Annotating My Sources

A few weeks ago Kyla, from Blue Collar Catwalk, wore a scarf like so and I put the image in my brain's 'interesting and inspirational' folder (which has multiplied greatly since I got into this fashion blogging world). When I was at the antique market last weekend I found a handpainted scarf (signed by the artist too!) that was just too lovely to wear twisted twice around the neck. Worn as a giant kerchief, the scarf's design is much more striking.

Silk scarf? Antique Market, signed by Millie T (?)
V tee? Target
Grey denim? Target
Studded belt? thrifted
Tie-up sandals? So old from a beach store...love...
Paste bracelets? Jewelry booth at The Ex.

Cold-blooded

Sweater? CK, Winners
Tank? h&m
Jeans? Paige, Boutique Olivia
Boots? Winners
Earrings? gifted

I'm basically an amphibian because I'm that coldblooded. So when it got a little chilly this week, I dug out some winter woollies. A few days ago, I was wearing shorts and sticking to the car seats and now this. I like the outfit because I'm a sucker for brown boots but hopefully we won't see it again until November.

Gotta go... the Spelling Bee is on. That is good television...

The Old is New

This past weekend I went with my friend, M, to an antique show. It's held twice a year at Christie's Conservation Area (for the locals, it's off HWY 5) and the next one is Sept. 12, 2009. Write it on your calendars now!!! There is so much cool stuff there, anything and everything you could imagine. As our house is getting a little full, I stayed away from decor but when we get our next house (bigger...), it'll be open season. I love antique furniture and for what you would spend at Leon's or IKEA, you can get something unique and not made of particle board. I bought a few pieces of jewelry, a fur muff, a silk scarf... you know, all those lovely things that I absolutely don't need but I covet anyways. One booth had HUGE statement necklaces for about $350, they were ridiculously awesome and yup... way out of my price range. One day...
Oh ya, and I nearly forgot the best part. It's all licensed, so you can shop and sip a bevi. Nice, right?

Some photos...

Skirt? Joe Fresh
Belt? Fossil, consignment
Tank? CK, Winners (pretty crochet open back)
Leather and tie-dye bag? thrifted
Sunglasses? L's again
Sandals? Urban Outfitters

Cuffs? Vintage, auction
After the picture was taken, I noticed the hungry bum beside me. Nice.

Stopping for a hotdog and fries at 10:30 am. M's pregnant but what's my excuse? It was the breakfast/lunch of champions (champion shoppers). M, I love your D&G anchor sunglasses... you know that...

Seriously sweet vintage one piece. I wanted it but I wasn't about to go in some sketch antique dealer's truck to try it on. Oh well, I'll comfort myself by thinking it probably would never have fit nice anyways. Besides, the mannequin looks great, I've got nothing on her...

I Love...

Wrap dress? Tevrow and Chase, Winners
Shoes? Taryn, Winners
Bag? Beverly Feldman, Winners but gifted
Necklace? thrifted

I love every part of this outfit, that's why it was worth the risk of clambering all over tree trucks to get an outfit photo. I landscape, I gotta protect my ankles, they are my money makers...but I took the risk.
I love the dress because it's sparkly and the cashmere makes it sooo soft. I found it at the end of season sales at Winners, the original tag said $295 but I got it for $36. Lucky me.
I love the shoes because they are made by a former foot doctor and her skillzzzz made these very comfortable. She did good on the design too. Slightly stacked, made of deliciously smooth patent leather and to keep it fun, they have sparkly heels. I feel like Dorothy in Wizard of Oz. When I click my heels... oh crap... I'm still in Hamilton.
I love the purse because I got it as a thank-you gift for being in a wedding party. I admired it at Winners and the bride secretly came back and bought it for me. It made wearing the pink pastel bridesmaid's dress worth it... just kidding, the dresses were red silk and I made my own, so it would be my own fault if I hated it. The purse is also patent leather and it has beautifully embroidered side panels. 4 days after I got the bag, my friend's year and a half old daughter flung RED slushie all over the cotton side panels. I actually had to turn away and do the slow count down from 10 to 1 because I didn't want to get mad over a bag. Breathe... She may not realize the implications now but she nearly lost her spot in my inheritance. There won't be a lot of money to inherit but they'll be some pretty dresses and shoes... Happily, the dry cleaner worked a miracle and my heart rate has since returned to normal.

