Goldeen

When I was in Toronto, a glimmer of gold around my cousin Vivian's wrist caught my eye. She was wearing the Fishbone Malone bracelet by Toronto-based indie jewelery designer Ashleigh of Goldeen. I don't wear a lot of jewelry, but  I was really drawn to this piece.

I bought one for myself and have worn it every day since it came in the mail last week. What I like about the fishbone bracelet is that it's a naturally-inspired form that feels delicate and ladylike while at the same time being edgy. The San Jose Olé earrings (pictured center) featuring turquoise stones, have a beachy, bohemian aesthetic. Their name inspires dreams of travelling up and down the coast of California, as though a character in a Kerouac novel.

Nostalgia, which Ashleigh cites as inspiration, permeates the feel of Goldeen, including the handwritten tags. I asked Ashleigh a bit more about what inspires her: "I use a lot of vintage findings and try to add my own twist to them, like hand painting the chiefs or the bone earrings with enamel, or using them in an unexpected way."

Goldeen makes jewelry for women and men. Ashleigh also works with beads, gems, and semi-precious stones. You can see more of her pieces here.

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Disclaimer: Goldeen did not pay me to write this post. I did ask Ashleigh if I could blog about Goldeen and she included the earrings as an unexpected surprise. This post comes from me genuinely thinking she makes cool stuff.

Red Dress Blue Dress

I love this French Connection dress I spotted over on A Cup of Jo. She posted it in blue but I fancy the red as I've been going through a bit of a blue period fashion-wise. I recently bought a blue tulip skirt, a cute silk blue and white polka-dot dress, and blue leather flats.

I think it's funny that I'm going through a "blue period" because I recently saw the Picasso in Paris 1900_1907 at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. It was a really good exhibit surveying works from his blue and rose periods, and ending with sketches for Les Demoiselles d'Avignong. The exhibit runs until May 29, so I highly recommend it should you find yourself in Amsterdam.

(Photo from French Connection via A Cup of Jo)

Stripes!

Black and white striped shirts. How very French, non? One of the things that amuses me most about living in France is seeing the French perpetuate this stereotype about themselves. I've wanted to blog about it for a while, but wasn't feeling brave enough to do "street style blog" photography, so my lovely friend, Caylena, a professional photographer volunteered to step up to the task. Thanks Caylena!

Check more of the French wearing striped black and white shirts here.

(Photos by Caylena Cahill Photography)

Il neige!

The snowy courtyard of my lycée
It's snowing! For real this time. Even while being a gorgeous November, it has snowed three times. The first two times, snowflakes fell from the sky and turned to rain as they neared the ground and last Friday's snow, although it stuck, was barely more than a dusting.

My feelings toward the snow vary. At times I find myself loathing it, other times I get giddy and excited. I feel uncomfortable admitting I sometimes loathe snow. As a child, I could not understand why my mom was not as excited as I when it snowed (because she had to drive in it) and vowed to myself that I would not grow up to detest the snow. The last few winters in Vancouver have had particularly heavy snowfalls though (by Vancouver standards), and being Vancouver, the city is ill-equipped to deal with it, which has turned me against the snow.

I am mostly excited for this snow as I am in France and my commute to work is a five minute walk. I am also hopeful that the snow will deter the French from walking their dogs and letting them shit freely on the sidewalks without picking up after them.

The same view from my kitchen window taken November 26, 2010
It would also be perfect weather to wear these. I discovered them last night and got super excited; until now, I think the only way to get the coveted CBC Radio 3 toque and scarf was to win them. Were I in Vancouver, they would totally be at the top of my Christmas wish list.

SF Street Style

On our last day in San Francisco, after having spent the early afternoon hanging out and grabbing a drink in the Haight, Peter and I walked back towards our hotel making sure to stop by Alamo Square to see the Postcard Row houses.

On our way there we passed a cute girl whose outfit I fell in love with. I wanted to take a picture of her à la street style, but as I do not run a street style blog, I felt a bit awkward asking. Instead, I took a mental photograph. Her outfit was very simple but classic. She wore a simple white short-sleeved bloused tucked into a knee-length pleated red skirt and a straw hat. Since then, I've been looking for a similar red skirt to recreate the outfit myself. Browsing the internet tonight, I think I found one:

This skirt has similar pleats, although the back is different. I had been thinking about making the red pleated skirt myself; I think this photo will serve as reference.

Anyway, Peter and I continued on to see the Painted Ladies (I raving about how cute the girl's outfit was). Later that evening we went for a walk. Passing through Chinatown we saw a group of about 30 men playing songs like When the Saints Go Marching In on Chinese instruments. Our ultimate destination for the evening was the block home to the historic City Lights bookstore and Vesuvio's.

After browsing City Lights, we headed next door for a drink. We found a table next to a window overlooking Jack Kerouac Alley. Still taking in the day's events, it was a pleasant coincidence that the waitress who came to take our order was none other than the girl with the cute red pleated skirt.

(skirt by leolucaescobar via Cup of Jo)