  Why is there never any transition weather?

• Doubly Dapper Dress by Tabitha, Anthropologie
• Cardigan by Bordeaux, Anthropologie (can’t remember the name!)
• Tory Burch flats
• Hilary Druxman necklace

My legs were freezing.  I could have used a coat.  But I refuse to wear a scarf yet.  It’s still technically summer!

Looking forward to Paris in style.

Last year I travelled a lot—five weekend trips to Ottawa (not so surprising, my family lives there), a week in Vancouver and Victoria, a long weekend in Boston, an extra-long weekend in Martha’s Vineyard, a whirlwind 5-day trip to San Diego/Orange County/Los Angeles, and a weekend in Chicago. It was fun, but exhausting.  This year, I’ve only gone on one weekend trip to Ottawa and one long weekend to a luxury cottage in the Muskokas, but I am really looking forward to my trip to Dublin, London, and Paris next month.

Will is really looking forward to our trip, and he’s been making all the travel plans while I haven’t been feeling well over the past few weeks.  He found a very trendy place for us to stay in Paris, the Apostrophe Hotel.

This is our splurge on our trip, so Will went for the room with the soaker tub (because I LOVE soaker tubs).  To get a better price, he signed up for the “romantic night”, which means the hotel will spell our initials in rose petals on the bed.

We are not that shloopy.  But it’s Paris, so we’ll try to stop laughing and be romantic.

I hope we get this room….

 
Since the tub is in the same room as the bed, the reviews advise that you don’t travel with someone you don’t want to see naked.

Ooh, maybe I want the room with the literature on the wall.

I can’t wait!  Only 4 weeks to go!

Window shopping

Now that I no longer want to be a hermit (I actually want to go out for walks, rather than sitting inside in the air conditioning), I’ve been window shopping all over Toronto.  Well, as much as I could over the long weekend. 

It really is only window shopping at Holt Renfrew (Canada’s answer to Neiman Marcus), because I can’t really afford anything in it.  I always love their window displays though.

Always eye-catching, and the speech bubbles made me laugh.

It’s jacket weather!

It’s chilly outside and I LOVE it.  I can breathe again after a summer of paralyzing heat and humidity.  I have ENERGY.  And I don’t want to dress like a skank ho!  I want sweaters and jackets!

So with this regained energy and desire for layers, I took myself over to Anthropologie at Don Mills early this morning in search of the Cream Confection Jacket.  They had it in black, I tried it on, I bought it (exchanged the Stemmed Sweetbriar Dress).  Unfortunately, the pictures I took in the dressing room turned out really blurry, so I’ll have to take some better ones later.  Unfortunately only the black was available (the tan came in on Monday and sold out within days, and no cream yet), but it’s the colour I wanted anyway. 

So after I got what I wanted, it was time to try on a whole bunch of other pieces and have fun.

Ha’penny Cardigan by Moth, CAD$148.  I first became intrigued about this cardigan with the catalogue shot, and also by Carol's unadulterated love for it.  No way I wasn’t going to try it on.  But I’m confounded, as Tim Gunn might say.  I love the length and the softness, but the ties and the collar and how it does up like a cape confuses me.  I don’t know.  I’ll have to try it on again.

Boucle de Souffle Jacket by Elevenses, CAD$148.  I thought I had to have this after seeing it in an outfit set on the website, but I had to check the fit.  Unfortunately, the fit is off so it’s a no.  Off the wishlist.

The cream (in a size up) didn’t do any better either.

Rushcliffe Cardigan by Charlie & Robin, CAD$178.  I would never buy this sweater, but I had to try it on anyway.  It looks awful on me, but at the same time I wish I were fabulous enough to be able to pull it off.

  
Dreamy Days Cowlneck by Bordeaux, CAD$68.  An underpinning of some sort is definitely required, because you can see belly.  The fabric is also so flimsy it’s practically see-through.  I look skinnier, but I wouldn’t pay $70 for this.

 
Monologue Top by Bailey 44, CAD$118.  A version of the summer Chantico Tank with sleeves.  Nice, but not interested.  Also, I think it makes me look slightly thicker around the middle.

? top by C. Keer (I think), I can’t find this on the website.  It’s a ribbed knit slash-neck top with ruching and buttons on the cuffs, with floral appliqué at the neckline.  It’s a nice fall top, but nothing that special for me.

Norwegian Woods Skirt by Edme & Esyllte, CAD$98.  I’ve always wanted to visit Norway, and I have a weakness for hot Norwegians and their pop music (my guilty pleasure since that concert last spring), but that has no bearing on me liking this skirt.  In fact, it surprised me that I picked it up because I don’t usually gravitate to this kind of print.  But I really loved it; soft yet sturdy fabric, pockets, great length, good shape, reasonable price (well, for Anthro).  I don’t think it looks that great in the picture, but serious consideration for my fall wardrobe.