Style Evolution

Last October I ended up making a list of all the things I can't or don't wear and then gave little reasons for it. This was at the start of my foray into turning my personal blog into a more fashion blog and consequently was also the start of my more "risky" adventures into fashion.

I decided to look back over the list and see if anything has changed - after all, your style evolves, just as fashion does, and it makes sense that after a while you may start branching out and trying things that you never thought were "you." And so, I present to you that list and anything that may have changed since then:

1.Due to my poorly constructed feet, I can not wear stiletto heels (or any heels) that go over 3 inches, which sucks since heels are just getting higher and higher these days.

- This is still true, unfortunately. I can't wear shoes over 3 inches and even then, 3 is pushing it (totally depends on the slope of the sole too).

2. I won’t wear plaid shirts (grunge aint me).

- Nope, totally bought a plaid shirt.



3. I don’t even own a pair of shorts (and haven’t since I was 15) so you can bet I won’t be wearing gauchos to work.

-Still don't own a pair of shorts, but I did roll up a pair of my cargos...does that count? Actually, this photo combines #3, #5 AND #15



4. Boyfriend jeans have to be worst trend I have ever seen and very few can pull it off – on me it would look ridiculous, fat and dirty: holes (ew), rolled up ankles (ewe w) and big baggy uppers (ew ew ew).

-Yeah, I've seen some nice BF jeans out there but I can't do baggy with rolled up (ie tapered) legs. I'm also not a fan of holes in jeans still or light washes.

5.Bowler hats (or any hat really. I have a nice vintage cloche and have flirted with fedoras but…it’s just not me. I know I do suit hats since I have a small head but when I wear them I feel like I stand out and not in a good way).

-I've been wearing a lot of hats, so I don't know what I was talking about lol





6.Most sneakers – just not my style. Too casual.

-Still holds true.

7. Light denim – unflattering, not sleek enough, too casual, can’t do it.

-mmmmm, haven't done it yet but I am not as against it as I was...

8. Jumpsuit – ha, can anyone?

- Do rompers count? And if yes, still a big no.



9. Pleated pants – see above.

-no way.

10. Lots of bracelets, layers of necklaces, many rings – I wear earrings and that’s when I remember to put them in. I can’t stand the feel of things on my wrist, on my fingers or around my neck so when I do wear them it’s for a special occasion and I will be glad to remove them soon after.

- I do this quite often...I must have been on crack when I wrote this list.

11. Turtlenecks – ok this isn’t a trend but unless it’s a floppy cowl type turtleneck, it’s a no-go on me.

-oh geez, no. Ugh. Still hate them.

12. Shirt and tie – I would look like I am trying to be Avril Lavigne.

-My theory stands correct
13. Animal print – Confession: I did just buy an animal print pencil skirt and so far I am making it work. As long as everything else is black and simple. I’ve been eyeing a few cheetah/tiger print dresses (simple sheaths) but I’m afraid I’ll look too Lisa Rinna.

-Again, I have tons of animal print stuff so I must have done a 180 on that one since October.







14. Lots of layers – wish I could pull on the effortless chic look of layering (and it appeals to me since I’ve noticed I’ve been super cold lately in the office) but I don’t know if my body is too bulky for it or I just don’t have the right items.

-Still trying to master this one.

15. Scarves – I am trying. When I was in Finland, everyone, I mean EVERYONE, had a scarf tied effortlessly around their necks. It looked so cool and European and yet when I did it, I looked like an idiot. Now the idea has finally hit our shores and even though I see scarves everywhere, I still feel like I can’t pull it off. Am I wrapping/wearing it wrong? I think I may have to devote a new blog post to this…in the meantime, I found this video to be quite informative.

-And again, still trying.


16. A beret – oh how I wish. See hats (above).

-I wore a beret a month after this post. Wtf, self! At least try and be consistent!



17. Penny loafers – ugh.

- No but I almost bought some (well brogues) which I think means I no longer think they are "ugh"

18. Patterned tights – I am still easing myself into coloured versions, so the patterns may never come. However I am a fan of fishnets so who knows…

- Oh, I totally attempted this and it didn't take very long either.



19. Vest – I was a little against them until I started work and starting to realize that they make a casual shirt look a bit more professional. But I haven’t taken the plunge. A lot of people can pull the look off but it might be too Tomboy for my style.

- And of course the vest I do have is totally casual and unproffesional. Epic fail!



