Grey

spectacles

2009-07-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

checking out my new glasses in action. i have to remember to wear them now.

i couldn't resist buying these sunglasses on ebay, but i think they look silly on me!

number nine number nine number nine number (n)ine

2009-07-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

diana time

2009-07-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

say hello to my lomo pictures from japan (version october 2008) i finally got them developed.

oc recommendations?

2009-07-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

i'm heading to huntington beach next week for two days (work related)- anything to suggest? (restaurants? shopping?) i'll be staying right on the beach (pacific coast hwy at beach blvd. i think), so i'm hoping to at least enjoy some sunsets and walk along the sand. get ready to see the palest person you've ever seen, huntington beach! i'm packing my spf60 sunscreen! i've been there before, but about 9 years ago, fresh out of high-school on a road trip with some friends. the only thing i'm thinking of doing is taking a cab ride to costa mesa to south coast plaza, because there is a j.crew cardigan that i want. not sure if it will be worth it once cab fare is considered...

lift

2009-07-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

the three lift stores- especially lift etage- are fantastic stores that we visited in tokyo. all three are located in daikanyama, with the first two at daikanyama address, a multi-use complex consisting of shops, residential towers and amenities. don't let that fool you though, i will let these pictures speak for themselves. simply amazing.

they have an excellent selection of rick owens, drkshdw, ann demeulemeester, carol christian poell, ma+, label under construction, martin margiela, the viridi anne, damir doma, guidi, haider ackermann and many more. website here.

it looks like scoute will be featuring them in their next issue, so hopefully they will have some new pictures that capture the mood in lift etage- it's really phenomenal.

lift ecru

i purchased a drkshdw top here. true to japanese standards, it was wrapped beautifully in tissue, placed in a paper bag. the paper bag was then wrapped in a plastic bag, and given a 'dress'- a protective heavier nonwoven fabric with a drawstring top because it looked rainy outside. i felt a bit ridiculous carrying around this contraption, but i gather it is the norm as far as higher end retail packaging goes. i really wanted jon to take a picture of me holding my bag-skirt, but we forgot.

lift etage

lift etage is the kind of store you want to linger in all day... these pictures don't really do it justice.

lift position

the smallest and most casual of the three stores.

ann d in seoul

2009-07-14T16:25:00.001-07:00

i was having sushi at lunch today with some friends, and was reminiscing a bit about tokyo. i was thinking to myself that on my first visit the architecture surprised me. there is so much variety in the styles of buildings and very interesting shapes, treatments and materials used. it was very inspiring from a form and texture standpoint.

which brings me to this beautiful building for the ann demeulemeester store in seoul, korea. by mass studios.

see more picture here

pass me my hearing cone...

2009-07-12T22:24:00.000-07:00

my eyes are failing me. well, that's not entirely true. they're really not that bad at all. but i've been experiencing some headaches and blurred vision, so i figured a vision test was in order. i think the last one i had was in elementary school. it turns out i'm (barely) a candidate for glasses when reading/doing detail work! yippie! actually i've always wanted glasses- in grade 5 my best friend had glasses and i desperately tried to convince my parents that i couldn't see, so i could get some cool glasses. it didn't fly. now i have a bonafide prescription, so yesterday i went to the optical store and picked out a pair of glasses.

this store actually had an impressive selection of brands, including oliver peoples, tom ford, persol, rayban, paul smith, etc. and everything was 50% off. except oliver peoples. so of course one of the two glasses that were my favorites was a pair from oliver peoples. the other is a pair from rayban that were half the price. raybans it is! i would have loved to try on a few styles from persol, but unfortunately they only had one style in stock.

this is the pair from oliver peoples. i was looking at them in black, but the honey and clear versions are very cool! i might have to try them on for fun when i pick mine up.

very very similar to the raybans, but in person the frame is a bit chunkier.

can't wait to get them!

luddite

2009-07-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

yes yes... i finally joined twitter. see to left.

two tone

2009-07-07T23:31:00.000-07:00

i'm kind of into this two-tone hair look i've been seeing a lot of lately... it's pretty fun! i've been wanting to do something drastic with my hair. when i was younger i used to do all kinds of crazy things to it. i had a bright orange bob inspired by mila jovovich in fifth element (one of my favorite movies btw), purple, and then there was the years i like to call 'the black period' where my hair was all combinations of black with blonde bangs, black with bright yellow streaks, black with purple, black with red, etc, and all with either bettie page bangs, pointy vampire-like bangs or sausage roll bangs. and now just brown. plain brown.... i feel a need for something fun and childish.

all pics from dropsnap.
i'm addicted to that site.

damn i miss tokyo.

