dear designer

Notes on style by two completely unqualified persons

[deardesigner]

Dear Brigette,

How was Edinburgh and London?  Did you have a fantastic Scottish Christmas?  I stayed in Vancouver for the holiday.  Actually working through most of the time... or all of the time. I got several freelance jobs right before Christmas, and I said to all of the job offers except to one.  Sat at my work station all day and went out for a jog whenever I get the chance.  Though I did learn how to make several slow cooking dishes while I work from home.  I should've try to bake some bread! 

Guess where I am going in two weeks?  Chile and Argentina... Patagonia region!  I have a 30 hour flight!  Going to be backpacking and hiking, and of course, I'll look fashionable even though I won't be able to shower for 7-10 days straight.  So I've been going through my closet lately and realized I don't have much colour.  Sad!  And its winter time, need colour stat!  So here's what I put together of orange and salmon or peach palette.  

First of all I saw this awesome rucksack in Portland from Sketchbook Crafts.  I tried it on... pretty good but I dont' know if it can withstand some pacific northwest rain.  And its winter time, so how about some gold socks?  Made in Japan?  Sure!  Its cold there!  Lastly, cashmere ultra soft beanie from Steven Alan.  SOFT!!!!  Here's something I always wanted to try, peach coloured pants.  What do you think?  Maybe I'm too short for it.

[deardesigner]

Dear Brigette,

I'm in Vancouver!  And guess what, with all the moving and adjusting I finally caught a cold.  Darn it!  Should've chuck that Emergen-C in the morning.  Well, just right after my move, I also went to New York City.  I was suppose to do the marathon but it got cancel.  You know by now why it was cancel and how I got stuck in NYC.  It was actually really interesting and adventurous for me.  As a natural outdoors man I took the opportunity to explore the city in the dark.  The major downside is I had to walk up and down nine flight of stairs every time I want to go back to my friend's apartment.  What best way to spent time during a black out?  Window shopping and actual shopping!  

I was unprepared for the cold so I bought myself a nice navy blue jacket from Penfield.  That or a Patagonia down jacket... which are kind of too puffy for me.  Here's what I really want, a nice thick knit sweater from Norse Project.  They are awesome 'cause its double knit with a nice slim fit.  Makes me look taller and more adult.  While I was in NYC I also bought a pair of socks, kind of pricy but the patterns are awesome.  Talking about the Chup socks!  I love the nordic pattern.  Something basic I bought in Portland was a cute beanie from a local brand called Poler.  Super cute and camping inspired.  Another thing I saw looks really awesome is the Pendleton racksack.  Super cute and looks like it is unisex.  Good for a christmas present.  

And this is something I stumbled upon at a lot of shops... dried tree needle satchels.  I've been making my own dried needle satchels for years.  Though I guess if you don't live in the pacific northwest it can be difficult to make your own.  I usually stuff them in my backpack when I travel.  I recommend some rosemary and lavender to counter balance the moss dirt smell.  You live in LA so you should have plenty of Eucalyptus to make yourself a cute satchel.

[deardesigner]

Dear Brigette,

I'm really excited for my move to Vancouver, British Columbia.  Hopefully the big Canadian city will have more shopping and choices than Portland.  Please don't forget to visit me! 

I also met a handsome Canadian guy few weeks ago.  He's very lovely and his birthday is coming up!  I want to get a him an autumn birthday package.  What do you think of the following items?  The Wings & Horns marled crewneck sweater may look really good on him.  He is lean and tall, about 6'3, usually that body shape looks great with pepper/galaxy pattern.  What do you think of the Steven Alan plaid shirt?  I love the blue/green/brown colour combination.  It looks a bit big and not well fitted.  Maybe this is something I want myself...  that's what happens when I window shop.

Lastly, he curls... yes, curling!  And he dresses up for all of his curling games.  He wears suspender, button up shirt, bowtie, newsie hat, very very very adorable and dashing.  I thought of getting him the Hill-Side Gingham Flannel bowtie.  I love how earthy coloured it is.  Could look really good with the sweater!  If all fails I can always get him a scarf, perhaps the Hill-Side polka dot scarf.  I don't think anyone would dislike the scarf!  What do you think?

