10 Items: Sparkle

I love, love, love anything sparkly -- it's just so fun, so festive, so decadent. While it's obviously a style well suited to parties/nighttime, I equally love the look of a sequinned piece casually worn with low-key basics for day (think sparkly trousers with an oversized sweatshirt, or a glittery top with boyfriend jeans). 

What's your favourite way to wear sparkle?!


1. BCBG Dress / 2. H&M Jacket / 3. River Island Skirt  / 4. Alice + Olivia Jacket  / 5. New Look Shorts 
6. Calypso St. Barth Top / 7. Case-Mate iPhone Case / 8. H&M Dress / 9. BCBG Leggings / 10. Anya Hindmarch Clutch

Five Favourite Shops: High Street (Ireland & UK)

One thing I miss about living in the British Isles is the fashion: in general, people over there are more daring with their style, and the high street shops (a phrase that just refers to middle-of-the-road chain stores as opposed to designer brands) reflect this. The downside, however, is the price (clothes over there are so expensive when you do the conversions!). 

Here, in alphabetical order, are some of my favourites (I've left Topshop out of this list, because although they're the quintessential high street classic, they've now got locations in North America).

1. Dorothy Perkins
Aimed at the 25-35 demographic, this shop is not quite as trendy or cutting edge as some of the others, but it's great for the kind of clothes I like---pretty dresses, skirts, and the like (and the sizes are nice and generous).

2. Miss Selfridge
Similar to Topshop and River Island, but I always feel that Miss Selfridge leans more towards girly than edgy. They often have great going-out dresses, and pretty tops and coats. 

3. New Look
One of the more budget-friendly high street shops, New Look still has the of-the-moment trends, but at more reasonable prices. And they have an incredible selection of shoes!

4. Oasis
Like Dorothy Perkins, Oasis is geared towards a slightly more mature demographic, and is not quite so trend-driven. I'm big into colour and pattern, and these are two things they do really well.

5. River Island
River Island has some fairly out-there stuff that I wouldn't be caught dead in...but then they also have really interesting but wearable pieces. Definitely a mixed bag, but I find I always strike lucky when I pay them a visit.

Neon Pops

Even though fall is (nearly) here, I can't shake off my love of brights just yet, so I'm still incorporating them into my outfits--just in smaller doses and tempered with darker pieces. This leather jacket is one of my favourite items of clothing, and I'm excited to be able to wear it again after months of sweltering, 30+ weather. I bought it in March when I was over in Ireland, after nearly a year of searching for the perfect leather jacket. I was looking for something that was buttery soft, with subtle zips, and sleeves that weren't too short (this is actually my biggest problem when looking for jackets/coats). The moment I tried this one on I just knew it was the one! (And, most importantly, it also happened to be within my budget, which was fantastic as even faux leather jackets can be so expensive). 

Leather jacket - River Island

Scarf - H&M

Lace skirt - Forever 21

Black top - Penneys/Primark

Tights - Gap

Boots - Steve Madden

Lipstick - Grace, Hourglass

Autumn Uniform

Autumn seemed to creep up so quickly this year--this time last week we were dying of heat exhaustion here in Vancouver, and now here we are shivering on the first day of September. Not that I'm complaining though! Fall is my favourite season, and I way prefer dressing for colder weather. I find I gravitate towards a uniform of sorts this time of year, and in the spirit of all things back to school, here's a little equation: jacket + patterned top + skirt + tights + boots = the perfect outfit combination for early autumn!

How about you? Do you veer towards certain clothes this time of year? Let me know in the comments! 

Leather jacket - River Island

Top - French Connection

Tweed skirt - Banana Republic

Boots - Steve Madden

Tights - Express

Pearl earrings (clip-ons) - Claire's

Lipstick - Ruby Woo, MAC

Orange Stripes are the New Black

Of all the clothes I wore this summer, this dress is the one item that got the most wears (by  far!). I pretty much lived in it from about May up til now, and I'll be sad to say goodbye once the days get cooler. However, we got off to a kind of rocky start... The first time I wore it out, I could barely walk because it was so constricting--the fabric would wrap around my ankles in such a way that made it impossible to hobble more than a few steps at a time. I did some DIY alterations when I got home by snipping a few inches up the side (as you can see in the third photo), and it's perfectly comfortable now, but I still had chafe marks on my ankles for weeks afterwards (#firstworldproblems).

Moral of this blog post?! Make sure you can walk in a dress (or anything, for that matter; a few strides up and down the fitting room should be good) before you buy it/wear it out. There's nothing more awful than having to cut short your plans because you can't walk in your dress! 

Dress - River Island

Sandals - J. Crew

Lipstick - Morange, MAC

White nail polish (on toes) - Loft

A Teal Tale

Teal is a colour I rarely gravitate towards when it comes to clothes (for no good reason other than being put off by the Aer Lingus vibe the shade evokes). But after happening upon this little dress in Vicky's wardrobe, I began to see the appeal of this most versatile hue, which pairs beautifully with gold jewellery, hot pink lipstick, and lilac nail polish (or so I choose to believe!)

Teal dress - Forever 21

Gold spiky necklace - River Island

Owl ring - Aldo Accessories

Black tights - Express

Black heels - my Fergalicious Louboutins

Lipstick - "Schiap" by NARS

Nail polish - "Lilacism" by Essie

Chain Chain Chain

Chain print has been cropping up everywhere this past year, no longer relegated to scarfs, grannies, and the '80s, and is a fantastic way of channelling a luxe vibe in your dressing. It's actually quite a seasonally versatile print, as it looks equally good paired with crisp whites and brights in spring and summer as it does with rich, leather accessories in autumn and winter. Whether your medium of choice is a skirt, blouse, dress, scarf, or even a jacket or trousers for the very brave, there is a chain print option out there for everyone!

Robin's egg blue blazer - Oasis

White sequin top - Old Navy

Chain print skirt - Jules & Leopold via Winners

Pale pink tights - Penneys

Cobalt blue ankle boots - Feet First

Necklace - Aldo

Bracelets - New Look

Watch - River Island

Pink hair bow - Penneys

Lipstick - "Saint Germain" by MAC

Nail polish - "Flirty Bikini" by Jacob