Bon voyage!

I'm leaving to go to my cottage for the next week. Due to such absence of computer, there will be few, no wait, no updates for the next seven days.

But have fun rereading the previous ones.

Zoë

PS:

They're going to clean up your looks.

I am really quite excited for the Gossip Girl TV show. I'm especially amped to see the cast alltogether. We already know who's playing who, but will the whole collaboration work out? Anyways, all I know is I'm getting the CW network on my TV before this Fall to be able to follow the series.

Blair Waldorf: Leighton Meester
Serena van der Woodsen: Blake Lively
Isabel: Nicole Fiscella
Jenny Humphrey: Taylor Momsen
[the four girls are here, in order]


Nathaniel Archibald: Chace Crawford.
[what is this? seriously. i was expecting, i don't know, brad pitt & kate moss' lovechild. chace crawford? wow, i may just fall in love with dan this time 'round.]


Daniel Humphrey: Penn Badgley.
[now this, this is the exciting part. i love penn badgley. i fell in love with him in john tucker must die. okay, so i saw john tucker must die. that doesn't make me any less of a critic. does it?]


Eric van der Woodsen: Connor Paolo.
[hmm, i'm confused. i thought eric was older than serena. i thought he was built and had a chiseled jaw & a gorgeous toothy smile. this kid is sixteen & well, doesn't really look the part. of course, there are really any recent pictures, so we'll just have to wait & see. this photo is circa 2004.]


Kati Farkas: Nan Zhang.
[this girl is gorgeous.]


Chuck: Ed Westwick.
[i can see that...]


I'm aboslutely loving the choice for Dan, Blair & Serena. The rest I'm pretty neutral about. Except for I'm dissapointed with Nate & Eric, sadly. I mean, they're cute, but I expected, hum, better.

Zoë

Make a citizen out of you.

Our blog has successfuly written about a handful of fashion trends. Now, to mix things up a bit, I'l thrown in some Tinseltown gossip - about none other that the adorable Hilary Duff. Why? Because she just so happens to be dating ex-Ottawa Senator Mike Comrie, who isn't totally liked in Canada because of all that havoc he reeked back in Edmonton, but he really started things over for himself thanks to the Ottawa hockey house.

He's now been traded to the New York Islanders, where he'll keep his position as center. I'm sad to see him go, but I couldn't be happier to see him with her.

TMZ.com reported the whole thing on Thursday;
"Hilary [19] and fresh boy toy Mike Comrie [26] were spotted having a romantic dinner last night at Giorgio Baldi restaurant in Santa Monica. Try the veal cutlet! Comrie is the center for the New York Islanders hockey team, but his "net worth" doesn't stop there; the Canadian pucker comes with quite a wad of cash -- as heir to the Brick Warehouse fortune. Score! Sources tell us that the twosome have been hot & heavy since a wet weekend of jetskiing in Idaho."

Okay so this may be a tad trashy for what we call a 'fashion blog', but I really felt like sharing it with the world. In my attempt with keeping with the whole fashion blog thing... I like her bag.

Zoë

This one goes out to all the reds & yellows & blues.

I went shopping with my friend Sarah today. And boy did it feel good. It's not that I hadn't been in such a long time [which I hadn't], it's simply that it was a very successful day. As successful as it could be for me heading out with zero dollars to my name. How is that even possible? Well, I shopped. And I shopped, and I shopped, and I shopped. No, I didn't happen to purchase anything, but I truly analyzed & scavenged the whole mall. And here are the items I loved the most:

Old Navy was surprisingly amazing. I find the prices are rising there, but so is the quality, and with that comes an excelent array of clothing styles that simply cannot be matched. I mean, who else who come up with a short sleeved bright blue cardigan held together by two thick buttons right below the chest? I say, Old Navy is the place to go for ideas, and, well, basics. I like these;

Old Navy Sateen Trenchcoats, about fifty dollars Canadian.

Old Navy button-down shirt.

Old Navy Collegiate Sweatpants.

Then came Payless Shoe Source. How specatcular my visit there was! The best part is that the Abaeté collection wasn't really worth all the hype, it's just the other pieces that won me over. All of their heels are quite sturdy & classic, revamping looks such as the maryjane or the t-strap. Pretty much all the shoes are simply phenomenal, especially the following;

Booties, which I prefer in gray, since I own a very similar pair in black.

The new & improved maryjane.

The very [maybe too] high riding-esque boots.

Bright red t-straps.

And very classic suede booties.

Next stop, Urban Behavior, which was kind of in my bad books since the appearance of lace-trimmed camis & everything leopard pring on their racks. But now they've regained my trust since removing their men's line [What kind of man relies on Urban Behaviour to supply their clothing, really?] which added a lot of space to store things like metallic mini dresses & electric blue jeans. Unfortunately they don't have pictures of said items on the site, but I liked these too;

Gold sailor shorts.

