friday the 13th + lessons learned.

i associate friday the thirteenths with eeriness. and in that spirit:






vogue novias españa [vogue brides spain] a/w '02-'03
"felices sueños" by alfonso ohnur
via foto_decadent
eerie and beautiful, n'est ce pas?




lessons learned from previous post:

when blogging, don't cram too much content into one sitting and don't ramble on - most people won't read it.

i had wrestled with the idea of making two separate posts with my previous one, but was too eager to share my idea! (patience isn't my forte.)

for those who missed it, i'll recap that idea in fewer words:

• inspired by nicole at le mode du jour - mission: impossible
• thinking of not shopping 'til new york city in mid-february
• 90-day shopping ban will begin november 17
• will document any (and lack of) creativity
• yay/nay?
  

thanks nicole, for the inspiration & encouragement!

on my to-do list this weekend:
take stock of what i own in my closet(s) and basically have a dress-up party. (i credit nina garcia for this idea.)

"dickbag" + something's a-brewing...

happily posing in front of our button!


firstly, i do need to say "thank you" for your nice comments on my mix tape button!

saturday's hot one inch action show was great fun! upon arrival, chris informed me that "Dickbag" was quite popular - yay! it was funny going around the room trading and finding out people's reactions to our button while we stayed (for the most part) anonymous.


my haul

my favourite button of the night was the popsicle which my friend procured for me from a boy (about the age of 11?) who happily traded for "Dickbag." (are kids being amused by such things at too young an age?)

finally, there is a reason i have bantered for so long before revealing our button... it is not very suitable for work!

i have purposely chosen to not close-crop on the image, but depending on how casual your work environment is, you may want to scroll at your own risk.

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Dickbag

your eyes do not deceive you - that literally is a bag of dicks sporting wayfarers and skinny jeans, and riding a bicycle.

---

now, what's brewing is an idea...

last week, nicole at le mode du jour, posted about her 40-day shopping ban challenge. the significance of this challenge is that she must exercise not only self-restraint but also her creativity and document 40 days' worth of different outfits from her own closet. crazy, yes, but also such a great idea! no shopping for x-number of days always seems like such a self-pity-fest, but adding that creativity element adds a bit of excitement. (...or maybe i'm just a big geek, and this i can heartily admit to.)

well, this got me thinking... month-long shopping bans i've done before, so what's an extra few days? in fact, as of this post, it's been exactly 40 days since my last purchase and it wasn't too agonizing.

i have two trips planned for next year and the first is new york city in mid-february. what i'm wondering is if i could possibly start a new challenge - a 90-day shopping ban - and try to document each day of it? it's sheer insanity, i know, but if the light at the end of the tunnel is the shopping mecca that is new york city, i just might be able to hold on.

so my dear readers, what is your stance on this? are you declaring this lunacy or are you rooting for me like you would the underdog? please let me know! i will consider all arguments!

one more bit of info: if this is a go, it'll officially start on november 17th!

you're invited!

"i made you a mix tape."

i really ought to have extended this invitation ages ago, but here it is, finally!

come on out tomorrow night - saturday, november 7th - for the 6th annual hot one inch action button art show!

w2 perel gallery
112 w hastings
button trading starts at 8pm!

hot one inch action, created and curated by chris bentzen and jim hoehnle, is a fun night of art and social interaction. this one-night only event showcases 50 buttons by 50 different artists. for $5 you'll receive a blind bag of 5 buttons and from there you are encouraged to trade with other attendees until you get all the buttons you want! a good way to sharpen your bargaining skills indeed. and yes, you are allowed to buy as many bags of buttons as you like! some live music, light snacks and a mini bar are usually present as well!

i am doubly excited for this year's show because i'll be one of the 50 artists featured again! this year it was a collaboration with my friend. if you're attending, keep a look out for "Dickbag" by kel/kel! what the button looks like, i cannot reveal just yet. (the photo above is of my 2006 button "i made you a mix tape.") hope to see some of you there!

apt descriptions: maybe not my forte.

last thursday, i went to yuk yuks 'cause i'd won tickets from filling in a comment card the last time i was there. i laughed 'til my gut hurt and my eyes watered up! the mc for the night was adam pateman and seriously, his bits on hipsters, love, and canadian heritage had me practically rolling on the floor.

anyway, i wanted to document this outfit mostly because i've been wearing these vintage slouch boots for two months now, but never posted photos of them:




i had tweeted that they "fit like a glove" - which is an extremely weird description... feet gloves? ..socks? (a little late on the promise, but fulfilling your request for photos, kelsey!) they can also be worn unfolded - very pirate-y.

