Toronto weather was so confused this year that Spring got a late start. Only to warm up oh-so quickly.
So since I’ve be rocking more Summer wear already, I thought I’d do a recap post from all the fun Spring style and trends covered on Petite Plus, Meow!
Click on each image to be taken to that specific blogpost 🙂
Spring Forward
Leggings + HiLow + ScarfEaster Outfit
Oldies, But GoodiesAnd last but not least,
THE SPRING TREND Collaborative Series….with Cassie of StyleCassentials
Got a favourite? Got any feedback on what you’d like to see more of on Petite Plus, Meow!.…
Let me know by leaving a comment below. Thanks for reading. xo
Bah! Toronto weather can’t seem to make up its mind.
Luckily this past long weekend was glorious sunny, warm weather with cool, comfortable evening temps too!
Photo credit: Rebecca Northcott Photography
I’m a simple girl, with simple needs. So finding outfits that are wash-n-wear and don’t require too much planning to look polished are for me. 😉
This is why this thin tank strapped dress I picked up from Old Navy has become my go-to frock this past month.
When I found this scarf, I really liked the geometric pattern in simple black and white.
But…. It was way more than just a scarf. It was a bolero type cover up!!!
How perfect for keeping on hand in a purse for those chilly spring & summer nights to come.
Looking at this dress online didn’t really do it justice. A simple scoop neck with decorative four-button buttons, and thin tank straps (that are adjustable).
But if you look closer….. the simple-ness is a big contrast to the cutwork detail at the flouncy hem of this lightly lined dress.
Photo credit: Rebecca Northcott Photography
How I Got The Look:
Cutwork Cami Dress, Old Navy; Coral Glossy Sling-back Wedges; Payless; Geometric Scarf/Bolero; Necessities; Cat-eyed Sunnies, Ardene
Ok friends, if you’re following me on Instagram (if you’re not, they you should …start already geez) 🙂
I recently did an unexpected shopping haul from good ol’ Old Navy …and picked up these pieces of Fall goodness…
Booties, Reitmans; Hat, Winners; Plaid shirt and Bird skirt, Old Navy
Late September/early October…we were still having gorgeous, warm, sunny temps.
I was lucky enough to wear this ensemble …. stockingless with all my open-toed shoe and peek-a-poo mid-drift exposed glory!
It was kinda of perfect, just warm-enough-wear to get away with for an entire afternoon out and about.
Think I was off to have lunch with a few friends, before catching the Mirvish production of Kinky Boots. (Such a good show – Cindy Laupur is totally present without actually being present) ❤
Plaid shirt and Bird skirt, Old Navy; Jellyshoes from Malaysia; Fringe purse, Aldo
This bold pattern mixing of plaid on top, with birds on the bottom got me a ton of compliments!!!
But the most reoccurring of comments was: How did you know these patterns would work together?
Here’s my ‘trick’ when it comes to mixing patterns: match colors, not prints.
If the colors look good together, more often than not the patterns or prints will look good together too.
Notice that the birds of the skirt pickup the reds, blacks, and mustard colours of the plaid shirt. 😉
For some, this might be too bold, but it’s really a matter of personal preference. Matching colours seem to be the safest bet. That said, you’ll never go wrong with black and white — they go with everything.
Adding dark hosiery just changed the vibe of this outfit.
Not only did it help warm up the look (literally), it added a hint of night-time sophistication to an otherwise casual look, don’t you think?
Wore this outfit this way for an evening of outdoor gazebo swing dancing in the Beaches…a lovely way to end a busy work week.
Want more Mad for Plaid looks? Click here and here.
Sooooo I recently celebrated yet another birthday 🙂
This year it fell on a FriYAY! Which meant, this chick wasn’t gonna stay at home…and I definitely wasn’t gonna cook for myself.
AND of course, I needed a new birthday outfit. Here’s what I came up with:
It wasn’t a milestone birthday or anything. Plus its tough trying to round-up the troops after a long work-week to celebrate on a Friday night.
