apARTment hunting

After two months sans apartment I'm starting to miss a lot of things about my former downtown lifestyle - public transit, hip restaurants frequented by people under the age of 35 and most of all, the luxury of my own personal space. While living at home doesn't hurt on the financial front I'm really yearning for the type of satisfaction that can only come from transforming an empty rental into a creative living space. Whether you're Shabby Chic or Uber Modern, framing photos, fluffing throw pillows and adding all those decorative touches to your personal pad is all part of that whole getting creative in your grownup space thing that I miss oh so much.

And so, since I can't enjoy my own downtown abode, for now I'm satisfying my decorating cravings at The Selby. This cute little addition to my blog bookmark bar allows home decor enthusiasts like myself take a voyeuristic look inside the interesting and creative spaces of some pretty hip homeowners around the globe. From petite Parisian apartments to big Brooklyn brownstones The Selby (aka: blogger Todd Selby) lets you gain access to some of the coolest urban spaces. Photographs of interesting interiors and colourful crayola write ups on their design savvy residents are sure to delight serious design devotees and voyeurs of all sorts. So wander over to The Selby and take a peek into the lives (and bedrooms) of some super stylish folk. You'll be glad you did.

Girl Crush: Alexa Chung

The obvious reason to buy the September issue of Marie Claire this month was the cover story with 1/2 of the dynamic design duo behind Elizabeth and James and The Row. But as if a luxurious spread with Ashely Olsen lounging in vintage lingerie (more on that here) wasn't enough, I was also treated to a few pages of buzz worthy it girl Alexa Chung posing pretty in some very desirable fall fashions.


While I have yet to see this brit beauty's MTV show It's On with Alexa Chung (the show only airs stateside) i've been stalking her personal style on WWWD for a while now. Her eclectic fashion choices and "oh i just threw this on" ensembles demonstrate that this former model is definitely in the know when it comes to style without ever trying too hard. Perhaps i'm girl crushing so hard because her distinctive and quirky outfits have a London chic vibe that makes me nostalgic for the UK and reminisce about fashion forward high street offerings across the pond.


Whether she's grabbing coffee, stomping around a muddy festival or sauntering down a red carpet, this girl is looking good in such an effortless way. So - if, like me, you're craving some more eye candy from Alexa's wardrobe click here and take a virtual tour of her inspiring style. And if her clothes don't speak from themselves you can read more from this style savvy girl as she recently added 'journalist' to her growing list of accomplishments - coming on board as a contributing editor for British Vogue, of course.

And Katers: if there was ever any doubt whether or not to maintain your middle part - this it girl's enviable locks should inspire you to avoid messing with your tresses for little while longer.

Hidden Treasure: Cafe, Hongdae, Seoul

After taking many a wrong turn during my recent visit to Hongdae, I stumbled upon this cafe, aptly named Cafe, tucked away in one of the hidden back alleys. Pancakes, picture books, AND wine? Yes please!

There is certainly no shortage of adorable cafes like Cafe in the Seoul area, but I was in awe of this one in particular. The antiques available, the selection of fashion magazines for perusal, the quirky art hanging, the pleasant barista, the wineade I drank - happy day, indeed! The only problem is - will I ever be able to find it again?

hester's got a brand new A

After putting Lindsay Lohan on their cover one too many times, I thought I had sworn off my once favourite magazine, Nylon, for good. As a rapidly approaching 25-year-old, I felt that I was getting too old to be buying a magazine that asserted LiLo as a 'pin-up for a new era'.
However, desperate for some glossy fashion goodness, I asked Carlos to pick me up some magazines at the airport on his way to Soko - Nylon and Vogue India (which is phenom, by the way) are what I got. Flipping through Nylon's Denim Issue, I almost put the magazine down as I passed Betsey Johnson's how-to guide for hot pink lace up skinnies, a page devoted to over-the-knee DENIM boots, and a Peaches Geldof dress-up segment. Now I love ugly hipster trends as much as the next person, but seeing Peaches in an acid wash jumper almost had me reaching for the Vogue (and scratching out my eyeballs). But then, I saw these:

Thank you, Nylon, for bringing to my attention the couture covers for these three absolutely classic classics. Renowned Cuban artist Ruben Toledo, whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's Bazaar, and Vogue, was asked by Penguin Classics to bring his vision to three of the strongest female characters in the history of literature: Hester Prynne, Catherine Earnshaw, and Elizabeth Bennett. And what a fine job he did! Better yet, the couture editions will be published to coincide with New York Fashion week this September.
As I am an absolute sucker for updated covers of classic books (I impulsively charged a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird just because the cover looked like this, during a recession, when I already owned one perfectly good edition), I have, obviously, pre-ordered my copies on Amazon. Even though the titles already have a place on my shelf, I figure a little couture can't hurt - these ladies have been around for a long time - they deserve it.

stuck in the middle

After years (6 to be exact) of sporting the side bang, last October I finally grew out my fringe in exchange for a part, right down the middle. Lately, I've been craving a change in the way of blunt bangs, but these ladies are reminding me: middle part, amazing. Also: R. Bilson's hair, perfection.

