Aldo – PPMeow!

Rewind: It’s the 90s

It seems that the 1990s are everywhere right now.

What’s old is new again and all that. The last concert of the summer, I took it to another level when I attended the Toronto date of Aqua, Prozzak and Whigfield’s Rewind Tour at Echo Beach.

That’s Whigfield….singing about Saturday Night

It was a Saturday night so I now have had the delightful experience of hearing Whigfield’s famous song, Saturday Night, on a Saturday night!

I couldn’t go back in time without the look to match it, now could I?

Why yes, that is a little bit Britney influenced 🙂

Although the September air was little chilly, I rocked this baby blue Gingham checkered two piece. The concert was on a beach so I was damn well going to wear a beach outfit, 16° temperatures or not!

As it was a ‘90s bra look the bra, from additionElle was peekaboo-ing out the front to really add to the fun, sexy feel of the outfit.

The jelly shoes were purchased in Malaysia. You can read about those shoes and that trip here. The white purse belt was from Forever21.

Topping off the look was the Pom Pom accessories in the hair. They were re-purposed clip-on shoe embellishments from Aldo’s end of season sales.

The look proved to be a real head turner, which all kinds of folks asking for a photo with Brit during the evening.

90s — ***How’d I Get The Look***: 2pc gingham set from Forever21+, jellyshoes from travels in Malaysia, pom poms from Aldo, white lace bra from AdditionElle.

All and all it was a fun, throwback night with a fun retro look to match. With ‘90s retro becoming more and more popular you should shop your closet to find the gems ready to make a re-appearance!

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Women’s dresseshttps://www.dresshead.com/c/dresses/

Fall Double Feature: Modern Monochrome

I hope you’ve been enjoying and following my Fall Double Feature series in collaboration with Cassie from Style Cassentials. We’re discussing fall trends all week long. If you missed any of my previous posts, you can check them out here and here.

Today we are talking about Black n’ White aka Modern Monochrome: The Classic Combo!
When you’re done reading my post, head on over to Style Cassentials or catch up with her on Facebook for all the details on how Cassie is styling the trends. 🙂

You really can’t go wrong when you rock a classic like black n’ white together. This is the first crop top I’ve ever been brave enough to wear. Waddya think?

I actually wore this exact look for New Year’s Eve this past year…minus the open-toed booties. Swapped them for black stockings and my rocker boots instead, to better suit winter weather.

How I Got The Look:

Skirt and crop top from Forever21+; open-toed booties and burgundy glossy clutch from Aldo; Odetta Cuff and Medina bib from Stella & Dot

For the monochrome skirt in other looks click here. For the crop top in other looks click here. For the open-toed booties in other looks click here.

What do you think about this look? How are you going to be rocking the classic black n’ white trend this Fall? Tell me in the comments section…

Looks like Cassie and I are pulling a twinsy-tuesday with the open-toed booties in both of our Modern Monochrome outfits 🙂 I adore all of Cassie’s jewellery and accessory choices in her look below, don’t you?

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Photo credit: Lawrence Kerr of LawrenceKerrPhotography.com

Hello, Yellow!

It was a gloomy partly cloudy day in Toronto … and surprisingly chilly for a July day.

With an afternoon full of meetings in the downtown core (yuck), my mood needed some lifting. So I decided that my outfit needed to be bright, loud and fresh.

Here’s what I came up with:

I’ve been searching for “the perfect yellow” – very difficult to find. Found this lovely light-weight sweater in the clearance rack ($14) at Reitmans in The Duffrin Mall the other day, figured I’d be saving it for the Fall, but today was just cool enough to unveil it.

My favourite parts of this outfit are the shoes and purse!!! Picked up both pieces LAST summer…..when I was totally obsessing over this amazing turquoise colour. Even my earrings match in this outfit. Aren’t these shoes just fantastic!!!! Gawd! I love them! 🙂

So….Waddya think?

Multiple patterns! Loud colours! Too much for an afternoon in the office? Maybe…..buuuut I don’t care.

