Am I on a permanent sugar high, friends? Yes. Are we going to have SO MUCH FUN EXPLORING ALL THE COOL THINGS IN THE RED PONY THIS WEEK BECAUSE I AM SO EXCITED AND IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY CONSTANT HALLOWEEN CANDY CONSUMPTION? Yes.
I generally don’t like to present pictures of big, black blobs on the blog, but this Cinder and Smoke dress is not an ordinary black blob picture! This dress is all eyelet lace, friends! I want to talk about the shape for a second, too, because I saw this on a human and it was stunning! The neck is surprisingly high, and the bishop sleeves have a fairly tall barrel cuff, but combined with the see-through parts of the lace this dress actually reads as very modern and not as sweet as it may first seem.
Cinder + Smoke dress; Size 4, $42
Here’s that sleeve and a better look at the fabric. Really, this is one that is lost on a hanger, but looks INSANELY good on a real body! You’re going to have to come in and try it on for yourself.
I love the vintage look of these faux-washed colours together! This skirt is from independent designer (Canadian? Fact check, anyone?) Nicola Fan, but I can’t find any current info on her, so I’m going to call this one a truly rare find!
Nicola Fan skirt; Size L, $34
Know who else has mysteriously disappeared? Vancouver’s Sweet Chemise. But for now settle in, friends, because we are going to go on a magical adventure exploring this Sweet Chemise obi belt!
Sweet Chemise belt, $20
Importantly is this slit in the back that you slip one end of the belth through…..
…..so that the cross-over is nice and smooth in the back and doesn’t compromise the cool shape you are going to make with the ends of the sash.
(This is the back)
So first off is a standard square knot, which might look familiar to you if you were in Girl Guides as it is the proper way of tying your scarf. This is just your standard wrap-the-sash-around-the-back-and-tie-it-in-the-front look
I really like it crossing together in the front and tying in the back. To me this is a sleek and modern look.
Ooooooo, but I also love the drama of a Big Bow! Particularly because this belt is red, it really seems to pop!
Or if that is too much drama, you can go with a classic wrap around. This highlights the flattering width of the sash, but there is something elegant and still fashion-forward about the belt wrapping around and layering on itself. Suffice to say, there is a lot of playing here and so many things you can do with this one piece!
For our Oak and Fort fix this week, I am surprisingly pumped about this quilted, brushed cotton jacket! At first I thought there was something too retro about the fabric or something, but then I stepped back and admired the piece as a whole. Oak and Fort gonna Oak and Fort (think about it), and here they have taken this retro-ish material and applied minimalism design keystones to it: simple lines, boxy shape, no buttons where there should be buttons. I really love when a garment makes you do a bit of double take and stop to really appreciate what is happening here.
Oak + Fort jacket; Size M, $46
Even the “quilted” stitch is done in vertical lines instead of squares!
Um, how fun is this Anthropologie top??
Moth top; Size S, $42
FULL-SIZE CARAMILK FUN! I’m loving that we are finding more of this multi-coloured tinsel in clothing lately!
This necklace is kinda weird, but I’m super into it! String of pearls? Yes! Teeny, tiny, miniature keys? Yes! Should we mix chocolate and peanut butter? YES!
Paul Smith necklace, $48
Now, friends, if you think we are going to explore every single one of these miniature keys, well, then…….you are absolutely correct!
I mean, gah! Look at the level of detail here! Some are whimsical, but some legit look like my house key!
I am feeling at once compelled to choose a favourite, and also to imagine what each one of these magical keys would open! Combine that fixation with the 10 Kit Kats I’ve eaten while writing, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep for a week. Soooooooo worth it though!
How tiny are the little keys? Let’s bring out the our trusty clothespins for size perspective!
So tiny!
Wool cocoon coat from Aritzia! (Don’t you wish you were wearing this RIGHT NOW?)
Babaton coat; Size S, $65
Every once in while we get some velvet boots in the shop…but these ones are velvet boots with a vintage wall-paper print on them!
NIne West boots; Size 7.5, $52
So beautiful!
Now, being realistic, friends, they might also be strictly indoor shoes!
Ahhhhh, I love this print! It’s understated with muted colours. but still so bold and funky!
Friends, there is one very particular reason I chose to share this lovely cardigan. Can you guess?
Gap sweater; Size S, $28
That’s right, I’m in love with a safety pin. I would get any garment with a safety pin on it. But, come on now! I love how this safety pin represents an un-fussy garment that cannot be bothered with something as restrictive as a button.
Holy 7 Coffee Crisps, friends! Look what I found in the men’s section! A vintage, wool Club Monaco sweater! So exciting! I think I’m going to need a few Wonder Bars and a safety pin to calm down.
Club Monaco sweater; Men’s size L, $40
And then a *silk*, leopard print vintage blouse in the sale section!
Silkland shirt; Size M $28 (on sale for $12!)
So someone came into the shop and asked me how consignment works. I get this question all the time, so I have the speech down AND flight-attendant hand motions to make sure everything is crystal clear. (In case you have not heard me do the speech, it goes like this: Consignment is by appointment only but first we need you to email us a few pictures of what you have then we will book you an appointment on the day of your appointment we will go through your things while you wait and we will immediately return to you the items that we have not selected the contract lasts for 12 weeks and at the end of the 12 weeks we give you a cheque for 40% of what the items sold for and we return to you the items that didn’t sell or we donate them to charity. Trust me, it’s much better with the hand motions!) Usually, this speech is received by a stunned look and no one ever asks any follow-up questions as they slowly inch towards the door. But this person gave me a baffled snort and asked, “But….how do you make a living?”. Friends, this was such a hilarious response! And I teetered briefly on that precipus of “OMG WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THAT GOVERNMENT JOB”. And right at that moment someone messaged the store and said, “I wish I could just sit in your store with a cup of coffee and look at clothes all day!”. Also hilarious, I thought at first. But then I realized that that is *literally* my job now! Aha!
So, friends, trust yourself and follow your heart! Or do what I did and accidentally, through a series of completely uncorrelated events completely outside the bounds of your control that you didn’t even notice were happening around you because you had no plan other than getting a government job, suddenly realize that your job is drinking coffee and looking at clothes all day, which is actually the best thing ever! Oooooo, sorry friends, this is getting dangerously close to being one of those posts where author goes on and on about gratitude and all that other delightful crap that I always feel REALLY uncomfortable reading for some reason, and which I now see very clearly can only be the result of a sugar crash. And the cure to a sugar crash is, of course, more sugar!
Hey, I’m in Red Pony everyday this week [still eating the leftover Halloween candy], and, as always, on Saturday! (Closing at 6PM on Thursday this week). Come in for a chat and I can show you that hand motions that go with the consignment speech, we can drink coffee and look at all the clothes and I want to make a What’s in my Purse video, but I need help with it, so let’s do that too!
Here’s what happened on the Red Pony Instagram this week!