[deardesigner]

Dear Brigette,

Recently I went to backpacking in central Washington state in this area called the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.  It was seriously the hardest hike I've ever done.  We summit a mountain and glacier!  It was really scary but at the same time trying to look fabulous.  On the trek my friend who is a designer at Giovanni Bianco wanted us to dress fashionable and functional at the same time.  It was kind of him to buy me a legging from Japan, the limited collection from Columbia Wear.  Can't get it anywhere else in the world.  It was pretty comfortable but didn't keep me as warm as a pair of wool leggings.  

I also splurged and bought myself a $70 cap, yeah, its expensive, but its so cute.  From Norse store.  And you know me for a while now, I don't usually wear hat in general.  I layered myself with tons of thermal and wool jersey from Patagonia, but on top of it all I wore this Apolis x Patagonia windbreaker.  I really like the slim cut.  Doesn't make me look fat.  What I should've brought on the trip is one of these J.Crew x Nike sneakers.  Which one do you like better?  the blue or the bamboo color?  Oh by the way, it was your birthday and I didn't forget to sent you a little gift.  Check your mail this weekend!  I will say I tried to look for those bee themed jewelry at Anthropologie and they were all gone.  I told them they need to make more insect themed items. 

[deardesigner]

Dear Ed, 

I bought that hat.  

[deardesigner]

do you know by any chance were can i purchase those coral and cream saddle shoes by Bass? I can't seem to find them anywhere!

I found them on endless.com  (which is an awesome site, by the way, with super-ridic-fast  free shipping!)  But they don't seem to have them anymore BOOOOOOO.  They are on the official bass site, though, right hERE!

[deardesigner]

Dear Ed,

Today I'm going to tell you all about my all-time favorite perfume: ANGEL by Thierry Mugler!

It's an odd choice, because when I look at it, and even when I read about it, I'm kinda like, "that sounds a little too crazy for me."  And then I SMELL it and I'm like "NEVERMIND I LOVE IT GIVE IT HERE!"  It's a complex scent: it's powdery but not baby-smelling, a kick of patchouli somewhere in there, and lots of delicious FOOD-y smells in there like chocolate, bergamot (that's a kind of orange, fyi), caramel, and honey.  There are also things called  "Hedione" and "Helional",  in it, whatever that is.  Some kind of fancy flower probably but I'm not curious enough to google it.  It came out in 1992 and it was the first fragrance to be unaplogetically food smelling, a "gourmand" scent, if you're fancy about it.  It's also unusual because it's BLUE!  That's an unusual color for a lady fragrance.

I first sniffed this stuff in a Nordstrom when I was 13.  It's been my favorite pretty much ever since.

The bottle is the crazy star-shaped thing in the upper left.  SOMEDAY, I will own a crazy star shaped bottle of Angel.  In the meantime, I settle for the wimpy little $25 vial which I usually use up very, very fast.  

Here are some fashionable goods to wear, in the spirit of Angel, which according to the website is meant to "evoke the emotion of tender childhood memories together with a sense of dreamlike infinity".  So naturally, there is glitter involved:

Angel: best smelling stuff!

beautiful beaded hair clippy: Anthropologie

nude lace dress: Asos. Ethereal! 

intricate post earrings: Anthropologie

glitter eyeliner: Urban Decay.  Cuz it ALSO reminds me of being 13! Glitter was big in the nineties. 

flowery head wreath: Urban Outfitters.  Like a little halo!

second beaded hair clippy:  Anthropologie

polka dot dress:  Asos.  In that signature Angel blue.

blue velvet oxfords: Urban Outfitters.  I'm super into these, is that my inner 13 year old again?

floral oxfords: Doc Martens.  They have a liberty print on them and I think they are to die for.

blush duo: Nars.  I have this one and it is great!  A little heavely golden shimmer for your cheeks.

nailpolish: Sephora by Opi

What do you smell like?

[deardesigner]

Dear Ed,

I've been online (and real life, but mostly online) window shopping for the past month, getting ready for my yearly birthday shopping spree!  Every year I do the same thing: I eat excessively and show excessively and I never get tired of it.  I always go prepared, too, with a wish list!  

I'm going to do a few posts on the wish list subject, since there was way too much stuff to fit into one!  This is the first: a selection of goodies that I've fixated on lately, all inspired by one of my favorite scents, Tocca's Brigitte.  It's inspired by Brigitte Bardot (who has the same initials as yours truly...BB!) and smells like spicy ginger, Moroccan rose, saffron, rhubarb, and few choice other gourmand type notes.  My friend Amy gave me a little pocket-sized version of it for my birthday last year, and I've since bought a whole bottle because I like it so much.  I like complex scents, with food smells mixed in, so it was right up my alley, and appropriately named to boot.