20. Headbands – doesn’t suit my hair, I don’t think. Not sure it suits my style either, too preppy. Which brings me to…

-I try but yes, this still stands. Just looks funny on my small head. But then I remembered this photo:



21. Preppy – A white shirt under a rugby sweater? A kilt? A bowtie? Anything that screams “Gossip Girl” isn’t for me, though it doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate watching others tackle the trend.

- Not against it. I think I do prep in my own way but it's never full-on.



22. Shoulder bags/messenger bags – anything with a LONG strap I don’t like, though the latter works great when you are traveling.

-They still aren't my favourite bags but I'm starting to see the beauty in a well-constructed cross-strap bag.

And there you have it folks! Is there anything you've ended up trying over the last year or so that you never though you would?

PS - I have new pics for the Roberto Cavalli and Catherine Malandrino dresses in my store:









I figured I needed to actually show you how awesome these dresses really are. Now go buy them!!!

Inspired By: The Rolling Stones

By now you've probably figured out that I mainly listen only to Classic Rock or 90's Alternative, with a few smatterings of "new" bands (ie Muse, Coldplay) here and there.

Well, I can't be a huge classic rock fan without mentioning The Rolling Stones. I went through a real RS phase back in 2002 and though I don't listen to them as often as I do, I still find myself singing along on the radio.

I knew Mick was all about the lips (and tongue) so I started with some red ones and made my way from there. By the time I was done dressing though, I realized I looked kinda like Mick's ex-wife, Jerry Hall. No matter, it was all in the family.






















"I'm Jumping Jack Flash, its a gas, gas, gas"


Shoes: Mogil; Jeans: Forever 21; Shirt and Ring: ASOS

So, hope you've all had a look at my store - I will be adding more tonight, so be sure to check back tomorrow. I've already sold something, so that's a good start.

Right now I've added Dresses to the Lyon section, as well as Jacket and Coats. Click on the links to view the collection.


Hopefully by tonight I will have added Tops + Sweaters to both the Lyon and Naxos areas. Tomorrow expect Skirts, Bags, Accessories and Vintage.

Remember if you become a follower NOW you get 10% during any August purchases (so hurry!).

If you link my store AND become a follower, you get 10% off - ALWAYS.

And if you do an actual post about my store and become a follower, you get 25% off each time you buy something. Rad, huh?

UPDATE - Have added the Vintage section here and the Lyon - Skirts here.

AND THE WINNER IS....

PRETTY PINK RAT!

The extra entries must have paid - yay for the odds! Hope you enjoy your Famous Footwear gift card, please email me and I'll pass your info on to the reps at Famous Footwear (btw THANK YOU FF for having such a cool giveaway!).

All right, so last week actually ended up being the complete week from hell for me. I don't even want to get into it but by the time 830 AM rolled around each morning I had already had the worst day ever. And when you have the worst day ever - by 830 AM - you know it can only get worse, especially as it did get worse as the days went on. After awhile, I started thinking that God was playing a cruel joke on me of sorts...it was that bad.

Anyway, I don't want to get into it but after a week of tears and hair-pulling and wondering what the hell is life all about (don't ask, I was uber sensitive too), I ended up having a lovely weekend camping and most of all, I took a much-needed break from blogging.

I realize it would probably be for me if I did slow down my blogging a bit...I did miss it eventually, but everyday is pretty tough, especially when I have a lot of other "more important" stuff to do on the side.

One of the said things is this (THE NEWS):

In order to raise funds for my upcoming month-long trip to New Zealand and get some financial support while I concentrate on writing, I have decided to launch my online store.

This baby has been in the planning stages for month's now but I need money - I don't have money to spend on a website, nor to invest in wholesale clothes.

So I decided to work with the concept that I had - a store/website that combined my love of travel with my love of clothes - and just launch it in Blogger (free!) and with my own clothes (also free!).

And thus, WANDERLUSTING STYLE is born.

I don't have everything up there right now, so please note that there will be Vintage Clothes, More Dresses, Belts, Shoes, Coats, Skirts, Tops, Bags etc being uploaded over the next few weeks. But I at least have the gist of it down.

So have fun, peruse the site, learn somethings and for heaven's sake BUY SOMETHING! Lol but also not kidding :P To make the deal even sweeter, I'm offering all followers of my store, Wanderlusting Style, 10% off all purchases made during August.

That 10% can be combined with the 10% you would get if you linked my store to your blog (and made a note of it being an actual store/travel blog) or the 15% you would get if you make a featured post about me and my store. Cuz I could use the publicity.

http://wanderlustingstyle.blogspot.com/

Come say hello and buy stuff such as this ASOS dress:

Update

Hi Everyone.

