Tiny Stories

Curated by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories officially made its way onto my to-buy list with the above tale. Each story is only a few lines long, but, as you can see above, perfect even with such brevity.

Style Q & A: Heels for a Flat-Lover

I put out a call on fb and twitter for any style questions you'd like to see answered here and to start things off is a question from my friend Nancy, a fellow redhead and Islander to boot! She is a big fan of flats, and doesn't feel quite so comfortable in heels. Her main question? Looking for a pretty pair of easy-to-wear heels that go with everything from workwear to skinny jeans to skirts and dresses.

(Click through for more info on brands and where-to-buy)

I chose some different heel types and styles to give an idea what to look for if a towering stiletto is not your thing (I love 'em, but they are hard to wear sometimes).

One - Okay, I admit that this isn't a completely flat platform sandal (or flat-form as they are sometimes called) but it is pretty darn close. These are a great option for a bit of height with lots of comfort, since it almost feels like you're wearing flats with such a gentle rise.  I personally love this pair from Madewell, but this is a fun shape to look for, especially in summer

Two - This is a much  more pronounced platform, so a fair bit more height here. But fear not! These are can still be really easy to wear because they are generally wider (read: more stable) on the sole and are also easy on the feet!

Three - A classic black heel is a must-have. Of all of these, this is  the one that will literally go with everything. You really can't go wrong.  I picked a sturdy heel version from the folks at Seychelles - you'll feel much more firmly planted than in a stiletto.

Four - The low-mid heel. Not too high, this is a good choice for ladies not used to towering at great heights who still want a bit of a lift. The low heel on these makes them a comfortable style with many fabulous options to choose from, for example the wide selection at Aldo.

Five - Wedges! These have (in most, but not all cases) a stable heel that makes for easy walking and relative comfort although in this Kate Spade pair, the lack of platform at the ball of the foot might make these a pair to get used to.

Six - Last but certainly not least, these will probably be the pick of choice for my flat-loving friend. The hidden heel! A hidden wedge gives the tiniest bit of height without sacrificing any of the comfort. If you want to test the waters, this is the perfect shoe for you.

(Click through for more info!)

I thought I also should throw in a few ideas for flats that are equally versatile, and make up my favourite must-have shoe styles.

One - Ballet Flats! I cannot sing the praises of these enough. I would have a rainbow array of colours if I could but the first two shades to choose if you're adding these to your shoe collection would be black and nude.

Two - Black flats. The ultimate style chameleon, these go with everything. I picked a patent J Crew pair here, but I have had black flats in various incarnations and worn them until they are literally falling apart (I have a tough time saying goodbye to favourite shoes, ok?). Wardrobe staple! 


Three - Pretty details! Flats are pretty simple, but if you can find a pair with a simple detail - whether it is a pretty scalloped edge like this Chloé pair, bright colours, tassels or whatever your heart desires, a special detail can add interest!

Four - Oxfords! A classic. These have had a resurgence in the past few years it seems, and are, in my opinion, timeless. In traditional neutral leather, or as seen above in a fun purple suede, or even in gold metallic as seen in the Joe Fresh Fall 2011 collection - these are a great addition to any shoe collection that you'll wear for ages.


Five - And finally the penny loafer. I have a lovely basic black pair (Thanks Ale!) that I wear constantly - they are the perfect librarian shoe after all - but fun colours like this minty pair from Asos make for a fresh take on an old favourite.

Have a burning style question that you'd like answered? Leave me a comment, 

Send me a tweet, a message on facebook or pop me a quick email and I'd be 

happy to feature your question in my next Style Q & A post. Let me know!

Cats by Posh

Back when the Spice Girls were in their heyday  (oh hello junior high) I would never have predicted that clothing produced by one such girl would find its way onto my wardrobe wishlist, but that day has arrived. The diffusion line by former Posh Spice -  Victoria, Victoria Beckham is pretty much filled with adorable dresses that I loved immediately upon seeing them.

