Patterned purple tights and a black dress at night

I totally didn't intend for the title of this post to rhyme, but the fact that it does nonetheless pleases me. A few days back my gorgeous, lovely and thoughtful mom came for a visit, armed with the basket full of brand new tights of every colour and pattern imaginable (perhaps that's an exaggeration, but she did bring a lot). As I've stated before, anyone who knows me well knows that winter does not exactly deter me from wearing skirts and dresses on a regular basis, and as such tights are a necessity for me to live my day to day life happily and comfortably; the fact that I can get creative with such tights and, as is the case of today's outfit, even have them be the focal point of whatever I'm wearing is just one of the pros of my tights bias.
This little black Erin Fetherston for Target dress was purchased almost one year ago to the day on a trip to Michigan for American Thanksgiving. I've determined that it is entirely impossible for me to go to the U.S. without visiting at least two Targets along the way, and this unfortunately always tends to remind me of how bleak life in Canada sans Target is.

I'm a big fan of this dress (and the rest of the $500+ haul I pulled out of such suburban Michigan Target), and was glad to have the opportunity to wear it last night when G took us out for a romantic pizza and wine extravaganza at a nearby Italian restaurant. We did, of course, take photos on the way - G really seems to be mastering this new 'night photography' business, and I must say it's quite fun to carry around a big external flash and witness the befuddled looks of passerby wondering what I'm doing standing there with it in an alley doorway! Fortunately for us, most people are too self-interested and/or too cold outside to really care.

Wearing

- The black babydoll dress is Erin Fetherston for Target. And, while I'm on the topic of designer collaborations with chain mass-retailers, who else had a mini-stroke when they heard that Matthew Williamson is next up for H&M? I believe I've mentioned in the past that I don't line up for things, but this announcement is seriously making me reconsider my stance on the matter.

- I forget which brand purple floral printed the tights are, and I've already thrown out the packaging they came in. Oops.

- The black platform shoes are vintage. I really, really have a thing for black platform shoes.

- My large white quilted bag is, of course, the Chanel that I seemingly cannot go a week without using.

Peacoat and Jeans: sometimes simple just feels right.

Not every outfit I decide to wear on any given week is going to be the pinnacle of cutting-edge fashion, and I believe today's post is particularly indicative of that. While it's not the most creative or inspiring thing I've ever put together, I will put it out there that I like it and feel like myself in it, and that this which, to me, is the most important aspect of personal style.

Make no mistake about it, I do love trying out editorial looks, creating concept shoots with G and occasionally even going about my daily business in a massive fur coat, six-inch platform boots and a Daphne Guinness inspired headpiece. Dressing up can create a wonderfully engulfing fantasy in even the most mundane of tasks for me, and a life without fantasy or imagination is not one that I can even fathom leading. If you've never walked through the aisles of a grocery store in your most outrageously fabulous clothing while picking up cans of 60 cent soup and green bananas, you truly don't know what you're missing...well that, and we most likely have very little in common with one another.

All of this being said, some days simply call for jeans and a peacoat, and yesterday was one of such days. Without a shade of sarcasm or self-doubt I can firmly state that I didn't actually want to be wearing anything that wasn't this yesterday - which is shocking, unusual and rare, because I virtually always want to be wearing something other than what I'm actually wearing. The red velvet peacoat always seems to lend a nice pop of colour to outfits in the fall and winter months, and the heavily beaded sweater underneath is definitely one of my new favourite vintage finds. Neither are the most exciting fashion pieces in the world but, as stated, some days they just don't have to be to make me happy.

Wearing

Red velvet peacoat is from Target's kids section.

The thin white muslin blouse and beaded ice-blue sweater are vintage.

I've no idea where these bootcut jeans are from as they were purchased eons ago and the tags were ripped off.

The brown suede ankle booties are inherited Hermes.

Honey Slides

Today's photos, taken of course by the spectacular G, kind of perfectly illustrate how my [seemingly] obligatory October Canadiana obsession is kicking in, which is as unsurprising of an event as always considering I go through it most every year when the leaves start to turn. In short, it consists of the urge wear a lot of destroyed denim and plaid, not comb my hair (which is generally hidden under one of my various fur trapper hats anyways), listen to nothing but Neil Young, and spend the majority of my spare time sitting in parks. Thankfully for me, this year it's actually kind of in style, so I don't look like a total sentimentalist loser when wandering about. Thank goodness for the fickleness of the fashion industry sometimes.

