Pudding and Pie

Jessica Biffi Spring 2010

2009-11-25T09:49:00.004-07:00

Sorry for my absence and I promise to get an outfit picutre of my new vest, as well as a new hoodie my mom bought me as a pre-Christmas present (I know, I'm really lucky, plus it was 50% off and my mom can't resist a sale either).

Anyway, I just got around to looking at the photos from Toronto Fashion week (I know, I'm like a month late) and I totally fell in love with these dresses by Jessica Biffi. They are so pretty, but still really interesting. Also, I thought these jumpsuits look super comfy and I want one just to laze around in next summer (plus I kind of missed the boat on the jumpsuit trend last summer). The rest of rest collection was a bit too clubby for my taste, but if that's your taste, go check it out. Plus I have to love that she's Canada and came in second on Project Runway Canada. Check out her whole collection here. (Photos from torontolife.com).

Shopping goodies

2009-11-18T21:04:00.003-07:00

I know that's it's almost time to start thinking about shopping for other people (and I actually have!), but I can't resist a great sale. Unfortunately, this sale was bittersweet, as there were some awesome deals to be had, but it also meant that a great store, Pink Sugar, is closing!

I tried on lots, but only ended up getting one thing, a awesome long knit vest. I've kind of been looking for a long vest for a while and so I was excited to get this. I'll probably wear it over the weekend and I'll try to get an outfit post. I wish I had a job where I could dress up more and not worry about spilling nasty chemicals on my clothes! Anyway, the vest is by Juma, a brand I've never heard of, but I really like it (and it's Canadian!).

Style Icon: Freddie Mercury

2009-11-17T18:46:00.005-07:00

Freddie Mercury has been my idol since I was 15. While his voice is truly inspirational, he also had a great personal style. I know of very few others who can pull off a sparkly silver unitard! His onstage outfits are were dramatic, emphasizing what a great showman he was. However, I'm equally inspired by his offstage style whether it's a simple striped tee or an amazing floral jacket that I wish hung in my closet! What do you think? Are you inspired by any past or present musicians? (Photos from allthetests.com, frankpicturegallery.com, imageshack.us, tumblr.com, treesong.org, rockmusic.org)

Girl crush alert

2009-11-15T12:33:00.002-07:00

Ok, is anyone else obsessed with the Plastecine's hair last week on Gossip Girl? I want the lead singer's hair so badly, especially her bangs! Best part of the episode.

Artwear Part 5

2009-11-13T08:58:00.005-07:00

Boutik also took part in the ArtWear fashion show. My favourite part of their looks was the sparkles (I know, I'm a sucker for sparkley things)! My favourite look is the pink dress, which was a lot more vibrant in real life.

Artwear Part 4

2009-11-12T20:36:00.003-07:00

Another boutique which took part in ArtWear was Mealan. I liked their pieces; they are very fun! I've never been to Mealan, but now I think I will have to make the trip! Plus, they have the cutest anchor in thier logo! I really like the plaid coat, the fur scarf and the purple-y stripe-y dress.

ArtWear Part 3

2009-11-10T22:57:00.006-07:00

Besides featuring an exclusive capsule collection by Adejoke, several local boutiques also starred in ArtWear. One of these was Azul Couture. They showed some really interesting pieces. My favourite was definately the green dress. I will be showing pictures from the other boutiques throughout the week. I hope you're enjoying my coverage of ArtWear!

Artwear Part 2

2009-11-09T21:26:00.005-07:00

On to part two of my coverage of Artwear. Adejoke from Project Runway Canada designed a special capsule collection of her line alala just for this event. It was really exciting to see actual runway pieces debut on the runway and made me want to be a part of the fashion industry even more! I also fell in love with one of her spring/summer 2010 dresses, which Adejoke was actually wear. Plus the girl who worked at her table was superduper nice! I apologize for the weird colouring of the photos, I don't have photoshop so I don't know how to fix the colours caused by the reddish lighting. If anyone has any tips or know of a link to something that can do this for me, that would be great. I would love to improve my photography. I felt a little self-concious standing in the press area with my little point and shoot camera, but I think it did a pretty good job.

ARTWear (Part 1)

2009-11-08T16:15:00.006-07:00

There was so much great stuff going on at ArtWear on Friday and I took so many pictures that I'm going to have to post about it parts to avoid overwhelming everyone. The event took place in the beautiful Hotel Arts, which was a really lovely venue for this kind of event.

From start to finish the event was really well planned and definately an enjoyable evening. As you walked in, they had even set up a red carpet with crazy papperatzzi guys pretending to take photos.

