Style Woes - Gravel

Living in Newfoundland (or any other smallish and/or cool place) presents certain challenges for persons trying to be stylish. Whatever your inspiration (even if it's sporty hiker) you're going to have to take the climate and landscape into consideration. So, I'm going to cover some problems I run into here and how I go about avoiding or dressing for them.
 
Gravel is a pretty shoe's worst enemy. Mud can be washed off (in most cases) but gravel can do serious damage. And it's all over the place here, littering sidewalks and parking lots, serving as the sidewalk or parking lot . . .
 
I try to do a couple things, they sound simple enough, the main thing is to actually think about it when planning a purchase or outfit. 
 
 - Pick out shoes with a substantial sole (so the gravel grinds at the rubber instead of the more delicate leather, vinyl, satin, etc.)
 - Wear a pair of sneakers to the car (I have a gravel walkway and my pretty pumps just can't handle it)
 - Plan ahead, if you know you'll be walking wear something that can handle it
 - Have a purse big enough to carry a pair of shoes with you
 - Own shoe polish (so you can try to cover up that unsightly scuff)
 
I've gone to weddings only to find out that the parking lot is gravel and I had to tread carefully to avoid ruining my shoes. And I didn't even realize what it was doing to my favorite work shoes. I have to try and fix those tonight :S



EDIT: By the way, if you're using a squeeze bottle of shoe polish try not to squeeze too enthusiastically (because, for example, it's late and you want to get this done so you can go to bed) and get black polish all over the laminate floor.

However, if this does happen don't panic, it actually wipes up pretty easily :)

New Halloween Plan

So, for various reasons I've completely changed my Halloween costume. I've decided on something a little darker but still pretty with Neil Gaiman's Death. I've been working through the comics (slowly because they scare me at times) and really loving the Endless characters.



My Mom is working on it now (yeah, I'm spoiled).

New Boots

I feel complete, I have boots. They're warm and pretty and sturdy, what more could one ask for?



I love the slightly rough look of them. I can see these going with jeans but also skirts and tights. Today, I walked home from work and they were perfectly comfy.

Glamour

I watched a TED video of Virginia Postrel speaking about the concept of glamour. It intrigued me. The glamour of fashion is certainly what draws me in to the whole thing but it got me thinking, what keeps me interested in fashion? True high fashion is quite unattainable (on my budget at least) and oftentimes impractical. What keeps me interested is the allure of glamour and the ability to reach for it. I can't afford designer clothes but, I can buy clothing at outlet stores and I can sew/make lots of items to keep it personal. I'm definitely more motivated to get to some of the projects I've had on the shelf now. I feel like the act of reaching for glamour is enough now :)

Aggravating Undies

Bad underwear definitely have an effect on my mood. They keep reminding me their there but I'm usually to busy to figure out what it is that's bothering me :S

Well today was a reminder. So now I'm on a search for the perfect pair of panties. Undies that don't create bulges with dig in elastic seams and that breathe (because I have sensitive skin). So far I've found these cotton seamless bikini's at Victoria's Secret. I may have to order some up. Recommendations welcome!

Star Trek Style

I had a look at the new pictures released for Star Trek XI and I have my misgivings but I hope it'll turn out alright. One stylistic critisism is centered around the colour of Kirk's shirt which is major but I've noticed some other style issues.



Chekov's hair (Walter Koenig) was never curly, I mean really . . . but Anton Yelchin's above is quite curly



I guess women have been known to change their hairstyle so the straight pulled back style is ok and I think Zoe Saldana is a good fit but back in the day Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) always had big hair :)




On a positive note, I love the texture of the uniforms, very cool. I'd like one myself :) And Spock looks great (albeit a little young).

Hair Maintenance

I had a dentist appointment and a hair appointment yesterday and I realized that they were much the same. My dentist was all about making sure my teeth were clean and in good condition. My hairstylist gave my oily hair a good deep clean and she dried it against the grain to keep it from getting too blah. In the end it looked shiney and refreshed (and my teeth were looking good too). I guess it's all a part of taking care of your health and appearance.

On a semi related note. I'm considering some highlights. I'm not big on hair dye, my hair is hard enough to maintain thanks, but I think it would be fun to try a little something. Here's two pictures I've found of highlights I like, although I'd probably go with some tamer colors (for now at least).




I think they'd look good, hm?

Halloween Costume

I've been trying to come up with a Halloween costume for this year. I think I might base it on a Carnival costume for several reasons.

1. I bought a mask at the Italy pavilion at Disney this summer and I'd like to have a chance to wear it.


2. The Halloween celebration downtown is called Mardi Gras for some reason.

3. I want to wear something pretty and warm (big long dress should do it).

4. I figure my boyfriend can figure out some sort of Robot costume to go with it because that's what he likes to do:

Summer Dress

If I were to buy/make a summer dress I'd like it to look something like this Emanuel Ungaro Spring 09 dress:


Image from style.com

I love the ruching/pleating and the way it makes the fabric look so graphic. I love it.

Owlish

So a few weeks ago I was treated to a night of make-up fun as I helped a friend prepare her portfolio for a make-up design program. I helped by being one of her models! We had some fun poking through her array of cosmetics, getting a wild makeover, and taking turns acting as the photographer's assistant (the photographer was my boyfriend). And in the end we got some pretty cool pictures of ourselves.



Good luck with your application Carolyn!

New plan of attack!

So, getting into the habit of writing a blog is quite difficult. Basically I just need to add blogging to my daily routine. And I think I've figured out how to do it. I'm going to write on my lunch breaks. I have an hour everyday for lunch and even if I can't get online I can get the hard part (writing it all down) over with and upload to the blog when I get home.

In honour of my new direction I bought a Golla laptop bag last night and it's adorable! I'll definitely want to bring my laptop everywhere I go :)



And I've filled it with stuff to inspire me when I can't think of anything to write.



So here's to a new beginning!