prairie girl musings

Tag: fashion

Gumboots, meet your match!

Festival season is upon us! This time of year has always been a favourite of mine. Not only am I able to wear rubber boots and traipse around with flowers in my hair, I’m spoon fed some of the best music by my favourite artists, and able to explore new artists not yet discovered. In preparation for OSHEAGA in Montreal, Quebec, I selected garments with the precision of a Ukrainian gymnast (too soon?) I couldn’t help but peruse archives from Coachella and Glastonbury for outfit inspiration. Kate Moss really set the standard at Glastonbury, when she first donned her Hunter wellies. They are now an iconic item not only for festival goers, but also for students in rainy climates worldwide. I did see one or sixteen festival goers in Montreal sporting these covetable wellies.

OSHEAGA featured an eclectic range of bands from The Black Keys to Aloe Blacc to Austra. My favourites were undoubtedly as follows:

Florence and the Machine (I’ve seen her before, she continues to impress and amaze!)

Yeasayer, they are so very entertaining to watch! The crowd was equally as energetic!

Of Monsters and Men – why aren’t they more famous? They are wonderful!

Austra featuring local talent from my hometown, Ryan Wonziak!

M83, also underrated and incredible!

Bloc Party because they know how to get a crowd amped up!

Justice. I never thought I would enjoy them as much as I did! I was D.A.N.C.E.ing the night away. Bonus: a professional hip hop dancing set up camp next to us and her moves accentuated the music perfectly!

Passion Pit, I couldn’t help but dance foolishly and clap my hands continuously throughout their set.

Honourable mentions to The Black Keys, I knew they’d be wonderfully melodic and hugely popular. Their set definitely delivered, but I think I’d prefer to see them on their own in an auditorium. The Shins were also amazing. I regret not seeing MGMT and Bombay Bicycle Club, but there were simply way too many shows that conflicted. Next time!

Here are some of my favourite festival looks, featuring celebrities and non-celebrities alike:

August 10, 2012
The Capital of Cool: Copenhagen

Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, is one of my favourite cities in the world. While my younger sister was studying abroad in Sweden this past semester, I had to opportunity to travel much of Scandinavia with family, friends as well as on my own. I spent four days in Denmark following a stint in Oslo with my friend, Brenden. It was my first time travelling solo, and I have never felt more liberated! Copenhagen is amazing on so many levels. First, it’s compact and walkable. I was able to navigate from the airport (I flew Air Baltic) to the central train station to my hotel to the downtown amenities seamlessly. I packed very lightly, which was a tremendous feat given the size of my wardrobe. Speaking of wardrobe, Copenhagen is the capital of design, it plays an integral role in the fashion and industrial design industries, and The Dansk Design Center was one of my first stops upon arrival in Copenhagen. It features exhibitions by local artists, cutting edge Danish designers and advocates design driven innovation and works to improve public products and services through society projects. If you ever have the chance, I’d highly recommend spending a day here. There’s so much fun to be had, and it truly is an engaging experience! Danish architecture is also highly impressive with its recent boom in modern architecture. Its pastries, of course are second to none. My favourite spot being Lagkagehuset, which can be found in several locations throughout the city. The window displays are especially enticing on a cold February morning, and their hot chocolate is simply divine!

Copenhagen has several Michelin-starred restaurants, but also a myriad of more affordable and equally delectable options! If you’re a fan of Carlsberg beer, I’d suggest checking out their brewery as the Danes are very generous with tastings and samples. I also admire how progressive Denmark is as a country.
As you probably already know, Copenhagen has the highest rate of bicycle ownership per capital of ANYWHERE in the world. Wherever you go, you’ll see fashionably-clad Danish beauties aboard two-wheelers. The frocks on bikes trend we’ve seen emerge over the past few years à la Scott Schuman (The Sartorialist) and Garance Doré have clearly been inspired by the Danes.

Recently, the New York Times revealed that a new super highway was being constructed for Copenhagen citizens, encouraging further bike use! Check out this video posted on the NY Times twitter page:
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2012/07/17/world/europe/100000001632565/a-green-light-for-copenhagens-cyclists.html?smid=tw-nytimes

I’m a huge advocate for sustainable transport. I truly realized the value of public transport while living in Auckland. Auckland’s an isthmus, which makes it difficult to implement any sort of viable transport. Furthermore, the auto-dependence is outrageous with more than 80% of Aucklanders driving to work and new motorways constantly being built. This is nothing new to Aucklanders who’ve grown accostomed to their gas guzzling ways. Europeans however, sharply intake almost immediately upon arrival in Auckland as decent public transport is ingrained in their mentality. Copenhagen’s decision to implement and promote physical activity and sustainbility is what makes it such a pleasant place to live or visit!

One of my favourite pieces of artwork by Edgar Degas, The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer

Every city should have a town square, this is a wonderful place to congregate in Copenhagen.

Dansk Design Center

July 18, 2012
How to Dress for University Graduation

I’ve finally received my official application to graduate! Needless to say, I’m extremely excited that I will soon transition from ‘graduand’ to ‘graduate’, and possess a university qualification. As an English major, my first concern was that my name would be spelled and pronounced correctly. My second concern is definitely WHAT TO WEAR. I’ve been on a rampant search for the perfect dress that won’t compromise the goofy baby pink hood we Arts students must wear!

Things to keep in mind when choosing a dress for graduation:

There will be dozens and dozens of photos being taken! Don’t forget to wake up a little bit earlier than usual to shower, and put on something conservative (no cleavage on graduation day!) but flattering. You’ll want to look like the mature adult you’re about to become, but still age-appropriate! Take extra time to curl your hair, but keep it natural – you still want to look like yourself, not a beauty pageant contestant! Maybe put on a little concealer and mascara, and make sure your pearly whites are flossed and brushed! Keep it minimal though! Trust me — you’ll be thankful you did once those photos hit Facebook (or, are framed and placed over the fireplace at your parents’ house!)

Here are some (high-collared) options that could potentially work:

J.Crew

Is this print too busy?

Mellow yellow could be quite a flattering option!

Polka dots would enable to me stay away from any clashing colour combinations yet not blend into the black robe.

While this photo isn’t the best quality, colour and collar-wise, it’d be a viable option! It’s from Ruby’s 2012/13 Summer Collection.

I’ve also come across several options from Anthropologie and have pinned them to my Graduation ’12 board on Pinterest. Follow me for more inspiration: Vanessa Ortynsky

Shoes will be a whole different ball game to be deliberated upon at a later date! xxx

V.

July 14, 2012