I know you all want to know who won the Famous Footwear giveaway but I will be making that announcement tomorrow, along with some great news (for my readers, anyway).

Now, the following may hint at some of that good news/special secret project etc but I have a question to ask all of you who are left reading me. An informal survey of sorts.

What are you wanting to buy lately? To be more specific, if there were a whole slew of cool and/or designer clothes, some new with tags, some just in excellent condition and all at very, VERY affordable prices, what types of items would you like to see available for sale? Dresses? Skirts? Belts? Jackets? Bags?

Let me know below - I promise you will like where this is going.

Check back tomorrow :)

Breaktime

So...I've been having a weird few days. I'm on a special diet at the advice of my nutritionist and while I am hopeful to see changes (not just weight loss but everything else that is wrong with me will get fixed), it is a big lifestyle upheavel in some ways and it may take time. I am very impatient. Apparently this will help that? Gah.

I've got some important projects on the go. I have lots of sweet new clothes and boots and outfits to show off too but alas I am too tired to take pics. I don't have time to really blog or read people's blogs and I am sorry for that. I know readership is down and commenting too, because I guess I am not really out there. But it's exhausting and stressful and I just can't seem to make the time. I'm starting to just really not care about blogging and am contemplating quitting - all the more reason to take a break.

Also, I'm going camping this weekend and I won't be blogging anyway.

But before I go, here are some pics - what I wore to my rockstar's concert:














Dress: Forever 21; Jacket: Express (swap); Necklace: Parephenelia; Shoes: Christian Louboutin; Purse: Miele Bianco

Also, I want to remind you that the Famous Footwear giveaway is still going on - not many people have entered (is the store not cool enough? I think it's pretty dope) so I want to encourage more entries by proposing this:

If you publicize this giveaway on your blog and link back to my blog, I will enter you 2x more into the draw. Oh yes, that's right - you just stepped up your chances baby.

Just let me know that you are doing so by commenting below or on the previous post. I'll be back here next monday to announce the lucky winner!


And by the way

Rice and Beans Vintage was so charmed by all of your wishlists on the Rice and Beans giveaway last week that they have decided to offer ALL ANYWHERE BUT HERE READERS 15% OFF ALL PURCHASES!!

Yep, just enter code: BANDWAGON at checkout - this offer is valid till August 31st, 2009.

More Shoes! Famous Footwear Giveaway

Hi folks,

Well, I've been very shoe-minded as of late. If I'm not trying to sell my own shoes, then I'm giving you the chance to win some - or at least win some money towards that!

Famous Footwear is a staple on the web - and in your local malls - for offering some of the hottest shoe styles available and at very fair prices. Right now they are having a buy one get one half off sale too, which is always an incentive. Recently, they launched a fun website called MakeTodayFamous.com, which doesn't just deal with shoes, but has a little bit of everything: beauty tips, house style tips, you name it.

In honour of the website's launch, Famous Footwear is giving my loyal Anywhere But Here readers a chance to win a $25 gift certificate towards a pair of shoes of your choice, valid at any Famous Footwear store or online.

This contest is open to anyone, however do note that there are only Famous Footwear stores in the USA, but it's cool if a Canadian or Mexican wins and doesn't mind hopping across the border to spend it. Unfortunately, the online store does not offer international shipping.

To enter, leave a comment here and tell me what pair of shoes you would buy with the certificate - view the shoes and store here.

For example, because the weather is miserable here today, I would buy these Franco Sarto boots:

They are already 50% off from $100, so if I won the certificate it would only cost me $25! Sweet!

Anyhoo, Good luck! The contest will run until next Monday, when the lucky winner will be picked via random draw.

Speaking of shoes, I still have some for sale:


New-In-Box UGG Sandals. Suede bottoms, soft canvas ties and sheepskin toe pad = perfection. Seriously, these sandals are uber flattering, totally walkable and makes you feel like you are floating in the clouds thanks to the sheepskin padding beneath your toes. BLISS! Size 6, 3 inch heel $25


Who is Enzo Angiolini? Well this very popular European brand makes well-crafted, high-quality leather shoes. These adorable red leather sandals with a cage heel and wrap laces? Cost $80...at a discount. Scoop them up now - in size 36 - for $25! Worn once, look delicate and awesome on. Whoever said flats weren't sexy never saw these puppies paired with a flowy boho skirt and skinny tank!


