Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland

Hello, readers! Feast your eyes upon my first cold weather outfit post.


Just warming up -literally. I wanted to take a picture of my outerwear first.

Coat: Stitches
Hat: Christmas Present from Rebecca
Scarf: Old Christmas Present
Gloves: H&M
Nude Tights: H&M
Socks: Christmas Present from Grandparents
Shoes: Urban Outfitters


Prior to editing, the first photo was very dark, so I turned on the camera's night vision. It wasn't even five o'clock yet! Oh, Canadian winters, how you cheat me of better photographs. On the plus side, there is a cool blue overcast on the snow, contrasting nicely with my cardigan.

Cardigan: Wal-Mart
Tee: Forever 21
Skirt: Urban Behaviour


This outfit is very 'me'. I'm drawn towards classic, sometimes vintage pieces. Despite some of my better efforts, I am the girliest girly girl of all girls. Yes, my favourite colour has always been pink. But I actually don't really own that much of it. Also, take note of the bows on my shirt. I've been obsessed with bows since I was a small child. Some things never change.

The cloche hat atop my head, if you recall, was actually on my wishlist. I have very attentive, generous friends (yes, you, Rebecca!). My friend Chris also got me these sweet black oxfords for Christmas. I would like to show you all soon, as soon as I can be sure they won't be stained by the salt on the ground.


Further proof that I am cool.

Winter Wishlist

As Winter approaches us with moderate speed here in Southern Ontario, I've begun to anticipate freezing conditions, snowfall, and central heating. And don't doubt the visions of sugar plum fairies, either. In such anticipation, I've been dreaming of wint'ry garments to satisfy my desire to be cozy AND cute.




Surprise, surprise! A Hollister cardigan. Back in the day, I was a huge fan of the brand, but since then I've outgrown it. I check up on the site once in a while to see if they have anything I like, and good thing I did! This fairisle cardigan is the perfect mix between vintage coziness and prim girliness.


I love slouchy boots. My mother refers lovingly to these as 'Peter Pan Getaway Boots'. Nice, mum, nice. I just hope my feet wouldn't get TOO cold.


I love skirts and dresses. These are knitted tights. Enough said, my friends.



Two words: tres chic! I have a very small collection of hats, and I would love to make it grow by adding this into the mix. It's just plain adorable.


Another hat! I love me some vintage glamour, and this cloche hat has just the right amount.


I've been craving the effortless cool factor of a blazer. It is a unique alternative to the beloved cardigan, and did I mention cool?

I love all the things on this list, but I am most excited for Christmas shopping for my buddies. Giving is better than receiving!

Party Time -What I Wore

On Saturday, I went to my first formal sweet sixteen party. Let me tell you, it was pretty sweet. There was dinner and dancing, two of my favourite things! And of course, I love dressing up, in a manner like this:



Dress: Spoof
Cardigan: Urban Behaviour
Bag: vintage
Shoes (Not Shown): Spring
Necklace: People's
Bracelets: American Eagle

I wanted to put ringlets in my hair, but alas, I was running super-late. So I settled for silky straightness. It held up better, anyway.

I love this dress; it made me feel a little bit adorable. Do I plan on wearing it again? You bet. Yay for semi-formal!

Crowning Glory

This is my natural hair color. I would like it to be darker, though. You see, I am a fan of contrast, and what better way to create that with dark hair, pale skin and blue eyes? I know it's already medium brown, but I would like a really deep, dark chocolate brown, but not dark enough to be confused with black.

I know you can't really tell from that photo, but my hair is very long, down to my waist (not hips, oh my gosh). I love having long, wavy locks, but I've been fantasizing about chopping them off for a bit now. I got my bangs cut a little under a year ago a la Zooey Deschanel -they were cute and brought attention to my eyes, but hard to maintain. They also did not look good with flat, straight hair, and sometimes I like to style it that way. I've been thinking of getting a shoulder length bob, like this:



I would probably wear it wavy most of the time, anway. I like that it's mature, but it may be less versatile than I'm used to. What do you think about these possible changes?

The Genius of Sarah Leora

Sorry for the lack of posts, but lately things have been . . . crazy, to say the least. But my blogger hat certainly remains on! There is something very comforting about writing what you have to say, whatever the subject. Today, the subject is designer Sarah Leora.

