Shoe Month Report

Hello everyone! How do you manage your shoe closet?

Shoes are one of those things I am addicted to buying. I have amassed a Spanish Armada of designer shoes bought mainly on sale in stores and online. As it often happens, my last pregnancy has put this army to the test, but not much until recently. Spring around here is short, and the fact that most of my shoes and boots did not fit me after the baby's birth did not matter much as I quickly transitioned to wearing sandals. Summer has been longer than usual, and the shoe issue did not become a real problem until a month ago, compounded with my resurfacing foot injury.

It was time for Shoe Week. I took all my shoes out of storage (I wish I had taken a picture), stored back immediately the ones that did not fit me at all, and took the remaining ones on a road test. It turned out I was missing comfy shoes to be out and about with the baby -- which remains my main occupation even though I went back to work.

A few wrong purchases (and corresponding returns) later, I was back where I started. I thus decided to set off for Holt Renfrew and forget about budget constraints. I needed one pair of everyday shoes. You know what? For once, it turned out they were the cheapest of the bunch. I am now officially in love with Cole Haan's Nike Air technology. Plus, as a owner of Jimmy Choo's black patent kitten heels, I can attest that they look no different that my newly acquired pair of Cole Haan Juliana patent pumps. Do your feet a favor, and get yourself a pair too.

Thoughts on a Monday morning

Hello everyone and happy Monday!

I hope you had a splendid weekend. Ours was heavily Halloween-themed, with our local library's annual scavenger hunt (and pumpkin decorating contest), a birthday party, and kids activities at the gym.

That's where I find myself again on this rainy, cold and miserable Monday morning, catching up on my favorite blogs while the baby sleeps in the back seat. He has had a spout of gastro in the past few days, so today I decided to keep home from daycare to recover.

This is why this quote (discovered via the only and only SF girl by the Bay) really reasoned with me, and has ended up straight on my desktop (BTW, wouldn't this confetti wallpaper be perfect for the holiday season?). Our life has gotten so busy with two kids (I know, duh). Most days are a time accelerator, as I indeed try to do everything, from working (yes, my maternity leave is over) to squaring the circle of school pickup-homeworks-family dinners. I cannot do everything though, and so far it is my work that suffers. I have given myself a free pass this semester because I know I cannot do everything. I want to be there for my baby. When my older son was born I did not have the same luxury. I had to work towards tenure, and every minute counted. This time around, I have come to terms with the fact that it's ok if I do not publish any groundbreaking research for a couple of months. 

You can do anything, but you cannot do everything. Ditto. And remember to laugh.

Me, myself, and the pumpkin

Hello everyone! Do you consider yourself as being competitive?

This is the pumpkin we submitted to our local library's Halloween contest. Yesterday evening we fund out that we did not win. We did not even get third place. I am not a competitive person, but boy I was BUGGED. It took me a while to figure out why. My best friend, for the second year in a row, won. (Remember her pumpkin from last year?) Her son is my son's best friend, and last year their victory had quite upset my little boy. This year I wanted to show him I could help him win. I failed. I felt like I failed him.

Kids are amazing though. Last night, before falling asleep, I asked my son whether I had let him down. He told me: "Of course not! Our is a great pumpkin! We'll make something even better for next year!"
I still entered our pumpkin for Lego's Halloween competition though...

Greyout

Hello everyone! What is your favourite palette for FW13?

Lucky magazine may be right, that following SS13, this November there is nothing like black and white (pardon me the rhyme).

I love the simplicity of the white silk shirt + black pants combo for an evening out (or in, who am I kidding?), but I recently discovered that my love of black and white pretty much ends there.

I think many years of my parents' aversion for black clothing on young girls, especially when close to one's face, have caught up with me. When I was younger wearing black was the ultimate rebellion. The black Moschino trench I put on one bright Easter Sunday is one of the family tales my parents still laugh about. Even after I moved out of my parents' home, I recently realized, I bought few black clothing items, and they have contributed to fill the eveningwear section of my closet.

As I am rebuilding my fall/winter closet to accommodate a still out-of-size post-pregnancy figure, I rediscovered the same truth. I am a lover of grey more than black clothing. Lucky me, grey is another one of the season's fashionable colours.

Now if I just would find the right grey coat...

FW13 trends | Spring into Fall

Hello everyone! Are you into pastels for Fall?

Pink, in its many shades, is very fashionable for FW13. (A bubblegum pink merino crew neck is staring at me from Club Monaco's latest store arrivals as we speak).

When I first saw Celine's collection, and notably the above ensemble, I almost ran to buy this pale blush coat to reproduce the same look. Then I remembered, in random order: 1) pink is not my favorite color, 2) since yesterday the minimum temperature has dropped below freezing, and the days for wearing costs are numbered, 3) we do not really get spring weather, and prospects for wearing the coat in a few months time are grim, and 4) Celine herself has reverted to a Fall-esque color palette for her resort collection, no less.

