Outfit Post: Turn Summer Gear into Winter Wear

First, let me just say that these seemingly gratuitous selfies seriously induce a major existential crises for me  every time I post one. However! The only saving grace is if they serve a purpose that is higher (and/or more divine) then just showing off a great hair day or non-bloated day (both equally important). The higher (and/or more divine) purpose of these outfit posts are to bless the lucky ones (you) with some spiritual guidance in the form of style tips, that include: what goes with what, what colour is good, what shoes are nice, and generally how you can look your best without re-financing your house. (buying it yet?) 

So, in the spirit of divine fashion guidance, here is my little outfit where I rendered what previously was considered STRICTLY SUMMER WEAR (a mint coloured denim) into winter night-out, sister's bday celebration wear. Rules are meant to be broken right? 

This pastel/sorbet/easterbunnyegg coloured denim was a massive trend this past summer; I bought these Urban Outfitter mint green jeans mostly because of the colour and I wore them many times last summer (you can see that here and here and here). But as the leaves turned and it got chilly, they were placed at the bottom of my denim pile and I didn't wear them for months, thinking they were only meant for summer- but that didn't have to be the case. 

I pulled them out last Saturday against all conventional fashion logic, but by pairing them with a black blazer, black boots and white&black graphic tank, I turned it into a winter look. I love getting the most out of an item and the thought of these jeans sitting at the back of my closet was annoying me. I know that many of you bought coloured denim last summer, (maybe a turquoise, a lilac, or a pale pink) and you might think twice before pulling them out this season, but hopefully I've shown you that you can! And also that fashion rules are meant to be broken (but check with me or someone you trust if you're breaking them in the right way!)
Outfit Breakdown: 
Jeans - Urban Outfitters $68
Graphic top - Hearty Larks $20 (Local Toronto designer)
Blazer - Zara $100
Booties - Spring $27 ( years ago on sale)

  

And that's how you can turn summer gear into winter wear ;)  Watcha think?

     
  

Outfit Post: Earrings Can Save Your Life

And by saving your life I mean allowing you to uplift your used and abused outfit immediately! This is what a fantastic pair of earrings can do. I for one have never been that keen on big earrings, not in recent years anyways. However, sometimes you come across a pair that you just can't walk away from, and this is the story of how that happened...

I had a night out with my girlfriends planned this past Saturday, and of course, say it with me: I had nothing to wear!! The amount of times I find myself or other women in my life (and men) saying these words/if I had a nickle for every time I heard this I'd be..you get it; I've heard and said this a lot! But of course being my practical yet fashion conscious self I could not fathom buying an entirely new outfit for one night out but I wouldn't mind getting one item. Luckily enough I got an email from Toronto Fashion Incubator informing me of an annual sale called "Guilty Pleasures" where local Toronto clothing and jewellery designers would be showcasing their goods at the Drake Hotel, in Toronto's Queen West neighbourhood. Perfect timing.

What a great way to support local talent and pick up a lil' something for my night out. As I was perusing the sale, one of the few booths that caught my eye was for the jewellery line called Shop for Jayu. I fell in love with nearly every piece! And it was all SO affordable - total win win. The Jayu girls were super friendly and nice and if I followed them on Twitter and Facebook I got an additional discount! I ended up getting these amazing earrings for about $12.00 that completely uplifted my previously tired outfit, pictured below ;) Budget-friendly and served my purpose, SCORE.

Shop for Jayu booth at the Guilty Pleasures sale by TFI

The Shop for Jayu earrings I got!

Earrings on

Various angles

The outfit that I've worn many times before!

Outfit Breakdown:
Earrings - $12ish Shop for Jayu 
Blouse - $25ish Forever 21 (last summer)
Black Skinnies - $60 Aritizia (not denim, super warm!)
Booties - $37 Call it Spring (on sale!)


And that is how earrings can save your life...do you have any life-altering accessory tales? Do share!

NYE Outfit: Last Minute Tips

So its down to the wire, you have that thing to go to tonight for NYE and not a clue what to wear? And on top of that you've been so busy with holiday stuff that the last thing you wanted to do was spend more time at the mall? Well I have some tips for you to use what you have to create a whole new look! I know for SURE you have something in your closet that you can re-style (with some help ;) and create a new look for your party tonight, and no one will even notice! 
Now go into your wardrobe, dig deep and pull out that dress that you wore that ONE time and never wore again. Using a dress is a safe choice, especially if its a solid colour as it acts like a blank canvas and is versatile enough to transform with different styling.
Here are 5 simple tips to create a new look with a dress you already have (you can use all of these tips or any combination of them in one look):

1. BOLD LIPS - use red, fuscia, orange, purple, maroon whatever bold lipstick colour you happen to have to add some interest and create a different look! (remember to fill your lips with lipliner of the same colour before you apply the lipstick)

 2. STATEMENT NECKLACE OR EARRINGS - pick one :) I am a firm believe if you go big on the neck then pick some beautiful studs and vice versa. I would add big bangles or a cuff, if you like more accessories.

