New York Fashion Week (NYFW) - Crazy for COCO

It's that time of year again. The long awaited week where well known fashionistas travel from all over the world to be seen more than heard. I have to admit, the only reason why I am aware of such an event is simply because of twitter. And perhaps Instagram.

I have never been to any fashion week for that matter - not even the one here in Montreal. I have to admit, quite frankly, I am not terribly interested either. I also don't plan on watching it vicariously through a small screen. Although, I'm sure if I was mailed an envelope of VIP backstage passes I would happily attend such a sought after event. But I wasn't. And most likely never will be. There are definitely other events I would rather go to.

Speaking of NYFW, there's one model who seems to have recently taken on a major spotlight: Coco Rocha, a Toronto born, Vancouver raised beauty. Now, she's not terribly pretty, in my humblest of opinions, but I can appreciate her simple beauty. But she photographs well (obviously) and is highly versatile. Actually she kind of reminds me of those 1950 Barbie dolls:



I've been following Coco on Instagram, and I have to say, I enjoy the way she markets herself. Unlike other top models, Coco shows us her real self through social media. The good, the bad - and yes, even the ugly. Most recently with her masters of pretty to ugly post on the buzzfeed:

I know this image is slightly disturbing and a bit terrifying but I have to say that I am impressed with the fuzzy peaches (also known as kahunas) Coco has here. She's not afraid to show a disgustingly ugly face. And I like this a lot. It actually makes me like her even more. So, fashionable hats off to you, Madame Coco. You're ruling the catwalk world, dominating magazines and showing us (the real world) that it's not all roses and unicorns.

A Culmination of Characters

In and around Québec, we all encounter a series of interesting individuals. And I'm into snapping them. Good or bad, they put a smile on my face. I hope it does the same for you, too!

This man bought this ski suit 25 years ago. And, he still doesn't see the need to buy a new one. Why fix what isn't broken? I whole-heartedly agree. 

Pony Tale - this clip-on hair definitely tells a story without words.

Man walking on St-Clair wearing shorts & women's underwear. Logical? How about insane.

Men in UGGS. Not a common sight to see. No sir.

Phone around your neck? Is it that cumbersome in your pocket? Apparently for some.

She made me smile. Cartoony, bright - it doesn't match but it brought me delight.

Not sure if I love this, or hate it. I tend to lean more to the hate side. This is an example of too much. There IS such a thing as too much colour. And here is a prime example.

Spend little and maximize your spring style

Spring has unofficially sprung and I am getting the ultimate itch to go shopping. I instinctively turn my eyes away from all the black and grey items in my closet and embrace the bright, uplifting colours. And, as we all know, we may have a closet FULL of wonderful, great quality clothes from previous years, but we STILL always manage to want more. More shoes, more pants, more shirts. More accessories. More everything. And, it's never enough.

With the weather becoming warmer, I'm definitely feeling inspired (thank G.O.D). Also, a little trip to the U S of A and a wee gander at Gianni Bini's shoe collection has most certainly left me wanting. I mean, look at how adoringly cute those shoes are. Ones thing's for sure. Woman can never, ever, have enough shoes (or coats or purses). But really, shoes dominate. Ten-fold.

But, I have a problem. You see, I'm not in a position right now to be spending money on material goods like that. I still have some debt to pay off and I know I wouldn't feel good about splurging. So what does a gal do in order to get a quick fix? How do I gain more colour in my closet without spending a lot? I really don't want to spend more than say, $40 or $50. I'm joking, right? NO!

Here are a few tips to get you excited about warm weather and your closet full of threads:

1.) Trading

Now, this one is probably not the easiest, per say, however, it is the most economical. I have a younger sister who is about the same size as me (give or take a few pounds). And, recently, I asked to borrow her high waisted black AA pants and SAKS navy polka-dot dress in exchange for my fitted, stretch green cargo pants. My sister LOVES my green cargos - she goes APESHIT over them (and I can see why, they make her ass look banging). So, I now have a couple more exciting pieces in my closet (though temporary) all for the price of NOTHING. Sweet.

2.) Thrift Shopping

Some people are not as open to this kind of shopping. And to some extent I get it. But, for the most part, I think that a lot of the clothes they sell second hand aren't germ infested. My favourite thing to do is drive out to Value Village in an obscure area. I generally steer clear of ones in the downtown core. As, for obvious reasons, the hipsters are frequenting those on the regular. They know the drop off days and are grabbing all the goods as soon as they hit the racks. This is precisely why you try and go to the furthest ones. Better yet, hit up a suburb. I had the best luck when I went to the thrift shops in Florida. GOLD. Tons of rich senior people giving away their vintage designer stuff like it's a bowl of old mint candy. It's a beautiful thing.

