I ran away and joined a harem

Remember when I asked just over a year ago, "To harem or not to harem"? Some of you, like my friend Taline, said yes.

I found these low slung harem hipsters in Hong Kong. As soon as I put them on, I never looked back. They are incredibly comfortable and amazingly, the accentuated hip was not as unflattering as I expected. I've been rolling them into cuffs and wearing them with all sorts of crazy platforms and high heels. Like these Betsey Johnson platforms from my uni days that I completely forgot about.

My sheer rose blouse is made in Japan, but like the engine-red tuxedo jacket, it was scooped up in Hong Kong. I think my bag looks something like from Grandma's attic (nevermind that my Gran never lived in a house with an attic); it was a basement bargain for $2 at the York House School Fair. Easily my cheapest hangbag of all time.

Happy May long weekend for all my Canadian readers! Anyone have any exciting plans? I'm looking forward to some good cold surf, fresh BBQ seafood, and key lime pie.

Wearing:
Black harem pants by Ambient
Sheer rose blouse by Atmosphere
Red tuxedo jacket, from boutique in Hong Kong
Red wooden platforms, Betsey Johnson
Three individual strands of pearls
Bronze cuff, Morocco
Silver cuff, custom
Grandma bag, thrifted York House find
Clubmaster sunnies by Rayban

Eye Spy

Room 907's Wayfarer Debate got me thinking about my next pair of stand-out sunnies. I still love my blue and cream wayfarers, but they've become a standard classic in my repertoire rather than a knock 'em dead pair of shades.

So what's next? My eyes spy something a little more round and circular. I also don't mind going a bit smaller, less glamourous and more intellectual and nerdy. Any one (or three) or these babies will do me just fine.

Lanvin Paris Wouter Round Sunglasses in Tortoiseshell

Chloe Myrtle Sunglasses in cream

Karen Walker Helter Skelter Sunglasses, in black

All images courtesy of Shopbop.com

Sunday Morning

We were up at 5:30am this morning to catch a ferry to Victoria (on Vancouver Island, about a 2 hour ferry ride) to attend my baby nephew's baptism. It was a gorgeous sunny day. I really wanted to get some pictures of my two beautiful nephews and their mummy, my dear friend and sister-in-law, but hubby and I had to rush back to Vancouver for a meeting.

This outfit is partly inspired by a style icon I've admired since high school: Gwen Stefani. I was a bit of a Gwennabe during the Tragic Kingdom days. I had a pink version of the Spiderwebs plaid hip huggers and a cut-off beater. I remember seeing No Doubt play MuchMusic and Gwen had a vintage shrunken black cardigan that said Anaheim on the back (video here), and I asked my Gran to knit me an identical one, except I had a ZERO patch on the back instead (dedicated for my other fave band at the time). I still have that cardi and love it.

My leopard cardigan reminds me of Gwen in the Sunday Morning video, with her sassy leopard skirt. The classic cutting of my grey dress is very much Gwen's Hollywood glam style in her later days, once the bhindis and DIY pants grew old. I'm just missing her trademark red lipstick, which I'm afraid, I can't quite pull off.

Outfit:
Grey shift dress, Teenflo
Leopard cardigan, from Hong Kong
Black cork wedges, Donna Karan
Blue and cream wayfarers, RayBan

First Hit - Fox Opticals

After sleeping in a comfy bed in the sky courtesy of Cathay Pacific, I arrived on Saturday morning in Hong Kong. After a short refresh and dim sum, I headed out to my favorite and only choice for eyewear: Fox Opticals (12 Cochrane Street in Central, Hong Kong). I have been coming here for years, and these guys know how to do it right. Highly attentive service, a wide array of designer brands (Marc by Marc Jacobs, Dior, Prada, Oliver Peoples to name a few), and the very best in lens technology (thinner and lighter than anything you'll be able to find in Vancouver) are their trademarks, and locals and tourists alike climb the steep narrow steps to find this tiny shop for top quality eyewear. What I really love about Fox, is their expertise in finding you that perfect pair. Instead of having to pore through all countless pairs beneath the glass counter, these guys will pull out the best fitting pairs for you based on your prescription, face shape and personal style. They understand lenses, and how various prescriptions will affect the end result of how a pair of glasses might look.

I picked out a cotton candy pink titanium frame as my new pair of glasses, plus two pairs of shades. One for me and one for hubby. Modeling both pairs below.

Blue and Cream Wayfarers by RayBan.


Black aviators for hubby by Police. As hubby and I have the same face shape, in general shades that look good on me also work on him.

I did also try the Sofiane from Oliver Peoples but they were too big.