Ruby Slipper Journeys

moving day

2012-02-07T23:44:00.008Z

I'm sad to think this may be my last post on the terrace of my flat. Mainly I'm just sad to be moving on before I really had a chance to enjoy its splendour in full summer. Barcelona summers are long and languorous and having a terrace to drink wine on is the height of goodness. And even though it's currently really cold, I still love watching dawn reflect on the upper reaches of the buildings around us, while the streets below are still in night.

Meanwhile, I'm loving this it-doesn't-count-as-a-purchase-since-I-neeeeeeded-clothes-for-a-job-interivew coat. It makes me feel a little boyish in silhouette, and I like the strong shouldered swish as I trample over American exchange students in the metro...

Speaking of which, if anyone's thinking of doing a Masters in Creative Writing, I've been spending some time with the people behind a really fantastic sounding one. It's run through an American University and is accredited, and most of the work (writing a novel or equivalent) is done by distance, meaning you could keep your job. But then there are bundles of courses in two-week blocks, once a year and then once for graduation, taking place in Dublin, Barcelona, Vienna and Bratislava. Anyway, I only wish I could take it myself, as I've been attending some free writing seminars this week from the director which have been really interesting...

coat: Zara, sweater: ancient, shirt: vintage, jeans: Warehouse, pin: gift, shoes: ebay

red dresses are not just for holidays

2012-02-04T22:27:00.005Z

Well, that was a bit of an absence for me! I'm usually a pretty regular poster, but life has suddenly just decided to be madness. Right after my last post I got really sick, got handed a lot more work at my job, got way more into the task of finding another job, tried to keep up with my writing schedule... I'm tired. Also it's 0°C in Barcelona! It even snowed (briefly, and I have never seen such over-reactions) on Thursday. Posts might be patchy around here for the next week.

This red dress is my winter uniform. When I first showed it on the blog in December, several people rightly pointed out that it was perfect for Christmas. It's also I guess perfect for Valentine's day. My friend pointed out today that I can wear it for my Carnival costume, holding a syringe, and be a naughty nurse. In fact, today I wore it with polka dot tights and looked pretty Minnie Mouse. It definitely veers on the extreme/cartoonish side of things, but one thing I can't argue with is the colour. When black and grey and navy make me look dead in the winter, fire-engine red is there to reignite some signs of life.

These pictures were taken in a hurry, but I wanted to show the fantastic red wall of my flat, especially since I'm moving out next week... oh right, another thing to do...

Disfraz de enfermera cachonda: Kling, tights: Dorothy Perkins, shoes: ebay, cushions: Spitalfields Market, everything else is just part of the decor!

december's dress

2012-01-29T20:24:00.006Z

I mentioned a few posts back that my New Years fashion resolution is to only buy one item per month. The main reasons for this are that I have enough clothes to cover most occasions, but I still love getting new dresses (or whatever). With my travelling lifestyle, clothes are basically the only things I can practically collect, and even with them I'm severely limited as to space/weight, so they may as well be items I love (and then I better wear them). Anyway, if I were to apply my New Years resolution retro-actively, this would be December's dress.

I, (and Albert) love the easy, flattering shape and the bow, but possibly my favourite detail are the three layers of seams along the bottom. It reminds me how dresses used to be made longer and hemmed, then let out as children grew so as to maintain a decent length. Anyway; love. I wore this dress all weekend; to lunch with Albert's grandparents, for two empanada breakfasts in a row, to a restaurant, to a nightclub, to the Sant Antoni Sunday morning book market, for a walk in Raval. I have a more urban lifestyle than the average Nadinoo heroine, but I think this dress couldn't be more perfect for Barcelona's narrow streets, crowded markets, and nighttime warehouse district. I had fun headbanging in the dress too for a while...probably not what it was intended for!

I got a few second-hand books at the market, including scoring the only French copy of a Tintin book I could find. I'm trying to improve (read learn) my French again. People who aren't Canadian always think that we're all perfectly bilingual but um--we're not. Here, people always assume I can speak French (I can't) since I'm Canadian, but also assume since I'm a native English speaker that I can't speak Spanish or Catalan (I can) because everyone knows that English speakers are dumb and can't learn languages. Le grrr. Anyway, I'm trying to learn French again.

dress: Nadinoo, cardigan: car boot sale, necklace: craft fair (gift), shoes: Fly London, pin: Sherlock Holmes museum, London, bag: vintage via Mom

a canadian in barcelona

2012-01-26T20:17:00.003Z

I don't actually have anything profound to say on the subject of Canadians in Barcelona--apart from anything else I'm the only one I know--but it seemed a fitting enough title for this post with the city spread out below. I took these pictures on Montjuïc, where I spent some time skulking in the bushes waiting for a couple to vacate the ledge. In the bushes I met about a thousand wild cats, who growled at me throughout.

This outfit is actually the dressy version of what I've been wearing most mornings. I've been really pushing myself to get out to a café by 8am to work on my book for a few hours before the rest of the day catches up with me. It's working out really well so far, but it does seem to mean a daily outfit of black pants, blue airline socks, and whatever shirt is closest to hand. It's kind of silly that all fall when I had hardly any clothes I was obsessed with getting dressed up every day, and now that I've brought back a lot more things to wear, my priorities are elsewhere. Given all of that, I think I look surprisingly put together... and that unrolled trouser-leg is getting filed under the excuse of "artistic temperament." Anyway, to jazz things up a bit I added some sparkly flats and a star-studded beret. The shirt was box-dived, and is an old union shirt. I'm not sure which of my family it belonged to, but we do have great collection of vintage slogan t-shirts, from "Muskoka Jazz" to "Cuba Si" to "My Karma ran over your Dogma."

t-shirt: family vintage, pants: H&M, beret: very old, shoes: Ardene (gift)

what do nicole kidman, kosovan refugees, and my outfit have in common?

2012-01-25T22:54:00.003Z

... Not that much, as it turns out, but if you do want to know the link, head over to Virginie's Cinema--head over anyway; I love her blog! Here you'll find me waxing semi-eloquent about cinema and so forth...

wardrobe reinvention--without the classic white shirt

2012-01-24T20:02:00.006Z

There have been a lot of fashion-specific New Years Resolutions floating around the blogosphere lately. Like many, I want to build the kind of wardrobe that I won't tire of and that will last me for years. However, I notice the trend in style circles when discussing wardrobe building is to talk of a) cleaning out your closet and getting rid of at least a third of your stuff and b)repopulating it with white button-ups and little black dresses and black pencil skirts--the "basics."

This may work for some, especially professional people, but it definitely doesn't work for me. LBDs are classic, I guess, but they really put me to sleep. And isn't fashion supposed to be fun? Here are my alternative pointers to wardrobe building.

with a box-dived parasol this past summer, originally and uselessly bought in 2004

a) Unless you have to, don't get rid of all your stuff

If you're bored to tears with your clothes, put them in boxes, wham them in the attic or wherever, and leave them to marinate for a year or two. Things that don't fit or are unsalvageable should certainly go, but anything you've ever loved or which is really good quality should stay. Trends and silhouettes come around. I've put everything from vintage lumberjack shirts to berets to leather ankle boots in the "to donate" pile. Luckily, in each case, someone in my family rescued the above items, and where would I be without them now? If you've read my posts from Canada, you'll know that half my wardrobe is a result of "box-diving" in the attic, including my New Years Eve dress. It's amazing how exciting your old stuff can be after an enforced absense.

box-dived sandals and bag.

Who knows how many times this hand-me-way-down wool shirt escaped the donation pile?

b) Buy things you love, and the occasional basic to support them.

I don't love little black dresses, at least, no more than little yellow dresses. I suppose I could wear an LBD every day for a year with a different coloured scarf and call it an outfit, but yawnnnn.

I do love dresses though. I want to fill my wardrobe with good-quality, exciting dresses in whatever colour they come in. I know I love dresses the best of all the different fashion items, so they don't need to go with everything... everything needs to go with them.

The basics for me come into play in the form of tights, shoes and sweaters. Here I make sure (or I try) that I have black and brown and red (a neutral colour) shoes, grey tights, and so forth. A wild dress will always have its place in my wardrobe. A wild cardigan may cause problems if it doesn't go with the dresses (which are the priority).

Whose basics? These would make it into my suitcase before an LBD anyday... Calivintage, The Styling Dutchman, and me, back in August.

This is just me, I love dresses. If your passion is shoes, you might want to build a wardrobe from the feet up. If you find you gravitate towards patterned and colourful tops, you'll probably need neutral skirts to go with them, and vice versa. Keeping this in mind helps streamline a wardrobe and makes the decision as to what can and can't come in easier. I can easily justify a new fire-engine red dress, but turquoise floral shoes might be a little more difficult.

My own fashion New Years Resolution is to buy only one item per month**, which should limit the amount of time wasted thinking about things I "need", while still giving me something to look forward to. I know that several months will be claimed by dresses... and I'm looking forward to it.

What do you think of my "prioritizing a fashion item" technique? Do you have any tips for making a capsule wardrobe without getting boring?

**excepting perfect basic cardigans when they show up (almost never). I never have enough (currently only two) and they are a basic, after all!

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smoke gets in your eyes

2012-01-22T19:44:00.005Z

I love the old factories that Barcelona is full of, the brick chimneys rising suddenly from a small plaça, or jutting beligerently from behind the wall of a long-abandoned industrial complex. In fact, I've been wanting to do a "chimney" photoshoot for ages, but it's a bit difficult since they often tend to be right in the middle of the city, surrounded by other buildings, and behind large walls. I was delighted, when leaving work in Poble Nou, an old industrial warehouse district which is sadly being transformed into "pretentious-architecture company headquarters zone," to find that one old factory was right across the street from a park. The light was anything but ideal at that time of day, but I grabbed a few shots anyway. And yes, I put the out-of-focus one in deliberately. I liked how my abstracted self mirrored the column of the chimney, with even the plaid pattern referencing the orange bricks. Wow, I haven't written anything like that since I was inventing some symbolic meaning to a scene in To the Lighthouse for my literature degree. Got an A on that ridiculous paper, too. ; )

Am I alone in finding the trappings of the industrial revolution beautiful? I also love working ports, complete with cranes and chaos. Any takers, or do you all subscribe to the "bucolic forest" version of an ideal landscape?

dress: Pepe Jeans (gift), blouse: Zara, shoes: Camper, necklace: gift

the wards in jarndyce

2012-01-19T22:37:00.003Z

The lovely and thoughtful Rosalind recently asked who among her readers uses literature and film as influences in getting dressed. I'm guessing many of us, but I will say that I love literary inspiration. I have already dressed up as a Victorian orphan (here) but sometimes the influences are more subtle.

In Charles Dickens' Bleak House Richard and Ada are pulled before the courts in Chancery Lane, as claimants in Jarndyce and Jarndyce, a case involving a fortune which has dragged on for so long no one can see the end of it. They become the wards of Jarndyce, and go to live in the paradoxically idyllic Bleak House, but the long shadow of hopes and aspirations, always thwarted by the dithering ways of the Victorian British courts, already has a deathly hold upon one of them.

If you're wondering what on earth this has to do with my outfit... a Miss Flite lives in a tiny dreary flat in Chancery, herself a former ward of the courts, herself waiting for a settlement that may never come, and keeps in her room flocks of caged birds-- named Hope, Joy, Youth, Rest, Peace, Want, Ashes, Life, Waste, Dust, Madness, Despair, Death, Words, Wigs, Rags, Folly, Cunning, Jargon, Precedent, Sheepskin, Gammon, Plunder and Spinach--to be released upon the "day of judgement." And through the course of the story she adds two more little birds to their number, named "The Wards in Jarndyce."

Ah Dickens at his long-winded, sentimental, delightful, nonsensical and profound best. I hope my robin necklace and empty-birdcage skirt do Miss Flite a modicum of justice.

Photos by Albert

skirt: Snoozer Loser, sweater: Ralph Lauren circa 1998, vintage beret, scarf: gift (for someone else), boots: Camper, necklace: gift from my sister

anyone fancy a €22,000 guitar?

2012-01-18T19:46:00.004Z

no, not that one...

No, I'm not giving one away on the blog, but should you want a vintage Fender with hand-painted hula dancers and a hair-raising price tag, you'll find it in the back of a pink vintage car on the second floor of Europe's biggest music store in Cologne, Germany. Albert and I caught a train and went thither last weekend, and while I confess I dozed off for part of our stay at the old-fashioned soda bar, he was a kid in a candy store. My problem is I always seem to gravitate towards the pretty guitars, especially when they come in appealing sea-foamy colours, but apparently that's what you're not supposed to do--like judging a book by its cover I suppose. Anyway, at least the coffee was only a Euro!

that's the one in question!

a rare sighting of the man behind the camera.

and all of that jiving around

2012-01-16T11:40:00.006Z

I don't generally subscribe to the idea of grunging up a pretty dress with a leather jacket and motorcycle boots... for one thing, I don't own a leather jacket and motorcycle boots look awful on me, and for another I tend to steer away from the lacier dresses that work with that look. But this particular dress is so creampuff (see here) that I thought it could use some playing down. I quite like the layered result, which is more casual and more comfortable.

I wore this outfit to Europe's largest music store in Cologne (probably more on that later) and then to a party. Albert and I cycled to the party; that is, he cycled and I perched on the back of the bike, cursing and moaning at even intervals. Most uncomfortable means of transportation ever! Although it was better on the way back when I sat on a cardigan. Anyway, yay for trying new things I guess!

P.S. I've had this sweater for fourteen years! Finally fixed the six moth-holes (though have discovered a seventh, grrr)

Photos by Albert, in Altstadt, Bonn

dress: See by Chloé via ebay, sweater: Ralph Lauren (sales, circa 1998), scarf: thrifted, hat: vintage, shoes: El Naturalista

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canadian, eh?

2012-01-12T20:40:00.004Z

So, I left Canada last Saturday, am back in Barcelona and back and work, and pining a little bit for my home comforts, I have to confess. After my grandfather left I was able to move back into my cozy childhood bed and put my Hudson's Bay blanket on it. I'm obsessed with the Bay's (a department store that's been around, at first in the form of a fur-trading company, since 1670) iconic traditional blankets and similar products--check out my scarf here, for example. When I graduated high school my mom asked me what I wanted for a present, and I said a Hudson Bay blanket! I think she was a bit shocked, but anyway, I got it. And then I proceeded to live abroad for ten years so I never get to use it.

The history of the Hudson's Bay Company is inseparable from the history of Canada. I remember visiting some of the old forts when I was a child, and the beds were always laid with a blanket like mine, and we were told stories of the legendary voyageurs, canoe-travelling, fur-trapping, insouciant French Canadians at the height of the fur era. Of course, as with any history so long and important, there are many ironies and abuses along the way, which sometimes make me wonder if I'm right to love it as I do. Like it or not, the history is one of colonialism in Canada, and the Hudson's Bay Company was much stronger than a government in earlier periods of our history. Then there's the whole fur thing. Then there's the fact that it's a massive corporation. Then there's the thing that Canadians like least of all--it's owned my an American company now. As Canadians, we often define ourselves by what we are not, namely that we're not American, so the fact that this enormous piece of our history is in fact owned by them is a bit of a sore point (we'll have Tim Horton's back too, please). ; )

I find nostalgia a difficult concept, especially with my pessimistic grandfather never failing to remind me that the ruling class has always been oppressing the rest of us (we have always been the 99%) or my parents there to say "the fifties: what a horrible damn decade!" But there are certain things I just have to love, like my Hudson Bay point blanket, my vintage Canadian pure-wool lumberjack shirt, or even a certain kind of Englishness as portrayed by the chubby robbins on this tea-cup. are among them. You can't really escape who you are, I guess.

