Monkey See, Monkey Do

Top? Joe Fresh
Skirt? h&m
Flower pin on Goody headband? h&m
Sandals? Hushpuppies, StyleSense
Umbrella (very handy this crappy summer)? free from golf tourny

These pictures kinda make me giggle cause I look like such a fashion blogger. Surprisingly, I'm not even talking about my posed demure sideways glance... I'm talking about the fact that I jumped in front of a graffitti wall and posed it out. Graffitti walls attract fashion bloggers like Uggs and sweat pants attract college girls .
The pin/flower hair clip has also made the fashion blog rounds. I got it back in January at h&m and then I saw it so often on fashion blogs that it was overkill for me. But I'm old-school Dutch and I paid full-price for this thing so I had to wear it... eventually. Kansas Couture often wears flower pins in her hair like so, and she looks so freaking adorable, I wanted to try it. Though, at 5'11, I think I'm above the 'adorable' cut-off. I haven't been called adorable since I was 7. Actually, even then I wasn't adorable because my mom hated me and gave me pink glasses and a bowl-cut. Yes, it was hard being the immigrant child with big-a$$ glasses and a boy's haircut... I'm not bitter... Wow, veering off topic... Seriously, my mom does love me, her idea of a chic haircut was just not popular in my grade 2 class.
I'm totally rambling because I'm tired but I just want to talk about my shoes for a minute. I'm going to Europe soon (more details later) and my priority was getting a pair of cute sandals with support because I'll be walking a lot and regular flats do a number on your back and soles. Finding cute and sensible sandals is surprisingly hard. That's why I'm so delighted with these... They're a bit more trendy than I wanted (though not like 'whaaaa!!! I'm a crazy gladiator sandal!'), but the colour goes with everything and they are very comfortable Hushpuppies. Yeah! Hushpuppies!

The Ego has Landed

I feel pretty special... I have 34 (yup 34!) followers and I got featured today!!! What's next? World domination?

Jenni from Daily Work It asked me to answer a couple of question for her blog and I happily obliged. Her blog showcases her own fabulous fashions (lots of vintage, colour, prints and fun) and some shots of her ridiculously fashionable co-workers as well. It's always time well wasted when I check her blog. SO, make sure you check out the feature here and please!! click to read the whole article... You get to see a picture of me at my very sexiest... in my work clothes. You may be surprised!!!
Thanks Jenni!!! You rock!

xo

yen


p.s. just feel like it's time to clarify.... my name always comes up as Jentine and I know most people reading are probably butchering my name in their heads, so, for the record, it's pronounced Yen-tina!

Finders Keepers

Cropped cargos? Marni, thrifted
Metallic vest? h&m
Layer tank? Mossimo, Target
Shoes? Derek Lam, Holt's LC
Scarf? thrifted
Purse? Claudia Firenze, Winners

It's true. I'm all horseshoes when I am thrifting. I make some people sick, they can't go thrifting with me because my eyes glaze over and I'm hard to find under the stacks of fantastic thrown over my arms. If there is one certainty in my life, it is that I am a great shopper and maybe even a better thrifter. To keep me humble, I am terrible at basketball, even worse at golf, I still type with two fingers and I can't carry a tune. But boy can I shop.
I found these Marni cargos at Goodwill in my university days. Linda wrote about me finding them in her blog here. Yes, when I found them I started to yell 'Linda! Marni!' really loudly. In my excitement, I denied my upbringing, and forgetting that I was a lady, I did not use my inside voice. I think you can forgive my excitement, the pants were brand new, made of crisp yet soft cotton, had great design details and quality hardware... That, however, was not the embarrassing part... You see, I was screaming 'Linda! Marni!' at the girl beside me because I thought she was Linda aaaannnnndddd she wasn't. This girl must still be telling stories of the crazies at Goodwill... But my story is still better, it's called 'The Day I Found $8 Marni Pants at Goodwill.'

When It Rains, It Pours

So, if you've read my blog for a while (thank-you), it may seem like I attend a lot of showers. This is true. I'm kind of at the age where everyone is either getting married or having a baby and we're just celebrating.... This being said, I have thrown a lot of showers in the last few years and after a lingerie shower in September, I am going on sabbatical.
In the meantime....last night we had a shower for my friend 'D', who is expecting a baby in September. We threw the party in the beautiful backyard of 'S', and it was the perfect location for an evening tea party. Here are a few pictures...

