dizzy alice: 2013

20 November 2013

begin at the beginning

Perhaps you are puzzled about our passion for Alice in Wonderland and its pertinence to our pop-up shop. If you are burning with curiosity as to why Alice is our lodestar and why the twinkling of the tea puts the sparkle in our eyes, please ponder this peculiarity no longer.

The uncommon nonsense, daydreamy motifs, tea party theme, and satire associated with the Alice books make this literary masterpiece our inspiration!

Photo Credit: Lissie Elle

Of all the endearing characters wandering Wonderland, Alice is our alias because her personality is bursting with muchness:

"...loving and gentle: loving as a dog (I know no earthly love so pure and perfect), and gentle as a fawn: then courteous-courteous to all, high or low, grand or grotesque, King or Caterpillar...then trustful, ready to accept the wildest impossibilities with trust that only dreamers know; and lastly, curious--wildly curious, and with the eager enjoyment of Life that comes only in the happy hours of childhood, when all is new and fair, and when Sin and Sorrow are but names--empty words signifying nothing!" -Annotated Alice in Wonderland

Possibly now you can fathom why dear Alice is our muse. Our devotion stems from believing the world could use more Alice dispositions doing dizzy dances...

...which brings us to our dizzy designation. An obvious reason is our love for dizzy dancing. We admire those who dance to their own drumbeat in life and on the dance floor. Dizzy is the feeling Alice gets after her terrific tumble down the rabbit hole. Dizzy is inevitable when you twirl about in a flowing vintage dress; finally, dizzy would best describe our eclectic dizzy alice collection.

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The beauty of imperfection is something we hold dear. The discombobulated tea party is pure magnificence in our eyes; adding an unexpected twist to something that is full of tradition and formalities excites us!

Photo Credit: Travis Muise

"Have some wine," the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

Alice looked all around the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. "I don't see any wine," she remarked.

"There isn't any," said the March Hare.

"Then it wasn't very civil of you to offer it," said Alice angrily.

"It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited," said the March Hare.

Photo Credit: Travis Muise

The "Mad Tea Party" intrigues us so we want, nay, yearn, to celebrate tea party style! Unforgettable is a tea party where Alicia arrived fashionably late, dressed as The White Rabbit. When I answered the door, she was wearing a waistcoat, spectacles and was appropriately concerned with her watch. "I'm late! I'm late!" she exclaimed as she entered, and resumed her position as "life of the party."

We sipped tea into the starry night, consumed captivating conversations, and played "musical hats" all the while.

Festivities leading up to my wedding day were also infused with tea party charm.

The celebrations wouldn't be the same without Alicia doing a dizzy dance and making Alice proud.

My Maid of Honour lovingly made glorious party favours for my bachelorette: teacups brimming with beautiful bonbons and a cute tea quote in tow.

So you see sweet friends, we are seriously smitten with all things Alice.

The book is irresistible so we read it over and over...and under and under.

Naturally, we have a special place in our hearts for all creations influenced by Carroll's pièce de résistance.

We are fascinated by the obscure film versions. The 1903 Alice in Wonderland is a haunting silent film. The silence is refreshing in a society where sensory overload is profuse. You can more adequately appreciate the alluring artful expression of acting and take delight in delving deeper into each character's being, without words that often direct us too directly.

Artists and musicians are constantly inspired by the work of Lewis Carroll. In 1969, the renowned Salvador Dali left his eccentric mark on this spectacular story. Us kindred spirits get a special satisfaction in spotting a skipping alice amongst the surrealism--such a sneaky yet splendid surprise that makes us smirk!

A Caucus Race and a Long Tale

Down the Rabbit Hole

Advice from a Caterpillar

A Mad Tea Party

Alice in Wonderland is an exquisite expression of curiosity and adventure, urging us to dismiss pretentiousness and be ourselves. Life can often become so serious, and our hope is that our customers may discover a treasure in our dizzy collection, thereby making their heart feel light. These ideas are the very essence of our shop xo

16 October 2013

outlandish october crawl

Once again, it was jovial chaos with dizzy alice at Friday's art crawl.

As the days get shorter and night falls upon us earlier, we had our "Pocket Full of Sunshine" and "Sing a Song of Sunbeams" hats shedding light unto the evening!

Do you dream in colour? Teacups overflowing with candy of the rainbow was a sight to behold...

It was the perfect weekend to spend time with family and friends. Sipping a tea and enjoying the joys of James North together is always in fashion.

There's nothin' like darling dainties wearing docs perusing dizzy's collection and purchasing some interesting pieces.

Friends hanging out and enjoying the street always brings smiles to our faces, and meeting dizzy followers in person makes our heart sing.

Our beloved birdcage went to this sweet thing who cheerfully announced, "I need this in my life!" What a brilliant coincidence her favourite movie is "The Birdcage."

Our "Lady Grinning Souls" had grins from ear to ear when we realized we sold our grinning cheshire cat change purse to Mickey Desadist from the Forgotten Rebels. Sometimes we just have to "grin and bear it" when our thoughtfully selected items are sold, but knowing they are going to such wonderful homes always soothes the soul.

We were so honoured that the darling dame, Jentine from My Edit, paid us a visit. She even bought a wonderland-esque cocktail ring, which is perfectly displayed on the shoulder of her gal pal!

After the art crawl, we strolled into one of the quaint Portuguese bars and the belle of a bartender was enamoured with Alicia's dizzy sweater. Alicia was more than happy to sell it to her right there and then! (literally the shirt off her back)

"After a fall such as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling downstairs." - Alice
We must say farewell to the following fall fashions that flitted forth forever...

We couldn't help falling in love over and over again with the leaf print on this high-waisted corduroy skirt...but alas, someone else did too.

The combination of fanciful fuchsia and loveable lace collar on our "Granny Pan" sweater has captured our heart's desire for evermore!

This sunny tam will take the chill off any autumn day! All our plaid shirts, including this one, left us and it's no surprise since plaid just screams, "cozy Canadian comfort!"

Ahem, excuse me as I adjust my bow tie...

This dizzy duo is overjoyed by the wonderful people we've met at our outdoor art crawls and as they come to a close, we want to say thanks for your love, support, and curiosity!
Adieu to you! xo

09 October 2013

smashing pumpkins

Fall. What a wonderful season. We can't help but think of Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole as we watch the beautifully coloured leaves fall to the ground (we're sure the leaves are far more graceful than our dearest dizzy doll!). A few fall favourites of ours are hay riding in a pumpkin patch, taking a brisk stroll in beautiful boots, and layering lovely clothing as the cooler weather sets in.

While roaming our beloved city, we came across a magical pumpkin patch off Garner Road owned by a sweet couple and their cheery granddaughter. Falling in love with this location was inevitable.

As we were prancing in the pumpkin patch, we expected that any second a pumpkin would magically turn into a royal horse & carriage, whisking us away to a mysterious ball...(seriously, these are the things we dream of!)