Pomme

What do you get when you cross my last two blog posts together?  A new outfit post with a pompom hat & red!  I guess you could say that I was inspired by my own writing...?  Okay, let's not; that's pretty weird.

It's been a really long time since I've done an outfit post- I almost forgot what it's like.  Firstly, there's the whole deal with going out in public in an outfit like this.  Perhaps (probably) I'm just paranoid, but I get the vibe that people think I'm crazy for trying to brave winter in a skirt.  But hey look, I'm decked out in layers that are surprisingly warm!  And then there's the whole deal with taking pictures- that can get quite awkward if there are other people around.  Luckily, I was in a residential neighbourhood with no one else around to raise their eyebrow.  Well okay, there was one person around, but I think he was too busy shovelling his roof to notice.  Yes, shovelling his roof.

What I'm wearing:
-Pompom hat from Forever 21
-Glasses from Urban Outfitters
-Circle Scarf from Pac Sun
-Striped blouse from Ralph Lauren
-Wool cardigan from American Eagle Outfitters
-Pleated skirt from Zara
-Over-the-knee socks from Costa Blanca
-Work boots from Charlotte Russe

Pom-pom problem

This post is dedicated to someone who will remain anonymous.  She loves pom-pom hats so much, it's become a little bit of a problem.  You see, everytime she sees one, she feels the crazy urge to touch the pom-pom.  I mean, it is hard to resist, right- so soft, fuzzy, bobbley.  This love for the wonderful winter hat becomes a problem at the point where a person craves to bop a random passerby on the head, no?  I may not love pom-pom hats to that point, but I do agree that they're adorable.  And might I add, they're actually functional and warm for winter, which is a big deal in the Great North.

My only complaint about this hat (and winter hats, in general): static-cling and frizz, be gone with thee! Seriously, is there a good way to avoid this?  I remember that my mom used to give me a dryer sheet to run through my hair as a kid, but I'm not sure how well that would fly in public nowadays.

via http://modcloth.com 

Party like it's 4709

Happy Chinese New Year, all! And what better way to kick off the new year than to dress for the occasion in red and gold, which are reflective of luck and prosperity.  Okay, so eating awesome food and getting little red pockets filled with money would be pretty good ways to spend the day too, but this'll do.  After compiling a few red & gold pieces, I've come to the conclusion that I adore the combination and need more of it in my daily life.  I'll even take something as simple as gold accessories paired with red lips.  Which I totally rocked today.  Well, until I got rained on...red, gold, and soggy aren't the best match though.

And hey, another sort of new year means another opportunity to make (or in my case, start) new year's resolutions that you neglected to do for the Western New Year, right?

Shiny optimistic purple artichokes

Cryptic anagrams aside, I'm sure words like "SOPA" and "blackout" have been buzzing around lots today.  Before I get all political, let's take a little break for fashion and look at what I dug up in the whole censorship theme.  Yes, you're looking at "Embarrassing Photo glasses".  I've always wanted to walk around with a big bar across my face.  I'm just that important- this will definitely hide my identity and deflect any unwanted attention.  Thank you, Urban Outfitters for coming up with this genius idea.  After all, censorship's good, right?  Can't have too much censorship...

Don't mind my little PSA down there...

All jokes aside now, I understand that SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) has the intention of...well, stopping online piracy, but it's the little details that have most of the online community protesting back.  The main question arising stems mostly around censorship.  There are a few clauses that basically state that anything considered piracy is a violation and would be considered a serious offence, and even more serious would be owning a site that shows potential of letting pirated material being shared.  Which I'd say is a really thin line of ice.  File sharing?  Social media?  It puts a lot of media-sharing sites at risk, and silences a lot of people. Frankly, I could be sharing pirated material with you here on the blog, which would be in violation of SOPA.  

I support numerous other sites in their protests to stop SOPA.  And at the least, I've been informed to brace for the worst.  Click for more: http://americancensorship.org/

Golden Globes red carpet recap

Ah, the Golden Globes- a night of pure talent, wonderful speeches...just kidding, we all know it's about who's wearing what.  In general, I didn't find that dresses were overly outrageous or tacky...just some casual "questionable" decisions in judgement.  Hits on the left side, Misses on the right.  What do you think?

The style of the night seemed to be the mermaid dress, and the talk of the town was that Modern Family's Sofia Vergara wore it best, flaunting those curves.  A deep sea turquoise and a feathered texture really screamed sea princess.  Pretty sure that her dress would've even had actual mermaids jealous. 

In contrast to a well-fitted mermaid dress, Tina Fey's ensemble made her look more like a stubby sea urchin, proving that the mermaid isn't an easy to look to pull off and that it's not for everyone.

Oh look, another mermaid dress. Ruffles and creamy pastels made for quite an elegant look for Elle MacPherson. Quite radiant, no? I'll admit it, she's my girl-crush of the night.

Julianna Margulies may be The Good Wife, but in no way is she a good red carpet dresser. Her dress is somewhere between a simplistic futuristic spacesuit and a stick of licorice...

