Mother Nature's Son

This entire outfit was thrifted in the magnificent secondhand stores of Belleville, Ont. for a mere $13. People way underestimate the quality of thrifted goods in crappy, small towns - it's always better than you think! I like how the skirt actually looks like it was made out of a curtain. The weird length and uneven hem on this thing is golden!!!

I also thrifted an amazing new pair of witch boots for Fall, which is great since my last pair pinched my toes a little too enthusiastically. The grand total? $2.50.

Do you guys remember that silly little video of me awkwardly describing my life's ambition to create a fashion magazine that encourages free thinking rather than conspicuous consumption? A magazine that treats women intelligent women with love and respect while challenging the conventions of the "fashion" industry?

It appears I am a finalist in the contest so if you think that might be a magazine you would be interested in reading, please click here to vote for me!! The voting period lasts until September 16th and you can vote once every day, so please exercise your democratic capabilities and vote for me (or whoever you think has the best idea). I love you all!

Creepy Crawly

Completely exhausted after a long day at the Art Gallery of Ontario with an old friend (Hi Patrick!), but I am now the proud owner of a beautiful pair of black suede creepers!! It's kind of sad that I needed these so badly that they were haunting my dreams and I had to take a Greyhound to the closest big city to get my hands on them but they are MINE ALL MINE NOW.

In other excellent news, I think I've figured out my style direction for Fall! It's all about "schoolgirl skank" aka wearing clunky shoes, awkward school uniform socks and button-down shirts with real sexy pencil skirts. Like that fast kind of girl who brings a change of clothes in her backpack every day so she can dress to impress...

Jesus Fever

I'm wearing Birkenstocks again and I'm too lazy to wash my hair so I put it in a messy side braid and it still manages to look ok. Thanks Summer, for setting the bar ridiculously low in terms of the amount of effort I need to put into my appearance. In other news, Jesus Fever by Kurt Vile may in fact be the most perfect song ever recorded, and it's been making me deliriously happy on repeat for days.

I've been spending almost all of my free time devoted to working diligently on my magazine. There's going to be so much good stuff in it, you guys!! Do you think I should start a Kickstarter project for it to raise funds?

Also, I've been experimenting with different ways of recording my outfits, which somehow seem more authentic than a full-body pic.

Check out ellos great range of birkenstocks, visit the site now to see the full range and browse the rest of their amazing affordable fashion lines all available on buy now pay later.

Beautiful British Columbia

No Shooting!

This post is coming to you LIVE from 'Beautiful British Columbia', or so the license plates would leave you to believe. There's something a little...intoxicating about waking up facing a huge mountain covered in lush trees, because that's not something that ever happens in Ontario. Or should I say, 'Onterrible'? Anyways, I packed as light as possible which is really messing with my fashion game, but yesterday I wore my Black Flag shirt with tie-dye leggings and thrifted Keds knockoffs on a brief morning walk, where we encountered this genius 'No Shooting' rock.

Just an example of the scenery...

My fabulously creative and artistically gifted name tag...

Brand New Life

 So its May 2nd, which means ELECTION DAY if you're a resident of that bounteous nation where maple syrup flows free. I mean Canada, duh. I tend to have pretty strong political opinions, and so here is a public service announcement to fight apathy. Vote! Please! Preferably not for Stephen Harper! It would be dumb to deny yourself the opportunity to participate in democratic society so as long as you're eligible, take the ten minutes out of your day and go vote! Even if you don't consider yourself 'well-educated' on the issues at hands, just go with your gut instinct.

Today is also the day I board a plane Westward to British Columbia, to embark on my latest travel adventure. I'm backpacking for five weeks and can't wait to be surrounded by the natural beauty of the Rockies. I'll be leaving behind regular internet connectivity and all semblances of fashion for longer than I feel comfortable with, but it's all about pushing boundaries your own, right? I mean I'm really pushing the boundaries of fashion with these hiking boots (thrifted, $13). The phoenix sweater will be there to be my spirit guide every step of the way.

So see you on the flip side! In the meantime, check out my weird girl mug in the latest and greatest video blog I made!! It's an entry for the Whoinspiresu.ca contest sponsored by TriCylen-Lo and I have the chance to win a whopping ten grand if my video gets chosen. Send me positive brainwaves!