So the plans were simple Triple-D: Dinner – Dessert – Dancing! 🙂
Which meant, I wanted to keep my new bday outfit simple too:
BOTH the Jacket and Floral dress were from Old Navy! Booties are last season from Reitmans.This was a fairly cool evening, so the sweatshirt material of this jacket was just enough warmth. And with minimal accessories with hair pulled back – it would be easy to dance in too!
This dress was super discounted. I really liked the key-hole button up in the back. And it had an interesting dropped waist situation too. I belted it to help break up the floral pattern a bit. Plus, it ties in nicely with my brown booties.
Special Thanksto the handsome owners of NighOwl Toronto who treated the entire table to a round of free drinks … and this birthday girl to post-dinner libations too –> SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS! 😉
AND to the lovelies of Bean & Baker Malt Shop who stayed open extra late for this rowdy gaggle of hooligans I call friends. And for the extra special cake surprise – it was DELICIOUS!!!
AND to Lindy Hop Revolution for all the ‘birthday girl’ paraphernalia, glow sticks, wine and BIRTHDAY JAM. 😛
And to all of my friends who showed up to dinner – stayed for ice cream – continued on to swing dancing – and karaoke/car-eokee late night. You guys are the greatest! And sure know how to make this girl feel special and loved! xo
I’ve been doing my very best to avoid wearing ‘wintery’ things just yet, avoiding bulky sweaters and a giant winter coat at all costs.
That’s why I really loved this two-toned, short-sleeved, light-weight polka-dotted sweater from Reitmans. I love me some colour, so I decided to go with bright bottoms and bright jewellery, keeping my shoes simple.
I finally got myself a haircut – waddya think of my new do?
These pics aren’t the best to show it off…as sadly the new cut went right into a furry hat, as it was quite cold this evening.
Since us Torontonians will have to endure Winter for, what will feel like 8-months of the year, I’m avoid wearing a proper winter coat for as long as I possibly can. I went for this double-breasted button herringbone jacket instead. For other looks in this jacket click here.
I also got to unveil my new leather gloves I picked up from the Danier Leather Friends n’ Family sale. Mixing in expensive pieces with non-expensive pieces, to give me an overall sophisticated, business casual look.
Waddya think of this combo?
How I Got The Look:
Fuchsia pants from Old Navy; Polka-dot sweater from Reitmans; Fur bag from Aldo Accessories; Shoes from Rockport; Statement necklace & earrings from LOFT; Gloves from Danier Leather; Jacket from Forever21+; Michael Kors bracelet watch; Beige scarf from Winners; Fur hat…sorry friends, I don’t remember
The easiest way to make your Summer pieces more Fall appropriate isn’t to ditch them altogether, but to come up with new ways to wear them.
Here are a few simple ways to stretch your wardrobe and make all your old favorites work until Winter.
This simple short-sleeved navy geometric patterned, faux wrap cotton summer dress has been in my Summer-outfit-rotation for a few years now. I picked it up from the GAP in LA…and even though it’s starting to fad, I just can’t part with it. It’s kinda perfect for Lindy Hop lessons – that’s where I was off to in this outfit. 😉
To make it work for Fall weather I simply added tights. If you’re not into tights, try leggings (like I’m doing in these pics). They’re perfect to wear under your summery dresses for more coverage and warmth, while still staying fashion-forward. I chose a loud colour to help break up the other darker colours of this outfit.
Boots are an autumn staple! They make all of your summer outfits warmer and more functional. Easy Peasy!
You can find booties on the cheap and wear them with your favorite skirt and cardigan/sweater combo like I’ve done in this Outfit of the Day. Boots are an ideal item to stretch your wardrobe — I highly suggest you getting a couple of pairs in different heights. 😉
How I Got The Look: Navy geometric patterned dress from GAP; Ooh-la-la sweater, Navy & gold earrings and tights from Old Navy;Guess purse
So waddya think of the tips in this post? Will they help YOU transition some of your Summer pieces into the Fall? Use the Comments section and let me know.
