Belle Vie / 03

DSC_1946DSC_1884DSC_1909DSC_1892DSC_1911DSC_1903DSC_1925DSC_19530000220000231. Ryan & Gus – these two together melt my heart.
2. This summer I want to improve my green thumb so that I can have more than just fake flowers in the house.
3. Lola – I miss the days when she and Gus were best pals, before they got sisters.
4. However, Frankie is one of the most hilarious dogs, and she currently looks like a fluffy teddy bear.
5. Toronto isn’t the best about preserving it’s history, but sometimes you’ll look to the tops of buildings and see what once was.
6. Meaghan – We went for a walk to get coffee on a day that felt especially like Spring. I’m looking forward to days spent outdoors with this girl.
7. The Dollar Store sometimes feeds my candle obsession when I am too busy poor to get the good stuff.
8. This guys gets away with murder. He stole a loaf of bread off the table yesterday – I’m getting better at letting him know I’m not pleased, but a part of me has trouble ever being really upset with him.
9. Upjeet – My oldest and dearest friend just let me know he will be moving to Toronto come September with his better half. I couldn’t possibly be more excited. We haven’t lived in the same city in 7 years.
10. Cleo & Maya – I miss these two a lot…mostly Cleo. But, don’t feel bad for Maya, she is indifferent towards me. The only person she has a connection with is my father.

Leah Reena Goren F/W 2014 Scarf Collection

leah_reena_goren_amber_byrne_mahoney_005_zpsc87d88adIt seems scarf weather isn’t going anywhere any time soon, but with the newly released collection of beautifully hand illustrated scarves by Leah Reena Goren I don’t think I mind at all. Although they are only pre-order until the Fall, they remain perfect pieces for an early Spring when the temperatures aren’t below zero, but not quite warm enough to bare our necks to the wind. I’ve been a long time fan of Leah, her surface pattern designs and quirky illustrations are always wholly unique and unequivocally awesome, and thus many bigger brands have tried to replicate (shame on you!). I’m particularly enamored with the BFF scarf and Picasso Cats scarf, and should probably save my pretty pennies for one (or both!). I also have to mention how absolutely breathtaking the lookbook is. Leah couldn’t have picked a better set of gals to work with. Model Taylor LaShae is so stunning – kind of makes me think about chopping my hair (but I won’t).

Photography: Amber Byrne Mahoney
Styling: Emily Theobald
Model: Taylor LaShae
Location: Liam McMillan

*you can shop the whole collection in Leah’s new web shop

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Lady in Red

DSC_1847I have mixed feelings about the colour red. I do like it, very much. But it can also feel like very much. I was pondering what things I own in red, and it seems – unless I’m overlooking something – that it is just a few pair of shoes (one pair is travelling in the mail as we speak. weeeee!) and one dress. I tend to steer away from anything that is a solid bright red. I like deep red wine colours, and i’ll happily buy a dress or skirt in a solid like that. But if it came in a traditional, sort-of fire engine red, I’ll likely pass on it, or not even look at it.  I much prefer pops of red to the whole outfit revolving around it. Red is the one colour that really throws me. Does anyone else feel like this? It’s a colour that says “hey look at me!”, but sometimes thats the opposite of what we want. I have a pair of red velvet shoes from Topshop (they have been on the blog a couple times) and I am telling you, women and men alike (mostly men though) will stop me on the street to tell me how much they love those shoes. People (mostly men) really like red. There have been psychological studies done proving men feel amorous towards women wearing red. I feel like those shoes are walking examples of that (no pun intended). Generally, men will only stop me on the street to be creepy and weird, or a good old cat call in passing. It’s never really a “hey, I like your outfit” and continue on their way. But with the red shoes, it always feels like a genuine and innocent interaction. It’s fascinating really, what colours make people do or feel without us really knowing. Anyways, I like red shoes, and I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s a subconscious desire to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.

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DSC_1873Blouse: thrifted
Skirt: vintage via a store in Kensington Marker (i wish i could remember the name)
Bow tie: TLO
Hat: vintage via Common Sort
Socks: from my mom : )
Shoes: from Meaghan, probably thrifted
Belt: thrifted

Larkspur & Spring TVCS

DSC_1682Last Sunday I had such a great time at the Toronto Vintage Clothing Show. This time around Meaghan helped me out and spent most of the day with me, which I am so grateful for. It can be a really exhausting event when you’re by yourself all day. I’m going to keep this short today because I need to head out real soon, but I want to say a big thank you to the organizer Catherine, the show would not be such a success without her. Thank you to all the people who came by and supported my small business. And thank you to Meaghan and Ryan for all your help, as usual! It’s Friday, and I have the day off tomorrow which I am so looking forward to. Just got to get through this long day of work and dance rehearsals. Happy weekend all!

I talked a little about my experience last Fall at the show, if you are interested.

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Belle Vie / 02

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DSC_18041. I love the way hyacinth makes the whole apartment smell like Spring.
2. What better way to have a cup of tea at the end of a long day than with a kitty friend.
3. I can never pass up a good antique perfume/cologne bottle.
4. My favorite kitty figurine – so sultry.
5. Gertie needs a hair cut pretty badly – her eyes are the sweetest part of her. It’s a shame when you can’t see them.
6. If I can’t go to the trees, why not bring them to me?
7. A vintage tap dance costume – did you know I can also tap dance?
8. Ryan’s acoustic guitar – this one holds a special place in my heart. I think I knew I loved him when I first heard him play this thing one quiet (hungover) morning.
9. Gus has a way of finding the silliest places to sit – it’s part of his charm.