empty beds and bad behaviour

it's all fine & dandy that mister mark the cobrasnake gets to travel the globe even in the dead of winter, letting him seek out places like hawaii and new zealand for week-long getaways. but there is only so much a homebound canadian chick can take !! all of these perfectly tanned beauties, with their sleek blonde locks and supersuperbig shades shielding their faces from vicious uv rays are making me sick with jealousy.

i just wish i were perma-bronzed and blonde.

thecobrasnake

in other news, someone buy me this pronto.

chloe + missbehave = pure gold.

well, anything + missbehave is terrific, so one can only imagine this to be mindblowing.

zoë

take it downtown

i've found the perfect boots.

someone buy me them asap.

i went to superstore today, which is probably my favourite store on earth, for its clothes and its housewares. my mummy was nice enough to buy me a cosy cream knit sweater, two gingham button-downs (one red & black, one white & black), an angora tuque, a dove grey sheetset, two down pillows, and a grande chai latte to finish it all off.

needless to say, it was a wonderful day.

actually, the whole weekend has been one heck of a time so far, which is sure to keep up as saturday and sunday roll around.

hopefully you guys are all enjoying yourselves also ! happy friday !

zoë

lips dark as if he'd been drinking ink

" she hid her face in the furry collar of her coat. registered as oscar wilde. she wanted to wake up like dorothy and see michael's face peering over the side of the bed, laughing. why, you just hit your head. but it was no dream and there was no kansas and he was never coming back. "

paint in black by janet fitch.

all is well for lovestruck bohemians josie and michael, a story set against the '80s in los angeles, until josie must identify her dead lovers' body, "his lips black like leather", when all of her dreams turn to black. michael's death promises struggle and pain for josie, but also for his mother, meredith, with whom josie commences a strange relationship based on loss, which presents itself with many questions ... did they really love eachother ? and what about michael's previous harvard life, dripping with crystals and so intriguing ? fitch presents the characters through contrast in a brilliantly written novel about the hardships of loss and the perpetual questions one cannot find answers for.

i loved this book.

and it was tremendously appropriate for me to have read it throughout my sejour in los angeles this summer - i saw echo park and sunset boulevard in a very different light, considering the brilliant context in which this book was created. janet fitch is an inspirational author, for her extensive description and terrific use of comparisons, as she capitalizes on contrast for the benefit of wonderful characterization.

some books janet fitch took inspiration from for the creation of paint in black, and others she simply recommends :

• the thirteen clocks by james thurber.
• the ballad of reading gaol by oscar wilde.
• the memory room by mary rakow.
• play it as it lays by joan didion.

if you've read any of them, let me know what you though, as i will no doubt be feasting on them in record time - my hunger for astonishing prose has yet to be satisfied.

zoë

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

seven hours since you ran away

there are many things in this world that are beautiful: sunsets, the streets of paris, hayden christensen ... and the many gems available at net-a-porter.

amongst them, my two favourites right now, which have, in reality, been dancing around my head for a lengthy period: stella mccartney undergarments & anything christian louboutin dreams up.

come to think of it, christian louboutin doesn't really count as something i'm in love with, because it's basically a given that any sane person would kill to have those red-soled masterpieces adorning their feet, only because the collection includes everything from perfected classics to hooker heels to well-constructed platform heels.

the stella bralets are another story. their beautiful sheer, innocent fabric exhudes comfort. i can picture it now: a long-haired girl lounging in a room full of books, sipping black tea and of course, wearing stella's nightie. who wouldn't want to be that girl ?

better yet, who wouldn't want to be that girl, in a paris apartment with the bright sun setting in the backdrop, hayden by her side flipping through the morning's paper ? thought so.

zoë

turn off the television

vanessa coyle

"broadway market in hackney is great on a saturday morning, with fab food stalls, bric à brac shops, cafés and pubs - and it's cool for people-watching. climpson and sons is my favourite café, friendly, busy, good for breakfast, and serving the best coffee in london, in my opinion."

it comes as no surprise that miss coyle enjoys classic, no-fuss meals at cosy cafes filled with bustling action. her innocent grin plays up her happy-go-lucky attitude, a simple way of life that includes people-watching at the market or starting up casual conversations at a local pub.

it's when it comes to her clothes that things get harder to understand. her brilliant use of unique shapes (wide shoulders, knee-length skirts, oversized tees and vests) paired with casual classics (distressed denim, fitted blazers, leather totes and my favourite ysl sweater) scream parisian, and yet, she's an aussie chick with just as much fashion cred.

her discheveled hair, lanky limbs and sky-high booties are as inspirational as it gets.

zoë

i can still see the borough, i can still see the bridge

my favourite thing about new york city.

manhattan is an orgy of motion, vivacious and fluid, satiated with concrete and urban artwork. like exuberant brushstrokes on a grid-pattern canvas, miniscule demeures are built one above the other, stories high, ready to topple at any given moment.

