Weekend Highlights

Last weekend I went to visit my best friend in Ann Arbor, Michigan. You may remember from this post from April that she moved to Michigan about a year ago, and last weekend I (finally) got to go visit her. We talk everyday and even though I saw her just a couple months ago, I used to see her at least a few times a week and not having her living in the same city as me has been very difficult.

The weekend was absolutely amazing. I got to see where she lives and works; we went for delicious food; walked around the little town; and of course, did some shopping. It was so great to see and spend time with her; we have to really enjoy the moments we have with those we don't get to spend much time with. Love you Lauren!

(The going away present I got for her last summer; Friends, Together is the nicest place to be)

(University of Michigan campus; where she works)

Quote Of The Week

Fashion Photography

Last summer when I graduated university I made a little sappy post about how it was an amazing four years and how I recommend doing a post-secondary degree (read here: Graduation). So I will definitely not bore you with details about me finishing up my post-graduate certificate in Fashion Styling and Coordination, but I will say this. 

Those may have been an amazing four years at Business school, but these past ten months at the Chang School at Ryerson were also quite spectacular. I met an amazing group of girls, had some incredible professors, and was able to meet, network with, and make connections with industry people I probably would not have been able to otherwise. I have grown and learned so much since last summer, and it was a completely different feeling back then, knowing that I still had another year of schooling to go. Now I am completely done (yes, I am a little relieved; five years of university is a very long time), but it is a little scary to think that the real world is waiting and that I am only just beginning to discover who I am and what I want to do. 

That being said, I am stoked to just take the rest of the summer to relax, spend time with friends and family, while still working at H&M, blogging and writing for Toronto City Gossip! The last credit I took for the Fashion Certificate was an intro to fashion photography, so I would just like to share some of the (better) photographs I had the pleasure of taking during the course. Thanks for continuing my journey with me, and as always, thanks for reading!

Model: Natalie Burt

Investments

One of my favourite items to add to an outfit as of late, is a vest. I feel they just complete an outfit (in certain situations, of course), and are a great summer alternative to a jacket or blazer. Sleeveless blazers are so sleek and chic and can dress up any outfit; cargo vests are super cute for a laid-back weekend running errands; denim vests are great to throw on top of a flowy maxi dress; and leather (or pleather) vests add just the right amount of badassery if you're going for the biker-chic look!

I'm very short and have a short torso so the cropped vests definitely suit me better. So for ones like a sleeveless blazer that really only come in longer styles, I need to keep what I'm wearing underneath slim-fitting and either shorter than the vest or much longer (like long pants, not just an inch or two longer than the vest). Even something like a moto vest that you might think is not fit for summer, can still definitely be worn in the right colour and material. You can even throw on a white leather vest for a night out.

1. American Eagle Outfitters

2. Laveer

3. Mexx

4. Target

5. Vince Camuto

6. Target

Quote Of The Week

Tropical Prints: Flowers

I feel like florals are a very obvious trend for spring (cue The Devil Wears Prada quote), and so I wasn't really planning on making a post about the floral trend. That is not to say that I don't love florals, that I don't wear them, or that I think they should stop showing them for spring (because that is not the case at all). But a fairly new trend we've been seeing is not just a floral pattern, but a tropical floral pattern. And that is something I can definitely get behind and make a post about.

Probably one of my favourite things about tropical floral print is the use of bold colours, like turquoise, pink, and yellow. Another thing I love about it is that the flowers are usually abstract, with other shapes in the print (like lines and squiggles), and that just adds to the uniqueness and beauty of the item, because every one is so different.

1. Skirt: Rebecca Minkoff

2. Scarf: Vince Camuto

3. Jumpsuit: Topshop

4. Bikini Set: Pink

5. Dress: Precis

6. Knapsack: Herschel

7. Top: Zara

The Bomb Squad

One of my obsessions right now is bomber jackets. I know, just in time for no-jacket weather right? Well, there's still cool summer nights to come so I guess I can still get some use out of them. Bomber jackets are just so versatile; they can look badass in a black leather, feminine in a light floral colour,  and they are a great alternative to a blazer for almost any outfit. There are chic, dressy ones, ones on the more casual side, and ones in between!

