Nearing the Finish Line

It's almost the end of the semester and the end of my blog assignment. So what does this mean? Not much, I'm still going to blog, but maybe less frequently, but I will be taking a week off to celebrate what I've done and what I've got left to do. I'll be planning my summer, playing some video games, and reading the enormous pile of books that have accumulated in the past months.

It will be a great holiday for sure. Yes, I am calling that a holiday, it has no title because I'm awful at coming up with titles.

Have a happy [insert holiday here]!

Pre-Finals!

I'm writing you from my pre-finals-cocoon. It's cozy in here, and I've got a space open for my arms so I can type. I haven't been feeling well for the last two weeks like I've been fighting a bug. I haven't been sleeping, and I haven't been able to do good things for myself. I've been skipping meals and tossing and turning in bed effectively reaching my goal of being as close to a zombie as I could be, but really, not really.

I've always had trouble with the Winter months it's like I spend nearly half the year in a personal funk. I don't do well in the cold, and the Spring is home to anniversaries of the worst days of my life. I try to keep things positive so I can power through. I'm lucky I have such great friends who remind me of all the good things around and within me.

This post is a pretty aimless one, consider it a confessional or a get-to-know-me post. Don't be like me, get a good solid night's sleep every night, and eat every delicious and healthy meal. You should probably get out of your cocoon every now and again too.

I just wanted to write something for the students; you'll do OK, you'll be OK. Here is a little gif I found on the internet as a parting gift. Watch it a couple times, take a walk then get back to your responsibilities.






See you next week!
Jessica

I'm so fancy because I went to the spa over the weekend.

I was given an assignment to review something going on in town, after a hangry experience at Rumor's Comedy Club, I decided to review a facial I received during my first spa trip with friends. This was way too long for the scope of the assignment so here is the original with a little bit of editing.

The Ten Spa, located on the 10^th floor of the Fort Garry Hotel, offers its patrons an array of spa treatments and amenities. Modernity clashes against the formal old décor of the Fort Gary Hotel as soon as you get off the elevator the floor is lit up in shifting colours. Turning the corner, you will find a sterile looking white wall, white floor and white counter. Pops of blue and colours are present in the products on display. A receptionist took our names and shoe sizes before disappearing and returning with robes, a fringed fabric known as a pestemal, and slightly wet, but comfortable, plastic sandals.

Once we were dressed in the robe and pestemal, we were directed down a dimly lit hallway with nude portraits that reminded me of Grecian frescos on the walls. At the end of the hallway is a lounge with many couches and coffee tables and a spread of snacks; including gluten-free muffins, pita bread, hummus and an array of dried fruits as well as tea and water. Alcohol and a menu are available for those who want to lunch between their treatments.

In the corner of the main lounge are two statues of a man and a woman. They're cramped in tubs with erect genitals and limbs coming up and out of the water in a style totally contrary to the neo-Grecian modernist décor.

Through the gendered bathrooms, you can find lockers, a steam-room and experiential showers that emit a light herbal scent.

The aesthetician was polite and made small talk before walking me through the ten’s Ultimate Head-to-Toe Facial. My limbs were massaged and covered in sweet-smelling violet clay to start, followed by the facial.

There were several steps to this facial, some of which I may have forgotten. It began with the basic stages of skin care: cleanser and an exfoliating scrub to remove surface dirt and dead skin cells but with the use of a Clarisonic brush. A refreshing toner followed to remove any leftover residue before the most intensive treatments happened.

At this point, there were warm face towels placed on my face. They were extremely warm and completely unexpected making them feel uncomfortable. Being that this was my first spa experience, I was a little surprised by the feeling, but it soon passed once the towels were removed.

The uncomfortable sensations didn’t stop there. The aesthetician began an extraction of all the impurities on my face, my eyes were covered, and my face was under a bright light while she squeezed, pinched and massaged my face. She asked me questions about my face and enlightened me on what type of skin I actually have and how to properly take care of it.

The most jarring feeling of them all was during the post-extraction cure when an electric current was smoothed over my face. My eyes were closed the entire time, so I didn’t actually see the instrument, but it felt like a glass wand that was slightly convex like a spoon. It was pressed against my face, and I felt pulses from it, occasionally it would be turned on its side to administer spot treatments that felt like little rubber bands snapping against my face.

The best parts of the facial were the oxygen masks. One administered by foam with a pumpkin spice scent, following another pleasant smell in the air, presumably to cover up the faint burning smell from the glass wand. The foam fizzed on the face, more of a tickling sensation. The other was a stream of mineralized air pointed at my face like the drying stage of a carwash. But we weren’t done then. The aesthetician brought another unseen tool to my face. A lymph-draining tool, it too had a pulse, but a far less hostile pulse. It whirred on my skin, lightly pinching in intervals as it moved along.

The final process involved one last thick mask that went straight over my eyes and dried into a plush layer of dough. While this mask sat on my face, the aesthetician wiped away the violet clay while giving my limbs a massage. After the procedure, I was guided into a quite room with deep couches where I was encouraged to nap before I was ready to leave.

Despite the poking, prodding, and tingling the experience was relaxing and recharging. The texture of my skin was refined, and I was relaxed for the rest of the day. The price tag was heavy at 200 dollars but if acne, puffiness, texture or  are issues for your skin, this will benefit you.

This photo is one taken after the spa fog wore off and we were ready for dinner. My friend Steph took this photo for us. 

Left to Right
Back Row: Me, Eniko, Meagan, Christine
Front Row: Megan, Jen, Kiran, Dana
Not pictured: Steph, Jocelyne

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.