I'm including a few shots I took in the downtown Vancouver store during the 2010 "spring" Olympics. The Hudson's Bay Company asked various Canadian designers (including Erdem, for example) to design a piece using the blankets. They were pretty amazing (just ignore the fur this once). : )

(Shona was in love with the canoe)

my 'outfit:' vintage lumberjack shirt, socks hand-knitted in North Yorkshire, England, Hudson Bay blanket, Dunoon tea cup (yes, the blanket and cup count as part of my outfit).

Misery personified facial expressions c/o the dentist.

European programming resumes next time, plus I promise I'll give plaid a little break! ; )

elora

2012-01-10T16:12:00.002Z

Here's a little snippet of Canada to break up all these outfit posts of me wearing plaid. Although I did in fact wear plaid the day we went to Elora, a sweet little town somewhere past Guelph... and that's about all I can tell you since my Southern Ontario geography is pretty wobbly.

Anyway, I found it really pretty, with an old mill, stone buildings, cute shops full of all sorts of artsy bits and bobs (sadly mostly closed that day) and even a nice factory smokestack to keep me happy--I love a good industrial scene. We ate in a pub overlooking the river and went for a brief walk, but were driven into the one open shop pretty quickly as, with windchill, it felt like -20°C or something.

toronto and chagall and more tartan

2012-01-08T18:27:00.005Z

So my mom actually found me two tartan dresses for Christmas. I was vaguely skeptical when I first pulled this one out of the package; I couldn't see how a racerback was going to work for me. But when I put it on and saw how swingy the skirt was, and how the neckline actually works layered over all sorts of tops, I reminded myself that gifts can be great for just that reason... you end up with things you probably wouldn't have bought yourself. It's Ralph Lauren, a brand I've had a bit of a soft spot for since my teenage years. My mom got it on sale... she never pays full price for anything (and I know this for a fact because she also never bothers removing the price from our Christmas gifts)!

Anyway, no outfit exists in a vacuum, and this was what I wore the day my Dad and I drove to Toronto:

had Wonton soup in Chinatown (the last time we came to Toronto together was about fifteen years ago and we did the exact same thing)!

And went to the Art Gallery of Ontario. There was an exhibition on Chagall there.

I really loved the colour folk-art nature of Chagall, who I wasn't too familiar with before. My dad was a bit iffy on it, but we also made time to see the Industrial Photography exhibition, some satirical prints by Goya, and browse through some really nice Group of Seven works in the Canadian Gallery. A nice father-daughter day!

it's a bit hard to see, but the neclace is really sweet... two robins sitting on a branch. It was a Christmas gift from a craft fair from my sister Morna.

dress: Ralph Lauren (gift), shirt: gift, necklace (gift--bit of a trend going on here!) coat: vintage Gloverall, hat: Desigual, boots: Steve Madden

basque beret

2012-01-06T16:27:00.005Z

Another super-simple look. I love this dress. When my mom asked what I wanted for Christmas I sent her links to a bunch of impractically overpriced dresses and said "just use this as inspiration." I later amended my wishlist to "tartan, tights and sparkles." Anyway, I absolutely love this dress she scooped up. I'm normally into slightly louder and more assertive clothes, and I do kind of wish it was a more insistent colour, but it is absolutely the last word in comfort, totally flattering, and well, plaid.

The hat is/was my mom's and another score from my box-diving (a popular sport in our attic). It's made in Canada but has "basque beret" printed inside. I assume that means I should be wearing it like this... but that won't be happening! Anyway, the red hat is punctuating a neutral look... much like that little red birdfeeder is doing for the grey winter landscape.

P.S. Feliz dia de los reyes, for those in Latin America, Spain, Catalonia and I assume some other countries as well? Hope you all get what you wished for!

last set of photos by Shona for now!

dress: Tommy Hilfiger (my teenage self would be appalled), gift. hat: vintage via Mom, shoes: Fly London

a clean beginning

2012-01-04T17:18:00.005Z

I'm rather a fan of excess, you may have noticed. In clothing (colour colour colour! sparkles!), in life (lived in four countries last year), in holidays (wine, baileys, port, cookies, cakes, cheese, Christmas dinner)... you get the point. But the first days of January are definitely a time for taking a breath and attempting to calm down a bit on the excess. Time for jeans and a cozy sweater. Time for piling your hair on your head in a no-nonsense style. Time for taking stock of future plans. We just won't mention the "café con baileys" I had for breakfast this morning.

photos by Shona, who has my sincere apologies for dragging her out in -5°C to take them (but wear a coat next time!)

vintage sweater, Warehouse jeans, KG by Kurt Geiger heels, Smart Set t-shirt

in the shape of things to come

2012-01-02T23:58:00.003Z

It was a pretty quiet New Years Eve, as we're new to this city and really don't know anyone... but I'm a fan of dressing up, staying in, and playing Clue in any case.

The dress I'm wearing was bought seven years ago, when I went to the Glasgow University Scottish Country Dance Club 50th Anniversary Ball (I studied an exchange year in Glasgow). I fell in love with the twenties shape and elaborate beading of the dress, though it weighs a tonne and was pretty impractical for a night of dancing.

I hope this outfit really will be the shape of things to come as I'm hoping to work in a few more '20s style shapes and styles into my look this year. I also enjoy that my New Years outfit was partly old (I've also had the shawl for many years), partly new (the glittery flats were a Christmas present) and partly self-made--the sparkly crown was a Christmas day project. Shona made one too, to go with her new dress!

I am kind of missing my '20s bob circa 2005 however. Here's a snapshot, at the ball with my friend who yes, was wearing a kilt (I have no information on whether he was wearing troosers, though);)

I miss my short hair!

Back in the present, we played with much hilarity:

and the usual panicking from Bonnie

I won! I'm wearing a handmade shawl from Maiwa, bought back when I worked on Granville Island in Vancouver, oh, a hundred years ago...

(never mind the tripod)

dress: gift circa 2005, shawl: Maiwa, shoes: gift, crown: DIY

whitehern revisited

2012-01-02T04:36:00.005Z

Back in the summer, I wrote that my family and I had attended an outdoor concert at, and toured the historic house of Whitehern. I've done a lot of historic house tours, but Whitehern was undoubtedly my favourite, mainly because our excellent guide told us the family history in minute, gossipy, and sometimes gory detail, and it really came alive. We decided to revisit the house over the Christmas season.

The house is "frozen in time" in 1939, but most of the furnishings and features are much older. The family had originally been extremely wealthy, but squandered their wealth and were left poor for many years, with the result that few things changed. The Christmas decorations hark back to the 1880s, and the staff have decorated with a tree and childrens' presents, as though the much-older-at-that-time residents were remembering a past childhood Christmas.

The family history is fascinating and in equal measures frustrating and tragic. It features a patriarch who cut his third wife from his will entirely, a shopaholic, a woman raised on such a strict moral code she left a man for having a drink, a famous politician raised to greatness through the enforced sacrifice of one of his sisters, and a Victorian woman artist. Add to this that they were all absolutely gorgeous, and some of them were certifiably crazy, and you have a heady atmosphere within the deceptively staid exterior of Whitehern house.

I'll have this library, please!

the red in the window was created by adding gold to the glass, and the blue by adding cobalt, which was more expensive than gold at the time. So you can imagine how much the dark blue square in the middle cost! This window was one of the purchases of the shopaholic, who was certainly an excellent decorator.

stockings hung by the chimney with care.

one of the bedrooms upstairs (the two brothers each got their own while their four sisters had to share one between them)

and a rather cozy gentleman's lair in the basement

(wearing a vintage coat, See by Chloe dress bought on ebay, sparkly tights, gifted boots, and the same rocking horse necklace as always!)

ally ally aster

2011-12-30T16:19:00.002Z

snow snow faster! We've finally gotten some snow! It already seems to be melting/turning into a skating rink on the street, but I'm not complaining.

I find that the days between Christmas and New Years take on a curious sense of lethargy. The excitement and lights of Christmas are over, New Years Eve is, for me anyway, a bit of a sparkling afterthought, not requiring a great deal of preparation, but bookending the holiday season. And the days between the two are a time to wear flannel and everything else cozy, to curl up on the couch reading new books and watching old favourite films. I bought this dress last winter but never had a chance to photograph it before spring came. It really is perfect for these cold, snowy, December days.

photos by Shona

dress: Family Affairs, shoes: Clarks, tights: Christmas present. : )

mirror mirror on the wall

2011-12-28T02:05:00.003Z

Christmas Day always includes two outfits... the daytime one, then Christmas dinner. This year it was just family at Christmas dinner, so I could have skipped dressing up... but when do I ever skip dressing up? It was a good chance to take my freshly made sparkly star crown for a test drive.

I wore the same thing today, minus the crown, to a new coffee shop in downtown Hamilton. It's a cozily furnished and aggressively heated space with comfortable armchairs and even a chaise lounge. The copy of L.M. Montgomery's Emily Climbs I'm holding in one picture was part of their display... the edition was from 1925 and used to belong to Margaret Brown, according to the flyleaf.

Hehe, I like how these two pictures almost line up... except I'd be a Hindu goddess with multiple arms!

photos by Shona (and you have no idea how entertaining it is trying to take shots in a mirror and keeping the photographer out of them)

dress: Neneee, shoes: KG by Kurt Geiger, necklace: Les Jumelles, self-made star crown.

velvet and dickens for christmas

2011-12-26T17:24:00.004Z

Hi all! How's everyone holding up under their respective food comas? I had a fantastic Christmas... one of those where there are many things going on at different times. On Christmas Eve we drank mulled wine around an open fire pit in the yard. We always write Christmas wishlists and then burn them... Father Christmas reads the smoke signals and knows what to get us. Then we all tried to watch the Alistair Sim version of A Christmas Carol from 1951 as we do every year, but passed out half way through.

In the morning we got up super early and watched a few episodes of Little Dorrit while opening stockings, made Belgian waffles for breakfast and then opened presents. In the afternoon my sisters, grandfather, dog and I went for a walk. No snow, sadly, but I love how Shona's pictures capture the cold grey air that I find almost as satisfying in winter. I kept cozy in my lovely 1960s velvet dress (and obviously a coat).

The day finished off with making sparkly star crowns to wear at New Years, and of course an enormous dinner! Mmmm, I'm still drooling at the memory of stuffing... and brussels sprouts.

photos by Shona

dress: vintage, necklace: Les Jumelles, shoes: Fly London, coat: handmade, Spitalfields market

may your logs shit you many presents!

2011-12-25T20:03:00.002Z

Happy Holidays to you all! No idea what I'm talking about with logs shitting presents and/or no idea what I'm doing? The full explanation's here if you want to know! Otherwise, just go back to enjoying your Christmas chocolate!

picture taken last year in Rupit, Catalonia

festivities

2011-12-24T01:08:00.003Z

After a torturous 22 hour journey I am home for Christmas! Everything is colourful and festive and bright. Familiar and favourite ornaments, such as glittering bi-planes and skiing santas, are twinkling from the tree. My sisters and I spent last night decorating sugar cookies, and much of today eating them!

the decorating station

soldiers from the snowflake, gingerbread, and holly and ivy brigade!

our newest ornament: I bought this lovely detailed piece in the market in Bonn

I cannot wait for all that is to come: making mulled wine, viewings of A Christmas Carol and Little Dorrit, and afternoon spent making glittery star crowns, a visit to Whitehern, and just time spent with my family.

We had people for tea today:

my beautiful and photogenic sister Morna looking beautiful and photogenic

Shona's awwwwesome Rupert Bear advent calendar!

photos by myself and my sister Shona

la sala de camós and idyllic catalan countryside

2011-12-20T20:31:00.009Z

After the Dalí museum last weekend, we spent the night in a hotel that used to be a ... sala. Having asked and forgotten at least three times what a sala is I finally read the hotel's webpage, which informed me that "during the Medieval period, when the threat of wars lessened, noblemen abandoned their castles to dwell in defenses called 'salas.' These buildings were characterized by strong stone walls and a watchtower." So.... a fortified house, I guess. Anyway, should you ever find yourself in the countryside between Catalonia and the French border, or, as my boyfriend would say, Catalonia and Catalonia North, I highly recommend La Sala de Camós, lodged in an original 12th century building. Inside it's cozy, with a roaring fire that we ate dinner in front of (and then fell asleep in front of by accident) beamed ceilings and friendly staff. Outside, well, despite being December it was a sunny and glorious morning, and both the sala and the rectory next door were were like a trip back in time, nestled amongst the green Catalan fields.

Photos by me and Albert

I'm wearing an Only dress, a scarf made in France (but bought in North Vancouver somewhere) and boots from Barcelona four years ago.

hands up if you didn't know salvador dalí was a jeweller

2011-12-18T22:49:00.002Z

Or can it only be me who was ignorant of this? I'm sure we're all familiar with Dalí, surrealist, genius, mustachioed socialite, apparently-normal-old-Catalan-man-who-played-dominos-in-his-hometown... but I was pretty much unaware that he also designed jewelry which, apart from being full of humour, bite, and even pulses of pain like much of Dalí's painting and sculpture, is aesthetically stunning.

On Saturday we took a trip to the Dalí museum in Figueres (pictures to come) and afterwards popped into the complementary exhibition of his jewels. Albert and I were blown away. The golden, rubied heart brooch in the top picture was absolutely my favourite, because the ruby core was beating... it actually had a little engine inside making in pulse in and out! Likewise the angel wings were moving. But trickery and surrealism aside, are these pieces not absolutely gorgeous. Santa baby, I'll have a pair of those Mae West lips in my stocking, please.

If you want to know more, I found this article very interesting--and the first picture is a classic!

over a beer

2011-12-16T09:25:00.008Z

I wrote here that most of my outfit posts take place after a coffee or before a beer, and posted the coffee portraits. There were requests for the beer installment, so here you have it! I realize posting this so soon after my rhapsodies over Glühwein makes me seem a bit of a lush, but it's just taken out of context, I promise you. ; D

In the words of others:

"Alway remember that I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me." Winston Churchill
"Work is the curse of the drinking class." Oscar Wilde
"There are more old drunks than there are old doctors," Willie Nelson

More beer quotes here!

This is wine actually, a wonderful vinyard tour that I did of Vallformosa... anyway, we won't discriminate against wine!

Oh, another thing, now that we're all friendly over a beer... I've created a facebook page for the blog... now normally, being not the biggest fan of facebook, I wouldn't have done this or wouldn't have cared if anybody liked it... however, I'm trying to find a new job, perhaps doing content for blogs for companies or something related, and all the ones I see offered are very interested in the candidate being some kind of social networking guru. Sooooo.... if you do head over and like it, I'll love you forever/like you back or whatever. Same goes for twitter. There'll be little extras on the facebook page, for example, if you head there now, there's a picture of yet another awesome room from the castle!

In these last two I'm actually drinking Catalan beer in Bonn. : )

P.S. because beer is better with friends:

me and Kallie of Happy Honey and Lark, having a beer and a giggle in New York last April ... you'll have to take my word, and a certain amount of photographic evidence, that there was beer in front of us... : )

over-exposed

2011-12-14T16:44:00.003Z

Hmmm, I think I might have gone slightly overboard in my love of high ISO settings here. : ) You know what else is over-exposed? My wardrobe. I'm soooo bored of everything right now. It's always the way when you go somewhere with only one suitcase... you just get sick of things since you never really get a break from them. And since it was summer when I arrived and winter (supposedly) now, I packed practically rather than bringing all my favourite dresses. I don't think it works actually... with packing practically you have more options of things that go together, but you're just less excited about all of it.

