Where my grandma goes for some senior discount love...

image courtesy virginia johnson

The Bay has never been a fancy place to shop - at least not on the West Coast. And it never mattered to me anyway (probably because my loyalty lies with a long-gone department store) but on a business trip one year I learned that The Bay was a big deal on the East Coast. It was certainly fancier, more Holt's-like in the East.

That was 3 years ago though.

And The Bay seems to be learning that they have to change their game to well, stay in the game. They got some very lucky breaks so far. The Olympics quite easily made their year - almost everyone doned some sort of Bay produced Olympic gear. It wasn't all mass-produce goodness either. Someone was smart enough to ask Virginia Johnson to produce some whimsical Canadiana scarves - Doug Coupland would surely approve. Rachel Bilson was spotted around town (Vancouver) with her small-pox blanket jacket*, which made the hearts of bloggers and tabloid readers flutter. Although it could just be Rachel Bilson and not the coat...

And now Rachel Roy brings her THE RACHEL line to The Bay.

Maybe soon a Topshop? Hmm. You don't say.

*The jacket was actually a part of a collaboration with 10 Canadian designers to recreate jackets/coats with their (in)famous Point Blanket. That's actually pretty cool too. Just saying.

Spring Essentials

a. soft striped romper by forever 21
Rompers are important to me for 2 reasons:
1. shirt
2. shorts! in one!

b. silk rib over-the-knee socks & luft balloon tights by hansel from basel
I have sickly pale legs and no amount of sunshine seems to change that. Socks are essential to hide my inherent pastiness.

c. over-sized, plastic sunglasses by karen walker (the pilgrim)
I used to have really over-the-top-sunglasses and then I turned 26.

d. shark print shawl/scarf by virginia johnson
I have a very soft spot for Virginia Johnson's printed shawls and pretty much anything with an animal motif. I've also developed a habit of wrapping my extra-big-scarves/shawls around me like a cape* instead of wearing a cardigan. Scarves/shawl may very well take over my love for cardigans. No lie.

*I know a shawl is pretty much a cape but doesn't it sound cooler?

Not trying to brag or anything...

Rachel Comey Ipswich Brogue Wedge

I went to Portland and Rachel Comey stole my money (not literally).
(FYI: There were sweat-toe-marks made by some else' toes but that didn't gross me out enough to not buy them. What's wrong with me?)

Printemps: Eau de fleurs by Chloe.

Source: petronio
Hilarious review by Now Smell This.

I'm a total sucker for packaging. When I was 5, I found myself lying constantly to my grandma and/or my aunt. If it came to food, they looked at me quizzically and asked, "Have you ever tried this before?" And I'd say, sweetly and with conviction, "Oh yes, mommy bought it for me before." Lies.

I'm still a complete sucker for packaging... but I'm trying to stay strong. Seriously. And I know it doesn't even look that original or awesome but sometimes I like to imagine things in my bag or on my vanity and I think: "Dude, that would look so nice..."

That's not even logical.

You Make Me Swoon, RC.

Rachel Comey FW 2010 Collection from bruce thierry on Vimeo.

Rachel Comey's FW10 collection made my heart flutter.

OH, Karen Walker.

SALZBURG U.S.A. from Karen Walker on Vimeo.

Oh, KW... Very little worked this FW 2010 for me. I'm going to cross my fingers and hope for a better SS 2011.

Pre-What?

So. Let's review. Spring, Summer (as in S/S), Fall and Winter (as in F/W), right? Hmm. Actually, it's more like S/S, Pre-Fall, F/W, Resort (comes out around December/January - theoretically, for those who are going somewhere sunny).

I've been trying to build the perfect, perfect pre-fall post for you over the weekend... but then I got completely side-tracked by Monday with the update of the pre-fall shows. Oh, my dear, dear Oscar de la Renta, you have captured my heart.

(Just remember, pre-fall comes out between summer and fall... filling in the odd gap during production periods.) It looks like we're pretty much sticking to old trends, revisiting them with nostalgic fervor. There's still a lot of men's wear love, trousers, earthy-jeweled tones, over-sized jackets... and a mix of different things from different designers. We'll visit other collections later this week but let's focus on this darling pre-fall collection. *Swoon.

Photo Courtesy: Style.com

"You have to make a woman fall in love with your clothes." - Oscar de la Renta on how to get people to buy luxury goods during the recession

(I'm in love.)

This collection is so, so lovely, it's driving me crazy. I've been pretty much thinking about this pre-fall collection since I first laid my eyes on it. Oh. My. Perfect peg-leg trousers, bright tweeds, coats & jackets (admittedly, everyone's favourite part of fall, right?).

The coat with the embellishments in the second set of pictures, in the middle, is gorgeous. I have a penchant for detailed cardigans. I think it has a lot to do with it's grandma-ish style and it feels sort of vintage*... I mean, c'mon, there's a lot of good things going on for beaded and/or appliqued sweater wear. Somehow, Mr. de la Renta, has combined 2 of my favourite things and made it into one (grandma styling + details = perfection).

By "pre-fall," that coat will be hanging in my closet.
By fall, that coat will be hanging on my shoulders. Or. However you'd describe someone wearing a coat.

*I'm not a big fan of treasure hunting at local thrift stores so most vintage-looking thing I own is either: faux-vintage or stolen from my grandmother's closet.