Thursday 30 September 2010

back to mexican mansions

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That was quick wasn't it? One day in England, the next back lounging in front of some colourful colonial architecture! Of course, and rather sadly, these pictures were taken before my departure. Knowing I wouldn't have much time when I first got here, I stocked up on photographs before I left. And now, as well as making my life a little easier, they make me a little nostalgic.

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I think when I put this outfit together one morning, I had ideas that it could be a good fall look for once I got here. Which just goes to show that I have no imagination when it comes to the weather. I guess with tights, a scarf, and a jacket I will wear this out of the house, but by that point it will hardly be the same look anymore.

The photos were taken at a lovely little place near where I lived. It's a bar/cafe after 1 pm, with theatrical productions on Thursdays and a constant showing of Back to the Future III on Sunday nights.

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Outfit:
dress: Vero Moda
necklace: Mexican
cardigan: Current
boots: Steve Madden
belt: stolen from my mother

Wednesday 29 September 2010

in england

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Just a really quick one today to show you a little snap of life in London so far. I'm staying with some friends in, you guessed it, the East End and who actually do have an EastEnders motif pasted onto their mirror!

I haven't really taken many pictures yet, but I'll leave you with a photo from last time I was in the London area. In 2008 my boyfriend was working in Hatfield and I visited for a few weeks close to Christmas. Here I gaze at Hatfied House, Hatfield's one tourist attraction, which also happens to be closed all winter... Going into London was really expensive on the train, so I spent lots of time going swimming at the local pool (until they started renovating it), and writing a romance. The romance genre is definitely not for me, but it was the first time I ever finished a book, so I suppose I have Hatfield to be grateful to for that.

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I really wish I had my coat and hat with me this time...

Outfit:
coat: Topshop (from 2003)
boots: Rocket Dog
hat: gift
mitts: gift from Peru

Mexico pictures tomorrow! I took loads before I left.

Tuesday 28 September 2010

Into the Beautiful North + a mashup

Hi everyone!

Brrrrrrrrr. That's my main comment for now. This is a bit of a hodgepodge post, and as soon as I'm done I'm off to (hopefully) enroll at the university. Scary times.

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I hoped to make a post about LA, where I had a seven hour layover, but the Department of Homeland Security had other ideas. Allow me to vent for one minute. I wanted to leave my extremely heavy carry-on at left luggage (where you can check your suitcase in for a day or so in normal countries) and catch a shuttle into town. "No!" a 'traveler assistance' officer barked at me, when he could spare a moment from his blackberry. "Not since September 11th, you can't leave luggage." Allow me to say that this is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Other countries have a special room you can check your bag into, and they scan it first. So that would be the same security measure as when it goes onto the plane, right? Right. Anyway, seven hours in Starbucks it was. Grrrrr.

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Meanwhile, the giveaway winner was comment #19 of the legitimate entries, Terri of Rags against the Machine! Terri is from Kansas and reminded me that her homestate is the setting of part of The Wizard of Oz, so very appropriate considering this is Ruby Slipper Journeys! Thanks everyone for entering, and I loved hearing about where you all live!

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Next up, if you're an etsy or vintage lover, let me point you over to Ashley's shop Three Feathers Vintage, full of vintage treasures unearthed in LA, (that same place I couldn't visit, grrr). She's having a mega sale at the moment, and there are lots of chances to get free shipping, or at least a big reduction. Plus, her prices are super-reasonable for Etsy to begin with. Also you should check out her lovely blog, Milk Teeths.

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Some of my personal favourites from her shop.

A few more odds and ends coming later, I don't want to overload you all!

Saturday 25 September 2010

maaaaaaannn.....

.... I hate this part! Basically, everything is going in except the bicycle. Plus a skull and a helmet. Grrr.

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Should I get away with it this time, I will post my ultimate guide to packing and how-to-avoid-excess-baggage-fees!

Friday 24 September 2010

safari!

Before I start, if you haven't already, don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY

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Back in the late spring, I decided I had an obsession with safari style. This was when I got back from South Africa and it was a bit random because I'd been to game parks in South Africa, been absolutely freezing, and dressed like this:

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Not very safari chic, but oh so fun!

Anyway, I didn't find anything in the stores that fit what I considered a reasonable budget for safari clothes with no safari in sight, so I decided to cobble together the best look I could from what I already owned. And then I stalked through Guadalajara, inventing my own safari!

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Peering around every bush...
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Trying not to make too much noise and scare the animals...
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What's that I hear?
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Sometimes the watcher becomes the watched...
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This being Mexico after all, I didn't find too many exotic animals, but I did find him:
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Oh, and this guy!
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Outfit:
dress: gift
belt: my sister's
hat: The Bay
shoes: Aldo

On an unrelated note, I am flying to England in less than two days, and I can feel little veins of stress creeping over me. Every time I move it's bittersweet, thinking of the things I leave behind and looking forward to new opportunities. And ugh, packing. And ugh, ugh, trying to get a suitcase, a carry-on and a guitar across London after a 24 hours journey. Greattttt. This is all to say, my appearance might be patchy in the next week or so, but I'll be back.

And you haven't seen the last of Mexico yet on this blog. I still have a few photos I'll be sharing with you during the next couple of weeks!
Hasta Luego!