the inspiration behind the layout and photo colouring are the marc by / marc jacobs ads photographed by juergen teller. his photos are generally softer in lighting but i like the contrast of the grittier photos against a clean layout.


source: marc jacobs

it's not a cape, edna, and i'm no superhero.

i am guilty of sitting on these outfit photos for a while. they are from the last weekend of september; what i wore for dinner at the edge.




i had no idea how japanese-influenced this outfit was 'til i started this post...

the cardigan with giant sleeves was purchased over the summer from my friend's aunt who runs a clothing factory in asia. i do not know the label as all the clothes are sold in japan only.

i am also wearing a camisole purchased from a japanese store in melbourne (white tank worn underneath is h&m organic), black skinny jeans from uniqlo japan, and arnold churgin boots.

---

if there is any doubt as to what the title of this post refers to, why it's to the incredibles and edna mode's aversion to capes!

as an aside, the characters in the images have no connection to the "japanese-ness" of my outfit - they are actually titles of chinese songs that i was listening to while photoshopping. (i sometimes feel the need to clarify such things.)

seattle/bumbershoot 2009.

i've really been feeling little inspiration to blog. sorry for the absence.

having finally uploaded photos from my labour day seattle/bumbershoot trip to [crack]book, i decided i'd better share some here as well.

i don't have any outfit photos though. the weather was unpredictable and i ended up dressing in variations of my standard outfit (skinny jeans, chuck taylors/tretorn rain boots, black sweater/jacket) most the weekend.


from top:
• i can't help but take photos of pretty clouds while i'm in the car
• inside a bar
• jimmy fallon yearbooked
• AMAZING JACKET! i don't even know who this is... we were drunk
• branded by the club
• gay ponies i took from the gay bar



from top:
• natalie portman's shaved head throwing a beach party
• the all-american rejects were pretty good
• sport menu
• my chicken sandwich
• de la, de la, de la soul
• the space needle at night



from top:
• crazy rainy morning
• our beloved alley
• matching his & hers rainboots (not really)
• lights at jason mraz
• jason mraz



from top:
• amazingly long wait for an amazingly good brunch
• black eyed peas put on an awesome show - which i forgot they were capable of
• "bLunch" is the dumbest thing EVER
• FRANZ FERDINAND!!!!!!!!!! completely killed it; best show of the weekend
• metric were great, but seriously hard to top franz


oh, and if you don't already love/hate emily haines for being so talented, take a gander at her jacket:


yes, i had to make sure i got a good enough photo of it so i could drive myself crazy.

---

thanks to all who cast their votes on who should win the best costume prize from my half-bday party. it's pretty neck and neck! but i'll just have to make an executive decision. i've decided the prize will be a tub of ben & jerry's half baked ice cream. :D

i'll be returning comments very soon! promise! hope all my fellow canadians had a wonderful thanksgiving!

half bday.

don't let the title fool you, we are still in catch-up mode!

i celebrated my half birthday at the beginning of the month with some close friends. it was very last minute, so it was officially titled "quelle's half-assed half bday" where the theme was halves. (yes, i am huge on party themes!)

my outfit:


(serious credit to susie of style bubble for the belted dress-on-dress idea! [...can you find my gushing comment?])

a few of my friends dressed up too!


i did promise a prize for best costume, but have not created/purchased/re-wrapped(? heh) said prize yet. nor have i chosen a winner! perhaps, i'll let you, my readers choose the winner! it should be noted that not pictured is one friend who decided she didn't need to dress up because she is half fijian and half italian. haha cast your vote in the comments!

we interrupt your regularly scheduled program...

let us briefly veer off the catch-up path because i am bursting to share two things!

one: i went to the warehouse shoe sale at pne rollerland* (thanks for the vip night email, teresa!) and scored some arnold churgin boots that are, for me, the perfect knee-high, lace-front, leather hybrid.


the shaft height and the heel remind me of the triple-lace ann demeulemeester boots from fall '08 (okay, so it's not a wicked talon heel, but still stacked) while the tiny laces and detailing remind me of the prada spring '06 peep-toe boots (that i almost managed to get off ebay.. *sigh*), so you see, really the best of both worlds! and without the giganto price tag! now i feel less sad for not being able to buy those prada boots. (i guess the links make it seem like i'm a huge jane aldridge/sea of shoes worshipper... maybe i am. or maybe she's the first hit on google when i type in my search! but i digress...)

my second item of news is...

i cut my hair again on monday, and...




yes, super short! (sorry for the crap photos, but rest assured there'll be more photos in the weeks to come!) i haven't had hair this short since i was about one. i've considered having short hair on and off for a few years, but with the encouragement of my hairstylist extraordinaire, sue (at aveda academy), i took the plunge. i knew if i was going to cut, i'd cut it shorter than what i had last fall and the other option was to grow it out, which didn't excite me too much (mostly because i am super impatient).

anyway, ramble, bamble... thus concludes our detour!


