Death by Diamonds and Pearls

Happy Halloween weekend, mes amis! I have so much blogging to catch up on, and the story of my life right now is just work, work, and more work. It will get better. Last weekend, I went to a Fall fair held by an upper crust private school. It's known for the great silent auction items as well as second hand (or pre-loved) fashions. I picked up some bargains: a beautiful silver sequined clutch for $4, 2 scarves for $2 and an ugly-cute handbag for $2. I can't wait to show them. I also bid on a pair of Olympic hockey tickets for 2010 but I didn't get it.

And tomorrow night, I actually have Halloween plans to go out for the first time in probably 8 years! I kid you not. I'll be hanging out with the uber stylish Teresa from Senses and Style, fresh from her Europe trip. She even picked up a couple of gorg scarves from Italy for me (I will post, but sneak peek at her blog). I can't wait to go out in my costume...it's not quite as hot as the Nutcracker getup but it's not a bad last minute replacement. We'll be doing the haunted house thing, having some drinks and dinner, and then who knows?

For now, an outfit post from a couple of weeks ago. I got this plaid shirt from Vincent Park and I love how I can dress it up with a satin pencil skirt or make it preppy countryside with jeans and my beloved Ilse Jacobsen wellies.

Wearing:
Black plaid shirt by Quiksilver, from Vincent Park
Black satin skirt, from Hong Kong
Saddle Bag, Christian Dior
Gold-studded black leather boots, from Hong Kong

In case you're wondering about the post title, it's a song by Band of Skulls, who I'm really into right now. They sound a bit like a richer, more complex White Stripes.

2 Postcards and Said the Whale

This is long overdue - I received postcards from two very lovely, wonderful people a few weeks ago and now I've finally gotten around to posting the pictures. Firstly, I took part in the cool Postcard Exchange that Deanne from Dream Sequins so kindly organized. For sending a postcard each these two awesome bloggers, I in return got two cards in the mail. And here's what I got:

The top card is of course New York, from Deanne. I absolutely love her blog - she had awesome coverage of NYFW and love her profiles of hot designers and bloggers.

The second card I got was super cute - it is from Alicia from Crossing Over to the Dark Side. Great collection of inspiring photos and images.

I know i haven't had too many posts lately - but I will do some outfit posts over the weekend and in the upcoming week. Things have just been crazy with the teaching gig and I'm really looking forward to this weekend!

Totally unrelated is what's playing alot in my iPhone/Pod/Tunes these days - Said the Whale. They're a great little band from Vancouver, and their tunes are keeping me upbeat and in good company for those long nights working away. My faves right now are Howe Sound and Camilo (The Magician).

Vancity Funky Style Magic

This guy makes me drive fast, and if I'm not driving, he makes me want to move. And he's got some serious style. I'm talking about Joel Armstrong, resident DJ at Vancouver's Red Room and creator of Dot Dot Records. His original tracks, like Vancity Magic and Crazy featuring Marcie, have been earning their way up my iPod playlist. I caught up with this talented electronica artist to get him to strike a pose, as well as to learn some jungle survival techniques.

Tell me about the single you’re working on.

It’s a melodic tech house number, groovy with a sparse but memorable hook. Sort of a less is more approach to writing music on this one.

What motivates you? What are you inspired by?

Sunshine, depression, happy moments, bland solid colors with bright highlights, good friends, Bon’s Off Broadway, music, art that really shows the artist’s soul, comfort, change and when someone smiles at me while on the sidewalk.

Your music makes me drive fast. Is that your intention?

Of course, however with me it has the opposite effect; I’m pretty much a grandma behind the wheel, just with quicker reflexes hahaha.

Where do you get your duds? How would you describe your style?

I get my duds at various places. Specifically: American Apparel for their T-Shirts, H&M for their colorful underwear, RW & Co. for their plain, affordable, collared T’s, Vasanji for unique jeans, Target for cheap shoes, La Senza for silk thongs, Value Village for cool things I can’t find anywhere else, Buffalo Exchange (in Portland) for awesome deals on pants, jeans (I think over the last year I’ve bought 4 pairs there), and shirts/sweaters, True Value Vintage, and Urban Outfitters for everything in between.

My style is ... super wicked awesome to the max, just without the arrogance haha.

Why do you love Bons off Broadway so much?

$2.95 breakfast all day. Awesome burgers. It feels like home there. Bon is cool and so is the security officer dressed coffee pouring guy with the fake irish/scottish accent (its sort of like a cross between the two if that’s even possible). You also need to see all the sweet B-Movie posters on the walls.

If money were no object, you would….?

