top 10 of 2010

sorry i've been so bad about updates, the internet at my house is really fickle and uncooperative right now. i hope all of you are enjoying the remaining days of your break! i wish you all an unpredictable and memorable new year and hope you are all bidding adieu to this last decade. we're in the last couple hours of 2010, so i thought it would be fitting to do a list of the top 10 trends of 2010!
listening to: auld lang syne- various artists

nü yok

merry christmas to all! hope you're all enjoying your holidays as much as me. i just got back from nyc yesterday morning and i had a super fun trip! see more pics inside the post.
highlights:
- saw my first two broadway shows (jersey boys and billy elliot...omg see them both right now)
- food, food and more delicious food at pastis, butter lane, the grey dog, trestle, malabar hill, candlelight inn, etc.
- amazing art at the moma and at the galleries in chelsea
- finding out we were on the same block that ryan gosling had moved into recently
- NEW YORK HOT DOGS (i ate an unhealthy number)

hiatus

as i mentioned earlier, i'm leaving today for nyc with my friend molly! hope you all have a great holiday and i'll post when i have time!

one ticket, please

it's that dreaded time of year when you have to endure long and uncomfortable rides. whether you're going home for the holidays or leaving for vacation, i'm sure you're more excited to reach your destination than the hours you'll spend on the ass-cramping seats of the bus (don't worry, they have these small wonders of upholstered polyester on trains and planes too).
i'm taking an overnight bus tomorrow to nyc, so i thought it would be helpful to make a list of things that will keep you and your traveling buddy occupied. for those of you traveling alone, you are running the risk of sitting next to
a) the passenger who appears to have avoided all human contact for the last month (seriously, why else would they talk at you for the whole 10-hour ride)
b) the passenger who is eerily silent, keeps checking their watch, has absolutely no baggage and keeps one hand in their jacket pocket at all times. um...switch seats or get off the bus.
c) the passenger who is having a meltdown with their bf/gf on the phone, complete with waterworks, accusatory comebacks and...actually, this passenger might be fun to sit next to. unless they finally get off the phone and try to ask you for advice. in that case, just pretend to be sleeping.
so if you are solo for the ride, i recommend plugging in your earbuds and popping a valium.

for you lucky ones who are traveling with friends, here are some things you can do to help pass the time:
1) this one requires a pre-boarding warm-up: while waiting at your gate, scan the other passengers and find the one with the biggest hair (your best target would be an elevated 'do, something with curls or lots of hairspray).  grab a seat behind them on the bus and spend the whole ride trying to get as many objects (your shredded bus ticket, sandwich wrappers, dust bunnies) in their hair as possible without them noticing.
2) exchange phones with your friend for exactly 1 minute in a free-for-all text massacre. see who can send the most wildly inappropriate texts to anyone in your contact list (including your old driving instructor, carl) and spend the next hour sending apology texts to those few lucky recipients.
3) have your friend make a list of all your ex's/crushes/hookups and check to see how many they get right. if they get 100%, rest assured that you're traveling with a true blue friend. if not...give them the boot. just kidding. you have the rest of the ride to catch them up on anything they might have missed.
4) play what i like to call 'shuffle roulette'. give an earbud to your friend and put your ipod on shuffle. before each song, predict what it'll represent (i.e. "this next song will be the anthem of your wedding" or "this next song represents your next encounter with a toilet").
5) count to 20,000. it's actually really fun a fail-proof way to fall asleep, which happens to be the fastest way to make the time go by.

good luck and i hope you have a safe trip!
listening to: we're looking for a lot of love- hot chip

new kids on the block

two up-and-coming fashionistas: chloe moretz and elle fanning
how cute are these two? chloe's only 13 and elle is 12 but that's not stopping them from wearing labels like rodarte, stella mccartney, miu miu and marchesa, to name a few. the great thing is they're not trying hard to look older than they are; all of their outfits are age-appropriate yet so gorgeous. i know i was still itching under the collar of my laura ashley dress when i was their age.