A nice riding jacket for Fall.

High waisted black shorts to be worn with... anything.

Also, American Apparel, nicknamed A², was stupendous. I mean, everytime I go in there it's like a plethora of colours leaping towards me, and some amazing song playing in the background [I really must find out who manages their music playlist, it is phenomenal. Makes me happy everytime.] Plus they have the most adorable salespeople, one of which is a young boy who wears his skinny jeans like no other. Anyways, today's favourites were, drumroll please;

The very pretty raglan cardigan.

And anything, I mean ANYTHING v-neck.

And last but not least, MAC cosmetics. I always like everything in there, really. But this time around, I set my eyes on one specific item, the pigment.

It is perfect. It is, a miracle.

Zoë

PS: Every single one of Ottawa's cute boys were on the prowl today, I swear. What, did you guys all tell yourselves, let's meet at Rideau & make girls stare? Because really, that's what happened. You had the kids on their BMX bikes with their Volcom hats & insanely vibrant graphic tees. You had the boys who don't try that hard, wearing simple striped shorts, but still look amazing. You had the guys with the most amazing shoes - ever. The blondes [a lot of blondes actually], the brunettes, the flamingly red heads. And even one particular gorgeous doctor [or nurse? he was in scrubs, to say the least] running to catch the bus. Anyways, it was quite the treat for the eyes, I must say.

Do your trick, turn on the stars.

The cutest bag I have ever seen:

[shopbop]

Zoë

Welcome to the dollhouse, baby.

If there's one trend I love besides denim cutoffs, it's high, slightly slouchy socks. They make an outfit look so pulled-together. I don't know what it is about them, but for me, they simply scream style.



This girl really pulls it off. The socks look best with a shorter dress, because that way the leg coverage makes up for the lack thereof above the knee. Now I just have to figure out where I can find myself a pair.

[photo courtesy of facehunter.]

Zoë

"but i don't want to look like a pirate!"

Sorry about that brief hiatus. I spent the weekend in Boston. A little weekend getaway, dare I say. So it wasn't all glamour because the travelling consisted of two nine hour drives, but I enjoyed myself. I mean, can you imagine how much fun I had watching every single episode of Seinfeld in the car on the way? A lot of fun, that's how much.

What I really wanted to get was a bag. A big bag. Something I could carry everywhere, a semi-tote, a nice-looking carryall. I have one now, but it just so happens that it's a TNA bag, bought from Aritzia. The bag is outrageously overrated. In case you need proof -

I was on the city bus the other day, toting my bag, and a girl & her boyfriend were sitting in the seat behind me. She also had a TNA bag. Her boyfriend said: "Wow, everybody has those bags eh?". I nearly puked. I got my bag at Christmas and now that they're popping up everywhere I'm the one who has to pay. I had the idea of selling the bag itself to rid myself of its fashion inconvenience, but then I figured when the trend dulls down I may want to take it out of my miniscule closet & continue using it. So instead of offering it to someone else, I will keep it all to myself & hope for the best.

Onto another important matter - my fall wardrobe. Now call me crazy, but I'm already envisioning what I'll be wearing when the dry, cold wind whips at my face while awaiting the bus. Okay, so I wear a uniform to school, and okay, so the accessories allowed are quite limited for fear of anyone looking ever-so-slightly unique. But outerwear is always an option. And shoes, god, shoes.

Then, my dear friends, come weekends. And on said weekends, I'd like to wear the following things:
- twenty three v-neck tees.
- a trench coat.
- Cheap Monday jeans.
- jazz shoes.
- college sweatpants [can anyone say Yale?]
- mocassin boots &/or majorette boots.
- tights in every colour; namely black, white, electric blue & fuchsia.
- a skinny black tie.
- a basic blue dress shirt [like the one Ashley Olsen was wearing in a previous post.]
- the nylon tulip skirt from A².
- a bright red cardigan.
- very thin knee-high socks in navy & in creme.
- a chunky knit beret in a bright colour.
- twelve diy tees with such things as exclamation points, blow dryers & handprints on them.
- a knit raglan tee [you know, like the baseball players used to wear?]
- a navy blue pleated babydoll dress.
- ankle-length jet black leggings [no, I've yet to buy any.]
- Reebok Freestyle kicks.
- D&G tidy whitys with thick elastic band.
- round toe short ankle boots in black.
- vintage light wash jeans like such:


And that's a whole lot of stuff. I don't expect to get it all, I'm just, you know, throwing my ideas out there.

Zoë

i saw no need for a cup.

I want to be Ashley Olsen.

