distance is a thief.

here it is, as promised ...

loblaws purchases.

to my dismay, i wasn't really drowning in fashion finds as soon as i entered, but i did manage to find a few things that i liked that didn't break my budget. mustard pocket cardigan ($29) & black fleece jacket ($29).

the mustard cardi also came in a navy and eggplant combination, but i came to the conclusion that i already own enough sombre colours, and it was time to brighten things up.

i suppose things will start looking up once the winter stock comes in, because the autumn selection is definitely lacking (or at least it was at that location).

recent finds + purchases not from loblaws.

my cousin gave me a big bag of clothes (make that two, actually) a few weeks ago, filled with gems that she could no longer make use for (thanks jas !). one person's trash is another's treasure, right ? also, i went thrifting before school started, and although less fruitful than i had intended, i did come back with one thing.
men's black crewneck sweater (thrifted, $4) and purple cotton cropped bustier (gift from jas).

zoë

the weather is changing and breaking my stride.

finally, here it is, my weekend in montreal ...

we stayed at the alt hotel, right smackdown in the middle of dix30's lifestyle neighborhood, which is basically a closed in neighborhood that i'd never have to leave - food, clothing, shelter, concerts, gyms & spas are all available in the vicinity - if it weren't for school on monday. the hotel is brand new, and although i will admit that my expectation weren't exactly sky high, i was pleasantly surprised.

two queen-sized beds took up the most part of the room, where ikea accessories and neo-classic accents reigned. an art-deco chair was strategically placed in front of the tall windows, with a perfect view of the entirety of the outlet stores.

my purchases:

dark wash denim shorts, bright pink interlock mini, color-block tee, basic tees in sangria, white & orange, triblend-like tank, neo-hippie dress (all from h&m) and floral print bandaid skirt (from winners). the last skirt may look a bit odd but trust me, it looks like the lovechild of herve leger and heatherette or something. unfortunately, i didn't have time to scavenge the accessory departement, because i was craving a new pair of sunnies. i did find some at winners, though, with a faux-chloe look about them, but they were white and i wanted something different.

all in all, i'd say the weekend was a definite success.

zoë.

sing dance floss travel.

i'm liking this.

not necessarely taking a jab at anya's "i'm not a paper bag" concept, these new "i am not a paper cup..." cups - white porcelain with a silicone lid - are simple and i must say quite attractive. i don't know if i'd think to pick up this cup every time i plan on buying coffee though. still, it has potential.

in other news, i went to rideau today & purchases a black tulip-shaped talula skirt. you can expect pictures as soon as i install my camera program on the new computer.

and lastly: t-minus 90 days until cali.

zoë.

the sound of settling.

what - how else am i supposed to pull of an oversized bape tee ?

happy end of winter everybody. and while i'm at it, happy tuesday, happy 99th day of the year, happy birthday vivienne westwood.

zoë.

doll scissors in the yellow light.

jessica & i explored loblaws the other day. loblaws' superstore, to be exact. the real canadian superstore is home to many adorable fashions - reminiscentof the banana republic look, if you will - for unbeatable prices. jessica even went so far as to calling it a "miniature h&m". in our world, there is no higher praise.

our picks; patterned tiered skirt, striped sweater tank, red patent heels, double-strap black satin maryjanes, two-tone pumps, perriwinkle blue paperbag skirt, modern khaki trench, pierre hardy-like patent summer sandals, black sheer ruffled tee & immitation prada two-tone flats.

my purchases;

sandals; twenty dollars.

trenchcoat; sixty dollars (expect better pictures soon).

marie claire; five dollars.

zoë.

kings amongst runaways.

the slightly oversized navy boys' blazer was omnipresent this season, on the runways as well as in the streets. as of late, the trendy piece is still circulating, making rounds here in ottawa aswell.
well, now that spring is right around the corner, and boxy blazers are soon to be replaced by frilly dresses & sleeveless tanks, i've gotten my hands on my very own navy blue suitjacket, with gold buttons & the perfect length of sleeve.



found in my twelve-year-old brother's closet, this baby is a gem. a ruby, or maybe even an emerald, for its value is incomparable. the cost: zero. nothing. zilch. the product: a staple for anyone who wants to look like they're part of the french vogue team. also know as; myself.

the reason why i only got my hands on it recently is simple: said twelve-year-brother does, after all, have a mind of his own, and he declared war last time i stole it from his closet (without asking, how dare i !). hence, i wasn't able to steal it a second time until he just recently accepted to loan it to me (it's not like he'd be wearing it anytime soon, anyways).



for some reason, the jacket looks like it's a forest colour in the pictures, but i suppose that's just because it was shot against a red backdrop. the next step in my plan for jacket domination is the following: keep it far from my brother for a long enough period of time to make it drift into the back of his mind where he stores historical notions & politics, an unused space that is sure to make him forget all about this baby.

ahh, sweet victory.

zoë.

beamers & impalas.

the brand spankin' new denim;





they're kind of an extreme wash, but they make my legs look long, so no harm in that, right?

zoë.

in matching blue raincoats.

what i could have worn today;

(another slip i found in my closet, forest a² hoodie, black tights. and yes, that is my filty room on display).

and an upcoming purchase: this old navy dress is so cute.


