Friday, I am cloudy.

So it's Friday, and usually I've got some idea of what to write, this week I don't, unfortunately. A family member went to the emergency room on Tuesday night, early Wednesday their time, and since they live in another continent the updates were very few and far between. I also had some other things to deal with, so I'm just going to make a short list of places where I waste my time on the internet. I do, however, have a grand plan for next week.

Have you heard about the fabulous website Go Fug Yourself? You should, it's so much fun for people who like celebrities, dresses, royalty and shows with great wardrobes. I go for the dresses and general style stuff, the Fugs and Fabs. They have this great annual tradition called March Madness (yes named after the sporting event). Celebrities have within a year to make absolutely insane fashion choices so they can have a shot at the Fug Madness Crown. Right now, the tournament is at the sweet sixteen stage so you should go vote, contribute. The best part is the two lovely, funny and smart women who run the site.

Flavorwire is the site I visit when I want to connect with modern art, interesting lit and film. They are a great place for book recommendations. I can honestly say I've bought a few books from the  lists they've posted like this collection of short stories that I loved. I've read this book twice, and I'm usually not a repeater of books.

This should be an obvious one, The Cut.

Advanced Style holds a special place in my heart because I was always very close to my Grandmother. She passed away nearly four years ago, and I'm still missing her. The author Ari Seth Cohen takes photos of vibrant older women, who have essentially reached the epitome of dressing, thus giving them the sartorial respect they deserve. Not only are the women fun and brilliant people on their own merit but it really comes out in the photos. #RetirementGoals

Stuff Mom Never Told You if I'm listening to a podcast it's probably this one. They do a lot of research and cover fascinating topics. My favourite podcasts are always ones on Women in History. They probably have a podcast on something you're interested in.

Thanks for hanging out tonight. Have a great weekend and as always let me know what are some of your favourite sites to hang-out on.

I photographed my first fashion show!

Hi everyone,

To stop any possible confusion, please note that I was not hired to photograph a show. I was invited by the local aboriginal designer Edna Nabess to her showing at the Alternative Energy and Food Sovereignty conference and tradeshow.

The event was small and full of people in the Cree nation from (as far as I knew) all over Manitoba. I didn't know initially that I was showing up at a conference. I watched a few short films about geo-thermal heating, chicken harvesting (how they're raised to be specific) and gardening practices for northern communities. It was really insightful because I can say honestly that I wouldn't think about it otherwise.

Once the short films were over, we were treated to Juno nominated artists Rhonda Head, Don Amero and Leonard Sumner. Each of them was fantastic. Beautiful singer/songwriters in their styles, it was lovely to be a part of.

Rhonda Head singing a cover of "At Last."
She has a voice like honey-sweetened lemon tea. She dedicated a beautiful Latin funeral song for all the missing and murdered indigenous women. It was moving, to say the least.

Don Amero or the triple threat, dancer, singer and good-looking man. The room gave him so much love. He's really talented; he played a beautiful and simple cover of John Legend's All of Me as well as his own music.

His original music was powerful and uplifting. It's amazing what can come out of tragedy.

He's got an album due in May

Leonard Sumner who had my full attention. He opened with an incredible spoken word piece. It was so melodic; he just had to have my attention.

I loved this set. The ruffled plaid maxi skirt and crop top in these colours make the perfect transitional outfit. I would wear this for that in between spring weather.

I had to include this photo; this model was great, and I just loved the way the light illuminates her face here. This piece is deconstructed to look like it's from another time, but the shoes and the cut of the skirt make it contemporary.










This photo was a favourite of mine. The long fringe and those pumps were like an aboriginal take on the Jazz Age to me. The back is mostly exposed except for one strap that has a teal tulle train fitted with small brown bits of fabric. I wasn't close enough to see clearly. Perfect colour combinations.

It's just whimsical and beautiful.

This is an edgier look, but I'd wear it out in the fall or winter for sure. Mostly leather, with a little plaid panelling in the front, I would imagine this as something Vivienne Westwood would wear.

