Veggie Tales

{strawberry blossom}

All the weeding and garden clean-up has become tiring, so I finally decided it was time to put some plants in.  Over the weekend, I visited a near by nursery to scout out some flowers and they just happened to have a sale on for vegetable plants.  With all the many options on flowers, I concluded that it would be easier to start with my vegetable garden instead, so I picked up some roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, green peppers, romaine lettuce, strawberries and even a cantaloupe plant.  I still have some space left but haven't quite figured out what I want to place there.  Now I just need to wait and see if my green thumb will keep these veggies alive.

{before}

{after}

{baby cantaloupe}

Happy Happenings NYC Edition

It is not hard to find joy in a city like New York.  Especially when you are like me and the littlest things put a smile on your face.  Here are a few things that made my already blissful days just a bit better.

{bolts of colourful fabric in the garment district}

{every m&m in every colour imaginable}

{view point at the top of the rockefeller}

{fashion ave and empire state building}

Orb- Empowerment

While I was in school, I interned for Global Collective Design.  For those of you who don't know, GCD is a Vancouver based company that owns and designs for the brands Arson, Orb and Orion.  While I was interning, one of my many, many jobs was to style peices from their Orb Spring collection that they could feature on their blog.  Here are just a few snippets of what I did. (Taken off of their blog)

Business Neutrals

   1. EXPRESS Men's Fitted Button Down- $59.90
   2. Volcom Modern Chino Khaki Pants- $45.00
   3. Michael Kors Chronograph Watch- $195.00
   4. Paul Fredrick Italian Braided Belt- $89.50
   5. Sperry Top-Sider Shoe- $75.00


Everywhere you look in New York, you will see a man in a business suit.  The city is loaded with fashionable and slick dressed businessmen.  However, the popularity of the suit is slowly deminishing and is being replaced with more casual business attire.  More men are wearing khaki's and dress shirts minus a tie in replacement of the typical tailored office dress.  Here are a few pieces inspired by the new trend sweeping Madison Avenue.

Maxed Out

   1. Free People Printed Chiffon Skirt- $63.00
   2. Free People Cascade Skirt- $88.00
   3. Robert Rodriguez Chiffon Skirt- $241.50
   4. Forever 21 Mesh Longline Skirt- $24.80
   5. Urban Outfitters Staring at the Stars- $59.00
   6. Twelfth St by Cynthia Vincent- $156.00
   7. Free People Cross my Heart Skirt/Dress- $118.00
   8. Ella Moss Atlantis Long Skirt- $159.60
   9. Alice + Olivia Llaria- $220.00

I have never worn any skirt or dress longer than knee length; but while I was in New York, purchasing a maxi skirt was my main goal.  Unfortunately, I never accomplished that goal because my 5'4" stature turns maxi skirts into maxi dresses.  I have seen girls my size in flattering maxi skirts before, so all hope is not lost.  I just need to keep a super keen eye out for the right fitting one.  Here are a few that I am eyeing at the moment.

May Flowers

The weather has been rather generous lately so I have been spending my days outside enjoying the sun.  It is still not warm enough to suntan, but I have been taking advantage of Spring sun by working on my new project, the garden.  I have never really gardened much before now, unless you count weeding, but I see so much potential in our garden that I decided to give it a shot.  The front garden is phase one of my project, which goes along the walkway and the side of the house, this garden will be the easier of the two phases.  All I need to do is weed, weed and more weed.  Then add some colour with simple flowers like pansies and cosmos.  The backyard is going to be the challenge.  The garden circumferences the yard and has one rather large patch that used to be a vegetable garden.  I think I am going to re-plant the vegetable garden but I am lost on what to do for the rest of the yard.  Here are a few pictures of inspiration that I came across.

