A Little Contrast

March 11, 20164 Comments

never hurt nobody

I originally tried to shoot this dress last weekend, but it was far too cold and windy and I ended up with no decent images to work with. Some outfits never see the light of day (of this blog) when that happens (although, it doesn’t happen much), but I knew I had to reshoot on a warmer day to get some good shots of this dress, and you can probable see why. It’s such a simple and classic idea – black dress with contrasting white collar – but it has some details about it that really make it stand out, imho. I had been searching for a dress like it – that’s to say, an easy black dress with a white contrast collar – it felt like a no brainer that I would pick this one, but what really sold me on this piece was the trumpet sleeves and peplum hem. Trumpet sleeves are fun as heck! But rather impractical in the winter when you have to bury them under layers. I’d been waiting quite awhile to shoot this one, so as to avoid needing a coat while shooting, which I obviously jumped the gun last weekend and paid dearly for it (I was just really cold. I’m dramatic). But clearly I lived to tell the tale and was able to share this dress with ya’ll.

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Olive has some pretty awesome pieces in their shop and I’m happy to be able to share this brand with you because I love, I think, almost every piece they have available in their shop, which is rare for me (that sounds gross pretentious, but I’m picky). Be sure to check them out!

– WHAT I WORE –
Dress c/o Olive | Tights: old | Shoes: H&M
Larkspur Vintage | A Little Contrast

ACT THREE. SS’16

March 10, 20169 Comments

and the beautiful gaby

This blog has brought about me getting to do some pretty cool things and meeting some pretty cool people. I’d count styling and modelling (although, not this particular season) for Canadian design label, ACT THREE., and meeting/working with this look book dream team one of them. Getting to be a part of Sarah’s process and team for the last 3 seasons has been really special. ACT THREE. is a label I really stand behind and feel proud to be able to work on and share with you all. This whole collection, from the dresses, to the photography, to the styling, to the art direction, to the modelling, to the hair and makeup was a true labour of love. Our work together is always very collaborative allowing us to create some pretty magical images. I love these dresses and this lookbook, and Gaby’s beautiful face, so I hope you do too!

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You can now shop some of the collection online at Victoire, or in store at Victoire (Toronto and Ottawa) and Coal Miner’s Daughter (Toronto)

Photography: Danielle Suzanne
Art Direction: Sarah McGowan
MUA and Hair: Christina Jair
Styling: Alex Spence
Model: Gaby Cetrulo
ACT THREE. SS '16 Lookbook

Home Decorating Ideas

March 9, 2016March 9, 20164 Comments

GETting IT TOGETHER

I think I have mentioned before that it’s taking me forever to get my apartment together. I got rid of many things when I moved in with Ryan, and then even more when I moved out. I once was able to fill a one bedroom apartment by myself (although, I’ve only lived in bachelors by myself…but I could have filled a one bedroom), and now I’m lacking some pretty major furniture pieces and I don’t have much to decorate with. In a way it’s very refreshing to be free of so much shit, but in another way, I miss the things I had – all the little bits and bobs that made up my home before…the things that made it feel full and homely. But, if I’m being honest, I feel like a very different person than I was when I started collecting antiques, knick knacks and wall hangings, and many of them just started to feel like crap. So, I only held onto the things I really love, that way I could make room for new things to love.

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Anyways, all this to say, I have a Pinterest board, EVERGLADES (the name of my apartment building), dedicated to decorating ideas and I thought I’d share that with you. Please let me know if you have a home decorating Pinterest board I could check out, or pictures of your own home that is awesome! I love finding new ideas and boards to follow.I’ve been looking at different types of shelving and storage units, many of which are pretty DIY. As you can see in my above images, I have books stacked on the floor and windowsill, which I like, but wouldn’t it be cool to actually make shelves out of those books? Or make my own book shelf by stacking old wooden crates together? And how nice is it to have plants hanging off and picture frames resting on shelves?!It’s no surprise that I love pink, especially blush pink, so it makes sense these images spoke to me. Don’t these spaces look so beautiful all white with accents of blush pink?I don’t have traditional side tables next to my bed – right now I have a white wicker stool and a milk crate with lace draped over top…very DIY looking. My bed is also on the floor since I don’t have a bed frame, so I like the look of these low beds with books used as side tables, frames resting on the floor against a wall and little frames staggered low on the wall right above a side table.Hanging plants from the ceiling just looks so damn good!These kitchens look so great with these shelves filled with colourful dish and house wares.I just really like the look of these rooms, probably for their colour combinations and coziness. I’d like to pop right into the images, thank you.

*click on the images to be linked to the source

The Ginger Files

March 3, 20163 Comments

redhairs

Many years ago my father bought me a book “The Roots of Desire” which was about the history and power of having red hair, in an effort to help me understand my natural red hair was something to take pride in rather than feel ashamed of. At the time, getting that book just annoyed me; I am and always have been a very independent thinker, and I hate when people presume my thoughts and feelings to be misguided and that maybe they need readjusting. And at that time I was also a teenager…so there’s that. I read bits of the book, but I never finished it and after one too many moves and owning way too much shit, I decided to get rid of the book as it was just collecting dust. Fast forward a few years, and I often think back to that book and all the pages I never read; some weird and fascinating shit was believed about redheads and that book covers a ton of it. It was only a few years ago that I started to really love my hair colour and take real pride in being “a ginger”. I’m not sure where the drastic change of heart came from – it’s likely growing older and adults just being actual decent human beings, rather than kids who pick out any one thing that makes you different and persecute you for it. I also think starting this blog and my instagram really helped me to accept and love my hair colour; all the kind things said began to negate any shitty or inappropriate things kids said to me when I was young. It was like I was started to unknow a truth I was convinced of for so long. The internet also lead me to other gingers who I learned took real pride in being red-haired and I started to feel this unspoken understanding and shared experience with them.

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So, I want to know more about red hair, and I want to share that with others, especially red heads (but everyone too! inclusivity, bbs!), and especially young red heads who have been made fun of and made to feel shitty about something that is actually awesome (imho). So I’ve decided to put some posts together about red hair, the history, the myths and who knows what else. I know very little about red hair myself, so I’ll be learning and sharing as I go. I hope you guys are into this idea!

*photo by Gerald Larocque

Outfit: Beatnik

March 1, 2016March 1, 201610 Comments

gimme a beat

Unintentionally, this outfit ended up seeming quite inspired by the Beat Generation – Breton stripes, beret, turtleneck, loafers, whole lotta black – a term coined by Kerouac in the late 40s to describe his group of non-conforming literary peers. To be honest, there was no real uniform for this subculture of “beaten down” youth (read: hipsters) of the 50s-mid 60s. The outfits likeness to this subculture is only really inspired by a caricature (read: stereotype) version of a beatnik. But it’s kind of a fun and interesting style trope none the less. Fun because it looks so damn cool, and interesting because it’s so universally understood; even if you know absolutely nothing about beatnik culture, it’s “style” still influences many outfits and trends today.

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Aside from any perceived influence this outfit may have, I mostly wanted to showcase my knapsack, which I have been carrying around with me everyday since I got it. It’s pretty wonderful to have full use of both arms while out and about, a feeling I didn’t realize I was missing all these years being a religious purse carrier. Now I’m hoping I can find a wee bit smaller one, of similar style, in black…so if you spot any on the wide web (or in store), please let this gal know!