Aesthetique

Break out the shin pads, ladies, because the official date is here! H&M will be opening in Pacific Centre on May 22nd. I think I just peed a little. The store opens at noon on May 22nd, so get there on time! Actually, May 22nd is a work day, so maybe call in dead or something. They won’t miss you on the most amazing shopping day of the year! Finally, we won’t have to haul ass to Coquitlam Centre to get amazing deals. This H&M will sport the entire lines for men, women, and kids. It’s going to take up 2 floors of space, making it the largest H&M in North America, from what my research tells me. I predict that this will be WELL worth the wait. Set your clocks!

What the hell, AA? Okay, I know that you like to put women in really obviously sexist poses, but come on, this is sick. On the bright side, at least this woman isn’t 90 pounds, but seriously? leg spreadin’ to sell nylons? Clearly we’re not going to buy the nylons based on some vagina flash. Okay, I bought them, but shhhhh!

Hmm, this one leaves little to the imagination…

Well, I guess they aren’t really putting much innuendo in their french campaigns, so much as putting plain ‘ol boobs!…

Then again, they aren’t really that much worse than other major fashion ads:

Then again, they are all just a somewhat hidden version of pornography.  Enough said.

The Oscars have come and gone, and we have again seen a flurry of dresses–some good, some not so good. These are my picks for the best dressed:

Marion Cotillard in Jean Paul Gaultier:

I loved this dress. I like that she chose to wear the scales in white, instead of a more mermaid colour like blue or green. She had a really simple dress and beautiful hair to match. This is my favorite dress of the night.

Diablo Cody in ??? 

Dress: hot.  Shoes: not a million dollars, but good for her for standing up to the man.  Jewellry: hot.  I loved it.

Jennifer Garner in Oscar de la Renta

I think maybe she could have done without the necklace, but she looked really nice nonetheless. I actually think the necklace photographed well, but for some reason when I saw it on tv, it looked like too much.

Sarah Larson in ???

As arm candy, I think she chose a nice gown. It was simple, and it didn’t really overshadow George Clooney. I think this dress in photographs doesn’t do it justice. A lot of people didn’t like this gown, but I thought it had a nice sparkle to it and it was a nice colour on her.

Hillary Swank in Versace

I always think that black is a bit of a cop out at the Oscars for women, but nonetheless I thought Hillary Swank looked mighty swanky. I like that she didn’t overpower the dress with a lot of jewellry, as the dress had those nice little flower details on it already.

Cameron Diaz in John Galliano

I’ve heard some people are pissed that Cameron didn’t do more to her hair, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen her do something really formal to her hair. Plus, who likes all that hairspray when you have to sit for five hours? I like that it was natural and blew in the wind, and the gown is FANTASTIC.

Katherine Heigl in ???

Love the red, love the one strap, love the shoulder detail, love the hair. LOVE.

Ever caught a really random cold, when no one you know is sick?  The culprit could be your own handbag!

ABC News did a story a while ago on how your purse can harbor dangerous bacteria, and how it could be making you, and your family sick depending on where you are placing your purse after going out shopping.

If you think about it, we ladies put our purses down all over the place…in public bathrooms, on countertops, on the floor…who knows how many thousands of gross bacteria are sitting on your handbag!

To disinfect your purse when you get home, the basic suggestion is to wipe down your purse with an antibacterial gel or wipe.  I’m wondering if this would wreck a leather purse though?

One exciting solution is that you can purchase handbag hangers to keep your purse from getting covered in grossness.

I’ve only seen these at one store in Vancouver, but I imagine they will slowly make their way into the mainstream if they catch on.  I don’t know if they will though.  Are women going to take the time to fish through their purses to find a handbag hanger, and then hang it?  And how secure is the hanger?  Would it tip over easily?  How much weight can they handle? 

And what do you do when you have your handbag at the movies?  Surely the sticky, popcorn strewn floors of theatres hold a lot of bacteria, but the handbag hanger is obsolete in this situation because it only hangs off of tables…

hmmm…

It’s sick, but I thought Katie Holmes looked really cute wearing purple Christian Laboutin heels to match Tom’s sweater and tie combo at last night’s Essence Magazine Celebrates Black Women event in Beverly Hills yesterday.

Yeah, she looks dead on the inside, but she looks cute on the outside, so she’s half okay, right? Actually, she somehow tends to dress a little old for her age, I think, but I guess when you have that much money you can dress however you (or Tom) like!

How cute are these bluejay perch earrings from sudlow on etsy.

Okay, maybe $120 is a bit much for little birdies, as I managed to snag this necklace a few weeks ago for under $20:

I don’t know what it is with me and birds.  I love wearing things with birds on them.  Hell, I even have a tattoo of a dove on my foot!  Maybe it’s a long-lost urge to fly?

Why. Why can I not find any riding boots that 1) look reasonable and 2) don’t cost $300???

See, these are okay, but really, I could find cheaper ones than this that are vintage…

These are $300, so boo to these shoes!

These look like you stole them off a hobo…

meh.

What’s a girl to do?! All I want is some nice riding boots that don’t break the bank. I can’t seem to find any new ones, so I am going to look to vintage boots to see if I can find something nice for a reasonable price. That rhymed, so you know it’s a good idea.

Although, the thought of used shoes doesn’t really tickle my fancy, but any girl I see in the Wardrobe Remix group on Flickr seems to have bought theirs vintage. Perhaps used boots is the answer?

UPDATE:

Hazaa!  Vintage IS the answer!  I just won these:

Okay, I know I posted about these already, but I’ve been wearing this pair:

and I want you to RUN, do not walk, to buy these.  If you are thinking about them, stop thinking!  Go buy them!

They smell like bubblegum (because every Melissa shoe is infused with yummy bubblegum smell)

They are a dream to walk in

They provide cushiony support for walking about town

They don’t tire out your feet

They make an outfit look really nice and finished because of the shine of the vinyl, without looking like vinyl shoes!

They are completely worth the cost (I think I paid $60 or so), and I own a white pair, too!  If they start carrying more styles than the two I own, I will be right there to get them!

Oh yes, and if you are in Vancouver, you can buy them at Gravity Pope in Kits, or Urban Outfitters on Granville.

Now, GO SHOPPING!!!

Is it just me, or is an outfit of red, white, and black not the best thing ever?  The right shade of red, of course.  I tend to like reds with a blue hue to them because they look better with my skin tone, but if you’re an Autumn, try a red with more of an orange hue.  Who knew you actually had to choose shades of a colour?!