3 trends: 1 outfit...

Earlier this week I wore this outfit to have my photo taken by Kâté, a photographer with the Telegraph Journal. I had fun eyeing the beautiful shoes in The Urban Shoe Myth while peering through their shelving, with Kâté on the other side with her camera. (From my understanding the photo is to included along side of an upcoming article about how retail in Saint John is changing.) 

Afterwards, I stole away to a quiet Uptown street where I could take out fit photos in a low-traffic area.

The Outfit   Black Blazer c/o Boa Apparel Inc | Brown top- Joe Fresh | Bracelets: Aldo

Sheer print top: BB Dakota (Je Suis Prest Boutique) | Jeans: 7 for all Mankind (Envy)

Shoes (similar): Steve Madden (The Urban Shoe Myth)

In this outfit I combined a few of my favourite trends for all: mixing black and browns, sporting animal prints, and mixing metals (gold and silver). What have been your favourite fall trends to experiment with?


And just before you go, I was wondering if I could ask you a quick favour?

I'm running a short survey just to get feedback on how I can improve my blog and learn a little more about the preferences of my readers. If you have a few moments, l would really appreciate it if you could answer some quick questions, even if this is your first visit! Participation and all answers are anonymous. Please click below to participate:

Maritime Shopaholic Reader Survey

urban jungle...

Sometimes it can be fairly difficult to find an obscure location to shoot outfit photos that's for sure! I managed to tuck away in a corner uptown- with it being noon, the sun was too bright and there were lots of people out and about on their lunch hour! I've gotten the hang of choosing the best physical settings and natural lighting for my photos, but I still have so much to learn about the potential of owning an SLR!

This dress was a BB Dakota pick from Shopbop after winning Jessica's blog giveaway a few months ago.

The Outfit Dress (BB Dakota- Shopbop) | Tights (American Apparel) | Top (Joe Fresh)

Booties (Michael Kors- The Urban Shoe Myth) | Necklace (Aldo) | Bag (Coach)

And I was lucky enough to have Barb pick me up these tights from American Apparel during her vacation in Halifax a few weeks ago. (Thanks again my friend!) I'd have to say for opaque tights, American Apparel are my favourite. They lean on the more pricey side of things, but they general stay intact if you don't swipe and snag them with rings (like I tend to do...)

Coloured tights are always a fall must-have on my list! I've managed to gather a good collection- all that is missing is mustard and camel! What are your favourite colours for tights/pantyhose?

Pssst. I have three giveaways coming up on the blog soon!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Work It Wednesday...

I decided to participate in the weekly "link-up" organized by fellow blogger, Jill of the Good Life (for Less). Entitled Work it Wednesday, you show 1 style or garment applied in 3 different outfits. I decided, this week, to choose an element of style that I've been loving this fall: the tie neck blouse. If it was in my current budget, I'd love to own and wear a piece of Rachel Zoe's fall collection. So (using Polyvore) I've created 3 sets that show 3 entirely different ways to style the Rachel Zoe's Natalie plunge blouse for 3 different events:

Rachel Zoe Natalie plunge blouse

Shopbop | Bergdorf Goodman | Far Fetch

(Above: satchel (similar), pants, shoes, vest, earrings, bracelets)

(Above: skirt, belt, shoes, watch, clutch, earrings, bracelet, tights)

(Above: vest, jeans, bracelet, boots, bag, hat)

Has a tie-neck blouse been on your list of fall must-haves? 

Please feel free to leave your comment below to let me know what item is on the top your must-have list for Fall right now.

Check outwhat items Jill and other participating bloggers decided to work and remix this week for Work it Wednesday

media party...

I have a very happy story to tell about this outfit (well, at least about the top and skirt). It's fairly infrequent that I shop at Old Navy but I happened to go in the store last month looking for some tank tops just to lounge around in at home. Here, I came across a tie-neck blouse (that I had been forever searching for) and with medi skirts in season as well as a "buy-1-get-the-2nd-75% off" deal in swing- I left with a few extras.

Unfortunately I didn't have much success in finding the items I originally went in looking for. (Isn't that always the case?) Remembering that Old Navy has a website with free shipping, I not only found what I was looking for but also the blouse and skirt on sale for even less than what I had bought them for in-store! Needless to say, I quickly returned my purchases to the store and made a quick bee-line for the online check-out.

The Outfit  Blouse: Old Navy | Skirt: Old Navy | Belt: Eddie Bauer

Tights: Hue- Je Suis Prest Boutique |Earrings: Aldo Accessories | Bracelets: Aldo Accessories

 Trench: BB Dakota- Je Suis Prest Boutique | Booties: Michael Kors- The Urban Shoe Myth

A couple of weeks ago, myself and a few bloggers attended what was supposed to be the media party for New Brunswick Fashion Week. As nice as it was to be included as media and receive a pass for free access to the event, the date and location of this media party was not released much in advance. Really it was just a stop in to get your tag and a few details (there was no bar as indicated). The final schedule for Friday (2 days away) was not finalized at this time so we weren't entirely sure what to expect until I saw the email with the schedule pop up on my Blackberry at 10pm Thursday night. It didn't leave much time to share this with the public. But, as it turned out, the organizers did not follow this schedule anyways.

Apparently New Brunswick Fashion Week for Spring 2012 is slotted for February 25 to March 2 and so far, it appears it will be primarly based out of Moncton (with the main gala to occur at the casino). Here's to wishing for a successful future for NBFW.

Fashion Forward...