3.) Make your own stuff


This is for those creative minds out there (I know you're out there). I have always wanted to make my own necklaces, scarves, whatever. All it takes is a little idea, imagination and a sprinkle of motivation. Recently I've been thinking about making my own earrings. And necklace. All you need to do is go to your regular craft store to buy a chain and some earrings - then take idea 2.) Thrift Shopping and get inspired. Perhaps maybe you'll find a little something in the bits and bobs section. You know what section I'm talking about, right? Where they sell old jewellery and stuff. You can certainly take something old and use it to create something new. For a nice spring scarf you can go to Fabricland, pick out a couple of bright, fun prints, and get them cut into the shape of a scarf. Then, take it to a seamstress and have her neatly serge the ends. Simple! And inexpensive. You don't have anything to lose.

The benefit of both idea 2 & 3 is that you will have original pieces. Chances are you aren't going to look like every other girl on the street. And that's also the beauty of it.

From yours truly,

- thrifty little flea, for you, from me

Reaching the Height of all Heights: Mully Mullet

This, to me, was the ultimate mullet of all mullets. I've spotted this gentleman before and tried to snap his pic, but alas, I failed. Until Friday. That was my day. I'm not sure if he realizes how incredibley shocking his hair looks. Because, let's face it, you cannnot help but wonder what's going through his head (or at least what's IN his head, and how he manages to get it up so high). Anyways, here are a series of pics taken from a flea's perspective:

Super Flea: Faster than the silver bullet PT.1

My first encounter with boarder cross snowboarding was when I was living in Whistler. One day, while taking a cruise through the park, I made a detour to a small trail opening. As I rode down the narrow path, I was then taken over roller after roller, followed by a beautifully transitioned table top. It was fast, and I loved it. It made me want to do it again and again.

The following year I saw a poster for a competition on Blackcomb. I was working for Whistler Blackcomb at the time and thought, hey, I'm on these mountains more than the average person, so why not? So, I registered to compete. I think I had been riding about 17 years at the time. 17 years of snowboarding is quite a lot (mind you, it wasn't year after year, as I stopped for a few years, as my youth got the better of me). After a certain amount of time, well, you can only progress so much, or go pro. And I wasn't about to go and pursue the latter.

As I arrived for inspection and the first qualifying round, I couldn't help but size up my competition. Which girls would I be competing against, and who should I look out for? I noticed one girl right away. She was hard to miss as she had football gear on under her suit. I decided that her name was "The Tank". As we each got called to do the first round, I quickly got butterflies in my stomach. Well, here goes nothing, I thought. And that was it, the gates went down and away we went, one girl flew by me so quickly I couldn't believe it. I was so taken by how fast she was going that I ended up riding right off the course, falling 10 ft down.

I wasn't off to a good start.

Once I finally got to the end of the run, I encountered the fast girl. She was a small girl wearing all black with silver goggles on. I decided I'd call her "The Bullet". The Bullet was laughing at me as I got to the end, asking if I was OK. And the only thing I could do was laugh at myself. I mean, how can I take myself so seriously? I then told her I was impressed with how fast she was. She told me she had been to many competitions in Japan.

Great. Good for her. I'm screwed.

Well, that didn't stop me from dusting my sorry shoulders off and going back up to the top for round two. Even though I felt quite disconcerted, I still made my best efforts to show my pearly whites. And off I went. First roller, second roller, third roller, BAM, I make it around the sharp corner, and all of a sudden the silver bullet eats shit right beside me! I quickly moved out of the way as she fell hard to the ground. THIS IS IT, I thought, I HAVE A CHANCE!!! Boy was I happy. As I looked behind I saw The Tank, but she was far enough away not to concern me.Here it was, my chance to make it to the final round. GREAT.

This was it. My last run. The Bullet was officially out. I can't say I wasn't sad she got hurt. I mean, come on, the bitch was laughing at me falling off the course. Even though I grinned and bared it - she still laughed. So here I am, neck to neck, with The Tank, some other girl and myself. I didn't see the other girl compete, because she was in different heats. But, as soon as we were off, I saw her, alright. I saw her back the entire time. That fucking girl was fast. I tried my best to catch up, but it wasn't happening. I managed to stay about 2 seconds behind her. In competition terms, that's an eternity. She whizzed by the finish line, as I followed behind.

And so, that was it - I came out 2nd.

Who would have thought? Certainly not me! I felt proud, relieved and spent. That experience was a fucking blast. And I wanted to do it again.

