I Want...

to go to France.

The south of it, to be exact. There's something so hopelessly romantic about The South of France.

Gorgeous!

But I ain't picky about where I am in France, so long as I'm there.

I'll go to Bretagne, Lyon

...maybe swing by Paris...

Yeah, and after that I'll hop on my pegasus, make my way to Never-never land to have tea with the leprechauns and woodland nymphs

Ban the Rays

For as long as I can remember my dad's choice sunglasses has been Ray Bans. When I was a little girl, I thought he looked like the coolest dad in his aviators and I would always try and steal them from him (despite the fact that they were 14 sizes too big...now that I think about it, perhaps that's when the obsession with giant, bug-eye sunglasses began). Anywho, roughly 20 years later I got my very own pair of Ray Ban Aviators and I love, love, love them. They've become my go-to accessory. I'm like Corey Hart, wearing my sunglasses at night.

They're the first (and to date, last) pair of good quality sunglasses I've ever had. I think that plays a huge part in why I like them so much; I've dropped them and sat on them countless times and they're still as good as new, whereas my $10 pair of Aldo sunglasses, while real cute, lasted about a summer (and a Canadian summer at that...so like 3 weeks). It's to be expected, you pay for what you get.

I really like the company and if I were to buy another pair of quality sunglasses, I would definitely go with Ray Bans. These are the models I've set my sights on

Wayfarers, I know. I'm so behind, right?

I'd totally be channeling Holly Golightly in these

yeah, I know. I already have these.

I want them in silver with the mirrored lenses, but the website doesn't have them pictured, so let's give our imagination a go, shall we?

First order of business, though...Ray Ban Cats and we'll see what I can afford from there.

Since I'm on the subject of praising Ray Ban, I though I'd share their virtual mirror program. You download it and you try some sunglasses on to see how they'll suit your face. It's fun!

GO RAY BANS!!!

lily & jae

Love at first sight!
I want these lily & jae dresses. And I adore how they look paired with the cowboy boots. I'm totally digging the western/roadtrip-through-the-southern-U.S. vibe of their spring collection.

is it really sad that I could just stare at these dresses all day?

It's too bad they don't have a retailer in Montreal (or in any other part of Quebec for that matter), I'm hoping they're planning on finding one though. For now, there is an online shop...and they do sell their collection at Victoire in Ottawa, which is exactly where I'll be in a few days. I don't know if they'll have this particular collection in, but their website is full of all kinds of great stuff!

Just Like Captain Jack

I think I'm in love...again!

Calvin Klein Pirate Boots

Trenching on Class

I want a trench coat. It such a timeless piece, a definite must-have for any girl's wardrobe.

Zara Trench Coat

(this is not the one I spotted in-store -

but the only difference is the straps&buckels aroud the wrists)

Cooper & Stollbrand For Asos

Gap Linda Trench

 

AE Classic Trench Coat

Burberry Double Breasted Cotton Trench Coat

The Burberry trench coats are simply stunning, which comes as no surprise. Who's gonna do tranch coats better than Burberry? But the $1395 price tag is a little...ok, way more than I can handle.
The AE one is quite nice. It's less elegant than most trench coats and the material has a canvas-y feel. But it is the right price.
I think the compromise for me would have to be the Zara trench. Hell, it seems silly to even say compromise. It makes it sound as though it wasn't perfect and exactly what I want. And with my birthday creeping up there's really no reason not to get it...right?

In Need of Some Colour

Whether I'm visiting someone's home for the first time, browsing real estate listings or checking out home decor blogs, the room that sparks my interest the most is always the bathroom. I chock my curiosity up to a need to live vicariously through other people's bathrooms because I hate mine so much.

white on white

Our entire washroom is tiled in white, the bathtub is white and the toilet is white. The only splash of colour is our - rather boring - shower curtain. The sink is a (white) pedestal sink. And the whole thing is so small that you have to sit sideways on the toilet to be able to sit at all, even at my diminished height of 5'3.

the bright side

The one thing I do like about our bathroom is the skylight, despite it's very dilapidated demeanor. The only problem is that it is very badly insulated (I think thatès the wrong word...) and let's all kinds of heat out in the winter. Not to mention that any condensation formed on the windows freezes at night and then gradually melts during the day. A drop of ice-cold water running down your back in the morning will snap anyone out of a sleepy stupor.