*the warehouse shoe sale at pne rollerland goes from thursday, september 24 - sunday, september 27. hours are 10am - 9pm, thursday and friday; 10am - 6pm, saturday and sunday. happy shopping!

still playing catch-up, part whatever.

i love getting stuff in the mail. when a package arrives, it's like christmas! (except it's more like christmas presents i bought for myself.)

i was pretty surprised to receive this particular package from camille only days after purchasing:


what did i buy?


a wool blazer and a rogan for target tee!

i love them both. they fit perfectly and are super comfy.

my kitty decided to visit in my room all morning and hang about while i opened and photographed the package of clothes:


i love his white paws:

fulfilling some requests.

liv of it's a beautiful life had asked to see a close up of the vintage gold necklace i've worn in some previous posts, so i am (finally) obliging.


i have no idea where this necklace came from. i only know that it's been part of our (myself and my sister's) jewelry collection for as long as i can remember.



kelsey of the anthology managed to snag a vintage expo 86 tee last month which reminded me of the two i have kicking around in my own closet. they aren't the same style as kelsey's, but i did promise to share some photos:


the red version is a youth size. the blue one is still in its package, yes, though barely. after all these years of being tossed into the back of many wardrobes and closets, it's really fighting its way out of the bag. i doubt i will ever wear it.



this last item is by no means a request. i just wanted to share this failed attempt at capturing a stunningly orange sun from last week. i'm kind of liking how the photo turned out. happy mistakes!


here's to hoping the sun makes a full return soon!

red lips and irony.

last week, i came across this photo of mary-kate on fashion canvas (a good source for bits of daily inspiration) and was instantly reminded that i own a tube of red lipstick that gets way too little use.

remembering the concealer tip from this xsparkage tutorial, i proceeded to paint my lips red, but the finishing touches were really the "ironic" glasses from asos.





wearing: vintage men's shirt with an assortment of jewelry (more deets below).



clockwise from top left:
- spitfire sunglasses
- forever21 ring
- sterling silver "pisces" ring my friend gave me in highschool
- silver ring my grandfather made for my sister when she was a toddler (i wear it on my pinky)
- h&m necklace (hacked; large oval plate removed)
- vintage shell necklace
- vintage sterling silver ring

my day.

i got a bit obsessed with playing with the settings on my camera, so here's a little photo documentation of how i spent the last day of july...

a heaping bowl of chinese herbal medicine to get rid of that nagging cough...


...with some haw flakes to get rid of that bitter taste.

i also went a bit crazy at the library last week...


knocked off "hickory dickory dock" a few nights ago, and i've got a couple more chapters to go with "peril at end house." i doubt these will be finished by their initial due date!

(that strip of outdoor beauty in the above image is from a failed photo of a new headband i was sporting that day. i will try to take better photos of me wearing it soonish.)

thanks for all your lovely comments on my makeup! (i hope to return them all by the end of this week!) most of what i've learned is from gurus like xteeener on youtube. there is a serious treasure trove of awesome tutorials on youtube! god bless the internet!

magic's in the makeup.

i'm really far behind on posts 'cause i've been battling a cold on and off for half of july. this past week i've just been coughing so bad, i've really not enough energy to do much posting. (i'll return comments over the next few days; promise! i'm behind on reading blogs too...)

anywho, just a quick post with some eye makeup i did for the no doubt concert a couple weekends back. the main colours i used were honey, fishnet, and graffiti from an urban decay deluxe shadow palette.