life in the city is hard-won, and the maneuvres leading to success are often risky and underestimated, but the final product, the marriage of metropolitan bliss and laid-back lifestyle, is bewitching.

new york has been pigeonholed as the city that never sleeps, but i can't help but disagree. sure, new york will go a few nights without any shut-eye, choosing instead to blast thunderous music nights on end, but when the city does choose to sit back & relax ... that's when the magic happens. that's when it finds time to dream.

zoë

wicked little girls kiss the boys and make them cry

some of my favourite models were on hand for the tremendously breathtaking slew of creative pieces sent down the balmain runway by designer christophe decarnin. anja rubik, magdalena frackowiak, maryna linchuk, natasha poly, kim noorda, raquel zimmermann, lara stone and mariacarla boscono, amongst others, were the chosen statuesque glamazons for the showing of what is, in my opinion, one of the best shows of one of the best seasons.
the styling was perfect. for every tough-luxe boyish rocker clad in revamped marching band jackets and torn up drainpipes that was sent down the runway, there was a seamless party frock bedazzled with elegant diamonds and chic cuts that would be more than appropriate for an outing at les deux not far behind. anja stomped down the sleek white canvas-like runway in not one but two of my favourite looks - both black, both embellished and both scantily short - which also happened to be intriguingly different from one another. every outfit could just as easily been sported by lindsay lohan as they could have been seen adorning the heir to a throne.

some people claimed it to be tacky, but those people couldn't be more wrong. the beauty of balmain is that it's the border between tacky and terrific - it triumphs by staying chic even while so wild. for the club scene, the red carpet, the streets of new york or a (really really really wealthy school's) prom, balmain's got you covered.

zoë

sometimes i think sometimes i don't

yay for matchstick !

i'm expecting a parcel full of harajuku lovers fragrance this week.

i'm so excited, especially since i was thinking of purchasing one of the perfumes (maybe baby ? or love? it's so hard to choose ...) before even taking the matchstick survey.

expect immediate feedback as soon as i get it !

in other news, i know my posts have been (extremely) delayed lately. sorry about that. i am here to make up for it though.

inspiration.

thanks to mary kate olsen (amongst others: lc wore a cute turquoise one a long time ago, didn't she ? that image is kind of stuck in my head) i've been craving a good gingham button-up lately. plaid is one thing, but gingham is another. also, i'm getting my hair cut next week and i've been contemplating various styles (see: bangs, sideswept, choppy layers, sleek or egdy) in the meantime.

music that makes me happy: gwb (fuck you very much) by lily allen; baby i need your lovin' by the four tops; wicked little girls by esthero; since the last time by arrested development; chasing pavement by adele; taper jean girl by kings of leon.

i recently realised that if ever it were to happen for someone to ask me what my favourite band is, i would be semi-speachless. and so, over the last week or so, i mulled over my response. and i came to the brilliant conclusion that the kings of leon are probably my favourite band. the fact that i like every one of their songs is indubitably reason enough for me to give them such a title, no ? and besides, half the bandmates (see: all brothers, the followills) are simple gorgeous (namely, caleb (his name alone makes me melt), who apparently had a fling with kimberly stewart and jared, whom i've loved forever).

and i leave you with jared.

zoë

i (haveneverbeento) ny

voila, my fall wardrobe.

sumptuous furs, greys, blood red nails and lips, complete with badass extras. these clothes embody the tough grunge chic i adore. albeit a bit fantastical (my meager budget won't allow for splurges such as those killer chanel heels), it still remains as the inspiration for my autumnal garb.

all i've got to do is add my omnipresent ripped nylons and circle my peepers with slate liner and i'm all set for the season of crispy leaves and pumpkin spice lattes.

x

jessica

jump in the pool

de l'inspiration pour le 28 septembre, 2008.

x
jessica

we use magic.

if i could be dining anywhere in the world, my choice would indubitably be ithaa, in the maldives, the world's first underwater restaurant. chomp down on exquisite seafood while the picturesque backdrop of the indian ocean takes your breath away.

at first glance (on google, that is), i just couldn't get over it, & figured the restaurant was phenomenal enough to be blogged about, albeit its lack of fashion-related content.

however, it is fairly easy to picture one of london's it girls on a date with an up-and-coming rocker, both savouring tropical fish, her donning a sombre slip, chunky, theatrical jewellery and studded gucci booties, and him last night's paper-like button-down and formal drainpipes.

in a word, haute meets hipster.

zoë.

these vagabond shoes are longing to stray

i want these jeans.

i imagine them paired with flats and burnout tees, spindly heels and the ysl sweater; a considerably stylish substitution for the the overplayed everyday skinny jean.

so, to recap:
they're completely ecologically friendly.

they're gorgeous.
the founder (bob bak) has had a hand in creating chanel denim.

buy them.

x.

jessica

rien que toi, moi, nous.

currently, things like los feliz in the nineties and the gainsbourg-birkin relationship are inspiring me.

