dreary mondays...

Tweet

Let's face it: Monday is the jerk out of all the days of the week. For many of us, it's the rude, abrupt, shove back into the daily work grind after the weekend's relaxing festivities. And if that wasn't bad enough, on a Monday that is damp and rainy, it can be a chore even rolling out of bed.

My Monday this week, in all honesty, wasn't that bad aside from Mother Nature's idea of "switching it up" after a beautiful weekend weather-wise. I spent the day getting organized for the rest of the week, running errands, and collaborating with Perfumes Plus' make-up artist Laura for an upcoming post on Brunswick Square's blog. (Have you checked out this week's post on statement jewellery trends?)

The Outfit

• White jeans: iT jeans- Je Suis Prest Boutique (SJ, May '11)
• Flats: Sam Edelman- Winners (SJ, April '10)
• Tank: Free People- Je Suis Prest Boutique (SJ, Feb '10)
• Cardigan: Toggery- The Black Dog Boutique (SJ, July '11)
• Necklace: Silver Daisy Designs (SJ, May '11)
• Bracelet- Joe Fresh- won in Rebecca's giveaway (March '11)

In this post I'm also trying out some new blue eye colours from Gosh and Lise Watier that I picked up over the weekend. I wanted to do my make-up in that soft water colour that I've been seeing popping up over early summer: pastels aqua and mint have been on my favourites colour pallet to incorporated into my summer wardrobe! 

Although Mondays are always the best day of the week, usually the remaining weekdays bring something good. Such as yesterday when my package from Amazon was delivered to my doorstep. I was beyond excited to rip it open and find the first 2 seasons of The Rachel Zoe Project (if you haven't watched this, you need to) as well as the very first book written by one of my favourite bloggers, Jessica Quirk of What I Wore! Look for that book review coming up on Monday!

Tweet

white denim...

Tweet

I'm thinking with all the rain we've been seeing the last few weeks, mother nature owes me a sunny day come my wedding at the end of next week! (Knock on wood.) The countdown is on...so many things to do in preparation, but I'm a little all over the place in completing them. I'm just crossing things off my mental to-do list one thing at a time...as the day gets nearer, I seem to be hearing "what do you have left?" a lot more frequently (which I find a bit overwhelming!)- although I don't have any doubt it will all get done in plenty of time.

With the stress of planning this wedding as come much retail therapy. I'll admit it. It's sort of similar to the way I dealt with getting through grad school: I shopped to add a little balance.

On Monday I shared with you the new incredibly comfortable wide leg trousers I'm in love with (shall we say, the wide leg version of the jegging). On the same day, I picked up this pair of cropped white denim and come to find they were a perfect fit. Like most women, I have my own challenges finding the right bottoms, so when I find a pair I like they have to come home with me. So in the end, I just couldn't choose between the wide leg trousers and the cropped white jeans. My solution: I bought both of 'em

The Outfit:

• Sweater: Joe Fresh Style (SJ, May '11)
• Tank: Free People- Je Suis Prest Boutique (SJ, February '10)
• White crop jeans: iT jeans- Je Suis Prest Boutique (SJ, May '11)
• Sandals: Steve Madden- The Urban Shoe Myth (SJ, April '11)
• Necklace: Forever 21 (Bangor, Nov '10)
• Leather cuff: ESquared- Silver Daisy Designs (SJ, May '11)

I also fell in love with this leather cuff in robin's egg blue made by the lovely ladies of ESquared Jewels. These girls are some talented! I'm finding I seem to have an affinity towards pretty pastels and "Easter colours" this spring, despite the fact that they are not the most popular trending colours this season. Sometimes you just have to go with what you love!

 

Tweet

lesson learned...

Tweet

With a 25% off discount to Coach burning a hole in my pocket, I gave into a little retail therapy amongst all the wedding planning. My sister decided to go in on the order and we were both a little shocked in how much we had to pay for duty and shipping! Despite their US origins, it would be nice to not have to pay so much for a package coming from our neighbouring country. (I've spent less on goods coming from the UK!) It's also hard to anticipate additional costs from duty and taxes and it seems most of the good stores we're going to order online are across the border. 

