bonnie and clyde.

ooh la la

Maybe it's because of the burlesque show I'm involved in, or maybe it's because of the new boy (ooh la la!)--but I have been mildly infatuated with lingerie. What's been catching my eyes the most, are lovely flashes of thigh/ the thigh high stocking and the garter belt.

(photocred: google and chicismo.com)

(photocred: google)

(photocred: weheartit.com)

(photocred: weheartit.com)

Wear the look (aka how to rock visible garter belts without being too scandalous): layer garters and thigh highs over stockings. Play peek-a-boo with belted oversized men's dress shirts and brogues. Go grunge by wearing layering too small slips with ripped thigh highs + garters and throw over an oversized blazer, flannel shirt or cardigan.

back to school style.

Since I'm formally making my big stinkin'-grand-pooh-bah return to Halifax next week, I've been stressing about what to pack! since Halifax rarely goes over 23 degrees, it's time for me to say goodbye to summery dresses and hello to chunky knits, luxe fabrics and possibly my absolute most favourite accessory after the waist cinching belt--the scarf.

Yet, this post won't focus on one of my favourite things ever, but more about overall, complete looks for fall.

For the most part, I'm extremely indecisive when it comes to what I wear/pinning myself down into one discernable style category (I basically have three "rules": can I belt it? can I scarf it? Can I wear clunky boots with it?). These three "rules" aside, I can't seem to pin myself down to any one particular style. So in Fall, I kind of go crazy--existential collegiate vs. luxe goth vs. urban hippie?

Since I am unable to contain my insane love for Fall in one single post--welcome to the first in a series of posts focusing on fall fashion/what to wear/etc.

The first real "inspiration" I have for fall is "collegiate" style. Under this, I categorize librarian chic, secretary chic, professorial, menswear-as-women's wear and the "school girl" look (they all share an emphasis on tailoring/similar fabrics and for some odd reason in my mind I just clump them all together). Strange enough, this is the LAST look I'd ever thought I'd fall in love with. Why? I went to all girls schools in Toronto all my life and spent a significant portion of time in middle and high school attempting to rebel against the extreme stringency of uniforms and dress codes. Oddly enough, when I reached university, I began to pull out my old uniform items such as blazers, skirts and cardigans and paired them with oxford heels, interestingly patterned tights, scarves, etc.

One of the reasons I love this look so much is the fact that it always looks tailored, a little bit rebellious (in the sense that in a sea of gauzy dresses, slouchy sweatpants and bad attitudes, a little bit of primness just looks a little subversive) and very intellectual. With collegiate style, one can even highlight a "punkier" item like a dramatic eye, a studded purse, or strong heels to make the look stronger, OR, one can go a little softer with more "feminine" accessories.

photocred: style.com collage made by me.

For instance, at Chanel they did an interesting take on the skirt suit by adding ruffles and goth accessories for a very prep school vampire look. Whereas, Marc Jacobs mixed basics with punkier accessories to make a look that was more Cindi Lauper than Cher Horowitz. Detache keeps it fairly conservative with tartans and knee socks, while Yves St. Laurent adds a bit of dominatrix to a secretarial/power suit with hints of leather. And possibly one of my favourite models for street style--Irina Lazeranu gives us a quirky take on Annie Hall esque menswear.

More of my favourite "collegiate" looks:

blair waldorf


irina lazeraneau

annie hall


lee holloway (maggie gyllenhaal's character in secretary)

getting tattooed today; wish me luck!

photocred: the inspireplease community on livejournal

this is probably my new favourite tattoo ever.

eccentric glamour

“Creation is a drug I can’t do without.” - Cecil B DeMille.

Ever so often, one can forget why one loves style. It's really easy to get caught up in the latest trends, or start to dress if only to belong to a certain style tribe. However, it's crucial to remember that style is all about creativity; it's all about expressing oneself through the medium of clothes. I think it's one of the few places where one can truly be bipolar. One day, you could be feminine--the next day, truly punk rock. Image is the first thing we see when we interact with a person, so what better way to throw people off than to be constantly reinventing oneself? By dressing, we're creating the image we want the world to see, and with an entire world to take inspiration from why not get high on style? Why not be a style chameleon?!

Go on, be mysterious.

collage by myself. images collected off of google, weheartit and thefashionspot. featuring: klimt, punk girls, marianne faithfull and boldini.

plath.

photocred: not sure. saved on my computer.


"i took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. i am, i am, i am."

-- sylvia plath, the bell jar.

i heart courtney.

“I found my inner bitch and ran with her”

...

spent the last few days rediscovering old music from high school. hole was among them. i've been listening to 'live through this' on and off for about the last ten years or so, but i've gotten back into 'pretty on the inside', as well as some of the demos (i.e: my body, the hand grenade). ahhh, all that teenage angst is flooding back! it's mildly thrilling. i will always have a soft spot for vintage courtney; her kinderwhore look = pure inspiration. ripped tights, messy hair, intense makeup (raccoon eyes and red lipstick) clunky boots, plastic jewelry, tiaras and thrift store dresses have definitely had an influence on my style. courtney's ability to contrast girly with tough is an excellent lesson in sartorial juxtaposition. take some cues from courtney by ripping up pristine black tights or black skinny jeans and pair them with a fussy victorian blouse or 50's styled dress. find slip dresses, grandfather cardigans and vintage dresses and HOARDE THEM. wear a string of pearls as a headband, or wrapped around your legs. keep accessories "tough"/rock and roll and clothing girly, or perhaps even the other way around. it's all about the contrast, as well as looking as bratty as possible. be sure to storm into a party and cause a fuss--because after all, you're fahbulous!

nowadays, i'm not too much a fan of courtney love's look (and i wasn't too keen on nobody's daughter/ am not very keen on hole reforming), as well as her inability to be coherent on her blog/twitter/any medium of communication--however, this being said, courtney's collaboration's with hedi silmane, her elle uk photoshoot (taken by jan welters) and her work with ricardo tisci of givenchy has been utterly fabulous.

photocred: hedi silmane. googled.

photo cred: courtney love's inspiration boards/room for ricardo tisci's 'a magazine'. found on her myspace.

she brilliantly mixes in antique victoriana and grunge in a way that always manages to remain modern. to look at her, you just feel as if lost in the world of one amazingly fucked up barbie doll. i dig that courtney can balance being cerebral but imbue herself with a rad sense of gutter earthiness. i love her ability to throw something as ephemeral and girly as a victorian dress or a baby doll slip and accessorize it with ripped tights and a couple vomit stains (i've done this before. it's neither glamourous or cool.). yet aesthetics aside, i'm always in awe of courtney's personality: she's willfully self indulgent, self destructive and although it has certainly gotten old in the eyes of the public, there will always be a fascination with her. she storms in, creates a shitshow and you're left wondering, what the fucking hell?!

collage: myself. googled and then edited in photoshop. these are a mix of the hedi silmane + jan welters pics.

so what if she's a little incoherent now? courtney love circa 1994 rocked my socks.