BLOGGING FROM THE EMPIRE STATE

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Countdown

Right now I am like this…..


By Sunday I will be like this……


1 day until my last exam
2 days until my love comes to visit
3 days until the Champagne Memories Gala
4 days until I can breath again

Monday, April 20, 2009

Fetishized

Givenchy shoes....I DIE I DIE I DIE I DIE.
please please please please please with a CHERRY ON TOP.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Who doesn't keep a basketball in their ombre bag?






If I were to play basketball, I'm hoping it would look something like this.

Rodarte

Most wanted

Do you remember a time before swipe passes and electronic pads, when doors - and secrets- were opened with keys? From steamer trunks to hotel rooms, personal diaries to jewelery cases, a metal key was the only way in.

This spring Tiffany & Co. unlocked their archives where such vintage treasures lay hidden, and reworked them into exquisite pendants in silver, platinum, and gold. Now if only they'd make them to fit in our front doors, it would be the perfect mix of style and practicality.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Evening enchantments

This spread is too stunning for words.
Well played Harper Bazaar.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

I'm trying to...


In 1971 Abbie Hoffman penned this classic go-to-guide for staging your own personal rebellion. It was published at a time when American revolutionary zeal was at an all time high. The book includes instructions on everything from building your own pipe bomb, to how to use slugs to get past the turnstiles in the New York City subway. Essentially, every way you can come up with to cheat the system. Hoffman wrote it from jail, which makes his anti-authoritarian cause all the more legitimate. The book is notoriously hard to find, especially in libraries or bookstores, due mostly to its title and implied mentality. I've been searching high and low for a copy. If you ever do happen upon it, I dare you to be devious and make like the title suggests. (Just make sure to read the chapter on shoplifting FIRST).

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Finals come but twice a year. Thankfully.

When the weather eventually improves McGill student continue to hibernate. That’s right, final exams are once again upon us. At a time when we should be playing Frisbee on lower field, most students are still stuck inside at coffee shops trying desperately to catch up on weeks of untouched readings, myself included. Having exhausted my desire to study at Presse CafĂ©, Second Cup, or god forbid the library, I find myself stationed at Santropol. For those who are unaware, Santropol is the most darling restaurant in Montreal, boasting the best sandwiches in town and sinfully delicious desserts. Complete with wifi access, Santropol is my new study place du Jour. Freshly baked bread and disturbingly strong coffee make this the perfect place to tear through that 400 page course pack. Much better then the stale tuna fish sandwich you will undoubtedly be forced to eat while studying at the Redpath library.

Obsession of the moment

Hunter rain boots have developed a type of cult like following over the last few years. It makes perfect sense in Canada where we spend 70% our year knee deep in icy slush. The hottest new addition to the Hunter family comes complements of Mr. Jimmy Choo. Combining Choo’s trademark crocodile embossing with rubber wellies has yielded some surprisingly fantastic results. These boots are the ultimate in practical luxury. They will debut in June, to be sold exclusively at Jimmy Choo stores, with a select number available online. Don’t expect to get your hands on these beauties unless you register on the waitlist that opens up on May 1st. I for one, will be up earlier then I normally am for course registration. Happy Hunting.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Vintage is not a euphemism for old

There is something undeniably wonderful about buying vintage clothing. In most cases it’s the thrill of the hunt, and the prospect of finding a Givenchy silk scarf in the 2 for $5 bin. For those who are less inclined to dig, Nasty Girl Vintage is fantastic for when you’re feeling a little lazy. Whether you root through the bins at the Salvation Army or order your handpicked items online, buying vintage clothing guarantees the type of originality that can never be procured shopping at Urban Outfitters.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Fast times at Concordia University


Now all universities have a rival school, and it’s no secret that McGill and Concordia dislike one another. This week, however, I was forced to go behind enemy lines. Some extremely considerate person decided to take out every single book on racial stereotyping in art history forcing me, and presumably others, to get creative. So here I sit in the Concordia library, contemplating race and modernism and thinking about the differences between our two schools. Concordia students are not all that different from McGill students except maybe in their library etiquette. At McGill, silence is golden. Even opening the zipper of your bag is considered a serious offense, and will elicit stares. At Concordia there is no such standard. Every floor is loud, and I don’t means just noisy, I mean loud. There are also more people sitting on the tables then there are on the chairs. More importantly, Jeff Spicoli at the table across from me just ordered himself a deluxe pizza, hold the onions, extra cheese. Toto I don’t think we’re at McGill anymore.

