You found another way to tell the truth

After a random one month hiatus from the blogging world, I am back. I swear I have a very legitimate reason for the first couple of weeks, and then I just sort of got lazy. I find blogging is kind of like working out, once you stop for a bit, it's really hard to find the motivation to get back into it. But here I am! My motivation comes from my friend Caroline, who I attended university with out east. Caroline messaged me the other day to let me know that she reads my blog on the regular. Very kind words Caroline, thank you, and perhaps a subtle hint for me to make a new post some time this decade. So here it is!

This week Jill and I went to the Rita Liefhebber sample sale just down the street from where I live. Rita is a model, turned stylist, turned designer from Toronto. I got to see cozy sweaters, leggings and dresses with leather accents from her Fall/Winter collection, and a few billowy tops and skirts from her upcoming Spring/Summer collection. Her designs all have a very simple elegance to them. And although most items were not in my current price range, I so enjoyed looking at them and touching them. Fortunately I was able to purchase a beautiful champaign coloured loose cropped T-shirt, which I love!

Here are a few of her designs...

This is the shirt I bought, in a different colour.

Wouldn't mind wearing this skirt on New Years Eve... or on a trip to the grocery store. Perfect for any occasion, right?!

I wanted to buy this one... so bad...

... and this one.

The bus don't go to Hogwarts, we gots to take the train.

There were two options of things to do last night, other than the usual Friday night drinking of course,

1. Camp outside H&M for the opening of the Lanvin for H&M collection, so that I might be one of the lucky girls to score a piece before it’s sold out.

Orrrr...

1. Go see Harry Potter.

As much as I love fashion, sitting outside in the cold all night didn’t really appeal to me all that much. And so, the warm, fuzzy feeling that I get from anything to do with Harry Potter, drew me to the AMC theatre at Dundas Square (which is located right across from the H&M I might add, just to rub it in).

I do not regret my decision to choose fantasy over fashion, because the movie was awesome, AND I did not contract hypothermia. Now, just to make this somewhat fashion related, here are some pictures of Emma Watson looking pretty darn cute and fashionable!

Annnnd just for good measure...

We both go down together

Frida Gustavsson & Mona Johannesson for Bon #55 Winter 2010, shot by Hasse Nielsen. Taken from Fashion Gone Rogue.

I love this photo shoot, and it's not just because I'm madly in love with Frida and everything she does... although that might have something to do with it. I also love Mona's facial expression and troll hair in the first shot.

So let's call this the comeback

From Vogue

Ford is back after 6 years of absence from womenswear. And it looks pretty good to me! The line premiered in New York on September 12, but photos have only just been released.

About his clothes Ford says, “I want this to be somewhere a woman knows she can go when she wants a great jacket—not a fake expensive jacket, something that has intrinsic value. I don’t think fashion has to change every five minutes. I’d like these to be clothes you can wear for a long time—ten, 20 years; pass on to your daughter. Why buy vintage when you can open your own closet!"

I can appreciate that, being a big vintage shopper and avid raider of my mother's closet. On another note, how old is Ford? Because he is pictured in these photos and he doesn't look a day over 25. Does this man age?

Dead disco

For the launch of her final fall collection for Top Shop, Kate Moss wore this black Lurex jumpsuit.

Very reminicent of the jumpsuits worn in the 70's ...

or of my Jazz Dance competition costume from the 90's, which looked something like this (minus the cleavage)...

But hey, it's Kate Moss and she definitely pulls it off. Also, I looked at the Top Shop collection online, and I have to say I'm not blown away. There are a few items that I wouldn't mind having, like this suede fringe shirt, but nothing that I absolutely am dying to have. Not that I can really afford to have Top Shop shipped to me in Canada, but it's generally nice to go on the website and fantasize.

In the cold, cold night

These scarves are bigger than mine...

Giles Fall 2007 RTW.

I love your long shadows and your gunpowder eyes

I have many talented friends. One of them is Madeline Driscoll who hand-makes beautiful crocheted hats, mittens, and scarves (Check her out at Yarn Art). So when I decided that I wanted someone to make me the biggest scarf in the world, I enlisted the services of Ms. Dris"cool" (new nick name? Yes.)

She made me a custom scarf and mailed it to me in Toronto, from all the way out in Whitecourt, AB. It's so lovely and cozy and I wear it every day, even when it's not cold enough to warrant wearing a scarf of such magnitude. Anyway, Madeline asked me to send her some pictures of me wearing the scarf and I thought, "photo shooooot!". So that's just what I did. Make up and photos done by Zoe Sky Jordan.

And if you are thinking "hey, Kendra's eyes look really small", well that's because it was early morning and the light was shining right in my face causing me to squint, and also because I have really small eyes.

I can see the light, shining through you

I only wear my sequin shirt on very special occasions... which is why it was weird when I wore it to work today. It was also weird when a customer told me that I looked like the pieces of jewelry I was trying to sell (not sure whether or not that was a complement, but I'll take it).

The shirt is vintage from 69 Vintage on Queen St. W, and it reflects light onto any shiny surface I come near, so it's also great for blinding my enemies if they should try to ambush me. Too bad it didn't work on Zoe... JUST KIDDING! On that note, here is what Zoe wore to work today...

Zoe's weapon against her enemies is her horrid recorder playing, she is terrible at music... JUST KIDDING AGAIN! She's in a band.

