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

green shoes...

Of all days, I choose a day when it's raining cats and dogs to showcase a new pair of shoes. Remember my search for green shoes? In the end, I went a different way for my wedding shoes (particularly because I couldn't find the right green shoe that was low enough...) but I wasn't able to resist my favourite of the finalists- the Miz Mooz from The Urban Shoe Myth! (Speaking of which, did you enter the giveaway yet?)

   

The Outfit

• Dress: Francesca (Portland, Nov '10)
• Pantyhouse: ModCloth (ordered online, Jan '11)
• Belt: Eve Gravel (The Black Dog Boutique, Dec '10)
• Blazer: c/o Boa (Dec '10)
• Earrings: Silver Daisy Designs (SJ, Feb '11)
• Shoes: Miz Mooz (The Urban Shoe Myth, Apr '11)

Given the fact that more of my outfits feature my hair up rather than down, this is about the time I'd get it cut. But with a wedding in the works, I'm planning on wearing my hair back so naturally I need the length for now. I remember the days of undergrad when my hair was half way down my back, dyed from the box, 2 colours at a time, my pal Laura would cut my bangs, and my friends and I straightened our hair with an iron. (My aunt- also my hair dresser- is cringing if she happens to be reading this post..)

 

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the boa room...

The internet has really evolved the way we shop. Our computers allow us browse and purchase stores and fashion that might otherwise be inaccessible. So if online shopping wasn’t a reality, a large part of my wardrobe wouldn’t exist either.

Like me, I’m sure a lot of you subscribe to the email newsletters of your favourite stores or brands. My inbox is filled daily with sale advertisements and new product notices as I try to stay up to date on what’s on the market and what’s current. So when I received a personal email from Ofra Nissani, inviting me to check out her online clothing boutique, I was intrigued and had to check it out.

Ofra is co-owner of Boa Apparel Inc, which consists of 3 stores in the Toronto area as well as their online site. Ofra’s business partner is her twin sister Daphne Nissani. This sister team will have been heading Boa for 10 years this spring. Daphne heads up the buying in LA while Ofra oversees the day to day business. Through Boa Apparel Inc, Ofra and Daphne aim to unique and trendy items to their customers, whether in-store or online. 

As I browsed their virtual racks, I found piece after piece I really liked and was impressed with their inventory. Here's what I was impressed with when I checked out Boa:

• You can find the same selection of merchandise online as you will find in any of Boa’s 3 stores
• They carry a lot of pieces that are right on trend
• They work hard and act quickly when it comes to staying on top of current looks and trends
• Almost all items are under $100, with many under $50
• Free shipping over $50!

Here are my favourite pieces I found online at Boa ( I had a hard time narrowing it down!):

You can also find and follow Boa on quite a few social media tools- these are girls are definitely linked in. I really like that they have a blog of their own, and have more recently started posting videos with helpful styling advice.

Facebook         Twitter         YouTube          Blog

In opening an online boutique, they wanted to be able provide a great shopping option to ladies living in cities or towns that may not have many options to choose from. While Saint John has been a growing force in fashion retail, our options can sometimes be limited, so I often turn to my internet browser for the perfect piece I can’t find in my home city.

Be sure to check out Boa`s online boutique and let me know what your favourite pieces are!