de facto redhead

I haven’t posted an outfit in a while, but believe me when I say that I have been consistently wearing clothes. Watch – I’ll prove it to you!

(And remember, you can click on my pictures to get a closer look at the details!)

DAY 1

Boots, Aldo; tights, Giant Tiger; billowy tank, Urban Outfitters; tube-dress, Spoof; jacket, Costa Blanca; necklace, gift; earrings, Forever 21; brooch and ring, vintage.

DAY 2

Boots, Aldo; tights, Old Navy; skirt, Forever 21; belt, Smart Set; tank and sequined shrug, H&M; necklace, Aldo Accessories; earrings, gift.

DAY 3

Shoes, Le Chateau; skirt, Wal-Mart; blouse, Suzy Shier; belt, Urban Outfitters; bracelet, vintage; ring, Smart Set; earrings, Forever 21; purse, Aldo.

I didn’t realize until now that  I have been wearing a lot of yellow. And I think I like it. Hmmm…I need more yellow in my wardrobe…

The Day 3 outfit is what I wore today, and while I love the skirt, I think this might be one of the last times I wear it. I can stand quite nicely in it, I can sit comfortably in it – but I can’t walk in it. I don’t know why, but it rides up my legs, and suddenly I’m wearing a scrunched-up, unattractive miniskirt or am continually pulling at the hem to keep the skirt in place, which just looks awkward and lacking in clothing confidence, but is apparently just attractive enough to elicit some whistles on the street. I must have triggered the man whose fetish is a woman struggling to keep her skirt down while also lugging around a big purse, an oh-so-sexy lunch bag, and a standard-black HP laptop bag. Oh, baby.

In other news, I went shopping yesterday, so I have to own up to my spending for the 2010 tally:

Forever 21

Grey hoodie (very cutely pattered with dresses, lipsticks, compact mirrors, and other, frilly, frothy, girly things) – $9.99

Black panther brooch – $4.80

Urban Outfitters

Striped navy belt (pictured in Day 3 outfit, above) – $4.99

Total: $20.77

Tally it Up 2010 total: $201.99

That puts my clothes, etc. spending at about $50 a month. It’s official: Frugal Frannie lives in Edmonton and she likes to save, save, save!

The running shoes of lore.

As you can see in the side column of my blog, I have a “running” category, but there isn’t much in it. I’m not a fake runner, I swear! It’s just that I haven’t signed up for anything major, i.e. a race requiring training, since I started blogging. But, those carefree days of short 30-minute runs might be winding down. As I’ve explained, EM and I try to run our races together, even though she’s in Ontario and I’m in Alberta. I’ve travelled there, and she’s flown out here, but it’s just not feasible every time, as I’m sure you can understand. So, in keeping with tradition, while she’s soon running  the Hamilton Spring Sprint 5K, I’ve signed up for the Sport Chek Mother’s Day Run and Walk (5K), with all proceeds going to the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. Both runs are in May, but following that, EM and I are probably putting our synchronized running schedule on hiatus until the fall. She’s going on an amazing extended trip to Europe this summer, and to be bothered with the training for a marathon or half marathon while on vacation is just, well, extremely unappealing!

I, however, am not going to Europe, and therefore have the mundane time to train for a race. And, deep breath…am considering signing up for the Intact Canadian Derby Edmonton Marathon at the end of August. I haven’t run in a marathon for over a year, so I don’t know if I want to jump into the training required, knowing how many hours and the amount of dedication it takes, but, at the same time, I don’t plan on being in Edmonton forever, and I do want to run the marathon in the city I’m living in. What to do, what to do? Readers, what do you think?

But, if I do sign up for this summer’s marathon, I definitely have the running shoes for it, as pictured above. The last time I bought running shoes was August 2007, and they lasted until April 2010. What is this mystical shoe, you ask? The answer is the equally mystical-sounding Saucony ProGrid Omni 8. I bought my first Sauconys, not aware of their strangely long staying power, and then, because of it, bought them again in 2010, old and wise to their extreme durability. (Note to other runners: I’m a street/pavement runner, so while these work for me, trail runners will probably require a different shoe.) Now, on with the show. My 2007 Sauconys have supported me through the severe ups and downs of the following:

2007 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon – 3:52:33

2007 Santa Shuffle Fun Run and Elf Walk (5K) – race not timed

2008 Scotiabank Calgary Marathon – 4:15:16 (Um, I went out to the Calgary Stampede the night before, as well as ate pizza and mini deep-fried doughnuts. I don`t recommend this tactic.)