It was styled with short black booties and a traditional beaded necklace.

This was another photo I liked. Her face says she's not here for your shit.

She's got a traditional Metis suede jacket with leather leggings and deep brown mukluks.

Same model but different jacket. I unfortunately don't have any better photos of the jacket but it was really cute with a tulip motif down the sides and back.

In this picture, you can clearly see the bears on the mukluks. They are so cute and the boots look so warm and cosy.

Edna Nabess also designs for Manitobah Mukluks. She designed and made a pair that were gifted to the royal baby.




I want to thank Edna Nabess for inviting me to the Alternative Energy and Food Sovereignty Conference the other day. I wasn't able to get an interview with her for a school project but I was able to see some really incredible things. You can find her designs at CreeAtions.

Sprague Manitoba

Happy Friday everyone,

This week was kind of hectic for me so I wasn't thinking much about this blog, sorry haha.
I did come across a happy coincidence though, a story and a post.

For school we were assigned to travel anywhere near Winnipeg and two of my friends and I chose this hidden away town called Sprague. It was founded by a german family that handled logging and provided lumber to a few nearby cities, primarily Winnipeg. This town has a historical museum full of things donated by residents of the town.

Since this is a style blog, I'm going to tell you about some of the old garments we found looking through the museum. I should note that this museum is closed during the winter months so we walked through exhibits covered in tarps.

Anyways, here are a few photos from my trip.

Below you'll see my friend Laura Weins, Christina Hryniuk and our lovely guide Regina Emes. She's 86 and has lived in Sprague for the majority of her life, save the few years she spent in Winnipeg.

We're standing at the entrance where the original town sign hangs as you enter the museum.












This is a cute little game with wood samples, I guessed Pine correctly. So proud of myself.

These wayfairer lookalikes are actually the safety glasses that people were given at the lumber mill. You can't see by the marker but they were standard issue in the 1950's.

This was a hat worn by the original owner of the Sprague hotel. It was a simple trucker hat with glitter letters so we can now all discredit Ashton Kutcher for the prominence given to embellished trucker hats. Sprauge hit it first.

Regina, or Reg as her friends call her, showed us this beautiful dress. It was designed and made  by the bride's sister. If I remember correctly she said it was satin with lace overlay.
I wasn't able to see the back of the gown, but Reg told me it had a line of looped buttons from the back to the dropped waist.


This dress reminded me so much of the dress Belle wore in Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

It must be the precious little bodice detail.

Below is a copy of the Bride and Groom's wedding photo.

I was so scared to touch this dress because I feel like I have the kind of luck that would result in a ripped seam so what I saw through my lens was as close as I got.

 

In case you were wondering, Reg has donated her wedding dress to the museum too. Unfortunately, it was put away for storage. She reminisced about getting married during the tail end of the war, she was the only person in Sprague to get married in a short skirt.






Have a great weekend!

Problematic Faves

Sometimes, designers can make it so hard to love them. I'm not talking about when everyone decided the colour is an awful powder blue that just looks old and dusty, or Flatforms (sorry, I am not into the clunky look)

I'm talking about inappropriate references on the runways. It actually happens a lot. A few days ago as part of the F/W showings for the Canadian atelier Dsquared featured giant hooded coats with a tan base, accented by rich primary colours, reds, yellows and blues. The brothers wrote that the collection was inspired by the Aboriginal Tribes of North America. 

Okay, you're probably thinking that there's nothing wrong with that. We can be inspired by the bright colours of a summer Sari, or the soft, shimmering material of a Chinese Hanfu, or the texture and warmth of a Mukluk. Yeah, we can be inspired but most of all, we need to be educated and know what the meanings behind those symbols mean.

Dsquared2, known for their tailored grungy aesthetic, put together a collection that was mostly tailored military pieces decorated with furs, tassels and Aboriginal motifs. Aesthetically it reminded me of a time in Canadian history where people were trying to make Aboriginal people assimilate while calling their oral culture savage.