The lovely mama-to-be 'D'.

Centre-pieces. I used lots of old teacups and pots filled with flowers as decoration. Notice the cupcakes in the background. They were tasty delicious...

My biggest worries of the evening (besides do I have the games? the prizes? enough flowers? enough food? etc.) were the weather and that 'M' would go into labour. Somehow, we dodged the rainstorms and 'M' is still waiting to meet her little girl...

A few shots of some of the fancy head wear. We need to start drinking tea in the clubs if that means that everyone will go out looking this sharp...

What is tea without sugar cubes that have flowers on them? Nothing. Actually I don't drink tea but if I did, I'd diva it up with these every day.

All in all, it really was a great evening. A sweet location, too much food, wonderful company and 'D' got spoiled. A success...
Well, it was a great evening until I got pulled over for having a headlight out ...really. I didn't have my license on me (it was in my work bag), I couldn't find my ownership (not in the glove box apparently but between the seats) and while I'm rooting through the glove box, $20 bills are flying around because I got money from people for gifts and I look like a total heat bag...
Th cop tried to be nice and told me to relax.... 'Sorry sir I'm all flustered, I can't find a single thing you've asked for, it's raining benjamins (or are those $100 bills, whatever...) and I'm so tired my contacts are burning unto my eyes...Would you like a leftover scone?'
No ticket in the end, so still a great night...

This Chaos

I have a lot of sparkly things. I live in a little house. I am not the neatest person. This is why my accessories drawers were starting to look like this...

A little ashamed of myself, I took out the jewelry drawer and began to organize part of my collection. Soon the coffee table was full (OK, it was already partially covered from magazines and to-do lists... like I said, not so neat) and I was starting to put things on any surface, including my knees. Sigh, I love that bracelet with horseheads on it... so prep. And the one with green marbled stones was from a friend who pulled it out once while I was bitching about my weekend and I shut up. That's all it takes to get me to stop complaining... some sparkly stones. They are both from the same lady at a fair booth but the story behind them is so interesting, they deserve their own post...soon.

Finally organized. Looking at it, it doesn't seem so organized but I had a lot to fit into a little space and I know exactly where everything is. Glad I did this, I forgot about some of this stuff.

There is a story behind so many of these things... a little vintage, a little h&m, a little gifting...You can play I spy in my jewelry drawer...

Can you spot...
... the little cat pin that I wore pinned to a purple chenille sweater for church every Sunday when I was 11?
... the silver and black necklace with a front closure that my friend in Holland bought for me from h&m? this is before h&m ever came to Canada and I thought it was my little secret...
... all the fabulous brooches 'borrowed' from my parent's collection? Never mind, that's my secret. I hope they forget I have them....

Ugh, still need to organize the belt/glove drawer...

Off The Wall

Skirt? Emanuel Ungaro, thrifted

Tee? Joe Fresh

Brown suede booties? Jeffrey Campbell, StyleSense

Brown suede quilted purse? Holt's, thrifted

Necklace? h&m

Bangle? thrifted

Sunglasses? Iceberg, Winners

It was too perfect when I discovered a random, abandoned (though maybe not...)building painted half blue... I knew it would work some colour wheel magic against my 'new' Ungaro skirt. This skirt fits perfect. I think it was made for me, it just had a few years detour in somebody else's closet first.
And yes, I know I've been wearing everything with plain tee's. Lots of things match with this skirt but nothing looks as fresh and popping as a plain tee against something something dressy. I will get over this soon. Actually, it got colder (and I spilled on my shirt) and so later I switched the top for a blue oxford type shirt and I liked that too. But my photographer was gone to visit his grandma and figuring out the timer on the camera seemed like too much work while Dateline was on...
I was bad and bought new booties. I've discovered that brown heels are possibly the best thing ever and take me out of the black heels humdrum. I thought ahead and got a pair that was comfortable (for heels) and will take me into the winter months. Way to plan...

