Here we go… Keepin’ It Causal continues on the blog with yet another quilted vest from Old Navy – they were only $15…had to get it in black as well 😉  (Click here to see the other colour I got.)
Zoomed in view of the various patterns mixed into this casual look!
I tried taking a close up so that you are able to see the different fabrics, textures and patterns that help create more ‘interest’ in this causal look 🙂
For Fall especially, try not to be afraid of bright colours. Â Fabulous colors make an otherwise ordinary outfit totally vibrant. Since I kept the footwear simple and black, I went for bright yellow and a multi-coloured scarf for some pizzazz.
This was another quickie outfit – comfortable enough for window shopping on WQW (West Queen West), yet polished enough for a casual lunch out somewhere too 😉
There we go …playful prints for Fall. Â What do you think of this look? Â Yay or Nay? Use the Comments section, tell me your thoughts.
Continuing with casual looks on the blog today.  Fall and Sweater Weather seem to go hand-in-hand.  Turns out most of my outfit is from Reitmans today.
I think I put this look together for some errand running and grocery shopping.  Since this is a short-sleeved sweater, had the weather been cooler I could easily worn a long-sleeved tee underneath to make this look work without additional outerwear wearability. 🙂
I just love this stripped glossy patten leather Kate Spade NY purse!  (As I’m sure you know by now, as it seems to make an appearance is many of my outfit posts lately – click here, here, here, here.)  It just give any outfit a more polished look I think. 🙂How I Got The Look:  Sweater, white tee & capri activewear bottoms all from Reitmans; Sneakers from Ardene; Necklace gifted and stripped glossy patten leather purse from Kate Spade New York
If you’re looking for more Sweater Weather inspirations click here, here, here and here.
Last week we focused on office appropriate looks on the blog. So, this week I thought we should focus on creating more casual looks instead!
As you know – I’m a minimal makeup kinda girl who hates brushing her hair. Check out how purrrfect my Swarovski PAW jewellery looks…just enough casual bling 😉
Truth be told, I have a much easier time dressing up than I do dressing down. Â Maybe because I work from home mostly, anytime I have an excuse to leave the house, I wanna get all dolled up rather than dressed down.
So dedicating this week to more Casual Looks is a good challenge for me 🙂
I’ve always shied away from these puffer vests – Â adding more “poof” to the top half of me just wasn’t cute. Â But then I came across this quilted vest at Old Navy (on sale for $15!) and it won me over! Â I think it worked out well with this denim & plaid combo for Fall. (For other plaid looks click here, here and here.)
I put this outfit together for an afternoon of mall-window-shopping. 😉 They are kind of perfect for the weather we’ve been having in Toronto lately too.
Waddya think…you likee?
How I Got The Look:Â Plaid leggings from Ardene; Hunter green quilted vest & Denim long-sleeved shirt from Old Navy; Brown suede booties from Reitmans; Grey cross body purse from Michael Kors;Swarosvski PAWS Jewellery from MyBeaded Designs
So beautiful that I was able to get away with simply wearing my new blush blazer (from Dorothy Perkins) as outerwear alone over this long sleeved sheer dress to the office.
I’m still learning how to use my Mac for photo editing … just figured out how to insert these talk bubbles above 🙂
How I Got The Look:
Dress and earrings from Old Navy (click here to see the dress in other looks); Blush blazer from Dorothy Perkins; Shoes from Winners (click here), purse from Guess, watch from Michael Kors
Thus concludes the week of office appropriate looks as promised. Â What did you think of this one?
If you’ve missed the others this week click here, here and here.
Since I’m usually a work-from-home kinda gal …. these last few days of having to get up, dressed and out the door to go into the office has created a lot of alarm clock anxiety in my life. Â I find myself waking up multiple times in the wee hours of the morning (4am, 5am, 6am..) freaked out thinking I’ve overslept.
Well, this fear became my reality the other day, when I opened my eyes to see that it was 8:14am and I was still cozy under my comforter with my first meeting downtown beginning at 9am!
What’s a girl to do outfit wise when time is NOT on her side?
