A Trip To The Market

A postcard I picked up at the antique market today. I'll always have a soft spot for anything pertaining to Ancient Rome and Greece (history nerd).

Before I bother doing an update on Christmas and all the wonderful goods I received, or even a little update about my most recent trip to New York City (and all the incredible food I ate), I thought I'd do a little post on the vintage shopping I did with my friend Anne today.

We started off the day with a trip to Red Lobster because -- duh -- we're fabulous ladies who lunch, and that was the right thing to do. Clearly I was very excited about the biscuits.

After that we headed out on a thrifting adventure. First we stopped at Value Village where Anne bought a chocolate brown fur coat and I decided to save my money because I had a feeling I'd find something else at our next stop and I was totally right.

First, Anne and I both found fantastic vintage hats for ourselves.

Don't we look happy?

You can wear white after labour day, guys!

And just before leaving, I found the best find of all, an early 1930's dress for such a steal. I've been so obsessed with the 20s and 30s lately, mostly in part due to Boardwalk Empire and last year's Mildred Pierce. The fashion and accessories are so exquisite, and it's really difficult to find authentic pieces from that era at an affordable price so I was over the moon to find this. Not sure where I'm going to wear it yet but I think it's a sign I have to attend the Jazz Age Lawn Party next Summer!

The buttons!

Needles to say, I'm very happy right now. My whole aesthetic for 2013 is some weird amalgamated look I like to call "disco flapper tarot reader" which basically means a lot of sparkle, a lot of jewelry, a lot of rings and velvet and vintage furs ... just mystical luxury, I guess. Still very much in line with what I wrote about here.

I'm really set on creating lots of headpieces for the new year. 

Some inspiration: Margaret on the Season 3 premiere of Boardwalk Empire, flapper from Pinterest, artist Shae Acopian Detar, Downton Abbey.

Basically, my style is going to be all out and a little all over the place but that's completely fine by me. I can't wait. I'm going to be listening to this nonstop. Anyway ... I have to do some Breaking Bad marathoning writing so I guess it's time I wrap this up ...

Until next time!

-Hannah

Knick Knacks And What Not ...

I've been going cuckoo all over the Internet and in stores in my neighbourhood picking up goodies for my new place. Don't worry, every time I do some spending I make sure to do some work too so that my budget balances out. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of the things I've ordered and am excited about. The main living space has a colour theme of primary colours, so you might notice a recurring theme ...

Loads of washi tape.

Valley of the Dolls poster.

Gold skull. I've been dying for one of these for awhile and finally found a shop with affordable prices. Can't wait for this to arrive.

Packing isn't much fun but it is nice being reminded of the loads of books I have, many of which I still haven't read. 

That's all for now. I don't want to give away too many of my secrets.

xoHannah

Decoration Inspiration

My "pink shrine".

I'm moving on December 1st and I couldn't be more excited. Today a post of mine went up on xoJane.com with a few of my decoration tips. I encourage everyone to check it out! There are a lot of inexpensive suggestions on ways to personalize your space. Let me know what you think.

Now, I figured (for my own sanity, perhaps), I'd compile a bunch of the images that have been floating in and out of my head these past few weeks as I daydream about decorating my new place. Without further ado ...

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I'd love to know what your favourite sources for decor inspiration are. What stores do you shop at? Are you as addicted to Etsy as I am? (It's getting dangerous!)

xoHannah

Early Winter Vibez

Anjelica Houston

Time for an inspiration post! Trying to organize my thoughts for the Winter and my style and all that. It's funny the cycles my style goes through. I was just thinking today about how in the early Summer I was all about tanned skin and Slim Aarons photos and Palm Springs, and now I'm thinking all about icicles and snow queens and flappers and the moon. Here are some images to make more sense of all that ...

Pinterest

Galliano F/W 09

Christian Lacroix Haute Couture S/S 1996

The three brides of Dracula

A bride in the 1920s

Pinterest

Pinterest / Marchesa

Photo by Ellen Rogers

Pinterest

Anita Louise in A Midsummer Night's Dream

Caitlin Shearer / Pinterest

Charlotte Gainsbourg

xoHannah

A Quick Catch-Up

Thought I'd take some time to post photos from the Rookie reading and party that happened on the Saturday before Halloween.

From the Drawn and Quarterly blog, the lovely Julia from D&Q asked us (Petra, Anna, myself, Tavi) questions and was super-wonderful. I'm wearing a self-made headpiece, RM by Roland Mouret dress, some tights from an Italian brand whose name I can't remember (oops), and Charles Albert shoes with H&M shoe clips.

From the Drawn and Quarterly blog, Petra, Anna, Tavi and myself posing with these awesome Rookies who were the first at the reading and the last to leave. That is dedication! And don't they look cool in their crowns that come included with Rookie: Yearbook One?

