Vintage Cat asks, "What's delaying my dinner?"

Photo by  Harry Whittier Frees, circa  1905

Toronto weather has always been bi-polar. But despite the pouring rain slamming my window right now, Melody and I have decided to put together our latest summer wishlist.

Melody's picks from Modcloth:

(1, 2, 3)

Carmel's picks:

(1, 2, 3)

I'm oddly missing school at the moment, hence the academia-meets-South of France/Paris-like footwear.

Trees that bloom

Melody and I went to High Park recently to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

On Melody: thrifted coat, H&M dress

On Carmel: Jack by BB Dakota skirt, Style&Co. denim jacket, Vans boater hat

Vintage Kitten in saucepan

Photo from scanned postcard, via Flickr

A couple of weeks ago, I went down to the Don Valley to do some field work for an exciting new project Melody and I are both a part of.

I went with David and Selina, and we took a whole lot of photos. These are just a few inside one of the Brick Works factories.

More photos will be up soon!

Photos taken by David Oliver

Block Party

I'm finding myself drawn to bright colour blocks lately. The dresses above from ASOS and Pearl are quite perfect for spring/summer adventures.

Vintage Cats!

Photo from Vintage Printable

Ever since the school year ended, weekends have been filled with a lot of catching up time --

and what better way to catch up than over tea and macaroons!

Nadège Patisserie

Today was an odd day in terms of the weather. The sweltering heat was a bit unexpected. Melody and I, along with two other friends - Georgia and Carissa, went to get some gelato immediately after the Miracle Fortress in-store at Soundscapes.

I got this album some serious replays back in '08. I think it's time to bring back the jolly-rockin' and romance-yearning it never fails to bring out in me.

Moon River and Nadinoo

For the past few days, I've been playing the video above repeatedly, and I still can't get enough! I have this tendency to fixate on videos of acoustic performances and play them every morning for the duration of said fixation. (I had one with The Elwins' "Sitting Pretty" a few months ago. It was intense.)

The clarity of this video is fantastic, the cover quite decent. But the dress! Her Nadinoo dress is so lovely (as with all things Nadinoo), I just can't stop staring!

Here's a Nadinoo fashion film, which also features the same Fleur's Penna dress above!

I think this was for their A/W 2011 collection. Their summer one just came out, and I'm drooling all over, as expected.

You ain't born typical

Here's the thing: it's impossible to know everything when it comes to music, even when music is part of your job. Dozens of records are released every week and I'm lucky if I can listen to one a week. Sometimes, bands take time to ease into so factor that in too! That being said, I will admit that The Kills had fallen by the wayside of bands I should really know a thing or two about. And man, am I kicking myself right now.

In a last minute effort to soak up as much information as possible about The Kills for an interview the next day, I spent a night combing through the internet for every interview I could get my hands on and I also gave their latest record Blood Pressures a proper listen. And again, I am kicking myself. Trust me, I'm pretty bruised up from all the kicking.

My taste in music varies a lot but it usually revolves around a good melody and a great hook. So yes, I love my pop music. But every so often, I need something more and The Kills gave me everything I needed and then some. The immediate rhythm that kicks in on opener "Future Starts Slow" hooked me and my goodness, Jamie Hince and Alison Mosshart's shared vocals reeled me right in. Needless to say, that's the only thing I've been listening to for a week now. (And in case you were wondering how the interview went...click here!)

Also, as a last minute reward, I was able to catch their set later that night at the Sound Academy - a place I constantly tell myself I will never return to but alas... - and even though the $25 cab ride pretty much broke even with the cost of my free admission, I left with no complaints. In fact, I left wanting two things: to desperately be Alison Mosshart and just more. I wanted more!

Mosshart enjoys the tough persona she projects on stage but her soft-spoken, giddy personality in real life is just as magnetic. Live, she's explosive. Strutting on stage, dancing around, building up what I must admit to be the most sexually tense show I've ever witnessed (as I tweeted: "The Kills = sex. If this show isn't turning you on right now, I don't know what will.") Offstage, she's sweet and is almost always smiling no matter how much she might not want to be sitting in the middle of nowhere doing an interview on a rainy afternoon. No wonder so many people idolize her. 

Style-wise, she really only needs the following things to survive: leather, leopard print, plaid, fur, skinny black pants and an endless supply of black fabrics. It's effortless and classic, like she just rolled out of bed in a perfect outfit every day. Mosshart definitely has a distinct style, one that I can only hope to respectfully imitate (such as the photo above).

Mosshart embodies strength and confidence, showing that women can definitely hold their own in what is still a fairly male-dominated world of rock 'n roll. And she does it all with a kick-ass attitude, a bullshit-free demeanor and a cigarette in one hand. Don't like it? Too fucking bad.

