New parts in Faux France

I woke up to discover that the part in my hair had changed sides during the night. How did this happen? What mysterious forces are at play?

Actually, I like my part on this new side - it's like a whole new Mel. Hooray! Not that I disliked the old one, but it's too bad that I can't wake up with a new firm neck. Maybe if I slept with my feet over my head that would work because I've tried every other position with failure. Sigh. I don't know how I managed this hair trick.

I am wondering if this sneaky hair shift is due to the movement of the North Pole - yes, it's a thing. Seriously, it's moving, which is totally off-putting. I can't count on the north being north? Canada has always promoted itself as True North, so now we are Off-kilter North? Faux North? Fact are not facts anymore?!! Nothing new there, I guess. Sigh.

Now, obviously, I have to check my hair whorl to see if it has also switched direction. Given that water swirls down the drain counter-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Northern, it would be logical that hair whorls everywhere are also shifting madly with the movement of the Poles in a whorly-whirly-gig event.

My whorl goes clockwise - or is it counterclockwise? Gaaa, I've forgotten! Why don't we have bracelets with this vital information? Now I'll have to go digging through old photos to check, but I can't do that because I'll lose my appetite and it's almost time for nibblies.

Or maybe my part reversed because of all those earthquakes on the West Coast and the geographical shifting that happened. Sherry, Petite Over 40, of Seattle has said she's inching toward Vancouver. Whoa, free transportation! Again, hooray: reliable and inexpensive transport is vital for a thriving economy, I always say. And it will be great having Sherry as a neighbour for when I need to borrow baking supplies. ??!!

(Note to self: Check out border real estate to cash in on this phenomenon; not sure how shrinking land mass will work to my benefit yet though.)

I took these photos in Faux France, where everyone is attractive and happy and stylish and I speak fluent French, yet with a touch of an English accent to make me exotic and alluring - although I'm not sure it works that way. Speaking English with a French accent sounds so awesome to my ear but the other way...?

I stay at the Hotel George X (double better than the George V), where everything is fun and free. This morning, for example, I had breakfast with Javier Bardem and Colin Firth. Wow! Croissants with butter and blueberry jam, and avocados on the side, and wine of course. And there were loads and loads of flowers on the table, so many I couldn't even be sure if that was Javier and Colin over there; I just took an educated guess. I'm clever like that. Not a genius though, I admit.

Some people might mistake this location for Vancouver Art Gallery, the steps to nowhere because the doors at the top are permanently sealed. It is also malodorous there. I ask you: Why would I go there when I can skip through the streets of Faux France?

No matter what, the reality is the wind in my hair and this faboo outfit, all old, thrifted, energizing - man shoes, black jeans, an oversized top. The amazing neckpiece is from Anja, Curly Traveller, from a few years back. I love it!!

And that, my friends, is my day. I'll be hopping on the Concorde (the good kind that exists and doesn't malfunction) for New York in a few hours. Maybe we can have lunch at the Met? Wear a gown. Toodle-loo. Heh.

Hope you're all having a stellar time being your fabulous selves.

I'll link up to Patti and Catherine at Not Dead Yet Style and Not Dressed as Lamb for Visible Monday and #iwillwearwhatilike.  Yup.

We're not posing - we're LIVING!

Or how about, if a style blogger doesn't take a camera on a meetup with friends, does she still exist? Of course the answer to both would be a resounding YES! Our outfits are just the coating for the goodness within; in fact, sometimes a camera just gets in the frickin' way if it's remembered at all. 

But for those other times, when one has an impish beauty itch, a whack-ton of makeup and a tripod, a remote control, and a conspirator, well, see exhibits AAA below. These are from Shelley's visit to Vancouver in June, which I posted about here. Shelley posted here and here.

This wall in a nearby alley was perfect: mossy, concrete, grey, and black. There also wasn't too much garbage or smell, which is a critical make-or-break location factor, especially with guests. The micro-distillery gin joint on the corner, closed at the time, still provided great mental ambiance. 

Marching with fortitude into position.

There was nobody around, unless you count the ring of residential highrises. The few people who strolled by probably didn't notice us, and there were a couple of cars, but, pffft, when you're professionals, you don't even bat an eye unless it's on cue if ya knows what's good for ya.

