Chiffon: Part One

I found this blouse on a recent shopping trip to H&M, and still can't get over its dramatic sleeves.  The sleeves are bluntly tamed by strict long cuffs, and there's an oversized bow at the neck (which, as you can see, can be tied in the back as well). Pairing it with a simple black skirt doesn't seem to do it justice, so I haven't yet figured it how to complete the look.  Faux leather leggings? Spandex ankle-length longline skirt? I sincerely hope this doesn't turn into one of those purchases that hangs off my door, intimidating me, and rendering me unable to ever find its match. Interestingly enough this isn't a vintage piece at all, so dare I dream of fashion embracing romantics again?

Happy Vegan Pizza Day!

Saturday, January 29th was Vegan Pizza Day and by complete coincidence, I happened to have made a vegan pizza! Well, technically it's only half-vegan because half had a few dollops of ricotta cheese.  I topped the homemade crust with pizza sauce, yellow pepper, Tofurky sausage in the Italian flavour, caramelized red onion, and Daiya vegan cheese (which, I'm sad to admit doesn't quite live up to the hype...and didn't melt too well as you can see by the photo).  The sweetness of the onion added a lot, but next time, I'll stick to spicy vegetables (spicy eggplant makes for an incredible pizza topping!)

Happy Vegan Pizza Day!

How "Exciting"!

I work with some lovely people, who like to share lovely things.  Over the holidays, one of these people was kind enough to share some lovely....well, thanks to these quotations we're not quite sure what they were.  All I know is that there was a box in the kitchen with this note tacked to it.  I also know that I snapped a photo of it, sent it to Michael, and then to one of my now-favorite blogs, The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotations .

And to my surprise, it made it on to the website! Here it is...as well as a quick shot below. Sorry George!

Macarons!

Happy New Year! 

I write this post from the comfort of the crane that now lifts me off the couch and deposits me into bed on a daily basis. Such is the product of my holiday activities (or rather, lack thereof), and of my inability to say no to anything sweet. Once, I ate something off the floor not knowing what it was. But that was in 2008, many resolutions ago. (It smelled really good though, and to put mystery to rest, I've decided it was a piece of chocolate cake.)  All shame aside, I did achieve something very exciting and, hopefully, impressive over these holidays: I made my very first macarons!  No, not the pile of coconut mush wrapped in dingy plastic and sold at gas stations, but the Parisian perfection I first sampled when spending a week in the city of love.  I started with a recipe I got from the LCBO Food &Wine magazine, but it failed me many times and I would strongly recommend against using it. Five attempts and many wasted egg whites later, I went online, combined five different recipes, and finally settled on one I followed in Spanish. The results were fabulous, but because of all the switching around, I literally cannot repeat the recipe ever again.  So I created one of my own, as follows. I can't promise these ingredients and preparation method will yield results identical to mine, but what I can promise is that each part was, in fact, a part of my personal experience.

Recipe for Macarons

Ingredients:

1 cup of broken promises, sifted

1 melted spatula

1 broken hand mixer

1/2 a hand, burned

3 meters of black and white tiled floor, covered in ground almond

1-2 family members, unwilling to come near you

4.5 swear words, gently mixed into uncontrollable fits of anger 

1 bowl full of completely assembled meringue mix, thrown swiftly against the wall due to eggs' unwillingness to rise

Directions: 

Mix all ingredients, except last.  Notice ingredients will not mix the way recipe promises they will. Throw ingredients down the drain. Realize you have now spent more on batter than you would've on a box of macarons. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.  Top with last ingredient.

Makes: 

Life seem surreal, when, by the third night, you're no longer sure if you've said "kitten" or "kitchen".

From the top: Chocolate Fleur de Sel, Pistachio, Gingerbread Spice

The cutest little presents!

The most tired I've been in years

Lanvin for H&M

A few weeks ago I woke up at 4 am and drove to Montreal for the unveiling of Lanvin for H&M.  The store opened at 8 am, and upon arriving I noticed an already-snaking line.  Shoving silly hand warmers into my mitts, I fought off the crisp, dark cold, and passed the hours criticizing my fellow consumers. In front of me was a fully grown man who arrived with his mother, whom he sent on a coffee run just minutes before the doors opened.  Behind me was a clan of plus-sized pretty boys bragging about how much they were going to buy.  We were given bracelets displaying the time frame in which we were allowed to enter the women's Lanvin area, while the men's section was open to everyone as of 8 am.  When the clock struck eight, and the doors opened, I began to question my understanding of humanity.  Men, shoving women out of the way, clambered up a downwards escalator, racing each other to the silk ties and leather loafers.  Though the pretty boys had been standing behind us for the past couple of hours, they were somehow already upstairs by the time I politely jogged my way up. 

The dresses were gorgeous, without a doubt, but surprisingly, they were not very flattering. I tried on a pink frilly number, and was told I resemble a cupcake.  Then I was told that's not a good thing. 

So, I settled on a pair of gorgeous burlesque-ish red pumps, heels encrusted in rhinestones, and a pink chandelier necklace. Now I just need the right outfit for them. 

The most exciting shopping bag!

My vintage faux fur coat makes a brilliant comeback..

Ignoring the several times I had dresses torn out of my hands by rabid shoppers, it was a truly magical event.