Crop Star

When it comes to fashion, there are some trends I bypass entirely (ie. culottes), and some I latch on to right away (ie. crop tops). This little white top from last summer made a return appearance for our trip to Cuba, this time paired with one of my favourite skirts ever, a midi/maxi (mixi?) I picked up in a post-Christmas Anthro sale. I love long skirts but I often find it tricky to decide what to wear them with -- so often, a tucked-in t-shirt can look kind of awkward when it bunches up around the waist, I find. So thank God for crop tops! And I love that this plain white one is the perfect backdrop for a big, statement necklace.

Crop top - H&M

Necklace - Aldo

Skirt - Anthropologie

Bag - Kate Spade

Sandals - J. Crew

Sunglasses - Forever 21

Lipstick - Posh Pink (Lancôme)

Little White Pleated Dress

As anyone who follows me on Pinterest knows, I'm a big fan of white dresses (I have a board solely dedicated to images of perfect LWDs). The ubiquitous little black dress, while a classic for obvious reason, can easily veer into funereal/frumpy/lacklustre territory, in my opinion, but the little white dress, in all its iterations, always seems so fresh. 

This pleated J. Crew dress, a sales-score from last summer, is incredibly versatile -- I love changing up the vibe of it by pairing it with different accessories and jackets. If I want to enhance its preppy vibe, I'll wear it with a blazer, while tossing on my leather jacket instantly edges it up. 

Which are you more a fan of -- the LBD or the LWD? 

Dress - J. Crew

Necklace - Forever 21
Sunglasses - Forever 21
Shoes - Forever 21
Bag - Kate Spade
Lipstick - All Fired Up by MAC

Neon Peach

I scored this vibrant little number in the post-Christmas sales last year, and it's easily become my favourite coat to wear once Christmas is over and the new year has begun. It's even more highlighter-esque in real life, if you can believe it, and I find it to be the perfect transitional item for this dreary time of year: warm enough to keep the chill at bay but bright enough to feel fresh and springlike. Some people are convinced it's a pinkish colour, but I consider it a part of the orange family -- a neon peach if you will. To tone it down, I wear it with basic pieces in neutral shades...but I can't resist the addition of a punchy orange lip. 

Wool coat - J. Crew

Sweater - Dynamite

Jeans - Dittos via The Bay

Shoes - Forever 21

Sunglasses - Ray-Ban

Lipstick - So Chaud by MAC

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)

Festively Nautical

While I'm fond of the classic nautical-inspired combination of blue, red, and white, there's something just so intrinsically summery about those colours together that it puts me off wearing them this time of year. However, if you exchange the blue and red for navy and burgundy (and add a dash of sparkle somewhere), you've got yourself a look that's decidedly more festive and wintry. And hey, I'm even getting a head start on 2015 with my marsala-coloured jeans ;)

Sequin-collared Breton tee - Banana Republic

Blazer - Dynamite

Coated jeans - H&M

Boots - Steve Madden

Silver cuff bracelet - Forever 21

Nail polish - La Moss by Butter

Lipstick - mix of Rebel (MAC) and Majella (NARS)

Candy Cane

I've been wearing this plaid scarf pretty much every day since I bought it -- it's just so cosy and festive, I can't resist! While I'll occasionally wear it with my black brocade coat or my red one, this cream wool is my favourite coat to pair with it (I guess I just love the Christmassy, candy cane vibe of red, green, and white together!). 

I'm also thrilled with these new boots I recently picked up at Winners -- I'd been looking everywhere for the perfect pair of flat, black boots with some kind of studded detailing, and these beauties, the only pair of their kind left on the (very) bare shelves, just so happened to be in my size! I just know I'm going to get so much wear out of them, year-round (I'm already envisioning wearing them in summer, with bare legs and a sundress). 

Scarf - Gap

Coat - RW & Co.

Boots - Vince Camuto via Winners

Lipstick - Love It (Lancôme) 

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)

Give Me the Slip

Last autumn, I fell in love with this silky little slip skirt from Zara, but balked at the steep price tag. Fast forward a few months, and I was able to snag it in the post-Christmas sales (it was the last one on the rack and just so happened to be in my size...score!!). 

I'm a big fan of that whole boudoir-chic trend, and I love how surprisingly versatile this little skirt is -- I like to brighten it up with this powder-blue shirt, but I'm also fond of pairing it with a dark blazer to make it more formal, or a big, chunky sweater for a casual look.

Shirt - Forever 21

Skirt - Zara

Tights - Gap

Boots - Steve Madden

Lipstick - Posh Pink (Lancôme) 

Plaiditude

For someone who had to wear a kilt every day throughout high school (and even at one of my jobs for a whole summer), you'd think I'd be sick to death of all things tartan by now. But nope, not me! My love for this cosy classic is still going strong, and has only increased over the past few months, what with the plenitude of plaid-inspired pieces around. While plaid shirts have always been an autumn/winter staple, it seems that this year, more than ever, the design has found its way onto everything from skirts to scarves and trousers to coats. 

While the only tartan I currently have in my wardrobe is this shirt (I love the lace detailing on the shoulders), I'm on the look-out for the perfect plaid scarf...and I wouldn't be averse to a skirt, either. The hunt is on! 

What are your thoughts on this tartan trend? Love it, hate it, indifferent to it?

Plaid shirt - Winners

Leather skirt - Forever 21

Necklace - Aldo

Boots - Steve Madden

Lipstick - Ruby Woo (MAC)

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)

Autumn Wedding

A few weeks ago, Maria, one of my best friends from high school, got married in Calgary and I was delighted to attend her beautiful wedding. I hadn't been back to Calgary since I left it 10 years ago, so it was so weird being in the city again -- a lot had changed but so much was still the exact same. And even though I hadn't seen my old classmates for a decade, it was like no time had passed at all -- it just felt like we were all back at school again! So surreal. 

Aaanyway, I knew I wanted to wear something suitably...autumnal...and this dress, with its dark floral pattern, sheer polka dot overlay, and fit and flare shape was ideal! (Thanks, Claud, for helping me find it!). As I had no idea what the weather would be like (Calgary's climate is notoriously unpredictable -- just a few weeks prior they'd had an epic snowstorm), I brought along my trusty old brocade coat, but as it turned out, I didn't even need it, as the day couldn't have been more sunny and perfect. (I did need it, however, for this little photo shoot today -- it's gotten so chilly here in Vancouver! I'm loving it ;).

Dress - Eliza J at Nordstrom

Coat - Penneys/Primark

Clutch - Aldo

Shoes - Penneys/Primark

Earrings - vintage clip-ons

Lipstick - mix of Sweet Violet (Burt's Bees) and Rebel (MAC)

Nail Polish - La Moss (Butter)

Casual Lace

While the weather has taken a decidedly cool turn (yay!!), I'm still clinging on to some of my more summery items, just paired with heavier pieces. Actually, I find I get the most wear out of this lace dress when the weather is that bit crisper, because I can only wear it with tights (it's suuuper short and would be kind of indecent otherwise), and I feel that dark tights can look a bit heavy in the dead of summer. 

Parka - Aritzia

Floral scarf - H&M

Lace dress - American Eagle

Brown tights - Penneys

Boots - Steve Madden

Lipstick - Kate Moss 08, Rimmel

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