Blue

Jacket? thrifted
Tee? Mossimo, Target
Jeans? Sevens, Winners
Shoes? Steve Madden, DSW

I'm not going to lie, some things have me feeling a little blue. It doesn't help when the paper publishes a story about how the Hamilton Animal Control has already put down over 1000 cats this year... that made me sadder. If there is one thing I am a total bitch about it is responsible pet ownership. In this case the biggest problem are people not getting their cats spayed or neutered leading to over-population. I'm sorry but if you can't take the time and the effort to get your cat fixed, you're a jerk. And if you say you can't afford it but have a) a big screen t.v., b) an i-phone or c) any gaming system (excluding Sega) then you need to give your head a shake... Ok, I'll stop ranting, this just gets me upset...can you tell?
So, I know that shopping won't solve any problems but I do find that peacefully perusing through racks of clothing clears my mind and halts my teeth grinding temporarily. Once again to avoid to much financial damage I went to Talize (story of my life) and once again, it was fantastic. Some jewelry, a few skirts (including UNGARO! for $6) and this amazing sequined jacket later, I felt refreshed. In my last post I spoke about sometimes avoiding pink but this is too fabulous. The jacket has beaded trim around the hems and shoulders and the rest is crazy sequins. I decided not to remove the shoulder pads because they are too good.
When I came home with the goods I did something uncharacteristic. I put on the jacket for a outfit post without wearing the jacket out. I know, that's cheating but I was so excited to show you and my plans for the night consisted of some shopping and walking the big dogs we're dogsitting so I didn't wear this exactly. Though, without the heels, I probably would wear the sequins to walk dogs. Because I can. That's the fun of fashion.

Time to Mend

Skirt? h&m
Belt? Michael Kors, Winners
Tank? ?, Urban Outfitters
Sandals? Beach store
Claw and Rose necklace? gifted to myself from myself, Winners

Second time this week that my outfit plans were foiled. This time an essential button off these wicked Marni cropped khakis was missing... I'll fix it today. I really need to be more on top of my mending. Maybe I should institute Mending Mondays until the pile of clothes to be altered goes down to a reasonable height.

I've worn all these pieces before on the blog, but just a bit differently. I say more often that a particular outfit 'isn't me' and I don't think this is 'me' but who cares, what is 'my style' exactly anyways? As long as I'm having fun and no one's eyes are getting hurt... I think the biggest problem with this outfit is the pinkness of the skirt. I do like pink but I wore it sooo much in second year university (long time ago) that I'm still on a bit of a pink hangover. I had my favourite Roots pink and white Puma-esque runners, my big-a$$ pink pleather purse and this pink hoody jacket thing that I wore all the time. Once the low-lights in my hair turned out kinda deep purple/pink and I was the matching queen. I cringe a little now, I need to find pictures so you too, can join in the cringe fest...

Well, it's Friday!!! Enjoy your weekend! Hopefully, this thing called summer weather comes along soon! xo

Introducing

Linda held in a bosom hug at her shower this weekend.

Do you ever ask a friend if 'these jeans make my butt look fat?' and they say 'no' but their eyes look away and you wonder did they just get lazy eye or are they are just big liars? Linda is NOT that friend. Linda is the most honest person I know and she tells it like it is. Maybe if everyone had a friend like Linda no one would leave the house in Crocs because they do make your feet look fat...
Linda is the funny chick who writes the best comments on my blog. Sometimes, I feel like I should be offended but I'm too busy laughing.
So, I got Linda started on this waste of time but so addictive thing called fashion blogging and she has recently started her own blog. I wouldn't say that it is strictly a fashion blog, it's more about a creative life, posts on personal events (she's getting married soon...exciting...) and her opinion on things, lots of things. Luckily for us, her opinions are funny and worthwhile. So, the tall, Dutch kid (me) is telling you to go check out the short, Italian kid's blog.... Struggles of a Creative Mind.

Thanks! xo

Hole in the Road

Silk dress? Jill Stuart, Holt's LC
Peep-toes? Nine West, Winners
Earrings? gifted
Bracelet? Booth at the Ex.

I went to a wedding shower over the weekend. I had a dress picked out. A few days before, said dress was lying on the bed and one of my cats peed on it (yes, few hundred dollars later, this issue is hopefully resolved and I still love all my cats, though they can be trying rascals...). I had it drycleaned and thinking all was well, I put it on right before the shower but it still smelled...bad. I just gave briannelee (from this lovely blog) advice on what to use to get rid of mothball smell and now I have to order the Norwex anti-smelly stuff myself.

