7 things for spring

~In the midst of writing papers and getting calls for summer job interviews (!!!) I'm still finding time to dream about my wardrobe.  This is a mini list of the things I'm planning to collect over the next few months.

1. Classic sunglasses.  Nothing showy, just a little simplicity to block the sun.

2. Floral dress.  Everyone needs one.  They are the essence of summer. 

3. Black shorts.  Preferably sequined.  These ones are way out of my price range so maybe I'll thrift.

4. Black maxi skirt.  I have way too many black skirts, but they're so perfect to wear with everything.

5. Beige pumps from ALDO.

6. Nude Attitude from Revlon.

7. Statement bracelets.  I'm really loving this one from bfrend.

{collage}

5 {the Canadian tuxedo}

~Urban dictionary still calls this a faux-pas.  I think there's a definition that uses the word disgusting.  But I'm here to prove to you that the UD is not always correct.  Check it out.  Five people/things who are sporting the  Canadian Tuxedo or denim on denim.  (note: the classic Canadian tuxedo is jeans with a denim jacket, but these days it has evolved into denim everything.  Can you say 90s?  Can you say awesome?  I thought so.)  

{1} Bloggers.  Jennifer of Seeking Style pulls together light and dark denim. (original post)

{2}Celebrities.  Ryan Gosling pulling a classic.  You know you love the Hey Girl memes.  They slay me.

{3} You can always accessorize your denim on denim with a little more denim.  These cute derby shoes from Saks.

{4} Music.  Vancougar released an album in 2008 entitled Canadian Tuxedo.  I like this song. 

{5} Personal.  This has become my go-to outfit.  I throw on classic blue jeans (BDG) and classic denim jacket (Gap) and I'm ready to rock and roll.

How to make it work: use two different shades of denim.

So what do you think? Yea? Nay?

The Roomate Review

~It's not actually green here.  I was trying to trick you.  Just kidding, these photos are from a long way back but I've been recently inspired by accessories and thought I should share Rad's on the Roomate Review.  She's also cooking a curry concoction at the moment and it is making me hungry.  She is the best curry cook. (Did you notice all the alliteration in this paragraph?  I thought so.)

~Teeny, tiny elephant purse. 

~DIY feather hair clip.

~I came to the realization that I never wear my accessories.  And then I realized that I don't really have any.  Time to thrift and DIY.  Pinterest to the rescue!

ps: thanks for the curry Rad, I already know it's delicious.

Rachel

~As I have said before, we can't wait for summer.  Unfortunately, every time I say something like this, a big gust of wind throws rain in my face.  It's almost here.  It's almost here.  Summer brings a garden with it, full of vegetables.  It brings Saturday morning farmer's markets, lemonade, bicycle rides in the River Valley, my truck, sunshine, bonfires and hot dogs and a wedding!  Can you picture anything better?  Except maybe this dress which I'm dying to get my hands on.  Someone give me an alternative to stripes!  I'm addicted!!

shoes: rocket dog. skirt: smartset (old) shirt: joe fresh. jacket: thrifted. purse: h&m. 

~If you subtract the shoes and tights form this outfit, I feel like Rachel Green from Friends during her waitress days.  We might be slightly obsessed with the show.  Even New Girl can't compare.  I'm sorry.

5 {bicycles}

~I think bikes have always been in style and always will.  They allow freedom, fresh air, and something to do with somewhere to go (even if it's nowhere).  Here are five bicycle loves of mine.  There are millions more but I had to narrow it down a bit.

{1} Bloggers.  There are so many bloggers who have beautiful bikes and they use them as a sort of accessory.  Song of Style is one of my favourite biking bloggers because a) she's wearing heels.  Heels!  Serious fun right there.  b) her bike is almost identical to mine.

{2} Movies.  Hello Von Trapp family bikers, I mean, singers.  This is one of my absolute favourite scenes in the movie.  (Besides "Sixteen going on Seventeen").  I love how they whirl around town, singing away in carriages, on bikes, with picnics... It's beautiful. (source)

{3} Jewelry.  I love this pretty little bicycle necklace from Rude Bits Jewelry on Etsy.  I once saw a similar one at Urban Outfitters that came in an envelope that read "If I had a bicycle for two, I'd ride it with you".  I've wanted one ever since.  

{4} Photos.  Bicycles and love are a perfect combination.  Here's that bike for two that I'm coveting.  This is an engagement shot from Simply Bloom Photography.  The most adorable.

{5} Personal. I love my bike.  Evan's family gave it to me for my birthday last year so that I would have something to cruise around Victoria on.  It's the perfect beach bike and has a travel mug holder on the handlebars for my coffee.

The Roomate Review

~Meet Hillary.  She is the third roomate in our nest and her nickname is Ron.  So we have Rad, Ron and Wren. (Alliteration is my vice.)  Anyway, Hillary is our Monica.  She enjoys cleaning.  Here's a little roomate tip for you: if you have a roomate who likes to clean, let her/him.  Let them clean the walls and scrub the floors.  Let them run around the house with baking soda and vinegar, happily spritzing and scrubbing.  Then, if  you feel like you owe them something, spray the wall with Mr. Clean and they will love you for weeks! 

skirt: vintage. shirt: ricki's.

~Also, if you couldn't tell, we are too excited to wear our summer clothes.  Isn't she the most adorable in that vintage skirt?  I love the buttons on it.  Hillary is a natural at posing since her mom is a photographer.  I swear she could be a model, but she's more interested in fighting social injustices.

