fall denim

Yup, you guessed it, another denim post. I just can't help myself. Denim is my obsession and my uniform. It is so versatile, and there are basically infinite possibilities because there are basically infinite styles of denim. I never used to be an everyday denim person (I usually saved it for days when I actually wanted to put some effort into my outfit, as I used to find jeans uncomfortable and dressy), but now I pretty much wear a different style of denim every day and they are definitely my go-to look when I don't want to or can't put a lot of effort into my outfit. Although I definitely don't follow the rule of "no white after labour day", I've decided to stick to blue and black denim for this post, because I love the way they look with fall colours (burgundy, orange, etc.).

autumn wish list

It's that time of year again, my favourite season and favourite season of fashion. And let's face it, while Autumn doesn't officially start until next week, we've all been expanding our fall wardrobes and even taking some items out for a spin already. So I can't help but get super excited for fall and all the fashion that it has to offer. That's why I've compiled a list of what I believe every woman should have in her fall wardrobe; some items I already own while some I'm still on the hunt for!

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)

Denim Daze

Denim never goes out of style, but it definitely has its hot and cold periods. Like right now, it is definitely very, very hot, and it is my most recent obsession. Lately, denim has been my go-to for an outfit (and not just when I can't figure out what else to wear; I generally start out with jeans and build the outfit from there), because it is so classic and so versatile. And I'm not just talking pants. I'm talking literally any kind of garment and accessory can be made out of denim. And the beauty is, it can be worn for any occasion (though you may want to double check with the bride before wearing it to a wedding; nevertheless it is possible).

It comes in tons of silhouettes. The colour possibilities are endless: classic blue (then there's light blue, dark blue, medium blue), white, off-white, black, grey, and every colour of the rainbow and then some. There are different washes, and denim with a pattern, embellishment and appliqué on it.

One day you can be wearing a denim jacket with sweats, converse, and a tuque, and the next you can be wearing dark skinny jeans with stilettos, a tailored blazer, and red lipstick. I am also grateful that it can be worn for pretty much any season, as I'm nowhere near ready to give it up for fall. And there are also tons of different types of denim pieces: jackets, shirts, shoes, bags, the list goes on and on. Though I have put some of my favourite denim pieces into a collage below. Enjoy.

1. Bralette: Moto

2. Dress: H&M

3. Backpack: New Look

4. Skirt: Michael Kors

5. Overalls: Blackfive

6. Watch: American Apparel

7. Jacket: Forever New

8. Tie Top: Nic + Zoe

9. Bow: Etsy

10. D'Orsay Flats: Jenni Kayne

Taking It To The Streets

For a school assignment at the beginning of September I had to sit in a crowded public place for a few hours and observe the trends that a lot of people were wearing. The main trend I was the grunge/punk style of the 90s. The grunge music trend actually started in the mid 1980s, and was a mix of punk and metal, and by the 90s became a very popular style of hard rock music. Even though it's a few months later, I decided to turn this school assignment into a blog post, since I've still been seeing a significant amount of this trend on the streets since you can wear it into winter (with tights of course), and as you will read below, I believe it will be back for the spring.

The crowded place I chose to observe the trends was on the subway, and I saw a lot of the following, which are all aspects of the grunge/punk style:

• Plaid and tartan, but in the traditional red, and red and navy pattern
• A lot of denim
• Band t-shirts
• Hats and tuques
• LGD (little grunge dress); characterized by the baby doll top and waist and flared out skirt

Because fashion is very cyclical and history tends to repeat itself, this trend has actually reappeared in the recent past, in the spring of 2010, 2011, and 2012. The following are pictures of the trend from these years:

2010

College Fashion

2011

Vodka Latte Freshly Squeezed

2012

The Fashion Tag

I think the grunge/punk trend was definitely back for 2013, and this time it found it’s way right into fall wardrobes, as well as spring. It also seems (from looking at these pictures) that each year the trend gets more and more masculine. The first year it was very feminine with the floral dresses, and by 2013, it has become very baggy sweatshirts and jackets and darker colours. As long as enough people will still wear this trend, I think it will still continue for at least a few more years, before a more feminine trend begins or this one starts to become more feminine again. A trend can’t continue in the same form for too long (masculine style).

2013

Lena Penteado

Transitions

To me fall is all about transitions. We’re transitioning from warmer to cooler weather and from summer to back-to-school. And if you’ve just graduated, like me, you’re transitioning from one point in your life to another. So since this is a fashion and style blog, I thought I’d make a post about transitioning your summer fashion to fall. Just because I have my fall wardrobe ready and raring to go, I know most people like to hold on to their summer styles for as long as they can, before it’s absolutely necessary to bundle up.

A good way to wear your summer brights and neons into the fall is to pair them with a darker colour, either a neutral or a paler shade of the same colour as the statement piece.

You could pair this neon pink blouse from Style Says Shop with these khaki green cargo pants from H&M. I also love this look because the trousers give the outfit an edgier, more masculine feel while the blouse makes it feel more feminine. Alternatively, pair the blouse with pale pink trousers, like these from Gap. The cords also give the outfit more of a fall feel. Throw a black blazer on top of either outfit to complete the look.

Another way to style a bright colour for the autumn would be to wear it in a shoe or accessory, like a statement necklace. The rest of the outfit can be warmer colours or neutrals. The picture below is from Liliaki’s blog, and the necklace is styled perfectly for autumn (snake skin is very in for fall 2013).

As mentioned in my previous post, fall must haves, you can wear shorts in the fall, in fabrics like tweed or leather, by layering them over thick tights. But if you want to transition some of your summer shorts in lighter fabrics into the early autumn, just pair them with a thinner nylon in a translucent shade.

You probably don’t want to do floral or lace, since it might look too contrasted with the nylons, so a black or beige in a light summer material would be perfect. Even denim looks great with this look, including short overalls, like these ones from House of Fraser.

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