Monday, April 26, 2010

M.I.A. Due To Photoshoots.

Taking a slight break from blogging as I work on photoshoots. I am busy with editing photos and when not staring at the computer while doing this, I just don't feel like being in front of a computer screen.

Last photoshoot preview:




I have another photoshoot this Friday and two more in the works that may, or may not, come through. I am glad to be busy and to be getting images to update my portfolio.

When not editing photos I am reading books. I am on one of those "read lots of books to relax" kicks and am enjoying it. I discovered a great new series that is in the same vein (excuse the pun) as the Sookie Stackhouse series.

I discovered the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs when in Borders the other day. I had heard about it through a website and was fascinated because it is set in eastern Washington state in Tri-Cities and, well, I am living in eastern Washington right now. It was amusing to read a book that mentioned places I have actually been to.
Above: First book in Mercy Thompson series Moon Called.

The story is about a skin walker named Mercy Thompson who is part Native American and can shift into the form of a coyote. She was raised among werewolves and gets caught up in the problems within the Columbia Basin Were Pack. It is a really fun read with action, supernatural characters, and a really fun sense of humor woven within the writing style.  I totally recommend it and I will be searching out the rest of the series.

So, I have been going back and forth between busy and trying to relax the last few days, as well as gearing up for my next photoshoot on Friday. I am hoping once I am done with the wave of photoshoots, I can get back to my passion for fashion.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Fashion Wish: Grandma's Shoulder Bag

I was wandering across the Internet and came across the reminder of a fashion item I would love to add to my wardrobe.

Do you remember the very cool, sturdy, leather; handbags/purses that grandmothers (or women the age of grandmothers) have in their closets and bring out for dress up occasions? Clutches, beaded bags, leather bags, and woven handbags all of beautiful quality?

Well, my grandma had a leather shoulder bag when I was a kid that always fascinated me and that she would even let me play with a little when I visited her house. It looked similar this one:


Above: Black polished calf shoulder bag by Prada

I think that my grandma's bag was with silver metal instead of the gold-tone on the Prada bag. It also had a reptile patterning to the patent leather. Still, it was in this style and I loved it.

Now, I wish I had that bag to carry when I head out for dressy events but not really dressed up, or even when I head out to shopping. My grandma died two years ago and the bag seems to have been long ago given to the Goodwill since it was not in her things anymore.

It makes me wish I had asked her if I could have it as a child since she tended to pass on things like this to me when she decided to get rid of them. It may not have stayed in my possession since she probably would have given it to me to "play with", like the fur capes she had, and it would have been destroyed in play or my mum would have given it to Goodwill after I stopped playing with toys.

Now, I am in search of a shoulder bag like this, that is in my price range, and am coming up empty-handed. The Prada is too spendy for me and it just does not seem to be the year for classic styled bags, of real leather, that are not taking a huge chunk out of the bank account.

I wish I had grandma's shoulder bag...it was a thing of sleek beauty.

Friday, April 16, 2010

The Shoe Girl Within Drools.

I saw these boots in an email for the site they are on and fell hard for them:

Above: Black/Pink Wedge Boots by Finsk

The shoe girl inside me started to drool and act like Gollum saying "me wants them, my precious." She loves the bright pink and orange/yellow heels as they are set against the black leather. She loves the notch in the heel that is giving the boots a "sci fi" look.

Above: Observe the cool heel notch.

She tells me I need them and I would purchase them if they were not $598. They just speak to me but the price is out of my price range. This saddens me but I accept it as a part of life.

Above: Side view.

A girl can dream, and try and try to keep her inner shoe girl Gollum quiet.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

04.15.10: Longing For...Tiger Dress and Cork Soles Shoes.

I have a longing for two items today. I cannot decide which I like better so I will share both of them.

This tiger print dress:

Above: Tiger-print backless maxi dress by Zac Posen

I love how the tiger print isn't really gaudy and does not look overtly like a tiger. It has that "ancient" look to the tiger design that I love so much.

Above: Yet another front view showing the tiger-print in all its glory.

And the back...

Above: The gorgeous back of the dress

It just has such a beautiful back and the tail of the tiger (and other parts) wrap around as well. I love when backless dresses have that slight "v" to the scoop and the halter tie closure is pretty as well. It is like a long, burgundy, ribbon trailing down the back.

And then there were a pair of shoes that caught my eye and would not let me move on:

Above: Fabiana cork ankle boots by Herve Leger

I love the curve to the shoes, the cork heels, and the buckle closure. The fact they are cracked leather and taupe also made me drool like the shoe girl I am. I would love to have these, but they are expensive so out of my price range.

Still, a girl can dream of the wardrobe she would have if she were rich.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Jewelry: Mixed Metals.