Ok, I'm done.

Is it a lady, or is it a man?

My Halloween costume was Annie Hall. In the 70's Diane Keaton's breakthrough character was a fashion icon. She made menswear a staple in women's fashion (with the help of the costume designer and Ralph Lauren). And this is a trend that continues to be relevant today. I wasn't sure how many people would "get" my costume, but I figured that for those who didn't, they would see my highwaisted trousers, button down shirt, structured vest and floppy hat, and just think I was dressed up as some overly trendy chic. I had all the items in my closet already, I just had to put them all together at the same time. So I managed to mix my love for fashion and my love for film with my general laziness towards Halloween, and think it was a mission accomplished!

If I'm lost it's only for a little while

So long skirts are back in style I hear. They sort of make me feel like I'm twelve years old again, going to a Choir Recital. But at the same time, they are comfy as hell. You'd think that they would feel really elegant, but there is something very laid back the long, flowy fabric. Just look at Frida Gustavsson...

That being said, just because Frida can pull it off, doesn't necessarily mean that I can... but I can try!

Frida and I also do similar hand gestures...

We basically are the same person.

And long skirts are fun. Go get one!

I'm the mess you'd wear with pride

There is really not a single thing that I do not adore about this outfit. I WILL emulate this look.

So long to the headstrong

The weather was starting to get colder, did you know? I mainly started to notice this fact while riding my bike, because my grip is not as tight when my hands are frozen, and my ears start to hurt from the cold air blowing past them. So I figured it was about time to get out my mittens, hats, and headbands.

Then the weather started to get warm again, and now I have all these mittens, hats and headbands that I can't wear yet. HOWEVER the temperature in the mall that I work in is just right for modeling wicked headbands, so that's just what I did.

One day last week, Zoe came into work and said this to me... "So I just cut the arms off of one of my fur jackets because I wanted to make it into a vest, do you want the arms?" That might seem like an odd question, but let me tell you folks, I wanted those arms. I took them, and I made a fur headband out of them (seen on myself, below) . And because Zoe gave me the arms to make that lovely accessory, I gave her the honour of modeling a headband that I crocheted last winter (and WHAT and honour it is, right?).

Now all I need is some cold weather so I can wear these without breaking out in a sweat... am I really asking for cold weather?

No man's land

Earlier this week, thanks to a friends Facebook post, I discovered a wonderful fashion blog. It's called The Man Repeller, and it is possibly the best thing I have ever read. I have often discussed with friends the idea of dressing for men vs dressing for women. Dressing for men might include clothing that emphasizes ones butt and/or breasts, things that are tight, short or low cut... I can only speculate as to whether these are correct, seeing as I actually know very little about dressing for men.

When I put on an outfit, I am generally thinking about what I feel good in at the time, and what attention and/or complements I will receive from other women. My current favourite items in my closet include; any and all oversized sweaters, high waisted trousers, structured blazers, a fur coat, loafers, and a scarf so huge that I can practically cocoon my entire body in it. Sounds sexy doesn't it? Now I won't lie I do throw in a sheer shirt or short hemline every now and again... however the shirt is buttoned to the very top and the outfit is generally paired with combat boots.

Which brings me to a little experience I had the other night. I decided that friday night was a good night for my deep red currant lip stick, which I love with all my heart. My roommates told me how great it looked (whilst wearing deep red matte lipsticks of their own), and I went to an all female party where I received numerous compliments on the shade of my lipstick. I was feeling good. Then I went to a bar to have some beer and listen to east coast music and a male friend of mine, who I hadn't seen in a while, felt it was necessary to tell me that my lipstick made me look like I was dead. Dead?

So, while to the women I might have looked like this...

... apparently to the men, I looked like this...

Lucky I dress for women.

There's a reason that I love this town

So last week I attended my first ever fashion show for Toronto LG Fashion Week, Joe Fresh! Joe has come a long way from just being that brand that Loblaws carries, in fact they just opened up their first stand alone store (not in a grocery store) in Vancouver. Hopefully Toronto will be next.

The new spring line did not dissappoint. Surprisingly boy scout badges, Betty Draper dresses, sequins and ankle socks all go together quite nicely. I took some of my own photos on my old-school film camera at the show, but they did not really turn out... I guess for a fashion show, digital is the way to go (I'll remember that for next time). So here are a few quality shots that I took from Fashion Magazine, and maybe one or two of my own crappy shots... just for fun.


The show began with a little video montage of pretty girls and cute boys on bicycles. You can tell this is my photo because of all the heads in the way, but really, 4th row wasn't so bad.

Estonian super model Tiiu Kuik opened the show is this adorable outfit. Note the boy scout badge on her shoulder. Also, Jill and I saw her at the after party. She is 6'1 and completely stunning.

I will be purchasing that dress come spring. And I am loving this burnt red colour with the grey ankle socks.

That shoulder bag is clear... CLEAR! Ladies, don't wear this bag if you plan on carrying tampons, that's all I can say.

From the front, and my view from the side. Boy scout dress and low-heeled pumps. Also note the harness bra trend that I've been seeing a lot of lately.

Tie dye sleeves, what! They had this in bright pink as well.

A nice pair of sequin shorts never hurt anyone.

Head to toe white, there were a few looks like this.

I really, really need this shirt.

And my view at end of the show. At this point I was feeling completely elated and thoroughly satisfied.