I Heart New York

{fashion forecasting firm}

I thought New York was going to be a vacation from school, but this trip was anything but relaxing.  The days were jam-packed with meetings, tours and sightseeing.  Some of the other places that I got the chance to visit (that did not allow pictures unfortunately) were the Tobe Reports, the Fashion Institute of Technology, the Moda and Accessories trade shows and both the Fashion and Meatpacking districts.  I also got the amazing privilege to meet Michael Palladino, who is a huge industry insider and a celebrity stylist.  After the long days filled with fashion, shopping and history; I have never felt more in need of a vacation.

{the fame, moda and accessorie trade shows}

{a small selection of the vast vintage collection at FIT}

{the young designers market}

Savage Beauty

 

When I found out that I was going to be in New York the same time Alexander McQueen's exhibit was at the Met, I was ecstatic.  I thought I would never be lucky enough to see a true McQueen masterpiece in person since he passed.  While walking through the collections of one of the most inspirational fashion designers in the world, I was overwhelmed with emotion.  All of his pieces had such a provocative and raw energy, I still cannot put what I felt into words.  Photography was not allowed in the exhibit but I had to sneak a few pictures of this once in a lifetime experience.

alice + olivia

I have been a fan of alice + olivia since I saw Gwyneth Paltrow wearing an alice + olivia brocade swing coat in 2009 and  I fell deeper in love when alice + olivia launched their shoe collection earlier this year.  Talking with the assistant designer (who was around my age!) was just as inspirational as the showroom itself; a large, stark white space that had splashes of neon colour.  A giant antique fireplace took up most of the back wall and was decorated with vintage cake stands.  Next to the fire place was their 2011 shoe line that was adorned with many bright and fun cakes.  Shoes and cakes... two of my most favourite things. 

Ulla-Maija Couture

Charles Bunstine, director of Ulla-Maija, was kind enough to take an hour out of his busy day and give us a tour of his quaint yet beautiful design house.  In a cozy office, Mr. Bunstine has managed to fit a sales room, a few office spaces, as well as a workshop where all of his wedding dresses are handmade, and also a runway that he uses every season.  Sadly, bridal couture is slowly dying.  I guess no one is really willing to spend at least $7,000 on a custom wedding dress anymore.  Even though it was out of my price range (but you can't stop a girl from dreaming), I have to admit it was quite an experience visiting one of the last bridal couture houses in the U.S.

Parsons-Meares Costumes

New York's theatre district is world renown.  You cannot travel to the Big Apple and not attend a show on Broadway.  So after seeing Wicked the night before, it was only fit to visit one of New York's most premier costume shops.  Parsons-Meares creates intricate, handmade costumes for film, stage and dance.  The costumes are drafted, hand dyed and painted, and then pieced together by their many talented seamstresses to create a one-of-a-kind, beautiful costume sized just right for the client.  I got to see many pieces in the making including Christine's ballgown from Phantom in the process of making a new 16 layered crinoline skirt, as well as many of the costumes from the new Spider-Man musical, and The Rockets new costumes for their 3-D show.

{a few pieces from How to Succeed}

{pattern pieces for Christine's ballgown}

{a woman weaving twine to make a skirt for the Lion King}

Happy Happenings

Since school is over and I haven't ventured out into job hunting yet, I got to enjoy a week.   Going from being so overwhelmed with deadlines and projects to having nothing to worry about during the days is a drastic change.  I kept myself busy by catching up with old friends and exploring the ever changing downtown of Victoria.  Here are a few things that happened to make me happy.

{spring tulips downtown}

{my new friend in a chinatown shop}

{bags packed for new york city}

The Spa and the Sea

Forever 21 hat, necklace and romper,

H&M shirt, Aldo shoes

Yesterday was a day filled with relaxation.  In the morning, my boyfriend and I enjoyed a full body couples massage at The Spa at Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort.  After our massages -it was my boyfriend's first time at the spa- we decided to go a local park for a picnic and enjoy the sunshine.  I thought my 3/4 sleeves would be too warm but there was a slight breeze down by the ocean, so the thin cotton was just enough to keep the goosebumps away.