Vintage Bruno Magli

 

1987
that year I'm stuck in

I just wanted to taste it first

I'm not one of these people that download just one song, I like to get the whole album and by album I mean something that I can hold on to. However, I must admit that after Apple got a hold of Feist I didn't want to buy, let alone listen, to another one of her albums. I'd heard the single from her fourth album, The Bad in Each Other, on CBC awhile ago and it grew on me but I still didn't want to buy her album. Well, Feist won the good ole Canadian Polaris prize (30K) for best album last night. To celebrate the win, CBC is streaming the entire Metals album until September 27th - for free. Thanks CBC and thanks Feist for getting back to your roots - and also for letting CBC stream your album. I'll go buy it now. Let's leave shadow play to the theatre.
Listen to Metals until September 27th here.

West Vancouver Back Lane Architecture - or perhaps my new home

I've resorted to back lanes as all the demolitions are getting me down.

I wonder if the home owners would be taken aback if I were to approach them and offer to rent their unused garage off them as a conversion home? We (BL readers) could do our own project (no committees) seeing as this is an issue in Vancouver right now.

The Jacket Trend for Men - 2013

Diesel Black Gold, Balmain, Iceberg, J. Lindberg, Miharayasuhiro, Neil Barrett, Robert Geller

all images © style.com

The motorcycle jacket. Now go buy one at a thrift shop for $25.

Want more jacket inspiration? Visit my trends in leather jackets post here.

Quote of the Week - Confucius

To know that we know what we know, and
that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge

4 Good Things About Last Weekend

  Capilano Canyon hike

  Finding The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes at the library


   paying a whopping $1.75 for a vintage Coach bag, an antique Dietz lantern and a 1926 Vogue poster at a church flea market

mastering the recipe for this sweet potato burger (I baked it at 450 for 20 minutes on each side)

Inspiration - Doors in the West End

Next to the mantle piece, the front door is probably one of the most popular backdrops for family photos. It is also the first impression your home makes on visitors and passersby. I like to think of the front door as the gate keeper that both guards and greets. Sprucing up your front door can be an economical way to add some zest to your home or, don't make me say it -> curb appeal.Some things to consider when planning for your front door redo:

• give your door its own special character such as, but not limited to, a contrasting colored trim, French tile numbers, or a brass lion's head knocker
• bushes, plants or vines such as honeysuckle not only add a welcoming scent but also soften any imposing lines leading to your door
• your door should be of the same period or style as your home
• if your front door is actually on the side or around the back, a path, canopy or entrance courtyard indicate this is the way to the main entrance
• your front door is an extension of you and your family. It welcomes visitors into the home you've created out of a house.

A selection of front doors from Vancouver's West End:







Originally published July 7, 2009

Related Posts:
The Decline of West Coast Modernism
Windows: Keep it Simple
Tips for Decor in 620 Square Feet

Enjoy Your Weekend

31 Things I Will Not Wear

 

'by me age 10'

Fashion week always makes me hate fashion. I can't look anymore - what's with these 'street' style photos I'm being bombarded with from Mercedes Benz Fashion Week? That's not 'street' style - those people are posers (they are dressed that way to get their photo taken) or worse yet, models planted by designers for marketing. Anyway, what this post is supposed to be about is what I will never wear. You know, those things that are wonderful on other people but can't touch me with a fifty foot pole. I'd like to add that I wear numerous items I can guarantee a lot of folks would never wear (ie Birkenstock Arizonas ).

1. denim skirts
2. red - makes me feel like Kelly Bundy -  red lipstick is ok
3. corduroy
4. a beige Burberry/George Costanza trench coat - any other color would be fine
5. high tops - same issue with Mary Janes
6. fur
7. plaid fitted button up shirts
8. cotton lycra
9. yoga pants - hey, I practice yoga I just don't wear the pants
10. ringer t-shirts
11. overdyed denim with bright orange seams/disco jeans
12. ass pants - those tight ass flare bottom downtown office lady pants
13. Mary Janes - they accentuate my lack of ankles
14. sheath dresses - not flattering on me
15. 1950s - so beautiful on some women but so unflattering on me
16. a tube top - nobody should wear a tube top
17. felt or anything with felt applique
18. 'flesh' tone nylons
19. blush - 'Hi, I'm Adam Ant!'
20. a 'blow dry' style - just because I'm blond doesn't mean I want to look like I broadcast the news
21. cow print- think about it
22. zebra print - is that cow print?
23. tall cowboy boots - usually too tight on my calves anyway - I like the ankle boots though
24. baseball cap as a fashion accessory
25. big hoop earrings
26. princess sleeves - I'm too old. Empress sleeves would be a different story
27. acid wash - didn't wear it in the 80s either
28. wrap around sunglasses - Karl Lagerfeld style sunglasses
29. any advertising I'm not being paid for
30. shorts
31. anything tight and white

You and I are of the Same Persuasion

Therefore, I recommend reading this book, this weekend.
Being of a different mindset than the rest of the United States, Northern California, Oregon and Washington (Cascadia to those in the know) separate from the rest of the country creating an environmental utopia. Most of what the author proposes can happen - some of which already has.  Where should we start?

I bought my used copy (in good old Ecotopian fashion) in Vancouver at Macleod's Books. He had one more copy - ask for it. You can also buy it here.

10 Boots for Men - Fall Winter 2012

Church's

etsy

Dr. Martens

etsy

Fiorentini and Baker

moma

etsy

paul smith

etsy

etsy

ps I've updated my men's favourites on etsy

In his bag you will find

In all fairness I grabbed the bag from him last night (no staging allowed) and he had stuff for a weekend event in it - hence big camera. I was surprised there weren't any little papers (receipts, candy wrappers, etc) he usually leaves a trail of them.

The bag is a vintage Frye messenger.