Case in point? The above cat print dresses (sadly sold out on Net-a-Porter) that I think would be perfect for my librarian-self. I don't own a cat but I love cat printed things. I know cat prints have been everywhere for ages, but I can't help myself. I like them!

What's on your wishlist lately?

Joe Fresh: High Fashion to High Street

Ever since the Joe Fresh line started to be shown at Toronto Fashion Week it has consistently been the one I'm most excited to see, namely because I can realistically afford to get most of the garments strolling down the runway. Joe Mimran and the Joe Fresh design team reliably put together shows filled with everything from basics with a twist, covetable pieces (neoprene coats from this past winter anyone?) and put an accessible spin on the trends from international runways, bringing high fashion to the high street.

 Fall 2012 was no different, there were tons of looks I loved, and seemingly more than ever, much attention paid to trends that popped up everywhere from New York to London to Milan to Paris. Here's a rundown on some of the major style trends that surfaced on both on the world's biggest runways, and also made appearances in the Joe Fresh Fall 2012 collection.

Left: Joe Fresh Right: Honor

 Furry details! This furry gorilla-armed coat was the show opener, but it wasn't the only look in the Joe Fresh lineup to feature (faux) fur sporadically placed here and there. Similar fur styling showed up everywhere from Preen to Viktor & Rolf to Honor, pictured above right.

Left: Louis Vuitton, Right: Joe Fresh

Hats - always important for Canadian winters of course, and Joe presented toques and fluffy shearling hats, not unlike the bold toppers perched on the heads of models at Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs.

(L-R) 1 - Joe Fresh 2 - Alexander Wang  3 - Joe Fresh 4 - Organic by John Patrick

Burgundy (or oxblood as it is often dubbed) as well as leathers with a patent sheen were everywhere, and Joe Fresh had a take on that too, echoing the shiny coats from Alexander Wang among others.

Left: Joe Fresh  Right: Suno

 We saw quirky knits and some fabulous sweaters from Joe Fresh for Fall/Winter 2011, and this trend cropped up again from Joe for Fall 2012, along with many other international collections. Ugly sweater lovers, rejoice!

Left: Joe Fresh  Right: Proenza Schouler

 I felt like almost every collection (with a few exceptions, of course) for Fall 2012 showed at least one head-to-toe white, ivory or cream look (as with Proenza, above right). No exception at Joe - it seems we will indeed be wearing white after Labour Day this year.

Left: Joe Fresh  Right: Michael Kors

Who doesn't love a cozy cable knit for fall and winter? I know I do. A number of cozy sweaters walked the Joe Fresh runway, reminiscent of some similar styles seen above right at Michael Kors.

Left: Joe Fresh  Right: Miu Miu

Oh the leisure suit. I don't know if I could ever try head to toe print in suit form, but I would certainly love some of them separately. Miu Miu did these best, but Joe Fresh held it's own with the print above left (which also is sidling into pajama-as-daywear trend category, might I add).

Last but not least, and quite possibly my favourite part of the whole show? The fact that from the bottom of every pair of shoes peeked a bright sole in the brand's signature orange.  Love it.

If you want to see the full Fall 2012 collection from Joe Fresh, hop on over to their facebook page, there is a whole album full of photos.



All images via Joe Fresh

Music Monday: Pull Me In

I've shared tunes from the Paper Lions before in a Music Monday post (here), but I want to share this video as a shoutout to let you all know that they are in the process of raising funds towards their new album via Indiegogo.

I've been a fan of these guys for years, ever since I went to one of their first shows at the Arts Guild in Charlottetown. I've since gone to see them in Ottawa and Winnipeg, and I'm never disappointed. They are a seriously talented bunch of musicians, who put out some great music, in my opinion, at least.

Like what you hear? Click through here, or via the widget on my sidebar to give one, a few or many dollars to this troupe of PEI musicians to help them make their album a reality.

Thea

Now that I am home on PEI, I am excited to share the work of many Island crafters, jewelers, artists, musicians and more. There are so many great talents, and they don't get near enough recognition, in my humble opinion. This latest giveaway features some lovely rose earrings from Thea, a local jewelry line handmade by Dorothy, a friend and fellow Bluefield High alumna, incidentally.

