baby it's cold outside...

I don't think I've ever paired this top with bottoms other than a pair of leggings- just because of it's long, loose fitting nature. I try to fit loose tops with form fitting bottoms, just to have some shape to the ensemble. But since I've got a number of outfits left in the remix of 30 days, I am going to have to try something other than the usual formula to strength 30 items into 30 outfits!

That's one good point to this challenge I've been embarking on with 336 other bloggers that Kendi Skeen of Kendi Everyday started and arranged. The challenge of making your items stretch in your imagination and coming up with other combos and outfits that you may not have put together before: stretching outside the usual and still being stylish!

The Outfit

(Faux) leather jacket- La Classe Couture- Winners (Toronto, Sept '10)

Top- 03 Everly- Pseudio (SJ, Oct '10) 

Black leggings- TNA- Aritzia (Toronto, Sept '08)

Booties- Aldo (Toronto, Sept '10)

Belt- Le Chateau (Halifax, Nov '07)
Long-sleeve tee- H&M (Toronto, Sept '10)
Necklace- Anne Marie Chagnon (Montreal, June '09)


The first...well, second...snow this season (the first occured very late on Halloween night and melted as the sun came up) I grabbed my camera and tripod, deciding it would be a good idea to catch the flurries in my outfit photo. I feel this outfit lacks a little creativity...perhaps a belt, but it was just one of those days where I needed to be out of the house quickly and the top priority I required of my outfit was comfort- my job often has me sitting on the floor, climbing under things; so really, a restricting outfit in anyway isn't practical. I wished I could wear more dresses and skirts day to day, but for the same reasons that doesn't really work out either! (Hence while I wittled my selection down to just one dress for my 30 items).

The Outfit

Military shirt- Mango (Toronto, June '10)

T-shirt- American Eagle (SJ, Oct '10)

Cords- American Eagle (

Shoes- Aldo (Halifax, Sept '10)

Necklace- Charm Diamond Center (gifted from B, May '10)

Can't believe this marks the last day on November! Since the Holidays draw closer, Ive converted my shopping wishlist (see the tabs at the top of the page) into my Christmas wish list!

the latest boutique uptown....

...is the Black Dog Boutique! Have you popped over to the adorable shop at 24 Germain Street yet? It's right beside the new Relish (old Reggie's).

Formerly a tailor's shop, owner Jill Kimball has transformed the space into a lovely, cozy space with quality garments hanging from the racks amongst the funky yet sophisticated decor.

The Black Dog Boutique is "...equipped with EcoChic fashions from NYC and San Francisico" and features other brands from Montreal and Toronto. All merchandise have been crafted in North America. Jill is as much a hostess as she is shop owner. She was so sweet and friendly when I stopped in to visit the day after she opened the boutique on November 18! She even offered me a cookie (she credits the Batch Bakery for the tastey treats)!

She showed me the boudoir aka the lovely, changing room with soft lights and charming decor.

I even love the script wallpaper!

I'll be going back soon (likely this week) to browse the selection again...I was very careful around the clothing because at that time I was carrying a pesto baguette and bruschetta mix (that I had just bought in the market and was taking to baby shower later that evening).

Check out Black Dog Boutique in person, as well as in the following places:

Website

Twitter

retail holiday party!

Everyone loves getting a little something in the mail, right? Recently this invite showed up in my mailbox:

This Wednesday, when we officially hit the month of December, Perfumes Plus will be hosting a Holiday Party to kick off the festive season! They are open 10am-8pm that day and are offering 20-30% off select merchandise, Chanel products will be tax free, and there are door prizes as well. To top it off, they will pop the bubbly open at 6pm!

I'll be there; will you?

P.S. Perfumes Plus now has a Facebook page: be sure to follow in order to stay up to date on products, events, and savings!

remix round-up 7-12...

So this far into the 30 for 30 challenge, I have to say I'm a bit surprised I haven't worn all 30 items quite yet...but I suppose it's only 1 piece that I have yet to incorporate: the grey blazer.

I would say it's accessories that make the remix a little bit interesting: that fact that there are no limitations in this area allows you to bring in small touches to an outfit that give it individuality. For example, outfit #10 incorporated some rather basic pieces: a black long sleeved tee, skinny jeans, and a grey vest. Add some strands of gold bling and suddenly the outfit has been jazzed up! 