3. FANCY PANTYHOSE - there is SO much variety nowadays, you can get coloured, printed, coloured print and its cheap! (Joe Fresh has some great options). Pantyhose, if loud enough can change the look of your dress, and you don't have to do much else (maybe a bold lip and some nice earrings) and you're good to go!

4. UPDO - the new updo rage is that sock bun thing.....I personally haven't tried it but it looks fairly easy to do and you can find these round doughnut looking thingys to help you at any drugstore. Personally, any kind of updo works that pushes your hair off your face, especially if you normally leave your hair down. 

5. BLAZER IT UP - if you're someone who dresses more conservatively, this is a great option over a dress to really change a look. Pick a blazer that creates the most contrast with your dress (i.e. pairing a black blazer with a red dress, or bright yellow blazer with a black dress).

Keep in mind you can use any combination of these tips or all 5! Personally, I would use the #1 bold lips,  #2 statement necklace and #4 updo to restyle my own look.


Now get to it! You only have a few hours to figure this out and GOOD LUCK!

Outfit Post: Maroon Pantyhose and the "Husband Sweater"

MAROON PANTS

 Maroon pants are very popular right now and have been for the entire season. Walking down the street in Toronto you can easily spot tons of girls sporting maroon skinnies - I believe that has something to do with the fact that  H&M has an inexpensive pair available en masse. And there is no harm in grabbing a pair, you go girl, I aint judging. BUTTT I did try a pair on and the fit was tres horrible pour moi. As you get *ahem* older, you tend to gravitate towards better quality and better fitting brands for jeans/pants. Soooo, when it comes to coloured denim I really like Urban Outfitters  (as you can see my mint coloured jeans here) or J Brand (more expensive). But you don't necessarily want to spend $100-$300 on an uber trendy coloured denim that will probably last only one season before you get sick of the colour. Fret not, I have a solution for this and its.....Maroon opaque pantyhose! I got a pair from H&M for $10 or something and it completely fulfills my fall colour craving! By wearing maroon pantyhose you can be on trend and add some fun to your everyday neutrals :)

HOW TO WEAR MAROON PANTYHOSE:
- Keep other elements neutral (you will have maroon legs to balance the neutrals) 
I dressed it casually below but you can:
-  Pair w/ a black skirt and white shirt with black blazer (with cute ballet flats or loafers)
- Pair w/ your classic Little Black Dress or grey dress and black pumps
- Pair w/ knee high boots (and any variation of the above outfits)
- I would add any colour purse and metallic/blingy accessories to complete the look

 HUSBAND SWEATER:

Another fun tip is to borrow your husband/partner/boyfriend/commonlawpartner 's sweaters. And if you don't have any of the above, shop in the mens section! The "Husband Sweater", a personal take on the boyfriend blazer (which is really misleading, because who actually wears their boyfriends blazers?) is a comfy and chic choice for those casual days/events. I love androgynous style, there is something so chic about wearing a mens shirt or sweater. And nowadays menswear is getting more adventurous with colour and pattern, so even shopping in the mens section is fun! Anyways, I borrowed this beige Club Monaco sweater from my husband (a sweater that I got for him last year). He has no idea I wore it, but now he will I guess ;P

HOW TO WEAR THE "HUSBAND SWEATER"
- Since the sweater is over-sized usually and loose-fitting, pair it with tights or skinnies and some cute loafers and you are good to go!
- pair with biker boots and some cute accessories (arm candy, scarves etc)

OUTFIT BREAKDOWN:
Husband Sweater- Club Monaco (Free!)
Black Skirt -  F21 ($20ish)
Pantyhose - H&M ($10ish)
Scarf thingy - FCUK ($50)
Boots - Browns Shoes ($200ish)
Jacket - Aritzia ($120) - the one that everyone and their mom has
Disclaimer: I took these pictures a few weeks ago, hence the different hair :) #bloggernotsosecrets

There they are! The Maroon pantyhose

Gazing out into the unknown...

Some more gazing

layered up

Let me know what you think! Would these tips work for you?

 Once again photography by Priya Crasto (crasto.priya@gmail.com) :)

Outfit Post: White Blouse & Black Blazer (and Happy Halloween!)

Happy Halloween everyone!

What an interesting week its been. For the last couple of days Toronto had been on storm watch due to Sandy and we got some pretty strong winds, some trees down and thousands of people without power. But in comparison to the destruction caused in New York and New Jersey, we got off very easily.  With the amount of destruction that Sandy caused there I imagine it will take some time before NJ and NY can get back to normal. Its times like these when you truly realize the fragility of our world in the face of natural forces, but also I realized just how resilient we all can be. I am sending all kinds of positive energy to NY and NJ as they are still in the recovery mode.