There was a silent auction that had some really great items that could be bought, including a Versace handbag, a couple of fur coats and this amazing dress from alala that I wanted really bad. They were also auctioning some really cool art like this. It's entitled Three Blind Mice.

There were also some great outfits and some really creative ones like these. I love how bright the one girl's dress is and the blue pieces on the other girl's outfit.

This was the venue where the fashion show was held. They had lights that changed colour, with made waiting for the show to start more fun. Also, here were the hosts of the show and a lady whose non-profit organization sponsered the event.

Next I will start posting up the fashions shown at the event, including an exclusive capsule collection of alala by Adejoke from Project Runway Canada (who I saw and was too scared to talk to).

2 More Sleeps Until ArtWear and a very late Tag

2009-11-04T20:59:00.003-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates this week. I just wanted to remind anybody in the Calgary area about ArtWear, which is taking place this Friday. I'm really excited for this event and I promise to try to take as many photos as I can to share with all of you.

Next, the lovely Carolyn from Not Your Average Stylista tagged me a while ago for this award/tag. Sorry I am so late!

Rules

1. Tell 7 things that you don't already know about me.
2. Name 7 other blogs to receive this award
3. Leave a comment on each of the blogs I nominated Thank the person who gave you the award.

7 Things you might now know about me

1. I have a B.Sc. (Hon.) degree in Ecology, but I'm considering going back to school someday for either Education or Fashion Design.

2. I've been riding horses competitively since I was six or seven years old. I haven't gone to any competitions for a couple years, but plan to go to some next spring!

3. I am a tea-oholic. I drink it everyday, usually multiple cups!

4. When I was younger I used to hate wearing dresses and now I love to.

5. My favourite food is berries (especially blueberries and raspberries).

6. I am seriously considering extending my closet to include the shelves in our masterbath.

7. I currently live with my high school sweetheart. We have been dating for 3 1/2 years.

I'm tagging anyone who hasn't done this yet and wants too!

I <3 Christian Cota

2009-11-01T10:40:00.005-07:00

Christian Cota is one of those designers that I'm not sure why I've never heard of because I'm completely in love with his designs. They are so pretty and fun and exactly my asthetic. What do you think?

Models for Climate Change

2009-10-30T09:51:00.003-06:00

Maybe it's my university background in ecology, but I've always been rather fond of this lovely, somewhat messed-up place we call earth. And, thankfully, I'm not the only one. Here are some fabulous models I think you'll recognize who want you to help reduce our carbon emmissions!

Still Lucky

2009-10-29T10:54:00.003-06:00

Apparently, my lucky streak is continuing. Yesterday the mail arrived before I left for work and I had won something else from Fashion's huge giveaway! This time, I won a stick of Avon mineral lipstick in Plum Craze. I haven't decided if I'm going to keep it or give it to my mom. I don't wear lipstick very often, so if she likes the colour, she will probably get more wear out of it.

Weekend outfit and O.M.G. I am the luckiest person ever!

2009-10-27T19:02:00.011-06:00

On Saturday my mom unexpectedly came into the city and we went to the new mall just outside the city limits, CrossIron Mills. Oh my goodness, this mall is huge! And has lots of great stores (French Connection, BCBG, Nine West, H&M, XXI, Browns), many of which are also outlets, carrying older, reduced merchandise. Luckily for me, on the weekend we went, French Connection had a 3 day sale with all of their regular price items on for 40% off. I ended up buying a really pretty, partially sheer black top and a pair of jeans (they were already on sale). I also bought a new clutch from Nine West that was on sale, then an additional 40% off. I'm probably going to have to put it away until spring, but I love it!

On Sunday, I wore all my new clothes to go to my sewing meet-up group. It was fun, there was a couple new people, but it's still pretty small. It will grow though! I also met my first ever real-life blogger. Check out her blog here!

Top: French Connection
Tank (underneath): Banana Republic
Jeans: French Connection
Clutch: Nine West

I meant to post all of this up yesterday, but it was overshadowed by the most amazing thing ever! I got home from work and there was a package sitting on my steps. I was curious as to what it was, since I wasn't expecting any packages. It had my address on it and a return address from NY that I didn't recognize. I opened it, things clicked into place and I was completely shocked. But first, some background. Fashion, a magazine I subscribe to, did a huge giveaway in Sept/Oct and I was one of the lucky winners. And my prize? A new coat. But not just any new coat; a Dsquared2 coat! I honestly thought I was dreaming! So I am now the proud owner of my first designer item. It's so awesome (although a little on the small side)! Still can't quite believe it!

Backstage at Chanel

2009-10-25T10:02:00.003-06:00

I love these gorgeous backstage photos from the Chanel show and wanted to share. I also think it's kind of interesting how some of the models even give 'looks' to the cameras backstage. (Photos from gosee.us).

