A Lesson in Plaid

January 12, 201518 Comments

I’ve acquired quite a collection of plaid/tartan skirts at this point, but I think this one is my first “new” plaid skirt. I guess it’s pretty obvious at this point that I only buy vintage and thrifted clothes as a general rule, but every once in awhile I stumble across some vintage-inspired pieces on the internet and cannot pass them up – this vibrant plaid skirt being one of them. One could argue that you don’t need 5 different tartan/plaid skirts that reach about the same length, but if you know what you like and what suits your taste (and there are just so many different colour variations and styles!!!), then why not own an assortment? (says the clothing hoarder). What about you guys? Is there an article or style of clothing you are constantly drawn to?

A fun little fact – to tell the difference between a tartan and a plaid (yes, there is a difference) you look to the pattern running vertically and horizontally. If the pattern running vertically is exactly duplicated on the horizontal axis, then we are in tartan territory. You will notice that the skirt I am wearing is indeed a plaid and not a tartan, as the pattern, colour and size are not the same in both directions. Anyways, I’m sure some of you already knew this, but I didn’t for the longest time and thought it would be nice to share the knowledge. Knowledge is power. (said a curly, ginger-haired animation from the 1970s)

Button-down & cardigan: thrifted
Skirt c/o Larmoni
Boots: Samantha Pleet x Wolverine
Tights: old pair of ballet tights

Into It, Intimates / JulieK Lingerie

January 10, 20154 Comments

Well, it’s been quite awhile since I wrote about another intimates label, but that does not mean I haven’t been keeping my eye out for you guys (and for myself). I came across JulieK Lingerie quite awhile ago and thought it was due time I share this handmade Scotland/California based brand. JulieK started designing her own lingerie from a deep-rooted love for intimates, a love that dates back to her childhood memories of adorning herself in her mother’s personal collection. Her designs are a bit more modern than what I am normally drawn to (I’m not a fan of thongs), but I could see myself in many pieces from her collections, as there is still a vintage quality too many of them and sweet detailing that I often look for in lingerie. Check out her shop here.

My favourite: Anastasiya bralette, Nora bra, Milenne bodysuit, Powder blue bralette

Belle Vie / 30

January 8, 2015Leave a comment

1. Pretty arrangement in my parent’s home.
2-5. I think I have talked about Cleo on the blog before, but growing up, she was my dog. Leaving her when I moved here was really hard, but she has never forgotten me. She’s about 12yrs now.
6. A pile of Christmas tree decorations – on the Saturday of my visit to Ottawa, we went to my grandparents home to help my grandmother put away her tree and Christmas decorations.
7. My grandparents have a collection of Nutcrackers – I think this one is my favourite.
8. These little Christmas caroller figurines were my absolute favourite when I was a kid. I used to play with them like they were Barbies whenever we would visit my grandparents home during Christmas.
9-10. My parents took me to an antique auction on Sunday. We didn’t end up staying because there wasn’t anything we wanted to bid on, but it was pretty neat just to stop by.
11. My wonderful parents got me a ton of pink 1950s kitchenware. Pink is a very hard colour to come by in vintage kitchenware, so I was shocked they found this much. I only wish I had a better kitchen to display them in, as they are just too adorable to be sitting in a cupboard hidden away. There was however one casualty…my casserole dish ended up getting smashed in baggage check when I was flying home : (

Best Performances

January 6, 2015January 6, 20154 Comments

Have you guys seen these images by Tim Walker recently released in W Magazine?! While browsing the internet yesterday, my blogger pal Kailey posted these images to her FB and I almost fell over when I took a look for myself (i was actually sitting in bed, but no matter). With the exception of a few, all the actors chosen for this portfolio played a role based on a real life person in a film last year. Always an interesting idea for a film, but creatively stifling, I would imagine. Much to my own dismay and too many women I’m sure, there was also a severe lack of female roles in 2014 film. All this to say, there was not much room for artistic expression amongst these booming talents, so this series of photographs was brought to fruition, to allow the actors to play a more fascinating role, with a sense of abandon.

For this series, Tim Walker was influenced by “the colorful, sun-drenched Los Angeles paintings and photographs of David Hockney, as well as the ’70s free-love aesthetic that informs the artist’s work. From there, the photographic scenarios took cues from Federico Fellini and, naturally, Walker’s own unique perspective.” And let us not ignore the genius of stylist Jacob K, because the styling is, in my opinion, perfect. It is so unbelievably on-point and reminiscent of spirited 70s fashion, whilst being innovative and refreshing. In a world booming with 90s normcore aesthetic, I’m jumping for joy seeing clothes being a form of creative expression and dare I say it…fun!

*You can see all the images here and read about it here.

(also, little fact about me…Steve Carell is my Hollywood crush. So I’m quite pleased to see my baby all dressed up and included in this series)

Home is where the heart is

January 5, 201510 Comments

If you follow me on instagram, than you already know I was in Ottawa for the weekend. Since I couldn’t make it home to be with my family for Christmas this year, my father and I secretly planned to have me fly to Ottawa after the new year to surprise my mom…and did we ever! The surprise was better than I could have ever hoped for – she started to cry, and then I started to cry – it was really just a beautiful moment. I have always known how much my mother loves me, I’ve been very lucky in that respect, but it’s moments like those where you really understand how much a child means to a parent. I’ve got two really amazing parents, that’s for sure.

The outfit I’m wearing in these photos is kind of my new favourite. When packing my bag for Ottawa I wanted to bring as little as possible, especially since I was only going to be there from Friday evening to Sunday evening. I’m normally an over packer because I am terrible at planning outfits in advance, but this time was different. I had just received this adorable school girl-esque skirt from Miss Patina, so I knew that would come along, and when I did my outfit recap last week on the blog I was reminded of my blue and white pinstripe dress I had hanging in my closet that hadn’t been worn since the summer. I thought they would go so absolutely perfect together and the dress could double as it’s own outfit on another day…done! Two pieces of clothing, two outfits. I like when things come together simply like that.

How was your weekend? Do you have any cool surprise stories that made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? I’d love to hear about them.
Dress worn as blouse: thrifted Zara
Skirt: Miss Patina
Tights: Walmart
Boots: Samantha Pleet x Wolverine