Menno Simons

Its a well-known fact that the Kitchener-Waterloo region has a pretty substantial Mennonite population. Last week I saw a Mennonite woman wearing an awkward-length floral dress with puffy shoulders with heavy work boots and it came across as more riot grrrl than religious minority. Anyways, this outfit is minimally inspired by some of the Mennonites I see around town while running errands. The skirt might be a bit scandalous but everything else looks I just finished up my farm chores. So maybe I dress more like a Mennonite than I care to admit, but that's okay.

Mirage Son

I was all ready to go out wearing an entirely different outfit, but decided I had to run in and change because this perfect Spring weather is deserving of a perfect Spring coat. It's a vintage Burberry trench that I found in my Grandma's closet years ago, and I pretty much never wear it. The yellow is so vibrant that I almost want to wear it out on Halloween in tribute to the Bluth Banana Stand from Arrested Development, but I've already decided to go as a Juggalo. Also, it would be great if I didn't look so miserable in this picture but I happen to suffer from the affliction of chronic bitchface.

Reply All

 

Third year University has finally wrapped up and I'm currently nestled at home, recovering from caffeine withdrawal and missing my loved one(s) terribly. But the great thing about coming home (besides free food) is that my mom has started pawning off all of her old clothing on me. This 'popcorn stitch' sweater was something she knit for herself when she was around my age and its been sitting in a drawer for 20+ years. I'm also stoked to add this fancy pants necklace to my evil eye necklace collection, courtesy of China Originality. They must've know about my evil eye obsession when they offered it to me. I got an earring too, because badass haircuts require badass earrings to match.

Rad House

 So I went to Toronto last week to do bloggy-blog stuff and stumbled upon the most utterly perfect, life-defining dress at Zara. I couldn't afford it but OOPS had to buy it anyway, because it is literally everything I have ever wanted in a dress.

 You get to look at two picture of me and my silly new haircut just because I love this dress so much. I've been wearing it with my H&M cropped cardigan sweater which I basically wear every day because the cut is great and it has elbow patches. I've always been a huge sucker for elbow patches even though that's never been reflected in my wardrobe before.

Also, a huge thank you to the Houndstooth Bunny for drawing such a cute picture of me wearing this outfit! Its super cute and I love it and I hope you keep drawing!

Doll Parts

 Today I feel like a schoolmarm in this wide collar dress, smart brogues and hair held tightly in a bun. I bought the dress when Cheapskate Chic was selling a few choice items. Its so proper, and yet naughty at the same time because its so transparent that I have to wear this lacy vintage slip with it.

School is almost finished and I couldn't be more pleased! Also, I will be in British Columbia for five weeks starting in May doing this hippie social justice/ecology-based field school called the Redfish School of Change. Afterwards I'm looking to spend a few days in either Vancouver or Victoria so if your home base is the West Coast I would really appreciate some travel tips on cool things I can see/do in those two cities while I'm there!

Funny Face

 Yowza. There's just something about Spring that inspires me to let my freak flag fly. It might have something to do with being able to wear my granny floral shoes without having to worry about trudging through ankle deep snow! Even though I'm just bumming around writing take-home exams today, I felt the unexplainable urge to wear flounces and florals, so I pulled out my Rodarte for Target cardigan and paired it with my Comme des Garcons shirt to successfully transform from my pyjama-clad self to my fabulous self! The skirt and tights are American Apparel and the granny tapestry shoes are awesome. I mean, thrifted.

Life is good, yeah.

Champs Elysee

I decided to dress like a hip lumberjack today, because looking comfortably decent is the only way I'm going to make it through exams at this rate. Blech! The buffalo plaid shirt is thrifted, worn with American Apparel riding pants and suede ankle boots. It would be nice if the boots didn't look like black garbage bags encircling my feet in this picture, because they're really quite sleek and Margiela-esque in real life. By Margiela-esque, I mean they look like these:

Gossip Gossip

You learn something new about yourself almost every day. Apparently I am a huge hip hop fan, because I cannot stop listening to Kanye West's new album. After a lifetime loyalty to punk/indie rock, this is kind of weird yet totally refreshing. Monster is my ultimate jam song of the moment, it's so catchy I can't even! I even found this great article called "Is Nicki Minaj a Feminist Icon?" that deconstructs her verse in Monster line by line. Definitely recommended reading.