From the top:

gold bee earrings from Anthropologie: I love bees.  They make honey and hang out in flowers.  I mostly wear stud earrings if I wear any at all.  I'd definitely wear the heck out these!

flower necklace from Madewell: Madewell is one of my favorite places for clothes, but they often disappoint in the jewelry dept. as far as I'm concerned.  They run more minimal and modern, where as I am full-tilt old lady vintage when it comes to baubles.  This necklace though, wow, that is just perfect!  It's somehow both spare and ornate, and would go perfectly with the bee earrings, thematically!

heels from Poetic License: one of my favorite shoe designers.  I love those flowery tassles and the peep toe.  The heel is sturdy enough that I might actually wear them!

bee ring from JewelMint: I got this for myself as an early birthday present.  It presents many irresistible components: rhinestones, a bee, great quality.  I could not resist.

vintage hat from Tender Vintage on etsy:  Been  buying a lot of hats lately!  I got one from Tender Vintage recently that I LOOOOOVE, it's felt and from the 1950's and just perfect.  This one is reasonably cheap so I might just get it...!  That little vintage flower on it just kills me.

Brigitte by Tocca: the packaging for this perfume is also extremely pretty.  I love the classy bottle.  Tops.

dress by Karen Walker for Anthropologie:  I saw this dress (and it's sisters) at an Anthropologie this past weekend.  I literally said "Oh my GOLLY" out loud when I saw them.  The prints are PERFECT: vintage but bold, and cuts are very 1930's day dress, and I just love them all to pieces, and I look awesome in red.  Unfortunatley the price tag is very typical of Anthro ($$$) so I probably won't end up owning one.  

denim blazer by Theory:  Also a very spendy piece, but I think it would pair so well with this dress!  It's fitted but the denim makes it feel modern and more casual.  It's also one of those pieces that can go with ANYTHING else.  

Now for shoes!  I like to pretend I'd wear heels but I live in flats.  Lately I've been craving a pair of saddle shoes.  I always sort of wanted some but never had the guts to go for it...they can look awfully costume-y.  But now they seem to be in vogue, so I think I'm going to take the plunge...

tan and cream oxfords by Wanted:  Cheap and chic.  They're oxfords and not saddle shoes, but I love these so I included them anyway.  They'd look pretty smashing with that dress, too.

coral and cream saddle shoes by Bass:  They're patent leather, super shiny!  Harder to incorporate into an outfit, sure, but soooo cute.

navy and whiskey saddles shoes by Restricted: Very affordable and super cute and in go-with-everything colors, I'm probably going to buy these.  

Do you have a favorite scent, Ed?  In my next post I'll tell you my other fav perfume. 

[deardesigner]

Dear Brigette,

Its so hot here.  Like ridiculously hot wave.  I can't even imagine what it is like in Los Angeles.  I hope you have an AC or go to the beach everyday.  I had to go to the oregon coast as much as I can.  I've been taking up some great surfs last weekend, and again this Saturday!  Last weekend when I had a cold, Shad took me to the coast claiming that the salt air will help me feel better.  He was right!  As long I was surfing my nose cleared up.  3 hours of bliss for me.  Here's what I wore on that awesome afternoon.

A blue Hippytree soft cotton t shirt, nothing special, it was on sale!  I just wanted a shirt I can throw around and still look decent in it while I'm all gross with sand and sweat.  I had Toms slip ons but what I really should get is the Steven Alan Espadrille shoes.  I would've destroy it too in one week.  I then had on a pair of Parke & Ronin swimshorts.  They were a bit tight but I like the bright navy blue colour.  Oh and if I had 1K to throw around then I would like a surfboard please.  Something along the line of this one from Saturdays Surf NYC.  I own zero board at this moment.  Been renting it from friends and stores. 

Have a good weekend!

[deardesigner]

Dear Brigette,

Lately its 80 degrees up here in Oregon.  Beautiful and sunny.  I went surfing last weekend with my sister.  I realized the Oregon coast is colder than any other regions of Oregon.  I saw this APC boat sweater.  I don't know what it is but I love the color and the diagram of the boat.  It totally fits the coast look.  What do you think?  Is it worth $105?  It looks really soft and thin.  Just not sure if I need another pretty sweater.

