Mrs. Penguin

My friend and I joke that Will is a penguin because he's always warm and rarely gets the indoor temperature cool enough for his liking. If I'm complaining that it's too cold, he's perfectly comfortable. It's 68 degrees inside our condo and he's sleeping with only a thin sheet, while I'm all cuddled up under several quilts. One morning he opened the window after I got up, and when I went back into the bedroom to get dressed it was so cold I really was expecting a bunch of penguins to be hanging out with him in there. Or a couple of puffins. We are in the northern hemisphere after all.

By extension, I'm Mrs. Penguin, and it's somewhat apt. I don't like it as cold as he does, but I've always preferred the cold (well, cool) to the hot. I love this time of year. I'd much rather be slightly cold than boiling hot.

I know it's November. But I'm refusing to accept it and stubbornly hanging on to my fall jacket (it's the Cream Confection Jacket, of course I will) as long as I can. I've seen people in full winter gear already, but I'm sorry, it's not cold enough for Canada Goose jackets yet. It was gorgeous double-digit (C) weather on Friday!

But ok, I may be dressed a bit seasonally-inappropriate today.

Aritzia T. Babaton Jolie Blouse | Club Monaco Celia Skirt | Hilary Druxman necklace | Michael Kors heels

I am wearing very sheer tights à la Kate Middleton, but it's not really a fall outfit. If I keep this up, I’m gonna freeze in January.

 

All in my head

One thing (out of many) that I find frustrating in my life is that I love food (loooove) and I have multiple food allergies, of multiple degrees. On my must-avoid-cuz-I-get-hives-or-possibly-worse list are peanuts, shellfish, and coconut. On my I-really-should-avoid-but-I-won't-die list: wheat (that's a tough one), eggs, dairy, strawberries, tomatoes, and corn. It's tough. I carry an Epi-pen and Benadryl at all times. I'm not perfect, but I don't have a death wish. 

 

Today, I had a cup of Alpine Punch tea from DAVIDsTEA, started to feel a little itchiness in my mouth, checked the ingredients on the label, found nothing to be concerned about, checked the website, found out the tea contains coconut which is not on the label, went WTF?, poured the rest of the cup out, had a Benadryl, and emailed customer service.

 

I normally hate to make a fuss about my allergies. Not everyone is understanding; some people still think allergies are "all in your head" and a sign of weakness (like my friend's mom who keeps trying to feed me shrimp, or this poor woman's aunt). Or at the opposite extreme, they think all food is going to kill me (like my mom). But in this case I checked the label and asked the in-store staff before I bought, so I did all that I could, and I felt I should say something about it.

 

Customer service called me, apologized, came up with some lame excuse about there not being enough room on the label to list all ingredients (um, maybe they'd have room if they edited the ridiculous story about Swiss furry little men with long beards), said they're in the process of changing all their labels to include full lists of ingredients, and promised I could exchange huge offending tea with something non-allergenic.

So anyway, perhaps a few lessons learned here. I can never be too careful, and I shouldn't be afraid to speak up.

And since this is primarily a personal style blog, here's what I was wearing when this happened today.

Jacob sleeveless top | J.Crew Jenna's Cardigan | Ayala Bar necklace | Anthro Liquid Acres Skirt | Wolford Satin Opaque Tights | Michael Kors heels

Muppet style

Miss Piggy may be a pig and a puppet, but she has great style.

She’s the face of a mini MAC collection, Miss Piggy for MAC, available online.

She looks good in diamonds..

She’s not afraid to eat doughnuts.

She can channel Anna Wintour.

She rocks leopard-print gloves and looks less than impressed with Ryan Seacrest.

 
She has an entourage to help her look fabulous.

She knows how to flip her hair.

She does glam red-carpet to perfection.

She has a softer side.

(All photos from Flare.com)

The first movie Will and I went to see together was Muppets From Space, 12-1/2 years ago, so they do have a little sentimental value to me. Looking forward to the new Muppets movie! :)

I’m ok when everything is not ok.

If I keep saying that over and over again, it’ll be true, right?

I had a pretty lousy week, more family drama that I unwillingly keep getting sucked into. I just wish everyone would just work out their shit without dumping it on me; I have enough of my own to deal with, thank you very much. My cold also got worse and I spent most of the week at home with a box of Kleenex, trying to get some work done at the same time. I finally made it out of the house yesterday for a walk and some window-shopping. Shopping always makes me feel better.

Club Monaco striped knit top| Roots organic cotton leggings | Anthro Cream Confection Jacket (Idra) | Geox Boots | Marc by Marc Jacobs Hillier Hobo

The knit top and leggings are my “going out” version of pyjamas. So comfy, yet acceptable. And after being condo-bound for a few days, it was really nice to put on “real” clothes and get some fresh air.