The bubblegum merino sweater is still hunting me though.


Photo: My Manifesto.

FW13 trends | Shiny boots and flat d'Orsay

Hello everyone! What shoes will you be wearing this Fall?

I am obsessed with shiny boots and flat d'Orsay. The former takes the shape of Zara's block heel ankle boots, which keep selling out online and have never even been seen at the brand's flagship store in downtown Montreal. As for the latter, I daydream of anything by Jenny Kayne, but I could settle for this other number by Zara as well. I'd love to hear what you covet!

FW13 trends | The cool girl's backpack

Hello everyone! Do you wear backpacks?

This season, Marni heralded the return of the backpack, which is now here to stay as the it bag for Fall.

I am not that mom who can rock a bulky backpack. Being a professor, I feel it makes the boundaries between me and my students a bit too blurry. I have a Napapijri backpack that occasionally I bring myself to wear only in the summer -- I most recently used it for our summer trip to Italy, just because I carried the Ergobaby and even a tote was out of the question.

I have considered too many times to upgrade to a designer backpack (Elizabeth and James' spotted calf hair drawstring backpack in their recently launched line of handbags is at the top of my list). The price tag, and the grim prospects of wearing it, have stopped me every single one.

This is why I have fallen for Zara's rucksack with zips. Roomy, but not bulky. Alexander Wang's kind of cool. Marni-like convertible. I predict it will be one of those Zara items popping up everywhere -- and in my daily outfits more than any other bag I own.

P.S. This is the second post in our FW13 trends coverage. In case you missed it, here is the first one.


Photo: Zara October ad campaign.

FW13 trends | The waxed leg

Hello everyone! Have you already updated your wardrobe with the latest trends from Fall?

I am sooo late with our review of the Fall trends this year, my apologies! I am planning on making it up to you by catching up in a few days time.

Let's begin with the lowdown on bottoms. Leather is always a big trend for Fall, and this year is no exception. The latest on leather is the swingy miniskirt, if you have the legs and  the attitude for it. I do not see myself showing up... anywhere with a miniskirt since I was 15. Plus leather is expensive, and not everybody likes the shiny look.

Enter the coated finish. It is everywhere, but it is especially fashionable for pants. As J Brand commercial pitch puts it, it is a sleek finish that shimmers with an edgy sophistication. My favorite (as usual) are GAP 1969 coated biker legging jeans. When I tried them on at the store I was in awe: it looked like my legs had shrunk back to their pre-pregnancy shape. (The black ones have already sold out twice online and in stores, so I must not be the only one).

I took one in every color (a habit that seems to work well for me lately), and returned the black ones just because they were a bit too matte for my taste!


Photo: Viva Luxury.

Over and out

Hello everyone! At which point in the season do you shop?

Recently I keep coming across reminders of the in-versus-out-of-season buying fashion issue. In a interview given to Vogue (and published in the August issue -- I know I am a bit behind my reading...), Tamara Mellon professes that the main innovation of her upcoming namesake line will be its in-season presence. Think selling bikinis in summer. This article in T magazine indeed reminded me that buying a coat in winter has become almost preposterous, and that resort is the collection lingering the longest on the shelves.

Somehow, it all seems such a luxury problem to me though. We all want to be fashionable, but even while I was living in Italy (two years ago as well as while growing up) there was little pressure to be the very first to own new season's items. Perhaps this is why I have given in so easily to the North American sales culture. I seldom buy items full price. I always wait for the next sale.

If you are like me, this is the time in the season you can begin your shopping! Columbus Day is behind us, and Friends & Family offers abound. For instance, at Shopbop you can take 25% off until tomorrow with code INTHEFAMILY25. Over at Saks, the sale went live online today, and you can take 25% off with code FRNFAM until October 20. (I expect Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman to follow suit soon). Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic Canada are sticking to their regular online offers, check back often to get the best deal.

Happy shopping!


Photo: Max Mara's Cube, one of my favorite winter coats (as you may remember from this post).

Happy National Handbag Day!

Hello everyone! Did you know that today is National Handbag Day?

Way to go Purseblog for instituting such a too-long-forgotten special occasion. As a handbag-obsessed person myself, I am a big fan.

I celebrated by sporting my new Michael Kors Jet Set Travel Tote, which I got to celebrate my return to work after maternity leave. I have pondered this purchase for about two years, and I am glad that Gwyneth-alias-Pepper Potts gave me the final push by sporting it on Iron Man 3. It is light, roomy, well-organized (with separate pockets for laptop, cell phone, and iPad), and affordable. And the saffiano leather? It has nothing to envy to Prada's.

