'Back' at it

Last one from this series.

I just lived through one of the most intense experiences of a student: frosh. Also, I happen to attend one of the most froshee-intense institutions. Day one, I was like ¨okay, I get what this is all about¨, then day two, I thought ¨oh hell no I did not know what frosh is¨. They 'kidnapped' all 1000+ of us and brought us to the middle of a field. Disoriented, the frosh leaders suddenly started throwing ketchup, mayo, chocolate syrup, flour, honey, vegetable oil, cat litter, eggs, etc. on us while stuffing us with booze. Unimaginably wild activities then followed - I'll spare the details. I still shiver when I think about my ride home in public transportation, mostly feeling bad for my co-commuters and what they had to endure. Luckily day three at the beach was a cleansing?

Aside from the madness, I do see the purpose of Frosh, and it is surprisingly relevant. In our case, our frosh group remains our class group for the rest of the year. This means that we are bound together since the very beginning with ice-breaking activities, thus showing a completely different side of our personality that might've only been revealed later on during the year, or possibly never. Being able to see fellow students in this completely different perspective is so great, since most of the time, we're spending silent time with them sitting in class. The group dynamic is enhanced since the very beginning.

However, even after just one week of serious classes, I do realize that university is so different from high school and cegep. At its basis, it's not a school anymore - but an institution. And by 'school', I am here mostly referring to the entire social dimension that encompasses the friendships and relationships that are woven. During our childhood and teenage-hood, we grow up with individuals who still have more or less time to bloom similarly, and are more likely bounded to last a lifetime. Now, it is generally harder to find someone along your vibes. When you do though, you appreciate them way more, like a rare pearl. We are so much more on our own and most of the time attend class and then go study. Luckily, there are still many, many extracurricular activities that allow such networking.

Nevertheless, this is already the start of an exciting year. So many things can happen when venturing through uncharted territory. Happy semester!

Enjoy!
Katia

Dressing Up

'Bout time for a new post eh?

As explored in a previous post, I tried defining my stylistic decisions. But how did I get there? Well, a little personal history is needed for this. 

As a child, I wouldn't say that I was consciously fashionable at all. As a matter of fact, I was quite the opposite - my wardrobe was not much part my preoccupations at all and therefore limited. My mom would dress me in little dresses over turtlenecks (that is believe it or not coming back) and. for a long time, I'd be the only girl in a dress running down the school hallways playing tag with the boys. Until I started minding. I wanted to start wearing pants like most kids around me, but it wasn't until 6th grade that I excitingly slipped on my first pair of skinny jeans. 

There was this gap time where my style was nebula like, dispersed and undefined. Then I realize that it was my music camp that helped me start refining my style. It put me off to more of a hipster phase, but the timing was just right, as cut offs and band t-shirts were a thing again, transcending all the low waisted pants of the 00's. I started finding an interest in fashion to help define my style. I started researching it online. I started to express myself in a new form. Quick anecdote: this was around back in 2008, and I had no idea where to start exploring the vast world of fashion online. So I just googled words such 'fashion', which made me stumble upon the humble blog Fashiontoast. Immediately admiring the unique photographic angles, the effortless style, and relating to her as she is also half-Asian, she quickly became my main my go-to blogger for style inspo. Who knew she'd be where she's at today, woah. Also googling my at first limited fashion vocabulary, I typed in the word 'lookbook'. Yes, kind of lame, but brought me to the now indispensable blogging tool and community Lookbook.nu. Anyway, I ransacked all of my mom's surprisingly valuable vintage closet (to prove my point the culottes in this post were her's), and when that wasn't enough, I went thrifting. My knowledge of brands and of their influence also grew.

Then came my job at American Apparel. It was my last year of high school, and it was time for me to find a job and get some serious clothes for cegep, as wearing a uniform spared me from stressful mornings full of fashion crises. The retail job definitely helped me easily build my wardrobe with stylish basics. All the money I earned also finally allowed me to save up and buy some statement pieces that I lacked. And never did I know I would be ever so exposed to the fashion world, and now, fashion blogging. 

Where do I look for inspiration now? Instagram and its panoply of posts of course, fellow bloggers, sites such as style.com, a bit of Whowhatwear, retail sites themselves, and also recently, Hazine. The options are all out there, now it's just about limiting myself.

Enjoy!
Katia

Global Is

About two weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in Brébeuf's fashion show: Globalista. It was an incredible experience, and all the profits went to charity. I modeled for Brandy Melville, Annie 50, Unttld, and Maison Marie Saint Pierre. Here is the outcome!

Pictures by VP Photography and Chartrand Photographie

Enjoy!
Katia

Cold Hearted

Current mood:
Chet Faker - 1998

Just soak in the music, NOTHING else.

Canadian weather strikes again. Instead of unleashing the Goose, why not spend these last snowy days layering as much as possible. Not just a coat over a sweater, but how about a scarf over a coat over a jacket over a top - trust me it'll keep you just as warm.
I combined two major trends in this look: denim dresses and dresses over pants and skirts. As sub-trends of the big 70s wave seen everywhere from streetstyle to runways, it allows you to be stylish without screaming copy-cat. However, I still can't wait to wear this tunic by itself!

Pictures: Dahye my boo
Dress and boots: Zara
Coat: Vintage
Scarf: hand knitted

Enjoy!
Katia Houle

The Stains of Glass and Today

Just having a thought on the word 'basic', here referring to people and actions. I would never classify people myself, but I am able to observe some traits of this behaviour. According to the Urban Dictionary, it is defined as:

"An adjective used to describe any person, place, activity involving obscenely obvious behavior, dress, action."

