The Evolution of The Princess's Daily Rants

I have been thinking about it for a long time and have wanted to split my blog.  One of the things that I love the most about this blog is that I have connected with so many people about migraines, mental health, fashion, food and just life.

What has happened over the last year or so, is that I have found I am writing more and more about mental health and general health here, and I am happy about that.  Mental health, bipolar disorder, social anxiety, migraines and chronic illness are my life now.  Everyday these are the things that I deal with and have to manage to be able to function and so I write about them and the struggles that they bring to my life.


On the other hand, I have other interests, primarily food and fashion.  I find it difficult that there are so many "food blogs" out there.  It feels like everyone of my friends is writing a food blog.  Every meal that I go to has people who have cameras taking pictures of every single thing that goes into every one's mouth, tweets about everything that is on every ones plate, writes a review about what is on every ones fork.......quite frankly it is starting to make me a bit crazy, but still I feel like I want to write and share some of my own experiences about food.


So, I would like to introduce you to "We like to eat and drink".  The core of the blog will be a place where "writing and musings by me, about myself, my friends and family, as we celebrate life through eating cooking and being together".  Food is at the core of my family and friends, or social time together and the experiences that we share.  So far I see the blog being divided into 4 different areas:

• "1001 Foods You Must Taste Before You Die Challenge" - A few years ago, before I got sick, I started a challenge to "eat my way through this book".  I will be re-posting and re-attacking this book and its challenge on this blog.  More details to come!!
• Princess Bistro - I like to cook, a lot.  I hope to share some of my adventures in the kitchen, both successful and not, here.  I love having real people over, cooking real food, sharing their experiences.  I hope I can do the same.
• We Like to Eat and Drink - As the title of this blog, I am fortunate to share a love of food and eating with so many friends and family.  I hope to share experiences of how we celebrate events and friendships with food.
• The Cookbook Obsession - I collect cookbooks.  I love them.  I hope to be able to share some reviews of the ones that are on my night table for reading and marking up for future recipes.  
• Culinary Adventures in food - Food has always played a role in my travels and I plan on documenting some of that here.  I feel fortunate to have had so many fabulous experiences abroad, most of them involving food at some point.

I do hope that you will join me on this adventure at http://weliketoeatanddrink.blogspot.com/ My plan is to continue writing here about health and my life, so don't leave me, but I would love your thoughts on food, friends and community at "We Like to Eat and Drink".  You can also follow some of my food tweets @welike2eatdrink.  happy eating and good health!

Potential outfit for #londonsis's Wedding

#londonsis Wedding by PrincessSteph on Polyvore.com

Tadashi Shoji Salon Z satin cocktail dress
$440 - saksfifthavenue.com

Christian louboutin pumps
$3,295 - net-a-porter.com

Alexander McQueen crystal clutch
1,345 GBP - matchesfashion.com

Leaf necklace
$155,000 - tiffany.com

Louis Vuitton diamond earring
$26,400 - louisvuitton.com

A First Date Wardrobe

I recently had a friend ask me what to wear on a date that they were going on.  Why they felt I would know I am not sure.  But  I felt that good undergarments, a great handbag, minimal but statement jewellery, and kick ass shoes are a must.  When playing on Polyvore.com today I put together a set that would be great for a first date.  Now, if only my bank account could include a black 35cm Birkin and a that fab Agent Provocateur black dress.  Nothing like a little black dress to be a good staple in your closet!

My perfect date wardrobe by PrincessSteph featuring a satin dress

Agent Provocateur Zelma satin contour dress
$825 - net-a-porter.com
Satin dress »

Balmain Embellished wool-blend blazer
$4,065 - net-a-porter.com
Pinstripe blazer »

Agent Provocateur Classic satin corset
$370 - net-a-porter.com
Agent Provocateur »

Bordelle Satin Cut Out Suspender
$196 - journelle.com
Bordelle »

Lascivious Seamed stockings
$36 - journelle.com
Lascivious »

Christian Louboutin Pigalle 120 patent pumps
$595 - net-a-porter.com
Patent high heels »

Hermes silver rings, Hermes fine jewelry
$690 - usa.hermes.com
Fine silver jewelry »

Hermes silk twill scarves
$385 - usa.hermes.com
Hermes scarves »

Hermes Birkin Bag in Black : Star Style
starstyleinc.com
Star handbags »

What I'll wear on the beach

What I would be wearing if it was actually August weather outside! by PrincessSteph featuring Melissa dresses

Items in this set:
Melissa dress
Chloé swimwear, $77
Tory Burch flip flops
Famousstyle.com flip flops
Gojane.com hat

What I'll wear on the beach

what i'll wear on the beach by PrincessSteph featuring Diane von Furstenberg dresses

Items in this set:
Diane von Furstenberg dress, 348 EUR
Diane von Furstenberg dress, 78 GBP
Diane von Furstenberg dress, 78 GBP
Modcloth.com swimwear, $135
Miraclesuit swimwear, $134

What am I wearing today

Today, readers I am wearing my usual black pant suit, so the name of the game is accessories.  Maybe that is the name of the game always for me?  I think that it tends to be.  Anyway, the key with wearing all black for me is to make sure that the pieces that I match with my outfit will stand out even more and will make me pop.

