Daily Outfit

Cardigan: thrifted

Shorts: thrifted

Shirt: thrifted

Tights: Hue

Necklace: I made it

Shoes: The Bay

My plan of what to do during the Olympics that largely been thrown out the window due to the large crowds Downtown and the two hour long queues to get into the free hospitality houses (this is the only thing I can afford to do during the Olympics) but I shall try my best this week to arrive Downtown early and leave earlier in order to avoid the overcrowded transit system, which is pretty much impossible if you don't know how (but I do). In the first week of the Olympics, I haven't seen anyone famous but a lot of tourists which makes me think that maybe some people actually see sporting events as being a really big deal and all of these sports fans have enough money to travel whenever they want to as there's no other reason to come here (it's a pretty town but it's been kind of boring ever since they started building those walls of glass). I think that if I can't get into anything tomorrow then I might just wander around and take pictures of Gastown, Vancouver's oldest neighbourhood. Unless, anyone has any requests for pictures and information on something in Vancouver?

Outside the Art Gallery now is an enormous hand-painted mural by the Taiwanese artist Michael Lin. I like it, but what do you think?

A Guide to Vintage Shopping in Vancouver

Vancouver, being one of the "greenest" cities in North America, has a large selection of second-hand shopping, most of which is largely forgettable and some of the stores I've only been in once or twice because I happened to be in the neighbourhood. I tend to give the consignment stores a miss because their selection in too hipster and overpriced. However, there are some vintage gems which you must visit in you're ever in town.

DeLuxe Junk on Cordova Street in Gastown has been going strong since 1973 and is Vancouver's first and oldest surviving vintage store. This is my favourite vintage place and is also where I bought my first vintage piece when I was a child. In this large and cluttered shop you'll find a vast array of both vintage and consignment clothing, shoes, jewellery, hats and accessories. There is also a large selection of menswear, including leather jackets and hand painted ties. Everything is divided into sections (sweater, skirts, dresses, etc) and then subdivided by colour, so it is possible to find a maxi dress next to a handmade '40's frock and all clothing is rotated when the seasons change (this being the West Coast there are only two seasons -cool and warm). Only the jewellery, rack of scarves at the front and the rack of mid century beaded and cashmere cardigans at the back remain year-round. The staff, usually only one girl at the till and the voices of people in the back office, are helpful if you don't normally shop vintage and are looking for a costume or if you are a regular, will let you browse in peace and can offer an opinion when trying things on (only four change cubicles). When having a browse, don't forget to look up on the walls to see the expensive selection of untouchable flapper dresses and Jean Harlow lingerie and around the shop at the decorative hat boxes. Everything has been cleaned and steamed before being put out on the floor and mostly everything available operates on the three price system (first prices, marked down price after 30 days and final price after 60 days for those who like to gamble) which makes for some of the most affordable vintage in Vancouver. They never have sales.
In the basement of a donair place on Robson Steet between Granville and Howe is my other favourite vintage place: True Value Vintage! The friendly staff is continuously changing the floor set-up, which is an excuse to drop in regularly. Everything is hand picked and cleaned before being added to the already crowded racks of clothes. There's no strict order to how the racks are set up, at the moment the skirts are next to the men's sweaters, but everything is divided by type and then by fabric or era. As if the crowded racks and room of handbags and shoes (yup, separate room...okay, it's a large closet) weren't enough for hours of fun, there are also hats, purses and shoes piled high on top of the racks and spilling over from the tables and walls. During the warmer months, they remove the coats and add prom dresses and topical shirts and hang crinolines from the ceiling. You can also find a wardrobe of hankies and aprons, display cases of jewellery and my favourite: a bin of 2 for $5 scarves! Their prices are very reasonable ('50's novelty circle skirts are $50) and they often have a $10 rack of dresses and frequently have sales mid season and always end of season (mostly for coats). They also sell new stuff by local designers at the front and Converse.

Main Street has been reborn in the last ten years as being the place to go for antiques, vintage, thrift stores and retro and modern local designers. By favourite one is on 16th called C'est La Vie. This pink boutique has been around for a few years and is a medium sized store. Inside, you'll find colourful and amusing decor that sets off a small, but carefully chosen selection of vintage wear, mostly from mid century. The staff is always helpful and regularly change the window mannequins to reflect the dominant colour selections that they have that week. They also feature their favourite handbags and hats on the walls and divide their racks by type and then colour. They are also one of the few vintage stores to have actual change rooms with a chair, full length mirror and wall pegs and they are the only vintage place to rely mostly on natural light, rather then on icky yellow lighting. Prices are affordable and they almost always seem to have a bin of $5 and under stuff outside. You can see some interior shots here.

