Belle Vie / 04 (and behind the scenes)

April 9, 2014November 11, 20141 Comment

1. Meg and I took the dogs to run by the water – my poor little guys have been cooped up for months because of the long and endless winter. I don’t think they even know what to do with themselves outdoors anymore
2. I love living a close walk to the water – when I had quit my job a few years back and was unemployed for 1 month I started my mornings sitting on the rocks by the water, in the east end, sipping a coffee and enjoying the silence
3-7. A little behind the scenes of my April Larkspur Babes lookbook I shot at the Scarborough Bluffs this past weekend – i will be sharing the lookbook tomorrow, and have everything available in the shop on Friday

*all behind the scenes photos by Meaghan

In defense of selfies

April 7, 2014November 11, 20147 Comments

There are several positive things about the first truly warm day of the season. One, pretty well everyone is in a good mood. Two, bare legs! Three, rediscovering clothes that have been hidden for months. Four, realizing the coat, cardigan and scarf you wore on the walk to get produce is actually making you sweat. Five, bare legs!!! I was in very bright spirits for taking outfit pictures this weekend, not realizing that a HUGE number of people were also in very bright spirits and out walking on the first truly warm day of the year. Which brings me to my negative… my frequented spots for photo taking, the ones that have been void of people for months, are now filled with people. This scenario poses a problem for those of us who take our own photos (I’m assuming I can’t be the only one who feels this way) I avoid choosing locations where I know a lot of people will be when I am taking my own photos with a self-timer and tripod. Having people watch me take photos of myself makes me feel self-conscious, and sort of vain, even though having a personal style blog does not normally make me feel vain in the slightest. Had I had a friend taking these photos, I would not have felt awkward and strange at all. Sometimes I focus too much on what others could be thinking. In reality, I have no idea what they are thinking. My assumption is that it is entirely negative, but if I passed by someone taking photos of themselves would my first thought be negative? Definitely not. But I am entirely biased since I do this weekly. Maybe if I had zero insight into the world of taking, well, pretty much “selfies”, maybe my initial reaction would be different. However, I do not consider the photos I take “selfies”, and have a great disdain for the term. I dislike how that term has turned self-portraits into a negative, and we could deem anyone who takes photographs of themselves as self-obsessed. I enjoy playing around with my camera, choosing different outfits, locations, composition and movements to create a mood, and generally all I have is myself to work with. It’s more to me than simply showcasing myself, but with instagram and the internet, peoples view on the age-old style of photography has become very much skewed. Anyways, all in all, these photos are not what i wanted them to be. I let my mind get the best of me, and never really got into my normal groove.

Shirt: vintage dress worn as top via Common Sort
Skirt: Larkspur
Socks: Target
Shoes: Seychelles – no longer available, but can be found here
Coat: vintage via Gisela and Zoe vintage

Orla Kiely Fall 2014

April 4, 2014November 11, 2014Leave a comment

As always, Orla Kiely has brought us an undeniably adorable vintage-inspired collection. While she never really steps outside the box in terms of designs, it’s a line you can always count on for decidedly retro pieces, covetable by every vintage-wearing gal out there. I think pretty well every piece I wouldn’t mind owning, but I’m quite enamored with the above look. The trousers and swing coat in a monochromatic dusty rose is just the sort of thing I would like to be wearing (i know, right? trousers!?) come the colder temperatures (i know, right? why are we talking about cold weather?!). The whole collection feels very 60s, with a little Cher Horwitz-90s sprinkled throughout. I would also like to mention how great the shoes are in this collection! I love the 40s/70s vibes they are giving off. T-straps will never get old in my eyes, but t-straps with a platform and a big sturdy heel, well by George, i think she’s got it! However, the most noteworthy part of this whole collection…the very best thing ever designed…the Bichon purse! BICHONS! C’mon! That purse was invented for me. That breed is one of the most under-appreciated breeds when it comes to novelty dog breed accessories, and near impossible to find. While the bichon they included in the lookbook is very cute – I think it may be a poodle/bichon mix though, and the final one is definitely a toy poodle – I think we could all agree Gus would have been a better choice. He just got groomed, so his head is even the shape of the purse right now. True rounded bichon head. Anyways, I-NEED-THAT-PURSE.

*you can view the whole presentation here.

Larkspur / Odd Finds General Store

April 3, 2014November 11, 2014Leave a comment

I’ve got some pretty exciting news to share with you today! Starting May, you will be able to find Larkspur at Odd Finds General Store and Tea Shop here in Toronto. I will continue to sell online for my far away customers who are unable to shop in the flesh, but this will be very exciting for the local customers who like trying things on and don’t want to pay shipping. It’s a win win situation. I plan on making a more thorough post on the shop, as it is amazing, and shop owners Stacey and Danielle are some pretty neat gals who deserve a post dedicated to the great things they do. All this being said, the online shop has been fairly quiet since a lot has been happening for Larkspur in non-virtual life. But this weekend I’m shooting my April lookbook with a babely babe and plan to have some new things listed online by the end of next week, so keep an eye out!

*photo via Toronto Life

Lady in Red

March 31, 2014November 11, 20141 Comment

I 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.

Blouse: 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