(i will try to stop ending my posts like this every time i mention something related to japan.)

ebay find: rick owens shearling

2009-07-05T22:11:00.001-07:00

ok, i love my new r.o. shearling, but seriously- this coat here is like an urban legend. my heart palpitated when i saw it on ebay. it's pretty amazing.

in case you're in need of one, or if you are santa claus doing some early x-mas shopping for me, bid here.

acne outlet

2009-07-02T18:22:00.001-07:00

did you know acne jeans has an online outlet? i didn't! until last week.

i ordered this long-sleeve jersey mini dress, that i've wanted since last season. it's in the 'tops' section btw. black wasn't available, but purple was (along with electric blue) i have no purple in my wardrobe, but i love the colour and it looks great with black! it's super soft, has a double-layer body and long comfy sleeves. it's going to be perfect for fall and cooler summer days.

sheepskin pouf

2009-07-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

i'm loving this sheepskin pouf from west elm. if only we had room, and didn't have sheepskin on our kitchen chairs, and flokati rugs in the bedroom. so much furry-ness in 1 big open plan space might be overload. i almost want to buy this just to have it for 'later' (ie. when we live in a place that can fit it, because it's so fabulous)

giveaway!!

2009-06-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

*thank-you for entering! the contest is now closed. congratulations to hanna!*

you are in luck! i was contacted last week from chickdowntown.com to hold a contest for a free item of clothing of my choice! (ps. they have a massive sale going on right now, i was actually browsing the site before i was emailed to do the contest!)

as a prize, i picked a pair of current/elliot skinny slouch jeans (a $214-248 value!). this is my favorite fit of jean- a bit narrow but still comfy and slouchy. they are giving you a choice of three colours if you win:

super slouchy skinny, as seen here (my personal favorite)

skinny slouch in loved, as seen here

or skinny slouch in love destroyed, as seen here

so here are the rules:

-leave a comment and tell me what you would wear with your jeans if you win.

-make sure there is a way for me to contact you if you win. so include your email, or at least make sure your email is in your google profile (and your profile is open to view!).

-the contest will close July 5 at midnight, when a winner will be randomly chosen.

-the last rule, (sadly) this contest is only open to US residents! sorry! (i can't even enter my own contest)

tabi love

2009-06-29T19:20:00.000-07:00

ok, i think it's officially time to stop buying clothes and start buying tabi sock patterns. seriously! damn you 1stdibs! i want these sooo badly!

actually i really like anything that's mounted on a little black stand like this.

speaking of tabi...

hello there, distressed/dipped tabi from totokaelo!! i would like to have you, but not for $775.

and hello giant satchel. i would like to have you as well. i haven't checked in with impulse/totokaelo in a while. i had no idea they were carrying margiela (and drkshdw) this could be dangerous!

i went to the margiela store in tokyo (omotesando) lets just say... it was torture.

so many tabi variations. so many colours.

(image from naoyafujii again)

i'm obsessed.

UF3-Q

2009-06-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

say hello to my new lamp! it traveled with us back from tokyo. we got it at hhstyle in harajuku. we were looking for a ceiling lamp to put over the dining table, but they were out of stock on most of the ones we liked. so the plan is we're going to retrofit the UF3-Q to hang over our table.

we were originally looking at the hanging L3 lamp, but i think our little polka-dotted space ship UF3-Q will look great!

this is a picture of hhstyle in harajuku. i forgot to take a lot of pictures when we were there, so i will share a few from one of my favorite flickr-ites naoyafujii.

(image from naoyafujii's flickr)

6-14-2 jingumae - shibuya-ku - tokyo

(image from naoyafujii's flickr)

this is the building right beside hhstyle. it is now the nike street wear (nsw) store, but i have seen it still referenced as the hh style building other places. it is pretty amazing, inside and out, especially at night, as you can see.

i miss tokyo.

also, watch how akari light sculptures are made:

monocolour dream coat

2009-06-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

the holy grail

you have chosen... wisely.

beetle and flor

2009-06-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

i love ceramics and porcelain. and i also love natural history, including skulls.

design*sponge posted these great porcelain animal skulls from beetle and flor today. i just love them! especially the beaver skull with the gold teeth.

they also make porcelain skunk and muskrat jaw pendants.

they have an etsy store here.

i really want that beaver skull! 5 months till my birthday! i will start my list now.

summer polish

2009-06-24T19:28:00.000-07:00

over the past 8 months or so, i've been a bit obsessed with nail polish.

last summer, since i was homeless and not spending money on rent, i would frequently get my nails done. why not? painted that is. no crazy fake nails. then when we moved into our new place i would give myself manicures at the dinner table at night while watching tv.

there's a great blog that i've mentioned before called 'all lacquered up' that is an excellent resource. she paints all the new colours from all sorts of brands on her own nails and shows them in different lights so you can get a real idea of how they look.

on friday i got a white manicure and pedicure. i wasn't sure how i would like it, but it's actually a fun, fresh colour to have on your nails for the summer. but it's wednesday and my fingers are chipping already.

here are some colours i'm liking for summer. i'm not into the obnoxious brights.

peach.

peach with a white and pale grey outfit? yes. i've been trying to push peach on some of my clients, who are resisting. maybe for the next meeting i will have to paint my nails peach.

mint.

this is coming out in the fall. looks amazing on the runway. i will be sharpening my elbows to get to the chanel counter for this!

evergreen.

an alternative to the dark purples i've been favouring.

all pics are from all lacquered up.

margiela earrings

2009-06-24T14:56:00.000-07:00

i've been on a bit of an online shopping rampage lately. i tried to shop in person on a few occasions this week, but it's just so frustrating! i have specific things that i'm looking for, and somehow when you have that agenda, you can't find anything. online shopping has spoiled me.