I thought black was a little severe for a daytime bridal shower but I had little choice, I had to wear a different dress. Nothing makes me grumpier than getting ready in a hurry... well, maybe kitties peeing on favourite dresses does. But all went well, my dress matched the decor theme (black and white), the bride was spoiled and everyone went home with heaps of Italian cookies (apparently that is tradition?). And I do love the dress. I bought it years ago at Holt's Last Call in Winnepeg and my friend said it was 'red carpet' and I was sold. Though honestly, I was already sold by the silk rosettes, the wide neckline and the discount.

Bright Night

Skirt? thrifted
Tee? Mossimo, Target
Belt? thrifted
Sandals? random Indian import store in Montreal
Bag? Roots, thrifted
Cuff? Goodwill auction

I've had this vintage skirt lying around for two years and last night was the debut... It has wonderful deep pockets but it was originally longer and slightly dowdy so, I did what I do best... I shortened it. The easiest way to update vintage is to play with the hem length. I just need to watch that I don't recklessly shorten everything. The appeal of vintage is that, when worn right, it is timeless. I, however, am not timeless and I don't want to be the 42 year old with the closet full of fabulous miniskirts....or do I?...
This picture was taken along the water front. They've spent a lot of money cleaning up the waterfront in recent years and there is a great path several kilometres long that runs along it. There's even a beach if you follow the trail long enough... I know the water has been cleared for swimming but I still felt pretty daring putting my feet in there. The good news is that I woke up and my feet still looked normal... not glowing, no extra toe... I don't know if I'll swim at the beach any time soon... But maybe if I have kids, they can go swimming there and if they grow up fine then I'll know it's OK to go in.

The Cure All

Recently and randomly, Matt and I ended up in a tiny little Apothecary Museum (What? Your weekend plans are more exciting?). There was an interesting mix of old pharmacy equipment, retro medical advertisements, crazy pills... you know, lots of good stuff. My favourite thing was the Pink Pills for Pale People. Clearly the doctor who invented this was not only a medical genius but a marketing guru as well... the alliteration is astounding. The PP4PP promises to cure a litany of ailments, including 'female weaknesses'(line 3). I would say my 'female weaknesses' are occasionally shopping in excess, my basketball shot and crying uncontrollably during those ads for the Humane Society. It would be nice to be cured.
I suppose it's easy to make fun of these Pink Pills but are the next generations going to laugh at us for some of our medical practices? Botox much lately?

Pocket of Sunlight

Skirt? French Connection sample
Tee? French Connection
Shoes? Steve Madden, DSW
Silver leather clutch? Hilary Radley, StyleSense
Chain necklaces? thrifted

When I wore this outfit, I noticed a little boy slowly walking around me and staring at my shoes with the weirdest look on his face. Trying to break the awkward moment of having a seven-year old give me stink eye, I asked him if he thought my shoes were tall enough. He growled as a reply and ran away. I'm left wondering what that meant...

Back to my Roots

Dress? Zara, thrifted
Bag? Roots, thrifted
Sandals? UO
Wooden necklace? thrifted
Rings and Bangles? thrifted and gifted

In order to appease my recent shopping urges and try to stick with Le Budget, I went to Talize this weekend to thrift to my heart's content. I walked away with three dresses, a leather jacket (that needs to be altered), a vintage beaded purse and a sturdy, vintage Roots bag. So, maybe I went over budget after all...
I got the dress above because I love the ethnic print. I'm not a huge fan of sundresses in this shape on me but sometimes it's ok to get out of the comfort zone.
Everytime I see my new/old Roots bag, my heart leaps a little. I love the slightly beat-up brown leather, that it's big enough to hold 43 kinds of chapstick, a wallet, a Diet Coke and a magazine for slow times and that it's from a Canadian label, Roots. I worked at Roots Kids when I was in University and for the most part it was an easy job, selling cute kids clothing to doting grandparents and tourists. It occasionally got awkward when a Chinese tourist would notice that the 'I love Canada' tee they were bringing home for their niece, was actually made in their homeland, China. Apparently though, all leather goods from Roots are still made in Canada, as was this bag. That's good! I thought it was a little pricey for a second-hand store and though the lady said it just came in and she couldn't budge on the price, she eventually gave me 15% off because I must have looked torn but in love. Combined with my 10% student discount, the bag was sold...to me. A happy ending!