On another note, my favourite shorts ever are on sale at Urban Outfitters. But you see, I loved them back in May. Now I'm leaning towards a variety of other ones & I wonder if $19.99 is bargain enough to pursuade me to buy something that, in my eyes, is second best.

I suppose these are pretty cool though. What do you guys think? They're practical, at the very least, because denim shorts are like jeans, they go with everything. Say...
T-Strap sandals, with...
a v-neck tee and...
a Nicole Farhi cardigan. God I want one of those.
Just making that outfit kind of convinced me that the denim shorts are a necessity. I'm going to Boston on the weekend and I think there's a UO there, so maybe I'll check that out. I'm acting all nonchalant when really I know I'll be desperately seeking an Urban Outfitters for the duration of my four day stay. Oh well, at least I can admit to it.

Zoë

[ps; sandals from uo, cardigan & tee from coggles.]

Goodnight, Hollywould boulevard.

In a mere two days, I will be flying my way across the country, jetsetter style. I know you're jealous, because you poor little underlings have no clue what it's like to fly Air Chanel. Pity really, but we fabulous people have better things to do than fly coach. How common. Anyways, I mustn't bother myself with your tribulations, no matter how considerate and caring I may be. I have my beautiful self to take care of, and that is a job in it's own right. Anyone who's lucky enough to have seen me in the flesh knows that every square inch of my body is pampered, and it is true what they say, it's exhausting being fabulous. But back to the pressing matter at hand. No matter what your position on the social & financial hierarchy, you know that what you pack for a trip can make or break your would-be glamorous vacay. Personally, I can just call up Karl and have him send me a much-needed item if ever I forget, but we aren't all that lucky. So I'm typing up a little list of must-haves:

- An Eres bikini and a floaty Missoni cover-up at the beach
- A printed DVF wrap dress and classic leather Louboutin slingbacks for posh nights out
- A Milly printed shift and Stella McCartney sandals for 'sightseeing'
- An ivory 3.1 Philip Lim blouse and grey linen Development pants for browsing their Bergdorf Goodman's & Barney's (You can take the girl out of the Upper East Side, but you can't take the Upper East Side out of the girl)
- Catherine Malandrino long cashmere cardigan , Hermès headscarf and dark Tom Ford shades for the airport (You don't want people ogling and harassing you while you try to get back home, do you?)
- And last on the list is a full set of Goyard Luggaage, hat box and all.

If ever you're feeling down during your vacation (although I don't see why you should be), just think of how much fun I'm having in St Barths: it always perks me right up. And if that doesn't work, order a chilled bottle of Dom and drink to heart's content. Then at least you'll have forgotten why you were sad in the first place!

You know you love me,


Okay, so maybe I'm not Gossip Girl. And maybe I'm not flying Air Chanel. And yes, it might not be true that I have a full set of Goyard luggage. But I'm in Gossip Girl withdrawal after finishing the eleventh book recently, and after many trips to Chapters (which were not very fructuous, might I add) I had yet to find a book that was of the same calibur. That is, until I found 'Back Talk' and 'Orange is the New Pink' which kept me content. Anyways, I didn't write that entire letter for nothing, I actually am departing for the other side of the country in the short span of two days. And although the clothing I packed isn't as 'mature' and not to mention expensive as that of Gossip Girl, I still put just as much thought into it. "What did she pack?" Might you ask? Well, to that I say, take a look:

1 - Miscellaneous hair accessories and beauty products: blue elastic American Apparel headband, boat-print Uranium neckerchief, OPI Lincoln Park After Dark nail polish, Olay SPF 15 All Day Complete face lotion, Burberry Brit perfume.
2 - Bathing suits: black 'sequined' triangle bikini top from Old Navy, serpent green American Apparel flat bikini bottom, and hidden beneath that ensemble lies the hellish and ratty old back up bathing suit.
3 - Three pairs of sunglasses: Since my future is so bright, I've got some faux wayfarers, oversized pink metal frames, and some aviators.
4 - Flat t-bar sandals: Shelly's London.
5 - White denim shorts & white jeans: What else is there to say?
6 - Cotton day dress: American Apparel shift dress in raspberry
7 - iPod mini: To stave off boredom and drown out infants' cries.
8 - Zip-up Hoody: Red American Apparel California Flex Fleece Zip Hoody. Wow, what a mouthful.
9 - Bag: A cheap handbag for all my carrying needs.
10 - Books: Again with the staving off boredom, but without the noise blocking advantage, unfortunately.

Along with all of the items I've enumerated, there are more shoes, shirts, jeans, shorts and of course skivvies. But you didn't really need to know that, did you? On another related note, I'm sorry to announce that I'll be taking a brief hiatus from blogging during my trip. More specifically, until the fifteenth of August. Maybe not so brief. But I'm convinced Zoë will keep you content and filled with fashion.