Thursday 23 September 2010

in which i have my shoes polished and muse on consumerism

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The other day I had my shoes polished. I actually brought these shoes to Mexico with the idea of having them polished (I had them here for six months last year and consistently forgot). You don't see shoe polishers around much in Canada, though I'm sure you can get it done somewhere, but here it's very common to see the little portable booths, and a man sitting on a wooden stool waiting for business. It takes about ten minutes and costs less than $2. He washes them with a soapy mixture, brushes them, and then adds the polish.

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I contemplated my shoes while the man worked. I hardly wear these shoes any more. I had bought them in Barcelona in 2007 and, not having many alternatives, wore them all the time. Back then, people used to come up to me on the street and tell me how cute they were; once someone even took a picture of them. But fashion turns over so rapidly that no one says anything any more, and I got a bit sick of them.

However, I remember interviewing my grandfather earlier this year to preserve the family history, and while we were talking about his childhood I said, "you guys must have had so much less stuff..."
"You can't even believe it," he replied. "People these days have so much stuff... we never had any of that."

My grandfather certainly wasn't rich, but he wasn't terribly poor either. He just lived at a time when people took care of their belongings. If you bought a pair of shoes that cost you money, you looked after them, you had them cleaned or you cleaned them yourself, and you wore them until they wore out or didn't fit you any more. (For the rich, this was obviously not the case, but there weren't too many rich people in Canada in the 1930s).

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As the man cleaned and polished, I felt a rekindling of pride in my old shoes. They looked so much better, they were starting to gleam. And I wondered why I'd felt they were inadequate for the last year and a half. There's something wrong with an industry that makes us buy, buy, buy all the time, that makes us feel out of the loop if we're wearing round-toed shoes in a pointy-toed year, or flats in a heels year. And there's something satisfying, at the end of the day, about owning something long enough to have a host of memories associated with it.

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So here they are, looking well-loved again instead of just well-worn. What do you guys think about the consumerist culture and the need to always have something new? I know a lot of people buy vintage or thrifted items, and while that is of course more ecological, I don't think it addresses the main issues of consumption that affect us these days... I'd be interested to know what you think!

Now, me and my paypal account have a date with Etsy... I know I know! But the dress in question will go really well with these shoes!

Tuesday 21 September 2010

still in shorts

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I know a lot of you are not only wishing for autumn, but already wearing your tights and cardigans. I like tights and cardigans as much as the next girl, but I can wait. And honestly, here in Guadalajara, it's only possible to wear a cardigan between about 8:30 and 10:30 am, and then maybe at night. I'm generally not presentable enough to be doing photoshoots at those times!

This t-shirt came free when I signed up for Guadalajara's public bicycle program. The head of the little man is actually an old-style bike, which I love. I'm a big supporter of public bicycle schemes in all cities; biking is one of the most fun ways to get exercise. I'm personally not a person who can go to the gym... it's so mind-numbingly boring. But scooting around on a bicycle, getting somewhere--that I love.

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I kind of enjoy that my hair is as spiky as the plant in this picture. ; )

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Outfit:
shorts: from Barcelona
t-shirt: free from Bikla
shoes: from ebay
belt: my sister's
necklace: self-made

Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY below!

Monday 20 September 2010

anniversaries and a giveaway!

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This past week there were two anniversaries of sorts. There was of course the 200th anniversary of independence in Mexico, which was celebrated in grand style here in Guadalajara and elsewhere. Last Sunday was also the much-more-humble two month anniversary of this blog. While obviously not quite as monumental as independence day, it's nonetheless been a whirlwind two months for me. And since the two events coincided, and since I'm leaving Mexico, I thought I'd celebrate with a little giveaway!

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This necklace was hand-made by artisans in the North of Jalisco (the state that Guadalajara is located in) and is a typical example of the intricate beadwork of the region. It also features the Mexican national colours: red, white and green, and a few more colours too. I wore it once (think of this as a baptism!) to the 200th anniversary celebrations, and now it's time for this necklace to go to some other country. Or maybe it will stay in Mexico, we shall see!

I wore it with a white blouse with multi-coloured embroidery, but I can also imagine it for fall/winter with a black dress and a colourful scarf, or with anything solid coloured red, black, white, yellow, green or orange!

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To enter the giveway, follow Ruby Slipper Journeys via Google or Bloglovin, and leave a comment saying:
1. Which way you follow me, and
2. Something interesting about your country or city (or wherever you live)

The winner will be chosen by random number generator on Tuesday September 28th, which will be my first full day in London.

Good luck everyone and thanks for making my first two months so fun and interactive!

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Friday 17 September 2010

grand house, by which once more I stand...

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This is the third of my "mansions of Guadalajara" outfit posts (you can see the other two here and here). And, unless I get moving on an idea I have, the last one. This is also one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen, and there's a lot of competition in this neighbourhood. It was, according to the wall plaque, built between 1902 and 1922, and it currently houses the University of Guadalajara archives. I walked by it many times and finally took the plunge and went in to ask them if I could look around. They gave us a little tour of a colourful tiled interior courtyard and a beautiful tiled kitchen, and then we prowled the grounds trying to take photos unobtrusively.

I suppose these are also the last pictures featuring my sister Shona (who actually left a few weeks ago; these are a bit old) for a while. Though I certainly hope she'll come and visit me in London!

*title somewhat mangled from a Tennyson poem

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Outfit:
skirt: Winners
top: Smart Set
shoes: Blowfish
necklace: Whitby jet
earrings: hand cared ebony by Todd Woffindon

On Shona:
dress: H&M (from 2004)
shoes: Steve Madden