You will set the world on fire

"Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire." -St. Catherine of Sienna; quoted during the Royal ceremony sermon

Can I say anything else to this but an overly enthusiastic and rarely uttered, AMEN AMEN AMEN!?

As you may have deduced already, yes, I watched the Royal Wedding. Yes, I woke up at 6 a.m. Yes, I embarrass myself.

But the wedding dress by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen and the appropriately-titled Fascinators were worth the grogginess and early a.m. java hits.

And since then, I've been pouring over Sarah Burton designs online. Here are some of her stunners from Spring '11.

images courtesy of fashionista.com

Well chosen, Kate. And before I give you my adieu, take a look at Beatrice and Eugenie's headgear. On this day we give thanks for...........bobby pins.

Pillage the Village (yarrr!)

No, I didn't rape and pillage a peaceful and unsuspecting port town as the above title may suggest, don't worry. My shopping conquests are much less bloody and eventful than that, unfortunately. HOWEVER, I did take advantage of my wardrobe sourcing place of choice, a.k.a. Value Village, and handed over a laughable amount of cash for some excellent finds. 

I've been on the lookout for a pair of rubber boots to combat the rainy west coast where I will be heading in January to pursue a Fashion Arts Diploma at the John Casablancas Institute. As I turned a regular looking corner, I stumbled upon a very irregular looking pair of boots, and (voila!) they were WATERPROOF!! Who woulda thunk it? Not I! But then I DID.

But before my show-&-tell, please take a look at the state of my room post university move-OUT and parent's house move-IN. Now the question becomes: Why do I own things?

Zee boots. Suck it, Precipitation! 

Who? Meeee?

Please note the price tag

Finally, a bum bag! Because as I've said before, they are back with a vengeance!
Deal with it.

A belt of beauty

Happy week! I'm going on the DSLR Camera lookout very soon! And then I give you permission to (maybe) take me seriously.

TFI New Labels Fashion Show or Essay Writing?

Last week, when I should have been studying for exams and/or working to make some much needed moula, I hopped on a bus to the Big Smoke to take in some truly inspirational and up-and-coming fashion talent. Whoops.

Fresh from the artistic overload that was Toronto Fashion Week, I needed a second dose, so I volunteered for the Toronto Fashion Incubator's annual New Label's Fashion Show. It is a competition for budding new fashion designers to showcase their work and compete for a grand prize of $40,000, including $10,000 cash, their own feature in Flare Magazine and the chance to design an outfit for Sears. 

My favourite line of the night was Narces, whose elegant/flirty/edgy cocktail dresses induced some definite temptation for bank-breaking purchases. However, the victor was Ashtiani with her precisely cut frocks in a  softly-coloured palette which exuded high quality.

In the end, I got prime seating, a bunch of free garb, and was witness to some very cool creativity. Ain't nothin' better. 

Seriously professional volunteers.....just hangin'

Costumery

Besides dreaming about leather hot pants and fur coats, I also dabble in the academic realm (ahem, dabbLED, as in past tense, cuz I'm a GRADUATE biiiitccch). These projects of the "studious" kind mostly involve sewing needles, paints and pastels, and research à la Google Images. 

This be da life of a Theatre student.

(I lie. There were painful essays, but I try to erase those from my conscious memory.)

This semester, I took a costume design class. Our final project asked us to design SIX costumes for the Canadian play Good Night Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet. I'm no artist, but somehow I managed to create some final products which slightly resemble human beings in weird clothes. Success.

You like, you like????

Juliet: Elizabethan/Modern inspiration

Tybalt

Professor Claude Knight: Check out his socks

Constance: an assistant prof at Queen's University

Othello: Early 16th Century Turkish/Modern inspiration

Desdemona

Hot. Leather. Celestial. Nudes. Gestuz.

Ever find that perfectly PERFECT piece that you will never be able to afford in the nearly conceivable future? This one is mine. The Leather, the colour blocking, the buckle; this jacket makes for one bad-ass biker babe. 

  

Available online at Asos, this baby made by Gestuz is so out of my price range, it is a thing of devastation. So, in my process of mourning, I browsed their lookbook and decided to share my favourites with you. 

Maxi, floral. YES.

Leather

Harems

Easy everyday black shift dress

Leather cropped-top

Easy breazy

Leather vest. Have I mentioned I like leather?

Tent jacket. Slashed leggings. Peep-toe wedges. Goddamn.

Over-sized is better, always

Shoulder pads to the extreme

Maxi-mum fashion

Woe is me. And now woe is you.

Phasion and Filanthropy: A Poisonous Mixture?

Done and done. My 2nd article for DISfunkshion Magazine, where I rant about my issue with the ever so popular (and irritatingly cute) TOMS Shoes.

Before you buy a pair (because I know you want to!), read this article, and then let me know what you think about the possibility of combining consumer fashions with philanthropic pursuits.

Shoes for "good?" No siree-bob.

My Name is Maureen Ponderosa. Fashion is my Bitch.

If you live in a cave or a large hole that is impractical for the reception of such media outlets as television, I a) feel sorry for you, and b) understand that you have never seen It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It is not your fault, but really, SMARTEN UP! 

Because....dah dah DAHHH!!  You are missing out on fashion's latest "It" Girl: Maureen Ponderosa. She's got the whole package girls: a dead tooth and subsequent foul-smelling breath, and even her own artisan studio where she crafts handmade cat sweatshirts. 

And to this you say, "But Lisa, how in God's name could I ever imitate such an icon of fashion genius and feminine poise?!" 

I'm here for you. The answer is cat-print EVERYTHING. Observe...

See, even Miu-Miu is Maureen musing!

Miu-Miu S/S 2010

Cat-print pantaloons!

Had to.

Maureen, you babe, you.

Okay this post was slightly ridiculous, probably a result of my 10 hour library stint today. I don't even like cats. Goddamn you, Pursuit of Higher Education!