Anyway, this outfit is fine, but I'm excited for when I go home for Christmas next week and get to revisit the rest of my clothes (obviously I'm way more excited about seeing my family; that goes without saying). But words like "chiffon," "brocade," "flannel," "silk" and "velvet" are tripping invitingly through my head whenever I think about Christmas dressing...

jumper: H&M, scarf: gift, top: Topshop, shoes: ebay

a woman's home is her castle

2011-12-12T22:24:00.005Z

I'd like to start this post with a disclaimer... apparently December is the month when I get heartily spoiled. When I surveyed my calendar at the beginning, the weekends went a bit like this: castle, castle, castlelike structure, home (Christmas), home (New Year). So just so you know... this is not the way my life generally is!

So, having done a day trip to a castle last week, we actually upped the ante and stayed in a castle hotel this past weekend. Absolutely magical. I'm not apologizing for any photo overloads!

a nighttime arrival...

after dinner I chilled in the library...

then retired to drink some sherry in the bedroom

morning on the balcony (freezing)

terrible shadows and light, but you get the idea... view from the window

breakfast

the castle by daylight, upon leaving.

Can I go back and live there please?

Wearing an oysho blouse, warehouse jeans and vintage sweater the first night, same oysho blouse and american apparel dress in the morning

P.S. In my dream world, I would actually be wearing this to stay at a castle

Photos mostly by Albert, who was confirmed on this trip to be a better photographer (and possessing a better lens) than I.

little toy trains

2011-12-09T15:01:00.002Z

Let's say this was one of those days where you wonder what on earth you're doing taking off your nice wool coat at 5 degrees celsius to prance around on a children's playground. But after a few twirls, you decide life's not so bad after all.

I was bad recently and bought this dress. But that's what we work for right? To be bad occasionally?

Right, I'm off. I've been spending this week of vacation (there were two bank holidays this week in Barcelona and I took three days off) working on my poor children's novel, which always seems to get prioritized somewhere after work, the blog and a host of other necessary evils. But not this week! It's gratifying to be making some progress again. Maybe draft #2 will even be done by Christmas? That would really be a present to myself!

photos by Albert

dress: some friki/goth shop in Raval, tights: gift, shoes: El Naturalista, necklace: Les Jumelles

the first sip... of glühwein

2011-12-07T22:04:00.003Z

This picture really was the first sip... I'm pretty sure I was jiggling around impatiently at this point saying "I want my Glühwein" or equivalent.

Scary/hilarious mounted fake moose head that moves, blinks, and appears to be singing to itself!

I'm going to go in the next few days and capture the Bonn Christmas markets by day so I can show you all the exquisite German Christmas ornaments and the real colour and texture of proceedings, but in the meantime, suffice to say I am in some kind of perpetually tipsy, cinnamon flavoured heaven. Bratwurst for dinner three times this week! Stollen for breakfast! Pretty lights and Christmas trees everywhere I look... man-made skating rinks (tonight there appeared to be a curling match going on) but most of all... mulled wine. I have to get past my adoration of the traditional recipe so I can try all the other types... like mulled white wine, mulled cherry wine, eggnog punch, and other things I can't really pronounce.

So much happiness.

the second sip...

welcome to my castle in the rhineland

2011-12-05T15:28:00.005Z

Megapost warning! Right, you've been warned... I wanted to post these photos last night, but was so exhausted from the actual day that I went to bed at 9:30!

Yesterday, Albert and I cycled 8 km down the Rhine and then climbed a near vertical hill to visit Schloss Drackenburg, a fanciful, 19th century, Disney-esque (sorry Germans) castle perched above the town of Königswinter. After ascertaining that there was enough closet space we made an offer and will be moving in in the new year. Joking. : ) But it was fun pretending to be an imperial lady for an afternoon, and my lovely handmade coat from Spitalfields Market in London had the requisite amount of swish for all the grand staircases.

crazy personal style blogger taking her coat off...

The light indoors was pretty bad for taking photos, but here's one anyways so you can see their multiple Christmas trees.

As to how I ended up so exhausted: since it was raining we tried to take the tram back, but while waiting at the station learned a new German word, "entfällt," which means cancelled. So we had to ride back for an hour in the rain and darkness, which was much less fun. On the other hand, I finally declared "I am no longer guilty for anything I have eaten or will eat this weekend." Which was just as well since we recovered with delicious Thai food (I nearly fell asleep at the table) followed by churros and Glühwein at the Christmas market in town.

P.S. Maybe my favourite picture of the day:

Photos of me by Albert

coat: Spitalfields market, scarf: some shop in North Vancouver circa 2006, tights and boots: gifts, skirt: Zara (last year), sweater: charity shop, hat: Desigual

fraggle says + links a la mode

2011-12-03T14:16:00.005Z

Fraggle says... "have a good weekend ladies and gents!"

I'm in to Germany for nine days... can't wait for Christmas markets, mulled wine and... more mulled wine. (Actually I've already had some). Missing Fraggle already, but not my cat allergies.

Also, my post was featured in this week's Links a la Mode through IFB... as stated in the rules, here's the complete list of featured posts!

Shorter Days of Winter

Edited by: Meghan Donovan of WIT & Whimsy

If there’s one thing that’s clear from this week’s IFB Links a La Mode it’s that the holiday season is here! It’s time to get glam, dress warm and embrace everything that’s wonderful and fashionable these next few weeks for the holidays.
THE IFB WEEKLY ROUNDUP: LINKS À LA MODE: DECEMBER 1ST

Avalon: 3 Necklaces to Own and How to Style Them

Blah Blah Becky: Instagram through the Day

Coming Unstitched: Stylng the Oversized Sweater

Elodie Bubble: The Best Shoes to Shine this Holiday Season

Fashion Tales: DIY: Dying Lace

Fashioned By Love: The Perfect Wardrobe According to YSL

Haute Cocktail: Faux Fur this Winter

Inexpensive Chic: 3 Ways to Wear the Sweater Dress

La Vie a Mon Avis: Sequined Pants for Holiday Chic

Miss Viki: Bringing vintage into your closet

Oranges and Apples: DIY Scarf Top

Ruby Slipper Journeys: Lessons Learned from Personal Style Blogging

Simply Frabulous: Infuse Stars into Your Wardrobe this Winter

Style. Love. Repeat.: 5 Minute Glam for the Holidays

Sugar and Chiffon: DIY: The Daytime Smoky Eye

Sugar and Spice: Dressing for Winter Party Weather

Thank FiFi: The Great Skinny Jean Debate

What2WearWhere: LBLD: The Little Black Leather Dress

The Chic Sheet: Python Obsession

WIT & Whimsy: Gift Guide: For the Hostess

PLEASE READ IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE
If you would like to submit your link for next week’s Links à la Mode, please register first, then post your links HERE. The HTML code for this week will be found in the Links a la Mode group will be published later today. ~Jennine

P.S.

(on skype the other day)

chestnuts roasted on... you know the rest

2011-12-01T21:10:00.003Z

Yay... it's December! I'm allowed to make Christmas references! November (a horrible month if ever there was one) is a thing of the past! Things I love about December: Christmas lights, Christmas markets, an excuse to eat whatever sort of fattening pastry (or anything else) presents itself, getting to go home and see my family, excuses to dress up. What I hate about December: Christmas shopping. Is this because my last name is Scrooge? I'd like to think not, but seriously, is Christmas shopping not the most stressful thing ever? Especially when you don't make much money. I want to buy wonderful things for my family, but everything is so expensive, I feel I've exhausted all home-made possibilities in years past, and I realized, while on an experimental Christmas shop a few days ago, that what I really want to bring back for the holidays is the atmosphere of Barcelona at Christmas time... the bustle, the turrón, the stalls in the streets selling hot roasted chestnuts, the little shops all done up for the holidays. My Catalan language practice partner made fun of me for being all touchy-feely when I said so, but it's true. So what am I supposed to say, "Merry Christmas, family: read my blog!?"

Back to the shops then... ho ho ho

of beehives, babies and bows

2011-11-29T21:13:00.005Z

I generally don't feel retro enough for a full beehive, but I like encouraging my hair to go a little ways in that direction from time to time. And I like bows, especially in a double dose at my neck and feet.

This outfit was worn for a) empanadas, hot chocolate milk and alfajores at the café across the street from my house. Alfajores are my new doom... two pieces of shortbread with dulce de leche inbetween. Soooo. good. and b) going to meet the new baby of some friends of mine. Conclusion: More alfajores as soon as possible, and no babies for at least another five years!

P.S. As I've mentioned before, I write weekly articles for a Barcelona tourism website, Barcelona Planning. I'd love if you wanted to make me look good by visiting... I've just written an article about some of the very, very strange Christmas traditions of this region!

Photos by Albert

blouse: Zara, shorts: H&M Wateraid collection, tights: boots, shoes: Indigo Clarks circa 2006, ring: my grannie's

em poso com un tomàquet

2011-11-27T18:15:00.010Z

There was a point on my blog last winter when it seemed I was incapable of wearing any outfit that didn't include some red. All my basics seemed to be red, from my lumberjack shirt (life-saver before I found a coat), to the coat itself, to my beret... This year I've been a bit calmer on the red front... I guess I got a bit tired of it. But well, red is back for me. The funny thing is, in a non-fashion capacity, it's not even my favourite colour (that would be green or yellow). But red does wonders in the winter for slightly anemic people like me. When early mornings start to turn me that disagreeable putty colour, a red hat or scarf do help to put some colour in my cheeks. On this particular day, I decided to have colour on my legs instead...

The skirt twirling photos were kind of fun to do, but there were a goodly number of indecent ones. Note to self not to try this at work!

bicycle brooch!

Photos by Albert

Dress: River Island (last years summer sales), tights: Boots, boots: gift, from Barcelona circa 2007, socks and trenchcoat: H&M, scarf: The Hudson's Bay Company, bag: vintage via Mom, necklace and bicycle pin: gifts from my mom

P.S. If I hadn't bought this dress right before I started blogging, it would likely have made it onto last post's list of treasured blog items!

how to buy what you'll wear and wear what you buy: lessons learned from personal style blogging

2011-11-23T20:19:00.006Z

Before I had a blog, I was a really bad analytical shopper. I'd buy things that didn't match anything else in my wardrobe... or that I had no place to wear. Now, "analytical" and "shopper" are not words that you would automatically put together, but there is a lot of discussion around the web about "finding your personal style," "being a smart shopper," and, perhaps most nebulous of all, "investing in the basics."

Finding your personal style can be more difficult than it sounds, but there's nothing quite like looking back on over a year's worth of posts in a personal style blog to make you start thinking about what has been working for you. Accordingly, I've looked back at the three items of clothing that have appeared in my life in the last approximate year, that have each been blogged a variety of ways, and that were overall stellar buys: the kind of investment that every purchase should be.

The boat print dress, Topshop via ebay

Saw it on a blog, had to have it, ebay stalked it until victorious, all the while wondering "is this really what you should be spending your money on?" The answer was a resounding yes. It has astoundingly only appeared on my blog four times since I bought it in the summer... but I must have worn it about forty times... not bad for a very summery dress.

The birdcage skirt, Snoozer Loser

If you break down a successful purchase by a cost-per-wear ratio, this isn't the best piece I own. I spent $120 on it (I can hear all your thrifters gasping in horror, but whatever, it's handmade and from an independent designer, and, as Aya points out, it's my money)! I don't wear it non-stop. But I find cost-per-wear limiting, because this is a skirt that I feel is so completely me that I automatically feel better wearing it. Wearing it too often might deprive it of its magic, which is that some person I never met figured out what I never would have: that my personality can basically be boiled down into a moody and faintly gothic birdcage print on an obnoxious mustard colour. Also, I thought this piece would be hard to remix... wrong. I've worn it five different ways already on the blog.

The multicoloured gingham shirt, vintage

This one wasn't a purchase at all. I bought a few items from Veronika's blog shop, and she threw this in the envelope as a gift. Basically, my favourite shirt ever (I'm wearing it as I type). I've worn it at least twice a week for the last six months... and I don't see that changing.

Lessons learned

At first glance you might say: "So,she likes independent designers, high street brands and vintage... and has paid everything from $0-$120 for her favourite pieces, and either wears them all the time or only occasionally... what does that say?"

But there are patterns--literally. All my favourite pieces of the past year are patterned. Two of three are novelty prints. Also, they are all multicoloured, which I find extremely useful for remixing and layering... you can play up any of the colours they contain. I really like that they all contain a hint of red or orange, as red is one of my "neutral colours." They're all quite classic shapes: a poofy but not indecent skirt, a nipped waist dress, a boyish blouse. They're all made of nice but basic materials (cotton or linen). They're all my basics, but still a bit quirky.

What would your top three purchases of last year say about you?

a quiet weekend

2011-11-20T20:31:00.006Z

I have had the most annoying time trying to do outfit shots all week. First, there's the early darkness, which I know everyone is dealing with. Then, there's the weather. It looks like it's always sunny in Barcelona here on my blog because that's when I take pictures, but actually it has been raining most days for at least three weeks, probably more like a month. Grrrr. Yesterday, I took my tripod into town, determined to get a backdrop that wasn't my terrace. It took me ages to find a quiet place with no people and immediately started raining. When it eventually stopped, my bangs had already dried into a Nike swoosh shape, and that was that. So, sorry, but today you're getting odds and ends of the weekend, and then I might take a blog holiday for a week.

I realize I never introduced my new camera... this is it. A Nikon D3100, shown here with a 50mm lens (which is lovely but a bit of a pain due to the crop factor). I'm very happy with my camera,though I am most definitely still learning how to use it.

I also got a remote recently, so now there are a lot of photos of me like this saying "why won't you focus, damn it?" I have to say though, personal style self-portraitists... a remote is possibly the best invention ever. So time-saving!

Yesterday I made asparagus risotto. Mmmmmm

Then went out with some friends to the amusingly named Sor Rita bar. Sor Rita means sister Rita (as in a nun) but Zorrita means little slut! I had to have this explained to me because I'm thick, but the bar is pretty funny. I'll have to get a photo of the portrait of the lewdly laughing nun next time!

Later in the evening I was trying to say "I liked them" (some people we'd met earlier) and accidentally said "They shit me." This is easier than you might think in Spanish. Mortification.

Today I went for a walk and took some pictures of Barcelona...

I really love photos of industrial cities... and Barcelona had a rich industrial heritage, so chimneys to my heart's content.

And Fraggle contemplated suicide after we ran out of his favourite food... I also considered throwing him off the balcony as he would not shut up all day. Finally we compromised and I gave him some sandwich meat.

The end!

book, terrace, cat

2011-11-18T15:57:00.007Z

This was originally a guest post for Chantilly's Songs, who's launching a kickstarter campaign to record an album of lovely songs. Check it out! I, meanwhile, was asked to share my experiences on the road less travelled by, basically, pursuing my own creative pursuits from a rooftop terrace in Barcelona.

I recently chose to move back to Barcelona, a city I lived in in my early twenties, ignoring more normal career paths for the time being at least, and working on my children's novel. In this pictures you can see me working, or at least attempting to work, on my terrace (I love Barcelona weather). Though I sometimes feel stressed under the weight of social expectations, I'm ultimately really happy with taking this time out to work on editing, improving, and hopefully someday publishing my novel. I also work part time at a job that doesn't excite me too much, but the satisfaction of pursuing a creative goal and living in such a beautiful city goes a long way towards soothing my frustrations....

Writing, editing... and I won't lie... a degree of this goes on too!

wearing a vintage dress and belt

Oh, and here's a few more gratuitous shots of life on my terrace, before it got cold and started raining. And Fraggle again!