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ME: CUUUUT!!! (I stamp my platform-shod foot) DO IT AGAIN, SHELLEY! How many times do I have to tell you!? The look I'm going for is you're dangling your feet in the pool and there is a giant guppy attached to your toe. Now ACTION!

SHELLEY: Is he nibbling or biting?

ME: He's a mutant cross between a guppy and a piranha. Doh!

SHELLEY: Oh, okay. Is it a salt-water pool or fresh water?

ME: Ummm, salt water. Now ACTION!!

We managed to get a few serious shots (below, not above), mainly at the beginning, before the cling of adulthood had blown off. Shelley wore her floaty silk dress with a watercolour motif and I wore my vintage satin pearl pink palazzo pants with a floaty orange/coral top. 

Strenuous posing is hard fun, so of course we demanded ice cream (gelato) afterwards. Coming right up at an independent coffee shop on the other corner. Hey, if the distillery and the cafe joined forces, they could serve gin floats! Or not.

The sun was shining and we sat outdoors while we planned an air-conditioned afternoon watching zombies (Jarmusch - The Dead Don't Die).

The breeze couldn't have been better even if we had rented it. Did you notice that I put light blue in my hair? And the metal earrings weighed a ton; every time I hopped or skipped, like above, OW! But it was for ahhhrt.

I am startled sometimes when going through my photos, especially the more hilarious ones, that most women in their mid-50s, or any age I suppose, do not engage in this sort of thing. Of course, for me it's just who I am. And Shelley too and my other friends when they're in town. Shelley wrote about this in her post. 

I suppose I never unlearned how to play, although its expression has gone underground at various times in my life. I'm grateful now that I can still tap into this powerful resource as a liberating force and share it at every opportunity. It definitely puts a rose tint on what might otherwise be a bleak outlook.

I also managed during that week to slip in a night at the theatre, Bard on the Beach, to see The Taming of the Shrew, as a guest of Mara Gottler, pictured below. She is a co-founder of the company, now in its 30th season, and a celebrated designer who designed all the costumes for this show.

How I laughed! - a rollicking (perfect word here) good time. The production had a western theme and featured a very strong-minded Kate (the shrew) with a few well-placed tweaks. And if Instagram were a thing in the Wild West, Bianca, Kate's twittery sister, would definitely have been a selfie star!

The show runs until mid-September. Check HERE. (not sponsored)

I wore my prairie dress for the western theme, and Mara was a chic gunslinger.

The next photo is called Traces - what stays behind. I walk by that alley now and smile remembering our photo session.

And finally, an outfit featuring a blazer spied for me at Turnabout Luxury Resale Granville store by Sheila when she joined me and Shelley for a day (see previous post here and Sheila's post here). Navy, velvety, and with split sleeves. Oh my! Worn with my Marni for H&M drop-crotch purple/gold lurex pants, which I farked with side stripes. Sunglasses from an outing with Suzanne.

And that's all. I loved the process of doing this photo session with Shelley, and in the end, I'm glad to have these cool photos as visual reminders of our time spent together, the reflections cast in digital form. As with most of my creative pursuits, the process is paramount.

I hope you have all found avenues of liberation in your lives, even for micro-moments. Who doesn't need little escapes? Which reminds me, I must get to the woods - with my camera. Hahaha!! I'm a style blogger and I need to record the process!

Thanks for dropping by. xo

I'm linking up with Patti at Visible Monday over at Not Dead Yet Style and later with Catherine at #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb. See you there maybe?

Friends galore and imaginations gone wild

Uh-oh, someone got into the maaakeup!

This is what happens when friends come to town - all hell breaks loose, usually on my face. And on my friends' faces. That's Shelley of Forest City Fashionista on the right. She visited Vancouver for a while and we got into all kinds of trouble.

But things really got started for me on a trip to Toronto where I hooked up with Suzanne Carillo when my work finished early. Suzanne took this photo in a cool consignment shop called Common Sort on Queen Street East. From there, we wandered the neighbourhood and had some laughs and a bite to eat at Tabule. Unexpected mini adventures are the best kind!

The day I got back to Vancouver, Shelley arrived in town, and the forecast was for sun, sun, and more sun. Plus, I had a grip on my workload, so ready or not Vancouver....