I went back to work and I pulled a Mrs O

Hello everyone! Did you have a good week?

After yesterday's warm-up, today I went officially back to work. With a bang. Literally. To look put together, I treated myself to an early hair appointment -- somehow getting my hair and makeup properly done in the morning is still a bit of a challenge. I was just supposed to get a blow-dry, but my hairdresser had such a cool haircut (never mind she is 10 years younger than me), and one thing led to another... I ended up leaving the salon with a fresh pair of bangs. 

Mrs O would be proud.


Photo: Mrs O.

It felt like Fashion Week

Hello everyone! Did you have maternity leave?

One of the good things of living in Canada is that I was able to dedicate 7 months (I know!) to my baby boy after his birth.

All good things come to an end, and today is my last day of maternity leave. 

Rather than celebrating with my baby, I spent the day at the office. I had to attend two important department meetings and a dissertation defense, and in between meetings I took care of the needs of the baby (I am still breastfeeding him) with the help of my faithful housekeeper. Alias, I ran around for the whole day. Swapping flats with the only pair of heel that still fit me as I went along, I caught myself thinking: this is what attending fashion week should be like! (What I read about it anyway, since I never got more than a glimpse of it so far). 

For the whole day, the mere thought has made me feel more fashionable than the circumstances would allow.


Photo: The Sartorialist.

It was supposed to be good weather

Hello everyone! Are you having a good week?

This is my last week of maternity leave (sob). I feel blessed to have had the chance to spend the past seven months just to take care of my baby boy. I just wished I felt a bit less tired now that I have to go back to work...

Which brings me to the weather. This week we are experiencing summer temperatures around here. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that on Monday I have taken advantage of this exceptional circumstance by sunbathing at the gym -- everything looks better with a tan, right? --. Yesterday I was planning a repeat, but I had to pick up my baby boy from daycare because he supposedly had red spots all over his body (gotta love the daycare viruses, but it was nothing in the end). Today is my next-to-last chance to get that sunkissed glow going before my first big work meeting tomorrow. I have slept next to nothing last night, and the weather when we left the house was windy and overcast. After I dropped off the kids I thus hesitated: going home to sleep or heading to the gym? It is supposed to be good weather, I told myself. But. The morning is still windy and overcast.

Here I am, sitting at the gym's restaurant, trying to forget I am sleep-deprived by catching up on my magazine reading (the height of my stack is ridicoulous at this point). I got inspired to buy a Halloween costume based on Katniss Everdeen's survival suit from The Hunger Games, and since that one is not available I am now wondering whether to get this one or this one (thoughts?). Most importantly, I was reminded to mark my calendar: Isabel Marant for H&M is coming on November 14.

Let's just hope the sun will come out soon...

Blogging Saturday, I mean, Tuesday

Hello everyone! Did you do anything fun during the weekend?

Last Saturday marked my third "me" Saturday. Let me explain. After my older son was born, my husband started running, first recreationally and then training for marathons (you may remember the trips to Ottawa and Florence we took for this reason). His Sunday morning runs have become a stable point of our family schedule.

Paraphrasing Malthus, I discovered that as the number of children increases only in an arithmetical ratio, the hecticness of family life increases in a geometrical ratio. Alias: now that we have a first-grader and a baby I feel completely burned out at the end of the week, and I need time off. Hence the idea of taking Saturday mornings just for me. Originally it was supposed to be a whole morning of blogging (which has become the Cinderella of my weekly activities) over pastries and a cappuccino at our local coffee shop. Grocery shopping had to be squeezed in too, so it shrunk to two hours. So far I have used them as catch-up time for beauty appointments, because the baby has gotten more mobile and takes less naps, and during the week even getting a manicure has become impossible (talk about tick tock).

But. Three weeks in the making, I have gotten through a good third of all posts I had half-written during the summer. The big summer recap is here, as well as the latest crazy fashion and my blog favorites of late. Fall coverage coming soon... who knows? Maybe over a cappuccino.

The Fall Fashion Edit: Who do you think you are?

Hello everyone! Did you know that Vogue's preview of Fall fashion, back in July, deemed that this is "the question posed by Fall's unique and iconoclastic collections-tailor made for strong women"?

This is (apparently) why Fall shows bounced from Raf Simon's combination of "elegance with sharp modernity" at Dior, to Phoebe Philo's "covetable clothes, cut surprisingly with a distinct sculptural bravado" at Celine, Riccardo Tisci's "love song to wayfaring magpies" (whatever that means) sung for Givenchy, Hedi Slimane's "Edie-Sedgwick-esque combinations" for Saint Laurent (a wild side we never saw coming).

I say, whatever the Fall show I did not attend where trying to tell us, I am in. The baby weight is going away, and it is leaving me with an empty closet new possibilities to rediscover my style (again).


Foto: Zimbio.