A visiting Vancouverite, cat-lover, and thrifter extraordinaire!

Check out my old skool phone!

inspiration: russia in colour, 1910

2011-11-16T16:10:00.003Z

Something a little bit different today... I've had these pictures bookmarked on my computer for over a year now, but fall seems like the perfect time to post them somehow. Photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii took these photos on a tour of the Russian Empire only a few short years before the revolution. What's revolutionary about the photos however, is that they're in colour. So often we look at old pictures through a black and white filter that is as much mental as visual... I'm sure I'm not alone in half-believing that the past must have existed in black and white, and that has a distancing effect. Here, in colour, these long-dead Russians from an entirely changed world seem so much closer to the present; colour lends their faces contour and contrast, I can almost imagine myself teaching English to the gentleman above...

There's some pretty fantastic fashion inspiration to be found here of course, in the form of velvet, colour and embroidery, but these photos also leave me inspired and enthused for my life... they remind me to be more curious, to read more, to see the world with technicolour eyes.

More photos and information on this series can be found here

autumn light

2011-11-14T15:59:00.003Z

This weekend I was in Bonn for all of a day and a half, and I mostly slept and ate. I failed completely at getting any photo shoots until we arrived at the bus stop to the airport on Sunday and Albert said "Right, we've got four minutes." Ironically, this may be one of my favourite set of photos.

There are few things more lovely than the light on an Autumn afernoon, which is always that much more precious as it fades into night so quickly.

three minutes later, I was on my way back to Barcelona.

Photos by Albert

dress: vintage, sweater: second hand (stolen from my sister who never wears it), scarf and boots: gifts

frazzled by fraggle

2011-11-10T15:46:00.002Z

Today I am partially joined by Fraggle, the lovely/annoying/attention whore cat who lives in my flat. Things have been quiet on the blog front this week after I came down with one of those colds that, were I an 80 year old lady, would probably take me to an early grave. As it is, I have recovered, and am delighted that the weather has recovered with me!

You poser, Fraggle.

Right due at work in an hour and have to collect my bicycle from the repair shop first...

dress: Spank (Vancouver boutique), scarf: was a gift from my grandfather to someone else, but he forgot it and I took it over. :D, boots: gift, from Barcelona circa 2007

a musical evening

2011-11-06T20:42:00.002Z

This was originally a guest post over at Melissa's blog, Sometimes Almost Always

photo by lucchi80 on flickr

Hi Sometimes Almost Always readers, I'm Emily from Ruby Slipper Journeys!

I think Melissa asked me for a guest post over two months ago, and I've been unbelievably flaky. At the beginning, I had a thesis to finish, but then I got a case of bloggers block. She said it should be food or music themed, and while I love food, no sooner did I promise something along those lines than I realized I wasn't eating out much any more, and that my home-cooking wasn't exactly photogenic. And music... well, I generally say I have no soul and don't really care about music too much...

However, I would really have no soul not to care about Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, perhaps the most beautiful building in the city. You can take guided tours of this modernist masterpiece, but it doesn't cost much more to actually see a concert there. So I went for a wonderful evening of classical guitar by Paraguayan guitarrist Berta Rojas. The music was perfect, and the surroundings even more perfect... I just wish I hadn't worked just before and could have brought my better camera. Oh, and that I could have arrived early enough to have a class of sparkling wine before the show!

My camera wasn't really up to the task, but the wall behind Rojas was beautiful... the heads are sculpted stone, but they fade into the wall and the bodies and gowns are mosaic...

Thanks for having me Melis! Sorry about the epic delay!

let me eat cake

2011-11-04T12:13:00.004Z

Some days it's still warm enough for bare legs around here. Other days it has been raining like you wouldn't believe (namely on the days when I have to cycle half an hour to my 8 am class--like today, ugh). Anyway, last Sunday was one of the nice days. We bought a cake to have with lunch, one of the politically incorrectly named "gypsy's arm" cakes that are basically chilled cream rolled up in sponge flavoured with something... whisky in this case. Sooo good. Looks a bit like this, but more creme-brulee-ish.

I've just bought my flight home for Christmas, which has left my wallet a good deal lighter.... so I may have to cut down on treating myself to cake for a little while...

This is one of my favourite scarves. My aunt gave it to my grannie years ago, who decided she'd never wear it and gave it to my mom, who decided she'd never wear it and gave it to me. Such a convoluted path to reach it's correct owner!

Photos by Albert

skirt: Snoozer Loser, sweater: H&M, scarf: gift, shoes: ebay

one giant leap for my wardrobe

2011-11-02T16:03:00.002Z

I spent much of last winter doing periodic Etsy trawls in search of the perfect corduroy jumper dress and concluded it didn't exist. I'm not sure this is the perfect one, but considering it was staring out at me from H&M the day I told myself I was allowed to buy one thing in celebration of getting a second job, it'll do for now! Corduroy is a contender for my all-time favourite fabric, by the way...

And can you tell I'm having a bit of a kneesocks moment? They really suit the climate in Barcelona right now, which is still a bit warm for tights and trousers, but too chilly for bare legs.

dress and socks: H&M, blouse: vintage, shoes: ebay

magic fountain

2011-11-01T12:05:00.005Z

It's been a long weekend here, but I think I might need another one to recover from it. Bufff. Anyway, these were taken Saturday evening, when we came out of a museum (yes, another exhibition), to find that the Magic Fountain show at Montjuïc had just started. It made a beautiful display of coloured water against the darkening sky in Barcelona... the last day before Daylight Savings Time here.

This wasn't really an outfit shoot as apparently my "hair looked like an omelette," which, while I don't see the omelette resemblance exactly, it's true that I was a bit unkempt by that part of the day! Note the little pin with my name on it, which I've had since I was a kid. I found it in a box back in Canada and thought "awwwwesome," but now I kind of think it looks like I don't know my own name. And might be partially responsible for an increased number of people speaking English to me, grrr. : D

Happy belated Hallowe'en everyone! I didn't celebrate because I'm the grinch, but there were some cute pumpkin shaped cakes around here...

Photos by Albert

cultural endeavours

2011-10-28T17:46:00.006+01:00

So, this week happened. Man, I am so behind on everything and sooo tired, and sooo glad that it's a long weekend here!

I wore this last weekend to go to an exhibition at the CCCB, the Centre de Cultura Contemporànea de Barcelona, and I felt rather chicly understated. I'm always a bit leary of knee socks making me look like a schoolgirl, and of heels making me look like a businesswoman (ew), but the combination seemed to give it just the right edge.

The exhibit was fascinating: photos of Barcelona between 1909 and 1945 by a photographer called Brangulí, who, in addition to capturing some great street scenes, had an interest in photographing the industry that used to drive Barcelona... so photos of women working in textile shops and men making toy cardboard theatres at toy factories... a fascinating glimpse into life at the beginning of the 20th century.

P.S. Dusana did an interview with me about my travels, style, and other thoughts over at her blog!

Photos by Albert, all photos taken at the CCCB. I love the juxtaposition of old and new buildings that make up the courtyard.

dress: Mavi (old), sweater: car boot sale, socks: H&M, shoes: Clarks, necklace: gift from Mom

adoro mi oro: gold upcycling with katja jesek

2011-10-24T11:58:00.007+01:00

Last week I went to a blogger event in Barcelona about gold "upcycling."

Katja Jesek runs Adoro mi Oro ("I love my gold" in Spanish), where, in addition to making some beautiful jewelry, she hosts fashion's version of tupperware parties... people bring bits of old gold that they don't want (broken chains, single earrings, gifts from your auntie that aren't your style), melts it down, and works with you to design a special piece you'll really love and wear. As you are providing the gold, all you pay is the labour, which makes it not only an opportunity to reuse and recycle, but also fairly recession-proof.

At the event, Katja told us more about gold upcycling, demonstrated the process of melting down the gold, and looked stunning in an immaculate vintage 1970s designer dress by Pedro Rodriguez. The rest of us milled around the gorgeous antique shop where the event was held, taking photos, eating melon and parmesan on sticks, and sipping cava.

Anyone interested can find Katja at her website or her Etsy shop. (the Etsy shop, due to its international nature, is not upcycling and therefore prices include the cost of gold)

molten gold

P.S. This is in no way a sponsored post. I'm a big fan of local designs, and having worked in jewelry shops before, find these pieces to be gorgeous and high quality.

P.P.S. I've now written a couple of articles for a Barcelona tourism guide, and I'd be delighted if any of you wanted to check them out. I'll probably be a bit of a nuisance about this, as my boss seems to think I'm some kind of stat booster in addition to writer and well, it makes me look good. Thanks ladies and gents : D

bon(n) voyage

2011-10-20T16:01:00.002+01:00

In Bonn they love making puns that play on their name, so obviously I had to pay tribute to that! While the Saturday I was there was freezing (yes, my feet were very cold in my last outfit post, but I had forgotten to pack socks) but Sunday was all the good things you associate with autumn: crisp, clear, and a with sunlight dappling the buildings and the leaves. When these pictures were taken I was having one of my moments of "everything's so beautiful and I love being in the sun....

P.S. Sweaters + dresses + <3
P.P.S these boots! this jacket! this scarf! Things I bought two years ago and had to leave in Canada--I thought for a couple of months but it turned into a year and a half. I am so happy to be reunited with them :D

dress: River Island, sweater: H&M, necklace: gift, boots: El Naturalista, jacket: Gant, scarf: the Hudson's Bay Company

coffee break

2011-10-18T20:28:00.002+01:00

This is a wee bit random, but kind of fun. Basically, almost all of my outfit posts take place after going for coffee or before going for a beer, and I find myself with a collection of pictures of myself looking rather glam while indulging in my drug of choice (tea is my first love though, and my drug of choice at home). As someone who was deeply unphotogenic before having a blog, I don't take attractive portraits lightly. ; ) Plus, it's kind of fun remembering that the outfits in question didn't exist in a vacuum, they were part of a day that included, well, coffee.

I might have to do a beer version of this post at some point. : D

this was more of a cupcake break, with Raquel in London

Sponsorship opportunity?

realistic rather than glam. Coffee in the airport, oh yeah!

having coffee and a biyali in New York. The guy who owned the flat we stayed at told us in an accent straight out of Woody Allen that "bagels are passé, you need to try a biyali." Can you see the skepticism in my face? Apologies in advance to New Yorkers, but what exactly is the difference? ; )

crayola

2011-10-16T23:44:00.002+01:00

Despite my wariness of layering, I really had no choice this past weekend, when I was plunged from 32 degree summer weather into frigid (albeit sunny and glorious) winter. I managed to dress like a box of crayons, but I think the stripes in the scarf and the touch of red plaid in the jacket tie the whole look together. Next time I just need some stripey socks to match my scarf, and I might even manage to stay warm!

I'd have worn this outfit eventually anyway, as I have limited winter clothes, but I was definitely thinking of Annebeth's awesome coloured denim and scarf look... and while I was writing this in the airport she was leaving me a comment that more is more when it comes to layering. Hehe. Facing my fears from now on!

Photos by Albert

jeans: Zara, shirt: H&M, sweater: second-hand (via sister), shoes: ebay, jacket: Gant (2009), scarf: Hudson's Bay Company

andrews sister

2011-10-13T17:22:00.004+01:00

I think everyone loves dressing for fall except me. The colours! The layers! I'd be lying to say I didn't like the colours and textures, but layering fills me with a fair degree of dread. I think it's when my schizophrenic attachment to a rainbow of colours comes back to haunt me... Oh, you thought it would be a good idea to have basics in red, yellow, and army green, did you? Now try layering with that without looking like Jackson Pollock puked on a Miró....

Nevertheless, I'm quite enjoying my only fall purchase to far, this skirt. It was originally £115, bought on sale for £24! I find it a winner on two counts... it reminds me of the 1940s, one of my favourite eras for fashion. I can imagine being an Andrews sister belting out flawless harmony in a London canteen in this skirt (a not very historically accurate image, perhaps). And it's also rather kilt-like, which is always rather fun!

skirt: Boutique by Jaeger (sales), blouse: vintage (gift), shoes: Clarks, socks: American Apparel

book buying on sunday morning

2011-10-12T01:02:00.003+01:00

The squat next door to my new place has pretty awesome graffiti!

Canada represent! Murder on the Canadian Express and Nightmare in Vancouver, hehe

One of the big joys of my new flat is the second hand books and comics market that takes place just outside it every Sunday morning. In the second picture you can see the market itself, which is closed for reconstruction for the next hundred years at the rate things are going. In the meantime, proceedings take place under a covered awning in the middle of the road. In that second picture you can also see the intensity of people of all ages trading and selling gaming cards. We started off with an Argentinian empanada breakfast, browsed the market wares for children's books in Catalan (to improve my vocabulary) and then went for a wander in the nearby Raval neighbourhood and tried to capture some of the sunny, end of summer moments on camera. I say end-of-summer, but it was 35 degrees today at one point... the summer just keeps going here!

I love the size of that plant on the balcony!

I used to hang out in this bar all the time when I was recently arrived in Barcelona. Apparently that makes me a total tourist, but whatever, it's actually quite a nice bar.

Photos of me by Albert

I love all the different vibes this blouse can convey: 90s this time round, a more 80s look last time, and a bit 50s the first time I wore it. In my head at least.

blouse: vintage, skirt: oysho (last years sales), shoes: Steve Madden via ebay, sunglasses: Lucky Brand via TKMaxx, necklace: gift

festes de la mercé

2011-10-09T20:29:00.004+01:00

In Sants, my erstwhile neighbourhood

the dance of the Sardana

Castells

I'm never sure how much you guys are interested in my non-fashion adventures (so I trick you into coming here by making the first picture a picture of myself in a dress). I know that stats kind of fall when I have too many non-fashion posts, but I kind of feel like my adventures are integral to my blog and make up for my only having twelve dresses or whatever. Anyway, let me know if you have a strong opinion one way or the other.

So, a couple of weeks ago was the Mercé festival in Barcelona. Mercé is the patron Saintess (?) of the city and everything basically goes nuts for four days. Events that I managed to drag myself around to this year included: some really disturbing Russian clowns on Saturday when it rained (the kid next to me was bawling), some Sardana dancing (very boring but sweet Catalan dance with awesome footwear, I wrote about the shoes here) giants in the streets and lots of fireworks, which I didn't manage to photograph very well. There were also castells (human castles, see above or see this post) which my boyfriend, a native to Barcelona, has apparently never seen in real life but which I see absolutely all the time (at least twenty or so times).

And there was the absolute pinacle of Catalan culture for me, the correfoc-- fire running. On this night, which closes la Mercé, everyone dresses up in protective clothing and wraps scarves around their mouths. They then descend on one of the main streets, and people dressed like demons start running down it with torches spewing sparks in all directions. The audience jumps and dances among the flames, or cowers, depending on their intensity! Every few hundred yards come life-sized dragons and other denizens of the underworld, breathing fire and dousing the celebrants in flames. I tried to get a picture of the audience cowering but I was too busy cowering myself and cursing the fact that I'd forgotten a scarf! As a lover of all things dragon and an observer of the great paradox that such a mild mannered nation likes to set things on fire big time a few times a year, I'm generally in heaven during the correfoc.

dancing with the demons

you didn't really believe me about the dragons, did you? ; )

a light display on the side of city hall

Plaça Espanya, a scary multi-lane roundabout usually exploding with traffic, is filled with people watching the closing night fireworks. Barcelona seems to use any occasion as an excuse for fireworks. I kid you not; as I write, I can hear fireworks happening somewhere down by the port, and it is not any kind of occasion that I can think of at the moment...

right right, outfits: the dress is from River Island (last summer's sales) the shoes are Calvin Klein and were a gift, the necklace likewise a gift, and I'm carrying a Yorkshire Tea tote)

P.S. CANADIANS! Happy Thanksgiving!! I am so so so so jealous of you all. My family is having turkey and ham and squash with maple syrup, and brussels sprouts and stuffing and a caramel-pumpkin-pecan pie that my sister made and of course champagne (or non-French equivalent) and I am going to implode with longing if I think about it a moment longer!

twenty-eight

2011-10-06T11:43:00.004+01:00

These pictures are actually from today (unheard of on my blog). Today is my twenty-eighth birthday.