Spring Things

 

~The sunshine that inspired my lack of tights is long gone.  And all I'm left with is a photo to remember it by as I stare forlornly out at the hail storm.  That's right.  Hail storm.  So I'm rocking my rubber boots and happily watching everyone else rock their rubber boots.  Galoshes.  Wellies.  Mudders.  Whatever you wanna call them, I'm just glad they're still in style.  Talk about practical. 

~Hail also makes us crave brownies.  So we eat brownies but realize it is too cold and rainy to go for a run so we relish in the deliciousness of chocolate and decide that we're really better off continuing in hibernation because who are we kidding?  It's not spring yet.  The calendar lies every year.  (But cross your fingers for sun, just in case)

skirt: UO. top: borrowed. cardigan: kersh. shoes: fioni.

Monochromatic

~People are always impressed when you play chromatic scales on the piano.  With your fingers running all over the keys, your hands chasing each other first up, then down, then hurriedly away from each other only to run back together and meet like lovers and then return to chasing each other up and down again.  It's like piano flirting. Chromatic is actually a word derived from the Greek word chroma which means colour. And you thought a piano scale had nothing to do with clothing.

pants: sirens. belt: joe. shirt: DIY (joe). bracelet: AE. 

~I dyed this shirt while I was experimenting with ombre and paper.  I love the navy blue and how rich the colour is.  I also love how the colour didn't turn out perfectly uniform.  There are some faded-looking spots, but that is due to my own lack of skill.    

Weekends

~When Evan comes each month it's like a mini vacation for both of us.  We go for tea, we have picnics, we make salted caramel cheesecake, we make coffee bacon sandwiches, we spend time at the beach and we hang out with friends.  Hardly any work gets done, but there's no time when you have to cram an entire month of not seeing each other into two days.  We make the most of every minute but our favourite minutes are spent at the beach.

We bought orange juice and weird pretzels for 99 cents each.  Picnic. 

This dress has a perfect little pocket for collecting beach glass.  

It's March and we went barefoot in the water.  

~Then real life hits and you're watching the bus pull away.  And you go home and look at your homework, you look at all the millions of photographed moments from the weekend.  You thank God for clearing the skies every morning and allowing the sun to shine.  Then you buckle down and write an entire essay in three hours, eat pistachio pudding and watch Friends.  And you're glad you have roomates and you want to tell them they're great but your brain is too full of poetry.

5 {florals and stripes}

~This just in.  5 people/things who are styling spring florals and stripes and (*gasp*) mixing them.  I think this adds a few more outfits to everyone's wardrobes.  I can't wait to wear this trend all summer long.   

{1} Advertisements.  This one for Y.A.M. magazine.  Check out the video in the Victoria Butterfly Gardens here.  The shirt is by La Poème and is sold at this boutique (not online.  sorry.)

{2} Bloggers.  One of my favourite parts of blogging is checking out how real people pick up the trends and make their own.  Kelley of Threads and Buttons thrifts her florals and stripes and looks amazing doing it.

{3} Photographers.  Kasia Bobula takes dreamy, fashionable photos.  

{4} Interiors.  Too much or not enough? (source)

{5} Personal.  Oh you better believe I jumped on this bandwagon.  Please tell me you have too.

The Roomate Review

~Living with roomates is one of the most educational experiences I have encountered so far.  Not only do you get to learn about people, you get to learn about how to live with them and with their habits.  I have been fortunate enough to live with two lovely ladies whose habits we remedy with a jar not unlike Schmidt's from New Girl.   

~This is Gabrielle.  

~She is my honorary twin what with our blonde hair and green eyes.  This girl thrifts hardcore, listens to wonderful music and draws caricatures of us (as seen here).  Her nickname is Rad because she is rad.  She DIYed her lace top.   

Ombre

~Things are getting serious here.  Serious with the ocean love.  I even made a shirt to express my ocean love. Kind of.  I've been sighing over the ombre trend since it started but there was never anything in the stores that caught my eye.  So obviously I had to make my own.  I wasn't just dyeing paper over here.  I was dyeing old white shirts that were not so white anymore.  With tintex.  This navy turned out so rich and beautiful.  

sneakers: streetwear.  jeans: gap. shirt: DIY

These two

~These two are getting hitched this summer.  I got my invitation in the mail the other day and I'm so pleased with the colours and how the photo turned out.  That's my sister Amy and her fiance Matt.  Yes she has curly hair.  Both my sisters do and I have pin straight hair.  I am both jealous and very very thankful.  But I digress. Marriage.  Engagement.  Evan actually snapped the photo on their invitation and I chose her dress from Alfred Sung's collection for Zellers.  Teamwork and proof that beautiful things are cheap (or free). 

~They're into dancing.

Seriously though.  Cute right?

Je t'aimais, Je t'aime, Je t'aimerai

~I have a pretty big test in my french linguistics class tomorrow.  To study, I listen to songs like this one to learn the difference pronunciation between verb tenses.  Je t'aimais, je t'aime, je t'aimerai (translated: I have loved you, I love you, I will love you) are all pronounced differently.  Although I'm fluent in french (fun fact about me!) it's hard to master the standardized french pronunciation. Potato, po-tah-to.  Right?  I wish.

boots: blowfish. jeans: gap. shirt: evan's (buffalo). blazer: thrrrrrifted.

I think the only part of the day that I'll be acing is getting out of bed and putting clothes on.