on another note, i'm officially done my exams!! so looking forward to two weeks of relaxing.
listening to: swisha- ratatat

pics from coolspotters and justjared

genuine ken

have you guys heard of this new web-reality show called genuine ken: the search for the great american boyfriend? i hadn't either. it's being hosted by whitney port, and it's set to air on hulu.com starting january 18th. variety says:

In the reality show, eight men between the ages of 21 and 30 will compete in a series of elimination challenges to prove that they possess Ken’s qualities in order to be “the ultimate boyfriend for every occasion,” including being able to surf, design, have a sense of fashion and show a romantic side.


um, they have to be able to design? really? i'm getting the feeling that my 'genuine ken' will not be among those eight contestants. apparently the purpose of this show is so mattel (the company that makes barbies) can create ties with the "older age group". i don't know how successful it will be, but i will probably tune into an episode or two regardless to see what it's all about, and to get my dose of whitney now that the city is cancelled. 
on another note, whitney's real life ken, ben nemtin, has a great reality show called the buried life that you all should watch if you haven't already. it follows four guys (all canadians!) who are trying to complete a bucket list before they die. the show is super funny, super inspirational and super original. watch it here. 

whitney port and ben nemtin

and while we're on the topic, some of my genuine kens:

ryan gosling, joseph gordon-levitt, ben affleck, chris martin

pics from google images

only for the haute

came across the fall/winter 2010 couture collections on style.com and was not disappointed. i chose my favourite looks from elie saab, chanel and givenchy. elie saab's gowns are incomparable to anyone else, i love the contrast between chanel's intricate clothes and the simple hair & makeup on the models, and well...the givenchy dresses are just works of art. i can stare at them all day. how do you even begin to create something like that??
listening to: crimson and clover- joan jett & the blackhearts

all pics from style.com

peroxide

i love how bleaching your hair can give instant glamour and edge to your look. it's something i really wish i could do but i have proof from google images that bleach blonde hair on asians do not work.
i wouldn't recommend self-bleaching your hair at home because i've heard it can be quite tricky. i think this hair colour could look really striking during the winter, so if you're bored with your hair and want to shock your friends when you come back from the holidays, book your salon appointment for a complete transformation!
listening to: heart it races- dr. dog

pictures from google images

inspiration monday

because it's dark and dreary outside.
watch this to cheer you up.

images from hanneli, fashion gone rogue, jak & jil, tfs

eat like a nomad

british set designer tony hornecker is behind the brilliant idea of the pale blue door, which is being called 'half vagabond restaurant, half art installation'. with exhibitions in london, santiago, buenos aires, glastonbury, and most recently, berlin, the concept has been a huge hit. the actual pale blue door that travels with them to each city is the door to tony's home in london. basically, tony and his team scavenge the streets of their current location for scraps to build the restaurant. the result? something magical that's both ethereal and childish. for 25 euros each, the customers will get a simple meal of a salad starter, roast beef served with potatoes and greens and a fruit crumble for dessert. and if that's too plain for you, the guests are serenaded by drag queen entertainment throughout their meals! they are set to do a tour of south america next year, driving from chile to columbia so if you're lucky enough to cross paths with this ridiculously neat experiment, please check it out!
go to tony hornecker's blog for upcoming dinners and dates.

the pale blue door in berlin

see the rest of the pics here

pics and info from tony hornecker and this reuters article

it takes two

hollywood: the land of the beautiful, the talented and the stylish. it's only natural that they would pair up, isn't it? here's a list of some of my favourite well-dressed couples.
listening to: dark matter- the ghost of a saber tooth tiger


1. diane kruger and joshua jackson
ever since these two got together, diane has been working her magic on josh's closet. these lovebirds always look relaxed and casual when seen in public together, yet they totally know how to glam it up when it comes to the red carpet.

2. garance doré and scott schuman

with each of them having very successful fashion photo blogs, it's only natural that they met over taking the same picture. garance's chic parisian style mixed with scott's love of overcoats and wingtips make a match made in fashion heaven. 

