Grey Days in Gardens

As you may have guessed from this post and this one (and even here, I guess), coats are kind of my thing. Some people lust over handbags, others favour shoes, but for me, a good coat trumps all. I only buy one new coat a year, but I keep my little collection in constant rotation (this H&M number, for example, is five years old but I have no intention of discarding it anytime soon). It's actually my favourite item to wear this time of year because it has an almost springlike feel to it -- as soon as Christmas is over, I'm always ready to ditch the red and plaid in favour of a lighter look.

Coat - H&M

Hat - Topshop

Tights - Penneys

Boots* - Steve Madden

Gloves - Accessorize

Lipstick - Posh Pink by Lancôme

*eeee I never noticed how grey these boots are (I totally thought they were as black as my tights, and in hindsight probably wouldn't have worn them with this outfit...)

Mint Magic

Vicky recently had a styling project for school that she needed two models for...so of course Claudia and I were more than happy to help a sista out ;) I'm not thrilled with how my hair/make-up/awkward poses turned out, but I thought I'd throw these photos from the shoot up anyway. The skirt was just used for the photo-shoot, but the sweater is a definite keeper! Mint green is one of my favourite colours, and I love the embellished neckline (you can see it more clearly in these photos). 

Sweater - Topshop

Skirt - Lord & Taylor via The Bay

Heels - Steve Madden

(Make-up artist's make-up used)

5 Favourite Shops: Best for Tall Girls

I'm 5'9", which is not super tall, but it's still tall enough to find certain stores a nightmare to shop in when it comes to finding clothes of a decent length (*cough Forever 21 cough*). Here are a few favourite brands I find are kind to those with longer limbs...

1. Gap
Most of Gap's jeans come in three sizes -- regular, petite, and tall -- and believe me, their "tall" sizes are long (I actually only need a regular length myself). I find their sweaters, dresses, and coats are also very generous in terms of length.

2. J. Crew
J. Crew's Creative Director, Jenna Lyons, is over six feet tall, and the brand's most famous patron, Michelle Obama, is 5'11"... needless to say, this is a store that caters very well to taller women. 

3. Dynamite
While I don't own any trousers or skirts from Dynamite, I find this Canadian brand is surprisingly great for length in things like blazers and cardigans.  

4. Topshop
This British high street staple has a Tall section actually in store, which I appreciate (most stores that have tall sizes only carry them online). However, a word of warning: this line caters to women 5'7" and taller, so if you're 6"+, you might find some items are still a little on the short side. I've found that some of their supposedly "Tall" dresses are not particularly long, but you can definitely notice the difference in things like sleeve lengths. 

5. Banana Republic
Part of the Gap Inc. company, BR is a great place for both tall and petite women to check out. Most locations have a Petites section in store, but the Tall range can only be found online (unfair but at least they have one, I guess!). However, I find that most of the regularly-sized stuff found in stores is actually lengthy enough. 

Coat Weather

While Vancouver never gets that cold, I'm glad that it gets just chilly enough to be able to wear coats for a few months of the year. What I love about a good, statement winter coat is that you can just throw it on as you head out the door and instantly look put-together (no matter how scruffy your outfit underneath is). Ditto these over-the-knee boots -- I'm actually wearing a ridiculously laddered pair of tights with them, but as long as the damage doesn't show, no one's the wiser ;)

Coat - Jacob

Hat - Topshop

Boots - Aldo

Grey lace skirt - Jacob

Gloves - Accessorize

Lip balm - Hibiscus (Burt's Bees)

Slouch City

In this post, I mentioned my love for my new sweater/dress from H&M...now, here she is in action! For me, I find there's no happy medium when it comes to wearing new clothes -- I either wear them to death or not at all (case in point: while I've easily worn this sweater maybe 25 times since I bought it a month and a half ago, I've yet to wear the white shirt I bought on the same day even once. Oops). 

It may not be the most flattering thing I own (it's a far cry from my favoured fitted waist look), but because it's so delightfully comfy I'm willing to overlook the fact that it kind of makes me look pregnant (and handless).