On our first day we wandered into Nordstrom where we promptly got lost in the sale racks in the designer section. We are die-hard thrifters but couldn't help ogling the spangles, boucles, plastics, and denims, all at eye-popping discount prices(!). One thing led to another and before you know it, we were arms akimbo throwing stuff on in the change rooms. Big thanks to Mary Jane who enabled us!

"What do you think, Shelley?" "I dunno, Mel. I think the sleeves could be longer. Which reminds me, wanna go see that zombie movie?" And yes, we did go later, The Dead Don't Die, by fave director Jim Jarmusch, starring Tilda Swinton and Steve Buscemi, among others. (It was didactic. That's all I'll say. And Tilda stole the show, as usual.)

That's a new thing for me below, poses with hands around my face. It feels so wrong but a photographer told me that it "reads well on camera." Okay, fine, so I'm practising. We had some laughs as I tried out new moves. My favourite so far is the "pulling-off-my-own-head pose," not shown here.

Doesn't it look like I'm in a moisturizer commercial? Or maybe I'm just remembering that I forgot to buy Ted a new jar of Nescafe instant coffee. And also, who's Ted? And why am I buying him coffee?

Shelley was afraid to come too close because there was a padlock on my coat. Clearly, I must be a secret agent and that lock is keeping all my feminine secrets safe. Or maybe that's a new super mini handbag. Cool! But if it is, don't you think it would be kind of awkward fiddling around there every time you need cash? Plus, it would only hold bit coins.

Those "pants" actually have feet on them so they are tiggings (tights/jeggings - I made that up). They are a bit see-through but I got-got-got no time to figure it out, cool as this ensemble may be, and despite it being the most "affordable" set of the lot. I bought the sunglasses at Common Sort.

Those pink pearlescent cycling shorts on Shelley are dazzling we both agreed. Except they didn't fit. Minor detail? - in a thrift shop, maybe, but sadly not here. At least they look awesome from the front and sides. And for a laugh and great photos, they are a deal.

I erased the light reflections on my sunglasses in the next photo. I was swooning over this zesty lemon coat, just the thing for a hot June day. In fact, it is! But I didn't buy it. And the dress looks great on Shelley, but we weren't shedding tears over not being able to buy either piece; not wanting them made us feel better. For me, there's something unnatural or off-putting about perfection.

And no wardrobe is complete without a suit. For months I've had my eye on the jacket Shelley is wearing. There is a skirt thing that goes with it. Basically, the jacket has been chopped zig-zaggedy and you can wear it buttoned or flopping. I like the freshness of the idea, but it's the kind of thing we could fark ourselves if we wanted to, but won't - it's been done already. Shelley's shorts look great with it though.

The suit I'm wearing is a tad out of my price range. And the pants are way huge on me. But the jacket sleeves are cool, don't you think? Wait until you see the thing I thrifted later on with a few digits lopped off the price. The boots (my own, "Jericho" from Fluevog) added great attitude.

Next, sing it with me: 🎵

We're gonna take our horse to the downtown road, 

we're gonna shoooop at the old thrift store.

Alert, another face pose! This aluminum-foilesque blazer is exactly my style. I adore the humongous acrylic buttons. Shelley grabbed it for a try-on on our way out. The way I farked this photo reminds me of a popular Canadian TV ad where a couple heats their home so hot that it melts cheese. In this case, I would be the potato.

Huge thanks to Nordsrom Vancouver for this excellent dress-up opportunity! You never know what will happen.

Next we headed for coffee at Quantum, a cool newish cafe that attracts lots of hipster gig-economy brainiac trendy types, like ourselves, well, kinda, perhaps like the children we never had...? That's a scary thought. It's conveniently located just across the street from Alley Oop, Vancouver's brightly painted alley where IGsters and garbage/delivery trucks vie daily for supremacy, in a friendly way with toots and waves.

Who's the big banana? Shelley! Her bag has horns. It's pretty shocking how many strangers can't keep their hands off them. No, seriously.

So that was Day 1.

Day 2.

Sheila of blog Sheila Ephemera arrives in town! She took a day off work to fly in from Vancouver Island special to meet Shelley for the first time. They've known each other more than seven years from blogging and it was the perfect day to hang out together. Our friendships took off like we've been neighbours, which kind of we have been. I've met Sheila a bunch of times from her annual wedding anniversary pilgrimages to Vancouver with her husband L.