Buy a sailboat, and bring all my friends with me to sail the Greek Islands. Open a lazy café/bar on the coast, somewhere in South East Asia, maybe Thailand or Malaysia. Do something with underprivileged kids, something related to music, the arts and life skills, that I could do anywhere.

Since you grew up in the Indonesian jungle, can you give us jungle-city dwellers any advice on how to survive in the bush?

Haha, um...well if you see a funky colored snake, avoid it. Bathing in rivers after dark attracts leaches. Bamboo shoots are a good veggie source (and there’s usually tons), don’t drink unfiltered water unless you have no other option (even rain water, always boil it for at least 15-20 minutes), most fruit you’ll find is edible and delicious, don’t walk around without shoes or sandals as many weird/odd parasites can enter under toe-nails and if you get a cut in the jungle, it’s quite difficult to keep wounds clean in the jungle.

Your current iphone/pod/touch playlist:

Blossom Dearie – Manhattan

Blonde Redhead – Dr. Strangeluv

Bitter:Sweet – Dirty Laundry

Bobby Darin – Cute

Bush – Letting Cables Sleep (Nightmares On Wax Remix)

Everything But The Girl – Missing

Gotan Project – Vuelvo al Sur

Groove Armada – Your Song (Tim “love” Lee’s Semi Bearded Mix)

The Herbaliser – Sensual Woman

Ian Pooley – Sundowner

Joel Armstrong – Vancity Magic

St. Germain – Sure Thing

Looptroop – Fort Europa

Morcheeba – Sao Paulo

Oasis – Champagne Supernova

Parov Stelar – Chambermaid Swing

PM Dawn – Set Adrift On Memory Bliss

Radiohead – Nude

Royksopp – Poor Leno

Tycho – The Disconnect

Joel will be in and around town over the next couple of months, doing local and international shows. You can catch Joel at the Red Room on May 9, as well as the Lotus Sound Lounge on June 26.

Star vs Street Style at Coachella

It's finally getting sunny here in Vancouver (but still cold) and there's nothing that's more summery than a good music festival.  Along with Glastonbury, Coachella would be on my top list of festivals to attend.  Even if you can't find any music or bands you like, just being there for the fashion is worth it.

I scouted out some celebs and street stylers at Coachella - who do you think looks better?  The stars or the streeters?  Along with ripped jean shorts, gladiator sandals, and bikini tops, swingy white dresses, vintage florals, and 80's neon were major themes among concert goers. Wayfarers and heart-shaped sunglasses were spotted on more than a few.  

Above: Chloe Sevigny, looking cute in a sheer white dress at Coachella.

Kelly Osbourne and Kimberly Stewart below.  I like Kimberly's dress.

Kirsten Dunst's drop-waisted white dress is sweet but I don't like the flip flops.

I think the streeters below showed more original style.  A lot of the ones profiled in Style.com rocked vintage gear.


All street stylers pics taken from Style.com

Blue Sky Black Death

Just chilling out and laying low tonight since I've got a stagette and the post Juno party hosted by EMI to go to this weekend.  I don't know how I came across Blue Sky Black Death, but this is perfect music to just space out to.   Blue Sky Black Death is a music production duo from San Francisco, and their name is a "skydiving phrase alluding to beauty and death".   

There's a desolate beauty in their music - a kind of emptiness that is beautiful and sad all at once.

Can't stop listening to....

Geraldine, by Glasvegas.

"I'll be the angel on your shoulder. My name is Geraldine, I'm your social worker".

Soweto Strings for Buskaid

I caught a documentary on the Knowledge Network on the weekend called Soweto Strings.  It is the inpiring story of Rosemary Nalden, a British music teacher who founded a music school in Soweto, the sprawling township in South Africa where the fight against apartheid was born.  She helped create a charitable organization called Buskaid, with the mission of bringing African children in townships the opportunity to learn and play classical string instruments.   Through the school, Buskaid has developed a reputable string orchestra of students which performs internationally. The hope is by providing these children with an opportunity to express themselves creatively, with a place of learning and caring, and with a goal to work towards, these children may find a way to a better life.  For some students, Buskaid has been the realization of their life-long dreams, and they have gone on to further studies in England and to play music professionally.

While I watched the documentary, I could see the passion in some of the young students' eyes as they performed the musical pieces.  I could also see the love and care Rosemary has put into the school and the community.   One person can make a difference, and Rosemary has.

Holla for Yelle

I'm really digging the style and music of French artist Yelle right now.   Her electro-pop eighties meets gamine chic is fun and sassy.

Check out some of her music at her MySpace site - including Je Veux Te Voir and À cause des garçons.  Everything sounds better en Français.  Videos also at her Facebook Fan page.

High tops rule!

Is that a mini dress or a romper? Either way, looks great.