Two weeks ago, Uptown Saint John hosted Fashion Forward...An Uptown Affair for the first time. Considered Saint John's version of Fashion's Night Out: many Uptown shops stayed open late to spoil their customers with special deals, draws, and promotions. There were plenty of demos and samples- and many stores served food and some even a glass of bubbly!

The Outfit:  Skirt: Gentle Fawn- Je Suis Prest (SJ, Oct '11) | Necklace: Aldo (Moncton, Aug '11)

Blouse: Mink Pink: Silver Daisy (SJ, Oct '11) | Socks: American Apparel (Halifax, Mar '11)

Trench: BB Dakota- Je Suis Prest (SJ, Sept '11) | Nails: Essie- Walmart (SJ, Sept '11)

Shoes: Michael Kors- Urban Shoe Myth (SJ, Sept '11) | Belt: Eddie Bauer (Moncton, Aug '06)

I wore this outfit wore that evening in pursuit of the best deals with friends. I ended up with a top on lay away at Silver Daisy, boots on lay away at Urban Shoe Myth, a new sweater (already featured on the blog) from Je Suis Prest, and then cheetah print pumps for 20% off at Manchester! To check out the photos I snapped at various stores throughout the evening, be sure to take a look of the photos I posted on Facebook later that night:

• Photo Album: Fashion Forward...An Uptown Affair

new red...

So after going shorter, I decided to change my colour and go redder. I ended up with a darker shade than me and my hair stylist initially expected, so I went back in this week and she brightened it up with bold copper streaks. Below is the in between dark auburn after the inital visit to Reflections.

The Outfit: Floral tank top: BB Dakota- Leather House (St. Andrews- July '11)

Button-up top: Toggery- Black Dog Boutique (SJ, July '11) | Necklace: Aldo (Moncton, Aug '11)

Sandals: Sam Edelman- Piperlime (online, July '11) | Bracelets- Aldo (Moncton, Aug '11)

Skinny Jeans: 7 for All Mankind- Envy (SJ, July '11)

It's funny how things change over time. When I was younger I didn't like having red hair and freckles. I was the only red head in my third grade class. Now that I'm older and both features have faded, I do what I can to keep them!

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Brunswick Square Fall Fashion Show- organizers, MCs, models- everyone did an amazing job! After uploading over 350 pictures from the show, I can't wait to share them. Monday you'll see photos go up on the Brunswick Square fashion blog, on Tuesday I'll post my favourite looks here and then all the photos will be posted on the Maritime Shopaholic Facebook page.

 

seeing red...

As many of you may know, I had been in love with J Brand's red jeans...however, I couldn't quite part with the $176 + shipping over a pair of pants I wasn't entirely sure I'd wear over multiple seasons. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, American Eagle was one of the first more affordable brands that had the solution. I wasn't able to find these pants in-store because I believe they are only being carried online and in their flagship stores. (FYI...earlier this week I saw that Old Navy is also carrying red denim directly in-store.)

I was initially quite disappointed with my purchase. When my package arrived on the doorstep, I excitedly tried on the red American Eagle jeggings only to find out they fit at least 1 size smaller than their regular jeggings! I solved this dilemma by stuffing them and stretching them over the back of the chair...and then they fit much better the following day.

Popularity of coloured denim is gradually taking off this fall as many brands have introduced jeans and jeggings in multiple hues. (I'm now coveting Free People's denim skinnies in emerald and voilet!)

The Outfit: Jeggings: American Eagle (online, Sept '11)  | Shoes: Aldo (online, Oct '10) 

Tank: American Eagle (Fredericton, Winter '07) 

Earrings: Esquared- Silver Daisy Designs (SJ, July '11)

Hoodie: Alternative Apparel, Je Suis Prest Boutique (SJ, July '11)

Sheer animal print top: BB Dakota- Je Suis Prest Boutique (SJ, Aug '11)

As you may have noticed in these pictures, gone is my assymetrical bob. As much as I enjoyed the style for a few short months, I really needed an even cut for styling symplicity. When it comes to my hair, I want something that is stylish, but quick and easy. Hence why I go with a beachy/bedhead look- it only takes 5 minutes to style in the morning!

fashion events..

After a week and a bit of a hiatus, I'm back to blogging! Not that I ever wanted to take a break...but sometimes a busy streak in life can cause any of us to go MIA once in a while...but with so many local fashion events coming up, there is so much material to cover!

Such an example would be Silver Daisy Design's upcoming Sex and the City Soiree on Friday, the first annual fundraiser fashion show to be held in memory of Dr. Anthony Lordon. The event will be hosted at the Lily Lake Pavillon on Friday, October 14.

Last week, some local fashion bloggers were invited to the shop after hours to. We've been invited to participate in a fun side project related to the fashion show!

Post-meeting Kate, Candice, Barb, and I found the perfect spot for shooting outfit photos- it was a lot more fun to shoot photos with pals than doing it by yourself! (Thanks to Kate for taking my outfit photos.)

The Outfit: Dress: BB Dakota- Piperlime (ordered online, Sept '11) | Boots: Aldo (gifted, Dec '09)

Necklace & Bracelet: Aldo Accessories (Moncton, Aug '11)

Silver Daisy's fashion show isn't the only fashion-related event on the horizon in the next month. Have you already purchased your tickets for Brunswick Square Annual Fall Fashion Show next Wednesday, Sept 28? Last year's event was sold out, so be sure to stop by a participating store to pick up your ticket!

Be sure to also book off the evening of October 6 on your calendar! Next post (to be up either later today or tomorrow at the latest), I'll let you know more about Saint John's shop hop version of Fashion Night's Out: Fashion Forward.