I had no idea if the photo below would come out. It was so sunny I couldn't see a thing on my viewfinder.

We headed straight to My Sister's Closet for some thrift shopping. No photos there - we were too busy. Then we hopped the Aquabus to go to Granville Island for lunch before hitting a shoe store, where Sheila got the deal of the century, and a couple of consignment stores called Turnabout. 

Happy Shelley on the boat! Who doesn't love a boat ride? I took her photo while she was taking one of me and Sheila.

Look at me - the happy puppy! Doesn't Sheila look amazing!! The glasses, the earrings, and that dress, oh, that dress!!

This is the part where I fast-forward to the close of our day together over some Italian food before Sheila had to catch her plane home. 

Sheila did a mega write-up of her day trip HERE, and Shelley did a post already HERE. She'll have another one soon as well. And I'm the slow poke. Heh. I'll also need a Part 2 to cram everything in.

I hope you are all stellar! Meeting my friends in 3D is such a great reminder of how our online selves open all kinds of unexpected and rewarding pathways to explore.

I'm linking up to Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style. Hooray! And also Catherine when she goes live with #iwillwearwhatilike" at Not Dressed as Lamb.

Thank you for visiting!! It's been a while since I've been home here, so I appreciate it.
xo

PS - None of these links is sponsored; they are journal notes of our time together, but we loved all these places.

Where have your clothes taken you?

I can't believe it - I'm in Europe! Or is it Asia? I can't even remember. Everything is such a whirlwind.

Texas?!

No, no, no. It's France, maybe Italy, both of which are in Europe.

Val of @muse.fondue and @constancesnow on Instagram mused that this is an Italian beatnik look, Daddy O, and that I should be riding my scooter backwards behind a ciggie-smoking boyfriend, then taking a dip in Trevi Fountain. I think I should drive the scooter backwards myself. I'd definitely end up in Trevi Fountain.

Others saw hints of Agent 99, @suzannecarillo, and Jean Seberg, @fcfashionista. Sigh. What would I do without my friends?!

And check it out: I'm so good at posing now that I look almost identical in those two previous photos. It's uncanny.

Now, just so you don't get the wrong impression - I'd never go scootering all over Europe (Asia and the US) with just this one outfit. And my life is not all fun. As you'll see in the next snapshots, there were games involved as well. Who needs yoga!?

Healthy Body - Healthy Mind

I'm not sure if I'm playing rugby or soccer.  Does it matter? The point is to chase a ball, kick, tackle, and run for your life. And throw in some happy dances when you do good, preferably facing the camera. It's almost like social media.

I like the huddles most though (maybe that's in football, details) because while we're all bent over in that loving circle of friendship, I whip out my porta tea set and lace tablecloth for a hot cuppa on the field - so welcome during this cold weather, isn't it? Sometimes I bring cookies too, or Pop Tarts (TM).

I have to thank the brilliant photographers at unsplash.com for sharing these great background shots. Top to bottom: tao-xanh kim, sapan patel, jeremy bishop, marian trizuliak, and quino al.

And Margaret Manning of Sixty and Me fame has opened two articles based on previous interviews I had with her. They are HERE and HERE.

Finally, there I am for realsie below, in the stairwell dressed in used clothing - but damned fine used clothing. "Secondhand" always sounds better than used, but it is what it is.

This turtleneck and these sailor pants are from Talize Thrift in Delta, BC. Talize has a mind-boggling array of unique clothing appropriate for any style adventure. And shopping thrift is one small way I can help ease the burden on our distressed planet.

I've been wearing my hair down a bit more recently. Why not? And doing winged eyes. There are so many unexplored possibilities.

Happy travels, friends! Words of the week are hope and optimism - yeah! Or maybe you'd like to join my football team, the Mel Destroyers, for a huddle and a cuppa?

When it's time, I'll be linking up with Patti at Not Dead Yet Style, Visible Monday, and Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb, #iwillwearwhatilike. A big thanks to Catherine for including me in her post "Celebrating 9 Fabulous Women Who Wear What They Like."

Furry things, dingle bits, and Turnipheads

I went down to the scary storage locker where my alien pods are hibernating, pods referring of course to my clothes in their vacuum-sealed space bags. There was definitely a rustling sound, maybe even muffled giggles, as I tugged open the padlock. 