Dressing Your Age

2009-10-21T21:15:00.003-06:00

Usually I tend to think that the idea of dressing one's age is outdated, but sometimes I can't help it. That's how I felt when I looked at photos of Taylor Momsen at the Whitney. Don't get me wrong, I love Gossip Girl and I also love the first single, Blender, from her band, The Pretty Reckless, but she is sixteen! Maybe I'm old fashioned, but the slit on that dress is mighty high and caused a few dangerously revealing shots. I'm 21 and I'm pretty sure my dad would want to have a serious talk with me if I wore that. What do you guys think? Do you agree or am I being old-fashioned? (Photos from dailymail.co.uk)

A Few Happy Things

2009-10-20T23:25:00.004-06:00

I've have a few happy things to share. First of all, I had design class last night, where is fitted our muslin shells. Mine was pretty good, except the hips of my shell were too round, my side seam needed to move back and my back darts were too close together. So a few alterations for next wekk. As well, I need to draft, cut out and attach a muslin waistband. Here is the fitted shell.

The next thing is both exciting and scary: a new sewing project. Well, it's only scary because I want to be finished it by Sunday when I have my sewing meet-up group. Yes, I leave things to the last minute... Anyway, our mettup challenge (we like to give ourselves challenges and pretend we are on Project Runway) was to find a photo that inspired us, then make something inspired by this photo. Choosing the photo was hard and I only choose the photo and design last week and am starting it now! The photo I chose was a Nine West ad from last year and I was inspired by the pretty plum colour. I'm making this Cynthia Rowley skirt out of black and plum taffeta, so hopefully I will be able to post that up soon. Here is where I am currently, a mess of pattern pieces and an lot of purple taffeta.

And the last thing I have to share is the most exciting and happiest of all! Pudding and Pie will be covering ARTWear 2009! ARTWear us a great fundraiser done by the Art Gallery of Calgary which supports arts in local schools. ARTWear consists of a fashion show, Fashion Trunk Show Auction, Silent Auction and musical enterainment by local band Kyemara. And Adejoke Taiwo (from Project Runway Canada, who got sent home way to early and soul have been in the finals) will be designing a line under her label alala. The folks from the Art Gallery of Calgary were kind enough to send me a ticket for the November 6th event. I will do a full post on ARTWear later this month, but if you are from Calgary or will be in the Calgary area at that time, please consider attending! It's for a great cause and sounds like a great time!

Pattern Drafting

2009-10-19T08:18:00.004-06:00

Sorry for the post-less weekend. I meant to take some outfit photos, as I did debut my Member's Only leggings (even though I think the further I went was the grocery store and Wendy's). Maybe next weekend.

Anyhow, tonight is my design class, where we will be fitted with our master pattern muslin skirt we drafted in full scale, then made out of muslin. Because it's for fitting, all of the seams are on the outside. I think mine is pretty good, except it doesn't fit at all through my wonky hips. I'll show you anyother photo once it's been fitted tonight.

Tag...

2009-10-15T10:17:00.003-06:00

Thanks to Janet from Jannetteria for this great tag!

Where's your cell phone: beside my computer

Your hair: wet and covered by a toque
Your mother: independent
Your father: busy
Favorite food: candy
Dream last night: Something about trying to figure out the difference between chicken and duck meat.
Favourite drink: juice
What room are you: computer room
Hobbie: blogging, sewing and riding my horse
Fear: being alone
Where were you last night: work, then home

Something that you aren't: tidy

Muffins: banana nut
Where did you grow up: on a small ranch near Calgary, Canada

What are you wearing: striped toque (Joe Fresh Style), jeans (Brody), blue socks, white star shirt (homemade) and my red coat (H&M). No shoes, as I'm in my house.

Your pets: My horses, Scarface and Lily
Friends: fun
Something you're not wearing: shoes
Favorite store: Aritzia

Favorite color: green

Last time you laughed: yesterday (I've only been awake for an hour)
Your best friend: I haven't had one since jr. high.

Place you go to over and over: my Mom and Dad's

Person who emails you regurarly: Dad
Favorite place to eat: my boyfriend's mom's (she is a great cook)

And I tag whomever has a spare moment and wants to do this!

Whatever happened to fall?

2009-10-13T22:20:00.005-06:00

I think we honestly had about 5 days of fall this year. Right now, it is very cold and snowy. The high was -8 C and it snowed a lot early this morning, making my morning commute very slow (55 minutes compared to the usual 20). It was super icy as well! However, it's supposed to be 21 C on Saturday. What can I say, it's crazy Alberta weather.