Basically (no pun intended), I think that basic people follow pop culture and popular trends recurring in social media and consider it as the ideal way to be. It isn't done consciously most the time, as it is incorporated into their Habitus and is reflected in their daily actions. It's obvious because it's cool, and it's cool because it's obvious. Being basic in one context can be completely different in another, but let's say in first world countries, a cup of Starbs and night out selfies are one of the most flagrant examples. However, eating green foods or wearing a fashionable look just because it is trendy can just as well be the case. If there aren't any deeper motivations for an action other than immediate appearance, that is when something becomes basic. If you truly believe in encouraging Starbucks as a company or choose to eat healthy as a lifestyle, then your actions make sense. Being a little basic isn't a bad thing, and I think that we are all guilty, because it is impossible to escape the influences of what is constantly being presented to us. I myself am guilty of many basic things, and I even consider fashion blogging itself as one of them. Just look at the number of fashion blogs out there that are so similar one to the other. Yet this gives us something in common with the people who share this conviction, and allow us to unite, and even reshape this basicness. 

I guess that its modern-day antonym would be hipster, which is around the lines of someone trying to be different and not influenced by society. Nonetheless, hipsters becoming more and more common and following the same type of path, could they also identify as a type of basic? 

It isn't simple. At the end of the day, I think that being basic or hipster / same or different  isn't the question, it's about how you eclectically incorporate surrounding elements into your person and make proper use of it to nurture your personality and entourage. I look up to the people like Neil Degrasse Tyson who isn't afraid use the tools of the modern era to humourously tweet the latest astrophysical discoveries, and whether he's sipping on homemade fair-trade coffee or a Frappuccino.  

Pictures: Dahye
P.S.: This babe just uploaded a new lookbook that I filmed on her YouTube channel, and once again my sassiness is featured in the bloopers.

Shirt and boots: Zara
Clutch: Want les Essentiels de la Vie
Trousers: Dr Azhu Studios

Enjoy!
Katia

Cornered

Posting something rather office appropriate since my March Break simply doesn't exist this year because I am spending it working at an internship for Pfizer. I mean, I'm actually far busier than school days. I'm surrounded by dynamic businessmen in a professional environment, sitting at my own office, with my own laptop, security card and tea doing marketing analysis literally from 8-5. Not to mention two hours of commuting to get there and two more to get back. That aside, it's a wonderful experience, where I get to apply what I have learned in the classrooms my entire life for the first time. 

I've been wearing this coat everywhere. For this outfit, its purpose is to structure the looseness of the unbuttoned white shirt put together with a leather skirt with pleats on the edge. The trendier way to wear it right now is with a colourful turtleneck popping out and/or with flares. But again, probably not at the office where I'm currently working.  

Pictures: Dahye :)
Coat: vintage
Shirt and skirt: Zara
Shoes: Alberta Ferretti

Enjoy!
Katia

Updated LBD

Let me talk about my tastes in music. I used to spend a lot of time digging up underground labels and scavenging unconventional sounds, but now that era is over. Now that I rarely have time, I mostly go with friends' recommendations, some link-to-link discoveries, as well as my own pretty solid collection that I have built throughout my humble existence. 

As an easily influenced preteen, I was content to follow Virgin Radio's top hits. No comment. Then I made the groundbreaking discovery of the Beatles, which got me crazy into rock music. Being the timeless basis but thirsting for more diversity, I opted for my dad's vinyls, the most convenient option. I remained in this 'safety zone' for a while, anew satisfied with Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, aka the typical Hipster Phase. My friends from my amateur band once recommended the Red Hot Chili Peppers to jam on, and I instantly fell in love with them, hence owning all their albums on my iPod Nano 4th Generation and crying at their concert. They will forever be my true first love in music. 

As time went by, I ran out of their tracks to listen to, so again, I had to move on. At that point I was desperate for something similar - alternative rock - but to no avail and unsatisfied. Being a classical musician, what I look for the most in music is a complex melody. The lyrics come in second surprisingly. 

One day, my friend told me about this band with so much passion and conviction in her eyes that I couldn't not check them out. That was Alt-J. I still cannot get over how amazing their music is. It's as if they created a genre of their own combining electro, alternative and whatever experimental they're doing; keep it up. I even heard that the composer of the band has a classical music training, so maybe that's why they are so satisfying to my ears. 

I would say that I am still in that phase, but it is coming to an end soon. However, I have forged throughout my teenage and early adult years my official taste in music, generally oscillating between alternative and indie rock and mellow electro, with a beautifully complex arrangement. Oh, I've also recently been into French 80s pop. I must admit that this musical path is almost archetypal for pre-millennials and that a lot of people could probably relate; nevertheless, I am happy with it. Obviously I am super opened to all music genres, and depending on the context I will find some more appropriate than the other (ex: drop-dat-bass rap when the Sun goes down), but I am referring to the music on my phone. 

Finally, a handpicked sample list of artists who have earned Katia's respect, no particular order:

• Red Hot Chili Peppers (absolute must)
• Alt-J (can't get enough of it)
• Radiohead (90s kids will know)
• Chromeo (they are the gods of sass, timing and beat)
• Angus and Julia Stone (their voices crack me down each time)
• Étienne Daho (tb to your parents' honeymoon)
• Talking Heads (talkative heads)
• Haim (got the 'tude)
• Atoms for Peace (combination of Radiohead and RHCP. No way.)
• Iron and Wine (peaceful and soothing)
• Chet Faker (sensuality at its finest)

Photos: Dahye :)
Dress: Zara Studio (one of my best purchases ever)
Loafers: Zara

Enjoy!
Katia

Getting Closer

A beautiful day spent at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, mostly admiring the architecture instead of the art. Not long after this I realized I really had to cut my hair. 

Pictures: Dahye <3 Oh and by the way she has a lovely YouTube channel worth checking out.
Sweater: Zara
Palazzo pants: American Apparel

Enjoy!
Katia