a year in outfits

Fashion is such a big part of my life, and living in Canada where you really feel four different seasons, allows me to express myself through fashion in all different kinds of weather. I love being a blogger; being able to find inspiration in fellow bloggers and throughout all facets of my life and the fashion industry, and being able to share my own personal style and thoughts through this platform. This year has been so different from past ones for me. I went through some changes and discoveries of myself and what I want to do in life and for a career; I started dating the most amazing boy; I really got a sense of who I was as a person, and my personal style definitely changed over these last 12 months. That's not to say that I have everything figured out 100% yet, but I am definitely many steps closer and I can't wait to keep discovering new things along the way. I thought since we are entering a new year, it would be fun to go back through some of my favourite outfits and shoots of 2015 and share them with you. Enjoy!

red lips, red doors

The end of October until right into November this year had pretty great weather in Toronto. Except for a few really cold days, there wasn't much wind and I was usually good with a chunky sweater and light coat. The longer I can wear layering pieces and light fall jackets (before bundling like crazy and having to throw on my parka before I leave the house), the happier I am, and the more ready I am to welcome the Holidays when the time finally does arrive.

outfit of the day

Since the weather is changing again, I thought it would be a perfect time for another Outfit Of The Day post, where I go through some of my Instagram ootd's from the past season. It isn't as cold as I would've thought it would be by November this year, which I'm glad for because it's allowing me to get more use out of my autumn wardrobe. Those few days the first week of November here in Toronto were amazing with that 20 degree weather, but it did give me that feeling of Spring time and I'm not quite ready for that, as I do want to enjoy the holiday season; the coziness, the snow, and hot chocolate in front of the fireplace.

print mixing

Two of my favourite prints, plaid and leopard, are two very classic prints, and they also two very standard prints for Fall. One of my favourite styling tricks, and something that will up your style game so easily, is mixing prints. Especially when one is a neutral print like leopard, and the other is in such a soft, muted hue, like this olive green, mixing prints is so fun and easy.

halloween fashion

(Skeleton bracelet I got last Halloween, from Aldo Accessories)

[I usually post later in the week, but I wanted to post this Halloween fashion post earlier to help with ideas for last minute Halloween outfits or costumes.] Last year was probably the last year I dressed up for Halloween. Let's face it, when you're in your 20's, if you don't go to a club, bar, or party there isn't really a reason to. It makes me sad because not only do I love dressing up, but I also love getting into the Halloween spirit. It might be because October is my favourite month and Fall is my favourite season, but I just love the feel of Halloween. That's why I love the semi-new trend of Halloween-inspired clothing, and accessories, that have appeared on the fashion scene over the last little while.

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.).

apple picking

When I say that October is a busy month for me, that's a huge understatement. It's my sister's and my birthdays, my boyfriend's birthday, and my Grandparents' anniversary (this year they're celebrating 55 years, so we're doing a big celebration). There's a convention for one of my favourite shows that I go to every Thanksgiving weekend, going out to celebrate birthdays with work people (which I spoke about last week here), and inventory at work. And of course, Halloween and Thanksgiving, the latter of which I celebrated for the first time this year with Phil. Add to all of that the fact that October is my favourite month and that I always want to do a million fall activities, but I always feel like the month goes by too fast and I never have time to do them.

early birthday outfit

Last year we realized there are 4 people at work that all have birthdays in October (including myself), and thought it would make a fun tradition to go out for dinner with everyone sometime during the month (I talked about last year's dinner here). So this year we decided to have our dinner last weekend, even though all our birthdays aren't until later in the month (mine is on the 22nd).

dress/pants

(Banana Republic, Fall 2015)

One of the trends that are carrying over to fall that I wasn't too sure about at first was wearing a dress over pants. I know I disregard a lot of styles because I just know I won't be able to pull it off because of my body shape, but for this one I thought even for tall, modelesque people, surely this can't look cool, or even good? But seeing street style photos just showed me how wrong I was.

transitions

I bought these pants back at the beginning of the summer, as I was craving a pair of floral, flowy pants I could easily just throw on with a t-shirt and head out the door (which these pants allowed me to do perfectly). But I also loved that even though there are vibrant flowers on the pants, the background is navy, and therefore I would be able to wear them in the Spring as well as the Fall, with something a little cozier than a t-shirt.

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!

pre fall palette

Working in a fashion retail setting has its ups and downs. Around March/April we start to receive Spring items, which get me so excited for the warmer weather to arrive and really inspire me. But in July/August we start to receive Fall items (sweaters, scarves, boots), and while Fall is one of my favourite seasons, it does get a little depressing since we're still in the midst of Summer. But of course there are always those transition items that you just can't resist, like this romper.

simple fringe

As I've said before I'm not the biggest fan of the 70's look that has been quite literally everywhere this spring and summer (mostly because I can't pull off most of those looks). But, as I've also said before, this summer I really started getting into some simple boho looks that aren't too over the top, and really loving it. I've now gotten used to the flowy dresses, long bohemian necklaces, and sandals, but still the fringe trend is something I'm having a little trouble getting on board with. I'm a simple girl with simple style, and therefore I'm always looking at how to make the crazy trends more my speed and wearable for me.