also, a list of things i want right now:
benefit posie tint, american apparel's afrika printed cotton spandex jersey too-short tube dress; lots of black tights; miss dior chérie; an eyelash curler; clinique up-lighting liquid illuminator; an italian boyfriend; navy nail lacquer; a japanese fan; medium & dark wash flared jeans; spring break in barcelona; a very big plaid shirt; alexander wang's diffusion label tanks & tees; braided anything; american apparel vnecks in apricot & red; a subscription to marie claire magazine; neverending summer.

zoë.

ps - should i bother posting a day-to-day vacation recap ? i have pictures & stuff to share but i'm debating whether or not i want to devote like fifteen posts to relive the whole experience.

i can drive & you can sleep.

currently longing for: aa's black onesie.

the item itself is practical but not-so-practical at the same time: plus two for not having to tuck in your shirt, but minus five for having to take off all your clothes everytime you have to pee.

and with the easy onesie & summer skirt combination, i'm set.

zoë.

you're filthy but fine.

oh my goodness.
it would seem as though marc jacobs were reading my mind and granting my wishes (although in that case shouldn't i be strutting down his runways?); for he has created marc jacobs daisy in black. my only qualm with the scent was that it wore off much too easily, forcing me to reapply regularly. but with the daisy in black, this tedious and somewhat wasteful activity will hopefully prove unnecessary.think of it not as an entirely new fragrance, but merely as an upgrade, and amelioration.
a super-daisy, if you will.

and most definitely the freshest smelling flower of the bunch.

x.

jessica

the road is a minefield.

american apparel definitely has a way with creating the most immaculate ensembles that are often completely unisex. and which item fits that description perfectly ? the new unisex 'big tank', available in the whole spectrum of aa's celebrated colours. the tank itself is the epitome of simplicity - barely-there seams, thin, paper-like fabric & a low-cut neckline - all the while being versatile (both of which are things i look for in a clothing purchase). ideally, it could be worn superimposed over a bandeau bikini or a patterned tube bra, tucked into highwaisted trousers or flowing along bare legs. to summarize: this tank has my vote as the perfect summer item, which will most likely be worn out to the extreme & seeking replacement - another colour, maybe ? - by the time september rolls around.

zoë.

cool beans.

i'm totally psyched because i just recently found a pack of three sheer(ish) vnecks at zellers for around twelve dollars. suck on that, american apparel !

also, i now own a darling pair of gold lamé spandex shorts - which cost me approximately 7,50$ canadian - from ardène, the equivalent of, well, a really trashy accessory store smack down in the middle of an equally trashy mall. you can only imagine ...

which means i'm fully equipped for the upcoming few days of summer.

better believe.

zoë.

you can't forget our future plans.

songs i currently cannot get enough of, for a variety of reasons ...

the klaxons - golden skans.
natasja - fi er min.
kelis - bossy.
janet jackson ft. ciara - feedback.
pin me down - cryptic.
the wombats - moving to new york.
the wombats - backfire at the disco.
justin timberlake - my love diplo remix.
the kooks - always where i need to be.
the cab - the '70s song.
the cab - vegas skies.
foals - antitode.
santogold - les artistes.
mark ronson ft. santogold - pretty green.
the metros - last of the lookers.
mark ronson - just.
bad english - when i see you smile.
duffy - rockferry.
duffy - mercy.
duffy - warwick avenue.
sam roberts - them kids.
india arie - heart of the matter.
fergie - labels or love.
robyn - konichiwa bitches.
robyn - handle me.
robyn - be mine.
robyn - since you been gone remix.
robyn & snoop dogg - sexual eruption.
robyn - who's that girl.
roisin murphy - you know me better.
private - my secret lover.
van she - kelly.
frank sinatra - new york, new york.
cat power - new york, new york cover.
lou rhodes - the rain.
lou rhodes - gabriel.
mgmt - weekend wars.
mgmt - love always remains.
mgmt - electric feel.
mgmt - time to pretend.
who ft. agyness deyn - five o'clock heroes.
goldfrapp - caravan girl.
annie - i know ur girlfriend hates me.
annie - don't stop.
the ting tings - that's not my name.
the ting tings - great dj.
the ting tings - shut up and let me go.
alphabeat - fascination.
tegan and sara - back in your head.

& plus - my mum bought me the latest issue of zink canada yesterday (in total, it being its second), and i'm tempted to say i prefer it to the original. and it was just so thick: some three-hundred pages of ocular heaven.



happy monday !
oh and also happy birthday to irving penn, missy peregrym & keshia chante.

zoë.

cavalry come, cavalry go, cavalry leave me alone.

i long for it.
the creamy quilted leather, the pristine white hue, and the double-c clasp.

all drenched in an unattainable patina of cool, and only those who are lucky enough to be in close proximity of one is able to sense the aura of old world and modern tales intertwined in the chainlink straps and seeping out of every pore, like a miasma of royalty.

it glows; and the spirit of gabrielle chanel is captured within each stitch.

it's a piece of history.

a beautiful one, at that.

x.

jessica