Round the corner and up the stairs from DeLuxe Junk is Woo Vintage on Cambie Street. This is a very tiny store and most often you'll find the lovely owner behind the till. Despite being cramped, the store is very well organized and clean. You can spend hours shifting through the well labelled floor and wall racks of clothing and the price tags also include the era information and a list of any flaws the garment has, which comes in handy since there is only one small change room and not enough time to check everything out. The only problem I have with this store is that it's one of those places where you can spend your entire pay cheque, since most of the prices are higher then what you know you can find elsewhere, but it's still fun to browse and save up for something special. They also have a website here.

Edit: As of May 2010, Woo Vintage has moved to Main and 28th into a wonderful store that's double the size of the old one.

Retro Rock Vintage Clothing is known for it's long hours and having two locations, one on Commercial Drive and one downtown on Davie Street, which is the one I prefer. Even though both stores are huge, the majority of the space is taken up by menswear, leather jackets and rock tees. They do have some women's clothing, mostly in the back and it is hand picked and rotated with the seasons. They also have a large selection of handbags, some designer, and keep one eye out for the wall decoration as it is wear they put their ladies hats for lack of a hat stand. The staff is always changing the music around, waiting the help you find something or to get a change room ready or steam your selections. Their prices are reasonable and they always seem to have some form of a sale going on whenever I go past.

What about thrift stores you may well ask. Well, there are more thrift stores here then vintage and consignment combined. However, these are my favourites, not only for cheap prices but also the ones I tend to have the most luck in for finding vintage clothing.

• Salvation Army on Browadway and MacDonald. This is my favourite thrift store, since I can always find something here and I have had the most vintage luck here. But this might be because it's the closest to my house that I tend to stop here the most.
• Salvation Army on 41st AVE. This Sally Ann's is in Kerrisdale, which is a neighbourhood known for affluent families and old ladies, which is why this is the best place for quality clothes that have barely been worn.
• Salvation Army on 12th and Kingsway (one block east from Main Street) is the largest Sally Ann's in the city and tends to be the place to go for a variety of different styles, but mostly stuff that's brought by people on their regular shopping trips back to Hong Kong (which is where a lot of my thrift finds tend to come from, including my favourite skirt)
• My Favourite Thrift Store on 4th AVE and MacDonald. They don't have a lot of clothing here (I don't think that I have ever bought any clothes here at all) but they do have a lot of vintage furniture and home decor here, plus a large selection of records.
• YWCA on Main and 28th is small but you'll never know what you might find here. There is a surprising amount of vintage that turns up if you check back often (that's where I got one of my fur coats) and everything is cheap (records are a loonie and books are 25 cents).

Well, that's about it. Is anyone interested in other guides to Vancouver? And what are your favourite vintage stores where you live?

Classic Television {Get Smart}

Get Smart was an American sitcom that ran from 1965-1970 and was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. It's a wonderfully funny and fashionable spoof of the huge number of secret agent action dramas that graced the small screen in the '60's. Created for the show was the secret American government counter-espionage agency CONTROL (not an acronym) which is controlled by the Chief, who assigns work to a vast network of agents. The hero of the show is Maxwell Smart, Agent 86. Unlike other top agents, Max is seemingly inept at his job; he's a naive klutz who has lapses in attention and is not very good at investigating or keeping secrets or cover stories

However he is very resourceful, skilled in combat and most other spy stuff and incredibly lucky. Max's partner is Agent 99 is a highly skilled spy and undercover agent and she's smarter then Max most of the time. Max and 99 (we never learn her real name) work extremely well together and have excellent on-screen chemistry and 99 eventually gets Max to smarten up and marry her. 99 is also very fashionable and her ever-changing wardrobe reflects the different trends in American sixties fashion.

The stereotypical "international organization of evil" that battles with CONTROL is KAOS. They don't have any set nationalistic agenda, their agents are just evil for the sake of being evil.The KAOS agent that shows up in most episodes is Max's opposite number and nemesis, Siegfried, who is also the Vice President in charge of Public Relations and Terror at KAOS and he often has to deal with the incompetence of KOAS flunkies.

The best feature of the show is it's recurring catch phases (over a dozen) and gadgets. CONTROL has better gadgets then Bond has, though most of them don't work properly.

However, some of them do work better than expected, like the shoe phone and Hymie the Robot.

Get Smart is also good for seeing how middle America viewed the changing times of the '60's and it's popular culture, most of which was watered down so as to not offend the suburbs.

Because the show was so popular, a great number of celebrities made appearances, either as guest stars or as cameos, like Johnny Carson below.

Here is a clip show that someone made of the typical events that happened in most episodes.