Since its been raining cats and dogs all week, thought it would be nice to post some sunny Fall pictures to brighten up the day a bit! I also feel bad for the kids who might miss out on trick or treating due to the weather. When I first came to Canada at 11 yrs old, I thought trick or treating was a genius tradition you Western people celebrated lol. What is better then free candy? You just need a good plan of action, whether-appropriate costume (so you don't get too cold and have to head home early) map out some routes and get an equally committed trick or treating buddy and you can really maximize your candy acquisition. That was my goal each year. Fill up my frigging garbage bag as much as possible. So, happy trick or treating to all and may you stay committed despite the weather! 

Anyways, this is definitely one of those work-appropriate-but-I'd-still-wear-it-to-a-dinner-date outfits. Two things must be noted, this blazer is new from Zara. I spent about $120 on it and i LOVE it. I realized I had a blazer in every colour under the sun, but not a classic black one, not sure how that happened, so this is what I decided to buy as a result. Also the shoes, I LOVE my new smoking slippers from ASOS (a UK based online shop with an amazing selection of affordable and trendy items). It was my first purchase ever from ASOS because I generally don't shop online, I like to try things on, but these shoes were a perfect fit and the online shopping experience was painless. I am definitely hooked, which does not bode well for my credit card...

Outfit Breakdown:
Blazer: Zara ($120ish with tax)
Blouse: F21 ($25ish)
Pants: Dynamite
Shoes: ASOS ($30ish with tax and free shipping!)

Check these beauties out!

Photography: Priya Crasto (crasto.priya@gmail.com)

Outfit Post: Tuxedo Blazer and Maroon Dress

So clearly I have been neglecting my blogger duties as of late. I do have a somewhat good reason, which happens to arrive monthly without fail - nope its not what you're thinking, its because of a photo shoot for the Dec/Jan cover for SHE Canada (a magazine I work at as a Styling Coordinator < official title!). Yes, once a week every month, there is a photo-shoot to plan, clothes to pull, photographers to acquire, sets to confirm, hair and makeup to coax, and models to cast. Not only do I and my editor produce the shoots (which means getting all these elements in order), we also pull all the clothes which means physically visiting each designer's showroom (or, as is the case in Toronto, it often is a boutique, an apt or basement) and selecting which clothes you will most likely use in the shoot. Then the clothes get couriered or you do the couriering and of course after all is said and done, these clothes must be returned. Needless to say, it takes up most of my life for that week. I am convinced that 90% of a stylists job is lugging stuff from one place to another and a required skill for the job is the ability to balance an obscene amount of garment bags, shoe boxes, etc and open doors with your foot without suffering any major injuries. Really, if you look like a bag lady most of the time and you don't drop anything, you would probably make a great stylist.

Anyways, about the outfit; I would easily wear this to a nice dinner or a fall wedding, you'll see that I am again wearing the thrifted tuxedo blazer (I wore it before like this) but this time pairing it with a dress.

Outfit Breakdown:

Maroon Dress - M by Mendocino ($70ish)

Tuxedo blazer - Value Village ($12.99)

Booties - Le Chateau (A bday gift to myself almost 4 years ago)

Opaque tights - H&M 

Clutch - F21 

Necklace - F21 (love the jewellery there!)

Nosey neighbouring

When I run out of zoolander style poses, it turns into this.

Love Toronto

Hope you like it! I really tried my hardest at posing all cool but since my coolness is questionable, its tough to pull off...I'll try harder next time!

Photo Credits: Priya Crasto works her photography magic once again (If you need a photo-shoot of your own for engagements, blogging, headshots etc email: crasto.priya@gmail.com - she is great and will give you a starter rate, just tell her I referred you)

Outfit Post: Yellow Blazer and Black Harem Pants

So here we are, back to the grind! If you asked me a year ago, I probably would not be too happy about the end of a long weekend - and although I  loved spending precious quality time with my close friends and family this Thanksgiving weekend- I'm actually completely ok with going back to work at the magazine (SHE Canada Magazine). I feel truly grateful and blessed to be able to say that now, and that journey was not an easy one to get to but ya I love my job! :) I would love to hear what you guys are doing and how you feel about your job/career?

I thought it would make sense to post a work-appropriate outfit (maybe the harem pants wouldn't work for some offices, you can always replace with classic black trousers). There is nothing like feeling put together to add that little motivation to kick-start your work week on the right foot. I think it makes a difference if you wear something you feel good in, its a nice confidence boost (and I know I can always use some of that, mostly because I'm super humble). And also we can't underestimate the power of image in the work/corporate world today, with the growth of personal branding and social media - the importance of image is unavoidable (unless you're Zuckerberg, or Gates but then you're probably busy inventing a life changing device and not reading my fashion blog). 