I don't care if that one red coat was actually really cute; this label blatantly called the show Dsquaw. That is a slur summing up the last sentence of the previous paragraph. It carried an incredibly derogatory meaning and should never have been considered as a name for the collection. There is no way they didn't realise this was a problematic title. How was it that no one actually said anything about it? Apparently it never occurred to these Canadain designers that this would be offensive to their audiences. I think that's the worst part. 

"In a captivating play on contrast: an ode to America's native tribes meets the noble spirit of Old Europe.." Those were the words that describe this collection and I can't help but wonder if they paid attention in Canadian History. Because I'm pretty sure it wasn't such a great impression when the Old English (and other European settlers) met Native Americans for the first time.

Here are some of the designs from the show:

As a Canadian label, I expected so much more from them. I held them to a higher standard that involved knowing their audience. They gave us this delightfully Canadian 2011 boot, after all.

Can you feel it? It's Spring... almost.

Welcome back,

Over the past week, I have been trying to put together an unusual event for my course. I'm still finding a few issues I have to deal with despite having handed in my proposal. In fact, I was making changes right up until last night. It's ok because I know this is going to be one of those things that is ever changing and will probably need to be updated and reworked as time goes on. I do not mind, I feel like it's a real passion project and I'm excited to get started on it.

As a result, fashion and self-care have really been on the back burner. To rectify that, I'm going to treat myself to a night of gaming. I recently started to replay an N64 classic (that's Nintendo 64 for those of you who might not know) and I'm missing my consoles and lazy nights.

Since Spring is coming up really soon, I would recommend hitting up some winter stock clearance. There are an abundance of shoes on sale right now at townshoes.ca I actually bought myself two sneakers and a pair of strappy sandals for the warmer months. Now, I'm just waiting to wear them while trying to survive school. January and February have always been hard on me.

Here is a photo of my family's dog, he is like me, waiting for Spring.

In the dead of Winter

Hey kids,

Mid-February is the worst. It's cold, it's windy, it's dry outside, and your hair is permanently frizzy from all the layers of knitwear you've draped yourself in. Also, the sun is only out for so long. It is truly awful.

We come close to the breaking point at this time because everything seems just to suck. Taxes come due, students are inevitably assigned homework for the "break" and chances are a groundhog told you there's one more month of this to go. Whooo Hooo...
If you're anything like me, double up your homework with self-care. Below I'll share with you what me and some of my friends do. Please feel free to give me some tips because I've had dry lips for two weeks now.

Before we go forward, please note I personally have oily blemish prone skin so what works for me might not always work for someone with dryer skin.

Hair:
This one is easy, but requires patience and some trial and error. Last year, I stopped using shampoos with Sulfates, it really made a huge difference. The cons are that I had to wash my long hair more often, and it took me a while to figure out which brand would work best for me. I also had to deal with some temperamental hair while my scalp was adjusting to the change. Overall I think it was worth it, I find my hair shiny and soft and uniform.

A tip for using conditioner, leave it in for a few minutes and rinse it out with cold water, this seals the cuticle.

I also tend to use a tiny bit of oil on the ends of my hair, and I blow dry as little as possible. When you dry, try using a clean t-shirt, there are fewer fibers to pull on the cuticles. Another method I've recently heard about it is leaving the hair wrapped and undisturbed until dry.

You can also take the oil, heat it up a bit and apply it to the hair before you wash for a total root to tip treatment.

Skin:
Avoid hot showers, this actually strips your skin of moisture, but you probably already knew that.

Take baths with a bit of olive oil, oatmeal or baking soda into them to help the body retain moisture. (Thanks for the tip Kiran)

Use lotions, the unscented kinds, if you read the ingredients label you will probably see alcohol as an ingredient. Alcohol dries out the skin so avoid it. Go one step further put some generously on your hands and feet before sleeping. Put on knit socks and those thin dollar store gloves to help retain the moisture while opening up the pores with added heat.

