Browsing Tag

The Anthology

My friends are do-it-themselfers

Sonja, for example, modified these earrings by putting beads and bells on loops.

beaded-earring-detailThen putting the loops on hoops.

sonja-earrings

For just the right amount of razzle dazzle. Speaking of Sonja’s razzly dazzly jewelry, take a look at her rings.

earring-detail

I think you (not me) could take this loopy idea and use it to make a really pretty bracelet. Maybe stringing the loops on a thin strip of leather and then wrapping the leather around your wrist a few times? Just a thought.

More shoots and shenanigans

Love going for brunch with my girlfriends. Do it every chance I get (speaking of, what are you guys doing on Saturday?).

jessi-mtv-after-show1

Last weekend, we went to Bridges on Granville Island (where I used to tend bar) which wouldn’t be unusual except that we went with MTV, thanks to my friend and favourite MTV host Jessi Cruickshank who was in town shooting a Jessi-comes-home-to-see-her-friends-and-family-then-goes-to-Tofino-and-learns-to-surf special.

jessi-mtv-after-show-chains

She found her dress (love the print) in Toronto.

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While everyone else wore summery clothes, I was buttoned up in my plaid LAMB jacket to protect my fair, fair skin from the bright, bright sun.

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Laura’s dress is one she and her mom designed. And made.

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The whole thing was captured on film by MTV’s Jason who shot more than 13 hours of film over the weekend. Which means between that and our night at the Roxy, I’m placing my screen time at five seconds. Plus or minus three.

Style for thought

If you could have anyone’s wardrobe — alive or otherwise, fictional or not — whose would it be? My friend Briony would chose the Queen of England.

briony-granville-island

For two reasons: one, she figures she’d still have all her clothes from the past eight decades; and two, she wouldn’t mind having the crown jewels.

briony-close-up

I’m having trouble picking one person’s. I’d love my sister’s wardrobe, and all my girlfriends’ too. 

antique-key-necklace

Briony made her necklace by stringing antique keys and a pendant on a piece of leather. So simple, so cute.

vintage-bag

Her bag is vintage.

briony-shoes

Think about it. If you could pick anyone’s wardrobe whose would you chose? Jacqueline Kennedy’s? Jane Aldridge’s? Carine Roitfeld’s?

One woman’s scrap is another woman’s skirt

Last week I went to see the WZRDZ at Lucky Bar in Victoria. Their drummer is my baby brother (the student and sometimes model) so my sister and I rocked wizard capes (obviously), but these two wore something just as magical.

victoria-dress-skirt

Kim and Megan crafted their ensembles from the same vintage dress. They found the original piece at the Patch in Victoria, then shortened it to create a dress and used the leftover pieces to sew a skirt.

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My scraps usually get scrapped, but this is sheer genius. 

vintage-victoria-dress-skirt

I plan to steal their idea. Isn’t it just brilliant?

I want my MTV (Canada)

Typically I’m out cold by 9:59 on a Thursday night (I have a gran-tastic bedtime). But this week, I downed an espresso and went to the Roxy(!) where one of my best friends (and favourite MTV host) Jessi Cruickshank was doing a shoot for MTV’s After Show.

jessi-mtv-after-show

We spent the night giggling about our friend Briony’s recent engagement (yaaaay!), getting denied by the band (turns out they don’t play Backstreet Boys) and trying to look natural while dancing on stage (to Emin-freaking-em).

mtv-after-show-shoot

Best dressed that night had to be Laura in her thrifted Moschino boustier, which Anji found for her in San Francisco.

mtv-after-show-jessi

No Mom, I don’t yet know when it will air, but as soon as I do, I’ll let you know.

Update: If you’re in Canada you can watch it on MTV.ca. You won’t want to miss our in-depth discussion about Twitter.

Mixing and matching the mismatched

Take two bright, bold vintage pieces, add them together and what do you get?

plaid-jacket

An outfit fit for a BBQ.

silk-blouse-detail

The blouse is a silk vintage Ralph Lauren number (as if the golf buttons weren’t enough, it used to have shoulder pads before I took a pair of scissors to them).

plaid-jacket-silk-blouse

All that red and all that gold — there’s nothing subtle about it. 

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What could be more fun than tacky on top of tacky?

Nothing’s quicker, easier or delicious-er

than a caprese salad.

caprese-balsamic-reduction

If you use baby bocconcini, whole leaves of fresh basil and cherry tomatoes, you don’t have to chop a thing. My sister’s served it shish kabob-style on a toothpick but I didn’t have any so I opted for a shot glass — something I do have plenty of.

caprese-salad

If you drizzle it in balsamic reduction, it’s probably the best, most summery salad in the world — I’ve included a recipe after the jump.

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Wore this sweater to brunch

Spent forever on my friend’s sunny patio. And now I have the most wicked forearm tan.

black-gold-sweater

Love that this sweater is sparkly gold (and glitters like a disco ball when it catches the light).

black-gold-sweater-detail

It’s straight out of the eighties (hard to believe, I know).

gold-belt-detail

The belt is the one I wore on the Style Spy.

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My favourite part of the sweater isn’t the razzle-dazzle glitter, though. It’s the batwing sleeves. How can you not want to flap your arms wildly in something like this?

In stark contrast

to what it was before, this dress is now something I’d wear out of the house.

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To brunch, to lunch, to dinner, wherever.

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It’s sweet, but not too sugary sweet.

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What did my husband say when he saw the transformation?

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“It’s so short.”

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You can’t win, can you?