i did find one excellent item while out shopping- i will share later. finally have them checked off my list! ooh! which reminds me! i made a 'holy grail' purchase a little while ago. i must get the tripod out for some photos.

i ordered these margiela earrings from aloha rag. i had been looking at them for some time. i'm slowly expanding my jewelry collection.

i would really love to have some pamela love pieces (cuff and talon necklace) but unfortunately the budget doesn't allow. not when my options for summer dressing are very limited (ie. need summer wardrobe), and the fact that i've been trying to save up for a new handbag for a year. somehow that never works out. current savings? $0.35. oops.

adrift in tokyo

2009-06-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

a few weeks ago jon and i went to see 'adrift in tokyo' aka 'tenten'.

i highly recommend it. there is a better trailer on youtube than this, but i can't find it now.
it finished playing at tinseltown in vancouver, but it's back on july 23 at pacific cinémathèque's kibatsu cinema film festival.

there are a total of 7 films playing over 5 different days in july. check out the link above to see the dates. i'm definitely going to check some of them out. how can you resist a movie called "komaneko: the curious cat"?!

edit: arrrghhh crap. i just realized that all but one play on thursday nights! i just started a watercolour class that is thursday nights for the next month. blast!!! just my luck.

white out

2009-06-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

ok, maybe not white-white, but white-ish. i've always wanted white jeans, but every time i try them on i just feel like they are too bright and harsh. my inability to dress for warm weather has led me to purchase this pair of light wash jeans. considering the 2-3 pairs of jeans in constant rotation in my life are black (diet butcher, acne, ksubi), i think these will be a welcome addition and help me to at least stay cooler during warm weather. look ma! knee vents!

sass and bide's neon nights in bleached out. i've never owned a pair of sass and bide jeans before, but i do love their australian cousins ksubi, so i'm hoping these will be a perfect fit. they're just about sold out on my catwalk, but if you're a size 31 or like anything else on the site, i found this coupon code for 10% off "ladylicorice"

i love these shots from net-a-porter's magazine. that purple lace balmain top? pretty fabulous- especially the super-saturated grape colour. the shoulders look funny when you hold your arms like that... the makeup is pretty though- maybe i should put my chanel smokey eye palette to use.

baboon, baboon, baboon!!!!

2009-06-17T23:37:00.000-07:00

errr... mandrill...

i think these christopher kane t-shirts are kind of fabulous. i also like the chimp. they are quite the statement. is this the evolution of margiela's 'summoning the storm' t-shirt dress?

aarrgghh

2009-06-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

work is so crazy right now! 1 more day (tomorrow) and things will cool off a tad. in between all this work i've been browsing the internet like a mad woman! it's so bad. i was trying to curb my endless clothing browsing, but alas, it is a beast that cannot be tamed. there are so many sales going on right now, i just can't help it!!

i have to share this polyvore set because i'm thinking of bringing some super bold colour into my life! jon is skeptical, but i think with the right accessories it would be an easy addition to my wardrobe... what say you?

yes or no? by stealthmodesteph featuring Tibi

au petit chavignol

2009-06-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

last night we had dinner at au petit chavignol on east hastings. such an odd spot for a nice restaurant, but at least it isn't crawling with hipsters (yet). the building is quite cool, built in the early 1920s and was used by the royal canadian naval reserve. their cheese shop, les amis du fromage, is situated next door. unfortunately by the time we finished our meal, it was closed, but i would love to go back and pick up some cheese (particularly some of the goat cheese with black truffle oil and some yummy brie.)

their menu is based around cheese, meats, wine and casual french entrées. there was a lot to choose from, so we opted for a tasting platter (various meats, cheeses, crackers and bread), poutine and a croque monsieur, all to share with sparkling pear juice. i think two dishes would have sufficed, as we were really stuffed by the end!

jon was particularly enamored by their slicer, a huge red industrial steering-wheel operated device, that sliced up paper thin pieces of prosciutto behind the bar. unfortunately once the food came, i was too hungry/excited to bother to take pictures of it, or the rest of the restaurant.

les amis du fromage holds cheese and wine tasting events, which i was interested in first, before i discovered the restaurant. you can see the different events here, which include french, italian, and 101 tastings.

845 East Hastings St.
Vancouver, BC
Tel (604) 255-4218

cook with jamie

2009-06-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

i got the 'cook with jamie' cookbook for christmas, and though i've read and flipped through it a few times, i haven't actually cooked a recipe until this week. i tried three of jamie's recipes this week, and they were all really good! i'm not the greatest cook, but i'm trying to cook more so i get better. i was surprised that the recipes actually tasted good after i was finished with them!

ps- we're growing herbs and they're still alive! ie. i haven't killed them yet!

roasted white fish wrapped in bacon, with asparagus and lemon mayonnaise. this was really really good. i used cod with european smoked bacon.

tagliarini with yummy light, zesty summertime dressing. i added grilled chicken breast.

any other good cook books out there? i would really like to incorporate more vegetarian dishes into my diet....