Outfit: Keep Yourself Warm

January 5, 2016January 5, 20169 Comments

Larkspur Vintage | Outfit: Keep Yourself Warm This winter really has been the mildest one I can remember in a long time – it’s made me a real happy bb – but yesterday was definitely v freezing, and of course it was the day I planned to take these photos. The better part of my brain told me to shoot inside, but of late I really have been enjoying shooting outdoors. I used to be a huge serial indoor shooter (???), but my home still has a lot of work to be done and I’m lacking some pretty essential furniture pieces, so most of what you have seen inside my apartment thus far is pretty much it, which becomes kind of repetitive for photos after awhile (it’s also why I haven’t done an apartment tour, which I know some of you have been asking for). So outdoors I went, and braved the cold to get these shots. I’ve become a little more savvy when it comes to shooting outside in the winter by myself. It may seem like common sense, but the amount of times I forgot to bring gloves was nearing on countless. I now make sure to always bring mitts and then also gloves, so I am able to fiddle with my camera more easily while still remaining somewhat warm. No, you don’t see either of those things in these photos, and while my mitts and gloves are both for practicality and aesthetics, neither quite went with the outfit, so I popped my gloves in my pockets while posing and popped them out in between shots. Other things you often don’t see in my photos is my purse, which I use to focus on while setting up a shot and a scarf, which also gets the nix if it messes with the look. I often wonder if that’s dishonest, to not be photographing all the things I am actually wearing to get from point A to point B, but most of the time the things that don’t appear in the images are the things I would not be wearing if the weather permitted. Scarves, yes, I do actually like scarves, which is why they do often appear in my photos, but gloves, I would never wear a glove, ever, if I had a choice – unless I was trying to achieve a v 50s inspired look, then and only then, would I wear a glove, and those would be evening gloves rather than winter gloves, which serve a totally different purpose. What can I say? I hate even wearing socks, so you can imagine what a glove feels like to me.

What do you guys think? Do you prefer personal style bloggers who give you full practical styling ideas – ie., true winter outfits from head to toe. Or are you okay with filling in the blanks yourself?
Larkspur Vintage | Outfit: Keep Yourself Warm Jeans: H&M (similar)
Sweater, blouse: thrifted
Belt, beret: vintage
Coat: vintage via Common Sort
Boots: Samantha Pleet x Wolverine

Hometown Hunt: Christie Pits Film Festival

June 23, 2015June 25, 20153 Comments

Toronto is a big city with a ton of things to do and events taking place, and yet, I often find myself scratching my head every weekend or finding out about an event I really wanted to attend after the fact. So Meaghan and I vowed to keep tabs on the happenings of Toronto fun, and she wrote up a list of all the lovely, summery things we could do together. On that list was Christie Pitts Film Festival, an outdoor weekly movie screening that takes place in Christie Pitts park starting July 5th until August 16th. The movies on this years list are pretty stellar, The Birds, Mean Girls, Oh Brothers, Where Art Thou?…to name a few, which I plan to see all of, of course. What could be more fun than an outdoor movie?! I always loved drive-ins as a kid and I’ve been to a few as an adult, but what about those of us who don’t have cars but still want to enjoy a bag of popcorn, maybe a milkshake and some fresh air?! CPFF has got you vehicle-less, park loving Torontonians covered.

Meaghan’s Toronto fun list came to fruition through google searches, but with Eventbrite you can find tons of events going on in your city and advertise your own event right quick. Maybe you can find out if your city is also playing some movies in your local park!

*photos by Ryan
Blouse: Calivintage
Skirt: Common Sort
Shoes: Seychelles

*this post is in collaboration with Eventbrite

It’s what’s on the outside…

February 23, 20159 Comments

Until very recently, it felt like I hadn’t been thrifting in ages. I used to thrift at least once a week for my shop, but I’ve sort of put shop updates on the back-burner for a bit while I try to find a better schedule for photographing items and figuring out the overall aesthetic of my shop – do I use a dress form? do I continue modelling the items? should I just hang them?…I digress…all this to say, my thrift store hiatus ended recently because in preparation for a new designers first lookbook I styled and modelled for this past weekend, I headed to a few thrift shops last week to pick up some accessories for the shoot, and of course I found myself getting side tracked and looking for things I’d like to purchase for myself (I’m so bad for this). Sometimes you go thrifting and come away with nothing, and other times it feels like a gold mine. This time around it was a gold mine. I found this vintage houndstooth coat and these shoes (not very weather appropriate, but we weren’t going far and they matched my tights…so sue me) for what felt like mere pennies. It may seem silly to be buying coats this late in the winter game, but I almost never ever say no to a coat if I love it, no matter the season. I truly believe when you live in a climate like this, where it’s cold more often than not, one can never have too many coat options. Since my coat normally covers my outfit, I’d like for my outer layer to speak for itself and reflect my personal style as best it can…and wearing the same thing everyday gets boring, so, coats!!!

What items can you never say no to? What articles of clothing feel like essentials where you live?

*photos by Ryan
Coat: thrifted vintage
Sweater, hat, purse, tights: H&M
Skirt: Common Sort
Blouse: vintage via Penny Arcade
Shoes & scarf: thrifted

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.

How do you guys feel about shapeless, oversized clothing? Yay or nay?

*photos by Ryan
Dress c/o Larmoni
Coat: vintage via Common Sort
Hat & mitts: H&M
Boots: Samantha Pleet x Wolverine
Bow tie: handmade

Give me your eyes, I need sunshine

February 2, 20159 Comments

For a little while I felt like I had lost myself with taking my outfit photos, specifically when it came to taking outdoor shots. It started to become an okay let’s just get this done situation (probably because it’s been so cold), and I really started to feel like the quality of my images had suffered, and ultimately, didn’t feel like me. For one reason or another – and I think I have said this before – the actual feeling and artistry of the images I share is just as important to me as showcasing the outfit, maybe even more so. I mean, I’m not saying I’m making waves in the blogging world or even producing the best possible photographs (I’m still a newbie) or doing something that different or new, but it’s incredibly important to me to stay true to who I am. I’ll probably never be one of those bloggers that enjoys taking my outfit photos in front of a solid backdrop, which is strange, because some of my favorite bloggers do just that and I love it. I think it all comes down to my personality type, I have a hard time letting anything just be simple. Everything I do, in all aspects of my life, needs to feel important, and full of passion and creativity, and I am almost never satisfied (and clearly I am incredibly dramatic. get over yourself Alex!). I guess it goes without saying (but I will say it) that my brain (and my life, to be honest) has been in a tumultuous state of sorts lately. But taking these photographs and being able to share them with you feels incredibly therapeutic because these images feel the most like me out of any photographs I have taken in a long while. They remind me that even if my world feels like it’s falling apart, I can create something beautiful all by myself that makes me feel good, and it’s as simple as that.