Moi, je joue



It’s springtime in Montreal, which naturally means that it is still snowing. Yuck. Even though the weather is crummy I don’t really care. I’m spending my afternoon daydreaming of Paris and all the beautiful adventures I will have next year on exchange. School is just coming to an end, but I await next September with eager anticipation. This video for Dior, directed by Sophia Coppola, fills me with joie de vivre. So exquisite. Can't wait.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens


A few of my favorite things right now:

vintage scarves
porter airlines
buns burgers on st. laurent
chanel gold fiction nail polish
fml
period dramas
walks up mount royal
on the road
very dry martinis
kiehls coriander moisturizer
dorota
balmain’s fall collection
pistachio macaroons
vik muniz
the st. paul hotel
temperatures above freezing

Coming to America

In the wake of an economic crisis the Americans are facing a British invasion. Topshop has officially opened its’ doors in New York City just in time for spring.




Last night, celebrities flocked to Balthazar on Spring st. to celebrate the launch. The queen of British cool (aka Kate Moss), will host the official store opening today. SoHo should expect a large influx of fashionistas, all clamoring for a chance to stalk their favorite style icon.

Topshop has flown under the North American radar for a while, but for those in the know it’s a veritable treasure trove of affordable unconventional fashion. The first North American outlet is good news. Hopefully, a Canadian flagship won’t be too far behind. (I realize it’s just delirious and wishful thinking, but a girl can dream right?) Until then, it gives us Montreal girls yet another excuse to pop down to the City.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

The Breakfast Club


Anyone who goes to McGill will reluctantly be forced to admit that we're a rather elitist bunch. I seem to have made matters worse for myself by choosing two majors that are particularly good at attracting people with a "holier then thou" attitude: art history and political science respectively. Focusing on the art history department, if you choose to take an art history class you will inevitably be faced with 5 main types of students, and something to look forward to:

1) The suck up: Every class has one. This person generally aspires to become a professor and is therefore on a first name basis with yours. They’ll start their sentences with things like “As you know professor x, the reading states that...”
In an effort to seem smarter, they’ll often bring in knowledge from other art history classes that they are simultaneously taking. The proff might not be aware of this fact, but every other student in the room is. Nice try bud. We’re onto you.

2) The fashionista: Half of the people in art history are not actually interested in art. Why, you may wonder, do they choose to study it then? These girls/boys are generally the people who are too proud to attend a school that might actually offer the fashion merchandising program they so desire (Ryerson, Concordia, Parsons, you get the idea). Instead they choose to get a degree from the most sought after school in the country, hoping their pedigree will land them an automatic job at Conde Naste upon graduation. The fashionista won’t actually ever speak in class. They’ll just spend four years looking fierce while they anxiously await their diploma.

3) The art snob: This person probably starts their sentences with things like “When I was interning at the Tate Modern in London…..” or “When I was backpacking through Europe following the retrospective of x (insert obscure artist that even your proff has never heard of)…”
When in the presence of this person, never mention the following: Picasso, Monet, Pollock, or anything considered too proletariat for their superior artistic knowledge. More importantly, under no circumstances should you ever admit to liking Andy Warhol. To the Art Snob, this is the equivalent of saying you think Pineapple Express is Oscar worthy. You have just confirmed their lingering suspicion that you have no taste.

4) One hit wonder: This is the person in lecture class who never speaks but will at one point put up his or her hand and say something so profound about Richard Serra/feminist theory/politics of display/whatever, that the whole class (including the proff) will actually stop to contemplate what was just said. The one hit wonder will then subsequently remain silence for the rest of term. You’re not too sure who they are or where they came from. All you know is, you wish they would talk more and the art snob/suck up would talk less.

5) The Bro: this is the heterosexual football playing, former beer pong champion that is in your art history class purely by accident. He originally thought that intro to modern art and art of listening required the same level of academic commitment, or lack thereof.
The bro thinks that talking about art is a subjective practice where there are no “right” or “wrong” answers. Essentially, he’s doomed from the start. You won’t actually see this guy in your class until he shows up for your midterm and realizes that “Shit man, this shit is harder then I thought.”

Ranting aside, I’m pretty sure I’ve embodied all of the aforementioned stereotypes, but for what it’s worth, I do kind of like Warhol. Just don’t tell ok?

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I could tell you all about my wonderful and ridiculous Parisian life, the places I go, the things I do, and the people I see, but that would defeat the purpose wouldn't it? Read and try to imagine. This is my Paris report.