A Birthday (so to speak)-The Big 5-0!

My Edit has hit 50 posts!!!! It's been a lot of fun since I started blogging and I'm really happy I'm actually doing it. I'm seriously computer slooooowwwwww but with the help of some tech savvy relatives most issues have been worked out and I'm finally typing at a rate of more than 10 words per minute. I'm learning!
Having a blog changes your life in some interesting ways...here's the biggest three changes for me.

1. Less Perez Hilton. This may also be because he posts about Twilight A LOT and seeing Robert Pattison's smug pout makes me want to run into a brick wall face first... but also, I'm suddenly much more interested in what others are wearing as opposed to wether or not Sam and Lindsay are back together. Are they or aren't they? OK, maybe I still care a bit but waaayyy less...
2. It sounds creepy but you start to feel like you know other bloggers and they are your friends. If you saw a fellow fashion blogger walking down the street, you could have a good conversation without ever cluing in that this may be the first time you ever actually talked. There are some really cool and inspiring people out in fashion blog land.
3. I'm having way more fun dressing up. I've clearly always loved clothes but now I'm kicking it up a notch. I take more chances and I'm thrifting a lot again. If someone gives me a weird look, I give them stink eye right back (I'm good at it). Not everyone in the H dot may appreciate what I wear but I'm confident my new friends on the information super highway have got my back!

Soooooo, if you read my blog and like it (oh ya, here I grovel...), I would be delighted if you followed me and even more delighted if you added me to your blog roll.
xo Jentine

Your Grandmother's Sweater

Sweater? thrifted
Ribbed tank? CK, Winners
Cuffed denim shorts? AE, Winners

Belt? Michael Kors, Winners
Asymmetrical sandals? Urban Outfitters
Fringed Leather bag? ?, Filene's Basement
Earrings? farmer's market
Rings? Found on the ground and thrifted

One of my astute nephews will often say that something is 'so bad that it's good'. I think that applies to this short sleeved sweater. True, if my Oma did not live across the ocean, we could easily time share this sweater, but as it stands now, it's all mine. The best part is that the design is actually copyrighted in 1990 under the name Susan Bristol. Go Susan! No one crochets flowers quite like you...

And yes, the sock tan is blinding, I am working on it.

Thanks to my big brother, A, for taking the pics. I'll miss you this summer!!!

To Cell or Not to Cell

WARNING: This post is completely unnecessary and not fashion related... at all. Bear with me.

I'm 25 and I've never owned a cell phone. Despite the constant peer pressure, I'm going to stay cell phone free until I make it big. So basically, I'll go without. But if I do crack, I would want one of these sweet babies...
Chic, right? It pretty much needs to be buckled in a car seat for long drives... but think of the workout you will get just to lift the phone to your ear with two hands.

Mellow Yellow...crappy title

Dress? thrifted
Satin peep toes? Nine West, Winners
Patent purse? thrifted
Earrings? Random jewelry booth, from my wedding
Sunnies? gifted b/c they hurt L's head.
Pretty kitty? gifted

Yesterday was the perfect day to wear this vintage dress. It was sunny and gorgeous but still quite chilly. The colour makes it perfect for spring but it's acrylic, so it's pretty much a synthetic tomb on your body. Thankfully fabrics have come along way since this dress was made. I appreciate no ironing but some air flow is nice....

This is The Remix

Jeans? Seven, Winners
Leather bomber? Zara
Silk striped top? thrifted
Booties? Max Studio, Winners
Belt? thrifted
Jewelry? thrifted and gifted

Jeans? Seven, Winners
Leather Bomber? Zara
Cotton ruffle top? gifted
Ankle boots? Some random store in France, leather and $15!
Belt? thrifted
Bracelets? gifted, thrifted and Cuba

It's been a little hectic this weekend and since I didn't feel like staring at my disorganized and crowded closet and giving Matt the ignorant 'I have nothing to wear' whine, I simplified. I chose my base for the weekend (jeans, belt, bomber) and worked around it.
I randomly got the ruffled shirt from one of my customers (it was still new!) and I love the ruffles. They are pretty major, like a kleenex explosion. I'm doing my free clothes dance as we speak.
It's a long weekend but I promise to put away my fav Sevens for the rest of the weekend. I'll wear something nice for church tomorrow and well rested, I will think of something completely new for the holiday Monday. Isn't that nice? Haha. If you're in Canada, enjoy the long weekend!!!