Oh, and when they're working on the roof, you really learn to appreciate your privacy...and to shower really quickly.

I've come across some BEAUTIFUL bathrooms lately and I'm starting to really look forward to moving. I realize that most apartment bathrooms are on the small size, but at this point anything without white tiled walls would be fantastic, a dream come true. Based on the bathrooms that have caught my eye, I know I want something colourful (big is good too - but I'll leave that stipulation for when we are looking to buy a house)...

like this gorgeous blue bathroom, spotted in the sneak peeks section on Design*Sponge (actually the entire house is stunning!)

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There are no words

Or these beauties from McGill Design Group. Simply gorgeous

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I feel relaxed just imagining sitting in that bathtub. I love the strip of green tiling and the dark wood of the mirror and bench. They contrast the off-white perfectly

This one (also from McGill Designs) is on the muted side but the big window, giant tub and beautiful striped dressers more than make up for it.

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I desperately want those dressers.

The Eagle

Why does this always happen? Just when I vow to never shop again (ok, that's a pretty unacheivable task for me, but isn't it a good thing to set your goals high?), I go on the AE site and fall in love with at least 5 items and all of them new arrivals, of course (I realize the best thing to do when one takes such a vow is to stay the hell away from the one's favourite stores and avoid all temptation, but we are all flawed and sometimes irrational creatures) . Yet when I am actively looking to spend some extra cash, nada!

It was love at first sight for this jean jacket

ae chambray moto jacket

(also available in tan canvas)

This shirt would complete my cowboy outfit (not that I want to look like a cowboy, I just seem to gravitate towards anything with a western feel)

ae chambray western shirt

You can never have too  many jeans, especially AE jeans. TBH, I love all their jeans, I just picked these because of all the styles out there boy fit jeans are the only ones I'm missing.

boy fit crop jean

A pretty summer dress to offset the tomboy-ishness

ae burnout floral dress

Throw in some t-shirts for good measure

ae u-neck t

(available in 6 other colours)

ae striped u-neck t

(also available in "raspeberry thistle"

I can never resist me a loose-fitting yet kinda sexy t-shirt.

God, I love American Eagle!!!

Stripes & Bows

I love marinière-inspired tops, particularly the ones with bows like this cute top from Etsy shop Penelope Red.

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and this one from Topshop.

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Last, but definitely not least this jacket from H&M

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(and yes, I realize that there are no stripes,

but look how pretty!)

I love this H&M's Fashion Studio. You can dress up the models and mix and match head-to-toe outfits! It's so much fun and is one of those websites that allow me to distract myself from an ever-growing to-do list. Here's a little outfit I semi-concocted just now. Those boots are totally drool-worthy!

Little Things that Make Me Smile

derrière la porte or as it their logo succintly puts it: dlp. For those of you who have never heard of this brand it's a French company that make kitchen accessories, shopping bags and all kinds of other little knick-knacks that make people like me spend a lot of money.
I first came across this company in Casa Luca, a really fun store in Montreal. They had these shopping bags that my friend and I thought were simply hilarious.

"Les fruits sont nos amis"

Bah oui...et on mange pas ses amis

Ca se fait pas

-

"Fruits are our friends"

but people don't eat their friends

That's just wrong

 "Les fruits sont plains de vitamines"

Est-ce que j'ai l'air plein de vitamines?

Franchement

-

"Fruits are full of vitamins"

Do I look full of vitamins?

Come on

I can't find a way off the top of my head to translate it to really retain the "tone", but I think a lot of these products only really work in French and that's what I love about them. They're funny and oh-so-Parisien, I can just hear the accent when I read the little blurbs.

They also have a lot of other "text-free" products.

  

I really love this napkin dispenser - might just be my next purchase.

I found dlp's official website, but it seems to be lacking in the "browse our goods area" (and every other area for that matter). But there are a couple of e-tailers that sell their stuff. Most are based in France and most only have their site in French and some don't seem to ship to Canada, but their still to browse. Retailers in Montreal (that I know of) are Renaud-Bray and, as mentioned above, Casa Luca.