New Vintage Era

Inspired by the vintage-wear of wonderfully stylish bloggers such as The Anthology, The Stylish Wanderer, and I've Got a Lust for Life, I've been giving vintage a second look. I must admit, I haven't shopped at a vintage store in years, mostly because I got too impatient to look through the piles of bric-a-brac to get to the good stuff. When I was younger, vintage was all I ever wore, and when I got to uni, I stopped shopping vintage.

This era is about to end, and especially judging by the juicy finds at Spanish Moss Vintage. I'm crazy about these dresses, some saucy and some sweet.



All images from Spanish Moss Vintage.

This is the beginning

...of a wonderful love affair. I finally got my own, custom built, vintage single-speed bicycle! When I saw the ad in Craigslist, this bike was looking a little worse for wear, and I was definitely not sure about the magenta pink frame. After some surgery courtesy of hubby, she's all cleaned up and down to a single speed.

My bicycle in surgery.

This bike is really something special; it's made in Japan (mostly hand crafted) by a company called Miyata. In its former life, it was a road race bike with 7 speeds and powder-coated in "Precious Purple" (I just love that name). Since its creation in '93, the colour has faded to a distinct pink.

Hubby sawed the Italian racing handlebars into bullhorns and I picked out a neon yellow tape for the handlebars. I'm thinking of picking up some colourful tube pads for more flavour - maybe a yellow and black or pink and black checkered one like these from Yancopads.

This bike is all the more special to me because of how difficult it was to find a small road bike frame. Also hubby's own handywork means lots of tender loving care went into it.

I coincidentally have a pink Bern helmet as well so I'm going to be pretty decked out and girly with my new bike.

Wearing:
Black Jumpsuit, Industry from Fine Finds
Neon Pink Flip Flops, Volcom
Black Cuff Watch, Fossil
Neon Pink Belt, gift from my sister-in-law

Happy Weekend!

Happy Weekend to you, dear readers! A quick post before I go and make a BBQ dinner. Much of today was spent running around town and picking up bike parts. Hubby found me a wicked vintage bicycle on Craigslist, and on Thursday night, we went to check it out. It was a bit of a diamond in the rough but it fit me perfectly. We brought it home, and he's fixed it all up to be nearly road-worthy. More about that later; I should be posting some pics of it tonight or tomorrow.

So in honour of hubby, here are some pics of us at a friend's wedding last weekend. They had a photo booth there for the guests which would spit out two sets of instant photos; one for the guest book and one for the guest to keep. Brilliant idea!


Another brilliant idea is for you to check out this very inspiring and fun blog, Dream Sequins. She's doing some very interesting things through Twitter, and it's been really fun to participate. I'm totally inspired by her tutu post and now I want one badly! I'm also super honoured to receive the Kreativ Blogger Award from Dream Sequins. Much love!!

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

Design Poetics

"It is a glass for drinking a lot"

Japanese design is simplicity in perfection. Created by Kyouei Design of Shizuoka City in Japan, this prototype glass uses air pressure to keep your wine glass filled to a perfect amount every time you tilt and sip. Not only functional, but a piece of art filled and unfilled.

I'm crazy about Kyouei because their work doesn't just take the approach of form follows function. I see the designs as a result of when the mind and heart meld and each object they've created, although always aesthetically and functionally pleasing, seem to touch the soul.

Like this light-hearted but very practical umbrella stand pot. Using the rainwater caught, a small plant is nourished and a little piece of nature is brought inside.

Or how about creating "a landscape on your very own table"? Using the Topography plate, broth turns into a lake, and veggies turn into your own magical woods.


If you like wearing your art on your sleeves, you might also love their handcrafted t-shirts. Each are custom made by distressing and glossing over with different types of resin.

All photos courtesy of Kyouei Design.

Fashionably Tasty

I'm so blessed to work with many fabulous people, and I'm very happy when I learn they blog! This week, I'm featuring the very talented and gorgeous Teresa Lee, a regular contributor at Tasting Vancouver, as my guest. She has a knack for discovering the latest great eats in town, and she's always got a pair of knock-out shoes and a funky bag.

Food and fashion doesn't sound as sexy as rock n roll and fashion (ie VH1s Rock Your Fashion) but it can be as ingenious and creative. The lovely Liv asked me to guest blog about something to do with style and food. It took me awhile to come up with a worthy topic to write. And then it dawned on me. Why the obvious!..fashion made out of food.

One of my favourite Project Runway episodes was the one with the challenge to produce a garment made out of whatever the contestants could find at the grocery store. A few of the fashion designers took the safe route and picked out items like garbage bags and curtains. The winning outfit, by the flamboyant Austin Scarlett, was painstakingly made out of corn husks. Even with the unorthodox material, the craftsmanship and the body-flattering style won the judges over.

Maybe its karma but the Project Runway favourite landed himself another food related assignment. Austin participated in the highly coveted Chocolate Show back in 2005. This show is held every year at major fashion cities like Paris, New York, and Tokyo. He used chocolate to adorn an Ascot-like hat and a very charming blue silk dress. The whole ensemble was red carpet worthy.


I think I rather wear Austin’s sweet little number than these snack-inspired hats that were worn during the 2008 and 2009 Royal Ascot Ladies Day. There were also designers that really took it over the top with creating very edible art pieces almost entirely in chocolate.


Hadley Freeman, contributor to Style.com’s blog, said it best in an article: “Food is colorful, its potentially expensive, and you can be a total snob about it. OF COURSE the fashionable are obsessed with it!”

And I wonder which fashionista is going to snag the potential Fall 09 trend (Agatha Ruiz de la Prada Fall 09 collection): wear your breakfast


Got something to say? If you would like to contribute as a guest, I'd love to hear from you. Contact me on Twitter @Abeautifullife or post a comment to this blog entry.

A New Crop

Fashion, like the seasons, come and go, but I surely did not expect I would try the latest rounds of cropped tops. I picked up this lovely black racerback crop top at Simply Sublime last Friday, and I pulled it out for a holiday-Monday brunch with one of my besties, Sam, visiting from out of town. These pics were somewhat hastily taken, and I forgot to snap my paint-splattered purse, a notorious item that some of my friends have called the ugliest, most hideous thing they have ever seen, while others just love it. Ah, another day.

Above: Sam and I taking a stroll on the marina walkway after brunch.

The new crop has come a long ways since the old belly-baring-low-rider days; the new school are draped, asymmetrical, cut and layered in creative ways.

Along with the crop top, I brought home a slinky gold snake - my come-hither power piece.

Layered underneath is my new multi-coloured neon, leopard print bikini from Roxy (I hit the beach later that afternoon). The bottoms are reversible. Neon has been strong all year, and I see it carrying into the next season.

As the hazy days of August meld into the first Fall leaves, we can look ahead to some exciting style trends. I was polled on Twitter by the lovely Dream Sequins on what Fall trends I'll be rocking - check out my answer here along with the results from other Twitter stylistas.

What Fall trends will you be rocking?

RIDDLED REVEALED: For those wondering, the answer to the handbag riddle in this post is....Chloe!!

Wearing:
Black Racerback Crop Top, KZ Jerzey from Simply Sublime
White High-Waisted Bloomer Shorts, American Apparel
Neon Leopard Bikini, Roxy
Electric Yellow Wedge Peep Toes, from Hong Kong
Snake Necklace, Simply Sublime Jewelry by Constantina James
Floppy Hat, American Apparel