Cities in Dust

This is what I mean by my new Spring style direction: "Lolita Goes to Church". The pink shirt and striped miniskirt are both really cute and feminine, but also kinda wrinkly which suggests everything is not as it initially seems. The dark hidden reality underneath a candy shell exterior, CAN YOU HANDLE IT? Wow, I really need to translate that into a theme song.

Anyways, some of you may have seen this already but I wrote an article for Shameless Magazine entitled "Batman, Pass Me My Man Repellent Spray!" It's my take on the inherent internalized misogyny of constantly referring to your clothing in the context of male sexual attraction. I'm not trying to be a "hater", just providing a critical analysis of some inherent feminist problems with the blog. Also, its kind of funny so go read it now!

These Days

 Sunday's outfit: super duper grandpa pants, hand-knit sweater and brown oxford brogues. Come to think of it, it's almost identical to this outfit I wore way back in November 2009 except with less awkward hair and classier shoes. It seems there is something about this sweater that really makes me want to break out the weird jewelery combinations. These necklaces are like Carrie Bradshaw if she were a superstitious grunge fan?

Also, I've been wearing the same outfit for two days now but the ruffled peter pan collar is definitely worth a mention. My style direction for Spring is moving from "Goth Jams" to "Lolita goes to Church."

Got yr boyfriend feelin' like a groupie.

For what can only be explained as biological reasons, I've been feeling the urge to dress up like its Spring even though the presence of snow suggests that it is clearly still WINTER for all intents and purposes. (Blame Canada!) I just want to bum around in colourful tie-dye and too-tight jeans in the most perfect shade of sugar Peeps yellow. The delightful presence of pastel colours has even coaxed my bellybutton out of hiding!

Speaking of sugar Peeps and candy in general, I just realized that the Hershey's Kisses I've been eating match this outfit perfectly.

Oh! And a friendly reminder to all the Earth-conscious out there to participate in Earth Hour by turning off your lights and appliances at 8:30pm, regardless of time zone. I'll be celebrating Earth Hour by participating in candlelight yoga. If you can't think of anything to do then just take a nap! Or start drinking, it is Saturday night after all.

Give 'Em Whiplash

 So after a week of lovely Spring weather, Mother Nature Satan Beast has cursed the Waterloo region once again with subzero temperatures and snowy blizzards that don't come from Dairy Queen. Of course, I had completely forgotten how to dress for winter in that intermittent period of sun. I put on my oversize forest green cocoon sweater and was unhappy with how it looked until I had the genius idea of pairing it with... leopard print! There is just something about shirts with collars and jazzy prints that turn gross slobby outfits into things of beauty.

Also, I got a new pair of frames courtesy of American Apparel. What do you think? I'm not sure they'll replace my Burberry frames as everyday glasses but they sure are awesome for 1960s dress-up parties, and whenever I want to feel like a vintage postcard.

Holding Me Up

Brushed out my curls, feelin' like a free-flowing hippie in an orange paisley minidress. I was originally going to pair it with nude tights, but then decided to jungle-fy the outfit with leopard tights. The tights are already awesome because they are leopard print, but the fact that they are SPARKLY is just too good to be true. Worn with omnipresent black ankle boots. Usually I wear my Blundstones, but I'm fancy today because these ones have heels and are made of nice suede.

Also, the Dandy Warhols are the greatest. That is all.

Pumped Up Kicks

Bought this cheap dress during a retail therapy session at H&M yesterday. I probably have three similar ones already but I guess you can't help what you're drawn to. Simple cotton black dresses are perfect for pairing with the wacky tights I so adore, like these Black Milk nebula numbers - definitely a staple in my wardrobe.

Wore both of my evil eye necklaces today, because I could really use the extra protection.

Also, I saw there was a 'Mendhi Fundraiser' in the student commons on campus today so I thought; "why the hell not?"