Dress me up, dress me down

Here are some dresses I've been eying lustily:

Old Navy:


Tube dress, $24.99

I love simple dresses like this for summertime. All you need are flip flops and a light sweater and you're good to go.



Gauze broomstick dress, $32.50

I like the playfulness of the florals on this dress. It screams carefree July.



Floral print maxi dress, $34.50

I've been besotted with this dress for a while; unfortunately it's no longer in my size. But it's a great dress than can be easily dressed up or down depending on the accessories.


Torrid:



Flannel tank dress, $19.99

Buffalo plaid has been trendy for about 2 years now, but I love this take on it. Maybe because I'm Canadian and my parents actually own those heavy, Buffalo plaid flannel shirts. I especially like the little feminine touches like the grosgrain ribbon and the tulle that peeks out at the hemline.



Bubble hem floral print dress, $68.00

I love the pattern on this dress! It's almost too busy but it works. I would skip the jewellery with this one and just grab a white cardigan for when the temperature cools off.


Fashion Overdose:



Paisley print tube dress, $30.00

This pattern is great and I think it's a steal at $30!



Blossom dress, $70.00

This dress might be too cute for most people, but I love it. It reminds me a bit of Betsey Johnson.



Asymmetrical dress, $35.00

The colours on this dress really pop.

At the Opera: Idomeno (4.5/5)

Idomeno (Paul Groves) in anguish. Photo Credit: © 2010 Michael Cooper

Idomeno is set after the fall of Troy and takes place on the island of Crete. While the people of Crete wait for King Idomeno to return, his son Idamante has fallen in love with the captive Trojan princess Ilia. Elettra, the princess of Argos, is mad with jealousy as she loves Idamante and planned to marry him. Meanwhile, Idomeno's ship is caught in a ferocious storm at sea; the god Neptune agrees to spare him in exchange for a human sacrifice: the first person he sees when he arrives in Crete. So naturally, who is the first person he sees? His son. Idomeno cannot go through with the sacrifice and tries to send his son away. Neptune becomes enraged and summons a monster to attack Crete. Eventually, Idamente slays the monster, but lots of people (and tiny, tiny babies!) are dead. Idamente and Idomeno say a tearful farewell as father prepares to sacrifice his son, but Ilia rushes in at the last minute and offers herself instead. The Deus Ex Machina chorus appears and declares Neptune is satisfied by the display of love (d'awwww). He orders Idomeno to step down as King and give the throne to Idamante and his new bride Ilia. Everyone is happy except Elettra who curses their happiness and kills herself.

This was a great and powerful opera performance. I thought the four leads were magnificent, but my absolute favourite was Elettra.

Elettra (Tamara Wilson) plans to seduce Idamante. Photo Credit: © 2010 Michael Cooper

How can you not love a girl who smears blood on her face, calls on the gods to perform her vengeance, laughs maniacally and then rolls around on stage? And later, she tosses her red leather gloves aside and fixes her make-up while planning her seduction. She's beyond awesome.

As well, the role of Idamente is often played by a woman since it was written for a castrato. So there were three wonderfully powerful female leads and when they all sang together, it was shiver-inducing.


Idomeneo, re di Creta by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
performed by the Canadian Opera Company at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto.
May 9 to 29, 2010.

Idomeneo: Paul Groves
Idamante: Krisztina Szabò
Ilia: Isabel Bayrakdarian
Elettra: Tamara Wilson
Arbace: Michael Colvin

Clothing, clothing, clothing

I love dressing up. When I was little, different outfits had different characters and personalities which I would then adopt (but usually in an internal monologue-y sort of way since kids already thought I was weird).

Now that I'm an adult, my outfits don't really have characters, but moods. Sassy outfit or grumpy outfit or schlepy outfit, for example.

I was just looking at the new arrivals on Lucie Lu and I began creating characters in my head.

Varuca likes drinking chai lattes and reading musty leather-bound books about lycanthropy when she's not rehearsing with her band. (I really watch far too much Buffy for my own good.)














Kiara is a dancer. She trains at the ballet school but moonlights as a salsa instructor on Wednesdays for spare cash. On Saturday nights, you can always find her in the middle of the dance floor, drenched in sweat while the vibrations of the bass hum through her body.



Isn't it fun? I ordered the whimsy bow tee and the zipper tee. As soon as I get them and try them on, I will tell you their stories.

Welcome

This year has been a big one for going to see cultural type stuff. I decided that I wanted to infuse my life with more culture, and I think I'm succeeding. I also have only one year left until I turn 30 and I lose some wonderful discounts. I will miss the days of $20 opera tickets and the like.

Here is a quick listing of everything I've seen thus far. I'm not including movies or books because then the list would get unwieldy:

RENT (National Tour) 4/5
Assassins (University College Follies) 3/5
Kiss Me Kate (Stratford Festival) 4.5/5
The Flying Dutchman (Canadian Opera Company) 3.5/5

Tickets purchased for:
Prima Donna (Luminato)
Lady Gaga (Monster Ball Tour)
Maria Stuarda (Canadian Opera Company)
Idomeneo (Canadian Opera Company)
Evita (Stratford Festival)
Momma Mia (Mirvish Productions)