I have to admit, I've fallen a little behind in the outfit posting while trying to cover other content of interest, but I assure you, I'm still remixing and wearing items from my 30 and taking the daily photos. To catch up, I'm going to include at least 2 outfits in a post each time I share what I'm wearing from the 30 for 30!

Also, I've been introduced to so many other great style bloggers through this fashion challenge: thanks to Kendi for posting all the participants. I plan to do a feature blog post on some of my new favs I've come across in this challenge! For others not involved in the challenge, if you're on twitter, you can catch everyone's tweeting their outfit posts via the #30x30 hash tag!

get a start on your christmas shopping!

I've been tweeting and posting up a storm on Facebook today while catching up on the contents on my inbox and discovering the awesome sales that are going on this weekend! If you happened to miss my tweets on what you can save where, I'm going to post the sales from some of my favourite stores below, categorized by deadline:

Tonight: Saturday, November 27

• LuLus (online): 15% off site-wide with promo code BLKFRIDAY
• Kensie (online): 40% off outerwear

Tomorrow: Sunday, November 28

• Je Suis Prest Boutique (instore): Tax free
• Pseudio (instore): Tax free
• Club Monaco (instore): 30% off already reduced merchandise
• Banana Republic (online): 25% off with promo code BRCDA25OFF
• LuLus (online): 25% off sale items with promo code TAKE25
• Kensie (online): 50% off all tops (1 day only)

Monday, November 29

• Steve Madden (online): 30% off with promo code THANKS30
• ModCloth (online): 25% off (and free shipping over $75)
• Darling Dilemma (online): 15% off with promo code SHOPPER
• American Eagle (online): 20% off with promo code 58127156 and free shipping
• Aerie (online): 20% off with promo code 58127156 and free shipping
• Email me for the printable coupon for American Eagle and Aerie
• ASOS (online)- 20% off ASOS label with discount code ASOS20
• Spotted Moth (online): 25% off with code BLACK at checkout

  

Tuesday, November 30

• Free People (online): Free Shipping

Even Longer

• Joe Fresh Style (instore): print coupon to get $10 off purchase of $50 or more (exp. Dec 17)
• Aldo (online): free shipping through the holidays

Some Canadians such as myself may not have travelled across the border for Black Friday deals, but it doesn't mean we can't still benefit from the savings from the comfort of our own homes! Buy a little something for yourself or get started on your Christmas shopping! Be sure to let me know if you get anything good!

playing catch-up....

So Ive been a little behind lately on my outfit posts for the 30 for 30 Fashion Challenge. In order to play a little catch-up I'm going to double up on outfits in my 30 for 30 posts starting this morning. I have to say, this challenge has proven to be trying in a number of ways...and I have to remind myself that the rest of my closet is off limits! It's been an interesting experience, but I can't wait to make use of my full wardrobe again- and just in time for holiday events and parties! I can say that finally I managed to find a spot to hang my 30 items...that didn't include the back of my couch...

The Outfit

(Faux) leather jacket- La Classe Couture- Winners (Toronto, Sept '10)

Blouse- H&M (Moncton, Aug '10)

Belt- Winners (Toronto, Sept '08)

Skinny grey pants- RW & Co. (SJ, May '10)

Shoes- Aldo- (ordered online, Oct '10)

Necklace- Forever 21 (Portland, Nov '10)

Hat- H&M (Moncton, Nov '10)

Scarf- Winners (SJ, Feb '09)

The Outfit

Top- Gentle Fawn- Je Suis Prest Boutique (SJ, Nov '10)

Skinny jeans- Nissi- Pseudio (SJ, April '10)

Sweater- Kensie- Je Suis Prest Boutique (SJ, Sept '10)

Boots- Aldo (gift from my parents, Dec '09)

By the way, all these Black Friday sales, even if they are just online for us Canadians, are oh so tempting! Emails from my favourite stores with discounts are continuously taunting me! Must...stay...strong! 

discount code for Darling Dilemma!

Congratulations to Sarah Matos for winning the Autumn Gold necklace in the Darling Dilemma Giveaway! But thanks to Emma of Darling Dilemma, you all get to benefit even if you didn't win the big prize- Emma is offering  a coupon code specifically for Maritime Shopaholic readers!

