Bohmer

FOREVER 21 shirt (stolen from sis), GUESS trousers (my first GUESS item in years and I must admit I was slightly apprehensive about buying them, but for $30 CAD, it was worth the risk), ASOS belt, ELIZABETH AND JAMES booties (unseen), VINTAGE ROLEX and VINTAGE JADE ring (both given to me by my loving mom for graduation and Christmas), SNAKE bracelet (gifted by a best friend), FILIPPO CATARZI hat (best hat ever to travel with; it never creases no matter what position it is held in)

A few weeks ago my exceptionally talented foodie friend, Scott chose a restaurant in Toronto for me to taste while I was back home (well, he chose one, then was overruled by other exceptionally creative friend Ivy, and we ended up at Bohmer).

Bohmer Restaurant was opened by Paul Bohmer (formerly accredited with Rosewater and Scaramouche to name a few) and I think one word sums it up: local. Organic and homegrown, most of the produce comes from our backyard in Ontario. I don't know if Canadian cuisine has a real identity yet, but if it doesn't, Bohmer might just be creating the definition.

Above are some of the pics we flooded the place with while we were there. I especially love the one of us three.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

I'm just a giant copycat

Daily Outfit, 1/14/2011

The Breakdown:

• Polka dot 'tunic' - Eddie Bauer - thrifted
• Blue cardigan - Beth Bowley - Nordstrom Rack
• Wide, not-leather belt - Target
• Flirt Skinny Jeans - Old Navy
• Black fold-over boots - Chinese Laundry - Piperlime

I warned you that I blatantly copied entire outfits at times.  And this is one of those times.  Oh, I could lie to you and say I'm not proud of it, but I am proud of this outfit.  Audi over at Fashion for Nerds did this outfit in spring of last year, and I loved it.  And I had all of the (similar) pieces to recreate it.  I wasn't sure if it would work for my body (Audi is on the taller side, but she's no giant), but I thought that it might.  And I think that it did!  It just goes to show you that you have to try things out - you may think they may not work for you for whatever reason, but give it a shot.

Another example of that is this polka-dot tunic.  I'm pretty sure this bad boy is actually supposed to be a dress.  And the size?  It's a petite.  Ordinarily I would never venture into petite territory, because if there is one thing I'm not, it's petite.  However, this petite dress makes a perfect tunic for a giant.

To be fair, there is a downside to trying things out.  For example, I found a dress at Ross Dress for Less once.   Do you guys have these?  They can be fabulous if you've got time to sort through the not-so-fabulous.  I knew the dress was probably too small, but I loved the print (Polka dots.  I'm telling you, I cannot resist.) and I tried it on.  And promptly got stuck in it.  In the Ross dressing room.  Alone.  After about 20 minutes I was able to wriggle my way out but it was touch and go there for awhile. 

So, be adventurous, but realistic.  Otherwise you could end up trapped in dress in a discount clothing store.  And, take it from me, no one wants that.

Have a good weekend, everyone!  Don't get stuck in any too-small clothes!

Gracey

Look, Ma, no glasses!

Daily Outfit: 1/13/11 (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MASON!!)

The Breakdown:

• Blue dress - Eddie Bauer - thrifted
• Grey boyfriend cardigan - Gap (remixed here)
• Grey tights - Nordstrom
• Brown riding boots - Born - Nordstrom (here, here and here also)
• Fuchsia scarf - v. old - Macy's
• Trench - Kenneth Cole via Ideeli

I was getting ready to go to Jazzercise (which is the most hilariously awesome workout ever - I kid you not) and I had already put my contacts in when I remembered I need to take my outfit pictures.  I considered putting my glasses back on for continuity and whatnot, but figured a post or two without my glasses would be okay.  So, yeah, this is what I look like without my glasses.

I know I promised a copycat outfit today, but this this one is all mine.  Not that I'm terribly proud of it.  I was going to title this post "This outfit is boring, but Kathy likes it."  Because I do find it boring, but my friend Kathy did say she liked it.  I don't know why it's so boring to me.  It's not like I'm setting the world on fire with the rest of my sartorial choices, but this seems so average to me.  I think I thought it would be better, but better how, I can't tell you.  It's not unflattering, or uncomfortable, it's just boring.  Thank goodness for fuchsia scarves or I probably would have nodded off at my desk.

Do you guys ever have this happen?  Do your outfits ever not quite meet the mark for some unfathomable reason?  Do you fix them with fuchsia scarves?

Gracey

(P.S. Mason is Kathy's son.  Today is his birthday.  He's seven and reads my blog with his mom, which I appreciate).

Kendi Everyday for Giants

This is not me:



Photograph by Bryan Skeen.