These are a Few of my Favourite Things...

A little list of things that make me smile...
-going to bed early (obviously not tonight).
-eating droppies (salty dutch candies) until I'm sick.
-the arm workout I get when I'm shopping from carrying so much fabulousness.
-watching teenage girls wear heels for the first time, skittering around like Bambi on ice.

Ok, serious for a second... I think one of my mostest favourite things is this little leather clutch from my Oma.

She got it when she was about 20 years old and she kept passing this purse in a store display. She coveted it but it was out of her budget ( a good chunk of her weekly salary). However, she kept thinking about it and finally she saved enough to buy it. It was passed on to me by my Oma a few years back and I used to use it but now I get nervous, so it's mostly just on display. We live in an age of consumerism and one day I'll have scads of purses and shiny things to give my grand daughter but because my Oma cherished this one clutch so much, it means a lot more to me.

Yeah to favourite things and brown paper packages tied up in string...

Style Suck

Skirt? thrifted, $4
Silk blouse? Joe Fresh, $9
Suede belt? Winners
Peep-toe leopard shoes? Next, DSW
Beaded cuff? gift from Australia

One guess where I got this paisley skirt... it rhymes with Belize... I think it's homemade. I wonder who made it, whether it was hard for them, and most importantly, did they cry? Maybe that's just me who cries when sewing doesn't go my way. Actually, that's not true, the fourth year sewing lab at Ryerson has probably seen more tears than The Notebook. Seriously...

Apparently, this wasn't on purpose, but Matt matched his tie to my paisley skirt this morning. Matt often style sucks from me. He'll see what I'm wearing and come back with a tie to match. It's hard to have style credibility when your husband's pink tie matches your dress and you both aren't in a wedding party. Maybe, it's a sign of a strong marriage, nothing comes between our paisley and us.

Upstaged

Jacket? Gap, thrifted
Tee? Joe Fresh
Jeans? Seven, Winners
Leather, studded belt? thrifted
Woven purse? somebody Lucca, Winners
Bone bracelet? auction

When I laid this outfit out the night before it was much funner. I was gonna wear these new/thrifted high waisted, just shy of mom-jeans with my strapped boots but I thought it might be too much for class. What is wrong with me? It's never too much... So I just busted out my old, faithful jeans and it works; it's just not as crazy.
I love this $6 jacket. It's true nineties Gap, judging by the fitting and label. It makes me smile because in the late nineties, Gap was my favourite 'designer'. My fleece, Gap v-neck was pretty much haute couture for me.
Looking back at the outfit pictures, I think the urn upstages me. Tyra would not be proud... That's OK, I like my urn. I recycled the stuff from someone else's urn and with a little spray paint and some pansies, it's all new. Sometimes, it's ok to share the spotlight...

Oh ya and my prom challenge is done. I just need to shoot it...which may take a wee bit...

Take it to the Max

Dress? Lida Baday, thrifted
Gold flats? Zara, old
Belt? inheritted
Eelskin clutch? thifted
Anchor earrings? forget the designer's name but it's from Essentia, the little store that couldn't... it's gone now.

Let me count the ways I love you new dress!
1. It's a maxi dress that's actually long enough for me(I'm good Dutch stock at 5'11). Most maxi dresses are just a touch longer than a midi on me, kinda ruins the effect...
2. It's not too trendy, it's classic. Maxi dresses easily look their 'age', this one is age defying, like that Oil of Olay stuff. Hopefully, in ten years, if everything hasn't shifted down four inches, I can still wear this dress and it will look as relevant as it does today.
3. It's Lida Baday and it was $6!!!!!!!!
4. It's thrifted but brand new. I checked it for wear very thoroughly. None.

DIY

It's like Martha Stewart and Pocahontas met up for craft time... Dead birch branches rot out from within and often leave a perfect bark exterior. Someone at work found this piece of birch bark for me and it fit perfectly. So I shellacked it three times and called it a cuff. Clever, right?