Visit Darling Dilemma's Etsy site this weekend to purchase any of the pieces you were admiring at a discounted price specifically offered for readers of Maritime Shopaholic!

Darling Dilemma: http://www.etsy.com/shop/darlingdilemma

Thank you so much to Emma of Darling Dilemma!

photoshoot fun!

A few weeks ago I have the pleasure of working with Lindsay Thorne, make-up artist, and Ryan Lavigne, photographer of Shutter Creative. I was contacted by Lindsay and asked to be one of the models to help her and Ryan expand their portfolios. They offered me a digital copy of a print in exchange for my time. Print or no print, it just sounded like so much fun so I told her absolutely!

Lindsay and Ryan often team up for creative projects with Lindsay doing make-up for photo shoots and Ryan doing the photography work. In fact, Lindsay is now officially part of the Shutter Creative Team!

So I brought along with me my camera to take a few "behind the scenes" photos. Ryan also snapped a few photos as well (I'm sure you'll easily be able to notice the difference between my little digital camera and the real deal of a professional!).

(Shutter Creative)

Lindsay applies my make-up. The look she is going for on me: red lips and smokey eyes.

(Shutter Creative)

If there was anyone's make-up collection I'd want to play with, it'd be Lindsay's!

Sometimes, it's a dirty job!

(Shutter Creative)

(Shutter Creative)

(Shutter Creative)

When Lindsay was done, Ryan started setting up and positioning his lighting, and then it was time to be blinded by the flash! I have to say, these two make an excellent team: both cool, down to earth people that are really talented and know their stuff! It was a lot of fun to work with them!

Here's the final product of my make-up done by Lindsay and my photograph taken by Ryan:

(Shutter Creative)

Check out some of the other creative fashion work they've done recently with their other models:

(Shutter Creative)

Lindsay is planning on offering a make-up seminar in the near future! She plans on providing a 3 hour classes so if you would like to learn any tricks or tips be sure to check out the Lindsay Thorne Make-up Facebook page! With Christmas around the corner, you'll want to look your best for all those fabulous holiday parties and Lindsay can help you out with that. She also offers gift vouchers that you can give to friends or relatives.

This afternoon (Friday, November 26) you can find her at the Lansdowne Shoppers Drug Mart (North end of Saint John) working with Lise Watier products and tonight she'll be at the Westmorland Shoppers Drug Mart (East Saint John) providing services and information for Elizabeth Arden!

For more news, annoucements and make-up tips, check out Lindsay's blog.

Ryan's photography work is represented through Shutter Creative Inc. Shutter Creative specializes in fashion-styled photography (including wedding) with an approach of making every photograph ‘magazine-caliber’ or ‘epic'. Visit the website, click on Our Work to see some of Ryan's amazing work. Stay up-to-date on the latest offers and work by Shutter Creative through the company's Facebook page and blog.

Click here to find out about the latest special the Shutter Creative team is offering in boudoir photography!

Thanks again to Lindsay & Ryan for inviting me to work with them! Be sure to check out more examples of their work and get linked into their Facebook pages to hear about any of the amazing work, what services they are offering, and what they are up to!

And the winner is....

I'm happy to announce the winner of the Darling Dilemma Giveaway:

Sarah Matos

We'll be contacting you shortly about receiving your prize, the Autumn Gold necklace.

Thank you to everyone for participating and entering the giveaway!

A BIG thank you to Emma of Darling Dilemma for providing the beautiful necklace.

If you love her work, be sure to visit her Etsy site!

Oh, and Darling Dilemma is now on Twitter! Be sure to follow!

@Darling Dilemma

Je Suis Prest Boutique Fashion Show

Last Thursday was Je Suis Prest Boutique's fashion show and holiday party hosted at the sophisticated Canterbury Lounge. I have to say the event's crowd was an incredibly well polished group of fabulous ladies all dressed to the nines. They were definitely dressed to impress. What also was impressive were the store's latest incoming dresses, which were fresh to the floor racks as of Friday morning, following their grand introduction Thursday night.

Silent Auction with proceeds going to the Coverdale Center for Women

Kiera & Joy looking beautiful as per usual!

The fashion show had a fabulous turn out and the bar was packed to a sold out event! And of course you can count on me to take pictures of all 20 dresses. The lovely shoes were provided by Manchester Shoe Salon and the glamourous jewelry by Esquared Jewels.

Which dress is your favourite?