Wrapped Like a Present

December 29, 20143 Comments

I can’t believe Christmas is over and it’s nearly the New Year! I hope all those that celebrated or got some time off had a wonderful holiday – mine was just what I needed. I tried my best to give myself a few days off from blogging and anything blog related so I could enjoy time with family (Ryan’s) and friends, which I think is quite important to do from time to time. Blogging can really bleed into your everyday life, it’s sometimes hard to tell yourself that you don’t need to document absolutely everything that happens.

I wore this dress for Christmas dinner, and while it isn’t in traditional Christmas hues I think it was the perfect holiday dress. I liken it to a present with it’s rich metallic taffeta skirt and velvet bodice adorned with two sweet bows on the shoulder straps. But, the real star of the show here are my new boots. I’m pretty darn excited about these babies! They were a Christmas gift from Ryan. I had been wanting the Arc Boots by Samantha Pleet since they first came out a few years ago, and now I own them in the most beautiful marmalade colour. I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot of them here.

What did you guys do the for the holidays? Did you receive any gifts you are super excited about?! Spend time with people you don’t get to see often? I’d love to hear.

*photos by Ryan

Dress: Vintage via Common Sort
Coat: Vintage via Gisela and Zoe
Boots: Arc Boots by Samantha Pleet x Wolverine
Tights: old pair of ballet tights

buck + coppice

December 24, 2014Leave a comment

Being a candle enthusiast, I’ve made candles dozens of time before but they never really smell the way I want…meaning they don’t really smell much at all. So when I find handmade candles, I’m always quite impressed when the scent is comparative to big brand store candles, only it’s so much more special because someone has handcrafted each candle themselves, perfecting the product with love and care, in a way that only locally handmade products can be – there is just no comparison.

Brennan Michael is a new line of handmade candles made right here in Toronto. They have just released their first scent, buck + coppice which I can honestly say smells amazing. It’s the perfect candle for these cold days spent indoors. Brennan is an old pal of mine – I met him when I first moved to Toronto around 7 years ago. While we haven’t kept in touch very well, he did reach out to me when he had released his first scent to see if I’d like to give it a try. Of course I said a big ol’ yes and thought it would be fun to style the candle for some holiday-esque photos.

You can find Brennan Michael candles stocked in a few stores here in Toronto, and for those far from Toronto, you can buy online as well.

Merry Christmas Eve friends!

Holly Jolly

December 22, 20148 Comments

I thought since Christmas is right around the corner I’d put together a little holiday-inspired outfit. I feel like Mrs. Claus or a little elf, which is fun and fitting for the season. I likely won’t be wearing this outfit for the holidays, though. I don’t normally wear something that feels over the top Christmasy (red and white is just so obvious). Last year I had a lovely white chiffon dress and the year before it was a velvet emerald green shift dress. I’ve got, I think, the most perfect dress for the holidays this year, although I’ve had this dress since last February so I’ve become a little less enamored by it. I’ve got some Christmas shopping to do this evening, so I’m sure you’ll find me in one of my favorite vintage shops in between present-buying to see if I can find something I love. Vintage shops are the best place to find holiday dresses…you never know what you will come across and it’s usually bloody amazing.

Blouse: H&M
Beaded shirt c/o Ellen Face Vintage
Skirt: thirfted
Belt: thrifted
Tights: UO
Beret: vintage
Shoes: Seychelles

Belle Vie / 28

December 16, 2014Leave a comment

1. On Friday I was lucky enough to have a couple gals from Style Kick film me at Cabaret Vintage for a little video that I’ll hopefully be able to share with you in the near future! (from instagram)
2. If only I had this many hats! And this couch…although maybe in a different colour. (instagram)
3. I wouldn’t mind living inside 3 Speed – it has become our go-to brunch spot of late.
4. And look how cool their ceiling is!
5. My handsome, bearded man – he plans to grow that thing for the rest of winter. (instagram)
6. The National Ballet School – I talked a bit about that time in my life here. (instagram)
7. Our empty changeroom before our dance show – the calm before the storm.
8. Makeup less and the first one to arrive, as usual.
9. Ally getting ready for the show – Ally is one of the most genuine, wonderful people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. She’s a real gem, and a true artist in all that she does.
10. What our dressing tables look like when we are getting ready – makeup and electronics.
11. My beautiful, amazing Armando – he never fails to make me laugh and he never ceases to amaze when I watch him dance. I get all kinds of shivers and feels when he is doing his thing.
12. Esie took this picture of me dancing at our tech rehearsal on Friday night…I quite like it.
13. One of the amazing headpieces by Heather from Heart of Gold Designs – I’m so excited to photograph and style this beauty! (instagram)

Solace

December 15, 20148 Comments

I apologize for being sort of absent last week – I had such a nutty, busy week. I can’t complain though, often times I feel really lucky to be so busy doing all the things I love most. Our dance production, Choices, took up most of my time this past week, and thank goodness for that because I don’t think our two performances would have been as wonderful as they were without everyones hard work and time. I don’t talk about dance much on here – it’s just a thing you guys know I do – but dance is a huge part of who I am. It’s hard to explain without it sounding so cheesy and non-sensical, but my solo in the show entitled Solace, was a piece that was very personal to Shameka (the choreographer) and me. It was a story about her and at the same time, it felt like a story about me. So many people said such wonderful things about my piece – about the way I danced it, about how captivating it was – such kind words that all I could really muster was simple thank yous, which feels so insincere, but really there were no words for how grateful I was feeling during this time. When you are really able to just let go of your inhibitions and just be who you are on stage, well it is unlike any feeling I can articulate. And having people feel with you, even though they are sitting in seats many feet away, unable to really understand the inner workings of your mind at that very moment, it is again a feeling I will never be able to articulate. But it is special, and will always be special to me. That’s all I want to do as a dancer and as an artist – I want to feel with intention and I want others to feel with me. I came away from this show realizing that our bodies and our minds can be painfully connected, sometimes they fight each other when we are not at ease, but when we allow ourselves to just be, the two can work so harmoniously together, if only for a moment, we can find solace.

Coat: vintage via Tabula Rasa
Blouse: vintage
Skirt: Club Monaco via Common Sort
Cardigan: thrifted
Shoes: Topshop
Scarf: H&M
Beret: vintage
Tights: old paid of ballet tights
Bow tie: handmade