From the Grocery Aisle to Queen West

You can always bet that even the most stylish of girls have at least one item from Joe Fresh in their wardrobe. Sure it's not high fashion but the clothes are wearable and (most importantly) affordable for downtown girls who have to sacrifice a little bit of wardrobe budget to pay the rent every now and then. And sure enough those folks at Joe must be doing something right because yesterday Loblaws announced that they're taking the cheap chic clothing line to the mainstream retail world and planning to open a 8, 000 ft Joe Fresh retail location right smack dab in the middle of Queen Street West. While the Queen West area used to be a haven for independent boutique owners and artist types (the real type not the pseudo hipster type) the retail strip has transformed over the past decade into something of an Eaton Centre al-fresco. The new Joe store will be sharing the retail 'hood with some pretty high profile neighbours - including H&M, American Apparel, Club Monaco and Urban Outfitters all within a couple blocks.

Blame it on the recession and the tempting lure of a good bargain but looks like this this former grocery store brand is making all the right moves to become a real home grown success story in the world of Canadian fashion. From debuting the Spring Collection at L'Oreal Fashion Week, introducing a cosmetics line, and now the move to one of the city's most coveted high-street retail spots. But while Joe Fresh will be occupying the street level space it seems that the clothing line is not quite ready to cut ties with its grocery store roots. The retail project will also include a 45,000-square-foot Loblaws supermarket on the second floor and a 29,000-square-foot Winners on the third floor.

But don't get too excited - while urban dwellers are sure to love the retail bargains and convenience factor of this monolithic downtown shopping complex, they'll have to wait 'til 2011 for the stores to open. To get your Joe fix now be sure to check out the new fall line next time you head out for milk and cereal - you just might be tempted pick up some cozy sweaters and frilly autumny blouses to keep your groceries company in those reusable bags.

better than anything else

This latest post from Le Love perfectly sums up how I feel about today and the special person I will be seeing (finally).

grande sugar-free hazelnut americano, please

"I need a coffee the size of my head."
-Carrie Bradshaw, They Shoot Single People Don't They

Me too, Carrie. Me too. Coffee: the smooth, nutty, chocolatey aroma, the variety, the need for it first thing in the morning, the fun of meeting a friend at the local independent coffee shop (bah... who am i kidding - most of the time it's Starbucks), and the little pick-me-up it gives in the afternoon...how you treat me so right.
I can't remember exactly when I developed such a love for coffee. Perhaps it was around the same time I began my obligatory high school job at a Second Cup and my friend Lauren and I developed the phrase 'Coretto Time' (which is when we would ditch first period in favour of a cup of the caramel-vanilla-espresso goodness.. irresponsible, yes, but that's besides the point).
My affinity towards coffee only continued to grow when I restarted my coffee career at yet another Second Cup, this time during university, which is where Jessica (who also had the 'pleasure' of working at a mall Second Cup during her high school days) and I met. We became fast friends over steaming milk and indie music (microfoam and Stars, anyone?).
While living in Korea has many wonderful things to offer, a cup of strong coffee isn't one of them. Here, finding a cup of correctly brewed coffee is about as hard as finding an episode of Gossip Girl where Blaire isn't donning a headband or a paparazzi shot of an Olsen twin sans paper cup. As a result, I've resorted to filling my morning caffeine void with...duh duh dun...instant coffee - the horror. It's not half bad, but it just doesn't compare and I'd trade it for a little Coretto Time any day.
xo

“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”
Wise words from a beautiful mademoiselle celebrating her 126th birthday today.

I consider myself quite lucky to share my own birthday week with my personal favourite leading lady in the world of fashion. My love affair with all things Chanel began with a grade ten fashion class assignment. Now while my own fourteen year old wardrobe choices often involved wide leg denim and crop-top graphic tees I still had the good sense to select Chanel as my designer of choice for our in class designer profile. After an extensive period of research (remember this was pre-wikipedia days) I managed to stumble over my ten minute presentation on the life and achievements of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. And while my delivery was marred by the usual indicators high school awkwardness (nervous laughter, rosy cheeks etc) by the end of the class I had convinced myself, and hopefully some of my teenage classmates, that one day we too could embody the elegant beauty of this iconic designer.

Ever since then I have looked to the past and present designs of Chanel as inspiration for a style of dress that is timeless in its classic simplicity. And while i've moved on from my sparkly doubled C's china town earrings and i'm only 6 months into my five year piggy bank savings plan for this bag, I still believe that regardless of income we can all take on some Chanel inspired pieces in our own wardrobes. So spritz yourself with some No. 5 and throw on your favourite black and white ensemble (with matching pearls of course) to celebrate the legacy of Ms. Coco and how far we've all come from our fashion challenged high school days.

Too pretty to eat

I have hungry eyes for Pretty Foods, a blog based on tasty images that are, as their tagline reads, too pretty to eat. Damn, I want to be a food stylist.