[deardesigner]

Dear Brigette,

Where are you Brigette?  Guess where I was last week?  I was in the sun at Zion National Park in Utah.  Beautiful Zion!  The weather was amazing, 80 to 90 degrees daily, full sun, I got a bit of sun burn and totally tanned.  We did some backpacking in the high desert, explored the Narrows and soak in the river.  This is what I wore on my non-hiking moments.  A yellow light and soft APC tee.  Then I put on my vibrant blue Olasul swim short, though I wonder if I should've got the J. Crew boat shorts or the blue Norse shorts.  Should I just get it all?  What do you think?

[deardesigner]

Dear Brigette,

How have you been?  I'm about go to Zion National Park in Utah this memorial day weekend.  I can't wait to explore the canyons and the narrows.  I thought of maybe getting a small backpack for the day hike part of the trip.  What do you think of the Epperson Mountaineering bag?  Its so colourful!  A bear will spot miles away.  $180 is a bit of a high price though.  What do you think of the orange Fjallraven rucksack?  Its a bit pricier $190.  Fjallraven is a brand from Sweden.  Apparently they were the bag brand that every kid in Sweden used to carry their books to school.  Though I think I like the Epperson bag more.

[deardesigner]

Dear Brigette,

A new shop opened up in Portland just up the street from my home.  The shop is called Worn Path, sort of an outdoor boutique store that sells girly things from ear rings to recreational items like a surf board.  I got this necklace to wear with my tees.  I just read Hunger Games and this necklace calls out to me.  I love the brass axe and the arrow.  Pretty awesome!

[deardesigner]

Dear Brigette,

How have you been?  We went to Cannon Beach last weekend, spent overnight at a cute townhouse about 3 blocks away from the beach.  We went surfing most of the time.  I'll tell you more about it next post.  Right now I need more summer wear like a madras shirt perhaps.  How about this one from Gant Rugger?  What do you think?  A bit spendy on a shirt.  I think I would only get it if I know its light weight and gentle on my skin.  I've also been looking for a nice short.  I thought of these Outlier shorts, but not sure how the fit looks.  I thought of wearing accessories for a fancy day at the office.  Maybe a tie from Bonobos or fancier Alexander Olch.  I like them both!  A tie is probably more ideal 'cause I can wear it loose.  I thought of these two ties from Opening Ceremony.  The Hentsch Man tie is only $65, and the Band of Outsider tie is... $115.  Of course its overpriced.  Do you think I should eve try to wear ties in such hot weather?

[deardesigner]

Hey, I love the blog and by the way... could you tell us the name of the photoshop brushes you use? They look so good

Dear reader,

I have my own personal set of brushes I've made and traded with peers.  Not sure what Brigette use though. 

cheers,  Ed

[deardesigner]

Dear Brigette,

How were your days at Calarts reviewing portfolio?  I think you have such an interesting opportunity to help these new talented animation students.  I wish I had a teacher like you when we were at Calarts.  And of course everyone loves your outfit!  You've got the very cute adorable Zooey Deschanel look. 

I've been shopping for tank tops.  I actually only own two tank tops.  TWO!  Can you believe that?  Last summer I wore mostly t shirts.  I remember I was dying of sweat in t shirt.  I really really need proper tank top purchases.  What do you think of these choices?  Now, the FOLK colour block tank top is my favourite.  But it comes with a whopping $122 price tag.  YIKES!  What should I do?  I love it so much.  I know I'll wear it everyday if I own it.  My second choice is the Saturdays NYC stripped tank top.  Its a lot cheaper and affordable.  The fit is slimming too.  Third choice is the blue ASOS Paul Smith tank top.  Though it looks not as a good fit as Saturdays NYC.  What do you think?  Should I suck it up and pay $122 for a tank top?  Seems kind of crazy.  Even Shad thinks that's insane.  Lastly, I think I'm gonna get the khaki coloured cyclist cap.  Perfect for the season.  I already own the black and pink one.

[deardesigner]

Dear Brigette,

What do you think of this scarf?  I like the colour!  It looks light and perfect for the spring season.  A whopping $59 each.  I think I like the graph white one more.