cats and dogs...

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...well raining them, I mean. That's what happened on Saturday, along with a Starbucks coffee date, followed by shopping uptown with friends. When these photos were taken on the deck later that afternoon, it was pouring...hard! Somehow I always manage to wear the longest jeans I own on wet, puddle days...

The Outfit

• Jeans: J Brand- Envy (SJ, May '11)
• Top: Abercrombie & Fitch (Bangor, Aug '07)
• Wedge sandals: Calvin Klein- Manchester Shoe Salon (SJ,
• Necklace: H&M (Toronto, Dec '08)
• Feather earring: Little Burgundy (Montreal, June '10)
• Leather cuff: ESquared Jewels- Silvery Daisy Designs (SJ, June '11)
• Purse: Coach (Toronto, Sept '10)

After wearing my Guess jeggings every chance I got this Spring, I decided it was time to bring the real denim back into my wardrobe. I realize I never captured what my shoes like in these photos...refer here. I typically cannot find pants that are long enough. It was after I was lucky to score these J Brands on sale that I realized I needed to wear a 4" heel like these Calvin Klein wedges to not drag my hemline in the dirt! For a girl with a 33-34" inseam, it's a bit unusual!

People may have heard me looking for models last week on Facebook and Twitter for a photoshoot. Last week a couple of volunteers agreed to let me dress them up in the neon and neutral trend for the Brunswick Square fashion blog. Be sure to check that post out here later today and stay tuned for my behind-the-scenes look at that photoshoot here on my own blog tomorrow morning!

 

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Minimalist...

Minimalism focuses on the most fundamental features of something: be it a piece of art, design, literature, or just simplying one's life. It can also apply to fashion and an outfit. In the case of my outfit in this post, I choose to go with little accessories. It's always about quality over quantity. There are times when I feel more dainty pieces are appropriate: especially with a bold print or a textured garment.

When it comes to jewelry, my go to is always a statement necklace to give an outfit some pop. But not wanting to over do it, that's also why I am a studs girl when it comes to earrings. If I wear my hair down, long or detailed earrings can just get lost in that big mop!

But I love features such as these earrings I'm sporting in the photos below. They sort of stand on their own within the casual outfit I wore that day.

The Outfit

• Button-up: Numph- Peepshow Boutique (Halifax, Spring '08)
• T-shirt: American Eagle (SJ, Oct '10)
• Jeggings: Guess- Envy (SJ, Dec '10)
• Flats: Aldo (Ordered online, May '10)
• Feather earrings: Little Burgundy (Montreal, June '10)

So, what are your thoughts on minimalism? Do you like to keep it simple or create a more complex outfit? I wouldn't describe my style as minimalistic on a regular basis, but sometimes there are times where more isn't necessarily better.

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i love coco...

...is what my Maison Scotch t-shirt reads. This is what broke the straw off the camel's back and caused me to spoil my shopping fast. (So I guess it's fair to say it was more of a shopping diet...) Maison Scotch is a new favourite brand of mine (found within the confines of Envy), with their cute t-shirts, button-ups, and blazers- each having a unique, quirky add-on to the piece (whether it be a necklace, handkerchief pocket square, or bow tie). In this case, my Chanel lovin' tee came with the dandelion necklace that hangs around my neck in the photos below.

Finally, my hair is long enough that I can pull it into a ponytail or a bun without stick a million bobby pins into my scalp. I'm really only growing it out for the purpose of a wedding day updo- only to have it chopped off again. When it get's this long, it's harder to hold a curl, and becomes a big mass that just gets in my face, therefore I spend most of my time wearing it up. Keeping it shorter makes me accountable for actually styling my hair and not defaulting to the easy way out. This look I like to call my ballerina hair-do. Keep in mind that I'm neither graceful nor did my ballet training extend past the age of 4.

The Outfit

T-shirt: Maison Scotch- Envy (SJ, Apr '11)

Cardigan: Kensie- Je Suis Prest Boutique (SJ, Dec '09)

Jeggings: Guess- Envy (SJ, Dec '10)

Flats: Blowfish- Little Burgundy (Toronto, May '09)

Purse: Fossil- Manchester (gifted from B, Dec '10)

Loitering outside the bottom entrance of the Alehouse, this outfit I wore on a wedding-errand Saturday with B. We had just embarked on an early supper, having visited floral designer Sandra Miller to pick out and plan flowers for the wedding and completed the task of registering at Decor8 in Brunswick Square (we also registered at Sears). Tuesday afternoon we head out to Rothesay to round out our wedding registries with PGal's Closet!  



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sunlight, sun bright...

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I'm so relieved to finally see nicer weather so that I can back outside to shoot my outfit photos! Though, I might add, the temperature could be a little warmer. I ascended the hill that Fort Howe sits on top of the other day and I can tell you it was a particularly windy day! The gusts kept blowing my tripod and camera over so that I would have to leap forward and grab the tripod before it hit the ground. Needless to say, it took a while before I got some good shots!

The Outfit

• Brown top: Joe Fresh (SJ, Dec '10)
• Green top: Joe Fresh (giveaway prize, Mar '11)
• Trousers: ASOS (ordered online, Jan '11)
• Belt: Michael Kors- TJ Maxx (New Hampshire, Apr '09)
• Animal print flats: Nine West (Freeport, Nov '10)
• Feather earrings: Little Burgundy (Montreal, June '10)

Thank you to everyone who has voted on yesterday's post to help me choose my green wedding shoes! If you didn't already have the opportunity to, I'd love to here your opinion. Click here to vote for your favourite from the 3 I've narrowed it down to! I'll be counting the votes until Sunday night and let you know which shoe was most popular on Monday!