happy spring !

zoë.

looking fresher than a july bride.

i was looking through old clothes in my closet last night, & i came across a bag that my cousin had given me full of things i had completely forgotten about. amongst said articles was this slip, meant to wear under dresses. personally, i like it much better on its own. worn high up around the waist, a pencil skirt in an interesting material that's as practical as it is versatile.



and a good closet raid is never complete without a shoe search. a big bench is the home to a lot of my shoes that are (or used to be, really) of lesser importance. these baby pink keds were put away at the beginning of the season because i considered them as being much more 'spring / summer' than 'fall / winter'. either way, they're back out now, & they're on the prowl.



zoë.

living on borrowed time.

found it !



the yellow dress featured in a previous post is surprisingly an h&m creation. price unknown.

zoë.

permanent monday.

American Apparel has recently come out with a poster-sized calendar made up entirely of the best images from their archives.



The artfully provocative images are showcased on the website & in stores, but now that they're available to shoppers, why not put it to good use & sex up your home office?



The back of the poster is a blown up image shot in black & white. I wouldn't call it vulnerable, but it isn't full out pornography either - a happy medium, we'll call it.



At only three dollars, this piece is not only a cumulation of promiscuous images, but also a collector's piece.

Zoë.

if it makes you happy.

If you go into my bathroom, turn towards the sink counter & open the second drawer from the bottom, you'd simply be astonished by the amount of makeup it houses. To top that off, some of the stuff in there is really nasty. I have a Maybeline eyeshadow quad from at least three years ago, a broken MAC shadestick in snakeskin, quite the array of empty concealer tubes & pressed powder that I can't even remember purchasing. Sometimes I wish I had the guts to just plow through it all & get rid of, say, ninety percent of the crap in there. I mean, am I ever really going to use the empty John Frieda frizz-ease I was addicted to last year? No, I probably won't, but yet, I feel the need to keep it forever.

What can I do to solve my problem? It's simple. I have to raid through that damned drawer, and keep only the bare essentials, no more. Okay, maybe a bit more, like the tools needed for an attempt at a 'smokey eye', aswell as a bright magenta lipstick to be worn only on very special occasions. But nevertheless, the key is to lose the excess.

The perfeck makeup kit: Benefit Cosmetics Lite SPF 15 Tinted Moisturizer ($30), Make Up Forever Lift Concealer ($21), Smashbox Eyelights Palette ($34), Benefit Cosmetics BadGal Eyeliner ($18), Imju Fiberwig Mascara ($22), Smashbox O-Glow ($26), Bare Escentuals Smoky 'V' Eye Tutorials ($32), Shiseido Fine Eyeliner ($27)& Shu Uemura Natural Brush ($50). Albeit very expensive, admit it, you'd love to have these products in your makeup kit. GRAND TOTAL: $260,00.



And now, for the smaller, more realistic makeup kit: Cover Girl Line Exact Eyeliner ($7), Cover Girl Volume Exact Mascara ($8), Rimmel London All Over Jumbo Pencil ($4), Neutrogena Shimmer Sheers for eyes, lips & face ($8) & Cover Girl Smoother SPF 15 Tinted Moisturizer ($10). Okay so I'm missing a blush, a brush and any eyeshadows for this one, but I simply could not think of any particular item I've wanted, so I summed it up with those. GRAND TOTAL: $37,00.



As for hair, I want to be able to put more effort into it. But of course, it's impossible to have perfect hair without the right tools: and although I do own a hair straightener, I know for a fact that's not enough. Necessary objects: Frederic Fekkai Coiff Perfecteur, Oscar Blandi Jasmine Oil Serum, Dove Sheer Moisture Shampoo & Dove Intense Frizz-Control Cream.



Although this picture was taken before Ashley Olsen discovered balienciaga booties & stopped using shampoo, I think it's a good representation of pretty, healthy hair. I llooove the side-swept bangs.


And last but not least, smooth skin is a necessity. Personally, I'm not one to own a great amount of creams, butters & moisturizers, because quite frankly I'd set them aside one night and never use them again. The regularity of applying lotions never seems to catch on. Nevertheless, I try to apply moisturizer & body butter every now & then to keep my skin looking fresh. Another product I love is Philosophy's Cinnamon Buns, a shampoo, conditioner & body wash, all in one. It also works great as a bubble bath, and cleans and conditions in one esy step (Do I sound like an infomercial right now? I swear it's accidental). I'm longing for Dove's Regenerating Night Cream, and I've been eyeing Bliss' Lemon + Sage Body Butter for a while now, too.



It seems to me beauty products & cosmetics are getting to be more and more costly by the year, but when it really comes down to it, it's worth it. Right?

Zoë.

PS: Watching CSI reruns all Christmas vacation? No no no, if anything, watch House of Carters. Pure gold, I tell you.

all the little girls.

Suppose you could raid their closets: what would you take? I would definitely pass on the plaid flannel shirts & the raybans. I'd lean more towards the exquisitely tailored pants & the Row basic tees & tanks. Heaven.

[i just bought a pair of little leather booties! they were on clearance for forty dollars & they're the perfect height. they even have a sort vertical-blind detail on the outside part of the ankle. i'll try & snap a picture sometime soon.]

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.