The reading was so amazing. I seriously felt such a high because of how happy and overwhelmed and proud I was at the amount of people who came out and were so excited about what everyone at Rookie is doing. I feel so grateful to be involved in a project that has a part in making the life of girls AWESOME, because I know when I was in high school things weren't easy, but Rookie is the cool, comforting voice that lets you know that who you are, just the way you are, is awesome. So yeah, I'm sure this sounds super saccharine and drippy and all but it's the truth! I had an amazing time, so thank you to everyone who managed to come out, and who supports Rookie by reading and getting involved in discussions and just generally being fantastic.

Afterwards we headed to Magic Pony for a pastel confectionary wonderful dream-world Halloween party. Everyone had such amazing costumes, many of which you can see here.

Me in my costume. I was a WWII nurse (again), but this time I had an authentic vintage nurse's cape from Toronto General Hospital, so it was ~fancier~, ha.

The incredible cake (and a sparkly rat).

Tavi and a blurry me.

Anyway I won't overwhelm you with photos but you get the picture. It was loads of fun. I ended up heading home before midnight like a total baby because I was reading to pass out from exhaustion. I put on my flannel pajamas and got caught up on American Horror Story. What a wild night, ha.

Also, I wanted to post a little reminder that the December issue of FLARE is out and you should all go buy it (those of you who are Canadian, that is), because once again I am in it, as I am every month ... so maybe just get a subscription? Haha, yeah, yeah.

A little preview. I was obsessed with that headpiece, I wanted to take it home. Alas ...

Well, that's all for my little update. If you want to stay further in the loop you can always read my Twitter, follow my Instagram, or check up on me over at xoJane.

Happy November, everyone!

-Hannah

Building My Fall Wardrobe ...

So Summer has been lovely, and so was my trip to New York (I'll do a post on that later), but in the meantime I've got Fall on the brain.

I've been putting together my Fall wardrobe over the last few days and have a whole lot of different vibes on the brain ... 1960s mod silhouettes and fabulous Liz Taylor-esque jewels with shots of neon, plus moody 80s goth-esque/post-punk/-new-wave what not with a bit of 1940s femme fatale thrown in ... it's all quite a mish-mash, just like my brain, really. Anyway, here are some pieces I've purchased that I'm excited about.

H&M neon green, cobalt blue and grey tote, neon yellow-green and black jeweled chandelier earrings, yellow lacey dress, fun shimmery nail polishes, men's trouser socks in fun prints and some Emilio Cavallini seamed tights.

Love the neon collar on this Forever 21 shirt I bought.  I'm wearing it below with some blue lips from my slurpee.

A favourite album, in t-shirt form.

A super-glam yet understated 1940s crepe vintage dress from a favourite shop on Etsy.

I'm quite obsessed with these boots and they are surprisingly comfortable.

I also picked up a new pair of Minnetonka Kilties in black, the perfect everyday comfy shoe, along with loads of new beauty products for Fall because ... it's my job! There are a few other things thrown in there that I'll be sure to document ... still need to head to Joe Fresh to get some nice new Fall cardigans and tights. I'm thinking ahead but it'll sneak up so soon!

Have you guys been doing any Fall shopping? Show me what you've bought!

xoHannah

Hi Everybody! Hi Dr. Nick!

I know, I keep disappearing. It seems like every post I write is just me apologizing for my absence, but so it goes when you have three jobs and are a full-time student. My brain is on fire pretty much all of the time, but in a good way, not a burn-y way.

So, what have I been up to? Well, the first really big piece of news is that I am now a columnist for FLARE magazine.

Silly ol' me in the September 2012 issue of FLARE.

This is exciting and crazy and crazy-exciting for me! As someone who has been writing in this blog since 2008, and writing for online media for over a year, to finally be writing for a print publication really feels like a culmination of all the passion and hard work I've put forward. It is crazy to me that my writing and my face is in a magazine that you can pick up at the supermarket (if you live in Canada, that is), a magazine that I have been reading for years and years, poring over the pages as a beauty- and fashion-obsessed tween. I feel incredibly blessed to have this opportunity in my life and it just gives me more motivation to keep going and creating and doing what I love!

In addition to the print articles every month, there's also video tutorials that correspond with each look. Check out September's here and hear/see me be a dork.

In other really not as exciting news, I got an iPhone. So naturally, I also got instagram. I don't know how to link to my account on there, but my username is hannahejo. Here's a sampling of some photos.

 

I'm also done my Summer semester and so I have a bit of time off, so I'm headed to New York this week to shop, eat, and see many of my lovely friends. I am looking forward to finally enjoying my Summer vacation and living it up in my favourite city.

Oh, and if I have one piece of advice to you all for the remainder of Summer, read some Joan Didion. Play It As It Lays is a perfect hot Summer day read (literally, you'll be so engrossed you may finish in a few hours), perfect for the last few balmy weeks we have left and some introspection. I'm also making my way through both The Year Of Magical Thinking and Slouching Towards Bethlehem. I love this woman's brain and she is inspiring me to start writing "creatively" again. I use that term loosely, as I feel my creative impulses run wild with my work, but perhaps I meant ... fiction? Prose? I just want to create some characters in addition to the fun world of beauty writing. ;)

Love you all who continue to read this thing and hope you're having a great Summer.

xoHannah