(i should make a bigger effort to photograph makeup before going out - not after sweating through a concert and sitting in the back seat of a drop top at night with my hair whipping my face.)



source: google images
well, the concert was awesome, of course. no doubt was just as amazing and energetic as i would've expected them to be if i'd the chance to see them 10 years ago. (gwen stefani is as stunning as ever.)


source: google images
colours enhanced in photoshop - this picture just makes me laugh!

truth: i've loved no doubt since "don't speak" (i still remember the first time i heard it and it was only a tiny clip from their video on tv), but i found out about the tour dates via paramore (which practically made me shit my pants) and i am, presently, a bigger paramore than no doubt fan. so, with a twinge of guilt, i will admit that i was more excited to see paramore than no doubt, but of course, no doubt just blew my mind.

i've already seen paramore live, and while i think they perform like seasoned veterans even though they are only in their early 20s (actually, zac farro, the drummer is still just 19, i believe), i was a tad disappointed that they didn't mix up their live act a bit more. honestly, a lot of it sounded like their live album, which really bummed me out. but, hayley williams is just a little fire ball of energy - in some ways, she reminds me of gwen stefani. (the concert performance of "stand and deliver" with both gwen and hayley on vocals was too awesome for words.)

not to be forgotten, i did find bedouin soundclash rather fun. i only knew one song and they really got crapped on in terms of stage setup and lighting, but they still delivered.

okay, so this wasn't as small a post as i thought it'd be. i ramble too much.

ps - i've read some reviews of this no doubt tour and i do not appreciate those out there who've been labelling paramore fans as twilight teenies, because
a) i am not a teeny; i'm in my mid-twenties, thanks
b) i don't even like twilight (i have recently borrowed the first book though, so we shall see if i may be converted), which brings me to
c) i couldn't possibly be a fan of paramore because of twilight. i've loved paramore since '06, which was years before paramore and twilight had anything to do with one another.
/mini rant.

pps - happy bc day! hooray for long weekends!

uber geek alert.

remember how i wrote about wanting to be bellatrix lestrange for the harry potter and the half-blood prince midnight showing? clearly i would never look as awesome as helena bonham carter, but my own interpretation wouldn't hurt. actually, i didn't really end up being bellatrix - more like a cross between a slytherin and a wannabe-death eater.



watch out! that might be the aveda kedavra curse i am about to perform... (i evidently have too much fun dressing up.)

the eye makeup was actually what was left after crying--- um, i won't spoil it for those who have not read the book or seen the movie.


an impromptu review...

i generally far prefer a book to its movie counterpart, but i still get excited to see a live-action interpretation of literature. what i enjoyed most about the half-blood prince was tom felton's portrayal of a tormented draco malfoy. the extra focus on his part of the story for the movie was quite flawlessly done and i think, a sound addition.

i am usually wary of actors being cast for roles that don't entirely fit the characters' descriptions, but i enjoyed jim broadbent as professor slughorn very much - he is a great actor and always a positive addition to a cast. jessie cave as lavender brown was fantastic as well. i'm also happy the director/writers chose to throw in an extra scene for luna lovegood - evanna lynch portrays her so well.

my biggest gripe of the movie was how much the 'blooming love' story arc was played up and how awkward it was. it just felt a tad too forced. there was also a superfluous scene or two here and there, which i thought could have been scrapped to focus on certain parts of the book that are rather significant - or at the very least quite interesting.

but, all in all, i did enjoy the movie. it's not my favourite of the franchise, but certainly a step up from the previous one. (i'm not sure why i disliked the order of the phoenix so much... it has just been my least favourite of the lot so far.) i await the last (two) installments eagerly and impatiently!

hp-geek signing out!



ps - i don't love slytherins; i just think the "dark" characters are always more fun to dress up as than the overtly goody-goody. truth be told, i was sorted to hufflepuff in "a more accurate harry potter sorting quiz" (as opposed to the "less accurate" one that used to be on the harry potter site, i suppose.. which sorted me to gryffindor and i think i agree with the hufflepuff sorting more than gryffindor.)

shopping show-and-tell.

i had put myself on a shopping ban for the month of june, but i never shared that i'd accomplished it!

for the month of july, i decided to set a spending budget on clothes and accessories (including make-up) and i challenged myself to only buy sale items. so far, so good!

sharing what i've bought:



clockwise from top right:
- asos leather buckle detail high front slingback
- spitfire vintage dylan/roy orbison sunglasses
- asos wet look mini skirt

the shoes i'd ordered two weeks ago and arrived on friday. they are actually rather cushioned and much comfier than i expected.

i was eyeing the sunglasses a few days ago, but decided last night that i had to order them. they are what my friend would call "ironic glasses." and while i was snooping the '10 pounds and under' sale section, i also found the skirt.

i really like asos's extensive catalogue of affordable and designer items, and their mailing list emails. most stores send you the typical "we got new stock" or "we're having a sale" emails, but the asos emails are similiar to a mini newsletter with how-to-wear ideas. (i also really like their order confirmation emails; very nicely designed. clean, informative, but also personable.)

the big sale at asos ends this week and shipping to canada is super affordable - just under $7US - and it only took about 10 working days to receive my last order!

