My favourite things - fashion

I believe that there is true power in intention, and that this isn’t just the title of a Wayne Dyer book, but a way to live your life. I have also been taught by the Inner Bombshell and Carrie and Danielle, the women behind the Style Statement (I wrote an article about this process for the Globe and Mail, see it here), that it is a powerful exercise to look at pictures that give you a positive, happy and hopeful response, and put those all together on a page or in a book, as a first step on the path of building the life you want to have.

These can be pictures of a pair of shoes or ring you like, a building that opens your mind, a landscape that feels like the perfect escape, your favourite car…anything, and whatever works for you.

This is something I actually like to do on a regular basis. As I am poking around the internet, looking at various style and design blogs and web sites, I save pictures of my favourite things to a style folder. I also save images and even words from magazines and add them to a folder, and then every now and then on a Sunday morning over a cup of tea, I make a collage out of them and put in a book.

Why pictures? I find that even as a writer, to try to distill the essence of my hopes, dreams, wishes, and even image, into words is incredibly difficult. If I have a positive gut reaction when I look at an image (even with the awareness that many of them are often fully styled), then I know that I have hit upon something.

And why so image oriented? It makes me happy to find pretty things, and to look at them. It gives me something to look forward to, to try to take direction from clothing, furniture, architecture and other things that attract my eye and put me in a good mood. If you think this is not important, or something I should feel guilty for or apologize about, you probably shouldn’t even be reading this blog and I’ll just wish you luck and send you on your way now.

I would like to share my current favourite things with you, and will add updates from time to time. I am going to start with wardrobe - and mostly summer wardrobe because as I sit here tapping away at my keyboard, a warm spring breeze is blowing through the window. I will later add in architecture, and more but for today, it’s what I’d like to wear on my feet and body. I am also inviting all readers who are interested in the same thing, to share your favourite things with me, and I’ll make you your very own Favourite Things listing. Just e-mail me your pictures, and a bit about why you’ve chosen what you love…and a bit about yourself, too.

And here we go…

Music sets the mood, so let’s start off with the soundtrack for Tamara, shall we?

“Budapest Eskimo” by
“Beautiful Day Without You” by Royksopp
“Beloved” by Anoushka Shankar
“Diferente, El Norte, Santa Maria” by Gotan Project

Wardrobe
Boots I found in my internet travels, at Posie Gets Cozy!

Shoes from Simple. Sustainably built from stuff like cork, jute, recycled plastic, bamboo, recycled car tires and organic cotton.


And being the unpredictable sort that I am, my tastes run the gamut from simple shoes to…those slightly more extravagant.
Chanel Spectator pumps. Le siiiiigh. Le swoon.

John Fleuvog’s Big Ruth boot

Working our way up from the feet to the entire body now, these are a few of my favourite things.

I almost got this vintage crochet top on ebay - didn’t set my alarm and forgot to bid! Argh!


Luckily I have an uber-talented mother who said she will crochet it for me! That’s the thing I love about fashion - whether it’s designer, less expensive or handmade, it’s all about what you feel good in. I’d never say no to designer if given the opportunity to wear it, but I also won’t break the bank to own it. Incidentally, the tunic went for $20.60. Did I mention “argh”?!

I just poked through Banana Republic’s web site and here are some of my favourites from their summer goodies (I am in a dress mood) - first the empire waist goddess dress:
And then the silk t-shirt dress.


And I loved this, the Midnight Circle Nora cami at J. Crew


And this, the Frida embroidered skirt…beautiful, non?


Pretty dresses from Anthropologie.

I browse through my favourite stores either in person or online, on a fairly regular basis. I’m not embarrassed to say I look at Old Navy, and you ought not to be either. Sure, a lot of their stuff fits like crap, and falls apart in the third washing, but I find them great for t-shirts, shorts, and other stuff you know you’ll want for only summer of ‘07.

I love the Bermuda shorts I just got last weekend in black, have worn them four times already, and they were under $30. Here’s my formula for an easy look.
Old Navy black shorts. A cheapie tank top and a great belt by Shi Studio,
some ballet flats (I actually like the Crocs Prima flats, shoot me if you want to...)

and you’re ready to skip out on the town.

Stores like Old Navy and Joe Fresh (and I guess H&M though we don’t have one in Vancouver) are so affordable you know you can go back, drop the same $100 next summer and be happy with your purchases all summer long. And you know what - on the same day I’ll look at Balenciaga or Marc Jacobs and swoon just the same. And while we’re on the subject of Marc Jacobs, let me share what j’adore from him.

Oh. My. Good. Lord. I’d simply have to have one of his handbags as well though.
And again speaking of Marc Jacobs, he’s my MySpace friend!! I do believe that after a night of too much red wine, I might have written to him via MySpace and said something that sounded very much like, “If I got an interview with you I would sh*t my pants”…only I didn’t put the bashful little asterisk there. I wonder why I haven’t heard from him! And if this didn’t work for this big Marc Jacobs fan, I don’t know if my drunken MySpace rambling will.

I am also a Missoni fan and would quite like a car coat, thankyouverymuch.
You know what, I could go on for days!

I had best end it here…with a smattering of my current (wardrobe) favourite things for your perusal. Next time on the subject I will move into the house and home.

Please, send in your faves!