Seven Songs

I was tagged by Shay of The Ongoing Project for the seven songs I'm into right now. Here they are, with video or links to listen.

The Last Shadow Puppets - Standing Next To Me



I listened to this album a lot on the bullet train in Japan. I didn't really know what to expect from an Alex Turner side project but I love the retro romanticism of the record.

Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma
This is such a fun, summery-sounding album

Sam Roberts - Taj Mahal
I haven't listened to his new album yet, but hopefully will do soon. This just reminds me of his wicked gig at Deer Lake Park a couple summers ago with Broken Social Scene. I wish he was coming here this summer, I hate how bands who are playing Pemberton seem to be skipping Vancouver.

The Jam - Pretty Green



Mark Ronson/Santogold's go is alright but you can't beat the original.

Don't Rain on my Parade, from Funny Girl

Because Barbra Streisand is awesome and I need to watch more musicals.

Blur - Country Sad Ballad Man
I have no idea why this song keeps getting stuck in my head.

Radiohead (well, Thom & Jonny) - The Rip (Portishead Cover)




I'm convulsing with excitement for their show...less than 2 months! This is a gorgeous cover of a great song.

I've been away so I haven't followed who's already been tagged, so if you come across this and you want to be tagged, here you go!
The rules are: "List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to."

And now, back to figuring out my Japan posts...

Back at long last

I'm now back home in Vancouver after an absolutely unreal time in Japan, my first time there in 10 years. I crammed every day full of tons of exploring, shopping and eating, so I was pretty wiped out, but it was worth it. I started out in Tokyo and made my way to Kyoto, Osaka and Fukuoka. I was pretty excited that I actually managed to find a bunch of clothes that fit (though half of them were just t-shirts from Uniqlo). Shoes proved impossible, as did jackets and basically anything fitted, but I was very satisfied with my haul.





I was too shy to ask people so I didn't take much in the way of street style photos other than a few random snaps of passersby which mostly turned out blurry. Of course, I saw lots of the notorious costumey looks like these kids in Shibuya, but in general Japanese style was all over the map. I was fascinated and inspired by the relentless experimentation, but also marvelled at how closely trends are followed and executed. The meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of life never ceased to astound me, from gorgeously presented desserts to face covers in changerooms to avoid getting sweat/makeup on garments, to this girl's sneaky subversion of the school uniform via Playboy bunny socks.

I tried to soak up as much as I could, and I will have lots of Japan-themed posts coming up over the next week or so, so stay tuned!

Jet-setting

>>I'll be flying to Japan on Tuesday for a couple of weeks. I don't think I'll have a chance to blog while I'm away, but when I come back I'll have plenty to report from Harajuku to Hakata.

Saturday strolling

Jacket - RW&Co; Skirt - Old Navy; Tights - The Bay; Bag - Winners
...I need to work on the exposure setting for my outfit photos...With other stuff I tend to be more careful but with photos of myself I just want to get it done

I thought I was going to be working Saturday, but that didn't happen, so I had a free day to wander around Kits. It reminded me of how much I want to move back out to that area. When I lived at UBC I loved strolling around...often on a weekday afternoon when I decided I wasn't quite feeling up to Chaucer.

During my ambles I scooped up this top and scarf together for $5 at an SPCA thrift store on West Broadway before eating lunch on a secluded, rocky section of the beach. (Actually, the top is lingerie, but it's all in the name of layering)

Excursion to Deep Cove

Top, Chain belt - Jacob; Skirt - Zara; Tights - Tabio; Scarf - vintage, borrowed from my mum; Shoes - Nine West, from Winners



Yesterday I went to one of my favourite shops, Room 6 in Deep Cove. The owner of the store, Megan, is very sweet and she sends out lovely e-mail newsletters (her store's motto is "special things for nice people"). She carries lots of adorable accessories, clothes and gifts, often from local designers. I picked up some gifts there yesterday, including these cute coin purses from Vancouver accessory line Astrosatchel. Also, my beloved Marimekko rainboots are from there!

Feeble footwear

The black flats from the other day and these gold PF Flyers are my only presentable flats now. I kind of realized that I was having a shoe crisis and all my flats were battered and some are unwearable. Hopefully my upcoming trip to Japan will solve that! Although I'm wary of shoe sizes...I'm already not holding my breath on being able to fit clothes (5'8+not twig-like=no sizes for me in Japan). I will, however, load up on legwear at the fabulous emporium of Kutsushitaya, aka Tabio.



Trench - Zara; Shirt - American Eagle Outfitters; Skirt - United Colours of Benetton; Belt - secondhand; Tights - The Bay; Shoes - PF Flyers

Rainy office days

It really is raincity around here these days, apparentely we're just not going to have spring or summer this year. I felt a bit buttoned up at work today, but it was just so cold in the morning that I needed my layers. I think it might be the combination of the weather and uninspiring office work but I'm definitely feeling a style rut right now. Good thing I'm jetting off on an exciting trip next week! (more on that later)





Cardi - Monsoon (London); Shirt - Jacob; Skirt - United Colours of Benneton; Tights - American Apparel; Glass pendant - Gift from Italy

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

Loving the versatile

Stopping by Spank Clothing on Granville St. this past weekend, I came across a pretty wicked "cardigan" (I would use the term loosely) by Montreal label Covet. I saw it on the mannequin and thought it was just a normal drapey shrug-type deal, until I tried it on and discovered that it was one of those highly-convertible miracle garments. Since I'm the opposite of a frivolous shopper, and have a very hard time buying something that can't be worn in many ways, this little number was right up my alley. Needless to say, for $79 I scooped it up. Not exactly cheap but there's oodles of bang for the buck in there, as they say.
It's also very soft and comfy to wear. I considered buying it in the shade that Susie of Style Bubble would call grurple, but I thought the cream would mesh with my wardrobe better. But now I'm thinking of going back and nabbing the other one too...

There are so many ways to wear it boggles the mind, and I've been having a lot of fun playing with it. If you just pull it on it has a long drapey front panel like so (please excuse the bathroom setting, dirty mirror, poor lighting and sketchy photo taking):



But if you swing it behind your shoulders or twist it around there are infinite ways to wear it. Straight up cardi/shrug, shawl-top, cape-esque...



My favourite so far is the asymmetrical cardigan style:



Now if only this second winter will cease so I can flit about in light layers rather than a wool coat!

Let's call the calling off, off!

Time to dip my toes into the water, after so much trepidation. I don't really have a manifesto because I'm not quite so organized or focussed. I think to start with this blog will be more in the "scrapbook" vein, cobbling together various images and influences that are inspiring me at the moment. Apologies for the thoroughly underwhelming introductory post, hopefully it'll all be uphill from here!

Right now I can't get the image of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in Shall We Dance, zipping around on roller skates and not missing a beat of choreography, out of my head. I think their roller skate routine captures what's so lovable about that pair - they always look impossibly stylish, but at the same time, they always look like they're having so much fun. All their films are exactly the same, but I think that's what makes Fred and Ginger movies such great comfort food - reliable, frothy romance. And every time I watch one of their films, I feel compelled to pin my hair up a la Ginger or add a sparkly brooch and try to channel some 30s glamour. I'm all for having fun with style so I think the spirit of Fred and Ginger is a good embodiment of what I plan on embracing with my little foray into style blogging.