Raincity Bloggers

So I'm doing a terrible job at keeping up with this blog, which I started largely to prove to myself that I could start a project and follow through with! But, I'll cop out and say I've been busy getting ready for a big trip in June...And it's to a major fashion capital so hopefully when I return I'll have plenty of interesting material.

In the meantime, I've been scouring the web for some Vancouver representation in the fashion blogosphere. Although one of my favourite things about going through my Bloglines is seeing what's going on style-wise in faraway lands, it's also just as fun to see what's happening in my own backyard.



Vancouver's answer to the Face Hunter, The Commodified (above), snaps stylish Vancouverites with a definite hipster bent (not really my scene but fun to browse). It was also home to quite a controversy, the likes of which I don't think I've come across on other street style sites.

Beyond Robson has a fashion blog that is more news-oriented, useful for tracking Vancity-related fashion news. However, it doesn't seem to be updated super-frequently, which I think speaks to the fact that Vancouver is still very much a emerging fashion city.

So far my favourite of the Vancouver blogs is The Ongoing Project by Violetwired. I like her cute-but-polished thrift-store injected style and her pretty handmade accessories that she sells in her Etsy shop, Unravelled.

>> On a sad note, Vancouver Canucks defenceman Luc Bourdon died today in a motorcycle accident in New Brunswick. He was only 21. I'll never forget cheering "Luuuuuuuc" at the '06 World Junior Championships at the Pacific Coliseum. He will be missed.

Cranford

Hopeless costume drama addict that I am, I was predictably glued to the BBC adaptation of Cranford that's been on Masterpiece Theatre the last few weeks. Aside from being a really superb miniseries, I was intrigued by the way clothing and fashion played a really big role in the characters' lives, from the unconventional choices of the newly arrived Dr. Harrison, to the way the ladies of Cranford often gather at Johnson's shop to admire textiles and share gossip, to the fate of the wedding dress muslin originally intended for Matty Jenkins. The subdued palette of the costumes had my gears grinding on how to translate the look into my wardrobe. I loved the way the country florals and muted plaids and stripes jostled together without ever looking too busy, and Lady Ludlow's decadent frocks had just the right amount of restraint. And I can never watch a period piece without simultaneously wanting the pretty frocks of the ladies and the dandy getups of the men.




But how to make this all work? Typically slow-on-the-uptake, I haven't exactly jumped on the juicy florals for SS08 bandwagon, especially since I'm always more inclined to wear neutrals rather than allover brights. And while the floral explosion look that others play with so well isn't really my cup of tea, the quieter, Liberty-print florals have been a fixation for me since a I was little kid. Luella's much-referenced SS08 collection is a starting point, but I'm thinking not so much geek chic and a bit more sharpness...something like these pretty blouses in dusky, faded tones anchored down with menswear.



And maybe a dash of decadence like this lace cuff from Time Travel Through Accessories on Etsy.



I feel like denim might be too obvious a choice to add contrast. I love what this girl on TheSartorialist does to contrast her country florals. Maybe a springier version of this look...making it all work is another story.

Have a Sandwich

I picked up this excellent little Sandwich windbreaker/rain jacket the other day at a random sale. Sandwich isn't necessarily a label I thought I'd ever buy, but I was pulled in by the endless ways of wearing this jacket. I'm loving the gentle chareuse shade for summer, and yes, I do need a rain jacket for summer, this is Vancouver after all, it will never stop raining but I just wasn't feeling the Gore-Tex .



So many snaps and drawstring pulls, it's way too much fun.

Channeling Chuck

I seem to never get around to watching TV shows these days but I've been addicted to Pushing Daisies lately. By now the whole Amelie-by-way-of-Tim Burton visual style has been pointed out for either adoration or revulsion by everyone who's watched it, and you can count me in the former camp. Although sometimes the over-the-top aesthetics feels like eating too much candy (or pie?), it's fun to watch a show that's so different from everything else on the tube and all those bright colours make me happy in an Umbrellas of Cherbourg sort of way. Plus I've developed a wee crush on Lee Pace as Ned...

Anyways, all this PD-watching has made me want to frolic in 50's frocks all the time like Chuck, and I had to give the look a whirl. I'm just really not one for bright florals, or all-over bright in any form, so I did the best I could with what I had. The bathroom mirror shots weren't working so I tried the full-length in the basement...that used to be a dance studio, hence the bar! As you can see the lighting is horrendous, so I'm gonna have to solve this (ie buy a full-length for my room) ASAP-ish.



Shirtdress - Esprit; Scarf, Belt - vintage; Tights - American Apparrel; Shoes - Aerosoles