The key to survival in there is to be quick and efficient and carry a big vacuum hose. It helps that I have an Excel spreadsheet now that catalogs my clothes by description and bag number. 

One reason I went down is to pull out this ice-blue faux fur because I knew it would go magnificently with a new addition to my closet - a luxury bag from Jamin Puech Paris. It was a gift, a mini collaboration, but rest assured my opinions are my own: I LOVE IT!!

The next photo is what happens when I get excited by a new bag - I wave it about so much you can't really see it! Please kindly skip to the photo after this one for a calmer view.

This bag, Chair, is from their Tingshas line. Dingle bits, velvety softness, high-factor swingability, and satisfying planetary orbs that click open and shut. It is a truly unique piece of handbag art, which is why I was so happy to accept this collaboration. Even the packaging was exquisite.

And look, the cuffs of my thrifted Scotch & Soda blouse match the dingle bits perfectly. Spooky, right? Hahaha. And I didn't even plan it. I'm also wearing my fake stripper track pants that zip all the way down the sides and my brown cowboy-style booties.

No one comes between me and my Jamin Puech. 

Seriously, this is a fine bag and I know I'll use it often. It was very difficult choosing which bag I want - all their designs are absolutely stunning, and I don't say that lightly. Go have a look and you'll see what I mean. Thanks, Jamin Puech. 

And below is the Chair with another outfit. I like this pairing equally well, especially with the silk velvet scarf in the mix.

Now moving along. Tra-la-la, tra-la-la, lounging on the concrete steps in outdoor wear, as one does, leafing through my journal.

What am I wearing? All things from my closet, thrifted or gifted:

• black-and-white graphic print vintage coat with red lining from my friend Su
• heavyweight vintage jacquard pants 
• men's pointy brown shoes 
• silk velvet scarf
• "Soho" glasses, gift from Vint and York in NYC in the summer
• Jamin Puech Paris handbag

Just so you know, below is the kind of sketch that litters my journals. I have hundreds of them over many years, mostly featuring Turniphead (that's me), wearing the same thing I was wearing that day, and Kitty, often Royal Kitty, wearing whatever strikes my fancy. If you spot me in a downtown cafe, chances are I'll either be sketching or colouring one of these with pencil crayons.

I also wore this black-and-white pattern-mix outfit a week ago to a Uniqlo store in Burnaby, which is a 30-minute transit ride from downtown Vancouver. Uniqlo is an international fashion retailer headquartered in Japan and I went there not necessarily to shop but to hunt for a photo of me from a global print and commercial campaign I did with them earlier in the summer. And look! 

My friend Elizabeth (IG and website) accompanied me and took the photo. I was featured in the stretchy pants section. Awesome! Hahaha. 

I hadn't mentioned the campaign to anyone because I didn't know what happened to it. Then, cincinnata_demetria, whom I know from IG, wrote that she had seen me in the Amsterdam Uniqlo. What a surprise! When I asked, she kindly sent me a photo that I posted on my IG, HERE. 

That same night, people O and I know in Japan also called, surprised to have seen me in their local Uniqlo as well.

Of course I was excited and contacted Greetje of No Fear of Fashion, who lives not too far from the Amsterdam store, and she generously went down and took a bunch more photos. Huge thanks to Greetje! And to her husband Ron, who drove the getaway car. She has a funny story about that on her blog, HERE. One of the photos she sent me is below. 

That's me in the commercial above the photo too. I'm an architect. Greetje didn't even notice until she got home that I was in there and she'd captured my scene by chance. I'm not keen on the camera angle in the ad and told Greetje, DO NOT USE!!, but I'm over it now, it's life. This was an awesome shoot. 

That's about it from here. I'll finish with this photo - showing the wall who's boss. ???!!!

I'm wearing a short lurex dress with sport-style neck and cuffs. Those are Zohara tights, which they sent me over a year ago. They have a great collection. 

Nothing else to say really. I'll end with this little journal sketch.

It's a giant cat or a little tree. You decide. A windy autumn day. 

I'll link up with Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for her Visible Monday, and Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb for her #iwillwearwhatilike. 

Thank you for visiting!!! I hope you all have a stellar week. Until next time...