Isabel Marant

Summer is slowly starting to slip away.  As the air gets cooler and the leaves start to turn color, I shed a tear and wave good bye to my beloved summer until next year and look forward to the beautiful Saskatchewan fall and the Fall/Winter fashion season which is just ahead of us. 
One of my favorite ready to wear collections this season is from Isabel Marant. This Parisian designer was inspired by the late 1950's and 1960's street style which shines brightly through her collection. The mid calf fitted jeans, the jean jackets worn with funky leather jackets and the sparkly t-shirts cry feminine elegance with a touch of androgyny. Designed with the classic Parisian woman in mind, the collection is effortlessly comfortable and can actually be worn by women on the street, and wear they will do , over and over again.

Isabel Marant

 

 

 

 

photos from style.com

Adios,
Karen

On The Cover of The Rolling Stones......

True Blood is gracing the cover of Rolling Stones Magazine this issue. And just like the show, the cover depicts vampires, sex and blood!!! Far from the teenage based vampire series, the HBO hit series is addicting, raunchy and racy.  Based around the main character, Sookie Stackhouse, the series manages to satirically point out the negative aspects of American culture such as racism. Yet, the story is intermingled with a love triangle which just keeps getting more entwined and more intense!!

Although the cover has only been on stand since yesterday, it has manages to cause alot of controversy. I for one just wanted to say that I love it!!! The cover represents everything that the show is. So if you find the cover intriguing or interesting in any way, you must check out the series!!! Although I may warn you that once you start watching it you may become addicted!!

 

Blue Jean Baby!!

So I finally broke down and bought a blue jean shirt!!! While I was very intrigued by the shirt when it first made it's appearance on the fashion scene, the trend caught on way to quickly and way to intensely. There is nothing I hate more than a trend being played out and by the time I noticed that every second girl was wearing one of them I swore that I would never by one. However, six months down the road, I was still eyeing them out and loving the versatility of the shirt so I finally broke down and bought one!! I must say that I love it so much, I just can't get enough of it!!!

Jean Shirt: Zara

Skirt: Zara

Shoes: Camper

Socks: Joe

Hat: Zara

Bag: Asos

With Love,

Karen

Wedding Bells!!

As many of may know, I tend to spend my winters in the city (many times a different city) and my summers in the county, tending to my bees. While it was my choice to set my life up in this manner, and don't get me wrong - I do love it, there are some downfalls to both ways of living.  When I am in the city, I miss the feeling of the open prairie, and when I am in the country, I miss the hussle and bussle of the city and most all, the diversity of the people and fashion. 

Out here in the country, a fashion statement may exist in the form of wearing your favorite beer branded on a t-shirt or wearing your favorite pair of exercise pants with high heels. But, I have come to the conclusion that it is just part of the culture, and since I love this culture, I have over the years gained an appreciation for prairie fashion, even if I will never participate in it!!

And, this is precisely why I love summer weddings!! This is the one occasion that people wear their best, most stylish clothes in their closet!! My cousin got married a few weeks ago and I must say that everyone looked amazing!!  Instead of featuring yours truly, I thought I would put my stylish sister and two sister-in-laws in the spotlight!! 

I thought she looked wonderful in her sailor inspired dress by Valerie Dumaine!! The beautiful little boy with her is my wonderful nephew Atticus - Sonia's son!!! Isn't cute that they match!?!?

Minna-Riitta also looked stunning her black polk-a-dot dress. So classic and feminine with the beautiful big bow!! The handsome young man with the big blue eyes is my youngest nephew, Otto and Minna's son.

And my other sister-in-law, Lacy Diana with her American Apparel garb also looked amazing!! Although she tends to look good in whatever she wears!! She is just recently engaged to be married to my brother - so I just wanted to say Congrats!! 

Hope you are having a perfect day,

Karen

Annabelle at Etsy

For the past few years I have gotten into a habit of falling in love with a specific chain and pendant and as a result I end up wearing it everyday. I usually become attached to it  and wear it until it breaks or I lose it. Well, this dilemma has recently come upon me as I lost my favorite Pyrrah pendant while I was out for my morning run and I have been missing it so. I have been trying to decide if I should buy another Pyrrah or just buy a different necklace all together. 


Nevertheless, I have been searching the web for a replacement peice and I came up with these lovely pieces at BrideBlu on etsy!! They are Aren't they pretty??