2012 Fashion Fleasolution's

Welcome to 2012. A New Year, filled with new possibilities. I'm sure everyone took at least one small moment to look back at their year, and maybe even thought about what they'd want to do for the next. Looking back at my year, I'm pretty happy. But, we are our own worst critic, aren't we? Regardless, I'm satisfied with my accomplishments. From educational, to professional, to personal, I'd say I covered a lot of ground in the categories that are important to me. What does that leave me with? The not-so important things, like, fashion. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love a good outfit, or bad outfit, at that, but when it boils down to it, fashion is simply a materialistic addition to the world. It's pure fun. Nothing more. Nothing less. It adds colour to our lives, gives us confidence and helps us in expressing ourselves.

So, I've gone ahead and made some Fashion Fleasolutions for 2012. Here are my top 5.

1.) Be less boring and more daring.

2.) Wear more colours.

3.) Purchase more second hand clothing.

4.) Save major seasonal shopping for Florida Outlets.

5.) Host a clothing exchange event. 

Les Faux Pas – The remaining batch from 2011

The last few months have proven to be busy times. As I'm sure it has for everyone else. But, I couldn't start off a new post for 2012 without sharing my remaining 2011 snapshots. It will almost be a year that I've been writing here. It's interesting to look back and see the evolution. A good friend of mine recently bought me a book to write in, and on the cover it says "We write to taste life twice".  I can easily say that this is the main reason why I write in the first place. Not only because I enjoy the process, and find it fun and relaxing, but more so because I can look back and have somewhat of a tangible memory. Kinda neat, eh? Ok. Enough with the sentimental bullshit. Let's look at some of the remaining beauties of 2011.

It seems as though there was a pattern of hair victims. But are they really victims? For their sake, I hope they are. If not, well, 

god bless them, and their hair follicles. 

I see this woman everywhere. And she makes me smile. Some days she actually puts herself together quite well. Her look fascinates me. I would love the opportunity to interview her about her thoughts on style, her favourite colours and patterns. Maybe one day I'll ask her. 

This picture doesn't do justice for the size of this women's hair. It was bigger than three of my heads put together. How she washes and drys it is beyond me. I sympathize with those who have a lot of hair. In her case I'd probably go see a hair stylist who was able to thin her hair out using those special scissors. I find many people with hair like this are frightened of trying different things. They stick with the same stylist they've had for years who give them the same cut time after time. I think this hair has the potential to be rather beautiful. 

Here we have a fuzzy troll doll. Poor her. Fuzzy hair is never good. Especially when it's thin and fluffy. It's not like she can put product in it to solve the problem. Hair like that'd be tough to manage. Thumbs up to her for supporting its unfortunate state by rocking a grunge look.

Hot pink jeans, muffin top pudge, adorned with a white sweater wrapped around the shoulders à la golf style. Sexxxxy lady. Ungh. She puts a new meaning to the term "age appropriate".

And my favourite. Not only is she representing the vagina coat club, but she's also wearing STUDDED leggings. What a masterpiece! And it's at McDonald's (yes, I was there, I'll have you know that I ate my apple pie with a knife and fork). These leggings are what did it for me. They are a complete disaster. There is nothing stylish about them. Not only do you look ridiculous in your vagina coat, but you're also winning the prize by sporting such a hideous piece of material. Bravo, girl! Thank you for providing entertainment to my eyes.

That's it, that's all. Not sure what the next year is going to bring about with this here, fashion flea, but, I can already tell you I enjoy doing it more and more every time. I wholeheartedly wish everyone an even better year than the last. lots of love and sloppy wet kisses xx ff

The Fleece Family Christmas Tradition

For the past, I don't know how many years, our family has followed a tradition at Christmas. A ritual, if you will. This ritual takes place at my father's house on Christmas eve. The usual suspects are there, my dad, step mother, sister Lauren, brothers Thomas and Matthew - and his wife Emily (who is also my sister! and pregnant with a little baby on the way).

Christmas eve day, we arrive in good time (before dark) - and there's music playing, drinks to be had, animals to be played with and some last minute gifts to be wrapped. A fire is usually on and there's an unspoken excitement floating around in the air. The Christmas tree is always quite the sight, with a plethora of gifts spilling out from underneath it.

Each and every year, we have a fondue. We've never had a turkey, roast or any other traditional style meal. For as long as I can remember, it's all about fondue. And each year, my step mother steps it up with her cooking skills. The past few years she's added Guinness beer to the cheese fondue (you can now wipe the drool from your mouth). Yes, that's right. We start off with a cheese fondue. With steamed veggies and an abundance of fresh bread. 

