Suit Yourself

February 16, 201514 Comments

With temperatures under -30C it would be ridiculous to even fathom the idea of heading outside to take photos, which is just as well, because I don’t think I could do this outfit justice under layers of scarves and coats. This 70s suit jacket is one of those articles of clothing I bought just because of it’s print and cut, but I did not give much thought to what would pair well with it, so up until very recently it had been collecting dust in my closet. I had very close to forgotten about it when I spied it with what felt like fresh eyes, and I instantly thought of pieces that would look perfect with it. There are not many things in my closet I have trouble styling, this jacket was one of the few that stumped me time and again. I guess when I had bought it I just didn’t own anything that looked right with it. I know a ton of bloggers suggest not buying something unless you can think of several ways to wear it, but I’m of the mind that if I feel the piece is special and unique (and fits me right), then I will buy it and find a way to make it work. I’d rather have my closet full of pieces that are dear to my heart and make me think outside the box in terms of styling instead of just playing it safe.

What about you guys? Do you have a set of rules for yourself when purchasing new pieces? Do you just pick whatever feels right and go with the flow?
Suit jacket: vintage via Public Butter
Blouse: thrifted
Skirt: vintage via Odd Finds General Store
Socks: H&M
Shoes: Seychelles

Light of My Life

February 14, 20157 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day dear friends! Valentine’s Day is not one of my favourite holidays, but I am a blogger, and bloggers (for the most part) love to do holiday-inspired posts, however they choose to interpret them. So I felt I may as well pay homage to the holiday in my own way – no real fuss, just one of my favourite dresses that feels very appropriate for this love-filled day, what with it’s romantic length, red and frillyness.

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Love, in all it’s forms, is incredibly important to me. Love is what drives me, always. In the past, present and future I have always imagined my life full of intense love, something I now realize is one of my greatest weaknesses and strengths. This desire for love, in all aspects of my life, in it’s purest of purest form, is unattainable. When something is that important to you, it will undoubtedly let you down – the expectations are just too high. That kind of love, the one I am talking about, is fleeting. It exists momentarily in our lives, magnificent and bright, but it fades to dull, eventually. All this may sound sad, depressing even, but I don’t mean for it to be. Quite the opposite. To allow love, of any kind, to come to you is to be brave and open. To acknowledge the extent to which it can carry you, but also drop you, and to just say, “I don’t give a fuck. I’m giving it my all”, is one of my favourite qualities in a person. It means fear does not limit you. My expectations may be too high, it may be the reason for much sadness, but I’m glad that love is what drives me…good things have always come from love, not love masked as fear, but real, pure love.

All I’m really trying to say on this Hallmark holiday is to let love into your lives everyday…whether that be love for yourself (super important), your family, friends, partner, art, animals, objects, religion…whatever it may be, be in love with it every single day. You’ll quickly see how beautiful this complex world is in all it’s simplicity.Dress: vintage via Public Butter

*want to try this hairstyle?! you can find a tutorial here.

Into It, Intimates / Sugar Lace Lingerie

February 11, 2015February 11, 20155 Comments

I instantly fell for Sugar Lace Lingerie because of the adorably feminine designs and perfectly sweet colour combinations. While I’m not usually one for colourful intimates, I absolutely make an exception when the pieces are in the most beautiful pastel shades. I mean, how could you say no to any one of these?! Designer Adrianna Tenorio is based out of Chicago, IL. where she went to school for fashion illustration and design. In her last two years of school she realized her love for lingerie design and that’s when Sugar Lace Lingerie came to fruition (and thank goodness for that!). Sharing this brand comes at just the right time, since Valentine’s Day is around the corner and I liken each of these pieces to sweet and sugary goodness.

My favourites: Peachy Keen garter belt skirt, Pretty Peach panties, Lace bra and silk knickers set, Peach Dream bralette

Beauty / Be My Valentine, Hair

February 10, 201516 Comments

❤ ❤ ❤

Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, I thought I’d share a fast and easy (I think this is a theme with my hair) Valentine’s-inspired hair tutorial. To be honest, this hair style could be worn on any occasion, but I think the sweet little red bow adds a nice Valentine’s Day touch. I’d first like to mention I used this technique to get my waves, and I do think it adds to this hairstyle quite nicely, so keep that in mind. And here we go!

❤ FIRST STEP: Backcomb around the crown of your head so we can create the illusion of voluminous hair. I have no real technique to this – I just backcomb until it starts to look puffy and extremely tangled, which makes me feel incredibly anxious…but the more insane it looks, the better, in my opinion. See. Insane.❤ SECOND STEP: To prevent our hairs from looking like we stuck our finger in an electrical socket, start brushing down the top layer of your hair, starting at the crown so it forms a sort-of sheet that blankets the backcombed hair – now no one can tell what nightmare you have created underneath. Next, just hairspray. Always an optional step, but it helps to hold things in place…as it should, because that’s it’s only job.❤ THIRD STEP: We are going to create a half up-half down look (sort-of). Take your desired amount of hair on each side and starting from the front, pull it to the back of your head and secure it with bobby pins, (I have quite thick hair so I needed about 4 bobby pins in total, however, you can add as many or as little as you would like, my sweets) we are doing this to add a messy, voluminous effect, so try not to pull your hair back too tightly, we don’t want it to look like it’s glued to your head. ❤ FOURTH STEP: Take your hair and pull it to your preferred side and tie your hair elastic around 1/4 – 1/2 way down your hair, so we have a nice loose side ponytail thing happening. Hair elastics aren’t always the most aesthetically pleasing, so we are going finish it off by tying a bow around the elastic. Like I had mentioned before, this hairstyle could be worn at any time and doesn’t necessarily need a bow, but since this is Valentine’s Day I think a red or pink bow would add the perfect lovely touch to our do.And we are done! Super simple and yet, adorable. Now whether you are going out with your partner, hanging with your friends, or being your own valentine, you will be the belle of the ball

❤ ❤ ❤

Snow Day

February 9, 2015February 9, 201518 Comments

Lately It’s been cold…real cold, and snowy, which is fairly normal when you live in Toronto, but that doesn’t mean I’ve ever fully gotten used to it or have any desire to spend time embracing it. On the weekend I was supposed to be styling a shoot with Gerald in Brantford, but the morning of the roads were just too dangerous to drive on. I had to admit defeat and accept that styling a shoot was just not worth the possibility of a car accident (I’ve been in several car accidents, which is probably why I have never learned to drive myself…ya, I’m 26 and I can’t drive). I spent the majority of the weekend in doors watching Netflix, eating tasty things and cuddling the dogs. However, Ryan and I did venture out Sunday afternoon to shoot these photos. While the winter may be cold, and I don’t much care for snow, it does make for really pretty pictures, and I thought my new dress would look perfect against an almost all white background. I don’t own many shapeless, drop-waist dresses like this. My person is quite small, so I find really boxy silhouettes to be a bit too much for me – I just sort of drown in them. But I love this dress. It’s so comfortable and it’s the perfect item to wear if you just want to lounge around. I liken it to a nightgown of sorts, which obviously pleases me. And this coat, oh this coat! I love this coat! It’s hard to tell, but the tartan on it is in mustard, white and blush pink, and the inner lining is a beautiful blush satin. It’s a bit oversized for me and thus looks strange buttoned up, but I had to have it just based on the colour scheme. So here we are, stepping out of my comfort zone and embracing the shapeless life.