Nicole Kidman is quite a red carpet favourite of mine, and she does it again. This time, in a lovely Versace number. Just take a look at those embellishments!

I'm not a fan of this full black and blue dress of Michelle Williams. Sporting a spotty Jason Wu dress, I kind of feel like the design looks like a leopard print knockoff that looks more tacky than elegant. Props for trying to be bold though.

I'm a bit on the fence with this one, but I'll add it to my Hit List for its unique layers and divine train. Charlize Theron seems to be channelling her inner Marilyn here with a modern twist to the classic deep-V neckline and flowing hem.

Is it just me, or does Natalie Portman look like she's heading to her high school prom in a cheap gown that really doesn't flatter her figure? C'mon, Black Swan, we know you can do better than that- you're not supposed to be turning into an ugly duckling!

Heidi Klum does simplicity right! A simple straight cut dress with a pop of turquoise around the neckline? Yes, please!

Jessica Biel looks like she's wearing one of those old rustic wedding gowns from the 40s that has been stitched together in tablecloth-like fabric...and left in an old dusty trunk in the attic for too long. Sorry, you ended up more frumpy than fashionable.

More mermaid-y and not-quite-white gown goodness; this time from Kate Beckinsale. This simple gown sports some light lacey detailing and a beautiful flowing hem. The sparkling bracelets add some extra icing to this deliciously creamy number.

American Horror Story actress Connie Britton appeared in this simple number. Dear, a dress like that is quite an American horror in itself. Don't ya know that this is the Golden Globes, not a casual town gathering? Class it up a little!

Bridesmaids star Kristen Wiig rocked a beautiful and simple skin-tone dress for a soft and modest presence. If you're gonna go simple, take it from her and aim for a subtle edge in the dress- get a load of that ruched tie around the waistline!

And for my ultimate "DO NOT ATTEMPT", showing us how not to do the mermaid, or hair, or sleeves, or a dress in general...is Kelly Osborne.  I feel like the photo speaks for itself, but here we go:

So, Miss Osborne, do you think that white hair will make you look more mature or something?  Whatever the reason is, don't do it again.  And okay, we get it- you lost a ton of weight and the mermaid dress does flatter a figure, but not when the shaped sleeves and puffy hem make it look like one of those inflatable octopuses at a kids play park.  Ladies and gentlemen, this is what we call attracting unwanted attention for all the wrong things.

Images via The Hollywood Reporter

Looking "Lang"

And to keep with my terrible wonderful puns, I give you a little more unconventional pun: looking "Lang". 

To understand this pun, I'm going to need to give you a bit of a Chinese (Cantonese) lesson. 

Lang = Beautiful 

And voila, you've just learned a bit of Chinese!  To fully understand my pun, I must now inform you that while looking beautiful is all fine and dandy, I mean it specifically in reference to the great Helmut Lang. 

This is one ready-to-wear S/S collection that I wish I could catch in lower end stores.  I'm adoring the balanced use of flowing sheers mixed with intricate knots to create a look of clean complexity.  Though the tan lines from these tops would be quite a shame, their unique elegance makes up for that.  With awesome straps like that, it would definitely dress up any casual jeans ensemble for everyday practicality.  A more or less simple collection, helped by edgy cuts and soft sheers- now that's my kind of style.

Images via style.com

*Sidenote: Gee, maybe I should stop with the puns...I don't think puns are meant to be explained this thoroughly.

Post-holiday dressing

I don't know about you, but I'm suffering from some post-holiday feastivities (ha, what a pun!).  During this time of being over-bloated and sloth-like, it's a good thing the whole oversized, chunky, boyfriend-fit trend is still upon us.  Dropped waistlines and (tastefully) baggy sweaters?  Yes, please!  Until the detox diets and gym visits start kicking in, I'll be living in my oversized knits for the next little while.  Um, no...I didn't gain turkey/chocolate pounds over December- that's just all the layers I'm wearing.  What, it's cold outside!

Though, you may want to watch how oversized and bold your knits are.  Sure, I'm not looking at any extra weight here, but with a number like this, you might gain some unwanted attention anyway:

Images via asos.com

I can forget where I am now

Hello, current temperature of -17 degrees celsius with a snow squalls and high winds.  Lucky for me, I managed to get away from that for a week and a bit.  When in Rome...well in my case, when on a cruise, go nautical.  How could I resist the perfect setting for navy stripes and bold pops of red on head and toe.  With a full day at sea, there's not much else to do but lounge on chairs and take outfit photos.

Fashion bloggers- we may go on vacation, but fashion never really takes a vacation.  (Yes, first cheesy line of the year!)

What I'm wearing:
-Asymmetrical navy striped top
-Denim shorts
-Red flats

And hey, it's Tune-y Tuesday!  As I tend to do, the title of this post was taken from the song below.  Doesn't quite fit in with the nautical theme, but it works perfectly for chillin' out under the open sky.