It’s Office Jumpsuit time!
How perfectly did this selection work out.  No need to worry about coordinating tops to bottoms.  No need for hosiery.  Just cover it up with a cardi or a blazer and BOOM – office ready!
As I was running late, I chose to go with my light leather jacket (Danier) and simply wore it all day as a chic blazer to help bring this Summer jumpsuit Fall wearability.  [SIDE NOTE:  This lamb skinned jacket hasn’t fit me in years – and now it zips up and everything! Woot! Woot!]
Now, I wasn’t always so keen on this onsie-look.  Click here for my initial reactions to this plus-size fashion trend.  Click here to see how I wore this jumpsuit in the Summer months.
Some general rules I think need to be followed to take a jumpsuit into office wear:
Choose a jumpsuit that is simple and basic. Â No sparkles. Nothing with a deep-v – keep ‘the girls’ workplace appropriate.
Cover up with a jacket, blazer or cardi to create a more conservative look and neckline.
Keep your jewellery and accessories simple.
I would have loved to rock some pointy toed heels with this look to give me some height and make my legs look longer, buuuuuut as you know I was running late. Â So flats that matched my purse was all I could swing I’m afraid. Â Plus, they facilitated in my mad dash into the downtown core as fast as my little legs would carry me!
Who’s already jumped on bringing a Jumpsuit to the office? Would love to know what you did to make it work for you.  Use the Comments section … tell me everything!  🙂
How I Got The Look:Â Jumpsuit from Reitmans; Purse from Kate Spade New York; Jacket from Danier Leather; Swarovski PAWS Jewellery by MyBeaded Designs; Shoes thrifted
The week began with a post I called Edgy Officewear — there was quite a few comments on the PPMeow Facebook Page encouraging me to do more office appropriate looks on the blog. (Thank you for the feedback and interaction … it really does help me create content that YOU want to see & read…so keep those comments coming!)
It just so happens that I’ve got to head into the office 3 days in a row this week.  HAZZA!!!  If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you know that I’m one of those fortunate/unfortunate people who get to work from home most days…so planning work wear this week was a real treat for me.  Nerdy-Nerdsony thing to say – yes, yes, I know. 🙂
I’ve been more daring these days with mixing patterns in my looks. Â When I first picked up this fabulous stripped cropped blazer from one of the many blogger racks at this year’s BigDeal Toronto event, my first thoughts were…
BEETLEJUICE! BEETLEJUICE! BEETLEJUICE!
But the cropped style of this blazer and the classic black n’ white combo really hooked me …..and the price: Â $10!!! Â Yup! Â It needed to come home with moi! Â (Stay tuned for a complete event recap blogpost for BigDeal Toronto soon friends).
Being both petite (short) AND plus sized, finding perfectly fitting dress pants are the biggest nightmare ever. Â Buuuuuut I have fallen in love with Old Navy’s Pixie Pants … they fit perfectly even after several washes. Â (Click here to read my post on discovering this line of fabulous pants.)
Let me apologize for the gloomy photoshoot – it was a rainy day in Toronto and I only remembered to take pictures of this outfit AFTER a full day at the office…hence the wear down of makeup and disastrous hair.  I was pooped!  I dunno how you normies do it – going into the office everyday!  Ew! 😉
How I Got The Look:
Striped cropped blazer, Forever21+; Black jewelled tank, Reitmans; Red pants, Old Navy; Leopard fur heels, Calvin Klein; Michael Kors bracelet watch and simple gold earrings.
Finding office-appropriate outfits, that you actually like,  for your plus-size bod can be a challenge.
If you’re like me, you want your clothing to feel and look fabulous, but also to stay within your office’s set dress code.
This sleeveless moto dress is new for Fall from Pennington’s. Â I picked it up with one of my birthday coupons on a customer appreciation night, and saved BIG!!!
Loving the edgy-chic style of this dress!
Faux-leather inserts, a full front zipper and front pockets. Pairing it with pumps and minimal jewellery helped me take it to the office.