I wandered up to the Club Monaco in my neighbourhood to browse and I ended up trying a few things on:

Nell Leopard Dress – This is not something I’d ever wear, but I kinda like it. I’m wearing a size M and it’s a little loose, I would have liked to size down but no S left. The other downside was that the fabric was a little scratchy. There is a silk short-sleeved version that I need to try on next.

This is it without the belt, probably better with the belt.

Misty Top, size M & Gwyneth Long skirt, size 8 – the photo doesn’t show it well, but this is an insanely flattering faux-wrap top that I snapped up because it’s so insanely flattering.

I love the skirt, it’s a perfect shade of metallic grey, but it’s on my “think about it list” because I’m not sure how “me” it is. It also seems a bit fancy for me, but this is a great example of dressing it down. I’m definitely thinking about it.

Anthropologie catalogue: November 2011

I’m a little late with my roundup of the latest catalogue, but I won’t miss a chance to gush over some gorgeous photos.

November 2011 – Christmas is right around the corner, so better start shopping!

atacama cropped cardi, quite a spectacle necklace, gracia dress, opaque tights, bold strokes satchel, tegu platforms

ice amulet necklace, light posy shrug, flared & cabled sweater dress, opaque tights, tegu platforms

embroidered mirabillis dress, bintage scarf corset belt, fishbone tights, tegu platforms

limited edition rickshaw ($2,200 + $300 s/h) – not sure who would actually need/want this?

balanced fizz mobile ($798 + $75 s/h) – love

neo-houndstooth coat, hewn cosmos necklace, fluted ponte dress, opaque tights, tegu platforms

condesa breakfast bowls, condesa breakfast mugs, wavering glasses – bright colours make me happy

clareta chandeliers, airy sparkle cardigan, beaded stripe shell, hand-dyed pleated skirt, opaque tights, tegu platforms – inspiration for colour mixing

roshan chandeliers, shaggy wanderings cardi, eyelet peplum blouse, AG stevie, fairisle clog boots

split diamonds shift; scrunched leather gloves, opaque tights, hearted mary-janes; jeweled nymphs cardi, brocade paisley dress, cuzco clutch, opaque tights, tegu platforms – curious about both dresses, need to try them both on

charms

azulito champagne coupes, azulito dessert coupes, curious deciduous side plates – love this colour palette

setting suns clutch, cuzco clutch, elena clutch

vintage books boxed set ($2175)

ivictrolas – these make me laugh and I think I need one for that reason

kiddies! – I love those boots, do they come in my size?

owlet hat – this is so cute I can’t stand it

sea story sailboat ornament, vintage glass narwhal ornament, octopus ornament, glass walrus ornament

oronaments – pretty

snow globes

furrowed eyelets cowlneck, suniva belt, iamb wide-legs, buckled paddock boots

plumose cardigan, fenestella tee, textured smoke belt, gauzy wide-legs

soi pompom necklace ($468??), flared & cabled sweater dress, dusted tights, knotted buckle booties – I think I’d like to be wherever she is.

Colourful legs

I love colourful tights, but I struggle with them. I don’t know how to wear them without looking like I got dressed in the dark, so I usually end up wearing them with all black. Or I just go the easy route and go with black, grey, or nude.

So today I tried to step out of my comfort zone and try colour with colour. And I don’t mean the red nose because of this nasty cold I started.

Anthro Oak Apple Dress (Moulinette Soeurs) | Mexx cardigan | Wolford Velvet Opaque tights in Ivy | Michael Kors heels

I don’t know though. A bit too matchy-matchy with the cardigan?

fill in the blank Friday

It’s been a rough week. I’m toasting the end of it with a sugar-free blackberry-raspberry popsicle. (I live on the wild side.)

I’m way too exhausted to come up with a post on my own, so I’m joining in on fill in the blank Friday.

1. My favourite thing about this week is Will being back home from vacation. The fact he brought me salted caramel chocolate truffles and Wolford tights from London is pretty great too. My second-favourite thing this week was my half-price haircut on Tuesday.
2. Colder weather makes me happy that I’m not sweating anymore, but anxious that even colder weather is coming soon. I love fall, not that keen on winter.
3. Three things that make me terribly happy of late are peppermint and lemongrass tea, Elle Macpherson Intimates bras, and gluten-free bread that actually tastes good.
4. If I could only wear one kind of shoe for the rest of my life, I’d choose a classic round-toe high-heeled pump.
5. My personality type is ISFJ. I’m an introvert and terribly shy, but apparently I fake it really well because people don’t believe me when I tell them that.
6. I have a serious problem resisting anything with salted caramel.
7. My favourite colour to wear is blue. And black and grey.

Anthropologie Cream Confection Jacket (Idra) | Anthro Alluring Sway Skirt (Cartonnier) | Wolford Velvet Opaque Tights in Ivy | Michael Kors shoes