salvage: follow-up

All photos by the talented Penelope Tse

last minute signage & balloon idea // me looking fairly fresh-faced considering the lack of sleep

 

Okay, I am finally getting around to sorting through photos and posting about the Salvage sale!

I had to take a couple days off after the event to catch up on rest. Then things got busy again, and finding time to tally up sales numbers, count money, and sort through the inventory (again) was harder than anticipated.

the sale was held at the Hot Art Wet City pop-up gallery // these shoes still need a home

 

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recently...

This past week through my phone:

grilled cheese at PHAT
rainy day at Science World
jellyfish at Vancouver Aquarium
lunch break at Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden
ratty Chuck Taylors, worn out BDG jeans, stained H&M tee, comfy Joe Fresh flannel >> slobby Thursday at the office

salvage.

My apologies for being away for so long. Things I have been occupied with: enjoying the great summer we had in Vancouver, shopping, seeing these boys again, shopping, and more shopping. I have also been busy with work and organizing this upcoming event:

If you would like to contribute items to the sale, please let me know! Please also share the event on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or whatever your social media poison may be. Many thanks to all those who have already agreed to contribute to the sale! More details to come!

neon brights.

Who would have imagined that the retina-searing neon brights from my childhood would creep their way back into my wardrobe? Thankfully, this time around, neon is used sparingly and tastefully (unless you're being "ironic").

Here are some uses of neon I approve of! (Not pictured is the River Island purse I gifted to myself earlier in the year.)

clockwise from top left:
gorjana leather studded bracelet, zara shoes, zara messenger bag, zara box clutch, neon lights collar necklace, adia kibur stone necklace, sandy hyun studded cross necklace

Have you embraced the rebirth of neon?

summer prints.

h&m haul in april: i couldn't wear those sandals 'til two days ago!

It all started with one blazer (pictured above) and now I find myself wanting to add more prints to my wardrobe. I'm not talking dainty flower pastel prints; I'm talking big, bold, your crazy high school counsellor prints. Examples:

all from zara

Admittedly, I have some reservations about the pants. I'd probably have to do some crazy seven-days-a-week pilates again to have model-esque legs for those. Oh, and, you know... magically grow seven inches. Even Hermione Granger couldn't assist me in that department.

wedding season.

After entering (and passing) my mid-twenties, I found there were more and more weddings to attend each year. Luckily, I haven't run into the problem of not having enough dresses to wear (yet), simply by making sure I do not wear the same dress in the presence of the same guest list more than once.

just a small sampling: h&m / urban behaviour / supré / h&m / sharinio / buffalo shop

There are a few other cardinal rules I go by when it comes to weddings, and these are really just the anal retentive traits in me shining through:

• Don't wear a significant amount of black. It's a wedding - a celebration of two people's love (or whatever) for one another - not a funeral. I love black, but there's an appropriate time and place.
• Don't wear a significant amount of white. The bride might cut you, is all I'm saying. Unless the bride is not choosing the standard white gown, then by all means, go white!
• Leave the in-your-face cleavage for the club. Cover that shit up! This is a family affair. (Vegas wedding? Okay, whole other ballpark.)
• Forget the mega-watt makeup. You're not the center of attention today, so try not to detract from the bride (and groom). Look ravishing, but not too ravishing.
• Wear something that reflects your style and personality. Abiding by all of the above rules doesn't mean you have to lose yourself. Shoes and accessories are important!

Of course, the most important rule is to not act like a fool. Looking nice is super important, but learning not to get shit-faced at the open bar is an entirely different beast to tackle.

 

P.S. Don't wear jeans! Or t-shirts. Or baseball caps. Spleesh!

P.P.S. I am so anal that I would probably enforce a dress code if I ever had a wedding. I'm picturing a bouncer at the door...

adr for h&m.

If you haven't heard the news, street style favourite Anna Dello Russo is designing an accessories collection for H&M due in stores October 4.

Here's a sneak peek at her collection:

photo courtesy of H&M

I am so, so, so excited for this! ADR has such a great eye for anything luxe and extravagant. I'm marking my calendar! Are you?

