Gossip Girl 'Gaslit' Episode and Fashion Recap

"What do you say we find that bitch and get us a little Frontier justice?"

So long Jenny Humphrey, good riddance to bad rubb--well, you know the rest, and in the case of Little J it really fits. I mean, I know I should be happy that Jenny 'fessed all to Blair, but really the whole deal just makes me hate her more. I can't stand either Juliet or Vanessa but why sell them out? Hopefully we've seen the last of Taylor Momsen's goth moping for a looong while. And, while I don't dare hope for too much, it looks like Vanessa is also headed out of town. I think it's time Vanessa realizes that these UES peeps are just not for her. Why she still chases after Dan when he pretty much treats her like goo you'd find under your shoe is beyond me. She should have seriously decked him at the market.

I thought this episode was pretty great overall. Sure we were treated to our annual Serena trip to the hospital, but I have to say Juliet's plan was pretty ingenious even if Jenny did ultimately torpedo it as only a Humphrey can. What I found hard to swallow is how outraged Ben acted. Like, ruining all of Serena's relationships, her reputation and her academic future are all okay, but what Juliet did was just stepping over the line. Really?! I guess Ben's just another in a long line of men who never really got over Serena. Sorry Juliet. Nate, however, looks like he may finally be cured of his Serena-induced mania. Thank goodness for small mercies. Can't say I care for the storyline with his dad, though.

"Just because we can't be friends doesn't mean we aren't."

~Blair's Note to Chuck

Chuck and Blair break my heart. Can they just stop this pretending and be together? No? Well, I guess we need to settle for pie instead. And as much as I want to poke Dan's eyes out with a stick I am totally psyched for a Juliet takedown. Maybe teaming up with Blair will make Dan slightly bearable, like in some of his cute scenes with Nate (that one where they were discussing Nate's parents' divorce, however, was not one of those scenes.) Blair is totally legit awesome. Loves. Can't wait for the next one!

And the Gossip Girl Episode 4.10 Fashion Breakdown...

Blair's perfect-for-Thanksgiving

orange plaid dress (above) -

Barneys New York Tartan Dress
Diane von Furstenberg Abbe Sweater Jacket

Necklace - Anne Taylor

Yellow Bag - Louis Vuitton Alma

Jenny's Plaid Coat - Zero + Maria Cornejo Fall 2009 

Tania Spinelli Over the Knee Tab Boots

T by Alexander Wang V Neck Grandpa Sweater 

Courtney Lee Collection Necklace

Cleobella Kaya Doctor Bag

Juliet's cowl neck, cut out black jersey

dress from Cut 25 by Yigal Azrouël

Shoes - Louboutin

Cropped Peacoat - Pendleton Meets Opening Ceremony

Alice + Olivia Dawn Plaid Bow Blouse

Isabella Fiore Deco Valentina Satchel

Chinese Laundry Wiz Scrunch Bootie

Ring - RichRocks

Update: Serena's cardigan was the Elizabeth Charles VPL Convultion Cardigan, while the blouse she wore was a Maggie Ward Cowl Neck Printed Silk Top in Olive. 

What did you think of the episode?

Favourite look?

Photos courtesy of The CW
Runway photo courtesy of style.com

17 Steps & A New Artist Discovery

One of my great pleasures in life is trying out new restaurants while M has a habit of wanting to go back to those tried and true places. I guess it's good for me he's the loyal sort. This Saturday I was happy to get the chance to check out a new one. 17 Steps is a rustic and charming Mediterranean restaurant tucked underground (hence the 17 steps) in Bloor West. Not only are the owners and everyone who works there charming, gracious and inviting but the food is pretty great, too.

To start we had flatbread with a selection of dips and spankopita, and for my main I had the yummy bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin with some to-die-for truffle frites. We usually skip dessert, but we went in for the Greek nut cake (served warm) and weren't disappointed. I found that, price wise, it's also a really great value. You can read some more reviews here.

During dinner I found myself admiring some of the colourful artwork on the walls only to find out they were the work of Cynthia van Leeuwen, who I also had the pleasure of meeting that night.

Cynthia was very friendly and lovely, someone with a true passion for her art. What did you do this weekend?