3. kate bosworth & alexander skarsgård

i'm not even sure if these two are still together, but they make such a cute summer couple. kate's coachella outfits were perfect and alex's neutral coloured palette matched anything she chose to wear. what a gentleman.

4. charlotte kemp muhl & sean lennon

she's a model, actress and singer and he's the only child of john lennon and yoko ono. is that enough? if not, check out their current musical project, the ghost of a saber tooth tiger. i've been listening to it all afternoon!

5. ashley olsen & justin bartha

i think she is pretty much on everyone's list of best-dressed celebs. but who knew that she had a stylish counterpart (and no, we're not talking about mary-kate)?? justin's rugged style of plaid shirts and beaten up jeans meshes perfectly with ashley's sophisticated girliness.

all images from google images

also, thank to college fashion for featuring my post how to lose a guy in 10 minutes in their hautelinks! check it out here!

real kids never grow up

let's face it, we don't stay young forever and for most people, forgetting their childhood and all of its accompanying mortifications is what they wish for everyday at 11:11. nobody looks back fondly on the day their winter snot drooled onto their neckwarmer as their playground crush watched open-mouthed or when their lunch of leftover shepherd's pie got stuck in their braces years later (in front of same playground crush...do you never catch a break??). i admit there are a lot of things about my childhood that i would never want to re-live but i sometimes forget about all of the great stuff that should totally rule out those embarrassing moments. i've recently rediscovered some favourite things from my youth that made me realize i can still be a kid again without having to build a time machine (which, from what i've heard, takes a lot of effort).


1. crafts
who didn't love arts & crafts in elementary school? you always got to make molds of your fingertips with elmer's glue when your teacher wasn't looking and you got to bring home a creation that only your parents would call 'amazing'. even though i didn't turn out to be...you know, a professional crafter (does that exist?), i can revisit the magical time of 'arts & crafts' with amy sedaris's new book, 'simple times: crafts for poor people'. a wildly funny collection of low-budget crafts, you're bound to find something easy and hilarious to make that will impress your friends, such as a 'milk carton skid row' or 'tampon ghost'.

2. bright & loud watches
i don't know many people that weren't swept up by the baby-g craze back in the 90s. these chunky, plastic digital watch wonders were all the rage and i remember begging my parents to let me get one. i think the main appeal of them was the wide range of colours that were easy to identify; i would look on jealously as my classmates wore their bright, thick watches underneath their sleeves (even though it made their left wrist looks disproportionately large to the rest of their body, it still looked pretty darn good). now that i'm older and i have my own credit card, i can finally purchase whatever watch i desire, and luckily for me, bright watches are back in style! they've been spotted everywhere from my campus to paris fashion week. plus, i've finally learned how to read an analog clock!

watch by oasis

3. board games

back in the day, my idea of a rip-roarin' friday night was breaking out monopoly and winning boardwalk or park avenue. why in the world did that change? i had forgotten how fun these games were until, a couple weeks ago, my friend molly brought over apples to apples and we had a blast playing it all night. whether you play them sober or convert them into drinking games, please go to your closets, dust off your board games and invite people over for a memorable night. 

although this is not a real list item, take a minute to laugh at this....

remember teva sandals? i know you owned at least one pair of these quintessential summer kicks. well i guess the people over at teva are riding the same brain wave as me tonight because they recently launched teva stilettos. i'm 100% serious. check these babies out. the weird thing is, from a distance i could mistake it for aldo's latest shoe in a funky graphic print. i wonder if they're mountain hiking friendly?

last thing: i saw pics from the allsaints children look book on the senses five and was blown away. these are the best-dressed kids i've ever seen. is it weird that i'm coveting a little girl's coat?

images in this post from amazon, style, asos, best games, trail journals, refinery 29 and allsaints