Vintage Cat Postcards

Featuring our go-to accessories of the season: umbrellas and hats!

(Sources are linked to each photograph.)

Mama, I love you

I always grew up thinking that I'd become a fashion designer. Both my mom and my sister went to school for fashion so I didn't know any better, really. I would always run downstairs to the sewing room and pick out my favourite fabrics (i.e. I'd make a mess) and match it with lace trims and shiny buttons. I eventually grew out of my fashion designer dream though. Evidently, drawing and commitment to sewing were two things I didn't inherit from my mom. My mom still sews and knits like no other, often taking clothes I buy, studying them and then creating replicas within weeks. I, on the other hand, still can't muster up the time to finish a scarf I started when I was seven or that pencil skirt I started when I was fourteen. Friends are probably used to me starting things and never finishing them - just ask how many 'projects' I've come up with in the past month! But alas, I digress...

This post is about my mom and Mother's Day! Although I'm sure this is another Hallmark-related scam of a holiday (cue Ron Swanson: "Birthdays were invented by Hallmark to sell cards."), it doesn't hurt to treat your mom to a day of her favourite things. My sister and I often split duties on Mother's Day, taking her out for lunch to the restaurant of her choice, then shopping wherever she wants. And yes, that included a fabric store one year. With each year, I feel more and more guilty about the lack of time I spend with my mom so Mother's Day is something I make sure to mark off.

Here's what NOT to do for Mother's Day:

Also, if I ever get any of my bands up and running (Sluts and Pigeons, El Tiger, Better Than Best Coast, Ping Pong...) I'll make sure to cover this:



Happy Mother's Day, mom! And yes, I will clean up that mess in the sewing room tonight. I swear. xo 

(Photos of my mom, circa I'm-not-too-sure...but look at her! Beauty.)

From low to high doth disillusion climb

Nature has been generous with its showers lately. And as an unpleasant downside, I have been dealing with this cold for almost a week. I've also been wearing toques and bundling myself with scarves - not exactly for sartorial purposes but simply as a frugal attempt to lessen the weather's effect on my physical being.

Though they might try, the rain and cold winds can never stand in the way of an adventure! (Sorta.)

Georgia and I spotted these daffodils while walking around Bellwoods one day. The yellow conveniently matched my new dress!

We felt that this final photo looked like it was making some Romantic statement about nature overpowering humanity -- or something along those lines; hence, the Wordsworth quote for the title!

"Why aren't there more women in bands? And it's like, duh."

Meg White

I was always the girl in junior high who wanted to learn how to play the drums but was too shy to try out in band class. Instead, I was stuck with three years of playing the flute while three boys played the drums. And truth be told, only one of them was good.

I still don't know how to play the drums but my heart goes out to the strong female drummers out there - the Meg Whites, the Janet Weisses and the Carla Azars. They're the ones who still inspire me to one day pick up a pair of drumsticks.

What 14 year-old Melody could've used was something like Girls Rock Camp. This is their first year in Toronto (there are various chapters of this around the world) and alas, I no longer fit the age requirement (ages 8-16) but I cannot stress how important Girls Rock Camp is. As the Riot Grrrl manifesto says: "BECAUSE we see fostering and supporting girl scenes and girl artists of all kinds as integral to this process."

Girls Rock Camp is a 5-day workshop where young girls learn how to play instruments, have fun making music with other girls and there are even self esteem and leadership development workshops! Imagine what a kick-ass, confident drummer I'd be if I went! But I'm content with just being a kick-ass, confident writer instead. You win some, you lose some.

Tonight, Girls Rock Camp Toronto will be throwing a fundraiser at the Horseshoe Tavern featuring Gramercy Riffs, Julie Doiron and Forest City Lovers' Kat Burns. Rockin' ladies, rockin' cause and a guaranteed rockin' good time! Tickets are $12 at the door and all the proceeds go to Girls Rock Camp Toronto! Help the future Meg Whites!

(PS - The quote in the title is from the lovely Kathleen Hanna!)

For more information about Girls Rock Camp Toronto, go HERE.
Facebook event for tonight's event - HERE.

More grrrls who rock:










And of course:

Mad about Hats

I've been daydreaming about sun hats all winter. Now that temperatures are (very) slowly rising, I'm getting all the more excited to finally trade toques for Panamas and boaters!

Clearly not of the Panama-variety, but I figured it appropriate to post watercolour illustrations of English 19th century headwear as a tangent to the recent royal wedding (which Melody attended, via her television, and blogged about here).

How intricate does the detailing look in these!

(I have a feeling this blog will turn very English in a few months.)

Costume of the ladies of England, 1810-1823.

via the NYPL Digital Gallery