/plug (wish i got commissioned for all that positive press. ha!)

valentino: the last emperor.

finally, finally - a week later... what i wore to the valentino screening.

i got lazy halfway through the layout, so scrapped the other half of it:



h&m pleather jacket / necessary objects dress / aldo shoes / bueno clutch-purse (removable chain) / vintage necklace / f21 ring

my "bat dress" makes another appearance! (i looked at the label finally and found out it's by necessary objects.) this is also only the second time i've worn these aldo shoes. i need to find more excuses to strut around in fiercely studded leather heels.


regarding the film:

firstly, can i just say how charming matt tyrnauer is? if i had anything remotely interesting to say, i would have approached him at the cocktail party. alas, i am not one for having insightful questions and i'm also prone to making an ass of myself whenever i am near people i admire - even if they are only a teensy bit famous. (although last time i talked to isaac hanson, i was able to carry on a decent conversatiton - even if my heart was racing - so maybe things are looking up!)

there is quite a bit of hype surrounding valentino, and even though i hate to fall into the "hype trap," i may just have to fuel it. it really was very enjoyable... a wonderful glimpse into the life of the extravagantly wealthy; the strong relationship between life and work partners; and the lavish world of haute couture. i can't decide which i enjoyed more: the process of valentino dreaming up a dress all the way to its appearance on the runway, or the wonderfully funny bits of dialogue between valentino and giancarlo giammetti.

i forget how many hours of footage was filmed in total, but the initial cut of the film was seven hours long. i will proudly admit that i am one of the fashion fanatics who would love to see this seven-hour cut. haha but before that monstrous gem is released, if you live in and around vancouver, you can head to tinseltown to catch the 96-minute cut. (other cities now showing or screening soon can be found via the movie's website: valentinomovie.com.)

---

i did not go the alice festival as i ended up with dinner plans while the urgent web project was still undone. i am now also fighting off a cold (still in the "kicking in" stage nearly 30 hours later)...

but! i will be seeing harry potter and the half blood prince at midnight! i was hoping to dress up (would be my first time for a midnight viewing and dressing up), but still haven't decided on what, though i am so very tempted to be bellatrix lestrange. if i could raid mary-kate olsen's closet, my costume would be instantly complete! seriously.. witness:



and



and



ok, in this case, i'd steal ashley's dress but mk's caftan/robe/dress is still awesome:



and



all of the shorter skirts featured above could be layered with this maxi skirt:



images from various sources... sorry, saved over a few years; hard to keep track

and thus concludes my visual evidence that mk could totally dress up as bellatrix lestrange. /potterhead + mk&a mashup; woah.

love at first sight.

photos courtesy saks 5th ave.

max kibardin shoe booties. seriously: want. want. want. they've knocked every other shoe i've been lusting over out of the ball park. and they're on sale! ...for $650CAD. i'm fairly positive the only way to solve my problems is to get a sugar daddy. also, despite this self-imposed month-long shopping ban, i am continually searching online for shoes every day. sigh.

status meeting.

okay, i cheated. i wanted to wear these bcbg paris shoes, but wasn't going to ruin them by walking in them 9 blocks each way for a short status meeting (company's logo is finally getting somewhere). i actually wore this outfit with my blue wrap sweater and white havaianas. i quite love this top i bought from a japanese shop called "shibuya" in melbourne last year (worn over a cotton h&m spaghetti strap dress).


last night, while going through bags and bags of old clothes to donate, i came across some clothes my sister wore in the early 90s. some of the stuff i wouldn't have touched with a 10-foot pole even a couple years ago, but now i think they're seriously amazing! i'll try to share some photos soon.

ling yali.

vogue china april 2009

i wanted to share these amazing pieces by ling yali i found in an issue of vogue china last month. sorry for the horrid scan (click for larger image). the magazine is quite a monster and hard to lay flat on a scan bed. i am so in love with the vest in the bottom right hand corner; such a work of art.

here are some photos from ling yali's yl-l f/w '09 show at shanghai fashion week in april:


more photos from her show can be found here.