   

The Outfit 

• Purse: Coach (ordered online, May '11)
• Jeggings: Guess- Envy (SJ, Dec '10)
• Floral tank: Free People- Je Suis Prest Boutique (SJ, May '11)
• Cardigan: American Eagle (SJ, Sept '08)
• Necklace: Aldo Accessories (Toronto, June '10)
• Belt: French Connection (Toronto, June '10)
• Sandals: Steve Madden- The Urban Shoe Myth (SJ, April '11)
• Sunglasses: Michael Kors- TJ Maxx (New Hampshire, April '09)

However, I did later learn that I could have called the Coach store in Halifax and have them ship me the purse from their store for less...oh why didn'tI know this beforehand?  Despite the duty costs, I do love my new draw-string cross-body. (Once you go crossbody you never go back!) And we still saved more than a few pretty pennies with the discount. Now that it's all said and done with, I try to look on the bright side and pass on this little piece of knowledge so that someone else might benefit from my learning experience!

 

And speaking of savings- you could save yourself a $100 on a new pair of shoes if you've entered The Urban Shoe Myth Giveaway! Do it now! For those of you who already have, stayed tuned- tomorrow I'm going to tell you how you can get a couple more entries- even if you've already maxed out all the previous opportunities!

 

 

Tweet

Saint John Cut Revisited

In early March, I participated in Saint John Cut: a fashion photo shoot bringing collective of creatives together in Uptown Saint John's White Room. Among the crew there was a stylist, make-up artist, bloggers, models, and photographers. Included in the group of local photographers was the talented Sheldon Parsons.

More recently Sheldon kindly gave me a CD with the high resolution images he edited from the photoshoot.

Below are a sample of the photos from my photoshoot with Sheldon at Saint John Cut:

{headband, top: Free People, skirt: Free People, belt- Nicole Lee- all from Je Suis Prest Boutique;
hosiery- American Apparel; shoes- Steve Madden- Urban Shoe Myth} 

Not only does he produce great work, I find Sheldon to be someone who is extremely easy to work with. It can be a little daunting working with a professional- especially when you are used to having just a tripod hold the camera when snapping your photos! I find his relaxed, friendly personality will definitely put you at ease.

There's been some great local photographers I've had the pleasure meeting over the last year- Sheldon is definitely one of my favourites who's blog and work I enjoy following. Below I've included several of my favourite photos from some of his recent projects:   

{Clockwise from top left: Photoshoot w/ Chantel, Photoshoot w/ Fantasha,

Je Suis Prest Boutique Holiday Party, Fran @ Saint John Cut}

{Clockwise from top left: Photoshoot w/ Fantasha, Jeanne Beker @ Heart Truth Fashion Gala,

Wedding photoshoot, Photoshoot w/ Olivia}

Be sure to check out an interview Barb did with Sheldon on her blog a few weeks ago, browse out his amazing work, and follow his photography on Facebook!

Tweet

geek chic...

Happy Friday the 13th!

After finding out I didn't owe our government as much as I thought I might have to at the end of the tax season...I was a little relieved and decided that with 2/3 of my glasses selection broken or scratched, it was time to invest in some new eyewear. Since childhood I've always bought my glasses from Vogue Optical- not entirely sure why, just have. So staying with tradition, I browsed the rows upon rows of frames in search of something that I really loved.

I ended up choosing these turtoise shell Ray Bans as one of my 2 pairs. I liked the retro, geek chic vibe they had. They bring out my inner nerd!

