Quote of the Week - Le Corbusier

Arthur Erickson
Eagleridge, West Vancouver, BC

The house is a machine for living in.

Did you know...

The three-piece suit was introduced in 1666 as an effort to teach thrift to the nobility. more

Design Lover: Finn Juhl Model 45

Model 45
designed 1945

Last Weekend on the Turntable

The World Is A Ghetto
War

Convocation Catwalk

University of British Columbia
Originally uploaded by Bijou Living

Where has Stacy been? I found a job! Two years of searching complete - at least until the end of my contract. I'm working in acadameia - which is where my professional training and education have been.

So, there I was yesterday sitting up amongst the faculty cheering on our graduating class of 2010 and what was I focusing on - shoes, pant hems and gown lengths.

What you wear under your convocation gown is more important than you think. I learned this fourteen years ago at my university convocation. I wore a floor length black skirt and white collared shirt. However, I did not realize that the gown's v-neck would be so high and the length would not be suitable for one of petite stature. I had to tuck in my collar and accept that I quite possibly looked like a nun shuffling across the convocation catwalk.

So, as you strutt off on that runway to shake the hands of people you don't know remember to work that catwalk! It's your rite of passage and your time to shine!

PS This time I wore black opaque tights, platforms and a collarless shirt under my gown - and I channeled Carine Roitfeld to remind me how to sit.

Style Inspiration- The British 1920s Hot Places

(or more frankly British colonialists) think fashion Brideshead Revisited, The Great Gatsby, A Passage to India, Out of Africa

Vintage Bill Blass

1970
I'm thinking Dries Van Noten tribal Spring 2010

Quote of the Week - Albert Camus

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.

Style Inspiration - Serge Gainsbourg

1928-1991

I could not resist

Being a child of the 80s I wanted this tank dress as soon as I saw it in Christopher Kane's Spring Summer 2010 collection.

Well, I found it on sale!

Next to the words 'free' and 'deal', 'sale' is my third favourite collection of letters in the English language. I'll probably only wear it to the beach, to yoga or to bed which all happen to be amongst my most pleasurable activities so money well spent.

What's better than wood panelling?

images by Mark Williams

More wood panelling! I received my daily email update from ELLE Decor South Africa this morning and I just had to share this - what could be my dream home - with you. Head over to their site to view some more great shots by Mark Williams.

What I Wore

December 1985

Quote of the Week - Jean-Dominique Bauby

...I see in the clothing a symbol of continuing life. And proof that I still want to be myself. If I must drool, I may as well drool on cashmere. (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)

Last Weekend on the Turntable

David Essex - Rock On

David can I have your necklace please?

image via the very cool music site So Many Records, So Little Time

Tip of the Week - How to Choose the Best Tie

• silk should feel smooth
• high-quality ties, constructed from three pieces of fabric, should lie perfectly flat, without bumps or ripples.
• make sure the bar tack is securely attached and on straight - detail, details!
• pull on the back slip stitch - one that has been sewn on correctly helps maintain the shape of the tie and gathers together when pulled
• hold the tie over your hand and let it fall. The narrow end should fall directly in the middle of the wide end

How to Pack A Carry On Bag

Of course everyone is different. I usually pack an extra pair of underwear, socks, deodorant and a pic of my family.

1. aspirin
2. batteries
3. camera
4. credit cards
5. confirmations
6. eyeglasses
7. sunglasses
8. identification
9. keys
10. light sweater
11. prescriptions
    
12. mints/gum
13. money
14. outerwear
15. passport/visa
16. reading material
17. sleep mask
18. ear plugs
19. ticket
20. toothbrush/paste
21. empty water bottle (have the flight attendants fill it for you once on the plane)

Vintage Armani

1980

6 Statement Knuckle Rings

Top left to right
Australian Turquoise from Etsy seller opalwing
Filigree Leaf Wrap from Etsy seller Brilliance Found
ERE BY REPOSSI - RING


Bottom left to right
FABIO CAMMARATA - GAUDI' O RING
ERICKSON BEAMON - HEART OF GLASS
All Wrapped Up from Etsy seller FashionableRx

Quote of the Week - Robert Frost

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Design Lover - Two Dahlias by Frances Pelzman Liscio

Two Dahlias available online at The Working Proof

Two Dahlias by Frances Pelzman Liscio inspired me to do something with the years' worth of pressed flowers and leaves I have. Now, if I can only think of something to do with all the rocks I've collected.