'tis the season

only 16 days until christmas, and that means the season of holiday parties is looming. i may not be receiving e-vites left, right and center, but a girl can dream...
there's always something decadent about fashion during the winter holidays, probably something about all the faux fur and sequined accessories. i love, love, love dressing up but rarely get the occasion to do so, so here are some outfits i pulled from the internet. maybe it'll help someone out there get inspiration for a great holiday party look!
listening to: shelter- ray lamontagne

dion lee rorschach silk-crepe t-shirt dress, gipsy cyclone footless tights, giles & brother hanging chain earrings, topshop premium round cameo style metal box bag, forever 21 faux fur coat, carvela attempt peep toe platform shoe with ankle strap

asos friendship pack, tba self stripe silk lounge pants, asos premium embellished crop top, asos black boston leather laced shoeboots, sondra roberts pleated box clutch

topshop peephole cropped top, topshop premium solstice maxi skirt, whyred helix hinge, forever 21 animal print fold-over clutch, forever 21 rhinestone teardrop earrings, miss kg cupid peep toe sandal with jewelled ankle strap

asos black exaggerated ruffle coat, asos black cornelli detail mesh maxi dress, santi rhinestone frame clutch, butter london 3 free lacquer in big smoke, banana republic starbright button earring, aldo sandidge platform wedge shoeboots

stuffed

i was in the mood to try some new dishes today, and i had heard such good things about the avocado toast served at café gitane in nyc, so i did a quick trip to provigo and got my supplies. i also figured that i would want to eat something sweet after, so i got the ingredients to make these russian tea cakes (recipe here). here are the results!
listening to: north- phoenix

sea salt & rosemary focaccia topped with avocado, lemon, olive oil and red chili flakes

russian tea cakes with toasted pecans and coated with cinnamon icing sugar

and here's a picture of something i made last week:

steamed pork dumplings topped with spicy peanut butter sauce and green onions

tuesday (pronounced /ˈtjuːzdeɪ, ˈtjuːzdi/)

i desperately needed a good tuesday after a particularly bad monday, and it seems as though my wish was granted. got up early to write an exam that went well, had some delicious japanese 'bar food' at big in japan with my sister for lunch, found a $20 comme des garçons harness tank at eva b, came home to find we were dog-sitting the cutest pup for a couple hours and that my long-awaited asos package had arrived! am luvin' life.
i found this cool video...have no idea what it is (spoken word in canon?) but it's hypnotizing in a weird way. 



RASHAAD NEWSOME & ALEXANDER WANG - MOVE! At MoMA PS1 from V Magazine on Vimeo.


on another note, after seeing those fuchsia pants in the j.crew post yesterday, i'm really craving some bright cropped pants.

images from streetfsn, karla's closet, tfs

 

j.crew

we practically had a blizzard in montreal today and it really got me excited for the holidays. i'm working on a post with my favourite holiday party-wear outfits that will probably be up by the end of the week. until then, here's some great inspiration from the new j.crew collection lookbook! i love the shoes in pics 1 and 3.
listening to: sweets- m.craft

see the rest of the lookbook here

give me her closet

one of my biggest guilty pleasures since coming to university is watching tv while i eat. it's so relaxing and you can put your brain on auto-pilot while you satisfy your craving for pizza. come finals, i'll often re-visit my favourite shows that will cheer me up amidst the sea of textbooks, notecards and pens. for me, sex and the city is truly a show that i will never tire of. each 30 minute episode manages to juggle humor, relationships and incredible fashion. and speaking of the fashion...

carrie bradshaw, played by sarah jessica parker, is definitely my favourite style icon on tv. her outfits are always so unpredictable! honestly, nothing can look bad on her.

and when the movie came out...! i don't think i've seen better styling, ever. the first time i saw it, i remember my mouth hanging open in every scene. everything that is worn in that movie is perfect. here are some of my favourites:

pics taken from sarah jessica central, fabsugar, instyle

listening to: love for granted- phoenix

home improvement

i went through a phase a couple weeks ago where i became obsessed with home decorating sites. i love my apartment and room, but we haven't really had many chances to decorate yet. i can't wait for finals to be over so i can concentrate on some diy and photo printing! some of my inspirations at the moment:
listening to: my list- the killers

i love how the sink pipes are exposed...reminds me of an upscale high school bathroom

pictures from lonny mag, ny times, pearl street interiors, freunde von freunden, honestly...wtf