I think I've been kind of embarrassed about my age since starting my blog. The blogosphere is so full of eighteen-year olds with their own businesses, modelling contracts, works published in magazines I still can't afford subscriptions to.... but never mind. I think I'm going to like this age... the thought of it approaching hasn't given me any trauma like some past years, but feels like a good fit. Do I wish I was turning twenty-four? Sure, obviously. I spent my twenty-fourth birthday sitting on a beach in Barcelona, and life was good. But I remind myself that the past four years don't just boil down to looking a bit more tired each morning.... I've also acquired a Masters degree, learned two (well, one-and-a-half) new languages, lived in three other countries, written two books (publication is this year's goal) and spent a truly shocking amount of money on coffee and dresses. And, I remind myself further, if I'm currently working part time in a job that is soooo not for me it's because I choose to... I chose to come live here again, and I chose to work part time so I could focus on said books. I've got a wonderful family, lovely friends... and choice. I'm truly a lucky twenty-eight year old. Plus, I've just received a $50 voucher to Amazon from my sisters in my email, so bonus! Thanks Mo and Sho!

The card is from my dad (he hid it in my suitcase, like always) and is a close-up of some Tiffany's stained glass windows--we all like a bit of Art Nouveau en mi familia.

P.S. How amazing is the terrace of my new flat? Shared flat, obviously...
P.P.S. This outfit couldn't be any more me. Posh skirt paired with t-shirt I've been sleeping in for a week. ; p

skirt: Snoozer Loser (last year's birthday present to myself), t-shirt: American Apparel (stolen from Shona) necklace: gift from my mom, shoes: Blowfish (birthday gift from Mom four years ago).

Pictures taken with my and my parents joint birthday gift to myself... my new baby camera. ; D

in which manual settings still elude me somewhat, but I'm learning

2011-10-04T22:08:00.005+01:00

helmet or shield anyone?

Saturday was an unexpectedly busy sort of day. In the morning there was a reunion with an old friend from Mexico for coffee (erm, although as you can see, I was already on to the stronger stuff) ; D and the day continued at a break-neck pace from there. Most of these pictures were taken at the Festes d'Hostafrancs, a little neighbourhood I know quite well which lets its inner Roman citizen out at every festive opportunity.

Later in the evening there was a nice dinner in celebration of my upcoming birthday, and then an evening out in Barcelona to send off a friend, and unexpectedly, to wish a happy birthday to another lovely lady.

I wore a simple and underrated dress for two days straight, as you do. I tried to remember to brush my hair periodically throughout this time. : )

daytime pictures by Albert, nighttime pictures by me

dress: Vera Moda (a few years old), shoes: Steve Madden via ebay, purse: vintage via Mom

back

2011-10-02T19:58:00.004+01:00

A number of you asked where I was packing up to this time, and the answer is... back to Barcelona! Too familiar for you all from previous blog entries? Well, not for me. I found myself at a point in life where changes were happening, but I desperately craved something familiar and mine. With my family literally all over the place geographically, I chose this city which I consider to be my second home of sorts. This probably wasn't the smartest decision from some points of view (hello 20% unemployment rate and crap wages), and I'm not sure if this will be a future-defining move, but for now, I'm glad to be back. And more particularly, to be back doing photoshoots in my old stomping ground, Parc de l'Espanya Industrial... a beautiful, diverse and underrated park which has featured in so many outfit posts it probably deserves a retrospective on the blog. Hmmm. In the meantime, get a load of that dragon sculpture in the background of the first picture. It has three heads and consists of various slides... so playground and public art in one! Designed by Andrés Nagel, you can see a more complete and impressive picture here.

As for the outfit, in case it wasn't obvious, it's basically still summer in Barcelona, which I'm glad of, as it allows me to finally showcase this crop top I bought back in April....

skirt: Oysho (sales last year); top: California Select vintage (which is American Apparel); shoes: Calvin Klein via Winners; bag: vintage via Mom, sunglasses: Lucky Brand via TKMaxx

port dover

2011-09-29T11:52:00.005+01:00

I shudder to think what a golden glow might be

Last post from Canada! (tear). My last week there, my dad and one of my sisters and I went to Port Dover, a fishing village on Lake Erie. There's not much to do there, but we did what there was... wander around and enjoy the atmosphere, and ponder the eternal strangeness that is small towns, the terminally ten years out of date music blaring from the shops, the decision as to which fish restaurant to eat at. It's an interesting thing being part of a blog community that loves vintage and nostalgia and fifties. When I hang around with my family, my parents, who were children in the fifties, aren't the least bit nostalgic. "The restaurant we went to last time reminded me of the fifties," my dad said. "Four types of salad and not a green leaf amongst them!"

Hmmm, in retrospect I'm being a bit mean to Port Dover. I was pretty excited to see Lake Erie for the first time, and it was nice to walk in the sand and watch the sun dipping in the sky to a cacaphony of shrieking seagulls. Plus, we ate perch and then got chocolate peanut butter ice cream on the way home.

I wanted to do an outfit shoot for this outfit because I loved it, but there wasn't time. The dress is the one from this post, just to show that although sometimes things don't crop up too often on the blog, I still wear them. Also, that no white after Labour Day rule is pure nonsense!

a mural of Port Dover back in the day

Photo of me by my dad, others by me

brick-a-brac

2011-09-27T18:01:00.004+01:00

First off, the winner of the $200 value Kranich's giveaway is Leilani of Thriftaholic! Congratulations Leilani and thank you to everyone who entered.

On to this look: I spent my last few days in Canada religiously wearing things I wasn't taking with me... I kind of love having a small closet most of the time but man I hate saying goodbye to my dresses. However, I felt that I could do with a mini break from this, one of my favourites ever. The heels also stayed behind (because they are damn uncomfortable) and so did the scarf, which has been my partner in crime these many years. I look forward to seeing them all again when I'm next in town.

This was a fairly ridiculous photoshoot attempt, between the fading light, the lack of a tripod again, and my ridiculous dog running around getting underfoot and generally behaving like the world was ending because my dad had gone out for a few hours.... the last photo is pretty typical of the faces she makes in these situations. Poor Bon-bon. That picture was also taken with my new camera (eeeeeee, so excited)... there'll be more coming on that in the near future... also I have a tripod again now, phew! Aaaaand after five days without I have internet again, thank god I was going insane on my own...

Ha, I also just realized that the only part of this outfit I actually paid for was the shoes!

dress: Pepe Jeans (gift), shoes: KG by Kurt Geiger (sale), orange silk scarf: gift, jacket: Smart Set (gift), necklace: (gift), bracelet: made by me.

parasols and street festivals

2011-09-25T10:35:00.005+01:00

This was originally a guest post over at Streets and Stripes. I'm reposting it here because I'm kind of OCD about keeping all my blog content together!

My family live in Hamilton, Ontario these days, and on a month-long visit this August I had fun being a tourist in my home country. The day these photos were taken, there was a street fair near to our house. There was live music, stalls selling many different items, and, judging by the atmosphere, free-flowing beer. My sister and I had a wander through it. I loved this outfit, but in retrospect the parasol probably wasn’t the best idea for such a crowded event: I lived in fear of taking somebody’s eye out. ; p

Photos by my sister and I

dress: See by Chloe via ebay, parasol: bought in Venice years ago, necklace: gift from my mother, shoes: Urban Outfitters, sunglasses: H&M

Also, for those of you living in the US or Canada, last chance to enter the $200 Kranich's Jewelry giveaway. It's dead easy, you've just got to choose your favourite piece from their website and leave a comment on my blog post. I'll be drawing the winner tomorrow night (or, more realistically, Tuesday morning). So get to it!

whitehern

2011-09-22T11:25:00.002+01:00

In Canada this summer my family was based in a city called Hamilton, where we're kind of in the process of moving to (complicated, like everything involving location with my family). Anyway, it meant getting to do a bit of Canadian tourism in a place I'd never been before. One afternoon my mom, sisters and I went to Whitehern, a grand house from the 19th century where they hold musical afternoons during the summer. We sat in the tranquil gardens, listening to celtic harp and drinking a "bottomless" cup of tea from a china cup (there was a maid in uniform dishing it out for $1 a cup). Afterwards we took a tour of the house.

I've been to A LOT of grand houses in my time (architecturally obsessed mother, and we're all quite into the 19th century), and I have to say, this was the best tour I'd ever been on. Normally you wander around and ooh and awww over the Victorian furniture a bit, but this time, the man leading the tour sat us all down upstairs and proceeded to tell us the history of three generations of the family that had lived in the house. It was fascinating. There was a domineering patriarch, an evil step-mother, an extremely high infant mortality rate, a wealth to poverty fall-from-grace, a high mortality rate among fiancées of the children, and successive generations of young men swearing they would remain bachelors forever after being disappointed in love, and then doing so! As our excellent and understated guide stated, "I like to tell the dirt and gossip version of the family history." It didn't hurt that all the children of the final generation to live in the house were absolutely gorgeous... like 19th century movie stars. And not one of them married, for a variety of tragic or self-inflicted reasons. Later, walking through the rooms, everything meant so much more knowing the story of the previous inhabitants. I'm sure not many people reading live near Hamilton, but if you do, and you like a bit of 19th century drama, I highly recommend Whitehern. My family has already decided to return at Christmas, when they decorate the house accordingly and when hopefully I'll get some decent pictures.

And for anyone extra-interested, the archives of the house are available here where you can read the family letters including references to "kissing for a full half and hour in the carriage," haha, and hearn about the artist daughter Ruby, who was sadly had to sacrifice her career to teach so as to support her younger brother through university (he was the family's sole economic hope at the time).

Here's a picture of Shona! (I was slouching like a humpback in all of mine, grrr). ; D

Last of the summer stories: guest post from Resplendent Tranquility!

2011-09-20T23:24:00.005+01:00

It's definitely time this fun little summer series was wrapped up. Perhaps I've been hanging onto it as I hang on to summer. In any case, this entry, from my friend Emily of Resplendent Tranquility, is all about the end-of-summer nostalgia. I'm always left thumbing or clicking through photos of all the best times in my life again again... but how to capture them perfectly to begin with? I love Emily's blog because it is a truly resplendent and tranquil place, and it focuses on the little details to tell a whole bigger story. Much like these delightful film-captured snippets of summer she sent me. I think I can feel the sun and instinctively know the air temperature in every one of them...

Hello! This is Emily from Resplendent Tranquility happy to be participating in the Summer Stories series here at Ruby Slipper Journeys. When Emily asked me to share a few film photos with all of you I set out to capture some of the serene and idyllic moments that perhaps are summer at its best. The moments you're happy to witness whether you have a camera on you or not. The moments you wish would last just a bit longer - full of enveloping heat and unmistakeable summer colors. A multi-hued umbrella against a rain-saturated sky. Vibrant and delicate wildflowers reaching toward and reflecting the sun. A foggy-pink sky at dawn. Dry grasses rolled into hay bales. It's the little things that often bring out the best in each season. Take a look around you and soak them in. With that said, please enjoy some scenes from a countryside summer.

beautiful and damned

2011-09-18T13:15:00.004+01:00

Hmm, I don't look the least bit happy in these pictures! I always forget to smile when taking my own pictures--especially as I didn't have a tripod on this occasion, and kept looking at my camera suspiciously thinking "are you going to fall off that gravestone?"

So, here I am in a rather grand cemetery. Unlike a lot of bloggers, I don't find cemeteries very romantic, just sad, but this one was sufficiently old that it was interesting to walk around reading the stones, seeing how people expressed themselves a hundred years ago, how many children they had, and how many didn't seem to make it into adulthood. Yikes, I would never have survived in the Victorian era!

I decided to take my vaguely flapper-esque dress for a spin, and had F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and the Damned in mind. Not that there's a cemetery scene in that, but I thought it fitted in with the theme of the heroine and her transition from beauty personified to Shock! Horror! 29 years old and with a few lines on her face! Ha, one of the reasons that book depressed me maybe; no one wants to feel their attractiveness is over as soon as they get a wrinkle or two!

dress: gift from my mom (old), parasol: from Venice (old) shoes: Fly London, clutch: my mom's via a box ; ), bracelet: made by me, necklace, gift.

sunny disposition...

2011-09-15T21:55:00.004+01:00

Sometimes the backdrop makes the outfit...this was just something I wore to a waffles brunch at my house, but I was determined to get some pictures with those sunflowers before they died!

Do feel free to enter the giveaway below!

Photos by Shona

top: gift (old), shorts: Oysho, shoes: Dorothy Perkins (old), bag: vintage via mom, necklace: made by me

Win $200 worth of jewelry from Kranich’s Jewelers! (Closed)

2011-09-14T02:36:00.007+01:00

Now, I’m not a huge giveaway person, but I couldn’t resist offering you this one from Kranich’s Jewelers. Kranich’s are offering one reader a gift or gift card up to the value of $200. Kranich’s stock a range of luxury and costume jewelry, including diamond-encrusted engagement rings from Verragio, and intricate pieces from Simon G. (I’m drooling over a certain flower-motif bracelet).

Perhaps my favourite pieces are from the Belle étoile collection… The Art Nouveau lover in me is a sucker for enamel anything, and the rubber statement rings with coloured stones are pretty damn cool. They also have some sweet and whimsical Hershey’s kisses necklaces. Or you can choose to have a gift card...

To enter the giveaway (U.S and Canadian based readers only, I’m afraid, or at least, you need to be able to talk one of your American friends into forwarding it for you, haha).

Go to Kranich’s website and leave a comment here with:
-Your favourite piece and how you’d wear it
-A way to contact you

Extra/optional entries: (one each, please leave a separate comment for each)
-Follow Ruby Slipper Journeys via Google or Bloglovin'
-Like the Kranich’s Jeweler’s Facebook page.
-You can also tweet the giveaway, linking to this page, and referencing @rubyjourneys for an extra entry

I'll be drawing the winner on Monday, September 26th...

Best of luck everyone!

maxificent!

2011-09-12T15:41:00.004+01:00

You don't generally see me in a floral maxi dress (which won't be changing any time soon), but this one is special. My mom made it in the 70s! When she was around my age she lived in New Zealand for a few years, and she says she made this to go to a Christmas work event with her then-partner. Considering my total lack of sewing, or you could say, practical life skills, I'm beyond impressed. It's slightly too short for me, but I love the criss-crossed back, the pattern, and the heavy but cool fabric.

Things I've learned about maxi dresses:
1) They make you feel elegant while doing your homework or swishing to the bagel shop.
2) It's really difficult to walk upstairs carrying two cups of tea

I wore this to a BBQ filled with family, family friends, and folk music. As usual, I made our friend play Gone the Rainbow. A sad one but a good one. Except our friend Eric plays it even better than the video! I guess I'm going to miss family Thanksgiving again this year, so it was great to have a summer replacement.