Gojane sandals. Worn once. $8. Size 6, maybe fit 6.5. Metallic pink colour. Sold-out on GoJane and comparable to the Blowfish versions which go for $50.


Steve Maddens - size 37 (size has rubbed off but it fits like a small 37). Uber cool houndstooth/check B&W pattern, perfect for A/W 2009! Has a stable yet sexy 3 inch heel and cute patent bow applique. $20

Did you not hear how Houndstooth is totally in for fall? Compare the above to these A/W 2009 Moschino heels (they aren't even on sale yet, that's how fashion forward they are).


If you want to buy the shoes, email me ASAP - I take Paypal and am shipping out this week!

RICE AND BEANS WINNER!

Congrats to Sal of Already Pretty for winning the Rice and Beans Vintage Draw! I only just visited her blog today (to share the good news) but I am already enamoured with it. Hope you enjoy the $50 gift card and use it towards those heels you wanted! The lazy person that I am, I just numbered everyone's comments 1-68 (in order of commenting) and then used the random generator to come up with one. Sal's was the 46ths comment!

But if you didn't win, don't despair! I am doing a new giveaway on Monday, for Famous Footwear - $25 towards any pair of shoes on their fab site.


Musings...

Books:



Well, last October I started the third book in Steven King's epic fantasy series The Dark Tower and somehow I just never moved on past the first few chapters. My boyfriend - who had already read the entire seven book series (and the last books are like 700 pages each) - kept bugging me to read it so we could discuss but alas my life and procrastination got in the way. Anyway, a few weeks ago I finished the third book, finally...read about 500 pages in two days (I'm a very fast reader and no I don't skip pages). Now I'm starting book four, Wizard and Glass, and I am very much enthralled. Cowboys in the future, apocolyptic parallel worlds, horror and fantasy combined...I recommend these books to anyone wanting a little more "adult smarts" to their macabre reading material (ie these books are not written for teenagers - just my little jab at that whole unfathomable Twilight fad, urgh).

Films:

Saw Funny People last night - can wholly recommend it. Though the raunchy Apatow touch is there, this isn't his light typical fair. I know most - if not all - Apatow films have some veins of drama in them (remember how dark The Cable Guy actually was? Apatow was a producer and uncredited writer on that, btw), but this one skirts the line between heartwrenching and frivolous throughout the film. At some points, the line becomes blurry - where I find it works best. But at other times it jumps back and forth so much, you get confused as to what you are watching. Even the Sandler character (very well played Adam!) is lost at the end...as an audience, you feel like you don't know him anymore and you kind of resent the film for that. But such is life and probably the point.

It does drag on a bit too long too ( 2 and 1.2 hours) but overall, even though it felt hollow and coying at times, I do think it's worth seeing. Seth Rogan and Leslie Mann are great - I love Rogan, but always thought Mann came off as too much of a bitch in her films, especially her husbands (Apatows) ones but in here she was perfect. Even the insuferable Jonah Hill was likeable in this film.

Anyway, if you wanna laugh and get a good look into the world of comedy (as in aspiring stand-up comics and joke-writers), Funny People is worth it. If not for watching Sandler's character's Sandler-esque movies within the film. Mer-Man anyone?

Clothes:

It's funny how having too many pairs of shoes or too much clothing can make your choices seem more...well, limited. I know when I get up in the morning it is one pain in the ass to decide what to wear. When you have too many choices it is easy to stall and freak-out - which one do I pick?

But when you pare things down to just the basics, anything in life becomes easier. And it becomes easier to love things.

For example, when I went away to the cabin for 5 blissful days this week, I packed only a small suitcase full of my shoes/sweaters/dresses etc. With only so many options, I found myself living comfortably in two things: Cargo pants and cage sandals.

The cargo pants are interesting. I almost threw them out while moving a few months back, then I realized I can't do that. I've had these cargo pants since I was 14! You heard me right...14. And I STILL fit them.



Problem is though, that they are quite high waisted (well it was 1995) and the ends of the pants are all ripped up (cuz that was cool, and paired well with my beat up Doc Martins...which I also still have).

Well I couldn't help the high waisted thing (embrace it!) but I did end up rolling the pants to make a pair of adjustable capris. They ended up serving me very well.

As did the cage heel sandal things, which were perfect for exploring rocky lands while keeping my feet cool. They went with the pants perfectly and with dresses as well (OK not as well, but it did hold up during bike riding).