A vintage fur coat (a.k.a. the warmest thing I own), and the boots that I promised myself I would never wear...

Not only is it reaching horrendously cold temperatures around here, I've also unfortunately come down with a bit of a flu, which is somewhat evident in these photos if you note the puffiness around my eyes and nose. That being said, I still had a great evening. G brought home Little Big Planet for me (and I'm not usually a video game person, but this one is seriously too cute for words, and the music in it is great) which I've quickly become addicted to, and when I decided that I needed to get out of the apartment for a little bit, we walked down the street and bought a couple of albums I've been eyeing and, of course, took a couple of photos along the way. All in all, I really don't have anything to complain about!

This photo set is real-life as opposed to fashion in the sense that what I am wearing has far more to do with practicality than anything else. As you can see, many of the streets here in Toronto are currently sheeted in ice, making creative footwear choices next to impossible unless I'm taking a cab to somewhere indoors or, similarly, carry my 'good shoes' in my bag until I reach my indoor destination; this brings me to my justification of the Ugg monstrosities currently residing on my feet - they're warm, I don't slip and fall in them and the fact that I dislike them on an aesthetic level results in me not getting upset when they're damaged by various outdoor elements. And I walk basically everywhere I go, so these are all entirely necessary qualities in a shoe for me. So before ya'll go and judge me for wearing them, please take a moment to think about my struggle.

Moreover, taking off my coat for a few quick snaps out in the cold is not currently an option lest I have a desire to die of pneumonia, which I don't. Thankfully I have a bunch of warm, cozy, functional coats that I love and believe to be stylish, the vintage white-gold fur that I wore last night being my favourite one of all. What I love most about this coat is the fact that I can wear a pair of black trousers or jeans with it and still look put together, regardless of how not put together I may feel. The true mark of a great item of clothing is, in my opinion, that it always makes you feel good - in which case my vintage fur undoubtedly qualifies with flying colours.

My plans for this weekend consist of nothing more and nothing less than getting tons of rest, acquiring new outfits for my poppit on Little Big Planet, and drinking as much hot lemon water as humanly possible (not only is it good for me, it's also the most delicious warm drink in the world). And I'm looking forward to it more than I have any weekend in quite a while, because I know that it's exactly what I need right now. I hope each and every one of you goes and has the weekend you want and need as well, and I look forward to coming back on Monday and catching up with you!

Wearing

The white-gold fur coat is vintage.

Underneath the coat I'm wearing a DKNY thin-ribbed black turtleneck.

The black trousers are from Guess, and are surprisingly wonderful.

The black boots are Uggs.

I've no idea what brand the black gloves are, but I do know that they're unbelievably warm and soft.

Bell bottoms and a cloche hat on a rainy day

Okay, so I possess quite the collection of hats and have always enjoyed wearing them. In fact my Grade 4 homeroom class bestowed upon me the nickname of 'Blossom' (does anyone remember that show?) because I went through a year-long phase of wearing a hat every single day without fail. I suppose that not being able to do anything in moderation comes with the territory of having an addictive personality, as I do, but I nonetheless find it amusing that this aspect of my personality surfaced in the context of donning a chapeau at such an early age.

To be perfectly honest, I will admit that my perpetual hat-wearing of the past few days is more likely than not due to the fact that I desperately require a hair touch-up. Speaking of which, I find it curious that people (well people in..you know, non-internet life) seem to feel as though they are more than entitled to comment on the state of my regrowth - in Starbucks, at work, wherever - I seem to encounter such people at least once a day. Which brings me to the question: am I entitled to just walk up to people and let them know that they have split ends or an unflattering shade of eyeshadow on? And do they actually think that I have no idea what my reflection looks like and merely have not noticed the unsightly state of the top of my head? Argh.

Okay, I'm done ranting and would prefer to move the rant over to this jacket, which is currently running my life. In general I've noticed that I'm really gravitating towards cropped sillhouettes right now, and this recently-acquired vintage suede jacket is basically outerwear perfection as far as I'm concerned at this very moment in time. The gorgeous scotch coloured suede is in pristine condition and I've found it to be a nice departure from my usual black, as it still kind of goes with everything.

Wearing

Black Hudson bell bottom jeans, purchased on my Holt Renfrew shopping extravaganza '08 of two weekends ago. I like them because they're seemingly almost trousers, but qualify as jeans too...really, who doesn't love multi-functional clothing?

Black H&M men's baggy double-breasted sweater, which I've concluded I want in every colour under the sun because it's one of those fall fashion items that never seems to not be useful in some way, shape or form.

Vintage suede cropped jacket, purchased at my new favourite Toronto vintage shop, 2nd Necessity on Queen Street East.

Vintage platform shoes which make me tall enough to not need any of my pants hemmed, which is a win and of itself.

White quilted Chanel vintage purse that I need to stop carrying quite so much, which is problematic for me because it seems to match just about anything and everything.

The navy blue cloche hat is a Winners find.

Tartan tights, a wool hat and an oxford shirt on a lovely November day

The weather permitting my preferred dress sense the past few days has been lovelier than I can express! Yes, we've now seen knee high socks two days in a row, but there's something about this look that reminds me of pre-teen skateboarders in the suburbs...though I am not suburb-dweller, nor have I ever [successfully] ridden a skateboard in my life. Notwithstanding the aforementioned turn of events, I'm still falling for the Alexander Wang grunge chic look, as clearly evidenced by outfits such as the one I have on today.
The vintage Gucci horsebit loafers I have on were one of those entirely perfect and wonderful thrift shop finds; the kind that one can never predict but, regardless, always remembers as that time at the secondhand shops when everything was sublime and exactly as one has dreamed of things being. Unfortunately I've had no such experiences recently, but this does not tarnish my faith in the vintage stores of Toronto - at this point I find it justifiable to chock it up to everything being 'in-between seasons'.
Speaking of the vintage Gucci loafers which I adore...there are may things which I find odd about myself, but one of the most significant ones is that I often take just as much pleasure out of a $7 striped button down oxford found in Chinatown as I do from the most coveted designer items. In all honesty I'm not actually all that excitable when it comes to trend pieces or the most expensive/exclusive/whatever fashion item there is on the market at any given point in time.
After all, such things are extraordinarily fickle in that they change within a matter of mere months, and don't necessarily retain the value which is falsely placed into them in the first place. There is, of course, the exception of extremely classic items which have a style and quality about them that will never age or tarnish, and I'm not a silly enough person to disregard this; I merely consider it to be a seperate issue entirely.
Speaking of inexpensive fashion victories: the white wool beanie hat I'm wearing was knit for me by my evil grandmother, and hence cost me nothing. That point aside, I've yet to find a store bought cap (or 'toque', as more quintessential Canadians than I would call it) which is as comfortable and versatile as this one, and for that reason I doubt I will ever get rid of it. Seriously, what doesn't a hat like this one go with? The answer to that question currently remains elusive in my mind...Wearing
From the top down...
The white wool beanie was handmade.
My striped, button-down oxford shirt was a $7 Chinatown find, and has that slouchy menswear-inspired fit that I love so much.
The black pleated miniskirt is Billabong. Yes, you heard me correctly, I said Billabong...is this any more acceptable if I bought it at a Goodwill? No? Didn't think so. Okay, whatever, I still like it.
The Harlequin patterened knee high socks are yet another 'personal vintage' piece. I've no idea when or where they entered the depths of my closet, but I do know that I have had them forever.
My Gucci horsebit loafers are vintage.