So first the shoes:They are basics-black patent high heel loafers by Emma Hope.  What is fantastic about these shoes are that they comfortable, they have a lovely heel that is between a stilletto and a stacked heel and the stitching is gorgeous.  What is great is that they are uber sexy from the back.LOVE!

The suit is a simple black single breasted - Ralph Lauren. The pants are a widish leg with a cuff.  I don't like a wide leg usually or a cuff, but these work.  I think that the most imposrtant part of a suit, especially a pant suit on a girl who is not a size zero is that it is well tailored and fits immpecably.  Everything should be tailored. I have the arms on all my jackets taken in and the sleeves and pants lengthened.  It makes it semi custom.  I added the sparkly belt just for fun. It add a smile and matched my cufflinks.Shirt is a white french cuff lovely.  i am going to throw this out though after today.  It is too big.  It is important for my shirts to fit snuggly. this one does not.

With any french cuff shirt, goes french cufflinks.  These are totally adorable and cute.  They are by the british designer Simon Carter and the scotties are to die for.  Love the tinge of blue on the collar!

A close up of my little scottie friend.  Sorry, how cute are they??

The last bit of my ensemble, other than bag and coat of course is my scarf.  No black suit is perfect without a scarf.  This is one of my faves.  It is an Hermes and it is really cute. it is all child themed and is a large game board.

The lovely scarf open. it really is uber pretty.  So that is what I am wearing today. 

Hope that you were stylish in your days also!

What am I wearing day 3

I have not been providing my daily updates for the last few days as I have been down with the stomach flu and I apologize, as I had hoped to keep this up more frequently. No point in beating myself up about it!  So in the terrible picture above is the outfit that I wore to work last Thursday.  What is really great about this look, other than the fact that I look like a stewardess, is that it is really basic and has some really fun accessories.

The skirt is highwasted, the top of the waist band sits about 3-4inches above my actual waist.  The front of the skirt is pleated on the left hand side and is a bit like a bell skirt.  It is rather short and sits mid-thigh, but with an opaque, or patterned black tight I really like it.  I also think I could pull it off with a pair of leggings nicely. The other nice piece is the French Cuff white shirt.  I didn't catch a good pic of the cuffflinks, but they were simple pearl buttons.

\I wore a lovely light pink, green and yellow toned Hermes scarf tied in a loose ascot knot.  I thought it added a necessary bit of color to the outfit especially as I really didn't wear any jewellery expect my Cartier Rolling ring and tiny gold earrings.  What is not shown in these pics is the black blazer that is on the back of my office chair!

The other place that I had fun with what I was wearing was on my feet.  I am not a huge fan of Tory Burch shoes (I do love her clothes, terrible preppy and adorable!), but the shoes have come and gone.  These ones I really liked, because of the silver band on the stacked heel and they looked really comfortable.  ohhh how wrong i was.  These are the most uncomfortable shoes I own.  They are so painful.  You too for $495 can own shear torture.  Needless to say they were fun with the outfit.  The tights are a patterned black.

This is what I wore to work on Thursday!

Dressing for the workplace

A few things have happened in the last month that have reconfirmed that I actually know how to dress quite well. 

1. I have been asked recently to help some of my friends dress for work and other social occasions.  (do a complete make over type scenerio for them, take them shopping, help them try clothes on etc.)
2. I have attracted the attention, by twitter at least, of a boy who is intrigued by the way that I dress
3. A girl that I work with has a girl crush on me at the office who loves the way I dress
4. I was stopped on the street last week, by someone who told me I was dressed impeccably.

All of this has made me feel fabulous, as you can imagine.  I was also asked recently what my uniform for work is and it is so basic that it is scary to even mention.  it made me think that if all of these people are talking to me about what is appropriate attire, then there must be a need for some solid advice.  Not that the way that I dress is the be all and end all, it is not.  It is though conservative, formal, for someone who is in their 30's and not a size 0 or 8 for that matter.  I thought that I would track it through some pics and also through documenting what I am wearing when I think about it as a little project.  Today for instance, the work attire consists of:

• light blue no-iron slim fit shirt from Brooks Brothers
• a black quilted silk blazer/jacket by Harve Benard
• standard black dress pants
• tods winter driving mocs in black patent
• a light blue hermes scarf tied in an ascot, tucked into my shirt

Simple, easy, elegant.  Nothing is falling out, no cleavage showing, no skin protruding, but I look well dressed for the workplace and I have to say rather attractive. 