I like it! It totally lifted my mood – and I’m ready to face these meetings with a “passionately neutral” approach 🙂

How I Got The Look:

Yellow & white stripped summer sweater from Reitmans; Grey checkered pencil skirt (click here to see skirt in other posts), Dorothy Perkins from The Hudson Bay Co.; Fabulous patterned peep-toed pumps from Nine West; Turquoise purse from Aldo Accessories; Earrings gifted.

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How to Wear Sequins & Shine

Sequins was a big trend this winter….and it seems to be carrying into spring. But knowing HOW to wear sequins is a bit tricky. So I thought I’d dedicate this post to just that!

I personally own 5 sequins/shiny items:

Copper/silver chain purse (Aldo)

Black pumps (Guess)

Copper/Gold tank-top (INC, Hudson Bay Co.)

Gold sequins mini-dress (Sears)

Blue & black headband/fascinator (Ardene)

Here are a few general tips for incorporating sequins into your wardrobe:

Mixing sequins with simpler articles of clothing that do not have embellishments will almost always look good. You can dress up something old or something plain without fear of going overboard. For a super casual downtown vibe, I’ve donned my sequins tank layered with long cardi or flannel button-down, black jeans, and a beanie.
If you’re a little wary about wearing sequins on your clothes, you can still work this style out through your accessories! You might choose a pin, a headband, a purse, shoes, or a piece of jewelry – sequins are great for accent pieces. As you can see … I started that way with a purse, headband and shoes…easing myself into the sequins scene. 🙂
You don’t have to stick to standard black or even silver. Sequins come in every color of the rainbow, after all, different colored sequins can create a dazzling effect. There’s no reason not to experiment with different colors.
However, let me repeat: do not try every colour all at one! A multicolored sequined extravaganza might be great for a costume and is common with Bollywood looks….., buuuuuut keep it down to one or two. Otherwise you’re going to look a little like a disco ball threw up on you, and possibly blind someone.

So waddya think? Were my general tips above helpful?

Would YOU incorporate a bit of sequins into your wardrobe and outfits?

Rebecca Northcott, of Rebecca Northcott Photography took a few fab shots of me in this gold sequins dress – insisting that this glittery frock be brought out and worn more often. I wholeheartedly agree! I’ve only worn this ONCE for a company Holiday Party (more than a year ago). But by pairing it something more casual, like these tall knee-high/thigh-high black leather boots (from AdditionElle), gives the dress more wearability for a fun night out and about rather than just limited to a Holiday/New Years/one-time only events. What do you think?

Photo credit: Rebecca Northcott

#OOTD: Nautically Inspired

It’s been a while since I’ve done an Outfit of the Day post….with all the recent excitement of being a Bridesmaid, The Oscars and modeling for Dragons’ Den Auditions. So I’m excited to be sharing an #ootd with you all again 🙂

I picked up this fab lightweight cream crewneck sweater from Old Navy Boxing Day! These red anchors are the cutiest. I really love the nautical theme … Black, Navy, Red & White in combination with stripes and anchors are just the greatest things ever.

I’ve worn this sweater a ton over the last few months …but I never remembered to take pics for the blog. Monday this sweater made another appearance to the office and I finally snapped a few for this post, combining them with random selfies I’ve taken whist wearing it elsewhere. 🙂 This great red blazer is part of a skirt suit from Sears a few years ago…also scored during Boxing Day sales. The pants are those Diva Old Navy ones you may remember them from my previous post – and I stand by my statement: Best.Pants. Ever!

Here are two distinct nautical themed looks – both totally do-able for “9-5 office” and super perfect for post-office-day fun too!

Mixing Patterns
A huge trend right now, but for me doing it right is difficult. I think I made it work here with the red anchor sweater + black n’ white polka dot pant. The look was a bit more on the casual side, so adding the red blazer helped me feel more confident to bring this outfit to the office all day. Sigh…If the weather in Toronto will ever become spring like, I can finally stop pairing up all outfits with my winter boots – blah…sooo sick of winter!

Stripes + Solids
Keeping with my nautical themed post, I’ve often worn this red blazer with a simple black pencil skirt, rather than the red skirt from the suit set…in an effort not to be “too loud” at the office (remember folks…financial-institution-corporate-types don’t appreciate “loud” amongst them in cubical/open-office living…or so I’ve noticed). In an effort to still keep the look interesting, like moi … introducing a sharp pattern or print like this striped strapless peplum really helps me create some noise, without being too “loud” for the office 😉

So, which nautical inspired look do you like best?

