Vacation acquisitions

We Canadians sure love cross border shopping, don't we? Now that the government has increased the personal exemption limit to $800 if you are gone longer than 48 hours, the more you can shop duty free.

Even better is shopping Seattle (or anywhere in Washington) for Albertans- it is tax free! Just let them know you are from Alberta, show your driver's license, and they deduct ALL taxes off your total. Pretty nice!

Coincidentally, both hubby and I picked up Burberry tees and aviator sunglasses- and yes, we order the same menu items, too! Kidding aside, I was seeking out Tom's classic aviator sunglasses but ended up picking up these Chanel ones in the gold colour:

Photo: from purseforum.com

I love them! Never thought I could pull off aviators before. Then I found a couple things at Nordstrom Rack including Gryphon shorts and this Winter Kate Willow vintage silk top:

Photo: from Planet Blue (sold out)

It was my consolation find as I had to heart-breakingly walk away from a Marni top that was marked 80% off to $269. That was still a bit steep for a top- I am in conservative mode, right?!?

The price of cheap

My two pairs of $31 bargain Topshop sandals arrived just as we got back from vacation. Of course, you get what you pay for. Both are leather and pretty cute. But like cheaper footwear, they sorta squeak when you walk! I'd like to point out that no matter how cool they look on...

What's not so cool are the orange leather dye marks that come off onto your skin! This is just my second wear. Definitely not as bad as taking off the sandals after the first wear, which looked like a horrible inverse Beverly Hills orangy spray-on farmer tan!

Summer getaway packing

There are perks to being petite and it's even better with summer vacationing- a girl can pack 4 shorts/pants, 3-4 dresses, 7-8 tops, 2-3 pairs of shoes & clean underwear for all days away (no mid trip laundry for me!).. all in a carry-on for a 10 day west coast trip!

All of this:

Went into this... with room to spare for toiletries & maybe another pair of shoes?

Style intervention.. to do or not to do!

Normally if my mother fails to dress her age, we give her a hard time about it. We can only go to so many weddings with her dressed in someone's prom dress. With strangers however, I tend to just observe and wonder if they are aware of their little fashion faux pas. The last couple days I had to hold myself back and fight the urge to say something to this lady I see on my commute everyday.

You see, she is quite older- I would guess in her late 50's or early 60's by her appearance. And she does have amazing legs for her age.. but yesterday she wore something almost exactly like this outfit: (exact colour with no navel baring and slightly wee more length in the skirt.. and she paired it with shiny gold high heeled pumps)

Photo: from google searching under "kids neon green track skirt suit"

And today, she wore double pig tails and this sweater & short skirt (again!). I feel so cruel for sneaking a photo, but I couldnt illustrate the situation without doing so. I think the yellow/grey sweater was pretty funky, but I think she has so much potential. I've seen her dress classy and appropriately for her age on other occasions! She can definitely show off her great legs in a pencil skirt or in a shift dress. How do you tell a stranger its not in their best interest to dress like a 6 yr old? I tell myself to mind my own business, but it's too much to bear! oh dear...

Topshop sandal bargains

As depressing as it is, fall apparel has nixed summer sales racks to the back corners. Don't let the salespeople convince you to start buying riding or biker boots just yet. Or be convinced by their stories of how down jackets were sold out back in early summer because customers feared them selling out by winter. Point is, we've had the most beautiful, sunny summer in years and there are a few weeks left of it and chances are, an Indian summer will follow.

Let me remind you with some Topshop dirt cheap summer footwear finds:

Beaded gladiators (comes in aqua/green, pink or white), ~ $48 CAD reg

Leather & chain demi-wedges (comes in black, white & tan), ~$31 CAD on sale

Rose gold leather strappy flats, ~$35 CAD reg

Leather studded T-straps, ~$31 CAD on sale

Gold t-straps, ~$11 CAD on sale

All can be found at Topshop.com while they last. Prices online are in UK pound sterling, but hope the conversion here helps. I ordered a couple pairs for myself because this pair (below) that I've been eyeing up on the Barney's Warehouse Sale - as well as Neiman Marcus, Saks, & SSense summer sales- hasn't been marked down any lower than $399-$595. From $995 that's a nice deal...but... you know. :)

Lanvin rose gold toe-ring sandals, $399 at Barney's Warehouse Sale

Five minute storytelling

It's been a little summer hiatus- or the truth is I haven't found anything of interest of late. It happens... sometimes things do get a little uninspiring even for those truly obsessed. And with the heat wave, who wants to look at fall/winter stuff that is trickling into the stores now? I'd rather have a million Klondike bars than look at fall boots right now.. :)

But I do wish to share something I enjoy, even though they are simply advertisements. They call them fashion short films. Most are stories told within 5 to 8 minutes. You may recall the Chanel ones with Audrey Tautou on that midnight train, or the Dior Lady series with Marion Cotillard. Some are well done, cinematographic rich and others drag or are quite senselessly cheesy. I just saw the new Gucci short film/ad with Blake Lively and I wasn't riveted by it at all.

There is a write up about Quention Jones, a young fashion short film maker that I just read. She does shorts for Chanel, Victoria Beckham, Hogan, and Kenzo. Her latest project debuted on Style.com and it's worth a watch and the article is worth a read. The advert is for Tibi's Fall/Winter 2012 and its a series of moving stills- like animation. Tibi is based in NYC and has nice contemporary street wear.

Also check out this short clip from Hogan.com, "A Day in the Life of Quentin Jones" and get a feel of the creative process:

Video: from www.hogan.com