Weekend Highlights

If you remember my post from a few weeks ago, this weekend I attended the annual Spark Sessions fashion and beauty blogger conference in downtown Toronto. I won't go into much detail about the conference today, as I will be posting about the details in a separate post later in the week, but I will quickly say that it was such a great experience to hear all the amazing panelists and speakers, and to meet a ton of fellow bloggers.

For day 1, I decided on a casual chic outfit of a grey cowl neck sweater, faux leather leggings, and a cozy vest. I added an off-white blazer for extra warmth.

Sweater: Old Navy

Blazer: H&M

Vest: H&M

Sunglasses: Joe Fresh

Coat: Old Navy

Scarf: H&M

Boots: Old Navy

On Saturday the conference ended around 3pm, and then I headed back uptown for an early family dinner at my Grandparents' house. When I transition from a day to night outfit, I usually like to keep one or two pieces of my outfit the same, and my colour scheme, since it feels more transitional to me (obviously there are exceptions, and I do often change my whole outfit). So for the night, I decided to keep my sweater on, but instead of the leggings opted for ripped black jeans. And instead of the blazer and vest I put on a leather jacket, to give the look an edgier feel.

Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

Jacket: Dynamite

Heels: Nine West

Bag: Aldo

Spark Sessions was over the course of the whole weekend, so for Sunday's outfit I went for a layered look, utilizing denim and leather, and added a light blue statement necklace on the denim shirt. Lately I've been loving monochromatic looks, using slightly different shades of the colour. It still makes the outfit look chic, but also adds some interest into it.

Shirt: H&M

Dress: Zara

Necklace: Aldo

Boots: H&M

Bracelet: Pandora

And here are just some more cute pictures from the conference. Enjoy!

(Some cute desserts they had for us; This was such a lovely cookie!)

(The Benefit Cosmetics booth)

(Some Christmas themed centrepieces for the tables, to get everyone into the holiday spirit)

(Exchanging business cards with the girls at my table on day 1)

(Some beautifully tinted macarons at one of the sponsor booths)

Toronto Fashion Week

I’m so lucky to be living in Toronto; it’s one of my favourite cities with always so much going on, you’ll never be bored or out of ideas. I’m also lucky that Toronto is the location of World Mastercard Fashion Week, and that I was able to go see a few shows this year. My life has been crazy these past few months (which is also the reason I haven’t posted in a long while), with school, work, and my internship. So it was a nice little break to sit back and be able to watch some great fashion shows.

I wish I could’ve been fortunate to be down at the tents more than one day during fashion week, but I was only able to attend the Caitlin Power and Rudsak shows on Thursday night.

Caitlin Power

The feel I got from Caitlin Power’s S/S 2014 collection was very businesswoman-esque; tailored and geometric. However, the not-too-long skirts and deep Vs kept the collection flirty and feminine too. The colours Caitlin mostly used were black and white, but the colours she wanted to show off for spring and summer of 2014 were definitely red and chartreuse (more green as opposed to yellow, though).

These were some of my favourite looks from Caitlin. Pictures from photographer Michael Ho.

 

 

 

Rudsak

If camo was the trend for fall, Rudsak’s trend for S/S 14 was snakeskin. There were a lot of neutrals and earth tones, which is great for spring, when nature is making its debut for the year. There was also a lot of leather, and I’m really glad to see it’ll follow through from fall to spring. White is one of my favourite trends and colours for spring and summer, since I don’t get to wear too much of it in the fall and winter (I’m not one to follow the “don’t wear white after labour day” rule, but living in the great white north, my winter whites tend to get ruined and salt-stained). I was glad to see some all white outfits and lots of white bottoms (pants, shorts, skirts).

These are some of my favourite looks from the Rudsak show. Pictures also from Michael Ho.

 

 

 

 

What were your favourite shows from Toronto fashion week? Let me know in the comments!

Fall Must-Haves

Fall is one of my favourite seasons, and not just because my birthday is in the fall. I absolutely love fall fashion, and even though I’m still in summer mode when it starts arriving in stores (I’ll admit it is a little depressing), I can’t resist starting to buy some autumn pieces already.

I’ve compiled a list of what I believe are 5 must-haves for autumn. Some of the photos are recent and intended for fall 2013 trends, but these trends can be applied to any given year, as they tend to stay mostly consistent. Some years the trends do change though, or designers will put a new spin on an old style.

1. Cords

You can find corduroys in almost any colour, and I absolutely love them for the cooler months. I bought a pair of mint-coloured cords in the fall of 2012 and they were the perfect summer/fall transition piece because of the light shade mixed with the cozier fabric. They were also great for the following spring because it was still pretty cool out, and the colour was perfect for the spring/Easter pallet.

I personally love these printed ones from H&M. The base colour is black and the pattern is neutral so you could pair these with pretty much anything. Alternatively, you could choose a very simple or black top without the outfit being too plain, since the trousers are patterned.

2. Fur vest

Currently I’m favouring the mid-length darker fur vests for this fall. By darker I’m talking brown or black; off white is best for spring, when you want to lighten up your wardrobe.

This picture from We Heart It styles the vest beautifully. I love the gold accessories; I think it’s the perfect tone for fall. Don’t get me wrong, I still wear silver jewelry most of the time (even in fall), but with this black vest and beige sweater, gold is definitely the way to go.

3. Ankle boots- with or without a heel

I absolutely love a bootie with a heel, but I do understand that some people are unable to walk around all day in heels, myself included. Luckily you can find a boot with almost any size heel, and if you choose the right one, they can double as a day shoe and a night shoe.

Take these Giuseppe Zanotti black leather ankle booties. These will go perfect with any skinny trouser or dress pant for the office, as well as a mini skirt or leather pant for a night out. Also check out the purple suede ones for a more adventurous look.

4. Leather pants

Pairing these with a light-feeling blouse, fur vest, and ankle boots is the perfect go-to outfit. You don’t need to accessorize too much since the pants and vest already lend the outfit their contrasting textures. But if you do decide to add a necklace or bracelet, I’d tone it down with ones that match the blouse or shirt you’re wearing, so the accessories don’t take away too much from the outfit itself. I also love pairing these pants with a knit sweater. With this outfit, alternatively, feel free to accessorize since it’s not as layered as the vest option. I would do a shorter, chunky necklace and chunky bracelets.

Another way to wear this trend is to do to shorts in a leather/pleather and wear thick or knit stockings. I love this sort of look for cooler weather (it also looks nice with tweed or wool shorts). Pair shorts like these high-waisted shorts from Topshop with a sweater like this one from H&M. The fabrics provide the perfect contrast and the colours look great together!

5. Wide brim hat

And when I say wide brim, I mean very wide brim. I don’t know why but I just love these. When you think of a wide brim hat, your mind probably automatically goes to a straw or other beach appropriate hat. But in the right colour and material, it’s the perfect accessory for autumn. I would invest in a wool hat in a maroon, beige, or brown (like this one from Levi's), and these colours can be added to any look to top it off (pun intended).

I just want to add one more must-have that I think deserves honourable mention, since it's timeless and seasonless. Denim. Light or dark. It can be paired with absolutely anything, even more denim (although this look must be executed with extreme caution and precision). So I will end this post with a few photos of beautifully-styled denim for fall. Let me know in the comments what your fall must-haves are!

 Stockholm Streetstyle

 TheBlackCatGirl

 We Heart It

 We Heart It

 H&M