She makes all of these pretty pieces by hand, and is kindly making two pairs to give away to two of you, my readers! One lucky winner will receive a pair or pink roses, another a pair of peppermint. Want to enter for your chance to win? Read on!

To Enter:
1. Follow Lot 65 via Bloglovin' or GFC
2. Leave a comment sharing your favourite flower (since these are pretty floral earrings after all!)
3. Make sure to leave a way for me to get in touch with you - email, twitter handle, etc.)

C'est tout! That's it!

For extra entries -
Like Lot 65 on Facebook
Follow @lotsixtyfive on twitter
Like Thea on Facebook

Make sure to leave separate comments for each entry so I can keep track!

You have until 5 pm, Sunday, March 25 to enter - wishing you all the very best of luck!

Friday Favourites v. 5

In this fifth installment of Friday favourites, I'm sharing a few of the things I've discovered recently from trends, to opinion pieces, to pretty books and then some. Hopefully you can find a new favourite or two from among these.

The story of a Toronto designer who took such offence to critique that she ousted the offending journalist/blogger.

An opinion piece from the National Post which mentions the above fiasco

This perfectly simple & chic outfit from Sarah of Girlcrush

This bookish art print that brings a fresh perspective to love-heart.

Any and all photos in Elsa Billgren's gorgeous and inspirational photostream

These adorable punch-cards.

Stunning street style shots from Toronto photographer Lewis Mirrett. This guy could give Tommy Ton a run for his money.

Some seriously beautiful handmade books discovered via Design Sponge (of course!).

An amazing photography series by Tom Hussey

The Cut recaps the trends from Fall 2012 runways

Awesome literature-themed street art

These custom editions and book jackets from Juniper Books were meant for Valentine's day, but I love them any time.

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Pop Champagne's Beaded Heels

Julie of Pop Champagne has been one of my favourite bloggers for a while now, namely because of her fantastic style, as well as her consistently amazing DIY projects. Back in the fall I suggested she try her hand at these Burberry Prorsum beauties, because I thought if anyone could make a knockout DIY version, it'd be Julie.

Happily, she took up my challenge and made her own fabulous pair of Burberry Prorsum-esque heels (seen above!), which she shared on her blog recently. Seriously impressive results, don't you think? Head over to her blog for the full scoop and step-by-step instructions on how to fashion your own pair.

Hunger Games: Capitol Colours

I started reading The Hunger Games trilogy after a glowing recommendation from one of my lovely grad school classmates, and now fellow librarian, Katie. At the time, only the first two books were out, and I devoured them quickly, as they were really exciting, fun reads (If you haven't read them yet, you need to! Seriously!). As soon as Mockingjay was out in stores I was there to get the final installment in the series. So obviously, I'm extremely excited about the upcoming film based on the books, and looking forward to seeing how they interpret the story for screen.

Obviously with a best-selling book-turned-movie franchise like The Hunger Games, there is major merchandise to be found. Normally, I'm not one for that kind of thing but I have to admit, I was super excited to learn of the China Glaze nail polish line inspired by the film, Capitol Colours, pictured above. Twelve colours in all, each inspired (for the most part) by the various districts making up Panem (the fictional country in which the stories take place).  I received these a few days ago from the folks at NailpolishCanada.com, and couldn't wait to test out each one!

To get a feel for all of the colours, I tried out one on every finger (well, 10 out of 12). I can honestly say that I like almost all of them. The only colour that doesn't suit me (and that I don't really like, to be honest), is Mahogany Magic (L, pinky). It is a brown - which I normally gravitate to) but it has a yellow tinge that makes it look icky rather than pretty.  Overall I found that they went on great - most didn't even need a second coat although for the purposes of this post I went for a double coat just to be on the safe side. Only exception? The glitter shade - Electrify (R, index), which needed a few coats to get the desired effect but is fabulous once on!