Sweater dress - H&M

Leather trousers - H&M

Hat - Topshop

Boots - Steve Madden

Bag - Chapters/Indigo

Necklace - Aldo

Lipstick - Pinkberry (Estée Lauder)

5 Favourite Shops: Pricier (But with Great Sales)

Last week, I shared 5 of my favourite budget shops--now it's time to feature some of my pricier favourites (in alphabetical, not preferential order). These are the kind of stores where I only buy stuff if it's on sale...but luckily, their sales are frequent and/or good.

1. Banana Republic 
Both Vicky and I have worked at BR at some point in our lives, and we had the nice little 50%-off-everything Gap Inc. discount that comes as one of the perks. While neither of us work there any longer, we'll still occasionally buy stuff from Banana Republic because of their great sales (frequently 50% off the lowest price tag). Twice a year, they have a "Friends and Family" event where employees can give 50% to their friends on up to 5 items of regularly priced clothing (which is why you should all be friends with BR employees ;-). In terms of what to buy there: they're great for high-quality workwear and big-item pieces like coats.

2. French Connection
I don't really have a lot from this British high street staple, but what I do have I love and wear a ton. I can't comment on what the sales are like there over in the UK, but here at their Vancouver location they tend to be pretty good. As a store, I find it's great for sophisticated yet feminine pieces: think dresses, tops, and jackets.

3. J. Crew
You either like J. Crew or you don't, and I'm one of those people who loves it. They don't call it J. Crack for nothing! While some of their stuff can be super pricy at regular price, I find their sales are fantastic--if you have a Student Card, you get an additional 15% off sale items (and their sale items are usually 50% off the lowest price tag; I've got some pretty sweet 65% off deals because of this). They're great for preppy, often colourful basics, and we all know how much I love their dresses!

4. Topshop
I love Topshop because it is the one store that seriously caters to every style of dress, and it has some of the most delightfully WTF items (not to mention that they have a separate Tall section. Yay!). However, it can be pretty pricy, which is why I hold out for their sales--the best of which are the after-Christmas ones, although I find they tend to have pretty decent ones throughout the year. 

5. Zara
If I had to pick just one shop to buy all my clothes from, it might just be Zara. Often, when I shop, I'll wonder if an item is too young or too frumpy, but with Zara there just seems to be this unspoken guarantee that everything in their store is cool and age-appropriate. The caveat of course is the price (their TRF brand is cheaper, but in general, I find it a pricy place to shop at), which is why I pretty much always buy from their sales (which are phenomenal after Christmas, by the way). 

Little Black Summer Dress

I've been trying to wean myself off wearing too much black (because, to be honest, it has a tendency to wash me out), but when I saw this dress on sale at J. Crew for 65% off the sale price (!!!), I just couldn't resist. Combining eyelet and a trumpet-flare hem--two of my favourite style features--it was a winning combination. While I'm planning on getting as many wears out of it as I can while the weather is warm, I think it will transition well into autumn--I'll exchange bare legs for tights and hot pink lipstick for berry.

Do you have a favourite LBD? Or do you think it's one those "closet essentials" that's a bit overrated?! Let me know in the comments!

Dress - J. Crew

Patent flats - J. Crew

Rings - Aldo and Topshop

Sunglasses - Aldo

Black nail polish - Licorice, Essie

Lipstick - Schiap, NARS

Top of the Crops

While I'd been intending on trying out the crop top trend since early spring, it wasn't until recently that I actually managed to acquire one. White, affordable, and with some sort of sleeves were my only requirements...but somehow that trifecta proved difficult to find. But just when I thought my summer was going to be crop top-less after all, I happened upon this little white one on mega sale at H&M for under $5. White may not be the most practical colour (knowing me, it'll be stained within 2 seconds of putting it on), but it's the most flattering if you're fair: it makes even the ghostliest skin look (kind of) tanned.

Crop top - H&M

Maxi skirt - Topshop

Sandals - J. Crew

Sunglasses - Aldo

Lipstick - Rimmel Kate Moss #08

White nail polish (fingers) - Loft

Blue nail polish (toes) - Barry M Cobalt Blue