Face:
I sometimes substitute make-up remover with olive oil. Yes, you read that right. I do it because it adds hydration, but the molecules in olive oil are too big to clog pores. It doesn't hurt that it's cheaper than most brands.
There's also an egg mask you can do that I like. To do that, you break an egg and separate the white from the yolk, put a layer of egg white on your face and let it dry completely. Wash it off and do the same with the yolk. My skin always feels softer and more balanced after I do this. Just note that you won't need to use the entire egg so you can separate enough to fill a tablespoon and prepare the rest. I make scrambled eggs.

Adding honey to your face masks can also help if you have breakouts.

Above all drink plenty of water. Can't stress that one enough and I'm guilty of not doing it, I'm paying for that with my chapped lips.

I hope you found something here useful. If you know any remedies, please feel free to share them here!

Take care!

An Ode to LeChateau

Hello everyone,

This week I'm going to be writing a bit of a story about my relationship with Le Chateau.

When I was a little girl, I would spend the weekends with my aunt, uncle, and grandma. My aunt read magazines full of beautiful, graceful women who posed in gardens and beautiful rooms. I would sit along side her and flip through the glossy pages with perfectly decorated rooms and beautifully laid out images. They looked so put together; I idealized them. I couldn't wait until I was old enough to wear those clothes.

Their house always had the radio playing somewhere in the house. I sometimes remember sitting by myself upstairs listening to music while drawing. I'd hear club music (MC Mario's Mix Down, anyone?). I thought the music was so cool, and it was. The music was so different compared to the Celine Dion and folk music I heard at home. My parents were trying to figure out their life in Canada.

Enter puberty. I was listening to a mish-mash of music and looking at a lot of fashion magazines. One day, close to my 13th (I think) birthday, my aunt sat me down and told me.

"You're getting older and I can't buy you things without worrying if you'll like them or not."

My aunt would always dote on me and my brother because she didn't have any kids of her own, she took gifting occasions pretty seriously. The solution to her problem was to take me shopping and have me choose my own clothes.

We went to Polo Park Shopping Center and walking up to the Le Chateau I could hear that baseline.

*baseline noises that I can't figure out how to spell, so think of something like a person who is beatboxing, but very simply*

What was this magical place? I was intrigued by the blue lights and the rows and rows of clothes seen from just outside the glass doors, so we went inside.

Did anyone remember the girls' section Junior Girl? THAT WAS MY JAM. For a while, I was buying everything from there. It was just so different from the kid's clothes and my brothers hand-me-downs I was so used to wearing. It was also the closest I'd be able to get to the outfits in the magazines. Yes, Junior Girl was my jam. I remember my aunt bought me a maroon knit suit and I wore that everywhere, even with the zip up blazer, oh yes I did.

One year for Christmas I received a pair of heavy satin pants with a tie up closure, it was very Britney Spears. I wore those pants with a pale pink knit sweater for grade 7 picture-day. My grade 8 grad dress was from there too. I wasn't feeling the tooth fairy looking satin dresses that seemed to wrinkle as soon as they touched your body. I opted for a black large floral patterned halter dress with an asymmetrical hemline and slit, purchased at Le Chateau.

Practically every birthday I would get a party shirt and a pair of jeans. I would almost only wear jeans from Le Chateau. They fit me the best. My first suits came from Le Chateau, I still have my favourite, it was a boot cut pant with a beautifully structured jacket made of black fabric with a damask print embossed. Thankfully, I remained (for the most part) the same size and can still wear it every now and again.

I couldn't imagine what it would be like to no longer have this Canadian fashion powerhouse sitting in my local mall. This store shaped my style, and it remains a big part of my growth into adulthood. I hope that this store survives while the American brands continue to expand their businesses here. Le Chateau is essential to the Canadian fashion industry and I really don't want it to disappear.


Have a good weekend.