No Such Thing as Free

The devil made me do it. Ok, maybe not, but I did just drop a hefty chunk of change over the past couple of days on new duds. I went shopping for a pair of high-waisted shorts, like the pair below, and ended up with a high-waisted skirt, tie-dyed racerback tank, hot pink and grey mini dress, and grey hoodie from Urban Outfitters. Pics to come over the weekend.

There is also a free international shipping and an ongoing sale until the end of June at my fave online store, ShopBop. So my fingers did the walking and I ended up with some damage on the credit card: a black mini skirt from LaRok, a Marc by Marc Jacobs cashmere cardigan sweater, and finally, a pair of Elizabeth and James cream pumps.

in the meantime, still no high-waisted shorts...should I bite the bullet and buy these custom-made shorties in red?

Above: High-waisted custom shorts by Miss Brache at Etsy.

Get Your Leather On

It's already June which means I'm just over 6 weeks away from my horse show at the Southlands Riding Club - yay! I had another great horse weekend, and my good friend Melissa came out to the barn to hang out. It was kind of a windy day and Fancy was being quite spirited (to put it mildly).

I had trouble doing the liverpool jump (over a small pool of water) and at first she stopped and ran out on me. Melissa got a few funny pictures of that. When I eventually got her to go over, she leapt across it like it was a raging fire, not a 2 inch deep plastic pan of water. I think I grabbed some mane. After that she was ok going over it.


We let her loose in the cross country field too and I did some small stuff - logs, fences and tires.


Outfit:
Urban Outfitters striped sleeveless shirt vest
Lululemon yoga top
Greenhawk blue riding breeches
Ariat lace up paddock boots
Half-chaps, from the Dog and Pony Shop

All Stacked Up

My wedding bands was originally made as a stacked set of four: two rings etched in yellow gold and two softly hammered in white gold. We only could afford two at the time, plus four seemed excessive so we only got two (1 etched, 1 hammered). I really love my bands, and I continue to lust after stacked sets of softly hammered gold rings.

Like the above (left) set of seven by Gorjana. I just love the rose coloured gold - so girly! I really, really want this set. Badly.

I've also discovered beautiful, organic looking jewelry by Jacquie Aiche, via Shopbop. I had a really tacky looking snake ring when I was in Grade 7, and it seems snakes are making a strong comeback with designers like Elizabeth and James incorporating the serpent in their jewelry. I love Jacquie Aiche's dainty and feminine interpretation. Aiche's Waif Small Bezel ring, also shown below, would look great stacked or on its own.


Below: Jacquie Aiche's Beaded Waif Ring (left) and Moonstone Candy Ring (right)

If I'm feeling a bit less girly, I might pick up the below two.
Below: Jacquie Aiche's Geode Ring (left); Made Her Think Birds of a Feather Ring (right)

Turkish Delight

Sorry for the lack of posts the last couple of days; it's been a very hectic week at the agency with several campaigns near launch time. I slowed down today to take time out for myself. Lovely horse ride in the morning with Fancy and then I indulged at a Turkish style spa this afternoon. I'm now as relaxed as butter after being steamed, scrubbed and rubbed.

I can only imagine what such a bath house in Turkey would be like. I have never been to Turkey but I would love to go and stay at a beautiful place like the Mehmet Ali Aga Mansion, a restored 200-year old mansion with an original hammam (Turkish steam bath). Heavenly!

I love the vibrant and warm colours.

The turquoise water looks so inviting.

I could easily sip tea and curl up with a book here after a long day of ancient ruins exploration or hunting in the local market for exotic trinkets.

Ribbons and Cupcakes

I wore this little babydoll dress to a baby shower (polka-dotted gift box in hand). The multi-coloured prezzie print is very cute - it reminds me of little girls' birthday parties. Someone always cried, and more often than not, it's the birthday girl. I know I did at least once, because my mom bought me an ice-cream cake and she kept it in the fridge rather than in the freezer. It turned into a chocolatey sweating mess.

There were lots of good memories too, of course. I loved how my parents would turn the large living room into an impromptu stage for ballet by pushing all the furniture to the edge of the walls. All of the little girls would perform, in small groups, and the birthday girl (me) would dance solo. We all felt like stars.

Betsey Johnson leather bag
Irregularly shaped custom pearl necklace (used to belong to mom)
24K golden key necklace (gift from mom at 5 years old)
Prezzie dress, from Hong Kong (no name)
Gladiator sandals, from Hong Kong

Your Move

A simple but chic outfit by one of the most original stylists I know. She will remain anonymous but those who know, her signature piece will give her away. It's an iconic piece, the Vivienne Westwood Orb necklace, and it's worn so well here with a long white tee, drapey mens vest, and skinnies. Those chucks just ratchet up the street cred.

The outfit on its own is killer, but I am totally in love with all the silver accessories.

What's your signature move?

Britannia by the Park

Last weekend, I went to the British Classic Auto and Motorbike Show held annually at Van Dusen Garden. It was a lovely warm spring day, and the scene was a eclectic mix of motoring enthusiasts, some in their full motorcycle gear from their morning ride in, and others in classic vintage autosport attire. Lots of leather jackets, boots, and chaps were spotted, and as an equestrian, you know I have a thing for leather. There's something very posh-country about it, and there were more than a few smartly dressed older gentlemen and ladies who were still rockin' it style-wise. Very inspiring.

Like Gilbert, my father-in-law's good friend, also a member of the British Motorbike Club.

British racing green looks soo good with this bike. I can't wait to buy a helmet and goggle like that for my hubby when he finishes rebuilding his classic bike.

This charming lady sported a vintage hand-made dress and hat. She arrived in her Mini, of course, and donned proper white lace gloves.

I couldn't get over her amazing hat of feathers and flowers.

Love these pins!

Motorcycle boots and mini chaps.

I loved all the iconic emblems on all the classic cars.