The Outfit

• New glasses: Ray Ban- Vogue Optical (SJ, May '11)
• Tank top: Free People- Je Suis Prest Boutique (SJ, May '11)
• Sweater: Alternative Apparel- Je Suis Prest Boutique (SJ, April '11)
• Pants: H&M (Toronto, Sept '10)
• Shoes: Aldo (Moncton, April '11)

Starting next Friday I plan to start a new weekly feature called "3 Things". I'll wrap up each week with three things that relate to a topic on style, fashion, or beauty that I follow, have need, or want! Or it could be my "top 3" items I'm loving/hating as relevant to my personal style! As you can see the title leaves a little flexibility to the content....that's half the fun!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I'll see those of you who are local tomorrow afternoon at the Best Western for Charity Chic!

Tweet

cold concrete...

Today's outfit is from the archives of outfits not previously posted. The whole reason I hadn't posted these photos earlier was because I didn't feel anything special to this particular outfit. To end up posting this outfit shows the reality that we don't put together the perfect outfit every day. There are some days when we're looking for something comfortable, extremely practical, are in a rush and just need to throw it together.

My best success with having an outfit I feel really good in the following day tends to come with a little pre-planning and picking out the pieces the night before. I tend to be a last minute person, just flying out the door, so I'm about making it work with what time I have! You can miss the perfect element to add to an outfit if you're always doing everything last minute. I usually spend my time in the shower mentally combing through my closet while simultaneously washing my hair. Usually it starts with one pieces: be it a pair of pants, a top, a necklace, or shoes that I really feel like wearing that particular day. It's always about comfort.

The Outfit

• Hooded sweater: Abercrombie & Fitch (Bangor, Nov '09)
• Floral top: Free People- Je Suis Prest Boutique (SJ, Spring '10)
• Skinny cords: American Eagle (ordered online, Nov '09)
• Shoes: Aldo (Halifax, Sept '10) 

It took me time through my teens and 20s to realize that comfort trumps everything! It's hard to feel good about yourself and what you are doing if you don't feel comfortable in what you are wearing! Size is just a number on a tag no one ever sees- the muffin top is one of the biggest faux pas. Long gone are the days of tight pants that do not already have an elastic or stretch quality built into them!

I think my favourite garments that are built for comfort and flattering the figure are jeggings, high waisted trousers, high waisted skirts, long cardigans, flowy or cotton dresses- any of these items are go-tos for me on days where I'm feeling less than my best- because those are the days that we want comfort and style with minimal work!

  

Tweet

Saint John Cut Collective

Last week I shared with you the behind-the-scenes of the fashion shoot Saint John Cut. Borrowing a photo from Sheldon Parsons, let me introduce you to the creative group as a whole (minus a few members):

Front Row: Beth McRae, Fran Menton, Apple Dog

Middle Row: Kate McLean, Nadine Parsons, Chelsea Mason, Kiera Fraser, Emily Fraser, Barb Crawford, Kelly Lawson

Back Row: Sheldon Parsons, Carrie McGrath, Sean McGrath

(Missing from shot: Beaver Smith, Dan Culberson, Alex Pesold)

Sharing with you the work of some talented local photographers, I thought I'd also show you the outfit I put together from Je Suis Prest Boutique:

Photo by Sean McGrath

Photo by Sean McGrath

Photso by Sean McGrath

Photo by Sean McGrath

Photos by Kelly Lawson

Photo by Sheldon Parsons

The Outfit

Top: Free People- c/o Je Suis Prest Boutique

Skirt: Free People- c/o Je Suis Prest Boutique

Belt- Chinese Laundry- c/o Je Suis Prest Boutique

Headband- c/o Je Suis Prest Boutique

Pantyhose- American Apparel- c/o my closet

Shoes- Steve Madden- The Urban Shoe Myth- c/o my closet

When Carrie did this fantastic look with my make-up, I realized I was going to have to work a serious look in photos. I usually go for goofy or happy expressions in my outfit photos, so I at first I felt a little nervous. I never confront the camera straight on with a bold or serious look. (I'll be honest: I had to practice my more serious expressions in the mirror to feel a little more confident!) However it was a great exercise for pushing my boundaries a little and trying something new! Thanks everyone for a wonderful afternoon and making me look good!