Complicated braids are all the rage. If only I had an assistant

How does one braid their own hair to make it look like this? Must everything I want to achieve require 4 arms that radiate from my back like tentacles?


These look more manageable but impossible to achieve unless you have a horse's mane of hair.

The Miu Miu braid

Alexander Wang side braid. More more more

Olsen braid. How is she not requiring an elastic band? I assume this look requires not showering for a few days to get the hair all grubby. How very fashion.

I never could figure out how to do the wraparound head braid. All of these images are making me feel like I really need a weave.

Chloe shoes are finally half-off

These Chloe shoes caught my eye months ago on Net-a-porter.com and now they're half price on the Outnet - from $600 to $300.

But the heels are 4.5inches and there is no sign of any kind of platform. These might finish me off and lead to my final tumble down a sewer. Oh and I don't HAVE $300 for shoes anyway. Hmph.

Because this tickles me greatly

Ankle snapz?

I wear flats everyday. I don't wear massive Nike trainers or orthopedic shoes but I find it really hard to wear heels all day. Then at night I sometimes wear them and fall into a grate (thankfully not into a sewer yet) or down a flight of stairs. Or just randomly on the street without any notice. I rotate flat boots, ballet flats, loafers, brogues and jazz shoes. And SOMETIMES I wear wedges but it is a precarious business.

I will, however, make an exception for these luscious shoes from the MIU MIU SS10 collection. I love them so much I am going to scour the sales in June for my size just so I can add them to my other Miu Miu shoes which I have never worn because they are too high. Sigh. I just want to hold them. Pathetic? Yes. I have never pretended to be cool.

I will be making a visit to London very soon and purrrhaps they will be on sale at Selfridges?

Maybe I will just put them on my back and wear them like they are a small child. Ideas are forming and I like them.

Pillaging of Goodwill

Have just returned from a glorious week away pillaging thrift stores down the coast of Seattle and Portland. My friend Paul has always gone on and on about how amazing the Goodwill stores in Seattle are (equivalent of The Salvation Army in Canada). I remained a tad skeptical as I regularly wade through local thrifts shops in Vancouver and find it hard to unearth items I actually love. Pilly sweaters and musky smelling polyester dresses seem to permeate the fabric of Vancouver thrifting.

My camera is sadly broken but once I post the pictures of what I bought ...... OH BOY.

The best part is that everything was $10 USD and under. Very different than the ones in London which charge at least 20-50 GBP sterling for similar items (musky smell included, hmmm).

I tried not to react as I entered the large Bellevue, WA Goodwill located just outside of Seattle. We also hit one in Portland, OR. It was packed full of people and right away I spotted a fur jacket I pounced on immediately. Sadly it was the wrong size but I went on to purchase the following:

-buttery soft leather tan saddlebag (vintage COACH!) for $10
-black leather vintage handbag with gold clasp $5.99
-black leather mini-doctor's bag with brown strap and detailing (AR said this was heinous but I BEG TO DIFFER) $5.99
-autumn colours floral skirt (the kind you find at vintage shops and Urban Outfitters) $3.99
-black lace-up flat shoes with suede detailing $6.99
-black chunky knit cardigan with colourful pattern (will wear this with a black fitted t-shirt dress) $4.99
-cream coloured fitted jacket with lace detailing $5.99 (probably my favourite purchase)
-navy scarf with little red flowers $1.99


AR purchased:
-brown herringbone blazer (made in Italy) $9.99
-black leather lace-up shoes in perfect condition $7.99
-red houndstooth scarf $2.99


OMG.  I have been strongly advised to hit the large downtown Seattle Goodwill next time I drive down there.

I love nothing more than a bargain and to own clothes that aren't readily available at every shopping mall. I do love the thrill of the hunt........and yes I do have a predilection for GRANNY CHIC.

I exercised restraint by putting back a black and white houndstooth jacket that did resemble something Barbara Bush would have worn in her twilight years.

COVER LOVE

Chloe Sevigny on the cover of ELLE UK April 2010 - in SS10 MIU MIU
What a beautiful cover - I loved the Miu Miu SS10 collection when it was on the runway last year but all of the editorials that have been out lately really make me covet every single piece. Including the chunky platforms covered in cat print. SIGH!