15% of the gross sales of Pelzman Liscio's print goes to Puppies Behind Bars, a non-profit organization that trains prison inmates to raise puppies to become service dogs for the disabled.

Read an interview with the artist here.

How to Wear a Beard

Philip Crangi has more than good tattoos and jewelry...

I prefer fur. I think it started when I was a little girl with Grizzly Adams. So when I was out having lunch with my friend on Tuesday she announces, 'Jesus has arrived.' when Mr. Big Beard walks in. 'Well, Hello Jesus!' was my response. I then had to explain my preference for the beard.

1. the eyes are the cavern to the soul and the beard highlights them (note Charles Manson - take one look at those eyes and tell me what you think).
2. I enjoy watching men shave, trim, groom.
3. they are pleasurable.
4. they show confidence and non-conformity.
5. I'm not partial to the baby face look.
6. whisker burn is not nice.
7. pheromones under the ear lobe just near the hinge of the jaw.

Why grow a beard?

1. to look older
2. to attract attention
3. to cover a weak chin, scar or to take attention away from a large nose or lips that are too small or thick
4. for fun!

Which beard for you?

** Your beard should always be in proportion to the size of your face and body.
** It takes about a month to grow. Facial hair grows 3/4 of an inch every 30 days.

Round face

• a beard can make it look longer - especially a pointed one like Mr. Crangi's in the photo above.
• long sideburns make a face look slimmer.
• a round face should never wear short sideburns. They will make the face look even rounder.
• facial hair gives width to the lower portion of the face and broadens it out.

Square jaw

• go for a round beard

Thin/thick lips

• go for a heavy to medium mustache

Big nose

• go for a big mustache. It will make it look smaller.

Long narrow face

• thin mustache

Beard trimming tips

1. the natural line of your mustache and beard looks less artificial
2. stop shaving for the first 4-6 weeks to see where and how your beard grows
3. trim at least every 2 weeks or every day to keep it elegant
4. use shears, scissors or a beard trimmer
5. bottom of mustache should be trimmed first
6. never let it grow over the edge of the upper lip
7. to thin your beard lay a comb over it and run an electric razor across the comb
8. sideburns should be left full around the ears
9. don't focus on making sharp, straight lines, but always control the thickness
10. trim your beard when it's dry and start above your jaw, from your chin to your ear.
11. for edges follow the line of the jaw where the skin of your neck meets the skin of your chin
12. use conditioner to soften your beard and make it shine

So, as I said to my hair stylist JD when he told me he preferred my husband clean shaven - 'Don't knock it till you've tried it.'

ps: I thought Joaquin Phoenix looked damn hot with that beard! I also like wood paneling.

Quote of the Week - Louis Feraud

Japanese Label

Grime Effect

Looking forward to seeing what their 10-11 A/W showing has to offer.

Style Inspiration - Rocky Balboa

I watched Rocky the other night on TCM. Well, I had it on anyway. 

The 'Italian Stallion' wears his hat well and I can see Adrian being a hipster icon. 

Check out the 1976 version again if you haven't seen it in a while. 

Memorable quote from Rocky's trainer, 

'You're gonna eat lightning, and you're gonna crap thunder.'

Where to buy women's trousers

Katharine Hepburn via Here's Looking Like You, Kid

One would think it would be easy to find a pair of black trousers - just a simple light weight wool or wool crepe. I don't want tight butt trousers with stretch in them. Terrible. They look cheap, feel cheap and smell cheap. I want a nice pair of tailored trousers a la 1937 Katharine Hepburn or Lauren Bacall to be specific. I've been in the fashion industry for 25 years and I remember what most trousers were like before greed set in.

Oscar de la Renta

I found one pair (above) that were beautifully made but they were $1000. If I had the cash I would have bought them. Yes, I would spend $1000 on a pair of trousers if they were of high quality and a classic design.

Apparently, I'm 'picky'. You know what I say - if I'm giving someone my money (because ultimately I am) they have to deserve it.

There. That feels better. Thanks for listening.