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. 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. What do you think of this look? Yay or Nay? Use the Comments section, tell me your thoughts.
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. 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 – adding more “poof” to the top half of me just wasn’t cute. But then I came across this quilted vest at Old Navy (on sale for $15!) and it won me over! 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: 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
Happy Hump Day!!! I hope you’ve been enjoying and following my Fall Fashion series in collaboration with Cassie from Style Cassentials.
We’re discussing fall trends this week – if you missed any of my previous posts, you can check them out here, here and here.
Today we are talking about Blooms on Black!
I haven’t always been a big fan of florals, but this Fall, I’m starting to re-think this….considering we’re only at Hump Day Wednesday with this special blog series, and I’ve already worn blooms-on-black twice! (Click here to see how I incorporated florals with leather earlier this week.)
This Dorothy Perkins metallic floral top is adorable and feminine…perfect for evening or date night.
I’m really feeling gold this Fall … in accessories like watches, bangles, necklaces, earrings. Get yourself some GOLD friends!
In an effort to really play up the gold elements of this top, I paired it with a simple black pencil skirt and my giant pearl necklace…
…keeping my purse and shoes simple matte black.
The back of this top is really the showstopper – don’t you think? 🙂 Dorothy Perkins – A UK company that sells some really beautiful, classic plus size pieces that are high quality and that you are sure to have in your wardrobe for years to come. Many of the items are wardrobe staples. Excellent quality and they sell Canadian sizes 14-18, as well as straight sizes. Lucky for me The Hudson Bay Co. carry her line and I got to scoop up this fab top without online hassles!
How I Got The Look:
Floral ivory & metallic toned top from Dorothy Perkins; black pencil skirt from Old Navy; open toed pumps from Diesel; Giant pearls from Your Big Sister’s Closet; vintage bracelets from Toronto Vintage Clothing Show; black purse gifted
How cute is Cassie in this terrific felt hat!? The blue hues with yellow blooms on black in this dress is just lovely. Plus those amazing gold earrings….Love. It!
Head over to Style Cassentials for all the details on how Cassie has styled the trends.
What are your thoughts around wearing florals in Fall? How would you incorporate this trend into your wardrobe this season? Use the comments section and tell me all about it…
I was on the verge of uttering “I have nothing to wear” one morning last week, as I tried to plan my outfit for the day.
All I knew was that I wanted to wear these gold open-toed sling backs (Nine West) no matter what!
I bought them last summer for a wedding I was to attend, but last-minute decided another pair worked better with my outfit instead. So these babies were yet to be worn! AND today was the day! 🙂
Also, I was determined NOT to brush & do my hair…so whatever outfit I was gonna wear needed to go with one of these floral claw clips …
I picked up this cotton polka dot open-backed tank from Old Navy ($10) from their colossal summer sale a few weeks ago.
The aqua/turquoise pencil skirt from Forever21+ ($6) …. both perfect separately, but something was missing when I put them together…
And then I belted it! And Tah-Dah! It became awesome!!! 🙂
Sadly, try as I might there is no escaping the ‘bra-strap-peek-out’ situation. Sigh…
All I hear in my head is that Bubba Sparxx song……..“Booty booty booty rocking everywhere” as I write this post. 😉 LOL!!!
Sparkly gold flats work well with this outfit too (and is what I switched to for my Lindy Hop lesson at LHR that evening)
How I Got The Look:
Aqua Pencil Skirt, Forever21+; Open-back Tank, Old Navy; Sparkly flats and Gold drop earrings, Payless; Open-toed sling-backs, Nine West; Wide Brown Belt, Lane Bryant; Hair Flower Claw-clips, Ardene; and a Suede vintage purse gifted
What do you think? Do you prefer the flats or the heels with this look? Belt? No Belt? Tell me your thoughts in the Comments section below.
Easter Outfit
And last but not least,
PPMeow! 