I was leafing through the Avon catalog my mum has and came across jewelry of the mixed metal variety.
 
Above: Fringe Benefits Draped Chain Necklace by Avon

My first thought was "This would be perfect for Dana with her beautiful skin!" Especially the earrings since she loves huge, dangly, earrings so much.

Above: Fringe Benefits Chain Earrings by Avon

The mix of metals just catches the eye and the necklace and earrings are so sleek. Definitely great for going out to spice up the little black dress when heading out on the town.

There is another necklace for the "Fringe Benefits" series but I do not find it as interesting:

Above: Fringe Benefits "Y" Chain Necklace by Avon

I think it fails to catch my attention because the necklace has too much silver and not enough gold and bronze in it. That's just my personal opinion and I am sure many other people do not mind this fact.

I recieved the new (May) Elle Magazine in the mail yesterday and saw Cartier has put out a line of mixed gold (gold, white gold, rose gold) jewelry called Trinty. I was loving the look of the ring and necklace in the advertisement, especially the adding of small diamonds to the multi-chain necklace. Very upscale but definitely pretty jewelry well worth the price.

I am now going to see if this "mixed metals" look for jewelry becomes more widespread as we move through spring and into summer.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Floral Pretty Things.

I didn't get to do the photoshoot I had planned for yesterday. It was just blah when it came to weather most the day and then, after I canceled the shoot, it was sunny. Go figure. I have rescheduled the shoot for next weekend and hope all goes well. It will not be canceled because I am seriously tired of that stagnant feeling my life has and I need to get working on something. It will help my peace of mind.

I am in the middle of a "blue funk" which will probably only last a few days. Things just seem to be negative from all areas of my life at the moment and it makes it a little hard to get excited about fashion. I am sure this feeling will pass soon.

I did see this ring and find it gorgeous:

Above: Enamel and brass flower ring by Chloe

I love it and it is so pretty and eye-catching, while not being outlandish. Perfect for those days when I want a little something extra for my outfit. I just wish I could afford the $205 price tag.

Above: On the hand.

I have feeling I will be looking around and if I find a cheaper, similar, ring with the same look, I may be tempted to buy it.

I also loved the brooch version of the flowers:

Above: Silver-plated flower brooch by Chloe

It is beautiful but I would never wear it. I own many brooches that have been passed down to me through my grandma and never wear them. Brooches are just not something that I can work into my wardrobe and outfit making. They tend to get caught on things and I always end up sticking myself on them when I wear them. They are just not "me" though I can admire them on other people and on websites.

That has me thinking: Is there an item of clothing/accessory/shoe/jewelry that you admire from afar but would never wear? If so, what is it? I am curious.

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Quick Update Going Into The Weekend.

I have a feeling this is going to be a quiet week and weekend when it comes to my blogging and me.

I have a photo shoot scheduled for Saturday with hopes that the forecast holds and the rains stay away. Here in eastern Washington, it is iffy when it comes to weather since we are smack dab in the middle of an area that gets all sorts of changes in the fronts (cold and warm) since they meet here. We also get any moisture that backs up in clouds trying to get over the mountains of northern Idaho. So, if we get that sunny/semi-cloudy day on Saturday...I will be having my photo shoot. My model has been on standby and I want to get it going before they grow bored and decide not to pose for me.

This means, if the shoot goes on as planned, I will be editing photos into the beginning of next week. I am happy to be busy and looking forward to that. I just probably, will not be posting as frequently during this time. I shall return though.

I have to mention that I did write the corporate office of DSW to complain about the customer service in their Spokane, WA store. I just was irked by the "Sucks to be you." comment I got when explaining the issue I had while in the store to the sales clerk at the register. It is just bad customer service and I don't stand for that. So, I emailed the corporate offices with the store of my experience.

They responded within 2 days and it was very "automated form letter" in style. I really doubt that anything will be done about the situation and I highly doubt I will be stepping foot in DSW in Spokane ever again. The shoe selection and the sales clerks were that bad.

I am a bit bummed this weekend to not being seeing Jónsi in concert in Seattle. I just cannot get over there and no one I know wants to go. I am telling myself that the photo shoot will liven up the weekend and distract me from my disappointment of not going to the concert. I will be purchasing his new CD "go" and listening to it to distract me and lift my spirits.


Monday, April 05, 2010

04.05.10: The Perfect Gift For Me!

I have wanted these shoes for an awfully long time:

Above: Sparrow-Print Pumps in Black by Miu Miu

I just love the sparrow-print and the style of the pumps. They are the kind of shoes that would look good with a skirt or a pair of flared jeans.

They are $590 at Net-A-Porter.com right. I cannot afford them, sadly, but if someone where to gift them to me in my life, I would be ecstatic.

