Finally...

My freakin' Modern Vintage boots arrived! Like, 2 months after I ordered them. Turns out that after they realized they sent it to the wrong US PO Box, they got in touch with me (OK it was the other way around) and told me they would ship it up to Canada. Which was great because I didn't want to cross the border again just to get the boots, much easier to just send it here. Well, as I was waiting for the boots to be sent BACK from the wrong PO box to their shipping house and then BACK to me, my mom calls me and tells me she picked up my boots from our post office in the USA.

Um, but...didn't I tell them....wha?

Anyway, it does not matter because for some reason the phrase "send to Canada" means the same as "send to Washington State" and the boots arrived safe and sound (thank GOD though that my mom just happened to be checking the mail there).

I must say, they are worth the fuss and all the waiting. First of all, there is the price which I think was $295 and I scored them for $49. Second of all, these babies just beg me to motorbiking - they are too cool for me. Third of all, they are beyond comfortable. It's like walking in flip flops all day, that kinda comfy. They fit perfectly too, though because the zip doesn't go all the way up they are kind of a pain to get on. If my feet's arches were any higher, I couldn't get them in there!

But tada, anyway:













Dress: Mina UK; Rings: ASOS; Earrings and faux-leather jacket: F21; Boots: Modern Vintage
Now that those pictures are over with, I am going to go into a deluge of fashion nostalgia which may or may not bore you (or amuse you or sicken you), but rest assured there are hilarious old photos of yours truly as well. And feel free to marvel at my up and down weight loss through the ages :)

A comment from Kass the other day got me thinking about my shopping habits and looking back, I actually find it quite interesting the way I have evolved (or de-evolved)spending AND style-wise.

Anyone in my high school could tell you I've always been the girl with a ton of clothes. In fact, people would come over to my house just to "borrow" my clothes - which I would later see on people I didn't even know that well. Everyone wanted a peice of me, I guess...and boy did I lose so many clothes that way!

The fashion side of shopping first started back in junior high, where I remember I had NO sense of style and blindly followed the trends which involved Club Monaco sweatshirts, tappered Guess jeans with zippers at the ankles (oddly enough, very in now - 15 years later!) and Doc Martins. I begged my mom to take me to Club Monaco every weekend (mind you this was when Club Monaco - a Canadian company - first opened their door isn 1992/1993). My mom always indluged me - how could she not though? I was her crippled child that bullies made fun of and slapped around (and you wonder why I harbour so much resentment towards mankind).



In early high school though, I fell into the punk music scene and hung out with the "skids" which meant my wardrobe consisted of thrifted EVERYTHING! OR anything from Hot Topic (back in 1997, emo didn't exist so I'm talking about the Hot Topic of yore). So it was a bit cheaper for my parents to support this clothing style since I Was happiest fishing old Corona t-shirts out of Salvation Army bins, but I made up for it in rare bootlegs of Smashing Pumpkins or tickets to Sonic Youth.





At the end of high school I wore a lot of Roxy, as well as cleavage baring tops galore (my high school nickname was Captain Juggs) and anything from Le Chateau. This was also about the time I discovered a love for WET SEAL! Since we didn't (and still don't) have that store in Canada, I drove to Bellingham every chance I could and binged!





After high school, I went straight to New Zealand and Australia to backpack for almost a year and you'd be suprised (maybe not) at how many boxes of clothes I had to mail back home. Long skirts and halter tops was my thing. The shopping there - especially in the markets - was AMAZING! The thing about me is, I HATE potentially wearing the same clothes as everyone else, so when I can buy things that no one else I know will have, I do so and with a vengence!



FACT: Once Forever 21 opens up their first store in Western Canada, I will no longer buy items from Forever 21. OK, I might buy jewlery or plain items but there is no way I will buy a dress from them, lest everyone else in my city be wearing it. I'm weird like that.

Anyway, I shopped my heart out in OZ and came back with stuff that I still have (and am reluctant to part with, such as a Skipping Girl tote, which was very cool in the year 2000):



Back at home though, I promptly discovered this new thing called "Ebay" and became obsessed with handbags. Like OBSESSED! I was also workin a full-time job for the first time ever (in retail, but old lady clothes) so I had money to burn on vintage bags.