2008 BMO Nesbitt Burns Prince Edward Island Half Marathon – 1:48:35

2008 Santa Shuffle Fun Run and Elf Walk (5K) – race not timed

2009 Theatre Calgary Big Run (5K) – 24:23

2009 Edmonton 21 Half Marathon – 1:51:30

2009 Santa Shuffle Fun Run and Elf Walk (5K) – race not timed (Thank god, since I was in need of, shall we say, a little hair of the dog…see why here.)

Between all of those races and the training required to run them, I can`t even estimate how many kilometres, weak legs, near vomits, and aching muscles my original Sauconys experienced.

Admittedly, this is an expensive shoe, but most higher-end running shoes are, and I don`t think it`s easy to keep your joints cushioned, as required, without paying up. Lucky for me, though, my mom sent me a gift card from The Running Room as part of my Easter present (yes, KW, you can laugh at that if you want to! I got chocolate, among other things, too! Haha!), and I was able to cut the price down a bit, as well as the total from the Tally It Up Experiment of 2010. Final answer for the shoes was $146.99, and then minus my $75 gift card, I paid $71.99, which brings my 2010 spending total to $181.22.

I`ll let you know when I buy my next pair…in 2013.

Shoes, Guess via The Bay; tights, Secret; skirt, Suzy Shier; belt, Le Chateau; T-shirt, Mango; watch, bracelet, and earrings, vintage.

Five notes (plus one more) about this outfit (and one more thing):

1. You can’t tell in these pictures, but my tights are actually fishnets. For some reason, the camera wouldn’t photograph them clearly. Oh, well. You get the idea! (And, many thanks to the boyfriend’s mom, who just sent me six new pairs of tights, including these ones!!)

2. I absolutely love this T-shirt, and the fact that I got it at a discounted rate because I was an employee of Mango during my last year of school makes the whole transaction just that much more sweet. I got two compliments on it yesterday, so therefore I consider it a worthy purchase!

3. Aren’t these earrings fabulous?! They were part of my vintage haul at Christmas, and I love them!

4. I bought this skirt when I was 18 years old, i.e. 10 years ago, and there is a picture of me wearing it in one of my high school yearbooks, under the title Most Likely to Appear in Cosmopolitan. That hasn’t happened yet.

5. This red lipstick from MAC is an amazing shade for my skin and hair colour, and it’s perfectly creamy yet matte at the same time. It also stays in place forever! The shade is Amplified, if you’re curious and looking for a reason (any reason!) to go into a MAC store near you.

6. This has nothing to do with my outfit, but I went shopping for two friends’ birthday presents on Monday, and…came home with something for myself. (Dear friends, you know who are, and I didn’t buy anything for you because nothing was worthy of you! I swear!) Back to my purchase. I mentioned on my blog a while ago that I was looking for the perfect one-piece catsuit/pantsuit/jumper, and I finally found it! I was e-mailing with a friend recently about Anthropologie, so I decided to go in and check things out despite my earlier experiences with Anthropologie sticker-shock. I looked at few things in the regular-priced sections, but quickly knew there was no possible way I was going to pay what was being asked, so I half-heartedly made my way to the sale section, not really thinking the pricing would be reduced to my liking. But what’s this? A one-piece pantsuit, with a black bottom, black belt that cinches really tight at the waist, and a very pale pinkish-grey tank-style top with similar-coloured flower appliques on it? Sold to the redhead in front row with the overly excited face! Now, what did I pay? $52.45, a total that friends who know me will balk at – “SHE paid that? Amazing!” But yes, I did, and that brings my Tally It Up Experiment total to $109.23.

From my description of the pantsuit, you might have cringed and thought, “What the eff did she buy?!” but I plan to wear the famed one-piecer to an event next Friday, so I will be sure to get a shot so you can see my lover in all its glory! Now you’ll have to excuse me; I simply must clutch my pantsuit to my chest and dance with it, with rapturous, sweeping steps, to When a Man Loves a Woman.

Top left, clockwise: Aren’t these the cutest salt and pepper shakers you’ve ever seen?; Lefse, lefse, everywhere lefse!; Have to have the right implements for grilling!; The Lefse House beacon.

