On J. Crew

When I was younger, 10 or so, I got into the (totally bizarre) habit of ordering J. Crew catalogues in the mail, then cutting animal heads out of old Owl magazines and pasting them over the model's faces. It was a brief summer craft project that turned into a full-blown obsession. I wish I still had a few of these kicking around--sadly, all of my outsider art was thrown away as kid crafts gave way to teen diaries. Back then, J. Crew was all crinkled khakis and pastel polos; it was more dockside, less desirable. It was the age of Dawson's Creek, what can I say?

(photo via stayinginwithvlada.com)

As much as I love Pacey Witter (which, to be fair--to this day--is a lot) J. Crew had to grow up eventually. And, year by year, it's been getting better and better. Under the creative direction of Jenna Lyons, she of the heavy framed eyeglasses and little boy nail polish controversy, the brand has become more classic and more daring at once.

They've been teasing an entry into the Canadian market for years, but next week it's finally going to happen: at Yorkdale on August 18th. I don't think this will damper my bi-monthly road trips to Buffalo, NY, but it's still a bright spot in a crowded mall. Now we just need to start pulling Madewell up past the border--gently, gently.

From the J. Crew fall 2011 lookbook:

Not so much the pants, but definitely the trench. 

I don't enjoy being swathed in black all fall/winter long, but my coloring (red hair, freckles) usually doesn't give me much choice. This is a combination I can get behind, though. Mint and burgundy? So pretty. Reminiscent of one of my favorite snacks: mint chip ice cream with blueberries. Tastes awful, looks delicious. 

Yes please. 

(photos via fashionolgie.com)

The Worst Ride at Disneyworld

We went to Disney World, for a day, back in February. We toured the Magic Kingdom because we couldn't afford the "park hopper" ticket option--an extra $60, on top of $80 already spent-- but we did it from top to bottom. I mean, we went on every ride, even the ones where Devan could barely fit inside the cars.

I had been to the park twice before; when I was 3 (all of my memories of this trip are skewed, full of things I made up and moments cribbed from TV shows), and again when I was 11 (during the age of the Tower of Terror). This time around, it wasn't familiar. Since when did all of the rides involve bobbing down a river, surrounded by animatronic freaks?

Admittedly, we went on the Pirates of the Caribbean late in the day, and the ride did stop halfway, leaving us stuck in our boat staring at a skeleton, but it just felt so lame. There's no way kids could be tricked by that, right?

And yet, I've been tricked by this: OPI's tie-in collection for the new POTC movie. I definitely won't be seeing this movie, but I definitely will be buying Stranger Tides, a gloomy gray green that hopefully finds its way up to Canada in May.

I'm finally at an age where nail polish excites me more than Disney World. It's official; I am old.

(images via 1, 2)

Sea Spray

I had to go all the way to an Ulta in Winter Park, Florida to get my hands on Anchors Away, the new China Glaze spring collection, but it was worth it. I picked up a few bottles, but I've already fallen hardest for Sea Spray. It's blue but not baby, creamy but not flat, unassuming but not boring. It also sparkles just slightly in the sun, which made for lovely nails down in the orange state but doesn't translate so well under Ontario's drawn-out winter skies. No matter: I'm probably going to be wearing this shade every day until spring finally hits. Consider this my nail polish protest.

image via @ChinaGlaze