Photos by Shona

dress: handmade family vintage, necklace: hand-made on Granville Island, shoes: Urban Outfitters, ring: some market a long time ago, sunglasses: Lucky Brand

the gentle breeze that ruffles the leaves

2011-09-09T16:03:00.004+01:00

The sunshine has returned after two days of rain, my toenails are golden yellow, and I am in an implacably good mood! My sister Morna and I are going thrifting today, if we can manage to drag ourselves away from this full pot of tea... Since emailing my thesis in yesterday, life has consisted of: breakfast with Baileys, dog walks with my sister, my parents and I co-buying me a camera for my birthday, and perogies with copious amounts of wine for dinner! Morna and I watched The Wind that Shakes the Barley last night, which, while an excellent movie, kind of makes you want to go and slit your wrists afterwards. So some lighter fare is on the agenda tonight!

I rescued this bag from a box. I know some of you have been saying I find a lot of things in boxes... well, I come from a family of confirmed packrats, and we've also just moved across the country, so there are a lot of boxes around. The most exciting part of this look is actually the sandals, which my mom had hand-made in the seventies. Except the shoe-maker took a dislike to my mom, although he quite fancied her cousin. Accordingly, the cousin's shoes fit perfectly, but my mom's have always been too small on her. Forty-odd years later, they fit me perfectly, so all's well that end's well!

My mom bought me this lovely Celtic-inspired peridot necklace for last year's birthday, but just gave it to me a few weeks ago, since we hadn't seen each other before.

Enjoy your weekends, everyone!

Photos by Shona

dress: Killah (old), shoes: custom-made vintage, necklace: gift from my Mom, bag: stolen from a box, scarf: vintage, sunglasses: Lucky brand

red canoe

2011-09-08T15:16:00.003+01:00

When I first saw this blouse in a vintage shop in Brooklyn in April, I was strongly reminded of my maternal grandmother. Thinking of it now, I'm not sure she ever wore anything like this. But I knew immediately that I had to have it, and that I had to wear it at the lake, my grandmother's favourite place. My grandparents' house up there was originally built as a cottage in the fifties by my grandfather's father, eventually it passed to my grandparents, and they retired to it permanently in the seventies. My grandmother is sadly no longer with us, but my grandfather continues to live there at the age of 93!

I'm not sure you can really tell from my blog, but one of my main inspirations this summer was: clothes I can imagine my Canadian grandma in. Such as this blouse, easy short, a collared sleeveless playsuit, and jelly shoes. Apart from the jelly shoes, I really don't know that my grandmother wore any of that stuff... I seem to remember her at the cottage in a lot of Muskoka themed sweatshirts, but that's the funny thing about inspiration. It's like catching a whiff of a smell that gives you a strong and sudden flashback, but you can't pin point why it's so familiar.

P.S. I'm a free bitch baby! Adios thesis! (Hello terrifying job search) But first I'll be visiting all your blogs at long last!

Photos by Shona

blouse: vintage, shorts: from Barcelona (old), shoes: Catalan espardenyes, hat: Nine West, necklace: was Shona's

summer stories: the readers edition part 2!

2011-09-07T15:07:00.002+01:00

Here's the rest of the great reader submissions to the Summer Stories series. These are all keeping me warm right now as the rain literally buckets down outside.

Right, got to run, thesis due tomorrow (or tonight if I'm organized)!

from Penny of Striped Socks Play Ping Pong

"Me and my best friend in Greece and represents all that's summer for me: blue sky, friends, sea, (anklets of course)! :)"

from Julia of La Belle Oiselle

"I guess you could say I was somewhat of a hermit this summer. It's just that instead of socializing with people, I socialized with my environment. This was taken at a petting zoo in a local park. I'd take goats any day of the week over a person small-talking my head off."

from Louise of For Sentimental Reasons

"On the sunniest weekend this August my long lost cousins and their ballet troupe from Canada made their way to my house in suburban London for a reunion (if you can call it such, we had never met before.) They were more silly, more funny and more wonderful than I ever could have imagined. We ate cake, drank tea and spoke until we were hoarse. There is nothing sweeter than meeting your own family for the first time, in any season, but to do so in the height of summer was particularly lovely."

from Jazzy Elizabeth of Hivenn

"This summer's been amazing."

from Rachel of Bats and Rags

"This photo may look familiar to Twin Peaks fans: it's Laura's Log! In June we took a trip to a little town in Washington state called Poulsbo, and I just about died when I discovered a pivotal scene for one of my favorite tv shows was filmed just down the road! We had to sneak through the closed grounds of the Kiana Lodge (shh!) to get to the log, where it sits by the Puget Sound, surrounded by lovely roses."

from Monique of Tipa Tipa

I spent four days on a New England getaway for a friend's bachelorette party. I climbed out of my tent and snapped this photo just before the sun came up.
Saco River, New Hampshire

from me!

Sadly that picture is probably most representative of my summer, as I battle with this paper in various cafés. I definitely prefer the gorgeous, sunny or foggy, human or animal accompanied shots the rest of you have submitted though. Obviously, due to summer being over, I'm no longer accepting submissions. Next year though!

the sunlight on the garden

2011-09-05T18:43:00.003+01:00

The sunlight on the garden
Hardens and grows cold,
We cannot cage the minute
Within its nets of gold,
When all is told
We cannot beg for pardon.

Our freedom as free lances
Advances towards it's end;
The earth compels, upon it,
Sonnets and birds descend;
And soon, my friend,
We shall have no time for dances.

Excerpt from "The Sunlight on the Garden," by one of my favourite poets, Louis MacNeice.

A fitting poem for the end of summer, no? Happy Labour Day to you all! I just came back from the Labour Day parade, and it is a cool and cloudy day in Hamilton. These were taken back at my grandfathers.

I liked this outfit because a) I felt the lizard on my shoes looked as though it was trying to get to the fruit on my dress (which is a geeky reason if ever there was one and b) it features two handmade pieces from Granville Island, the artsy area in Vancouver where I used to work. Especially pleased as I thought I'd lost this hat, but it showed up in a box. : )

Photos by Shona

dress: Mango (sale), shoes: Catalan menorquines, silver and gold flower pendant: by Vanja Brankovic of Amity Design Studio on Granville Island, chain: gift from my grandparents long ago, hat: hand crocheted by Lajla Nuhic

ornithology

2011-09-04T12:20:00.004+01:00

Up on the dirt road leading to my grandfather's house (near the Muskoka region in Ontario).

This was the first time I'd been to my grandfather's house in the summer for about ten or eleven years. We used to go every summer when I was a kid, but after my family moved to the West Coast it got a lot more complicated (five day drives across the country with a full car and at least one smelly dog complicated). It was good to be back, except for the ^#*##&@ weather. One of my favourite things about the lake is the wildlife. I've always lived in a city, and while Canadian cities get their fair share of interesting birds, (and bears! in Vancouver), wildlife is obviously far more present in the country. Chipmunks run squeaking through the forest in the morning--and the house on this trip, tormenting my poor dog. Small toads rustle through the underbrush. Raccoons flick masked and bright-eyed in the shadows, woodpeckers tap, and tiny jewelled hummingbirds flicker among the branches. We even saw a flying squirrel one night, raiding the bird-feeder. And a distant loon--Canada's symbolic bird.

Despite all this, there's a sad lack of diversity compared with years ago. Even when I was a child, the older generations in my family rued the changes to the wildlife, particularly the fish stock, which has been pretty decimated by pollution through the years.

It's not all negative though. The leaches appear to be one of the species not to have made it!

Photos by Shona

top: vintage 1950s top, won in giveaway from Oma Vintage on Etsy, shorts from Barcelona a few years ago, Urban Outfitter sandals, Shona's old anchor necklace, binoculars found in the cottage.

pod life

2011-09-03T20:04:00.003+01:00

I spend a fair bit of time in airports...more than a fair bit of time, actually. However, like most people, I consider them vile, soulless places, where complexions whither under fluorescent lighting and ears are assaulted by threats to "remove and destroy" luggage. I have to say though, the unthinkable happened on my journey back to Canada... I had fun at the airport.

In the top picture, you see me in my pod. Since I had an overnight wait for my flight I checked into Yotel , which basically means you go through passport control, then down a white hallway reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey and are finally ushered into a tiny room (we're talking 2m sqaured or something) with a bed, a toilet a shower, and wireless. Let me tell you, having spent a couple of nights trying to sleep in airports, I think this is basically the best idea ever. It allowed me to leave my luggage and walk around, get dinner at a leisurely pace, plus cheat my luggage allowance in the morning by leaving all the heavy stuff for my carry-on back in the room. Bonus all round! Plus, I actually felt like a human being, except for some crazy vertigo I'd recently contracted. : D There's also a Yotel in London Gatwick, London Heathrow, and New York.

Schiphol is actually really civilized as airports go. They have proper lounges with a variety of comfortable seats (learn already, UK airports), a piano which anyone may play (though it has a sign telling you to leave it alone if you don't know how), and a mini exhibition from Amsterdam's Rijks Museum, to give you a taste of the Old Dutch Masters. I even breakfasted on a marvellous pancake from Dutch Kitchen, cooked right in front of me.

While I don't think I'd schedule a day-trip to Schiphol Airport, it's an excellent reminder that airports don't have to be overpriced malls with a side order of customer abuse.

amsterdamned if you do, amsterdamned if you don't

2011-09-02T04:23:00.006+01:00

Oops, we're in mega-post territory again! ; D

My flight back to Canada was from Amsterdam, so Albert and I went for a mini-break two days before. I'd been to Amsterdam years ago (the same time as the first Brussels trip), but it's definitely a city which merits a revisit or two. We stayed in an amaaaaazing hotel which Albert found on booking.com not too much, and then our room got upgraded for some reason, and all in all, we spent the night like kings. I spent the following night in a pod, but more on that another time!

Back in 2004, I thought Amsterdam was amazing fun. There were other cities on that trip I found more beautiful or more culturally appealing, but Amsterdam definitely took the prize for a pure good time. And get all your minds out of the gutter; by a good time I mean we got tipsy in the Heineken brewery, rented bicycles and rode them around the park (tipsily, of course), and spent a long time in the Van Gogh Museum giftshop. I bought a pen. I'm not big on souvenirs.

These days I'm a stick-in-the-mud and my idea of a good time travelling is doing what I do at home--going out for lunch, stuffing myself to the brim, going for walks, people watching, going for coffee, drinking wine and so forth. And boring my companion with my theories on bicycle lanes. Luckily, Amsterdam is pretty ideal for all of these activities too. The amazing hotel was close to the museum district, which is also a very pretty residential area full of sun dappled streets, novelty shops (we even found a Catalan shop, hehe) and of course, cafés.

I would run away and live in Amsterdam in a moment. Unfortunately, they all speak perfect English already, and I really don't think they need any bicycle experts either... so what's a girl to do? Miss you Amsterdam!

I normally consider myself if not glam, at least a reasonably stylish day-tripper, but do please ignore my appearance here. We caught the train in Germany that morning and it absolutely poured on us (and my suitcases) on the way to the station. Have seldom been to drenched in my life. Took one look at my bangs and just gave up...

(this is the "living room" of the hotel bedroom!) Stay tuned for the pod though. ; D

Photos by Albert and I

P.S. I can't take credit for the title... I wish I could. It comes from a t-shirt I own. : )

summer stories: guest post from Waking Life!

2011-08-31T22:04:00.004+01:00

So, I can't believe today is September 1st. What happened to summer? I don't feel it's really over until my sister goes back to school next week, but it's undeniable that things are winding down. Which means I really need to ramp it up on the Summer Stories. Today I have Caitlin, who is basically an American version of me (my middle name is even Caitlin), except more stylish. ; ) I found Caitlin's blog before I had one myself, lost it, and was so glad to find it again. Apart from her enviable hair and great way with dresses and ankle socks (and hats), she writes, she drinks wine, and she enjoys a good moan and neurotic breakdown of life from time to time. As anyone who has been around here knows, all these things float my boat. Make sure to head over to Waking Life!

waking to the cool breeze through a lace curtain

perhaps a leisurely morning bike ride down a country road

getting my feet wet (almost)

drying out in the sun

exploring new secret swimming holes

reading a good book by the river's edge

Hi all! My name is Caitlin (from WAKING LIFE) and I am delighted to be posting today as part of Emily's summer series! As I'm sure her loyal readers know, Emily is totally awesome, and I have long considered her to be quite the kindred spirit. I always get excited when I see one of her rants pop up in my Google Reader :p

Anyway, although Emily's world travels are enviable beyond belief, I've been rather enjoying my lazy summer here in rural Vermont. This post will focus on the pleasures of luxuriously languid summer days. In my mind, there is nothing better than an afternoon spent soaking up the sun, reading a good book, and cooling off in a refreshing body of water. And of course, an al fresco dinner with lover/friends/family is always in order, topped off with a drink (or two) on my makeshift stoop.

driving around with the windows down/strolling through the forest

gathering at the garden

bumblebees and green beans

a drink at dusk

sitting on the stoop

sunset at shelburne pond/scrabble at the drive-in

Thanks again Caitlin...Life's all about the little adventures, and I seriously hope one day we can murder a bottle of wine on a stoop together!

a sneak peek of canada

2011-08-29T02:41:00.004+01:00

I have about eight things I want to post (including a few more shots from Europe) but don't have time to put together anything coherent... a big thanks to everyone for the virtual thesis support group! An even bigger thanks to Dusana and Melis, who offered to proofread it! I'm touched, and if I was at all an organized person, I would take you up on it. Instead, my poor dad's going to get stuck with some mammoth correcting sessions at the eleventh hour!

Anyway, I thought you might like a glimpse of where I was last week, grainy from fading light though these photos be. This is where my grandfather lives, a few hours North of Toronto, on a little lake. This place is paradise in the summer, but obviously we picked the one week all summer to go up when it was raining and blowing a gale! I'm livid, as I'm obsessed with good weather and have a permanent storm cloud that follows me about... but at least it was good for getting some work done. ; p

Oh, and meet Bonnie, my family's dog.

Photos by Shona (my sister)

dress: Topshop via ebay, necklace: was Shona's, shoes: Primark, cardigan: is Shona's (I'm such a scrounger)

it's no go the country cot with a pot of pink geraniums

2011-08-25T15:10:00.001+01:00

I don't usually buy too many clothing duplicates... that is, I don't own more than one pair of black heels (do I even own one, I wonder), no more than one denim shirt, no more than one black cardigan. I wouldn't even mention this, thinking it's completely normal, but it seems to me like a lot of people have favourite items, and buy them in multiple incarnations. I have a few items like that myself, and white dresses are one of them. I'm allowed one per year. ; ) (A pedant would say that this and this could also be construed as white dresses... but I'm not a pedant)

I saw this year's white dress a few months ago on Kater's blog, and was immediately consumed. It was the 2011 dream white dress! It had sleeves! It had lace! It was a bit Edwardian, a bit flapper, and very Emily. It was ridiculously expensive, international shipping was a joke. I plotted with my equally obsessed friend Emily to ship it to her, and she would ship it to me, but I couldn't commit.

And then... she found it in the actual store, on sale for something like a quarter of the price, and bought it for me (and correctly guessed my size)! I'm so grateful to her, over the moon happy with my dress, and really pleased to be one of an Emily-Emily-Kater triplet!

Photos taken by Albert, in Südstadt, Bonn

dress: J. Crew, shoes: Fly London, self-made citrine necklace.

all this unhappiness

2011-08-22T17:26:00.001+01:00

I wore this outfit in order to feel like I'd gotten dressed, after a particularly annoying day of thesis-writing. I know I wear this shirt too much on the blog... but I wear it even more in real life!