Textstyles & Corduroy Magazine's Pop Up Closet and The One of a Kind Show

Happy Friday everyone! I hope my American friends enjoyed their Thanksgiving and everyone survives Black Friday shopping. Is it me or are there a ton more sales this side of the border this year? (More on a sale I jumped at below). This week I was happy to attend the preview of two great events, the first being the Holiday Pop Up Closet curated by the lovely Stefania of Textstyles (check out her blog and photographs--just fab) and Tim Chan of Corduroy, with proceeds being donated to the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

Being held at Chasse Gardé (who will also be hosting a Magwood pop up soon) from November 26 to 28, this pop up is a great opportunity to snag some super Christmas gifts. I was actually sad that I had finished all my shopping already, although I did grab one thing for myself! The items are presented on vintage furniture for a kind of walk-in closet feel, and are all marked with handwritten tabs giving background on the designers and brands and why they were chosen.

The shop has items for both men and women that range from Field Notes retro notebooks, Manimal Moccasins and great toques to supple leather wallets and chunky scarves made of mohair and alpaca. I was charmed by the Maude & Colette pretzel necklaces by Jacqueline Lane, the sweet smelling body products from Love Fresh Body Goodies, and the leather rucksack from Vancouver's Palmer & Sons. Want to rock a turban this holiday season? There were some velvet ones by Leilanni Todd. Love Emerson Made? The shop has multiple sets of clutches and blossoms that would make perfect gifts. If you're in the area you should really go. I mean, great products and a great cause--how can you go wrong?

I also attended a preview for the One of a Kind Christmas Show being held at Exhibition Place from November 25 to December 5. It was my first time attending the show, although I knew it would be right up my alley. What's better than over 800 artisans selling their creative, unique and beautiful wares in one place? There was everything from One of a Kind Fashion and Flavors to Green products and a whole selection of Rising Stars and first-time exhibitors. Canadian House & Home had a booth and there was also a Love competition with different exhibitors showcasing products inspired by love (my fave was the bright red "Love" buzzer/doorbell by Buzzz). The show also features fashion shows and demos on everything from woodworking to tapestry making.

First off we were treated to a truly delicious breakfast cooked by the Culinary Management students of George Brown College's Chef School. As a girl who usually eats breakfast for dinner and not much in the morning this was a treat. There were both hot and cold selections (poached pears, fresh fruit salad, crispy granola) and I opted to have a small sample of all three hot offerings a Scottish Egg, Cornflake Crusted French Toast with berries and syrup and Wild Mushroom, Spinach and Goat Cheese Tarts. All were new experiences for me and can I just say it was freakin' delicious.

After downing breakfast and meeting some new friends I headed off to tackle the maze of booths. It was overwhelming at first, but I soon found myself absorbed with discovering all this new (to me) talent. I'm planning one showcasing some of my faves in separate posts--there are just too many to fit into one--but suffice it to say that there was a ton of stuff I just loved. And some gorgeous booths, too, like this one from Flakes Paperie.

By Jamie Brick

If you're looking for unique Christmas gifts this is certainly the place to hit. You'll find everything from dinnerware and jewellery to original paintings and clothing. I have to say that the pieces that seemed to speak to me the most were those made out of wood. Observe:



Stinson Studios



A tray made out of a recycled wine barrel from Wine Planks

Wood and Slate Blackboard by Kino Guérin

Annnd after hitting the show I scored a pair of great TopShop flats.

All TopShop shoes at Jonathan + Olivia (have you been? great

shop!) were 40% off, definitely not something I could pass up.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and

don't forget to enter the Orient Watch Giveaway!

 

Giving Thanks

Wishing all of my American friends a

very happy Thanksgiving ~ Enjoy!

Image via

 

Book of the Week: The Girl Who Played with Fire

I've been meaning to get around to this one for awhile. I really enjoyed the first of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and I was almost hesitant to read the second, The Girl Who Played with Fire, because with these sorts of things the sequels tend to be disappointing. Not so here. Sure, some of the plot points were a bit far fetched, but I think where Larsson excelled was in the nuances and the characters. I can't recall another protagonist in recent years as compelling and complex as Lisbeth Salander, the girl in the title. I almost wrote heroine and then thought better of it, because I can see Salander hating the word even though she seems pretty adept at saving herself

Rooney Mara - the "American" Lisbeth Salander [via]

I won't spoil this one for anyone who hasn't read it yet, but I thought it was interesting that even though Lisbeth is absent from a lot of the direct action in the book her figure continues to loom large over the story. It was also great to find out more about her past and what makes her tick. Some of it is hard to read, but I commend Larsson for weaving social commentary into a great suspense thriller. Can't wait to start The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and to watch the Swedish movie version of Fire--plus I'm looking forward to the American movie adaptation starring 007 Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara.

Have you read this one?

What do you think of the Millennium trilogy?

Lanvin for H&M Fashion Show

Last week, Alber Elbaz debuted his fashionable collection for H&M. See the rest of the collection.









Photo Source: harpersbazaar.com