Because I’ve been missing wearing shoes with my OOTDs, I’ve included a few fab shots taken by the artsy eye of Rebecca Northcott – a few in black peep-toed heels and others in red wedged heels 🙂

How I got The Looks:

Red blazer by Jessica skirt-suit set from Sears

Diva pants + Anchor crewneck sweater from Old Navy

Black n’ White stripped peplum top from AdditionElle

Large tear drop earrings in both Gold and Silver are from Payless

Peep-toe black platform pumps from Diesel, Winners AND Red Georgen pointed wedge heels from Aldo

Photo credit: Rebecca Northcott, Rebecca Northcott Photography

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2014 Liebster Blog Award

This past weekend I found that the lovely and talented vintage diva, Shermy from http://www.shermette.com, nominated moi for a Liebster award!

What the heck is the Liebster Blog Award you ask….

The Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. Isn’t that lovely?
The value behind this award is for us to get to know other bloggers who might not be well-known, yet have a lot to share. Blogging is about building a community and it’s a great way to connect with other bloggers and help spread the word about newer bloggers/blogs.

Thank you Shermy for the nomination and kudos babe! Especially nice to know that in the extremely short time I’ve been apart of the blogosphere, you – the collective ‘you’- You like me! You really like me! 🙂

Shermy’s questions for me were the following in bold, my answers beneath each:

1. What is your favourite non-vintage related hobby?
Dog-walking or ‘urban hiking’. Can’t wait for the warmer weather to get here already so I can really explore my new hood and surrounding neighbourhoods of West Toronto.

2. Do you plan your blog posts far in advance, or do you post on a whim?
It’s a combination of both. Sometimes when I’m in ‘the zone’…I find writing multiple posts so easy. I try and save them as drafts and publish them sparingly so that I don’t bombard my followers inboxes. Also, when I’m less inspired to write, I’ll always have something pending to update and share.

3. What is your favourite place that you have ever visited?
Oooo that’s tough. The most recent trip tends to trump the last, likely because the memories of the most recent are still sitting in the front of my brain. This past October I explored Peru for a week on an organized tour group. Never done one of those before – and was pleasantly surprised at how many friendships that were developed that week, many of them have carried on via regularly Facebook chitchats and some even made it to Christmas Card exchanges this year. The trip itself was one that challenged me both physically and personally. Climbing Machu Picchu…thought I was gonna die on that mountian…alttitue is no joke, let me tell ya. The trip resulted in some major self-discovery and made me re-evaluate the types of people and friendships I’ve chosen to keep in my life.

4. What is your favourite thing about yourself?
Yikes! That’s a toughie. It’s taken me a long time to really embrace who I am…personality flaws, waistline, crazy upbringing and all. But I can honestly say, now, today I truly do like who I am! My most favourite thing about me is my ability to shine regardless of what cards are dealt to me. It may take me a minute to lick my wounds, get myself on track and back on my feet. But I always do. Um, I also like my eyes…and I have a fantastic rack too! 🙂

5. Do you have any pets? If yes, what are they?
Yes! I’ve got a beautiful 12-year old Pomeranian pup named Bert aka The Berto! He is by far the best well-behaved dog ever, and is a total flirt. Can’t go out for a walk without people stopping to ooo & ahh him. Can you blame them really…they’re only human. He’s my heart! These pics were taken two summers ago at Toronto’s Woofstock – a festival for dogs. A photographer insisted Bert be his muse…yup…that’s the kinda of attention this pup elicits from strangers. How can you not fall in love with that face.

6. What is your favourite makeup product?
To be honest, I’m not big into make up. I’m a press-powder, eyeliner and lipgloss type of gal. Occasionally I’ll find a fab shade of blush and eye-lash extending masscara that I’ll devour. But once it’s gone, I tend to pick up whatever’s on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart. Typically Cover Girl and Maybelline products. Easy peasy. That’s me in the makeup department.