Aurevoir mon Cheries,

Karen

Mellow Yellow

I first want to apologize for the lack of posting over the past two weeks!! Dominic and I were busy helping our friends sell jewelry at our local Fringe Festival. It was long hours and hot days but it was a much enjoyed break from the farm!! I managed to get some amazing pieces of jewelry for my very first give away which will be coming up very soon - so watch for it!! 

I haven't been sewing that much this summer as I have been busy with finishing up my MA thesis and renovating our house!! However, I managed to get this number in!! I purchased this dress on a vintage shopping tour with my lovely friend Jordan!! I was in love with the print and the beautiful shiny buttons that ran down the entire dress only the dress reminded me of my old school teacher and it was extremely unflattering!! Since the dress came down to my ankles, I decided to cut it off alot shorter to give it a bit of edge!! Then, to make it look slightly less granny, I remodeled the sleeves to make them look more modern. Finally, I think the addition of the belt pulled the entire look together and I am in love with the final result!!!

Dress: Vintage

Belt: Gap

Boots: Frye

Purse: Asos

Bye For Now,

Karen

Swedish Has Beens

I have been eyeing up both clogs and peep toe sandals all summer and I have yet to buy some!!! But seeing as they are going to make such a nice transition into fall/winter, I feel like I am ready to make the big purchase!!! And although I think the Swedish has beens are the ones for me, it seems I am unable to decide which color and which style I want. If I money was no issue for me, I would buy them all but that is just not the case so I am doomed to make a decision!!

I think the peep toe style in both Black and Natural are amazing!! But which color would be better for fall/winter???? I am thinking black but I really love the Natural ones!!!

The other option I am considering are the covered clogs!!! I love these ones because they are classic and I know I will still love them in years to come!!! Plus, I think they will keep my toes a bit warmer in the harsh Canadian winters!!

I thought by dedicating this post to the clogs I would have made my decision, yet it seems that I am no closer than when I started!! What do you think???

Ta Ta For Now,

Karen

Givenchy Haute Couture Fall Winter 2010 2011

While Dominic and I have always seen the beauty and wonder in the Mexican culture, it has recently become somewhat trendy in the fashion world. Over the past year, we have seen a lot of designs inspired by the bright colors and intricate patterns of Mexican Folk Art.  Now the Givenchy Haute Couture Fall Winter 2010 2011 collection has taken the trend one step further by basing their entire collection on Frida Kahlo and Mexico's celebrated holiday - The Day of the Dead.

Frida Kahlo, whom I have mentioned before on my blog, is a famous Mexican artista who used traditional Mexican bright colors and folk art to inspire her artistic creations of shocking images of her life.  Taking cues from Kahlo, Tisci has replaced the Mexican bright colors with bright tones of gold.

La Catrina

Additionally, the silhouettes of this seasons Givenchy dresses are reminiscent of Mexico's day of the dead figurine known as the Catrina. The Catrina is a skeleton body symbolizing death, however she is always adorned in fancy attire symbolizing that even those with enough money to wear high fashion items are just as susceptible to death. I think it is kind of erie but fascinating at the same time. Inspired by this idea, Tisci's entire collection is adorned with lace, gold and more gold with skeletons poppping iup througout hte collection as they were embroidered on garments throughout the collection. As Tisci put it best, "the collection repreesnts a romantic way to see death".

I look forward to seeing the trends that are inspired by this collection as I think the combination of lace and skeletons done correclty would be amazing.


Ciao Bellas,
Karen

I Heart Sales!!

We are currently in one of my favorite shopping seasons, "The End of Summer Sale Season". Not only are all of the clothes that I have been waiting to buy gone on sale, but there is still an ample amount of time to wear them. As I have carefully picked out the best sale items of the online shopping world, they are starting to quickly roll in!!  I am so excited to start mix and matching all of my new clothes with my old clothes!!

Although this skirt was not an online purchase, it was however bought at the very low low price of $15.00 which I am very pleased to announce. I bought it at Zara in Edmonton, the nearest city to where I am currently living. While I live near Saskatoon, which some people call a city, I tend to consider a community. a city only if and when it has a Zara. Since the nearest city to where I am currently living is about a six hour drive away, the trip to Edmonton was much needed and thoroughly enjoyed. However, the trip wasn't actually a shopping trip, as our primary purpose was to pick up some farming equipment, however, knowing me I managed to squeeze in an hour at Zara which I think should satisfy my shopping cravings for the next little while.

I felt like the skirt warranted a curtsy.