Last Friday, the boyfriend and I decided to go for a drive out in the rambling Alberta country, and our roving spirits took us to Camrose. Those from Alberta might laugh at the fact that we consciously made the decision to make the hour-ish drive from Edmonton to Camrose, but those who scoff really have no idea what they’re missing in terms of what the boyfriend and I discovered in this small city of 15,000. Admittedly, the drive wasn’t overly exciting – a lot of flat, rolling farmland – but our intent was to lunch at The Lefse House, and lunch we did. This Scandinavian lunch and dessert bakery/cafe was amazing! The folks at Lefse House definitely don’t fool around when it comes to using the real Scandinavian food names on the menu, and, as the waitress explained to us, in their old-world methods for baking their famous lefse bread. The boyfriend had the Swedish Meatballs plate, and I had a hearty, homemade, piping-hot bowl of bacon-tortellini soup, accompanied on the side by about five pieces of lefse bread. I had never heard of lefse until last week, and now it’s all I can think about. It’s a thin, tortilla-like bread that has a very distinct sweet flavour. The waitress recommended spreading butter on it, along with sprinkling white and/or brown sugar over top, and knowing this combination was pretty much fail-safe, I downed my lefse bread in a hurry. It was SO GOOD. I don’t really like to use caps to explain it, but there’s not a lot more I can say other than that blunt, try-it-NOW phrase.

The boyfriend and I, feeling extremely satisfied, were ready to leave after our meatballs, soup, and lefse, but then, what’s this?! Dessert is included in the meal?! Jackpot! I honestly can’t remember what I had because the name was so unfamiliar to me, but know this: it was a crusty, deep–fried doughnut-like pastry covered in icing sugar. Does it matter what it was called when that’s its description? Yum! The boyfriend opted for a lemon-tart pastry, of which he was extremely complimentary as well.

Now, time to pay the bill – $8.95 each! Lefse House, I doth love you.

Onward into more Camrose territory, we stopped at Liquidation World. Why this store is in Camrose, I have no idea, but no matter – I found something to buy! Going into the 2010 Tally It Up Experiment are two chunky bangles at 2 for $10. ($10.50 for the bracelets; total spent so far in 2010: $56.78.) I also lucked out with Schick Intuition razor cartridges priced at $6.98 for a three-pack, and the boyfriend found a pair of American Eagle sunglasses for $7. Go, Liquidation World, go!

Next and last stop, Tim Hortons. I mean, come on – what Canadian road trip, no matter the length, would be complete without eating or drinking something from Tim Hortons?! Halfway through the boyfriend’s coffee and my tea, and thus, halfway home, we made one more stop where – ahem – someone got into a little altercation:

Giant Pete vs. The Boyfriend: Locked in a battle of wills.

Outmatched and outsized, the boyfriend was practically done for until Giant Pete decided to take pity on him and let him go free. It was ugly for a while, and Giant Pete looked pretty scary when he heaved that hay bale over his head, but the boyfriend, through sheer tenacity and wit, got the best of Giant Pete’s tin brain.

Food! Drink! Sales! Perilous adventures! I can’t wait for more spring-day excursions into a largely unexplored Alberta!

[Carla is leaving out the best (worst?) part of the story. Let me preface it by saying I like soup. A lot. Carla knows this.

So, we sit down, order our drinks and begin to peruse the foreign menu. The server returns slightly early, but since the menu was small we felt ready to place the order. Ever the gentleman, I let Carla order first. Carla inquires about the soup and the waitress describes a beautiful homemade bacon tortellini concoction. We look at each other, "Mmm...sounds great!" The waitress makes an astute observation that there's two of us and says, "We have enough left for two small bowls, or one big bowl." To which Carla replies, without hesitation, "I'll take the big bowl." Doesn't even ASK if I wanted some.

Now I'm a bit irritated. Fortunately, I know her well enough that I quickly concoct a plan to return the favour. When the waitress arrives with our food I snatch her soup spoon right away and scoop up a bit of broth and as many of the hearty chunks as the utensil can handle. I then pour the contents into my mouth before she can react, proceeding to obtain 3rd degree burns on the inside of my left cheek. It's almost been a week and I still can't touch the wound with my tongue.

Now I owe her two.

-D ]

Shoes, Madeline via Winners; tights, Forever 21; dress, H&M; necklace, brooch attached to necklace, and earrings, vintage; bracelet, gift.