But wearing it with studded booties and a statement necklace, I could totally take this dress elsewhere in the evening.And by wearing something long-sleeved underneath, I could take this dress into Winter while giving it a totally different look. Â Right?
I see this piece as making many appearances over the next few months my friends. 😉
What do you think of this look? Â Where would you wear it? As office wear….night-out wear….both…and how? Â Tell me your thoughts in the Comments section!
How I Got The Look:
Sleeveless Moto Dress from Penningtons (click here it’s currently on sale!); Jade earrings from Stelal & Dot; Kate Spade purse; Pink pumps from Nine West
I LOVE PINK!  I’d wear it head-to-toe everyday if I could! 😛
So when I found this delightful acid pink dress among the rather drab colour pallets of 2014’s Fall Fashions at AdditionElle last month at the Stockyards Grand Opening – I was over the moon with excitement! At the time of taking these photos, the weather did not require hosiery.  So I matched up this dress with my NineWest purple leopard peep-toed pumps.
But for Fall/Winter,  I totally plan on paring this look with booties and dark tights. I was recently sent some hosiery from Sonsee – these would be perfect for taking this look into the winter months.  Unlike shape-wear – Sonsee is both comfortable & smoothing with broad ranges in sizing, products and seasonal colours.  Stay tuned for that product review on the blog soon friends 😉
Since this dress is relatively plain, I thought I’d step up the dazzle-factor with giant jewellery!
This gorgeous statement necklace by Victorious Me, I picked up at SexyPlus Clothing’s Blogger Fall Preview …. I managed to find a perfectly matching set of earrings cheaply from Ardene. I unveiled this frock at the Damzel’s 20th Anniversary Gala – adding some vintage effort to my hair and created a mini-bumper-bang (click here for the vid that helped me create it).  Along with my Torrid gold studded black suede sling-backs and my fantastic black petit point 1960s purse (from The Vintage Domain).  Â
You can really notice my sun-tanned face when you compare the pics from the event to the ones taken by LawrenceKerrPhotography …. stay tuned for a vacation recap post coming soon friends 😉
Follow me on Instragram to see more pictures from the event I attended 🙂
Remember when I was torn on wether I should buy this wool + leather jacket from Retmains a little while back (please ignore the floral leggings and laundry basket in the background)?
Well, your Facebook feedback helped me make the right decision I think —- just look at how great it is with this acid pink frock!
Thanks for the good advice friends!!! 😉
How I Got The Look:
Acid pink swing dress from AdditionElle; Statement necklace from SexyPlus Clothing; Earrings from Ardene; Hosiery from Sonsee; Wool + Leather jacket from Reitmans; Shoes: NineWest purple leopard peep-toed pumps; Torrid gold studded black suede sling-back heels
What are your thoughts on this loud acid pink dress? How would you style it for Fall and Winter? Â Tell me using the Comment section below…
I picked up this navy Jax Leatherette newsprint dress from SexyPlus Clothing last month at the Fall Preview Blogger Exclusive.
As you saw last week during my Fall Double Feature collaboration series, both Leather and Blue Hues are trending this season. Â This dress combines them both perfectly.
I’m loving the leather details on the shoulders and above the hems of both sides of this dress.
This Zebra clutch is my new favourite piece right now, I try to bring it along with me whenever I can 🙂It was my birthday last week and I got to unveil this dress over that weekend.
Another year older –  uggh – and not at all wiser.  Or maybe not as wise as I hoped to be at this point.  But in these pics I don’t look a day over 28 😉
Must be magical camera tricks of LawrenceKerrPhotography – I’m loving the images from this shoot!
I’ve been having mixed emotions about turning older this year.
Not really being up to organizing & celebrating a non-milestone born-day, I took the day off instead and spent some quality time with me, myself and Irene 😉
The lovely Elmwood Spa – a true urban oasis – treated me for a birthday lunch, which I ate in my plush robe & slippers. Â After that I was rubbed down by a giant man, whom I’ve decided to remember as spectacularly handsome ;), for an 80-min Hot Stone Massage followed by Water Therapies which included pool, steam room and the hot tub. Â I was determine not to leave until I looked like a raisin!!