Shirt: Zara

Skirt: Zara

Shoes: Camper

Socks: Joe

Necklace: Handmade/Vintage

Purse: Zara

Much Love,

Karen

Christian Dior's Princess Ballerina

There is something alluring about yards and yards of pink tulle. It reminds me of dancing around in my sister's, much too big for me, ballet tutu for hours pretending I was a ballerina princess. For me, tulle creates a whimsical yet chic design, which sort of brings me back to that moment in time when anything and everything was possible. If I could, I  would wear princess inspired couture everyday of my life!!!

This may be why I love this ballerina inspired pink tulle dress at Decades Inc. Circa 1950, the dress bears the newly expanded New York label which was intended to provide america with the 'New Look'. After WWII the new look which, encompassed long skirts and an over-use of fabric was a much needed change from the fabric rations during war time. The long length of the dress and the excessive use of tulle are reminisent of this time.

If you are interested, it is for sale at Decades Inc., an online shop specializing in vintage couture clothing.

Ciao,

Karen

Keeping it Simple!

I have been waiting for my hair to grow long enough so that I could wear it like this - a bun on top of my head. I finally realized a few weeks ago that it was long enough to make the magic and I just can't seem to get enough of the look. It is a simple way to look chic and keep you cool on a hot summer day. 

I haven't posted any pictures of this purse in a while but it is my go-to purse which I purchased almost two years ago and still love. I was made and design by a Vancouver designer, Erin Tempelton, and I was so excited to see that Steven Alan, one of my favorites designers in New York has picked them up. So, make sure you check out the websites, and speaking from experience, it is definitely worth the investment. 

Earings: Vintage

Shirt: Mango

Jeans: Zara

Shoes: Zara

Purse: Erin Templeton

Adios mi Amigas,

Karen

A Camping We Will Go......

Last weekend Dominic and I, along with my brother Jordon and sister-in-law Lacy, went on an adventure filled camping trip in Northern Saskatchewan. We canoed just over 15 km to get to our camp site which was on the mouth of one of the most pristine lakes in Canada. While the water was crystal clear and had the most amazing color of blue, it was (after a winter in Mexico) - FREEZING!! Nonetheless, we enjoyed the water and the 30 degree weather as there are very few days like that in Saskatchewan.

Although the weekend was not the most fashioned filled, as we were without a shower for the weekend, we did have great food, wine and good company and I thought you might like to see a few pics.

My Camping Mates

Our camp site had this little house cook house which made me feel a lot safer as it was a potential hide-out in case a bear came!!

 I must say that Saskatchewan's 100,000 pristine lakes are wonderous to have your finger tips. But don't tell too many people as it is sort of a secret and we like to keep it that way!!

More Style Shots to Follow,
Karen

Roses are Red....and Sometimes Pink!!

Have you ever unknowingly been attracted to buying items of a certain color, flavour, pattern, etc only to realize that many of the items of you own are of this certain color, flavor or pattern. Well, this has recently happened to me as I have finally come to the realization that I love roses!! At first I thought that this was a recent love, but after pondering it a while, I realized I may have always loved roses  - I mean even my wedding flowers were roses - how could I have missed this love for roses??

So, you can imagine how I pleased I was when my lovely friend Jordan brought me a cute little pair of rose earrings from her vacation. They are great everyday earrings and they match many of my rose inspired outfits!!! Thanks again Jordan!!

She bought this pair of earrings on their trip down the West Coast but I found a variety of Etsy sights that you can buy some just like it.

Coffee and Cream

Vintage and Glam

Chealsea Van Toll

Chus Meine Leiblings,

Karen

The Blooming Praire

I think that every body's personal style tells a bit of a story about who they are or are not. After having this blog for almost a year, I realize that alot of the items in my wardrobe are Prarie inspired in some way. Which as you may all know is quite telling of who I am, as I am currently living on the farm for the summer. Like the shirt I am wearing in this post for example probably couldn't get any more prarie. But I realize that is what makes my wardrobe kind of special and kinda me. I love both my beloved prarie and fashion and I especially love combining the two in a look like this!! What is your wardrobe inspired by??? What story does it tell??

Shirt: Cameo

Shorts: Zara

Belt: Gap

Socks:???

Shoes: Mexico (no name)

Hat: Zara

Necklace: Home-made

"To make a praire it takes a clover and one bee.One clover na a bee and revery. The revery alone will do if bees are few. "  

 -Emily Dickinson

Cioa for now,
Karen