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Valentine's Day...

A little belated, but here is my outfit from my Valentine's date with B two weeks ago. (I also cannot believe how fast February flew by..and that we kick off the month of March tomorrow.) Essentially, I just wore the same outfit I wore to work that day; it seemed appropriate for a dinner date at Church Street. To tell you the truth, this wasn't exactly the outfit I started my day out in... I was actually wearing my Eve Gravel skirt that morning, rushing around to get out the door and in a manner that only a really clumsy person can achieve I managed to catch one of my skirt pockets on a door knob and practically tear the pocket off! (I know, sounds ridiculous!) Thankfully the skirt has since been to Asha's Alterations (my usual choice for tailoring, fixes, alterations) and looks good as new!

   

The Outfit

• Black long sleeve tee- H&M (Toronto, Sept '10)
• Beige skirt- Kensie Girl (Liquidation World, March '10)
• Black leggings: C'est Moi- Je Suis Prest Boutique (SJ, Dec '10)
• Beige knit socks: American Apparel (Halifax, Feb '11)
• Boots: Town Shoes (Halifax, Oct '07)
• Feather earring: Little Burgundy (Montreal, June '10)
• Animal print coat: Joe Fresh Style (SJ, Oct '10)
• Black Snood: C'est Moi- Je Suis Prest Boutique (SJ, Jan '11)

This week is shaping up to be a busy one! I'm looking forward to events such as the Fashion Social at the Canterbury Lounge (I had an awesome Saturday evening of dancing there this weekend with lovelies that include Kate, Kiera, Chantale, Nadine, Barb, & Candice!) and then the See Me gallery hop that was rescheduled for this Friday! Will I be seeing you at either of these events? Hope so!

J'adore faire du shopping...

Translation: I love shopping! The last couple of times that I have been in Montreal for a concert has always included some dedicated time for browsing the shops along St. Catherine's Street...block upon block of trendy stores. It may be a bit of a workout on my Visa card, but it also takes a toll on the body after a full day of scanning racks, trying on pieces, and carrying shopping bags. (I kid you not, I had a limp our second day in the city because my right hip was very sore!)

I photo-logged some of my favourite stores that we entered, meeting the standard bilingual greeting "bonjour, hello". Out retail exploration included, but was not limited to, the following stores:

No shopping marathon can begin without a stop at Starbucks for fuel in the form of caffeine. However, I promise our plans did include other activities outside of shopping. The second day we strolled through Old Montreal on the cobblestone streets taking in the scenery and visiting the little shops (ok..so there was some shopping).

The Outfit

1. 
   
   "The Greatest City" t-shirt- American Eagle (SJ, April '10)
2. 
   
   Cropped bottoms- Lululemon (Montreal, June '10)
3. 
   
   Sandals- Clarks- Winners (SJ, April '10)
4. 
   
   Ostrich print purse- Guess- Walsh Lugguage (SJ, Feb '09)
5. 
   
   Longer necklace- H&M (Toronto, Dec '08)
6. 
   
   Key necklace- Charm Diamond Center (SJ, May '10)
7. 
   
   Feather earrings- Little Burgundy (Montreal, June '10)

friday afternoon's mission...

So I just got off the plane from Toronto a couple of hours ago, bringing new fabulous clothes and photo-evidence of what a great time I had! I also have much material for new blog posts this week!

From my last post, you can see that I spent my morning on Friday in Starbucks blogging and keeping up with business on my lap top in downtown Toronto.

That's a replacement carmel machiatto after having spilt the entire

contents of the first all over the floor. Those who know me, will not

find this surprising.

Noontime rolls around, and I scoot up to the 16th floor to catch Kristen for lunch and we meet up with her friend of hers, Nazanin. We headed over to Jack Astor's hoping to grab a patio seat, but being a beautiful and sunny day, others were in a similar mind-set so we opted for the quicker, indoor, option.

On our table:

Have you seen the movie yet?

The girls went back to the office and I embarked on my new mission: covering the Eaton Center before Kristen gets off work! I managed to cover a mall containing over 230 shops, retaurants and services in full in 2 1/2 hours (I spent the first 1/2 hour somehow getting lost on my short voyage there). I walked fast, and with a purpose!

I cruised through H&M first. I loved this very feminine section of neutrals

and soft pinks. I wanted to try items on, but the line for the dressing room

 was looong (we're talking 30+ people...)

Spotted: a cute pair of modest heeled sandals in pink

and brown at Aldo. I decided to wait and see.

I spotted pretty white sundresses in Aerie, but none felt like what I was looking for.

First piece I tried on was in Armani Exchange. I loved the

colour of this citrus orange dress, but decided to hold off to

see if I found anything I would like better.

I loved these Nine West bright coral pumps at Town Shoes.

On sale for $89.99

Major sales encountered in French Connection.

Trying on a coral top with a black skirt.

As always, cute colours and some girly silhouettes at Aritzia

In Little Burgundy I saw the peacock Havaianas (circled above)

that I had been loving for the last couple months.

I met Kristen when she got off work and then we hopped on the subway

and grabbed a seat at Beer Bistro for appetizers and a Fruli (strawberry

beer) with our friend Cynthia! (who I had gone to grad school with at Dal)

Stayed tuned for the next blog post: I'll disclose what I actually bought that afternoon!