Anyway, this is auto-posting, I'm out of town and away from the internet for a few days. I wanted to apologize for being the world's worst blog-friend recently, for not replying to comments or emails, and generally being one of those bloggers. I'm up to my neck in thesis--the deadline's coming up really soon--and quite stressed and unhappy about some other things, and really happy about some others, like hanging out with my family again. That first picture is not at all representative of life at the moment I'm afraid... I really will try to be better soon. An enormous thank you to those of you still out there!

Photos by Albert

shirt: vintage, shorts: H&M Wateraid collection, shoes: ebay, sunglasses H&M, bag: Middlesex University

summer stories: the readers edition part 1!

2011-08-21T21:01:00.000+01:00

A week or so ago, I invited my readers to contribute a photo with a brief description to my Summer Stories series. I received lots of great responses (and am still accepting, go here for instructions), and here's the first batch. If your photo hasn't appeared, don't worry; I just wanted to keep these posts a manageable size, so yours will be in a future post. Thanks so much to everyone who has sent me a picture--I'm really enjoying getting to share everyone's summers a little bit! Without further ado....

Well, with slightly further ado. I see this spelt on various blogs ALL THE TIME as "without further adieu." Just saying. That is so wrong. It's ado, like Much Ado about Nothing. Pet peeve. Sorry. ; D

from Georgia of The Velvettes

"This photo best represents my summer to me. Even though it's the middle of winter here. It was taken last December on a little road trip with friends. We stayed in an historic villa by the shore in a tiny settlement, and spent the days exploring an abandoned primary school and jumping off the wharf and drinking beer deep into the nights. On a frosty morning like this one, I'd give almost anything to be back there."

from Ashley of She's Come Undone

"Sangria is pretty much the perfect summer drink, usually clothed in its best summer outfit (a funky colored glass, and some fruit to boot). Totally my drink of choice to unwind as the summer sun sets upon the sea. Ahhhh..."

[I'm in total agreement....]

from Xavi

"This is the romanic church called Sant Pere de Graudescales, in the walley d'Ora, just in the center of Catalonia. I visited it this last July. I fell in love with the tranquility of the area. This nice church with quiet cows around, inspired me a lot. This area is very important in the whole history of Catalonia (several centuries)."

from Alison-Claire of Holland 1945

"My love took this photo of me on our trip to Hawaii this summer. It was our first time snorkeling, and we had an absolute blast! The reef was neon green and the fish and sea turtles let us swim with them all week!"

from Annebeth of The Styling Dutchman

"I had to use this pic since that entire post was my tribute to summer :-)
Summer weather has been incredibly disappointing over here in Western Europe, so this one simple day of biking around our town was basically my perfect summer's day. Sun, a gentle breeze and beautiful surroundings shared with my love."

Thanks again, ladies and gent for infusing some extra travel, romance, and erm, alcohol, into my summer. The rest of you, I hope you enjoyed!

a city with an undeserved reputation

2011-08-19T14:50:00.003+01:00

This is going to be a bit of a mega-post, as Ashley likes to call them. So, after getting thoroughly soaked in Bruges, we fled to a hotel in Brussels (Antwerp was recommended to me, but Brussels was closer so... Luckily the next day, while not exactly warm, was a bit more photogenic than the previous one.

I was in Brussels once about seven years ago, and at the time I thought it was one of the most beautiful cities I'd ever seen. Ever since then, when I'd tell people how much I loved Brussels, I'd get the response "Really? Brussels is the most boring place on the planet!" To the degree that I started to wonder if I was just excessively boring myself.

So, back in Brussels, I still think the city centre is absolutely gorgeous. The main square in particular... I really can't think of one that I like better anywhere. Looking at the city and keeping all the professions of boredom in mind, I can kind of see what they were talking about. It doesn't seem the liveliest place--although we went to a nice area the night we arrived and had an awesome Japanese dinner surrounded by cooler-than-thou francophones who (hehe) really couldn't use chopsticks. ; D

But I think the "most boring place on the planet" label is totally undeserved (despite the rich bureaucrats it must be full of). When I contrast Brussels with Cologne, for example, which is considered to be a cool party city, I really wouldn't say that Cologne was that much more interesting (and much less pretty). It's funny how some places get tarred with the boring brush and others are celebrated--essentially as a result of having a large hipster population as far as I can tell. Anyway, rant over. I like Brussels. And I'm not boring. Pfff.

So, this is also my first time trying milkmaid braids... my hair isn't really long enough but I french braided them with my head upside down (an idea I got from Annebeth) and it kind of worked. I liked how disproportionately large my head felt... a bit like a bobble head!

And then we finished off with lunch and some beers... and yes, that's three beers between two of us. ; )

Photos by Albert and I

citrine neclace: made by me, shirt: Urban Outfitters, jeans: Warehouse, shoes: ebay, bag: via Mom, sunglasses: H&M

"hell is the entire rest of eternity spent in fucking bruges"

2011-08-18T05:26:00.003+01:00

The title is a quote from the 2008 movie In Bruges, which is a very dark comedy, (Ralph Fiennes' other pure evil role) and highly recommended. One of the central jokes is that the main character is sent to Bruges, in Belgium, to enjoy himself in the beautiful surroundings, but absolutely hates it.

Bruges is a very beautiful and well preserved Medieval Flemish city. I didn't hate it at all... but I have to say the weather was absolutely appalling the day we were there... probably the worst day of the whole summer, and between being soaked and miserable and spending much of the day hiding out in various pubs and shops to avoid the torrential rain, I can't say I have the fondest memories of it! I wish I could say we'd taken some beautiful pictures of it at least, but it simply poured as soon as we'd finished my outfit shots. Grrr. I imagine it would be magical on a frosty winter's day however.

This lovely dress has a story of it's own, and one that I'll tell you next time I wear it (very soon). Right, off to bed, my jet lag is making me incoherent again!

Damn tourists... the questionable joys of Europe in the summer...

Avoiding the rain with apple pie...

photos by Albert

dress: J. Crew, shoes: Steve Madden via ebay, cardigan: car boot sale, purse: vintage via Mom

summer stories: guest post from virginie's cinema

2011-08-16T14:00:00.003+01:00

As this posts, I am (hopefully, no more delays please) winging my way towards this guest poster's home and native land, which just happens to be my home and native land too. I found Virginie's Cinema last year and loved Virginie's style, musings on work as a film producer, and getting the odd chance to ogle her beautiful quebecois surroundings. I've never been to Quebec, but it's way high up on my list as a (hopefully summertime) destination. In addition to being a beautiful part of the world, a lot of the best of Canada's arts scene comes from this province. As a stylish blogger, Quebec native, and arts worker... who better than Virginie? You guys must watch her video!

Hello Ruby Slipper Journeys readers! My name is Virginie and I am a French Canadian girl currently living in Québec city where I work as a movie and video producer. I am so excited to have been invited by Emily to share peaks of my city with you! I always love travelling through Emily's blog and am glad to share a bit of Québec with you all!

Québec city is the cradle of the Canadian francophone population and one of the oldest cities in America. It is a small city by the Saint-Lawrence River and is surrounded by mountains. Which makes it a sought after area for outdoors and sports junkies, hikers, skiers and bikers alike (my favorite Québec city activity is snow shoeing!). It is also a highly cultural city with a vibrant community of young artists.

Québec city is a lot less fashionably inclined than it's sister city Montréal. Although there is a rise of intrest in personal style, here people are mostly natural and dress for the weather and the four distinct seasons (suffise to say it's cold and a half in the Winter!). I started Virginie's Cinema as a way to share my outfit creativity and have since found so much inspiration from blogs from all over the world. Even when I'm making movies and videos, I try to dress in a way that makes me feel happy and empowered.

A Ruby Slipper Journey in Québec city from Virginie Lavallée Bélanger on Vimeo.

A Ruby Slipper Journey in Québec city from Virginie Lavallée Bélanger on Vimeo.

Thank you so much Emily for having me! I look forward to seeing all of you again on my blog :)

Virginie ♥

Thanks again, Virginie, and be sure to pay her a visit, folks! I'll be back with some reader Summer Stories as soon as I land (seriously, Air Transat) and get over my jet lag!

And check out the other posts from the Summer Stories
Lion Heart Vintage
A Fine Day for Sailing
Milk Teeths

embroidery

2011-08-14T19:09:00.002+01:00

Just dropping in quickly...I'm currently about to be in transit, exhausted from pounding the pavement all day, and can't think of much to say. I wore this outfit on an evening walk on a rare nice evening, which turned into an impromptu dinner of weißwurste, potato salad, and of course some German beer. What am I going to do without those things, and yoghurt ice cream?

Photos by Albert

tunic (as top): Desigual (gift), skirt: Spank (Vancouver boutique), headscarf: vintage, sandals: Urban Outfitters

bloody weather

2011-08-12T13:33:00.004+01:00

Something about the combination of slim jeans and ballet flats makes me go a bit ballet... but I never took ballet; hence my somewhat Highland dancer hands...

I've actually been in Germany a few weeks now, holed up in the attic writing my thesis, which is doing my head in and moaning about the weather, which is really depressing. Despite the frequent cold, wind and rain, I've been going out daily for my yoghurt ice-cream. And yeah, life has really been so exciting that that's all I have to say. And welcome to the debut of my "Fall 2011" wardrobe, bah.

Oh, one more thing. The statue I'm larking around on in half these pictures is in Bonn downtown, and we're basically sure it's a Chillida. Chillida was a Basque sculptor whose work I just love. There are lots of them in Barcelona, and of course in the Basque Country (which I visited in 2008). Anyway, just in case anyone was curious.

P.S. Loving the Summer Stories submissions so far; keep them coming! See my last post for details on how to enter.

Photos by Albert

cardigan: car boot sale, jeans: Warehouse, breton top: Topshop, scarf: charity shop, shoes: Liz Claiborne

país tropical

2011-08-10T21:13:00.005+01:00

This is my favourite dress that I hardly ever wear. It's honestly, a bit bright even for me, but I love pink and orange as a combination, and I find the shape really flattering. Given my tropical inspiration recently, I knew I wanted a setting with palm trees, so we went to Plaça Reial, a beautiful square in the middle of Barcelona that is unfortunately a complete tourist trap. The light was beautiful though. ; ) And this is also one of my favourite photo shoots ever!

Since my Summer Stories series has been quite popular and since there are so many more summer stories than I could properly feature, I thought it would be nice to throw it open a little bit (she says, shivering in freezing Germany--I just want to live vicariously!)

So, for anyone who'd like to participate:
1.Send me a photo you feel really captures your summer or represents something interesting this summer (doesn't have to be of you, or fashion related, though it can be) At least 600 pixels wide please.
2. Write one or two lines max explaining why it's important (optional)
3. Email the above to rubyslipperjourneys(at)gmail(dot)com, with a link to your blog if applicable.

I'll collect the submissions together and post them a few at a time, with a link back to you blog (if you have a blog; you don't need one to submit). Anybody up for that? I hope so!

I DON'T WANT: Overly shameless self-promotion, blurry pics of you and your boyfriend (we don't care) or anything, ANYTHING Lolita-themed. I am so disgusted by something I just saw used as "inspiration" this afternoon that I can only splutter at the moment.

Love, the Grinch. ; )

Photos by Albert

dress: Pure by Alfred Sung, Liz Claiborne shoes, vintage purse via Mom, old anklet.

P.S. This outfit is "so 2009" for me. That's when I bought the dress and shoes and wore them to every job interview imaginable, most of which were pretty random... I got taken to one by an retired Mexican wrestler who knew all the bigwigs in town, and in another the head of the Department of Employment tried to kiss me and said I should give him private English classes. Ew. Talk about summer stories!

tropical wonders

2011-08-09T17:06:00.003+01:00

here

here and here

You may have noticed there's a bit of a palm tree motif to my last few outfit shoots (and one more to come, I might add) This is very deliberate. I'd say there's been two main themes this summer to my tumblr inspiration board: bucolic lakeside images that bring to mind my childhood summers in Ontario, and pictures of tropical locales with palm trees. We'll get back to the lakes in a few weeks, but for now, since it's apparently already winter in Northern Europe, I'm going to reminisce on the tropics. This is definitely not a part of my childhood, the first time I was in the tropics was a family trip to Cuba at the age of twenty (hooray to being a scrounging adult child)!

I recently read this post wondering about the new found popularity of flamingos, and in a fit of two-in-the-morning academic fervour, commented that I felt flamingos to be popular because they merged pink 1950s kitsch with a stylized Art Nouveau silhouette (I know, I know). But I think it's undeniable that there's a tacky and a classy way to see both flamingos and palm trees... they're ridiculous, they belong on Hawaiian shirts, but they also bring to mind the back-in-vogue joy of Carmen Miranda wearing a fruit basket on her head.

Okay, I'll get back to my thesis now (ugh). But here are some of my favourite recent tropical or tropical-esque photos.

here and here

here

here and here

here

here and here

here

P.S. My last tropical outfit post for a while should be coming either tonight or in the morning. : )

beach!

2011-08-07T21:41:00.003+01:00

Complete lack of originality in that title, but I just got back from another weekend (definitely not at the beach, though extremely wet) and am pretty much asleep on my feet!

So, here I am at the Barcelona beach, which tends to be somewhat maligned by locals. They prefer taking trains up or down the coast to visit the beaches in small towns where there are far fewer tourists. I'm all for that as well (see this post) but I also think there's a lot to be said for being able to ride your bike to the beach in twenty minutes! I've included a few pictures from an earlier day, when there were all sorts of creative kite displays happening. Three men in identical black outfits were controlling those black kites, making them do flips and fly in formation, while the octopus was just chilling in the deep blue sky. I chilled in my fruit print (!!) dress, my only purchase from the sales (I'm incapable of resisting a good novelty print).

Welcome to all the new eyeballs around here, and please feel free to introduce yourselves. I'll try to get back to you all after a good night's sleep!

Photos by Albert

dress: Mango sales, Catalan espardenya shoes, Yorkshire Tea bag

P.S. I've been hearing those seasonable grumbles from bloggers to the effect of "I can't wait for fall so I can wear tights again." To which I say... you must be kidding... tights? Fall? I love Fall, but Summer is short enough as it is without wishing it away!

summer stories: guest post from Milk Teeths!

2011-08-04T23:10:00.004+01:00

How to introduce Ashley? I'm sure most of you know her already...she's kind of our rising blogger star, isn't she? Suffice to say, I found this girls blog last July (right after I started and right after she started being a style blog) and I haven't missed a post since. Apart from her vintage-glam-one-day-and-über-casual-the-next style, which I enjoy, I also really love that she always looks to be having the best time doing the simplest things, and that so many of her posts are unapologetic "mega posts." A bit like this one. Basically, I like how she keeps it real. If you really haven't already, check out Milk Teeths, but first check out these awesome photos. Thanks again Ashley!