My favourites of these first 10 - Dress Me Up (L, index), Hook and Line (L, ring), Harvest Moon (R, middle), and Agro (R, ring).

The two polishes I saved for last were Stone Cold (left) and Luxe & Lush (see the sparkly white bottle far right in the top photo), which is a clear topcoat filled with colourful sparkly flecks. Oh, and by the way? Try not to judge my sadly imperfect self-manicure, painfully obvious, right? Moving on - what is interesting about Stone Cold is that it looks at first glance like a sparkly grey, but dries so matte, there is next to no sheen at all. An interesting albeit flat colour, so I was interested to see how it would change with Luxe & Lush added as a topcoat. I know these two shots don't do it justice, but it totally changed the look, and I liked it much better. I did try Luxe & Lush over one of my trusty Essie polishes too and it looked great - it added just the right amount of sparkle.

Overall? Really happy with these polishes. The whole set or each individual polish is available here, so check them out if you want to snap them up before the movie premieres here in Canada.

I'll be wearing different shades from this line in the days leading up to the film (dorky I know, but I'm a librarian, so that makes celebrating fun books & movies totally okay!) - follow me on twitter to see photos of each individual colour.

May the odds be ever in your favour!

Samesies

Am I the only one who buys multiple colours when finding a new favourite item of clothing? These striped dresses are from Joe Fresh (as are the boots and necklace, incidentally). I bought the orange one first and then went back for navy, since they are super comfortable, easy, and perfect for wearing to work.

Somewhat embarassingly these are styled almost identically (At left, today's outfit. At right, one from last week). It seems I have to get a touch more creative when remixing these.

To my credit, today I added the ultimate librarian it-item - a cardigan.

Light A Penny Candle

I admit, I am particularly easy to win over when it comes to anything library or book related. I've long been a fan (although I don't yet own any) of the beautifully fashionable tomes from Assouline books and to my delight I discovered that they now offer a range of library themed candles = YES! These little beauties have definitely made it onto my home decoration wishlist.

With lovely book and library related quotes, these candles smell like ... wait for it... old books! Well, to be more specific, "leather bindings, worn wood and crisp pages". Perfect? I think so.

Look Who's Reading

How perfect is this sweater for casual day at the library? I don't actually own a cat (don't really want to become the stereotypical cat-owning librarian, although I love them), but when I see one on a piece of clothing (or an accessory) I pretty much have to get it. Combine a cat with a book? I just can't say no.

 

Peach & Mint

In spite of snow and frosty temperatures, I can't help but think of the coming spring and the soft, pretty colours that go along with it. Two colours I am really gravitating towards for items making their way into my spring wardrobe are peach and mint. Each on its own is so lovely, but in combination (See: here, here or here)? Even better.

What colours are you loving for spring? Let me know in the comments.

Music Monday: Twist in the Wind

It's been a while since I've featured songs by Island artists, and since I am once again living on my beloved PEI I thought I'd share this tune by folk-rock band Racoon Bandit. Most of you know (or can guess) that PEI is a pretty small place, where everyone knows most everyone else, or at least you can find a common connection.

 In this case? I went to high school with Racoon Bandit's front man, Fraser McCallum, although granted, I can't claim any cool cred since I don't really know him. Essentially I only vaguely remember him wandering the halls of Bluefield High around the same time I did. But I digress.

I've only recently downloaded their album, Into the Hills, and am loving it so far. My favourite tune (partly due to its awesome and utterly Canadian name in addition to fabulous sound): Wooly Toque. Perfect!

Like what you hear? You can download their album via bandcamp or itunes. Well worth it, in my humble opinion.

What are you listening to lately?

It's Not Easy Being Green

Here

Here

Here

Here & here

Seems like everything I've been pinning to my Style Inspiration board has been in the brightest shades of green. Maybe it's because green is a reliably fantastic colour on we red-haired ladies, but it has always been one of my favourite colours, and definitely one I plan to be sporting this spring.

Here

    If you're looking for more style inspiration, take a gander at my board over on Pinterest!






What colours are you loving for spring? Let me know in the comments!