Sarah is a seventeen-year-old school girl inspired in large part by Audrey Hepburn. Her label isn't designed to be cutting-edge and avant-garde, but rather feminine with a modern twist, which you know I'm a total sucker for.





I apologize for directing this blog to a summery flashback, but I had to post about Sarah Leora as soon as I heard about her. As a high school fashion student, she is not only style inspiration, but business inspiration. To have a successful fashion line out before graduating? Yes, please! If I had two hundred dollars or so in my pocket to burn on clothes, you can bet I would direct my mouse to the online shopping cart at the Sarah Leora website. Would you?

Things I Love About Autumn

Well, folks, it appears that the summer part of the seasonal cycle has passed. Although the equinox is not until the twenty-third this year (I believe), autumn weather has fallen upon us. I'm not an intense weather person, so I prefer the less appreciated and shorter Spring and Autumn. If you think about it, Autumn has a melancholic beauty about it. Everything around us is dying, but it's such a pretty spectacle. Here are some things to put me in the spirit of the season!


Hot Drinks

Nothing is better than a nice warm beverage on a crisp Autumn day. Today I was reminded of this pleasure when my mother prepared tea for me after school. I drink it all year, but it's the nicest tasting in the cooler months.


Cable Knits

There's also something comforting about warm cable knits. I'm sure there are plenty of other knits that keep you perfectly warm, but there is something novel that makes cable knits especially fun to wear. Read: wearing it may induce extreme coziness.


Pumpkin Picking

Akin to the summer strawberry picking, pumpkin picking is a classic activity for Autumn. It would make a perfect family outing or date, in my opinion. Carving pumpkins is great fun, as well. Last year, I carved a jack-o-lantern that was modeled after Wild Things.


Last, But Most Loved . . . Halloween

Halloween= candy + dressing up + parties. What's not to love?

Next time, my Halloween costume!

All above images are from Polyvore. The last image, however, is from Alas, a blog. I do not own the rights to any of the above images.

Talk Nerdy to Me

Forever 21 is quickly becoming my favourite non-thrift store. It has such a wide selection of cute, quirky items! With my Accountant boyfriend and my growing love of classic literature (and grandpa glasses), of course I'd fall in love with this little collection.







Geek is chic!

Tees for Trees!

When my friend, Kianja, told me about Tees for Trees, I knew I had to blog about them. For every tee shirt you buy from the company, they will plant a tree! Of course the shirts are made from organic cotton. Tees for Trees uses American Apparel's Sustainable Edition tees to plant (pun intended) their cool designs on. They also use sustainable manufacturing methods and non-toxic dyes. Although my cash flow is hardly a flow at all, I'm seriously considering buying one. Take one for the trees!

Jim James and the Blue Flames by TwentySevenNames

I know it's their summer 09/10 collection(I don't get how that works, but okay), but I'm looking for inspiration and have found it in their interestly named collection. Here are my favourite looks!


I love this silhouette. It's not much of a day dress, though, or maybe that's me playing it safe. The details are so elegant, and definitely call for pearl earrings. Wait, I don't have my ears pierced! Noooooo . . .



This is a great seasonal transition dress. If you know my taste, you know I'm a sucker for polkadots. How do red tights, white oxfords and messy hair sound?



This dress is so darling, and makes me want to wear plaid! I like the blue and yellow together, it's very fresh. If I ever wore this or something like it, it would surely call for strawberry picking.




I'm liking the square bib on this dress, but I already have a white dress with butterfly sleeves! Yay! It's very summery, so I better take advantage of it while I can. I think it would look lovely with my heart pendant and wicker bucketbag.



This is a dreamy blouse. And I need more blouses. Hurray for inspirational seperates! It's conservative, which is good for me because I'll be volunteering (with kiddies in daycare, if you were curious) in less than a month, but this fabric looks nice and light.



I love me some boyfriend oxford shirts. I've been stealing Josh's chambray shirt from American Apparel, so this is practical inspiration. In fact, I would wear it just like the model. Not in public, of course. I might even go as far as pairing it with floral leggings, but that would be scarily trendy for me.



Denim jackets remind me of my childhood, and sometimes in the wrong way. I actually did have a pink denim jacket when I was little, and I am tempted to bring it back, but by wearing it with more mature pieces.