Outfit Details:
1970s sundress: thrifted
1980s white leather sandals: thrifted

Hey everyone! I'm Ashley and I blog over at MILK TEETHS. When Emily e-mailed me asking to be apart of her summer series I was beyond pumped. I've been reading Emily's blog since she started last year and the lady definitely delivers, not only does she have the sweetest style but she actually writes posts filled with thoughtful content. A revolutionary concept when it comes to personal style blogs, I'd say ;-)
Anyway, this post is about travelin' around in your own backyard and exploring local haunts. Over the weekend my boyfriend and I went to visit his mom who lives in Temecula, which is about an hour away from where I live in Orange County, California. Temecula is a part of Riverside County and to those unaware, Riverside has a sort of unsavory connotation. Before I'd ever been, I thought that Temecula was just a dusty wasteland crawling with bros (obnoxious white males who drive obnoxious lifted trucks and accessorize with trucker hats, wife beaters, and nautical star tattoos. They are almost always into lame action sports like motocross, etc.) and who knows what.
Well, my whole perception of Temecula (my feelings about Riverside remain intact for the most part) changed once I met my boyfriend. In fact, Temecula is actually pretty charming! The best part is Old Town Temecula which is where these photos were taken. Way back when Temecula was pretty much a part of the Wild West. Think cattle, cowboys, Native Americans, stagecoaches, greedy Spanish settlers—the works. While, true, the history of the area is one steeped in lots of bloodshed, it doesn't change the fact that the area has lots of historical significance. It's the process of learning about a place's history and what went down hundreds of years ago that I love.
As we strolled I got to see all the cool, original wooden buildings from the 1800s and we even found our way to the old stone jail which was a trip. Old Town Temecula doesn't even look real to me, it looks like a movie set.I love it even more because it's the real deal.

--

Ashley Baluyut
Blog: http://www.milkteeths.blogspot.com
Store: http://www.threefeathersvintage.etsy.com

smug

2011-08-03T07:56:00.004+01:00

I think I look a little smug in these photos... but if there was ever a morning to feel smug, this might have been it. The weather was perfect, the dress was perfect, I'd finally made a bunting necklace (in the pipeline for a couple of months). True, the necklace fell apart soon afterwards--felt is just not strong enough, does anyone have any ideas what else I could use?

Other reasons to be smug: We rode our bikes up to cup+cake, a little cupcake place on a beautiful street (I was skeptical, I think cupcakes are overrated, but these are delicious), and then went to an exhibition of street photography from the 1950s in La Pedrera, one of the famous Gaudí houses. Plus, I'd just gotten 94% on my Catalan exam, though to be fair it was really easy. Still, all in all, a justifiably smug morning!

(Note the cupcake behind me!)

Photos by Albert

dress: See by Chloe via ebay, necklace: made by me, sandals: Urban Outfitters, bag: vintage via Mom, sunglasses: Lucky Brand via TKMaxx

stripes and cycles

2011-08-01T21:53:00.005+01:00

I don't tend to go on about bikes so much on the blog, but I actually love bikes. I think cycling is, depending on the city, the best way of getting around. In Barcelona it's perfect; allowing you to skip out on the hot and crowded metro and whizz down the cycle lanes with the wind in your hair. In fact, my reason for being in Barcelona the last couple of months is to study their four year old bike-share program, Bicing. Accordingly, I've been riding the public bicycles for several weeks, but finally drew a line under my research and got back to my old love... this little mountain bike on the craptacular side of vintage that I bought second hand in 2007. It just keeps going, and nobody tries to steal it.

These are my third pair of very Catalan shoes. Known as "espardenyes catalanes," they are worn by dancers of the traditional Sardana (most boring dance on the planet) and were also made famous by Dalí, who wore them all around.

And behind me is Barcelona's Arc de Triomf, made of brick and built for the Expo in 1888. I definitely prefer it to its more famous Parisian cousin, but then I'm biased. ; )

Photos by Albert

Topshop breton top, Billabong shorts (gift), Catalan Espardenyes, Sunglasses from Sanborns, Mexico

P.S. While this was an outfit I wore for a bike ride, I should say that I cycle in basically all my outfits. Since my main form of transportation is by bicycle, all my dresses and the majority of my shoes get ridden in. Another reason for a chic yet sensible wardrobe!

P.P.S. Just for fun, a few other bicycle posts:
Last Day in Guadalajara
Old Faithful
I'm Walking on Sunshine
Bicycles and Picnics and Beer, oh my!

the intersection of fashion and culture

2011-07-31T21:25:00.005+01:00

I look like a Barcelona housewife in this outfit, but that's neither here nor there. I'm not sure what's up with this dress; when I put it on and look in the mirror I see something swingy and casual and sort of chic, but when I look at photos I see, well, a housewife in a shapeless blue sack.. Whatever, some summer days it's so hot in Barcelona that you can't even think, let alone worry about what you're wearing.

Anyway, that aside, what I want to talk about are the shoes. I've recently acquired a couple (well three, but the more special ones have to wait for tomorrow's posts) pairs of shoes that aren't exactly fashionable, or even stylish, but appeal to the nostalgic and cultural explorer in me. Specifically, the two pairs above, are what a few years ago I would have dismissed as old lady shoes without a second thought... but now they represent life in Barcelona for me and I love them. Both types are worn by your average Catalan, young or old, male or female, interested in style or no, as a culturally specific form of summer survival gear. The red shoes, espardenyes, are probably typical not only to here but to much of Southern Europe, but for me they'll always be synonymous with Barcelona. As you can see, they're a fairly close but stripped down relative of the espadrille (über popular this year). The brown shoes are "menorquines," from the island of Menorca, and also seen basically everywhere.

I find it kind of delightful to reference a culture I grow increasingly fond of in my footwear, even if the reference is lost upon a number of my readers around the world. It feels like in an increasingly globalized world we can be inspired by fashions and traditions from all over, but the decade to decade definition of what the "good" silhouettes or styles are is ever narrowing as people around the world emulate the same designers or shop in the same stores. And sometimes it's just great to step back, to take a moment to connect with where you are, rather than what you are or who you are or what image you're trying to project, and dress like everyone else for a while... even if that leaves you looking paradoxically out of place in the virtual community.

Do you have anything in your wardrobe that is culturally dear to you? Is it from your own culture or another that you identify with?

P.S. The lizard design is a cute addition to my menorquines. In general they're just plain, and often a paler beige, although you can get them in most colours,
dress: second hand from Beacon's Closet, shoes: menoquines, earrings: Spank (Vancouver boutique)

la mexicana

2011-07-29T09:13:00.006+01:00

Sorry for posting overload this week. I have so many things lined up... it's either feast or famine in my archives!

Anyway, at this time last year I was living in Mexico (and at this time the year before, though a different city). I really enjoyed my time there overall, and recently discovering Dusana's blog (she just got back) has made me a bit nostalgic. Also, I realized I'd bought this dress at a street market the day before I left and had never gotten a chance to wear it/completely forgotten about it.

I never bought as many beautiful embroidered blouses as I meant to in Mexico. By and large, the stuff for sale in the city wasn't great. One time, Albert and I went to this little mountain village that was very picturesque and famous for it's embroidered blouses. I had big plans to stock up. But then our beetle fell into an enormous pothole on the mountain road which destroyed two tires. We managed to roll downhill to the nearest village (after discovering our spare tire was flat, haha) and get them replaced. But they only took cash, which pretty much wiped out most of the cash we'd brought. And they definitely weren't taking Visa in that village! So I had to content myself with some clearly sub-par $6 blouses instead of splashing out the big bucks ($20) on something really special. C'est la vie. ; ( I guess I'll just have to go back some day!

dress, necklace and skull from Mexico, charity shop belt, Calvin Klein from Winners shoes (old, gift)

P.S. Gratuitous beetle shot. I loved it, and it's the only time I've ever been or am likely to be a car owner (sort of). This was not on the occasion of the tires, however. Oh, also, our beetle was from 2001 (they only stopped making the old kind in Mexico in 2002)!

P.P.S. For a post actually wearing one of the aforementioned cheapo blouses, go to Tequila Sunshine

firework night in cologne

2011-07-28T13:04:00.004+01:00

A couple of weeks ago we headed over to Cologne (about 40 minutes from Bonn on the train) to see their Fireworks night.

First though, we stopped for dinner in Bonn at this excellent Thai restaurant I'm so glad to have discovered. I had a "Drunken Apricot" cocktail.

And shared some noodle-y thing and some mouth-watering fish (I think it was red snapper). Sheesh, as a Vancouverite I should know the names of all these things, but I've never gone for much Thai food, for no good reason!

Then off to Cologne on the train. We were supposed to meet up with some people, but couldn't find them in the crowd along the riverside:

People were waving sparklers in time to the fireworks, which I found pretty endearing. Later they were all singing very patriotic-sounding Cologne-centred songs (some to stolen melodies, I might add--ahem-"Loch Lomond" ahem--I found that part just a bit strange. ; )

Very nice, though not a patch on the Vancouver yearly firework festival (sorry).
Afterwards there were so many crowds that they closed the main station for an hour or so due to overcrowding, so we went and got a night time view of the stunningly beautiful Kölner Dom instead.

P.S. Thanks for all the great debate-sparking comments yesterday! I love it when the conversation gets going!

sunny yellows and a rant

2011-07-27T08:43:00.003+01:00

I was supposed to wear this to a party while in Bonn a week or so ago, but after going out to take these pictures and have a drink, we got lazy and it turned into a drinking-white-wine-while-chatting-at-home evening instead. I remember Albert telling me to "cheer up" while we took them... not sure what I was so grimacey about at the time, but probably I had an audience or something!

Right, I feel the need to unload on my latest bloggy rant. I know we're supposed to be all sweetness and light in our online personas, but what can I say, I'm actually the grinch. So, in no particular order, things that are driving me crazy:

1. The overuse of the word "babe." As in "my friends/fellow bloggers/ are total babes." Now, maybe it's just me, but "babe" to me has kind of a raunchy sixties, Brigitte Bardot kind of connotation. I know everyone loves Brigitte Bardot at the moment, but really, have we not advanced? Must we still call people "babes" to indicate their value? I don't know about you, but I don't think of my friends as babes. Some are good looking and some aren't, but I'd actually think there was a problem if all my friends were of the sex-kitten variety. Some are welcome of course.

2. Naked chicks being reblogged ad nauseum on tumblr. Yeah yeah, the female form is beautiful. So why are most of these reblogs waifish females who look like they skipped six meals before slipping on a pair of white cotton undies and lying topless in a field fingering flowers? Or there are the ironic, tongue-in-cheek reblogs of snippets of naughty vintage films...As with babes, really...is this really what we consider "inspirational?"

3. "It's so unbelievably horrible what happened in Norway." It is, of course, completely horrible. Especially given the troubling connection to the rise of extreme right-wing sentiments in Europe in recent years. But hey, there's also a famine going on in Somalia, huh? Affecting something like 30% of the population? I haven't heard a peep about that on the blogosphere yet. Why do we only feel compelled to comment upon things that happen to people who remind us of ourselves?

Jiving my nasty, gloomy, un-babe self down the street... ; )

Photos by Albert

vintage deadstock dress from ebay and vintage hand-me-down clutch, Fly London shoes

a little bit rockabilly

2011-07-25T21:23:00.003+01:00

I've always had a bit of a thing for the rockabilly revival look. I'm not actually sure that's the right description: I mean the look where girls do their hair a bit fifties style, have swallow tattoos on their backs, and where fifties shape dresses with tattoo or cherry or Mexican skull prints. Probably this love of mine is not terribly obvious: I don't have any tattoos, and I'm not usually seen in any of the above styles; but nonetheless, I'm the type to gaze a little longingly at the dresses in the Camden market stalls.

So I indulged in my fancies a little by snagging this Laura Lees for Topshop dress on ebay. I remember this collection back from 2007--in fact, I bought one of the dresses back then. I love the bright, poppy, slightly rockabilly embroidery that gives it extra character!

After Eight, and my absolute favourite, yoghurt flavoured ice cream.

Photos by Albert

dress: Laura Lees for Topshop (via ebay), bag: Flash paradise, socks: Primark, shoes: Urban Outfitters (gift), hair ribbon: presumably from a gift?

i have heard the mermaids singing each to each

2011-07-23T15:53:00.001+01:00

I'm guesting over at First Impressions, where you can read my murmurings on landscape and style blogging. Check it out!

The title, like last time I wore this dress by the sea, is from T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock."

summer stories: guest post from a fine day for sailing

2011-07-21T08:07:00.004+01:00

Everyone knows I love travelling, so it made sense that in my guest series of treasured summer experiences I should have a travelling story. The lovely Islabell from A Fine Day for Sailing obliged with an account of a trip that includes some of my dream locations... and she did it all in style with the coolest backpack ever.

Hello hello! I'm Islabell, from A fine day for sailing. I am excited to be here for Emily's summer stories series. I'll be doing a wee post on summer travels.

I just came back from an amazing month long summer adventure. I flew to Istanbul to met my friend Donald. It was a city unlike any I have ever experienced, a whirlwind of colors, sounds and smells. I felt safe and the people were so friendly. After a few days exploring (which was definitely not long enough) we traveled around Turkey, visiting Ephesus and Pamukkale.

From Turkey we joined friends in Greece and had the most amazingly relaxing time. I often find my self all wound up traveling, anxious to see everything and not miss a moment so this time in Greece was just wonderful. We spent the days swimming in the sea and the nights eating good food at a local Taverna.

Next my good friend Jenny and I left for Berlin where we met my bother. We went to a german school for a while when we were growing up so it was great fun practicing our german. After a few beers I seemed to get by pretty well.

The final week of my trip I spent back in Scotland hanging out with my dad and catching up with old friends. It was Bliss. This summer trip was perfect. Looking at the photos are making me antsy to go travel again.

I hope everyones having a great summer.
Thanks for having me Emily!

Islabell

x

Thanks again Isla! And don't forget to visit her too, everyone!

currywurst

2011-07-19T22:05:00.005+01:00

I spent last week in Germany (even I can't keep track of my movements at the moment, but anyway, these photos were taken in Bonn). I packed quite badly, and on top of that the weather got fairly cold and rainy after a day or so, so I think I must have worn this blouse at least five days out of ten. Luckily though, it's extra soft and comfy, so at least I packed one thing sensibly!

I ate so much ice-cream while in Germany--they have an amazing yogurt flavoured one that I could eat until I drop, and also, predictably, I ate a lot of currywurst. This was a currywurst day. I think I need a good long break from it now...

Photos by Albert

dress: Monsoon via charity shop; blouse: vintage (gift), scarf: vintage via charity shop; shoes: Urban Outfitters

a year of ruby slipper journey-ing

2011-07-17T18:12:00.003+01:00

Hard to believe that, as of Friday, I've had Ruby Slipper Journeys for a year. It's been, by all accounts, a crazy year. When I began, I was living in Mexico; within a couple of months I had moved to London to do a masters degree. Throughout that year I was frequently visiting my boyfriend in Barcelona (his hometown) and studying in England. Currently, I'm doing research in Barcelona and visiting my boyfriend in Germany quite a lot (a friend of mine jokes that we have "reverse magnetism"). But one definite constant in a year of changing climates, backdrops and responsibilities has been my blog, and the friends I've made through it all over the world. Life in the coming year is even more uncertain, if that's possible, but the blog will be coming along for the ride. Here are a few favourites from the past year.

From a year of personal style blogging I've learned about my own wardrobe strengths and weaknesses, I've experimented a bit with different personas (see the ballerina and Victorian orphan inspired looks below) and tried to hone and refine my tastes a bit... that's still a work very much in progress. I've learned a fair bit about photography, can judge all the different phases of "the golden hour" at a glance, and have become a bit more photogenic (apparently it only takes having your picture taken a few thousand times). I haven't learned as much about html as I'd like, though my photoshop skills, which were non-existent before, aren't too shabby. On the negative side, I have spent who know how many hours sifting through other blogs, not all of which were worth the effort, replied to more comments than were good for me and have struggled more than ever with consumerism, procrastination and prioritizing. Style blogging is a paradox, but it's one I'm determined to keep exploring!

Thank you so much to everyone who's read my blog in the past year; and especially to all those who've been in touch through comments or emails (or in person)! It's been fantastic knowing you all so far!

Photos variously by myself, Albert, my sister and the first one by my dad!