Ah yes, this was my vintage siren phase, which came forth due to my love of classic movies and literature. I started wearing everything that made me look like Kim Novak. I bought incredible vintage bags at vintage stores and on eBay. After awhile though, I got a little carried away and ended up being kicked off eBay. Probably for the best :)

I also got very big into counterfeit handbags at this time. I am not proud of it, not because I believe the house of Louis Vuitton would notice or care but because now I am aware of the immoral affliations (ie child labour) that is associated with counterfeit products. I never pretended the bags were real (I can't lie about stuff like that) but for some reason I had to have them. Anyway, because of my bag excess (real or fake) I set upon a BAG BAN upon myself and you know what? I never went crazy for bags again! Yes, I still have a LOT and I still buy them but I'm satisfied with what I have right now and for years haven't really felt the urge to buy a whole bunch. A couple of bags a year feels right to me.

Then I moved to Auckland New Zealand to go to school, and again I fell in love with their clothings - such different brands: Portmans, Supre, Glassons (I wore my Glassons pants the other day!) JJays and the best store ever which was this Recycle Boutique downtown. It had the best consignment clothes - not the biggest names but such COOL stuf and the largest selection. I am SO excited to see that store again. I swear I bought things there every week!





Then I moved back home after a year and a bit and went to another university in a crappy town far away from my home city. This is when I rekindled my relationship with eBay and started buying and selling. I went through a HUGE Bebe and Arden B phase and would troll eBay for the greatest deals.



After awhile, friends started asking me if I would give them eBay tutorials. Funnily enough, both of my bosses are now asking me for the same thing. I guess I have become somewhat of an aficianado (well I have been using eBay since 2001!). I also went to Palm Springs quite frequently where I would stock up on all the American stores such as Wet Seal, F21 and everything at Desert Hills Premium Outlet.



In the middle of Journalism School though, I jetted off by myself to Europe for 4 months, where I reveled in the most delightful feeling once more: traveling by myself. Strange to say but all of the best memories I have are from my solo travels. I truly am my best company :)

Oh of course I bought a shitload of stuff too. I sent boxes home every two weeks, lest my backpack get too heavy. This is when I really fell in love with Zara and H&M (so different in Europe than they are here) and of course Mango MNG which I still love with a passion. Then there were Scandinavian stores like Indiska, German stores such as C&A (Cheap and Awful as my German friend would tell me), Italian stores like Coin and French stores such as Naf Naf (and did I mention Zara, H&M and Mango?). On these travels I learned the art of scarves in Helsinki and Tallin...



And as the summer began and the humidity started in full force, I began a love affair with wide leg linen pants from H&M, as wrinkled as they got in my crammed bag.



As well as long flowy gypsy skirts :)



After university, I returned to Europe again in two consecutive occasions, this time volunteering English teaching in Spain and Italy (but still to Spaniards) where I fell in love with Spanish brands such as Blanco...oh Blanco, you were so awesome. I still have all my Blanco tops too, such as these cool halter and peasant tops.









The Italian trip though is where I fell in love with those fabled Bata boots of mine and was propelled into a new era in "boot obsession."

I'm the one in the boots, lol

(click here to read the story behind the boots)

This was quickly followed by "full on shoe obsession" last summer, where my first pair of Louboutins (horrible experience, don't want to talk about it lol) got me hooked on designer clothes. And such is my demise. Of course I am not made of money, so I can't buy all designer and I never buy full-price for anything but it has been nice to make my cheapo clothes look a little more fresh this way.



But enough is enough! My job which has long periods of boredom has encouraged online shopping, as has empty credit cards and my new-found ability to branch out fashion-wise. But I am done with it (til July) and now I begin a new phase...wearing out everything I have and actually GOING into stores to try things on. I have to remember how much fun physical shopping was for me at one point. I mean sheesh, my apartment is a 15-minute walk to Aldo and Zara...what am I waiting for?

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this little online journey through my fashion and shopping habits! It was a lot of fun to put together :)