if you give it a minute it's wrong

this is what i decided to throw on upon arriving home today. forgive me for blurry pictures and an awfully messy room (the first is my camera's fault ... the second, well, i have no excuse). the dress is from h&m (isn't that purpleredpink floral pattern a dead giveaway ?) and the tights are very thick and very reliable. i thought it was a suitable outfit for drinking cranberry tea (mmm) from a cup with my baby picture on it ! apparently i had the cutest little sailor-style onesie ever.

oh & have you ever heard of a little canadian magazine called naked eye ? i hadn't, until a few days ago, though i really should have. upon revising previous issues, i saw that they had mentioned the lovely lykke li before indie-sensation-hungry fashionistas could sink their teeth into her magical talent. i also saw that they went to the lengths of featuring ben & jerry's latest ice cream flavour, artfully titled bohemian raspberry (a queen reference, no less) for the sake of giving readers what they want ... and god knows they all want frozen treats. there's a little something for everybody: the kooks (yay) and finger eleven (gag).

i'm at a time right now where i have decisions riding me like there's no tomorrow, choices to be made about my future and so on. and while i questioned my real-life desire to write and create for a living, i had somewhat lost hope in the possibility of success in a community where it's exponentially hard to make your mark.

however, naked eye (fortunately) proved me wrong. it is, hands down, one of the most terrifically written and visually pleasing magazines i have ever read. take that, nylon ! it's not that i expect naked eye to join the ranks of paris vogue or dazed & confused as the iconic magazine of our time, but it's got a lot of the other 'pop-culture-meets-fashion-meets-hipster-meets-raaaaaad' magazines beat. again, nylon included. i'm telling you, you don't need cory & peaches to harbour a hit ... all you need are some witty writers and passion. period.

check out the five issues for yourself here.

they're gold.

zoë

lava lit the backyard

it did snow, as jessica previously stated.

which made it a dark & eery morning, until my little brother woke up and convinced me to go play in the snow.

this early snowfall is just all the more proof i desperately need winter apparel - namely boots and a warm coat - asap.

zoë

people call us renegades

this afternoon, i decided to (attempt at) taking a few pictures, in the spirit of autumn and its ever-changing leaves and picturesque lanscapes. turns out, my semi-ripped nylons seemed to be the focus of quite a few shots instead.

that says a lot about my photography (or just basic aim) skills.

i was wearing sheer tights from zellers, a super oversized (i think it's a size 37 in men's ... is that big ?) christian dior dress shirt that i scored for something like two dollars, a skinny stud belt from h&m and a cotton bandage skirt for the sake of wearing bottoms (also from h&m).

funny that i prioritize bottoms before shoes, especially when chilly weather leaves the ground cold and humid. well, i learnt my lesson: always keep a good pair of keds on hand !

anywho, that was my day. well, that plus grad pictures in the morning, a trip to a local mall in the afternoon (i spent most of the time in a bookstore ... leaving empty-handed, sadly), and the much-appreciated viewing of baby mama. poehler & fey rocked it !

zoë

i dream of things that never were

in no particular order, some of my california memories.

i'm kind of still sorting through the shots, so these are just a mismash of idiosyncratic moments that made me smile. looking back, i was smitten by the noisy city filled to the rim by irreverent passerbys consuming copious amounts of starbucks. funny thing, isn't it ? as i sauntered through the labyrinthine streets, i couldn't help but admire things that were probably all too common to most locals. i suppose that's the true beauty of being a tourist.

what i loved the most about my trip was the vast array of neighborhoods i visited.

laguna beach was an artsy community where i witnessed many attention-craving middle-aged women window-shop for exquiste hand-made birthday cards or brightly painted pottery.

on the way to dodgers stadium, fiesta music flooded my ears in what seemed to be mexican neighborhoods that were real & gritty.

i was baffled by the wealth at newport beach, where families of all kinds filled beach houses worth millions, equipped with outlandish accessories that have no use in such a serene environement.

the grove was slow-paced and tranquil, as shoppers nonchallantly swayed designer handbags to the beat of street musicians playing acoustic hits.

the curlicued streets of downtown los angeles were most busy, and also the most likely location to witness fashion daredevils making prompt exits from tattoo parlors or wig shops.

fans of all sorts rejoiced in the thematic arrangement outside of kodak theatre, as mimes are replaced with movie stars and men in disguise sell maps to the stars.

i just can't stop thinking about it.

an don't think i'm even close to finishing the tale of my west coast adventure.

zoë

the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs.

nevermind the clothes - it was the cupcakes at betsey johnson ss08 that really caught my eye.
how delightful & scrumptious-looking are they ?

this is what i have been up to lately.

i bought four pairs of black tights at zellers the other day, because they're perfect for school & cosy for the upcoming season (all are black, some are cotton).

i've been reminiscing about my most recent vacation ...

and the i love la tee doesn't make it any easier to forget.

oh & since i'm here posting ...
let me express my love for sophia loren !

spaghetti can be eaten most succesfully if you inhale it like a vaccuum cleaner. - sophia loren .ah, such words of wisdom, not to mention such a substantial sultry gaze, needn't ever be forgotten.

zoë.

slow dancing in a burning room.

"live in southern california once, but leave before it makes you soft."

i loved it.

zoë.

i'll put my lazer on stun.

spent the morning downtown 'helping' a friend do her history project.

h&m dress worn as a skirt; white h&m tee; forest green american apparel vneck; thrifted chain; thrifted envelope purse; pink keds.

zoë.

look out, baby.

i've been meaning to add these to the blog for a long while now, but never found a fitting moment for each individual shot. consequently, i instead decided to compile a handfull of photographs which have been accumulating on my hard drive.

enjoy !

[crayola chalk sprawled across my front porch; jessica before a night out; a fence at a nearby tennis court; flowers; myself; sarah; my finelli bicycle; a monument in montreal; jessica; & jasmine].

and now, i'm off to study.

zoë.