The accessories are really what does it, and the scarf and simple gold cuff earring and a strand of pearls, make the whole outfit.  I am carrying a Longchamps tote today as I had a ton of stuff to lug to the office.

This my friend, is how i dress for the office.

Blog of the Day: Trust Fun! Presents FASHEMATICS!!!

I happened upon this fashion blog, Fashematics, today as I was scrolling through the NYTimes magazine and they had it on their list Blog List. It is fabulous and brilliant and ingenious in its delivery. It has no writing, but is just images that are but together to illustrate inspiration that may have created fashions of the moment in a tongue and cheek kind of way. I think that it is brilliant. I hope that you like it too. Enjoy!

Target expanding their plus size line?

Target is an excellent place for staples and I am happy to see that they continue to engage designers in creating lines that are cutting edge, fashion forward and fabulous. These have primarily been in the woman's and young adult line. With the loss of Isaac Mizrahi as a designer I would assume that they are struggling to figure out what they are going to do next. How can they continue to keep the customers happy and in the stores? The one area that they have not ever expanded in and have not brought a new designer in on is the Plus size line of clothing. I was happy to read on the Budget Fashionista that it appears that Pure Energy will start to design a line for Target in the plus size area. I guess we will have to wait and see just how much elastic waist band, tent like, polyester awfulness or fabulous clothing they bring us. I look forward to reporting later.

The Shoe Storage Project Part 1

I havew written before and many of you have been helpful in providing some assistance in my quest to deal with the shoe challenge that I have. I need to figure out how to store my new shoes. I have bought an inordinate amount of shoes this winter given the fact that my favourite shoe store closed in Toronto and so I have bought a number of them a great price. Now I have more fab shoes than I know what to do with. I have started to catalogue them, and I promised when I started this, that I would share some of my fabulous purchases on this blog. So here is the first photo album. Please note that if you are interested in the designer of the shoe, I have indicated in the comments, designer and info on shoes. FYI, it is important to note that I also buy shoes at Target and I wear chucks and tretorns and rain boots etc. Next for me to tackle are my older but equally as fab shoes which will include those and also some Lous and Chanels. I will also do my spring purge at that time. It's that time......

Let me know your faves. Lots of them haven't even been out for there virgin tour. I'll let you know my faves in a bit.

I can't even call it "plus" size dressing

I can't believe how many people have e-mailed me asking me for my list of stores for clothes, so I will be putting it together over the next little while. I think that I could really make a living in helping women dress themselves who aren't a size 4 and redefining how they feel about themselves.

I get it. I can dress well. I understand the challenges. I know where to get the clothes. I am really thinking that I could help women at least know where to look. In the past, I've written some post's about dressing for your size, I think that I will link that to this post. It is key to this whole discussion, no matter what your size to dress in the right size clothes that fit. Clothes that don't pull, pants that are long enough, shirts that close and don't gape, the right accessories, not too many accessories, decent shoes, etc.

Anyway, I am working on the list and will post the list in a bit. In the mean time, I am sad about the state of the clothing industry for the over size 10 set.

Wear over a size 10?

Anyone who knows my blog, knows that I wear over a size 10, a size 14-18 to be exact and that I find, although I make a very decent salary, and would spend a lot of money on clothes, it is infuriating to buy clothes!!!! How is it possible to not be able to find clothes over a size 10 when over half of the woman in the world wear over a size 14???? It is one of the major annoyances of fashion for me. I can afford Gucci, Chanel, Prada etc, I just can't fit my baby toe in it. There was a great article in the LA times about this here. I know that you are frustrated too, if you wear over a size 10. All of my girlfriends and I have had this conversation and it frustrates us to no end. I have a list of resources where I shop. Maybe I will post them tonight. Maybe that will make me feel a bit better.......

Welcome Back - Liberty London Girl

One of my absolute favourite bloggers, Liberty London Girl, is BACK!!!! I love her. I used to read her everyday, and then she got a big job at a magazine and stopped writing. I am happy to report that when I noticed some people being directed to my site for the first time from her site, I thought something was up and sure enough, she's back!!!! I want to visit today and she quit her job and is back blogging. She is witty, and brilliant, and fashionable and funny and more importantly worth the read. She puts a smile on my face and makes my day a bit brighter! I'm glad to have her back. You can visit her here.