Next up, we have a meat fondue with chicken breast and steak. There's plenty of delicious sauces for dipping and the table is usually a huge mess at this point. But, we're laughing, having fun - and more importantly, enjoying each others company. Lastly, we finish off with a chocolate fondue, with fruits and marshmallows. It's nothing short of sheer decadence. 

And finally, the finale. Every year we get to open one gift on Christmas eve. And every year it's the same gift: Pajamas. This is probably my most favourite part. We each tear open our new pajamas, in anticipation of the new threads we'll be wearing for the next year. And within minutes of opening our gifts, we all run to change into our new found sleep wear. As the night comes to a close, we usually prepare hot chocolate with Bailey's and cozy up by the fireside while watching a Christmas classic. It's simply heart-warming, isn't it?

Pajamas are my absolute favourite. I'm not sure how many I've gone through in the past 10 years, but I can say that it's been about 20 pairs. Fleece, cotton, silk, synthetic, you name it. Leopard, pink, polka dot - it's all there for the taking. My current favourites are an X-Large pair of leopard fleece my mom bought for me. Soooo sweet. Here are my top 5 for this year:

The red plaid classic. These will never go out of pajama style.

One piece. Cute and comfy. 

Sexy and sweet. The boys will love this set.

Pink satin. Smooth and sultry. For special occasions.

Lastly, leopard. I couldn't post my favourite pj's without'em.

Merry Christmas to all! 

Love, fashionflea xx

Annnnd it's a Green Light for Intercourse

Birth control is never a subject that gets talked about enough. I mean, between ladies, sure, we talk about it - but solutions, tips and tricks, well, they don't really exist for the most part. You either take the pill, use condoms, practice the "rhythm" method or you simply play Russian roulette. That or you have an IUD. We are all very much aware of what our options are.

I have always struggled with birth control and my options. I hate taking the pill. I don't like to have to take a pill that I don't really know how it effects me. Not to mention having to take it every day, at the same goddamn hour. Remember when the pill patch came out? WOAH breakthrough. Ya, for all of a few months. I mean, come on, a patch? Ugh. So not sexy.

And so, due to our limited sexy options, millions of women opt for the birth control pill. This scares me. There is just something not right about it. The amount of estrogen that goes into these little tablets. It can't be good for your body. Day in, day out, millions of women across the world are peeing estrogen into our toilets. Isn't that slightly disturbing? To me it is.

What I find really interesting is what the pill has done for women in the work force:

"Claudia Goldin, among others, argue that this new contraceptive technology was a key player in forming women's modern economic role, in that it prolonged the age at which women first married allowing them to invest in education and other forms of human capital as well as generally become more career-oriented. Soon after the birth control pill was legalized, there was a sharp increase in college attendance and graduation rates for women. From an economic point of view, the birth control pill reduced the cost of staying in school. The ability to control fertility without sacrificing sexual relationships allowed women to make long term educational and career plans." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_oral_contraceptive_pill

I know this is no new news, as the pill was released in the late 60's and has been going strong since then. However, I was recently sent an article that made me think there could be a change. A very ingenious change, at that. I now introduce you to Lady-Comp: The fertility monitor. This incredible little gadget is able to detect when you are fertile. The only thing you do is press a button once a day, which takes your temperature orally. It takes merely seconds. Red light means you're fertile, yellow means you're probably fertile, and finally it's a green light for intercourse. Amazing! With a bit of a hefty price of $500, it's not the cheapest of options. But when you think of your body, what you put into it and what that's worth, this is

priceless.

www.lady-comp.com

The Movember Movement Part 2: The 'Staches

What a successful Movember month this has been. I have never in my life seen so many moustaches in my life. And just like that, poof, they're gone. There was all but one man in the office left with a 'stache. The rest were proudly wearing their hair free face today. I feel liberated for them too. We can all move on. This past Movember was definitely at it's most successful this year. But, it's December now, so we can all move on without the awkwardness.

Before we do that, let's have a quick look at a few I spotted:

Man on subway. I missed my stop trying to snap this one.

The nice guys at the bar. They were just nice guys.

The dude. 'nuff said.

The Bro. Yo.

My bro. Literally, yo.

The well-kept, tidy moustache. I'd say this is my preference. It doesn't look as ill-placed as the others. I must say, this young man wears his 'stache very well. Kudos, buddy.

And finally, a special shout-out goes to Blair De Verteuil, a colleague of my best friends husband. He raised over $17,000 for prostate cancer. His original goal was $10,000. 

Impressive.

Blair De Verteuil's Mospace