1. Topshop

2. Sister Jane

3. Zara

4. Jovonna

7. The Whitepepper

6. Topshop

7. Calvin Klein

Quote Of The Week

Mauve Over

One of spring's most popular colour trends for this year is shades of purple, specifically lavender. When I first heard this I was ecstatic, because purple is my favourite colour (as I'm sure you could tell from my blog). I don't necessarily wear a lot of purple (it's not one of the colours that looks the best on me), but it being a colour trend means that I will be able to see it pretty much everywhere and gaze upon its magnificence, which is something I enjoy.

The amazing thing about purple is that is looks good with literally almost any other colour. So you can add accessories or jewelry in another colour if you want to keep your outfit simple (like the pink bag above), or you can colour block and pair your purple piece with another colour (my favourites are yellow, pink, and pastel blue). Here are some of my favourite purple pieces right now!

1. Skirt: Zara

2.  Shorts: Ragged Priest via Topshop

3. Watch: Timex Originals via Hudson's Bay

4. Swimsuit: Target

5. Necklace: Etsy

6. Heels: J. Crew 

7. Romper: Rare via Topshop

8. Bag: River Island via ASOS

Also, it seems the purple trend is making it's way into more than just clothing and accessories...

Nicole Richie

Demi Lovato

Kelly Osbourne

Black And White And Red All Over

This season, black and white is literally everywhere. I love the idea of mixing prints, though I rarely have the pieces (or guts) to actually do it in my own outfits. So when I bought these pants and top, I knew I had to give it a go. And how better to top off a black and white outfit than to add splashes of red?

I found the trick to mixing prints is to keep them the same colour (black and white) or at least in the same colour family, and to mix smaller prints with larger prints (I did big stripes on top and a smaller circular print on the bottom).

Top: Zara

Pants: Old Navy

Clutch: JNB via Marshall Rousso

Necklace: Vintage

Sunglasses: Old Navy (old)

Shoes: Call It Spring

Lipstick: MAC Cockney

Quote Of The Week

"It's easy to find yourself so abruptly lost, changing your mind so suddenly when you're in the incubator of your defining years. In fact, the pressure to define oneself is usually what stops us from actually doing it." - Leandra Medine

Though a little late to the party, I just recently finished reading this book. I absolutely loved it; it was funny, endearing, and very inspirational. I would definitely recommend it, even if you don't read Man Repeller (although you should). As I was reading I came across many sentences that I felt really spoke to me, as a blogger and lover of fashion just like Leandra, but this quote from one of the earlier chapters definitely stood out to me and I'm sure will stick with me for a while.

Weekend Highlights

Friday evening I had the amazing opportunity to go to a pre pop up shop for Elan + Castor to view their FW 2014 collection. It was 60s inspired and included some of the most amazing dresses, sweaters, and scarves I've ever seen.

I kept my outfit simple with a black skort and t-shirt but added some colour and pattern with a floral bomber jacket. Later that night, a friend of mine was DJing at a casual bar uptown, so to transition my outfit I swapped my skort for white ripped jeans and flats instead of wedges. I also attached the strap onto my clutch for a more casual bag. This sort of day-to-night transition look was fun because usually you like to be more casual during the day and dressier at night. But mine was a sort of reverse-transition, as my night was a lot more casual. Plus it was nice to put on flat shoes and comfy boyfriend jeans after walking around in wedges and a short skirt.

Left:

Jacket & Skort: Smart Set

T-shirt & Clutch: H&M

Wedges: Target

Necklace: Forever 21

Right:

Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

Flats & Belt: H&M

Saturday I helped on set for a student photoshoot at school. It was a lot of fun to work with a model, makeup artist, and photographers again. Here are some behind-the-scenes shots!

Model: Dora Kosenaov

Happy June everyone!