Outfit / Dungaree Dilemma

July 20, 20157 Comments

Dungarees can be one of the trickiest articles of clothing to find and have it fit the body properly. I have tried on dozens of dungarees – although, mostly second hand or vintage – and have only found one I feel fits me nicely, and it’s not even this dress. This dress seemingly looks nice from the front, but when you take a look at the back, it gapes at back waistband, making it look pretty silly. It has a rather untraditional look from behind, something more similar to a pinafore in style, giving you the option to cross or uncross the straps. However, if I don’t cross the straps then they have a tendency to fall off my shoulders, so in return for a more fitted look, it creates the dreaded gaping situation I so loathe. I guess you can’t win ’em all in the dungaree game. I’m still a fan of this dress however (clearly, since I’m wearing it), and for a mere $5 for a dress that seemed to have never been worn, it felt worth my money, even with it’s design flaws.

Do you guys have any articles of clothing that feel like they could have been designed a bit better? Or are you smarter than me and don’t waste your pennies if the fit isn’t perfect?Dungarees & flats: thrifted
Blouse: F21
Clutch: Falconwright (which is sadly no more)
*photos by Ryan

To Be Adored

July 17, 2015July 17, 20158 Comments

Way back before I even considered starting my own fashion blog, back when I first just discovered fashion blogs were a thing, which then became obsessively reading through the archives of bloggers such as Rhiannon, Tavi, Arabelle etc., I came across the label TBA (To Be Adored) and fell madly in love. I only recently got thinking about this label again since I hadn’t seen anything from them in years. I did a little browsing and ended up on their site which was incredibly disappointing, but then it lead me to their FB page, which is where I found all their old lookbooks and remembered why I loved this label so much. I think, for me, TBA started going wrong in 2013, but that could just be a matter of taste. Before then, they were very much vintage inspired, girly without being over the top and what felt like to me, care free. TBA was the kind of girl I wanted to be, through and through. So, I thought I’d share some looks from TBA SS ’11 collection because that was the season that got me hooked and I feel it is still very relevant to my style now.

Do you guys remember TBA? What was your favourite season?

Sail Away

July 16, 20159 Comments

By now I know my camera pretty well and the ideal times of day to use it, but sometimes I enjoy playing around with settings, especially when I decide to shoot right smack dab in the middle of the day, in front of water reflecting so much light it becomes so backlit you just look like a black silhouette. Such was the case this day, so I had to adjust my settings quite a bit which resulted in grainy photos. But, I kind of like it. They have a very nostalgic quality to them that only analog cameras seem to capture. A fitting vibe for an outfit I feel like would be worn by an old timey gondolier in Venice…although I guess I don’t have the stripes to make it a true rendition, but the colour combination, plus the boater hat are quite reminiscent of the whole look and that’s the whole fun of getting dressed anyways- it is what you make of it, which I guess is true for photography as well…you find inspiration, take what you are given and make it your own.Blouse: boutique in MTL (can’t remember the name…sorry!)
Skirt, hat, shoes: thrifted vintage

Paint Nite

July 15, 2015Leave a comment

Last week myself and 3 friends were invited to attend Paint Nite, a nightly 2 hour (roughly) event that blends artistic painting and drinking cocktails (or whatever you want) at local bistros in Toronto and the GTA. It’s lead by a performing artist who guides everyone in the class step by step through blank canvas to “masterpiece”. I must admit, when I first got the invite I wasn’t so sure about it. I mean, I cannot paint, or at least I thought I could not. But Paint Nite specifically boasts that you need no skill whatsoever, which left me feeling a little more reassured. When we got to the class we were seated together, each with a blank canvas in front of us, oil paints in blue, red, yellow, black and white, two paint brushes and an apron. The painting we were to paint that evening was “white tulips”, which I knew ahead of time because you can choose which event you attend based on the painting, day or location you prefer. The thing that is really nice about this event is that you have total creative freedom – you can follow the teacher’s instructions as much or as little as you like. I mostly followed every instruction given, just mixing colours how I preferred, but Ryan painted something totally from his own imagination, so that gives you a good idea of how much freedom and choice you have.

I came away from the evening feeling pretty proud. I don’t think I had picked up a paint brush since I was a child, let alone actually paint something I felt was pretty decent looking. I’ve always felt like a creative person – I dance and choreograph pieces, I write and I’m clearly into photography, but I have always shied away from arts like drawing and painting; it often feels like a skill set I just don’t have. But this sort of showed me that if given some direction, it is likely something I could learn to be decent at. I doubt I’ll ever become a painter, but this opportunity has made me interested in trying some other art forms…I’ve now done pottery and painting…I wonder what’s next?!

If you are interested in giving Paint Nite a go (and I really think you should) I am offering 35% off with the code INSTA. You can book online here.

*I was given 4 complimentary tickets to Paint Nite in exchange for social media posts, but all thoughts and opinions are my own, obvs

Sound and Vision

July 14, 2015July 14, 20153 Comments

I own a lot of dresses that are quite special to me. Most of them are vintage (which I’m sure is easy to figure out why a vintage dress would be special) but a few of them are new. Within that lot are two dresses from Family Affairs, one of which – the Sound and Vision dress – I recently received and quickly knew would be just as well loved as my previous dress from them. Family Affairs has been one of my favourite independent labels for years now, before I even started this blog. There is something special to be found in every piece designed by Nina. Whether that be an adorable illustrated print, a forward thinking cut, subtle yet smart detailing, there is no piece you will receive that won’t feel wholly unique.
Every summer Nina and the Family Affairs gang hold the Midsummer Dream Treats sale, an annual sale where each day they offer a surprise style at a reduced price. Starting today until July 29th you will find something awesome at a low cost so you can get your little mitts on them without making your pockets cry (can pockets cry?!). I’m happy to kick off the sale with the Sound and Vision dress, which is now 40% off it’s current reduced price. To receive your discount enter the code midsummerdreamtreat1 at checkout. Be sure to keep a look out on Family Affairs insta, FB and Twitter so you can stay up to date on the daily sales presented by some pretty stellar people.Dress c/o Family Affairs
Clutch: Aldo
Shoes: Seychelles
Headband: F21
*photos by Ryan