Jessica.

You'll never feel bad anymore.

It's not that I completely hate her. No, that's definitely not it. Because frankly, I would not mind living her life. It's just that I can't stand looking at pictures of her for more than an instant. I'm not quite certain why. I'm simply not a big fan of Cory Kennedy. It's probably the fact that she has a nice bicycle and parties with L.A's cool crowd, which can be related to my Agyness Deyn disliking. I suppose I just can't stand girls who've got it all.

That being said, her attire is a completely different story. I would kill to have her clothes. At times, her look can be a bit too, how do you say, 'i-put-this-together-at-the-very-last-minute' for my taste, but without her 'i-couldn't-care-less' attitude, well, she just wouldn't be Cory Kennedy, now would she? I adore her oversized tees & mismatched accessories. She wears bangles like no other. But there is one particular item of clothing that she has, probably in duplicates, that I just love. And that, my friend, is her beautiful pair of denim cutoffs.

I have been eyeing these for, well, forever. They suit her so perfectly. I hope to god that they're DIY & not an expensive designer pair, and my common sense says they're probably not the latter. I mean, I haven't seen any shorts like that on the market at say, Shopbop, or Saks. But even if they are a home project, I wonder if she is the artiste who succesfully cut & frayed & fit them to perfection. If she is, well then props to you Cory, props to you. I'm sure your pals Tara Reid & Steve Aoki appreciate your fashion design skills greatly. There you go, something else to add to your repertoire of things to show off in Nylon Magazine.

Her mini leather coats paired with her wild [may I add, super-long] hair are perfect. Actually, most of her clothes are. Which is why I was so excited when I saw this on corykennedy.blogspot.com - an invitation to a garage sale hosted by none other than her & her friend. At said garage sale, she'll be selling her very own stuff, vintage clothes, tees, dresses, shoes. What wouldn't I give to be able to fly out there for July 22nd? Nothing.

Her blog is adorable and apparently she is apt to taking good pictures. Her penchant for Interpol and the Klaxons pleases me, but when I see all the concerts she goes to, I can't help but frown. Is it just me, or does it seem that she's got things way too easy? Okay, so she's climbed the social ladder succesfully, which she now rests atop. But now that she's up there, will her stay last long?

Oh & screw the 'peace out' thing. Wow I never noticed how corny it was. From now on it's just -

Zoë

North side, walk it out.

This past week, I was spending my precious time in a little town called Rome. There, I met a woman named Nicoletta, and she cleared things up a bit for me. According to her, the term 'nic' (like the nic in the beginning of her very own name) means victory, which is also represented by the name Victoria. In which case, you could say that any word beginning with the term 'nic' could somehow be related to victorious traits. And what do we all think of when we associate those two things - Nike, of course. Nike means victory. I never thought the explanation for such a vast company of articles could be so simple. I figured maybe it was an acronym, something coded, I don't know. Victory, that's much better.

Nicoletta, our guide, in her prime.

Even before Nelly's song came out, before collector's editions started hitting stores everywhere, before Lily Allen started pairing them with cocktail dresses to mix things up on the red carpet, Nikes have always been synonymous with urban style.

No matter which model you choose, be it the Blazer, the AF-1, the Sprint Sister, the Dunk, you're certain to get a pretty sick reactions in these kicks. At the very least, your crew'll go bezerk.

Peace out,

Zoë

Help me.

If there is a fashion god, he needs to banish these monstrosities.
Honestly.
I'M ON MY KNEES BEGGING YOU, EXPUNGE THEM FROM THE WORLD.


Please.

Jessica.

"I was quite an aggressive teenager"

While passing through my local saint-vincent de paul, I came across these:

I contemplated buying them for $4, then a wave of reality washed over me - Where would I wear these?!

So I didn't buy them, because a) i am not a nurave clubhopping kid, and b) i am a cheap, cheap person.

Jessica.

That extra 1/2 inch.

Am I crazy for loving these?

Just picture them with a floaty and innocent dress, and you'll change your mind. It's all about juxtaposition, people.
PS: Despite their extreme height, the Natural Comfort wedges are unexpectedly comfortable. Hence the name.

Images from left to right: Korkease, Natural Comfort & Chloé.

Jessica.

Under more scrutiny.

You have got to admit, Ashley Olsen has got some style. Her and her sister singlehandedly revived the 'boho' look, are the designers of their new line The Row, design a collection of low-priced makeup and tween clothing for Wal-Mart, and have a new clothing line called Elizabeth & James due out later this year. It's seems as though Ashley is finally breaking free from the identical style cocoon that envelopes the twins.

You go Ashley.

Jessica.