However, a nice surprise was waiting for me when I got home. The chickdowntown giveaway I won from Su at the Stiletto Effect present arrived. The prize was a pair of velvet Members Only leggings. As soon as I opened the package, I put them on and let me tell you, they are super comfy! I kept touching my legs because of the soft velvet! Plus they were wrapping in cute chickdowntown.com paper! Hopefully they will appear in an outfit post soon. Posting should become more regular soon, as I had a slew of family issues to deal with over the weekend. Also, I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving (at least everyone who celebrates it in October)!

Also, as Monday was a holiday, my design class was canceled, which was good, because I haven't finished my homework yet. Here is a photo of the skirt pattern I've drafted from my measurements. Now I just have to make the pattern pieces, cut out the muslin and baste it together. Sorry the draft is so light and hard to see.

Also, the folk at Alberta Fashion Week turned out to be complete flakes. They never called me to arrange my volunteering times and I tried to call the only person involved who's phone number I had and left a message asking her to call me, but she never did. Very disappointed.

Alexander McQueen

2009-10-09T19:58:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the short post, I've been very busy with family stuff, but am planning on posting something more substantial soon. Is anyone else blown away by the shows at Alexander McQueen show. They are unlike anything I have ever seen. i still have no clue what to think about them.

New dressform

2009-10-07T09:13:00.005-06:00

So, this post is a little late, but it's finally here. I had an enjoyable time at the horse sale on Friday. I got to see a lot of people I haven't seen in a while, which is always nice. My parents didn't end up buying the horse they were looking at, so they are still looking for a new stallion.

My dressform course was pretty neat on Saturday. Basically, you partner up and wrap your partner in butcher's tape, make sure it is almost dry (you can use a blowdryer to help), then cut your partner out it and patch up the back. Unfortunately, the room we were in was super hot and part way through I got sick because of the heat (it upsets my stomach), so my dressform was finished up outside by my partner and the instructor. I felt bad for them because it was actually really cold out! Thankfully though, we finished and I now have a snazzy new dressform that is exactly my shape (which was totally weird to see). Now I just need to get my dad to weld a stand for it. Then we can say goodbye to Matilda and hello to Megan Jr.!

I will update on the progress of my design course tonight or tomarrow!

Real Life

2009-10-02T08:09:00.003-06:00

Hi

I just wanted to let you know that I'm still here, even if my posting has slowed down lately. Real life has been getting in the way. But don't worry, this has been good real life things.

First of all, I've enroled in a fashion design course and my first class was last Monday. I'm so excited! The first thing we are learning is how to draft master patterns, starting with a skirt. I am very excited to learn how to design clothing. Perhaps an esty store is in the works!

Second, I got a last minute invitation to volunteer at Alberta Fashion Week. I will be volunteering at the front of house, so if you decide to come to the shows, make sure to say hello. While I enjoy working backstage, this way I can check out all the street fashion as it comes in the door!

Finally, my weekend plans (which I will try to photograph, as I want to share more of what I do on this blog). This morning (no work today) I need to go shopping for my last minute supplies for my design course (muslin etc.). Then this afternoon and evening I am going to Red Deer to a horse sale with my parents. No plans on buying anything though, I need to saw for a trip next summer.

Tomarrow I am in a dressform making course. I'll be making a dressform that is exactly my shape (cool and a little scary). While I love Matilda (seen here), I wanted a new one because a. Matilda can't actually move enough to be my measurements and b. she is not mine in the first place. I will post up the results here Saturday night or Sunday.

Sunday, back to work. But I may be volunteering helping set up the space for ABFW Saturday and Sunday afternoon/evening.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Classic Beauty

2009-09-29T10:21:00.002-06:00

Well, I have fallen madly in love yet again. This time, however, it's not with gorgeous dresses or amazing jackets. No, it is with makeup. Specifically the makeup from the Dolce & Gabbana runway show. It's gorgeous! It definately reminds me of classic leading ladies in old films. I want to look like this everyday!

Sick Days

2009-09-25T13:38:00.003-06:00

I've had to take a few sick days this week, which does not look good for my bank account, as I won't be getting paid, but probably are good for my health. I had an abcess drained on Tuesday and didn't go to work Tuesday or Wednesday. I did go on Thursday, but it was tough on my wound, plus I had to go back to the doctor today, so I took today off as well. I'm pretty sure it is healing up well though.

Enough of the gross stuff! Tomarrow will be spent helping my mom at the estate/garage sale we're holding at my house. In exchange, my mom had offered to put away half of the profits for the bf and I's trip to Europe next year. So if you're in Calgary and looking to go to a sweet estate/garage sale tomarrow...

These photos are from Wednesday. The background is hazy because they were doing a controlled burn outside the city (I live fairly close to the edge).