"Academy" shoot in W Magazine, September 2009

Shot by Steven Klein 

Styled by Camilla Nickerson

Model: Lara Stone

Philip Lim is fueling my unhealthy obsession

Look at this joyfully embellished 3.1 Philip Lim bead-embellished hairband that just arrived at Net-A-Porter for a mere $145.

I would pair this with this Temperley sleeveless silk trapeze dress in the summer, $395

And this Alexander Wang Diego bucket leather bag, $825

And these Michael Kors Vachetta leather sandals, $595

And some Giles and Brother hook-fastening leather bracelets, $115

Grand total for this ensemble is $2,075. I am going to get my errand boy to order this for me. GARCON!

Bikram Yoga or How my lungs nearly collapsed in the 9th circle of hell

I've been flirting with the idea of trying Bikram yoga (or "hot yoga") for a long time. The main thing that put me off is the heat. I have always loathed saunas. What is the point of sitting in a sauna? IT'S JUST TOO DAMN HOT IN THERE. I don't even like baths. And I overheat in seconds the one time I deigned to enter a hot tub. And I wasn't even on the set of Anchorman or The Bachelor. BOR-ING.

Lately though I've been feeling extremely unfit. Ok I feel fat. Like I should be in an aquarium at SeaWorld fat. A friend of mine in Vancouver swears by Bikram yoga and has been doing it for two years almost everyday. She has an amazingly toned and fit body so I was convinced to give it a try. She assured me that doing this regularly changes your body. I was just hoping to not cause a scene in a roomful of strangers. The memory of the time I took Disco Step Aerobics comes to mind. Eugh.

Upon arrival I see a long line of mostly very toned and fit people wearing very very little - just sports bras and tiny spandex shorts. Like this lady below:


The class is 90 minutes long and the room is heated to 37 degrees C so the less you wear the more comfortable you will be. I keep my yoga pants and tank top on for now. After I get in shape though the sequined hotpants are coming out. Mwahahaha.

The room is extremely bright and unbearably hot. I haven't even unrolled my yoga mat yet and I feel faint. My friend advises me to get a spot next to the glass door that leads outside. I do a feel a cool breeze wafting ever so gently from it. Bliss. I really hope I don't throw up in a pile on the carpet which some people end up doing.

I won't lie, it  was hellish and uncomfortable. I hate sweating and it was literally dripping off of me and every single person in that room.  I am also out of shape and painfully non-limber. I forced myself to go through all the poses and tried my best to not vomit, even though I had quite a few nauseous and dizzy spells. A few people just lay on their mats for awhile because they felt so dizzy. By the end I felt like passing out. I bought some delish coconut water at the front desk and death was averted. For now.

My friend advised me that I should go as often as possible to not lose momentum. I have to admit I felt amazing afterwards. But maybe that was just the relief of getting out of that horrendously hot room. I was sandwiched between three sweaty hairy men who did what looked like the "downward" dog inches away from my face.

When I got home I felt so good that I turned my nose up at the pot of delicious spaghetti, the box of maple cream cookies AND the bag of two-bite brownies. I ate an orange instead and felt smug. A shame there was no one around to witness.

I hope to go from this:

To this:


I have a set of passes so I will definitely be going back and will be monitoring my progress over the next two months. I have about seven to ten pounds to lose before I am no longer fit to be head-hunted for the SeaWorld aquarium.


Bikram Yoga College of India
Kitsilano
2681 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC Canada V6K 2G2
(t) 604 742 3830

BOO YOU WHORE

I am not a hippie but nasty/mean people usually have it coming out of their pores and look even more unattractive to me. I like to call it "resting bitch face". Usually they scowl at you on first meeting. Or they are just rude. I wish people would remember that being a psycho hose beast is so very 1997. And well-adjusted men DO NOT love bitches.

It's a misconception that people who work in fashion are bitchy and difficult. Having worked with many different editors/stylists/photographers etc at magazines, they've been some of the loveliest and most interesting people I've met in London.

I'd like to dedicate this post to mean girls. I'm sorry you are always sour. And you smell like a baby prostitute.