Yesterday I wore my favourite cowboy boots on the face of the planet, which made me insufferably happy. Why, you may ask? Well, for a couple of reasons and, since this is my tiny space on the internet, I see no reason as to why I shouldn't delve into them.
Firstly, they are unrivaled in their excellency at making that crunch noise when walking through a pile of leaves. And I know that I'm not the only one out there who loves that sound, as from what I've heard there's an entire facebook group devoted to similarly-minded folk.
Secondly and even more importantly, my wonderful suede boots are a hand-me-down from a friend's mom who was a pretty gosh darn rad redhead back in the day (and, come to think of it, still is), and basically became acquainted with Neil Young in what may or may not have been these boots. Oh yeah, and they're also in superb condition. Aren't well-kept sartorial items with a wicked history the most awesome thing ever? (I'm hearing a resounding "yes!" in my head right now to my obvious and rhetorical question)
The long weekend may be over, and I may currently be on a spending ban which is KILLING ME, but I'm devoted to making this week the best week possible. There's no better weather in the world than what we've got going on right now (Toronto actually looks pretty for once, which is a marvel in and of itself) and, in consideration of the fact that this generally only lasts for 2.5 milliseconds until unbearable winter grossness hits, why not revel in it as much as humanly possible?
Wearing

Sweater: Club Monaco

Tank: Chinatown, DIY-ed with studs...yeah, I totally had a little studding party on my balcony this weekend

Jeans: I don't know, the tags are worn off

Boots: handed down from someone unarguably way cooler than myself

G.

I found the "G" theme more challenging outfit-wise than any of the other Harajuku girls, as Gwen Stefani has represented so many different styles and things over the years that it becomes somewhat challenging to pick one specifically and claim that it embodies her even in the slightest. In lieu of this predicament I made the executive decision to not even try to re-create Gwen's style or anything about her and instead just wear things that I love and feel good in - in my opinion, that's kind of what Gwen is all about anyways, hence the highly individual and personalized fashion choices she's become known for.
I'm aware that a tutu is an odd choice for an outfit post, but I spent a great deal of my formative years in one, and the feeling of being wrapped up in stiff tulle is quite probably one which I will adore until I cease to exist. I've had a penchant for the theatrical for as far back as I can recall, and I highly doubt that my lifelong passion for outrageously fabulous dramatic clothing is going to leave me anytime soon.
The black tights and patent oxford booties are obviously a bit dichotomous with the floral-print cardigan (an homage to "G" the fragrance, which is truly a tropical and sunny delight...but more on that later) and white tutu...but, then again, I'm a bit dichotomous too. I'm a huge fan of classicism and grunge, which I understand totally doesn't make any sense theoretically, but it somehow makes perfect sense to me so I can live with being alone in that theory if I must.
Back to the fragrance: the Harajuku Lovers scent "G" is my personal favourite of the set. It's strongest note is coconut (which I loathe the taste of but am absolutely in love with the smell of) and, as it wears, develops lighter notes of cottonwood, apple and mandarin which are lovely and refreshing when combined with the heavy sweetness of the coconut. More than the fact that "G" just smells wonderful, I also think that it also suits me better than any of the others.
Now this may be my roundabout way of attempting to dodge the 'why it suits me best' part of the equation, but I always feel somewhat uncomfortable when trying to describe myself or my style...it's such a daunting task, particularly in consideration of the fact that I believe no one is capable of seeing themselves as they truly are.
But I'm going to stop myself before I get too philosophical and introspective: I think that "G" is edgy, deep, feminine and unique, which I suppose implies that I believe myself to be these things...so that's just that then.
Today's "G" is the last installment of this past week's Harajuku Lovers theme, which has been marvelous fun for [my] G and I, and has resulted in some pretty awesome photos if I do say so myself - it's quite fun to get a little bit focused and directional with things!
Wearing
Cardigan: vintage
Tutu: my own
Tights: H&M
Shoes: F21
P.S. If you, my beloved readers, have any opinions whatsoever about anything G and I have done on Modern-Guilt this past week it would be absolutely AMAZING if you followed through to this survey where the lovely people who gave me the opportunity to get the pre-release of the fragrances and share it with you are collecting responses and opinions and whatnot, good or bad.