Anyways, this yellow blazer I've worn before (see pics here) and really has been a great purchase from H&M. I've been wearing it to work, to nights out, to dinner etc which I think is the sign of a smart purchase, I'll do a CPW (cost per wear) analysis in the near future; the way I gauge it is if the cost per wear reaches about $2, I think you've got your money's worth!

Action shot! This was very difficult and this is the best you're gonna get

The crap I had to touch on those grimey walls for this pic :S

Hope you're Tuesday isn't too bad, and if it is, its a short week! Yay! 

Photo credits: Priya Crasto  (crasto.priya@gmail.com) 

PS: I resisted the inevitable urge to call this post Black & Yellow, Black & Yellow, Black & Yellow.....u get it.
 

I Regress...

Just as I progressed to high quality pics; as the universe would have it, I regress to the shady (literally and figuratively) Myspace type self-shots. Such is my pendulum of blogging outfit posts, and if you don't know, now you know *bleeeeeeeep*!

Anyways, here I am in what I would call a fairly humdrum outfit which I rendered snazzier with the Oxford heels. Off to work I go! (super caffeinated!!)

Outfit Breakdown:
Blazer- H&M $40 from few years ago
Cropped pants- Dynamite $34
Shoes - Spring, I think 35ish

Outfit Post: City Slickin'

I've been hearing from many readers that they would like to see better quality pictures to see the outfit details better and I agree. Most of my outfit pics are quick Iphone snaps taken as I leave for work in an absolute rush (I could wake up a bit earlier to make sure its all done in good time, but sleeping for another 20 minutes in the morning seems SO important at that time!). The subsequent "editing" takes place on a streetcar and the writing sometimes happens while standing on a crammed subway car - hehe the joys of multi-tasking...

Now I'm not saying that won't happen again, but for now I have MUCH better photos thanks to my lovely photographer friend Priya Crasto who came to my rescue (as friends do!). She generously offered to get my lazy butt in gear by taking REAL outfit pictures of me, which I'm super happy with :). Most fashion bloggers seem to have a knack for being in front of the camera, but I don't feel quite comfortable yet, so having Priya taking the pictures really helped to put me at ease. I think the editor/stylist in me is used to always being behind the scenes, but its fun to experiment and force myself out of my comfort zone.

The inspiration for this outfit began with my discovery of these flared camel coloured jeans (Citizens of Humanity), also the whole Wild West trend has been catching my eye lately (cowboy type boots, hats, bolos, leather fringes, etc) I have a feeling it'll be around for next summer. So lets enjoy the little bit of summer we're having in October!

Outfit Breakdown:

Denim Vest: Thrifted for $25 (to which I added embellishment in a fun DIY project, you can check it out here)

Black blousey thing: Chinatown for $20(I never notice the name of these stores, probably called "Lovely Clothes" or something)

Jeans: Citizens of Humanity (from Aritzia, for $29!! yes, lets take a minute to let that sink in)

Ooooooh!

Big Brother's watching

I hope you liked these higher quality pictures! You will definitely be seeing more of this and less of the shady self-shots (circa 2005 Myspace).

I HIGHLY recommend Priya for your photography needs, she was awesome! If you're in the Greater Toronto Area, you can reach out to her at crasto.priya@gmail.com for photoshoots of your own, (engagement shoots, outfit shoots, headshots etc) and don't forget to mention that I referred you!

Super-sized Outfit Post: Striped Cardy

So the super sweet fashion blogger and social media extraordinaire Anum from http://www.summerxskin.com and myself decided to offer you a bonanza of an outfit post today! What we've done is pick one item from H&M and styled it 6 different ways for ya! She wore it 3 different ways and I wore it 3 different ways. We hope to show you looks with one item for multiple occasions from day to work to night! 

The item we chose is a classic striped cardy from H&M for $20 bucks and here are my looks;

Look #1: Workin 9-5
-Striped Cardy tucked in
- Black cropped trousers (Dynamite $34)
-Studded belt (Zara $15)
- Nude purse (Mango $50)
-Red shoes  (Zara, on sale for $10!!)
 

Looking for cat hair on my black pants

 

Look #2: Prepster Hippy

- Striped Cardy

- Mint denim (Urban Outfitters $78)

- Aldo Loafers ($30ish)

- White collared shirt (Tommy, probably around $50)

Vat a poser

Look #3: Dinner dating
- Striped cardy, yadayadayada
- Camel pencil skirt (H&M)
-Thin brown belt
-  Black pumps

WARNING: Do NOT eat a big meal when wearing any pencil skirt

Now to see Anum's 3 looks click HERE