tyler: M83

ever have a moment in time when there are more exciting albums out than you actually have time to listen to? let’s say it’s because of work, or school, or because of some other function devoid of your own choice in music. point is, it’s happening to me as we speak, and it is AWFUL. i am so glad, however, that in this period of busyness i had time to check out the new M83, and it’s a doozy. M83 is one of those bands that i’ve always heard a lot about, and maybe caught a few songs here and there, but never really got into. i can honestly say that my tune is a little different after hearing hurry up, we’re dreaming, their sixth proper album. for those that don’t know a thing about them, M83 is the project of anthony gonzales, who founded it over 10 years ago with nicolas fromageau in their hometown of antibes, france. while fromageau ended up leaving after the release of their second album in 2003, gonzales continued on and now enlists the help of his brother yann amongst other musicians to see his vision through. the theme of the latest album is ambitious to say the least. it’s a double disc album based around the spirit of two siblings. the first disc is based upon the spirit of the brother, and each song has a ‘mate’ track on the second disc, which is based upon the spirit of the sister. aside from that, it also delves into the dreamscape, and explores the differences in dreams and how no two dreams are ever the same. whether that sounds totally amazing to you or a little bit over the top, you should check it out! below is the first single titled ‘midnight city’. it’s got a nice little creepy vibe, so happy halloween!

ziggy stardust

i just did some face painting for tonight's shenanigans, i'm kind of proud of the final product so i wanted to post it before i left for the night, more photos to come tomorrow. never a big fan of halloween but maybe it's all in the costume... who are you going to be tonight? xoxo

edit: see more photos on my  page

it's the halloweekend

zara coat, shirt & scarf, bdg jeans, prada sunnies, topshop boots

ironically i am running out of time to do anything, such a procrastinator i am, but also just starved for sleep. here is my last weekend's uniform. it's halloween this weekend and i am trying really hard to come up with some genius costume idea, with the worst possible track record, however, i already doubt i will have anything mind blowing by tonight. i always wanted to dress up as karl lagerfeld, that one will be in my head until it materializes. until then, any ideas for me? xoxo

ps. congratulations to sammy merrit for winning the london look giveaway sponsored by london drugs. your package is on it's way <3

black is the new everything

wilfred silk trench, zara leggings, alexander wang shoes

those of you who are from calgary will recognize this place, i decided to start venturing out to more older parts of the city to take photos, which basically means my adventure will soon end. i found this amazing silk kimono trench at aritzia and  had to own it obviously. as of late i have been going back a lot to my black (can you tell?), i can't emphasize enough how much i love that color/'color'. it works with everything and with each other, how great that i can put on a pair of athletic zipper leggings and a pair of dressy men's inspired loafers and it just works. a friend asked me last weekend if i liked being a girl or a boy better? wanna guess my answer? apart from that did i mention how desperate i am to grow out my hair. xoxo

winter is coming

zara sweater, hat and shorts, alexander wang bag

photo by boy josh

jelena

vintage sleeveless knit sweater, bcbg pleated layer skirt , vintage belt, anna sui tights, nine west ankle booties

talula fur vest, zara pleated dress

h&m button up collared shirt, bcbg blazer, zara snakeskin pant, aldo necklace, bcbg heels

vintage white blouse, vintage paisley tie, dolce & gabbana trousers, bcbg heels

it is a small world after all. it doesn't matter who i choose to photograph for my blog, somehow they always turn out to be a friend of a friend or a friend of a friend of a friend... i should start playing the 6 degrees of separation game on here, purely for our entertainment. and it's not a bad thing, i find especially in a small fashion community like calgary people should know each other, so we are doing something right at least *high fives for everyone*. i spotted jelena, over and over again at holt renfrew, so i finally just asked. she is taller than me and has amazing features, for fashion inspiration jelena likes digging in her mums closet, something i clearly missed out on, my mum owns nothing cool (the clothing exchange flows upstream in our family). at least one item in every outfit is a vintage piece (and the tie even her dad's). i can't do vintage, i have no patience for it but i love it when other people do it well. in other exciting news, we shot a story for the globe and mail (out november 5) in drumheller this week with wilkosz & way, kate larue (the art director) and tiyana grulovic (stylist), the ladies came down from toronto and gave us insane amounts of inspiration, my head's been buzzing all week. i am so excited it is friday already, i can commence my plans for global takeover. remember today is the last day for my london look giveaway CLICK HERE to enter. xoxo

