Music Monday: Sky Ferreira.

I'm stepping outside of my cozy fashion bubble. So here we are, on my first of many Music Mondays, starring the highly talented, and yet still slightly unknown, singer-songwriter Sky Ferreira.

Maybe you've seen her around; she's been featured in countless magazines and ad campaigns, including the current festival collection for Forever 21.

But have you heard her?

Sky Ferreira.

I first heard of Sky Ferreira in 2009, when reading a post on WGSN about up-and-coming musical acts. At the age of 16, the singer had recently been signed by Parlophone and was a YouTube sensation: on "Happy Dre," she sang The Beatles' "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" over beats from Dr. Dre's "Still D.R.E.". She recorded a stripped-down cover of "Animal," which was originally recorded as electro pop by Miike Snow. And she isn't just a singer: Ms. Ferreira made her film debut in 2010's Putty Hill.

Ferreira then released three singles: "17," a cautionary tale of an out-of-control teen; "Obsession," a catchy ditty detailing one girl's one-sided devotion; and "One," a poppy and unadulterated dance track. 

Ms. Ferreira on the set of her video "One". 

With her popularity rising, you would think by now there would have been an album release. For whatever reason, her record label decided to push back her debut LP, and opted to released two EPs, As If! and Ghost. As If! was originally released on iTunes in March of 2011. However, since Ghost's release in October of last year, all of the tracks on As If! and the EP itself have been removed. This is likely due to Sky Ferreira's ever-changing sound that appears on Ghost.

Ghost EP; cover shot by Hedi Slimane, creative director of Saint Laurent.

Ghost has received generally favorable reviews, particularly the single "Everything Is Embarrassing". Pitchfork named it one of the best new singles of 2012, and New York Magazine named it Song Of The Year for 2012. An 80's throwback to the extreme, the dreamy pop song has the singer lament over a failed relationship. 

Other singles from Ghost include "Red Lips" and "Lost In My Bedroom," a song that was featured in a recent episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Ferreira is currently touring in support of her upcoming LP I'm Not Alright. She will be at South By Southwest for the music portion of the festival in Austin, TX, March 12th-17th.

Needless to say, she is undoubtedly one to watch in the coming months.

Image Credit: All photos were sourced from Sky Ferreira's official Facebook page.

The Moment You Remember That You Have A Blog.

Something's been gnawing at me for the past couple weeks.

When someone tweets about SXSW, or I see a fashion magazine detailing Taylor Swift's style transformation, I feel a pang in my heart. 

I'm completely and absolutely forgetting something. I'm forgetting something big that I love. 

And the feeling hasn't disappeared. It follows me around the house, hangs over me at work, and invades my thoughts when I'm watching Downton Abbey.

What is it that's been bothering me?

I realized it this afternoon, while I was reading an e-mail from a friend.

It's my blog!

My blog has been neglected, to the point where I haven't updated in five months. Yes, five months.

What have I done in that five months?

I began working at a major department store. I work in kids' wear, so it's been an interesting change of pace, to say the least.

I've moved three times; John and I did our final move in December. 

I adopted a cat; her name is Sapphire.

Sapphire & Biscuit: sisters from different misters.

So much has happened. And yet, the blog remained to be not updated.

The truth is, there are not as many fashion events in Anchorage. There aren't as many events, period.

So I've been writing a few ideas down, some that have nothing to do with fashion. I hope you'll look forward to them because starting Monday, Bella Vogue will be back. For real this time. 

When in Canada: West Edmonton Mall.

All right, so it's taken me a few weeks to sit down and write this post. In that time, my hubs and I switched hotels, and I've switched jobs.

So, without further ado and excuses, here is a collection of photos from West Edmonton Mall, North America's largest mall. Enjoy!

 John, trying to read our fashionable map.

 Arrr! We be shoppin', matey!

 Hands down, the fanciest cosmetics aisle in a grocery store. 

 I wanted to take this little lady bird home!

 Who knew pet products were so trendy?

 I love how Flare, Canada's fashion magazine, rips off Elle.

 Camera Flask.

 Outside Anthropologie.
Handbag: Mod Cloth. Shirt Dress: Silver. Jeans: Lucky.

 The mall was neatly landscaped, and also supported recycling.

 H&M Display.

 I loved how much natural light was in the mall!

 I like how you could see inside the entire store without having to go in. Talk about window shopping!

 You can totes tell that this side of the mall is the old section...a lot of local shops filled this wing!

 The idea of the "pin-up" was pushed in nearly every store.

 John and I didn't sport ice skates, but it was to watch others fall!

 As shown, many girls were wearing the nautical trend.

 Skeleton Dolls...is this a real thing now?

 At every turn, there was something new to see!

John and I didn't go to the water park, either, but it had many slides & a timed tidal wave!

 I loved how this window put their nail colors in the window. 

 Why look at a menu when there's a fashion map?