Get Smart is available on DVD and some episodes can be seen on YouTube in four parts.This is not a show in which you would want to watch a marathon. I find that watching more then one or two episodes in a row does tend to ruin the humour of it, since it is rather predictable but still cute to watch.

Vintage Novels {Breakfast at Tiffany's}

This is one of the most beautiful and heart-breaking book that I have ever read. In just over a hundred pages, Mr Capote created two intriguing characters in a world of their own where every single word is perfect and must be savoured. If you haven't read this novella before, then do rush down to your local book seller tomorrow and demand a copy. You wont regret it!

Of course, one cannot help but compare it to the movie, since more people have watched AH eating a Danish then have read it. Given that the film was made while the Code was still in effect, I think that it is an extremely close adaptation aside from some major plot alterations.

This was actually the first time that I watched the film the same day that I read the book and I found that I understood Holly better then I ever had before. However, you should only follow this method if you have seen the film a few times before so that your focus is on the plot and not on Givenchy.

Obviously the Narrator had to be changed, because a named kept man/struggling writer was approved by the censors and not an unnamed struggling gay writer like he is in the book. I'm not sure how a kept man was approved of within the Code but I like the original Narrator better, because he's better at observing and understanding Holly's character. I also find the falling outs between Holly and the Narrator to be much more realistic and have the possibility of permanence rather than a flighty fight.

In the book, Holly is only nineteen, a playgirl (it is only implied that she works as a prostitute) who has flirted with bisexuality, admits to smoking pot and has an abortion near the end. Clearly none of this could be shown. However, they didn't change her personality or her aspirations (except at the end) and by casting AH instead of Marilyn, the film retains Holly's simple, effortlessly well-dressed style.

In the book, Mag Wildwood is 6 feet tall and a major character, since she lives with Holly for a few months and is the one who is engaged to Jose before she marries Rusty (whom Holly is dating). I've always felt that the filmmakers could have done more with her character, who is quite amusing and has cultivated an unusual look that wont transfer well to celluloid.

Jose is also a larger character, since he does live with Holly for several months and he is the only person for whom Holly feels a domestic duty to. I like him better in the book since I found it to have a better explanation as to why he is loyal to his family name and position above all else.

Obviously, the worst thing in the film is Mickey Rooney. In the book, Mr. Yunioshi is only seen once and mentioned a few times. The busybody neighbour is Madame Sapphia, a singer and rollar-skating enthusiast and I have no idea why she was left out of the film but Mickey Rooney is the only thing that I would change about the film.

There are two important objects in the book which sadly were not included in the movie. First is an empty bid cage which the Narrator sees in an antiques store and shows it to Holly the point of it's fantasy and she buys it for the Narrator at Christmas and makes him promise to never put anything live in it. The only birdcage in the film is one with a live bird in it at Holly's apartment during the party. I had never noticed that shot before but now I see how wrong it is to have that in Holly's apartment, since she knows that she doesn't belong in a cage and tied to anything/anyone and would never trap anything in a cage.

The other object is what the Narrator first notices anything about Holly and that is her calling card, which he sees in her mailbox. It says "Miss Holiday Golightly, Travelling". Firstly, isn't that the most musical name that you've ever heard? Secondly, in the book that is what Holly does, since she is still looking for a place that feels like Tiffany's so that she can call it home, which is really the whole point of the character and why she comes across as being eternally lonely and yearning. Before I read the book, the film's ending had always bothered my, because it seemed out of character for Holly. Even though it's sadder, I like the book's ending better because no one is ever supposed to fully know the past and future of Holly, because she chooses to only inhibit the present.

It's well known that Mr. Capote wanted Marilyn instead of AH playing Holly. I like the way that AH played Holly because she was such a good actress and could show Holly's innocence and vulnerability behind her chic facade. I can't imagine how Marilyn would have played the role but I can see the similarities between her and Holly because they were both searching for something to fill a void and never being quite able to get there.

Giveaway!

As promised, here is a little giveaway for you dear readers.

What it is:

• The 1962 novelization of Lover Come Back, starring Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Tony Randall and Edie Adams
• A large, hand printed silk scarf from the '60's
• One pair of unworn RHT seamless mesh nylons in neutral (there's no size on the package, but it's free)
• A yellow tea bag cosy that I made (it's to carry a couple of tea bags around in your purse)

The giveaway is open to all readers. All you have to do is leave a comment and if you would like to double your chances of winning, then include on a blog post a link to this giveaway (you can find the photo here) and leave another comment with the link to your blog post. The deadline will after the Closing Ceremonies, so say around 11pm Pacific on 28 February and the winner will be selected by random number and announced the next day.

Thank you for all of your support and good luck!