Unfamiliar with ADR? Here are some of my favourite shots by Tommy Ton (Jak & Jil):

ADR in her Paris apartment

Milan & Paris fashion weeks A/W12

Milan & Paris fashion weeks S/S12

forever in our hearts; forever a canuck.

As I sit here with tears streaming down my face, I am filled with regret, a feeling I have tried to stamp out of me since my teenage years.

Early this morning I learned that my friend had passed away yesterday. The last time I had spoken to her was on New Year's day and it was via text. I'd said I would come visit her this summer.

I had a gut feeling that she was not well. She had been in and out of the hospital lots last year, but she never wanted anyone to know how sick she really was. When we'd been exchanging text messages about how our holidays were, she had mentioned she was sick Christmas day. Again, I ignored that pang of worry I'd felt. I didn't want to ask if she didn't want to talk about it, and I wanted to be naive and believe that she was fine.

In early January, I decided to deactivate my Facebook as I'd felt it was eating too much of my time and causing too much unnecessary strain on my mental well-being: see FOMO (fear of missing out). Looking back, as good as that felt for me, I realise now that it was how my friend and I interacted most of the time. I can't say that it was the best way, but it was easiest to keep in touch with her via that (evil) social network than it was to pick up the phone. This realisation fills me with so much regret. I could have texted her more. I could have tried to call or Skype her. I could also have sent her a Christmas card. I feel like a rotten friend.

I'm an extremely sensitive person - I cry watching movies, I cry over the loss of people I don't even know, I cry at almost everything - but I think it's a testament to how much my friend had touched my life that I am as upset as I am this morning. In truth, we were not super close - not in the best friends context - but we did share a certain bond. She was so funny, so full of spirit, and she always made me feel like I never had to apologise for who I was.

I'd first met my friend in 2007 after she'd come back from an extensive injury: I'd been subbing for her while she was on sick leave. At first I didn't know how to read her, but it didn't take long at all to understand her sense of humour and realise what a compassionate person she was. Even after I had left that office and the sister company, we still met up for lunch once in a while. She moved away two summers ago and I'd not seen her since. I regret not making an effort to visit her sooner. She always asked how I was doing and she always wanted to know what was new in my life. She was so selfless and caring.

It's true what they say about not knowing what you had until you've lost it. I didn't realise how much of an imprint my friend had left in my life in the few short years I'd known her. There were so few times I saw her without a smile. I will always remember her great laugh. I will always remember how she pulled me out from my office one day to run across the street to where Trevor Linden was having lunch. I will always remember how much she loved Alex Burrows and the Canucks. I will always remember the love she had for her two horses, Nitro and Silver, who I never got to meet. I will always remember how much she loved her dogs Logan and Reilly. I will always remember how excited she was to leave her office job and live away from the city on her own piece of land with Frank and with all the animals she loved.

I will always remember you, Melissa.

one small step...

a few instagram shots from my trip last fall

 

Following up on my last post about how I could go about changing my impact on the environment, I've decided to do Meatless Mondays. (What do the photos have to do with this post? Absolutely nothing. I just wanted to share some of my trip photos before I filed them away.)

It's only been my first week, but so far so good. Currently, for breakfast I am having dairy and eggs, lunch is completely vegan, and for dinner, I am allowing a bit of seafood. My reason for the 'seafood okay' rule for dinner is mostly because of my dad, but maybe I will transition out of that within a few weeks.

If you haven't heard of Meatless Mondays, it's actually a very simple way for us all to reduce our ecological footprint. I won't ramble on about it, but if you are interested, do Google it. :)

In the weeks to come, I will try to chronicle any tips, recipes, or restaurant suggestions that come my way. My vegan friend offered a great tip for my lunch this week: substitute tzatziki with hummus when ordering a grilled veggie souvlaki pita at Nu Greek. Verdict? Delicious.

Do you participate in Meatless Mondays? If you have any delicious vegetarian recipes, feel free to share!