You remember these, right?
Well, they’re back! And they’re better than ever!
Because they are now shorts! Which makes me want to, um, jump for joy.
They’re still as pleated as ever, they’re still as acid washed as they were originally, but now that they’re shorts, they’re downright funky.
It’s an extreme makeover, Hammer pants edition. And it’s a miracle that they turned out as well as they did. I’m not going to lie to you, I was worried there for a minute.
Went to an art show last night at Leone celebrating Vancouver artist Gina Miller‘s mixed media works (which are beeeautiful!).
And it got me thinking about mixing media.
Like coupling the soft flowiness of a silk blouse…
…with the roughness of a wool jacket.
And this isn’t just any wool jacket either. It’s a men’s battledress jacket, no less. I found it at an antique fair last year (note the date on the label) and it’s been keeping me warm as I battle the Vancouver weather.
My clutch? It’s woven reeds embellished with snakeskin cutouts.
Aha! More mixed media!
And yes, I am blogging in the foyer of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. We’re about to go backstage but before we do, I’ve been reading the synopsis and here’s the story in a simplified nutshell: Figaro and Susanna are engaged.
One problem though: he’s a valet and she’s a maid. Which would be fine except that their master, the lecherous Count, has a thing for Susanna and intends to claim his feudal right to take a manservant’s place on his wedding night.
Oh dear.
But this being opera there are love triangles a-plenty and Figaro and Susanna are only one of the many would-be couples facing drama trauma. Who will outwit whom? Who will disguise himself as a woman to learn dirty secrets? Who will end up in a much older suitor’s bed?
I can’t wait to find out. To read the full Manga, click here.
Update: After heading backstage for a pre-show talk (see my friend Briony exploring above), we’re sitting front row, which is fantastic (unless you want to read the surtitles) but we get to see the opera the way the conductor sees the opera, which means we have a clear view of all the sweat and the spit.
And this is how polluted my brain is: I’m watching Mozart’s masterpiece and I can’t help but think of Gossip Girl. Figaro and Susanna = Dorota and Vanya. I mean, really.
But the Marriage of Figaro is to the opera world what the Nutcracker is to the ballet world: it is accessible, popular, and full of melodies anyone would recognize. Which is why Briony and I are having an absolute blast.
And let’s say that opera was the Marriage of Figaro. What would you wear?
A wedding dress? Of course you would.
I found this beauty at a vintage shop and even though I’m already hitched I had to have it.
I’m getting it shortened so it will be more of a ballet length as opposed to an I’m-going-to-the-chapel length. (I’ll post the “after” shot along with the big reveal of my Hammer pants post-makeover.)
I’m guessing the dress is from the sixties. But the spookiest part about it? The initials sewn inside — they’re mine.
Oh! Miike Snow. Their show the other night in Vancouver was so gat dang fantastic, they have me seriously considering re-seeing them at Coachella this weekend. Even though their set time conflicts with Phoenix.
And you know how much I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really love Phoenix. (Coachella, you are cruel for pitting these two against each other.)
But Swedish pop powerhouse Miike Snow put on the second-best show I’ve ever seen. (What was the best show, you ask? It’s a tie between !!! (Chk Chk Chk) and that Britney Spears show where she threw a tantrum and stormed off the stage.)
So what do I do? Stand by my old love, Phoenix? Or ditch them for my new love? Help!
P.S. I’ll be tweeting my face off from Coachella. So follow me.
the more fun it is to accessorize.
Short shorts, long jacket and Frye boots? Sounds pretty classic to me. Which means it’s game on. Bonus points if the accessories hold memories.
Take, for example, the gold bracelet I found during my recent trip to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It reminds me of sun, sand and, well, shopping.
Then there’s the blue and gold bracelet I found at CRS Trading Post in Britannia Beach. Stopped there on our way to Whistler last weekend, which means it reminds me of sun, snow and, well, shopping.
The Trading Post is also where I found my car’s newest accessory, the dream catcher. Which reminds me: I should start planning some dreamy roadtrips for the summer.
P.S. Follow the Anthology on Twitter. And get bonus bonus points.
Look to Mother Nature. Because she know what she’s doing. And if a colour palette is good enough for her, then it’s good enough for me.
Let’s take the peacock feather for example. The forest green, the deep purple, the navy blue and, when the light hits it right, the splash of yellow. (The peacock headpiece, by the way, is one of two custom pieces made for me by Vancouver’s Alice Hart.)
Stripes, florals, miscellaneous geometric patterns — they all work together beautifully when Mama N picks the palette.
She makes the potentially disastrous practice of print-mixing as foolproof as can be.
In fact, I’d say she’s the best stylist a gal could ask for.
And it was finally spring-y enough to wear a summer dresses (underneath a faux fur jacket, but still).
This particular number I found in Turkey last summer. And it’s got everything I love in a dress — bat-wing sleeves, light material and a beautiful print. Makes me think I need to get a similar one made in a different print.
My boots? Didn’t have to travel quite so far to find them. They’re from Umeboshi on Main Street.
Just when you thought I couldn’t get any nerdier, I bought a ticket to the YVR Twestival. What’s a twestival, you ask? It’s a novel idea, really. It’s people meeting. In person. And socializing. In person. And networking. In person.
Plus, it’s for a good cause. Are you going? Let’s get our geek on!
Photo by Miss 604.
P.S. You can find me on Twitter here.
If you read the Zoe Report, you’ve heard Rachel Zoe talk a lot about her “uniform” — wide-leg pants, tranny heals, etc. etc. So it got me thinking about what my uniform would be.
For work, it’d have to be a vintage jacket, oversized scarf and pencil jeans. The blue and white striped shirt? It’s from H & M. The short sleeve blazer? Straight out of the eighties, ladies.
And then there are my red shoes. Though they’re not part of my uniform, I love them because they remind me that, no matter how much I love travelling, there’s no place like home.
So what’s your uniform? Jeans and a t-shirt? Dress and flat boots?