Sunday, April 04, 2010

DSW Adventures...There Will Be Blood!

I finally got out to the new DSW store in town. Yes, I live in a town that does not usually get normal chain fashion stores so this was a new place to go to. I had taken a peek at DSW online and decided it was worth checking out. So, I told my mum we were going, we got dressed up a little (Fun Tip: in smaller cities/towns if you dress up, you usually get better service from the sales clerks who think you have tons of cash to spend.), and we went.

I have to admit, I was a bit bored with the selection of shoes they had at our local store. I don't know if this is the same everywhere but the local store had really bland shoes, bland colour offerings, and the most expensive pair were $75. I know stores, even the chain stores, cater to the local buyers  (as I have mentioned in past posts) but come on, not everyone wants shoes like a soccer mom would buy! Most of the shoes would have fit in perfectly at Walmart. I was disappointed.

I did find some cool shoes though my quest for the perfect clogs came up empty at this store. I bought these sandals:

Above: Shauna Woven Suede Wedge in Beige by Mia

They are surprisingly comfortable and they run REALLY big. I usually wear size 8 or 81/2 and had to buy size 7, so the sizing is definitely off. They only had them offered in the beige (which is more grey than beige), black, and a tan colour at the local store, but I can see on the site they have blue and orange (a reddish orange) as well. I was walking around on the carpet to test them out at the store, and inspired 2 other people to get them once they saw them on someone's feet. I cannot wait to wear them out and about but until it warms up again (we had snow flurries yesterday), they reside by my bed.


I had a freak shoe trying on accident while at DSW yesterday. I was wandering around with one shoe off (like many other people in the store) and ended up in need of first aid.

I was trying on these shoes

Above: With A Twist Patent Sandal by Kelly & Kate

I was trying to decide between the fuchsia (red) and blue since green was not offered as a colour choice at the store. The kitten heels were just cute and they looked great with the flared jeans I had on. I made the clumsy mistake of dropping the shoe and the edge of the heel hit my toe. Cue MASSIVE amounts of blood pouring form the divot of skin that the heel gouged out of my toe.

I scrambled to find a Kleenex in my purse to stop the bleeding as my toe dripped on the DSW carpet. Sales clerks looked at me, looked at what was happening, and then acted like they hadn't seen the blood or my scramble to stop it from bespotting their carpet.

*Makes note: DSW sales clerks SUCK!*

I finally found a Kleenex and pressed it to my toe, fumbled for my cell phone, and called my mum who was in the back of the store. I think I said something like "Mum, I am near the front of the store. I dropped a shoe on my toe. It cut my toe. I am bleeding all over the carpet." She rushed to the front of the store, found me, and was lucky in having a Band-Aid in her purse. I put the Band-Aid on the bleeding toe, put my shoes (which rubbed against the cut) back on, and then we dabbed at the blood drops on the carpet while sales clerks blatantly ignored us. Yes, they looked at what we were doing and then looked away in obvious disinterest.

I ended up hobbling to the register to buy my Mias and the register girl asked why I was limping. I explained what happened and her only response?

"That sucks to be you."

WTF? I explain what happened, that I dripped blood on your store's carpet due to the accident, and you just say, "Sucks to be you?" and happily go back to ringing up sales? Sales clerk FAIL. Actually more than one sales clerk fail if you count the dim bulbs on the sales floor that saw the whole thing and ignored what was happening.

So, I m not too happy with the DSW offerings since the shoes were "safe" styles, safe colours (overwhelmingly black, white, grey, blue in colour everywhere), and really bad sales clerks who acted bored (if anything else) despite someone injuring themselves and bleeding on their carpet. I am not sure how soon I will go back there because the shopping experience wasn't all that fun even before I got injured.

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Again I Miss Out and Jonsi.

That Euro-style hoodie I drooled over yesterday? Sold out in 24 hours. So, I guess it was never meant to be though I did my usual thing of signing up for an alert if Modcloth.com ever restocks it.

I am quickly learning that if I want something, really want something, I have to buy it when is see it or else it is sold out in my size or completely when I finally decide on wanting it or not. This is probably why I do so much impulse buying, because I know if I like it won't be available for long.

So, no Euro-style hoodie for me.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out Jonsi (of Sigur Ros) has released a solo album called "Go" and you can listen to the full album online. I have been listening to it over and over for the last day and 1/2. I highly recommend the album and if you want to hear a small taste of the style of music just give this song a listen:



So, happy, upbeat, and inspiring.

He is to play two concerts in Seattle this month but I cannot afford to go. I am really disappointed in that fact. I figure I will just wait until after I move and buy a ticket to see Sigur Ros when they end up touring again since they usually play in Seattle. However, I may buy his album when it is released this month.