Welcome back and thanks for making my day just a little bit brighter!

Today's Thanks - Havianas Flip Flops

I love my Haviana's Flip Flops. I take them everywhere with me and I have to say that at this time of year, I come to appreciate them even more as I stuff them into my clutch with my camera, lipstick, keys and credit card. When my feet get too sick of heels and my legs are tierd, I slip on my gold or silver ones and they are cute and sweet and ready to take on the night. Nothing to be scared of for sore feet, unless of course, my pedicure is not up to snuff!

On the Street: Shoes in New York City

I have always liked the Bill Cunningham "On the Street" Feature on the NYTimes online. I love this weeks all about the shoes seen on the streets of New York City. It is worth checking it out for the two minutes:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/11/29/fashion/20081130-street-feature/index.html

The Perfect Black Boot

I have never been able to buy a high boot, classic boot that I can where with a skirt or dress because of the size of my calf's. It has been a very sad point for me. I have not understood why boots do not come in a bigger calf size. I had actually given up trying on boots because I was sick of trying them on and having them not even go on my foot. It was embarrassing and awful. I felt ashamed.

This year I had decided that I would take the bulls by the horns and find a pair. it was not possible that the only boots that would work for me this winter again, were ugly Uggs, was it??? I searched online and was appalled to see really ugly "wide calf" boots. They all had heels and came to your mid-calf (the worst place to have a boot end!), not to mention that they all looked cheap. I was at a loss and had given up.

I was then on the Ron White website www.ronwhite.ca and came across these lovely boots by Prevata. I was intrigued. I loved that they had the elastic back, they were flat, they looked gorgeous!!! One of the best things about dealing with the Ron White website is that they will ship the shoes to the local store in Toronto so you can try them on before you buy them. I stopped in on Wednesday and it was like God himself had wanted me to have these boots. They fit perfectly!!!!! Not only that they are BEAUTIFUL!!!!

The flap on the front front of the boot flips up and comes up to mid-thigh. It is so lovely. They are perfect with a skirt or with a dress. I nearly cried in the store that they fit. The sales woman thought that I was crazy. I explained and she understood. She gave me comfort that I was not the only person that had been totally disheartened by boot shopping. Anyway, needless to say, they came home home with me. It is so nice to be able to feel like I am a normal member of society able to buy boots.

Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere

I was struck recently while walking through Holt Renfrew in Toronto, by a scent that was familiar and classic, yet new and fresh. I could not figure it out. It reminded me of my Great grandmother, but wasn't as heavy, was fresher and cleaner and softer.

Little did I know that my lovely nose was exactly right - a softer version of Chanel No5 called Chanel No 5 Eau Premiere. I have always found the original Chanel No 5 too heavy, too old and too "bubby-ish". It reminds me of closets full of woman's clothes that were out of bounds, filled with fabulous shoes and even better handbags. The kind of smell that I reminds me of sneaking lipstick and eyeshadow out of my grandmothers changing table, thinking that she wouldn't notice. My mother never wore Chanel No. 5. She was never old enough I always thought. She had me when she was 20 and it was just too old of a scent, so it is always associated with my grand and great grandmother.

Anyway, I sprayed some of the Chanel No 5 Eau Premiere on my wrists to make sure that it doesn't give me a migraine today at the drug store and I think that I am in love. It is light and beautiful and just musty enough to evoke a classic old world fabulousness.

I think that I know what treat I may be buying myself this weekend as a little pick me up. In this world of "hard economic times" can a girl find joy in one bottle of perfume and get away with it? I think this Princess might have found some joy in this little bottle........

Prepping for Winter - New Boots

It was such a bloody awful winter last year that I have decided this year, hard economic times or not, that i need to be ward this winter. Hence came the search for the ultimate winter boot. Let me inform you, dear blog, that I have an aversion to UGG's. I hate them. They are ugly, people can't walk in them, they are not attractive. I know that they are warm, but they are not WINTER BOOTS! They are made for surfers. Anyway, I found these beauties at the end of last year when I saw someone walking around in them and was shocked to see that they are UGG's. I nearly fainted. They are not UGG like at all. They are sturdy and warm and waterproof and perfect. Except for the price. They are $365 Cdn./$300 US. I bought them today and know I feel ready for the snow. I love them. whether I keep them or not, I am not sure. The money was so much, it's just a lot in these uncertain times, but who are we kidding, they are staying in my closet. I refuse to be cold. They are called the UGG Adirondack Tall if you're interested. I read all the reviews on Zappos and everyone raved about them. Only potential complaint is the lacing and the amount of time to get them on and off. I'll just have to leave them on a lot!