Cinema Tuesdays {Casino Royale}

Truly the greatest of all James Bond spoofs in the original and very surreal Casino Royale from 1967. This is one of my favourite films and one of the first DVDs that I ever bought. Firstly, it has my favourite Bond ever, David Niven -the perfect gentleman! And one of the most infectious soundtracks ever, supplied by Burt Bacharach and the Tijuana Brass Band.

The film demands several viewings due to it's confusing plot. Because it was directed by five or six directors and some problems with the actors (Peter Sellers and Orson Wells refused to be in the same room together) and the fact that everyone eventually is called James Bond, it's best to watch the film as a series of sketches loosely linked together. I'll try my best to explain it the plot:

SMERSH is liquidating every agent, regardless of nationality. So the CIA, KGB, M and the French government try to coax Sir James Bond, the original Bond, out of retirement. Sir James removed himself from the world because he had to lead the only woman that he ever loved, Mata Hari, into the trap that lead to her execution.

Sir James refuses, so M blows himself and Sir James' house up.

Sir James then takes M's remains to his widow, who has been replaced by Deborah Kerr, a SMERSH agent, as are her "daughters", who are all between the ages of 16 and 19. Their mission is the tarnish Sir James' reputation and belief that "a good spy is a pure spy".

When Sir James refuses to give in, he is challenged to juggle some canon balls with the strong pipers.

He wins of course. So SMERSH goes to plan B.

Plan B is to kill Sir James with a button and then a milk float.

Naturally, he doesn't die but he is forced to bring himself and his Victorian suits out of retirement and take over M's position and gets Miss Moneypenny's daughter as his assistant.

The black flags represent the agents that have been removed by SMERSH,

including Jimmy Bond, Sir James' nephew!

So, Sir James asks Ursula Andress to help. She's the world's richest spy, she can afford to by Lord Nelson's statue and stick it in her window box.

Le Chiffre was an agent of SMERSH until he embezzled money from Dr. Noah, the head of SMERSH and he is now trying to raise money by playing baccarat in order to cover up his theft before he is killed.

Ursula Andress' job is to recruit

Peter Sellers, who has just written a book on baccarat and is the only player who can beat Le Chiffre.

She explains the offer to Peter Sellers after playing dress up to the sound of Dusty Springfield.

He accepts and is taken to meet Q, who has his own floor in Harrods, who outfits him with the latest gadgets.

Meanwhile, Sir James recruits Mata Bond, the only person he can trust as a spy (guess why)

Mata Bond is sent in a taxi to Berlin,

Where she is to investigate a SMERSH spy school in East Berlin.

They've recently redecorated in the German Expressionist style.

The school is run by a headmistress with a scar (a sure sign of villiany) and a robot in love with Mata Hari, played by Ronnie Corbett.

Unlike the Bond Girls, spoof Bond Girls are able to defend themselves!

Meanwhile, Peter Sellers has finally arrived at Casino Royale, where he meets Jacqueline Bisset as Miss Goodthighs.

If I were the manager of a casino, I would want that office. It has just enough bad taste in order to keep it from being gaudy.

And we finally meet Le Chiffre, played by Orson Wells (he also does magic tricks)

Back in London, Miss Moneypenny sees Mata Bond being kidnapped by a spaceship and taken to Casino Royale.

So, Sir James actually takes Moneypenny out of the office and to SMERSH HQ, which is in the basement of Casino Royale.

And that's all I'm going to tell you. It's such a funny and visually interesting film (I took over 800 screen shots) that you'll have to see it for yourself. And when you do, you'll know the answers to:

Who is Dr. Noah and what's his plan for world domination?

Why does Peter Sellers meet Peter O'Toole leading a band of pipers?

When did Deborah Kerr become a nun?

Who did Daliah Lavi poison?

Who is Ursula Andress pointing a gun at?

Which side is George Raft on?

Why does Jean-Paul Belmondo have the funniest line in the picture?

And why is the ending the best bar fight in movie history?

Daily Outfit

For the duration of the Olympics, my classes have been cancelled (you wont it if I told you, the answer as to why is quite stupid) and so I don't have much to do. Does anyone have any requests for Vancouver and Olympic related photos/information/historical background?

In celebration of having over twenty followers on Google (I really must sign up for bloglovin') and the nearing of the 100 posts mark, I shall be announcing a giveaway tomorrow!

Cardigan: Gap

Skirt: Plum

Blouse: thrifted

Belt: thrifted

Tights: Hue

Shoes: The Bay

I went down to have a look at the flame today. It's beside the new billion dollar convention centre that was built, next to the old and still in use convention centre, just to house the international media for the Olympics. I have no idea as to it's function after that, but probably not much since it is quite ugly.

Here are the photos I was able to take after pushing people out of the way:

That's right, you can't get anywhere near it. And the photo-op at the security barrier was clearly not designed for short persons like me.