 This is Kendi, from Kendi Everyday.  Isn't she lovely?  Do you read her blog?  If you don't, you should.  She's not just lovely, she's witty and fun to read, as well.  Check it out, I think you might like it.

Kendi (and the above outfit) are part of the inaugural post in a series I like to call "(Insert Blog Here) for Giants."  The idea is to take an outfit from a non-giant blogger and provide my readers with the pieces to recreate it in tall and plus sizes.  What do you think?  Sound like something you might be interested in?  Well, I hope so, because here we go:

  

 The Breakdown:

• Tall v-neck cardigan (up to 20) - Old Navy (find it here)
• Blue peasant blouse (sizes 14 - 18) - Ruche (here)
• Tall trouser jeans (up to 20) - Old Navy (here)
• Steve Madden "Intyce" boots - Piperlime (here)

The boots pictured are Kendi's exact boots, and you can find her self-same necklace here.  Again, I went with a feeling, not an exact duplicate outfit.  I love the blue of this blouse, and paired it with slightly lighter jeans and a lighter brown cardigan, all of which I think are perfect for spring.  (If you wanted to go the polka dot route, like I did yesterday, you can find a lovely, ruffly navy polka dot blouse here).

But, enough about me.  What about you?  What do you think?  Do you like the idea of these posts?  Do you like what I picked?

Gracey

Are you ready?

...because here we go with the pre-holiday, holiday, post ny pictures. Bear with me and I hope this isn't torture!








LISA: ANDY THE-ANH dress, DANIER rabbit fur shawl, CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN shoes, WOLFORD tights

MASS: ITALIAN suit, DUCHAMP bowtie and pocket square

A couple weeks before the holidays started, our friend threw a little soiree for our friends at a club in London. Incredibly detailed and an eye for fine wines and foods, the organiser KS, created a lovely environment for all of us to dress up and enjoy each others company.

This dress was bought in 2009 during the summer from Toronto at a Canadian designer's boutique - Andy The-Anh. Unfortunately his Toronto boutique is closed, however the flagship store in Montreal still houses some exquisitely hand-crafted gowns. Similar to the one I wore in Paris here, Andy's designs are incredibly form fitting, even for a petite girl like myself (who barely fits anything like a glove!)

Since this evening, Mass has become obsessed with bow ties, wearing them at every opportunity. Watch out for them gracing this blog frequently.

Happy almost weekend!

That Polka Dot Feeling

Daily Outfit: 1/12/2011

The Breakdown:

• Navy polka dot blouse - thrifted
• Brown boyfriend cardigan - Old Navy
• Trouser jeans - Banana Republic
• Burnt orange cashmere scarf - Nordstrom
• Cognac belt - Gap
• Cognac mary jane wedges - Corso Como - Piperlime

Today's outfit was inspired by this outfit of Kendi's on Kendi Everyday. Kendi and I are practically twins, no?  Well, maybe not exactly.  But, my outfit was inspired by hers.  I just chose to go with polka dots (I find them irresistible) and with a scarf instead instead of a necklace.  Oh, and the shoes are different, but, still Kendi's is the outfit I thought of when I put mine together.  To me the outfits feel similar.

That is usually what I do when I recreate an outfit that was inspired by someone or something else.  I go with a feeling.  I have just flat out copied outfits (you'll see one tomorrow), but usually it's a feeling that I'm trying to recreate.  I take what I liked (most) about the inspiration outfit (in this case, it was the navy and the brown together that appealed to me) and then I make them my own.  I add polka dots, or a scarf, or a different shoe.  That way my outfits still represent who I am.

What about you guys?  Do you guys ever take inspiration from the outfits of others? 

Gracey

Poofy sleeves and short pants

Daily Outfit, 1/11/2011

The Breakdown:

• Raspberry long-sleeve tee - Gap
• Olive cropped jacket - Old Navy
• Real Straight Jeans - Gap
• Leopard print scarf - ???
• Brown leather belt - thrifted
• Faux-lace up wedge boots - Kenneth Cole Reaction

The sleeves on this jacket aren't nearly as puffy in the pictures as I swear they are in real life.  All day today I caught glimpses of them out of the corner of my eye and imagined that I looked like a vaguely twee linebacker.  Now, looking at the pictures, they're not that bad.

I love wearing my jeans rolled up with these boots.  I think the laces (faux that they are) are the best part of these boots and I like to show them off.  These jeans are quite long, but if your jeans aren't as long, rolling them up and making them deliberately short to show of your shoes is a good trick for tall gals.  (I think it's a good trick for anyone really - Rad of The Cohabitating Closet shows it off here).  Do you guys do this at all?

Gracey