OK, so my hair is super-squirrelly here, but it’s 11 p.m. in these pictures and I had just gotten home from work, so can you blame me? A hair fashionista, I am not.

The boyfriend had to take these pictures against a white wall because when up against the usual purple one my body blended in and I looked like the kind of floating head you only see in nightmares. This dress is one of those clothing chameleons that can change colour based on its surroundings. I described the colour yesterday as cornflower blue, but now I’m not so sure! And, the dress looks suspiciously like velour (or something of the sort), but please rest assured that it is not – it’s actually a silky material that feels really comfortable, like velour…

I went shopping on Wednesday because I had two gift cards to spend – $25 at H&M and $25 at Winners – so while yes, I did spend money that has to be included in the Great Shopping Tally of 2010, the amount was minimal because of the much-loved gift cards (which I hate to give but love to receive!). Anyway, I told myself I was going to the West Edmonton Mall to go into Winners and H&M ONLY. I didn’t stick to my overly ambitious plan, and here is the result:

H&M purchases: Black and silver brocade-ish high-waisted miniskirt; the dress you see above; a basic black tank  - $28.27 – $25 gift card = $3.27 spent

Winners purchases: Purple and white Adidas retro-style tennis top; French Connection wool-weave black, grey, and silver bomber jacket – $27.30 – $25 gift card = $2.30 spent

Forever 21 purchases: necklace; feathered-applique headband; the tights you see above – $13.42

Zellers: Fruit of the Loom black tights – $5.48

Total tally as of February 5, 2010: $46.28

My mom forwarded me an article from the Toronto Star the other day. It was about two best friends, Perdita and Alison, who are in their early 30s and decided to put a halt to their frivolous spending for exactly one year, starting last May 15. No shoes, dresses, shirts, pants, purses, socks, accessories – nothing. Both, it seems, have overloaded closets of non-designer and designer goods, and Perdita mused in the article that she might have enough for a down payment on a house in Toronto if she hadn’t bought so many clothes, etc. If you’re interested, the friends are blogging about their experiences as shoppers in lock-down at www.365fashionrehab.com.

Perdita’s comment about a down payment brings to mind the Sex and the City episode in which Carrie receives her “eviction” notice from Aiden and has to either find a new apartment or buy hers. While shoe shopping with Miranda, Carrie comes to the terrible realization that she would have enough money to buy her apartment if only she hadn’t purchased so many pairs of shoes at approximately $400 a pair. She quips that she will be the old woman who literally lives in her shoes, and while this is an extreme example of over-shopping and overspending (especially on a newspaper columnist’s salary!), the reality is in there somewhere and can be found in the closets of women all over Canada who buy, buy, buy and then wonder where their money went.

I admit I, too, love to buy, buy, buy, but you will not catch me purchasing anything with a designer label, or paying more than $25 for shoes, if I can help it. I’m all about buy, buy, buying the sales, sales, sales, and it seems to have become a running joke among my friends that I am cheap. Case in point: a few weeks ago, a friend of mine equated my clothes to costing “bargain basement” prices, and on a birthday card back in August, another friend, who gave me a $10 Urban Outfitters gift card, wrote that I could probably find multiple things to buy without going over said amount.

OK, yes, it’s true – I am bargain shopper who never looks at anything hanging on the regular-price racks. I go straight to the sale racks, and if there’s nothing there that catches my fancy, I leave the store. I can’t justify paying regular price when things are either going to go on sale in a few weeks, or I can find something else just as good for a lot less. I do, however, buy a lot of things at these low prices, so after reading about the Fashion Rehab ladies, I have decided to keep a running tally of every clothing-related item I buy in 2010. This includes all undergarments, coats, socks, tights, belts, hats, shoes, jewelry, gloves – everything. I couldn’t even guess how much money I spend on these things in a year, so why not find out and let you follow along?

So far in 2010, I have bought three things, all in the U.S. during my Christmas vacation. Those items and their prices are:

Tank top with flowery blue, turquoise, and white design, American Eagle Outfitters – $4.47

Black shoe-booties, Payless – $11.03

Red plaid shirt-dress, Target – $6.31

TOTAL: $21.81

I will let you know whenever I buy something new, and when I wear my items from 2010 I will flag them in my Fashion and Me posts so you know what’s what and how much I paid. It’s difficult to showcase clothes without actually having them on as complete outfits, but I will take pictures of easier items when I can, like my Payless shoe-booties, seen above. Ah, I *heart* clearance!