10.20.11

 via fashiongonerogue.com

just a collection of images that were sitting on my computer, one has nothing to do with the other but somehow they all fit together beautifully

tyler: st. vincent

back in 2010 at the calgary folk fest, i had the opportunity to catch a performance by annie clark, an artist i very much enjoy who goes under the name st.vincent. clark (a former member of the polyphonic spree and sufjan stevens’ band) is a berklee dropout from texas who says her stage name is in reference to “a place where poetry comes to die.” i had randomly purchased her first album when it was released back in 2007 and after her second album came out, i was VERY excited for this performance. to my elation, my girlfriend and i both got the opportunity to briefly meet and have a quick photo with her a few hours before the show. she was wonderfully kind (as most artists at folk fests seem to be) and it only made me like her more. her set was something else all-together. it was louder and more abrasive than anything before or after during that day, but still carried with it her own brand of sweetness. either way, i was ecstatic about the entire day. fast forward a year or so and now we’re ready for her brand new album entitled “strange mercy,” and all i can say is that it is undoubtedly the greatest yet. it’s upbeat when it wants to be, creepy when it can be, and includes a wide range of instruments and textures without ever seeming mismatched or out of place. it’s more fantastic music from a talented musician and a very pleasant person. check out the video for “cruel” below.

preview

some of my favorite shots from our story on the photographer & muse blog by wilkosz & way, including outtakes that did not make it to the site. notice my h&m sweater i was just talking about in one of my previous posts. impeccable timing. check out the rets of the story here.

brendan

american apparel tee, vintage patch sweater, cheap monday jeans, doc martens

vintage motorcycle jacket, trimapee draping tee, american apparel shorts, black noise white rain shoes

cheap monday button up shirt, american apparel harem pant, p.a.p iphone holder, doc martens

american apparel t-shirt dress, vintage uniform work pants, doc martens

a complete omission on my part that there is boy post after boy post, but this one just couldn't wait any longer. i met brendan what would be now about two years ago at a chromeo concert (magical things happen when these guys play), he got back in touch with me about three weeks ago looking for some advice, but my advice doesn't come cheap, clearly i had to get him on my blog somehow. i love the style and everything else about this boy. check out some of his other amazing photos on the imodels website. love. xoxo

tyler: beirut

zach condon is an interesting guy. at 25, zach (a product of new mexico) has dropped out of high school, travelled around europe, gone on to community college, then on to university, and somehow managed to release 4 incredibly rich albums steeped in worldly influences, and performed with a maturity far beyond his own years. each album has been one to behold and almost marvel at times, for it is exceedingly rare to find someone who, at the age of 19, could perfectly capture the soul of balkan folk music so much so that he could record an entire album of it after only discovering this form of music one year before. it should also be noted, that this wasn’t an album of balkan folk music covers, but an album of original material that was so true to the source material that it could easily pass off as such. starting as a one man band, beirut soon became a full fledged group effort. with their next two albums, beirut did the very same thing with different influences. while ‘gulag orkestar’ managed to evoke the sounds of eastern europe, ‘flying club cup’ did so with the music of france, and ‘march of the zapotec’ ran deep with mexican influence. all of these albums seem to culminate in beirut’s latest release, ‘the rip tide.’ for the very first time, zach wrote an album that was not a direct tribute to any one style of music, but rather the first that actually felt like it belonged solely to beirut. it really is a perfect slice, showcasing many different influences and directions, all harnessed into a lovely package. it’s easily their best yet, and ‘the rip tide’ is an album that also manages to make one immensely excited for what the future has in store. check out the first song off the new album below.

@primitiveinc

elizabeth & james fur parka, ilaria nistri cardigan, forte_forte shirt dress

alexander wang blouse & velvet tuxedo pant

forte_forte oversized coat, boyfriend shirt & suene trousers

sisii fur stole, raquel allegra cashmere sweater & maxi dress, love heals pearl cuff

so it's been a while since i stepped into primitive culture boutique just off of 17th avenue. but since my re-introduction with the store it's been hard to keep away. garrett, who i shot for my blog back in august texted me one day to come down and check out their sale. i walked away with a new alexander wang dress instead (not that i'm complaining). the moral of the story in short really lends itself into telling you how amazing primitive is, and what amazing brands they carry. as faithful as i am to holts and online shopping i think that there is a contender in the running for my favourite place to spend money.  you can find unique pieces that nobody else carries in the city, it's not intimidating and you get to see garrett <3. i literally freaked out a little, and haven't been able to stop going back.

from primitive's facebook page: 'as stylists, the staff are extremely knowledgable so you are treated to the advice and attention of a persona shopper. lines carried include alexander wang [woot woot!], american retro, current/elliott, elizabeth & james, gary graham, graham & spencer, gryphon, haute hippie, hazel brown, ilaria nistri, inhabit, james perse, jemore dreyfuss, nill lotan, rozae nichols & raquel allegra'

where: 814 16th avenue sw

twitter: @primitiveinc

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/primitiveculture

10.09.11

urban outfitters top, american apparel skinnies & socks, club monaco hat, sam edelman boots