7. Are you an early riser, or a night owl?
Over the last year I seemly have given up sleeping at night. My body just doesn’t want me to sleep anymore it seems. Afterall, I’ll sleep when I’m dead. I do seem to get my energies, gusto, enthusiasm to write and get work done in the wee hours of the AM. So I’d say these days’ I’m more of a night owl type chick.

8. What is your favourite piece of clothing?
Well lately I’ve been all over this circle scarf I picked up back in November from Aldo. It’s a light-weight simple beige toned bird patterned scarf, that I find myself adding to any and all outfits I whip up, especially on the weekends for running errands or impromptu meet-ups for brunch, drinks and the like.

9. If you could go back in time and attend a party (think Cinderella), whose party would it be?

Hummm….so Disney Princesses…I’m thinking Little Mermaid’s Ariel. She, by far, scored the handsomest prince of them all in the Disney sagas. Yup. Def wanna party with that fishy chick! 🙂

10. If you could erase one fashion faux-pas from your teenage years, what would it be?

Hair Crimping! It’s awesome! It’s always been awesome! For thin-dead-straight-haired girls like me….the giant full-bodied crimped crazy hair is da bomb!

11. Favourite movie?

Princess Bride. Hands down! Can watch that flick (and do!) multiple times a year…especially if I’m sick. And I can recite it word for word with the movie on mute. “inconceivable!” “Anybody want a peanut?” “Hello. My Name is Inigo Mantoya. You Killed My Father. Prepare To Die!” “I’m Not A Witch! I’m Your Wife!” “As You Wish.” Classic!

I now have to nominate 11 other up-and-coming bloggers/blog sites and come up with a series of questions for them to answer. Give me time friends…I’ve got to do more reading and exploring on the blogosphere before I can complete this step. Stay tuned…xo

Doll Factory by Damzels

This past Christmas, I was fortunate enough to have gotten invited to a number of Holiday Happenings around the city. One of which I attended was A Merry Scotch-mas – the launch party for Doll Factory by Damzels, a rock ‘n’ roll retail shop on Roncesvalles.

Me and a few Toronto Vintage Society Sistas braved the cold for discounts on fashionable vintage recreations and all the Scotch cocktails we could handle!

I fell in love with many pieces that night…but managed to limit my purchase to a single dress: this lovely three-quarter length sleeved black n’ white spotted number – complete with pockets and peek-a-boo boobie bow!

Best News is that this fab shop is having an amazing sale next week!!! Doll Factory by Damzels Epic Annual Mark Downs!

If you like this kinda vintage-rockabillie-look … you have got to make your way down during this Epic Sale!

How I got The Look:

Black n’ White domino-dot boobie bow dress by CherryVelvet, from Doll Factory by Damzels (Roncesvalles/Dundas W Sts.)

Cobalt blue suede platform shoes by Brash, from Payless

Georgen red pumps from Aldo

Photo credit: Tami Falus

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Shades of Grey for Spring

I’m really digging shades of grey that seem to be everywhere this winter. Like this cutie-pie illusion of lace dress that I’m yet to wear – picked it up during Boxing Week at Toronto’s Eaton Center. It’s light weight with a bit of crinoline at the hem just at the knees, that gives the skirt a bit of volume. Just a really pretty lady-like look.

In an effort to make it springtime ready, I paired it with pops of coral with accessories and sophisticated bling from Stella & Dot.

And as usual, I’m always thinking about how I can take my outfits to the office or for when I’m delivering a training session. A simple black tuxedo blazer seemed to do the trick!

Alternatively, maybe I could do a nude pump with a more colour pop blazer too. Hummm…thoughts?

How I got The Look:

Bianca tassel necklace from Stella & Dot

Coral tassel purse from Aldo

Coral glossy wedge sling-backs from Payless

The illusion-of-lace dress is from Forever 21+, Eaton Center

Black n’ white tuxedo blazer from INC, The Hundson Bay Co. in Yorkdale Mall

And the puppy … The Berto – he’s my heart and had to make an appearance in this blog eventually 🙂

Photo credit: Tami Falus

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Cherry Bomb

I bought this Cherry Bomb dress last year as my Happy-Birthday splurge. It is a sexy ultra form-fitting pin-up/vintage/ultimate bombshell dress…and oh so comfortable. This dress has a wrap twist in the bust area, enhancing ‘the girls’ and cap sleeves that look great on all arms. It even has helpful gathers in the front skirt to help hide any possible flaws in your waistline. The dress is a classy below knee-length, and has a nice slit in the back for ease in cat-walking. Being petite, I did have to get a few alterations to both the length (shorten) and have the arm holes taken in a bit more so that it neckline would stay-put.

