hello moto

One thing that I got from my trip to NYC was an inspiration for fall fashions.

I'd been there partly already,

figuring out what I want, what I need

and what I'm trying to do.

Basically, forming a plan.

I'm not one to follow trends

(although I think I'm influenced by them.

 I just often think my choices 

are independent of what we've been told to wear 

by the fashion gods.

Which makes me look kind of foolish, really.)

Regardless,

I remember when I was fresh out of high school

and "rocker jackets" were the thing.

I almost bought one.

I found the one I wanted

I found the fit I wanted

I had the money in hand

but I didn't take the plunge.

I think it was because I was still figuring out my style

and I was hesitant to commit to such a statement piece.

(Because, in Halifax in 1990, 

if you wore a rocker jacket, 

you were punk or new wave.

That was just how it was.)

But now,

things have changed

(which is good because 1990 was a looooong time ago.)

and I care less about fitting into a certain identity or image

or, perhaps, just a pigeonhole.

I am what I am.

And frankly, I like what I am.

All of that leads to this:

Moto jackets are big this season.

On Friday,

I found this one:

source

It wasn't what I thought I would go for

but it fit me really well

and the colour is amazing.

It's not black

it's not green

it's peacock.

It's just as versatile as black or brown

and it's an unexpected colour.

I think it might be the one.

I probably should have bought it

it was $100 off

and it was only $249 (with the discount)

but it's a want, not a need.

And I have a long list of needs

(whether or not I really need them is up for discussion)

so I put them first.

But let me tell you,

I'm keeping an eye on this sucker,

and if a sale comes a along again,

I can't promise that I will pass it by a second time.

I found something that I didn't know I was looking for

Do you ever find something 

that you didn't even know you were looking for?

That was me on Sunday.

I ran some errands.

The weather was absolutely bizarre.

At one moment,

it was sunny,

then it poured

and then, yes, it was hailing.

Oh and it was freezing to boot.

So I stumbled into Banana Republic,

because they had a bit of a sale

and because the rain had returned.

(I was carrying my umbrella, scarf and wearing sunglasses simultaneously.

Oh Spring.)

I made my way through the store, found a few items to try 

and headed to the fitting rooms.

Nothing really did it for me

until this:

The Lydia silk dress.

It fits me perfectly.

I mean - perfectly.

It wasn't cheap but it was 30% off

it's silk

The colours are bright but not overwhelming.

It will be great for work,

for fun

for whatever.

I love that moment

that moment where you say 

oh my. 

and you know

you just know

that it's coming home with you.

fits like a t

I picked up some really 

(I mean really) 

cute t shirts from the Gap a couple of weeks ago.

Exhibit A is a ridiculously soft grey slub cotton with an adorable umbrella on it.

Perched atop the umbrella is a tiny black bird

(Did you know that I always mis-type umbrella?

Of course you don't. I always correct it before hitting publish. 

For some reason, I always type umbrealla. 

I type faster than my brain ticks.

It's a bad combo.)

Moving on....

Exhibit B is another ridiculously soft slub blue t shirt with fancy keys on it.

There is more to these t's than their cuteness or comfort.

It's a line they carried called "Threadless"

Here's what they say about it:

Threadless is an online community that makes T-shirts designed by people like you.

"Stripe Keys" is designed by Michael Mendoza (aka Leech) from Manila, Philippines.

Michael Mendoza loves simple T's with one or two color designs. 

For the Gap + Threadless challenge, he thought old keys would be the most interesting subject.

Well thank you, Michael. I must agree.

"Umbrella Tree" is designed by Yannachinz from Saint Petersburg, Russia. Yannachinz's rainy hometown of Saint Petersburg inspired her design. When people are caught without umbrellas, they're forced to invent creative solutions to stay dry. She would like to be a pizza taster for a living, but 

Yannachinz has not yet seen any open positions. 

So there you have it.
The latest and greatest.
I find tshirts kind of challenging to buy, truth be told.
So I try to snap them up when I find one that does the job well.
Check and check.

bust it

Last week I went shopping at Anthropologie with a girlfriend

and it was really, really fun.

I usually shop for clothes alone

because it is often painful 

and I find it easier to close myself 

into a small room

and get through it as quickly as possible.

But my friend is not like that.

She tries things on

and parades around in front of the mirror like she's on 

America's Top Model.

And best of all

she bursts into dance moves,

regardless of who is in her midst.

She 

just

doesn't

care.

It's good for me to be around people who are like this.

Because I mostly try to not draw attention to myself.

But you can't help but love her

because she's having so much fun.

After vowing silently to myself

that I wasn't going to buy anything

I found myself pulling items off the rack

and loading up a room.

I broke my solemn vow.

But I'm glad I did.

Want to see?

I loved it so much I bought it in two colours.

$29.95 each

My friend actually wore this to our house earlier this summer

and I loved it on her.

She encouraged me to share the love.

$29

No regrets.

It almost makes me want to bust a move.

twist it out

Again with the Friends with Benefits.

I know.

But how great is this skirt?

So great that you can't get it anymore.

James Perse

Revolve

$135 - Sold out.

I wouldn't ordinarily think that I could wear something like this.

I understand that there are limitations

when it comes to me trying to be like Mila Kunis.

I'm not that deluded.

But yesterday I was at good ol' Joe Fresh

and found this weird, twisty, stretchy skirt

and I thought to myself,

What the hell is this?

and then I inspected it further and thought

hmmmm....

I tried it on and BAM!

Magic.

Like the skirt above, the stretchy fabric creates all sorts of folds to cover your not-so-Mila flaws.

It will be great for the spring and summer

and it is super comfortable.

The one I found is also longer than the one above

which is better for me.

I can't find a photo and honestly, it looks awful on the hanger so there's no point in me trying to photograph it.

But if you see it in the store and think it's crap,

give it a try before you judge.

You may find it's a winner.

Joe Fresh Skirt

$24

in the buff

I've mentioned before my love of the fashions in Friends with Benefits

and feel mildly embarassed to say that I've been looking for looks to emulate those fashions. But really - what's to be embarassed about? Aren't we all influenced by trends either consciously or sub-consciously? How much of what we wear/listen to/watch isn't that which has been discovered by someone else? At least I'm honest about it.

Anyway.

I think what I love about the clothes she wears in the movie is that they are:

a) simple

b) versatile

Who doesn't love that?

I came to realize last week that all of my work shoes/dress shoes/fancy shoes are pretty beat up and old so I decided to get with the times (seeing as how I had satified my need to justify shoe buys) and picked up a pair these little beauties:

Steve Madden

Pinelope in Blush

The great thing about these shoes is that they have a built in platform so the heels aren't sky-high and they are way more comfortable and easy to walk in.

Bonus.

They are my attempt at copying this:

I would take a dress like this as well.

I can't wear heels that high.

I'm too tall.

(I would be well over 6 ft in 5 inch heels)

but I think what I found is a pretty good substitute.

And they meet the criteria above.

So I'm one step closer

so to speak.

shoe love

I was just reading Cup of Jo and she posted about some parisian wedges.

The ones she ordered are pretty cute so I went to Nordstrom's site to take a closer peek.

In the side bar I spotted these babies:

Earthies Veria Too

$153.88

Aren't they sweet?

And they come in my size!

I've never ordered from Nordstrom before

but that may soon change....

P.S. I was playing around with the template of the blog yesterday and things got a little out of hand.

I'll try to make sense of it this weekend.

Clearly, I am technically challenged.