Lunching in fluffy robes and drinking in the afternoon ….Happy Birthday indeed!
In the evening a gf and I met up for dinner (tap pas and sangrias at Carmen – delicious!), followed by tickets to see HEDWIG and the Angry Inch  at the Lower Ossington Theatre where we were entertained by talented rock bands, drinking and great singing by an interesting transsexual with lots of stories and rock songs.  The performance was fantastic!  Buuuuut the story, which I found sad, went over my head.  I had to come home and google exactly what I just spend the last 90-mins sitting through.
I got a lovely birthday card that read:
In this world where things move so fast and change before our eyes, I take comfort in the precious and few things that are constant and true…your friendship is one thing I can count on; one thing I keep safe inside my heart. Â I celebrate you on your birthday and I honour the friendship we share day after day, year after year.
Between this card, invitations to dinners, brunches and drinks, and the numerous phone calls, voicemails, texts and the 101+ Facebook messages of Birthday Wishes – I felt pretty damn’d loved all day.  I’m a very blessed and lucky girl! 🙂
Overall, a pretty freakin’ fantastic birthday weekend!!!
And now, let the next 365 days of this new year in the life & times of Irene be awesome! Â Cheers!
How I Got The Look:
Blue suede platform shoes from Payless; Zebra clutch from AlterEgo Clothing; Newsprint Jax Dress from SexyPlus Clothing; Leaf earrings from …yikes, I don’t remember friends, they are super old.
Here it is folks ….. the LAST outfit post from our week long Fall Double Feature special. Hazza!!!
I hope you’ve been enjoying and following this FIRST SERIES on PPMeow!  Cassie from Style Cassentials and I had so much fun putting together this collaboration.  And we’d love to know what you thought too (use the comments section below to do just that, friends).
We’ve been discussing and putting our own unique twists to Fall trends ALL week.  If you missed any of my previous posts I’ll list them at the end of this one…so you can get yourself caught up and Fall ready! 🙂
Let us end this series  by being Sporty Chic!
Waddya think of this triple-split shot taken by LawreneceKerrPhotography …whist I was ‘getting camera ready’ in the mirror? Kinda clever huh…
This was the hardest of all the Fall looks for me to put together this week, from my existing wardrobe.
Truth be told, dressing down or sporty isn’t something I do regularly.  Seeing as I work from home, I revel in the opportunities to leave the house — and when I do I always wanna dress up, rather than dress down 🙂
So this was a good challenge for me.
My entire mauve-toned outfit is from Reitmans. Â I’ve totally become a skirt-and-dresses-type-of-chick days, so I paired this simple pencil skirt with a tri-coloured striped button down v-neck cardi. Â For some reason anything in a stripe seems ‘sporty’ to me …
Of course, these high-top platform sneaks help give the whole look a more casual-sporty-vibe. Â I try to avoid wearing sweaters with jackets in the Fall – so in an effort to keep warm for Fall temperatures, a simple black n’ white patterned pashmina scarf worked out perfectly. Â And then for a third pattern, my zebra clutch.
How I Got The Look:
Tri-colour stripped cardi & mauve skirt from Reitmans;Â High-top kicks from Torrid; Zebra clutch from AlterEgo Clothing and the black n’ white pashmina scarf and hoop earrings were gifted
How much do you love this diagonal zip jacket Miss Cassie is wearing? And that fabulous cuff – LOVE IT!  Head over to Style Cassentials for all the details on how Cassie has styled the trends.  Or visit her Facebook page here.
Cassie of Style Cassentials
And just in case….if you’ve missed a few from the special Fall Double Feature?  Not to fear…
 Have you LIKE’d the Petite Plus, Meow’s
This gorgeous statement necklace by Victorious Me, I picked up at 
I unveiled this frock at the 
My entire mauve-toned outfit is from Reitmans. Â I’ve totally become a skirt-and-dresses-type-of-chick days, so I paired this simple pencil skirt with a tri-coloured striped button down v-neck cardi. Â For some reason anything in a stripe seems ‘sporty’ to me …
PPMeow! 