melissa patchuli wedge

while up at yonge and eg scouting a store, i stopped into a shoe place and these puppies caught my eye. vibrant cobalt blue wedges made from seamless plastic with a peep toe and an ankle strap? yes please. wedges are perfect for stomping around town in - or biking in - and these ones are padded inside for extra comfort. i do wonder how they would wear in the sun though... pain or not, they're a refreshing take on a summer wedge.

mr. mcqueen

my internship at the magazine has ended (though i'm doing a touch of freelancing for them at this moment in time) and as a bit of a ta, i received the wonderful lee mcqueen tome, savage beauty, which is filled with images of his most ambitious, stunning, iconic, fascinating pieces. perfection. oh how i wish to get to new york to see the met's exhibit. time's a ticking and i think it shall pass me by......

brethren by evan biddell

i popped into upc boutique in yorkville yesterday to check out biddell's new (and more affordable) collection, brethren, which saw its debut the night before. much of it had already been snapped up by hogtown's resident biddellites; the remnants included two trains of thought which didn't seem to be particularly connected. slouchy, gothy, urban pieces with shredding and sheer panels were spotted next to far more polite dresses that gave off a 50s vibe. to me they seemed to belong to two different collections; both however were equally as seductive. grey racerback dresses with sheer black edging had an alexander wangish feel, while tops which saw sheer bits extend into a skirt made me long to throw on some high-waisted panties and hit the town. a bronze crinkly dress with a nipped-in waist and an oh-so-high hem would bring a bit of edge to an afternoon cocktail fling. i was slightly put off by the finishing on one garment (a bit of a wobbly stitch), but overall i quite liked what biddell had to offer.

store: upcboutique.com

brethren: brthrn.tumblr.com

jessica simpson

oh miss simpson, how silly. her of the the heaving bosom and the fluctuating weight and the failed relationship and the 'sexual napalm.' but wait, she's also a fashion empire in and of itself: she's projected to bring in one billion this year! while we were all mocking her, somehow she managed to attach her name to endless products, products that we can all afford and - wait for it - actually want! how many times have you been sifting through the shoe racks at winners, hoping for an irresistible deal on a balenciaga heel but instead find yourself grabbing at and then unveiling a simpson product? it's happened to yours truly a number of times. the quality may not be on par with those olsen twins' goods, but simpson's not aiming for the weel-heeled crowd, she's got her sights on your average mall-goer who wishes to pick up a cute outfit for one hundred. well, good for her. now, i should probably pick up some of those extensions....

rainy days

rainy days are good for strolling through st. lawrence market oohing and aahing over fresh veggies healthful pasta made from wheat harvested on thursday or root vegetables that are rapidly rising in price. quiiiick! or for eating teeny tiny cheese samples that you can barely pick up with a toothpick but you forgive the lady for cutting so small because she is wonderful and cares deeply for her product and you wish she was your great aunt. or for dipping pretzels into mustard samples that are crusting over a bit from being left out all day not to mention the pools of fat in the middle from pork that's been undercooked and then doused in the grainy substance. and you're a vegetarian but that's ok because you've been known to eat tipsy poutine while just removing the bits of bacon from your delectable soggy fries. or for sitting in a drizzly park under a cheap umbrella while sipping on an iced coffee given to you by a girl by the name of jerusalem who's made it far far too sweet for your liking but you drink most of it anyway to not waste money. or for popping into that charming nicholas hoare bookstore (which rhymes) to warm up and look at cookbooks on persian cuisine with lots of pomegranate or chocolate cakes with delicate latticework carefully placed around the circumference which is all making you very hungry. or for flipping through funny coffeetable books on things like notes with elaborate notes by french artists from the turnoftheothercentury who refused to do something as mundane as write a packing list instead drawing out each thing they needed to bring on their trip making you think that you should draw everything and then fill your walls with funny little pictures of poorly drawn shirts and jackets and shoes with laces and pleated skirts. so maybe i will.

what i wore

so. i shall begin documenting my weekly outfits for fun. i'm always fearful of forgetting moments of my life, so this will serve as a reminder of sartorial hits and misses. just because.

top: vintage skirt, earrings from korean street stall, value village belt, yak wool scarf from northern india

above: vintage kimono from kyoto, korean dress, vintage belt and bustier

all vintage but for vest from zara

pants from zara, bra from urban outfitters, top from h&m, and i made the necklaces myself

mango leather jacket, korean pins, dress from my mother bought in the 80s

vintage jacket, h&m faux leather shirt, pants from mango, boots were a present from a friend!

FAT alternative fashion week 2011 day two

this post should've been put up already, and yet saturday i was running around town, sunday i was sleeping and organizing, and today i've been writing all day! so we'll be short. best shows of the night were worth by david c. wigley (what a delightful presence on the runway!) and colleen booth. opening with a ballerina done up in make-up reminiscent of nicola formichetti's tatted muse, rick genest, wigley shone when he mixed soft and hard elements together, like in his closing dress - long and flowing harness-like detailing in the straps. booth's show was full of energy, and the models (or clan of hooligans!) made their way down the runway wielding various weapons of their choice. at one point we were treated to a hilarious fight, much to everyone's enjoyment. the clothes were upcycled pieces fashioned from vintage sweaters and so on to create comfy loungewear that was easy to move in, as aptly demonstrated! sadly i missed ica watermelon - there were technical difficulties and the show was pushed into the next time slot. i could've stayed but was already fading and couldn't muster up the energy to make it.