Being a September baby, it was warm enough to simply be worn all on its own from dinner to dancing into the wee hours of the morning. I really wanted to wear this fab dress for this past weekend’s #DUSTED event I was invited to, but I would need to transform this Cherry Bomb dress into a more winter-friendly one. So here’s what I did:

Gave up the flower in my hair and the peep-toed pumps. Put on black hose and short rocker-chick booties, along with a black leather and suede open jacket that helps keep that rocker-chick look alive – plus helps keep me warm under the winter coat when waiting for the notoriously late Queen streetcar to get around Toronto on a Saturday Night.

Let’s talk about the event, the venue and Saturday night. Seeing as I only knew the DJ who would be busy working at this event, I invited a gf I recently reconnected with to be my +1 …someone to drink and dance with, flirt with boys with, someone to act as my paparazzi for blog-worthy photos. 🙂 Unfortunately, mere hours before waking up from my required ‘nap-before-I-have-a-night-out’ nap, I get a text and phone call from said gf, weeping about her on-again-off-again relationship that ended a few hours ago. Listening to her emphatically, I encouraged her to do whatever she needed to, and not worry about coming out with me…unless of course getting cute and dancing her cares away would help. She opted not to come. And I waffled – do I go to this event…ALONE…knowing nobody…completely friendless?

Why the heck not!? After all, I made a commitment to go, I’m dressed oh-so cute, and I’m chatty enough to manage a few hours of small-talk with strangers I’ll never see again, right? I was going!

The event was at Atelier Resto-Lounge (366 Queen Street East at Parliament St) – a beautifully converted space with exposed brick walls, that acts as a new casual restaurant for the neighbourhood sandwiched between small independent restaurants and shops on the north side of the street. I didn’t come early enough to taste their dinner offerings from their menu unfortunately, but the bar staff were lovely and I got to meet the owner, a young entrepreneur who seemed very pleased at the turn out for the launch party of this trendy new spot.

The venue is long rather than wide, with the DJ stage at the very back with a large screen that displayed various vids on mute and the occasional shout-out for the event name. I got there a little after midnight and from what I saw, it was a mature clientele (30+) who for the most part were dressed to impress. As I stood along the side-lines of the bar sipping my drink to people-watch I couldn’t help but observe how many more men there were to women in this place. And of this ratio, the women were all dressed fantastically, whereas I couldn’t say that about all the men there. In fact, it got me thinking about how much more of an effort chicks seem to put into everything that seemingly goes unappreciated yielding limited results, when compared with a guy who gets ready for a night out to meet or take out their lady.

I met a few nice women actually – they complimented me on my outfit and we got to chatting. Even danced around with a few, complete with fancy dips and spins on the floor. There was a professional photographer afoot, don’t know where/how I can get my hands on those pics just yet, so unfortunately my iPhone pics will have to do for now folks.

As the evening went on and the dance floor crowd diminished, I noticed a gaggle of guys who were dressed in jeans and hoodies – seriously – who, one by one, made their way to the group of ottomans where I was sitting waiting for my DJ friend. Listening to these 24-year-old boys tell me they’re 26, impress me with questionable humor and unnecessary close-talking, I have never been more acutely aware of how much I’ve grown and changed as a person who was able to politely tolerate my current situation. Don’t get me wrong, it is always flattering to be approached, but looking at the effort I put into my outfit vs. the results it yielded (young boys in hoodies) it’s a sad truth indeed friends. Luckily I was rescued by the DJ shortly after… {Insert “Last night a DJ saved my life” tune here :)}. Overall, the night was a success – I was glad I pushed past my fear of going to something like this alone, but in the end anything involving a dance floor is always better with a friend or two.