Straight Jacket

Jacket? Nicole Miller, thrifted
Tee? Mossimo, Target
Jeans? Seven, Winners
Booties? Max studio, Winners
Purse? Beverly Feldman, gifted
Belt? BR

This jacket is serious stuff. Made of good quality peau de soie with a little padding in the shoulders, I felt like I looked pretty good wearing it... Too bad I couldn't move. I could only swing my arms 87 degrees, I could hardly bring a chicken wing to my mouth and I couldn't reach up to do my hair without dislocating a shoulder. But considering I thrifted the jacket for $8, it was worth it. It's a size 2 from Nicole Miller and I am not a size 2, especially not my beefcake arms. I pity any fool who tries to steal my purse... So, the jacket is definitely on the smaller side but if I keep my movements small and ladylike, all is well...

Niagara Falls is such a funny place. The falls and the surrounding landscape are awe inspiring but the tourist area is way too cheesy. The falls deserve cobblestone streets and fine dining but instead, there are max museums and Pizza Pizza kiosks. You can see one of the greatest natural wonders of the earth and pose with Brad and Angie's wax figures... all in one night. We joined in on the cheese factor for the night and watched karaoke. Which is actually fascinating... middle-aged, non-descript people in their polyester and 501s go on stage and unexpectedly, belt out incredible music. I guess that was the whole appeal of Susan Boyle. Ahhhh.. the ones the record companies let get away.

Au Revoir

A long post...put your seatbelt on. You'll have to take my word for it that Montreal is beautiful, I slack a little on the architectural pictures, thinking one can always find a better shot on a postcard. Here's some photos in (mostly) chronological order...

The best way to get around the city is definately by the Bixi biking system. There are hundreds of stations around the city so you can drop off and pick up bikes very conveniently. I no longer bike, I Bixi...

Eating lunch on a roadside patio, we saw 20 firetrucks fly by in about 15 minutes. Now, some may say that sounds wonderful (yes, there's something about firefighters) but you start to worry about what's happening when you hear such a constant siren. It turns out the upper floor of a row house caught fire, thankfully, it was contained before spreading to all the ajoining places. We came back a day later and they had torn down the entire section. Weird to look into the neighbouring apartment like it's a house cross-section at a museum.

Grafitti is quite prevalent, and I like it in it's rightful place. Of course we stop to pose it out. Honestly, I'm a little meh about my outfit. I love the sequined vintage vest though... maybe the weather was getting me down. It was supposed to be muggy this day but instead it was on the cooler side, so I felt a little cold and underdressed in my shorts. The next day was supposed to be chilly, so I sensibly wore jeans, only to be greeted by weather that was mainly sunny with a chance of drinking. C'est la vie! Most of the cute outfits I packed, stayed packed.

The subway is hot and you miss half the city underground. So we walked (and Bixied) everywhere. I'm glad we did because we came across this scene at a Portuguese park. These dancers were really good. Puts my booty shake to shame...

Posing in a dark alleyway like a fashion blogger... until a dog started to bark and we freaked out like little girls.

The following day we had a picnic lunch on a public lawn by some fort (don't I sound smrt). The brie, fresh bread and fruit were from the local market. Wine breathes better in paper cups and on sunny days by the way... Yes, there's the sunshine that only came out when it wasn't forecasted.

Backpack, the Hulk camera case and peace sign. Could I possibly look more like a tourist at the waterfront?

There is this most amazing thrift/costume store called Eva B. It's just the way I like my thrift store; a dark, unorganized cave of treaures. Apparently, people used to come in all the time, try on costumes (these costumes are the real thing, not reproductions), take pictures and leave. Hence they were a little sensitive about taking pictures. The kind lady said I could take one and I hurriedly took a photo in a dark corner with some REEEdiculous go-go boots. Later I saw the mannequin looked slightly...ahem...inappropriate, so Linda photoshopped some undies for me. You're the best! The latter picture is a space they rent out for photoshoots behind the store. A very cool space. I obviously took this photo before I knew of the no-picture rules...

My favourite clubbing outfit. The leggings chafed a little but in general, I think I look quite nice.

And finally, many kisses to my favourite frenchie....