I know I've posted about neutral trench coats before, but I like how this is a cocoon jacket, since I've been lusting after a cocoon cardigan.

I'm in the difficult pursuit of satisfaction with the weather, but these looks work for summer and fall, so I don't have to feel like my summer dreaming is limited. Yay for seasonal transitioning!

Hey, Boy, I Like the Way You Dress

Josh is on vacation right now, and I miss him lots. I was on his facebook profile, when I realized "I should share his great style with the world!" His style is inspirational to me and often influences how I dress, and it reflects his personality so well. Plus, it can be fun shopping in his closet.


This is us last Halloween. We went at 'hot for teacher' (notice the flames. Originally, I was going to be the student and he would be the teacher, but I couldn't resist the idea of Josh wearing a grad cap and lederhosen. This picture always makes me chuckle.


'Thinking Inside the Box'. I plan to steal this sweater.


Dashing!

All photos stolen from Facebook.

Shopping Trip

Yesterday, I went to the Vaughan Mills shopping mall with my friend Julie. Yes, there was an American Apparel, and yes, I got a cardigan! It's not the black one, it's better.


^The cardigan that I bought, here shown on a man. The picture of the woman wearing it was too disco-styled.

I can't wait to style this piece! I feel like an artist that just got a new can of paint. I imagine the royal blue would look fabulous with red lipstick, no?

On another note, I went to the Pink store by Victoria's Secret, and I surprisingly liked it! I'm not one for advertising brands, but there's something funny about buying a yellow tee that says 'love pink', which is what I did. It's not something I would wear going out, but it's very soft, and the neckline is great.

Hooray for Outfit Posts!

FINALLY. Here it is!



Dress: Urban Outfitters (Pins and Needles)
Tank (Underneath): American Eagle Outfitters
Shoes: Black Market Vintage
Sunglasses: gifted


I have tried to post this outfit MANY times, but something always seems to go wrong.
Josh and I took these photos in the pretty conservation area near our houses (we live in the same neighbourhood). The houses and the road kind of taint it, but we didn't get any of that in these shots.




Following the shoot, we trekked on over to the plaza and had some greasy McGoodness. The walk home resulted in SORE feet. Of course, we had to stop for a swing break!





I wanted my hair to be flowing and free, but it had another agenda, so up in a bun it went. I used to try to wear this dress with a waist-cinching belt and high wedges, but I think I much prefer this relaxed style.

The Inspirational Chapin Sisters

Okay, so I probably won't do an outfit post until Thursday, and I've been a bad, bad blogger by not posting recently, so here it is. Lately, I have found my style leaning towards the ethereal, perhaps because of Summer. Back in early June, I went to see She & Him (great show, not-so-great venue), and a lovely sister duo (normally a trio, but the third sister was on maternity leave/rest -cutest baby!), and I could not help but take note of what they were wearing. It was like their music was visualized through their clothes. They sing lovely, folksy, sometimes melancholic tunes with beautiful harmonies worthy of acapella glory. Their style is dreamy, romantic and free, which really entices me.







All photos are taken from MySpace and various Google Image locations.

Artist of the Moment

I've known Kaitlyn since grade seven, but I hadn't known about her artistic talent until grade nine, when I first saw her work. I wish she could photograph my outfits everyday! Her artwork is simple, pure, and beautiful, to name a few fitting words to describe her gorgeous art.









It's this work of art that inspired me to blog about Kaitlyn. Here's the backstory of the photo, as written by Kaity herself:

this man is 28 years old, he was kicked out of his home when he was 17. he has been living in toronto for the past 11 years on his own, being only able to buy food and clothes about once every two months, if lucky. the reason i stopped to talk to him was because he was smiling..at me. sounds creeepy i know. i sat down beside him and he asked me about my camera, and i told him that i loved art. he told me when he was younger he loved art also. i asked him why he was kicked out of his house, and he told me that it was because he was gay. i then asked him if he realized what it said behind him...and he said he knew, because he painted it. this is where he lives, in that exact spot hes sitting.

i dont know if you noticed but it said "nothing will change"

i asked him if we could do an art project together. so we walked down to spadina ave, baught a can of paint and together we painted "everything will change."

Kaitlyn = absolutely amazing.