Mad Dogs

Every creative agency I’ve visited has to have at least one novelty relaxation station (air hockey, pinball, ping pong, Xbox, etc) to prove that they are totally laid back and really value a healthy work/play balance, and at least one dog.

I personally think these dogs are undervalued in their field, often working as unpaid interns for their entire lives, the only stipulation in their contract being a bed in the corner, and the occasional free lunch after a meeting lets out. What would happen if you let the four-legged strategists run the show?

Amanda Taylor at Florida State University wondered the same thing.

HBC-love

Americana, and the subsequent “can we play too?!” Canadiana trends are nothing new in style-blogging, but I will shamelessly get all up on the bandwagon for anything Hudsons Bay Company. I did not grow up in the Canadian east, spending cozy nights wrapped in a big itchy wool Bay blanket in a cottage by a wood-burning stove. My fondness for the Canadian iconic giant is strictly aesthetic (that’s what you’re here for, right?) and I have only the slightest amount of embarrassment admitting that. The brand-makeover the Bay is currently undergoing continues to impress me every time I visit their flagship store (which is often, because I walk past it twice daily to and from work).

I received this email from the Bay minutes ago anouncing their new FW2012 womens’ trench coat, and I am in love.

/hbc iconic trench/

I’m not guaranteeing I’ll invest, as I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect trench coat for the better part of a decade and thus far have not achieved perfection, but I’m certainly going to stop by and try it on. It would be the perfect fall little-sister to my long-coveted, finally-posessed Smythe HBC coat that I got last winter.

/smythe for hbc coat/

[Update] – The smallest size this coat comes in is a 4, and it runs fairly true-to-size. No HBC trench for me, but the quality is great and it’s a beautiful coat! I hope to see these out in the streets soon.

shopbop – The World of Flats

I generally auto-delete most emails I receive from companies I’ve ordered designer clothing from in flush-months at work. As I am currently saving up to go back to school, the temptation is too great, and I am notorious for justifying necessities whenever my credit card bill reads $0 owing. In hazy waking hours I do, on occasion, forget to purge the onslaught of designer-mail in my inbox, leaving me to skim through them over my lunch break, when I am wide-eyed after 4 cups of coffee, and ready to absorb lookbooks and sale prices.

This lookbook from shopbop was waaaay to darling to pass up. It has tied together my two guiltiest pleasures – flat, menswear-inspired shoes, and vintage nicknacks, trinkets, and glassware (a third would be, arguably, discarding the two aforementioned items all over my apartment with great discord, but that’s another story). I flipped through these images, which remind me almost of a Scholastic “I Spy” book because you find something new to discover and covet each time you look, and couldn’t resist posting a few and picking out my must-haves.

/shopbop – the world of flats/

/jeffrey campbell – martini loafers/

Everybody has been either wearing or coveting studded loafers for the past year. These hit the mark for both wearability and price point.

/ferragamo – varina flats/

Not my pick, but the panther panting and Trigger figurine would settle into my apartment with ease.

/marc by marc jacobs – printed smoking slippers/

These shoes are almost too fun to wear. I’m having a hell of a time visualizing what outfit these could pair with, but if they’re within your budget and you’re a little more daring than I, they are nothing short of incredible. Worst case scenario, they look darling performing an Elvis-esque dance move in your vintage glassware, no?

/alexander wang – ruby monk strap oxfords/

These monk strap oxfords top my ~neeeed~ list from the whole collection of shoes. I’d only invest in the black (of course), but these are the kind of shoe you’ll be resoling for the rest of your life. They are classic and perfect, and it’s about time somebody put out a good pair of monk straps in a womens’ shoe. These shoes are wearable with jeans, trousers, a casual dress, to work, out for dinner, lying on your couch singing “Where The Boys Are” in menswear-inspired clothing…

Read on for the rest of my picks of the litter.

My Week in Instagrams

Took a train ride from Seattle to Vancouver at dusk.

Dropped a huge chunk of change on my dream sunglasses, the Breakfast at Tiffany’s Oliver Goldsmith Manhattan glasses. I am trying to save money for my education, but these are an investment, both financially and emotionally. I have never before put on a pair of sunglasses and instantly felt beautiful, mysterious, and confident. They are perfect. They are mine.

The Aesthetic Curator

I guess this is my first real blog post.