Detail detail detail

 

Detail, detail, detail is so important. I recently dyed my hair brown (blonde wasn't liking me I found out from the major breakage going on!), so I was pumped to wear this coral top. It's great to play to your features. Bright colours with dark hair, pastels with light hair, green eyes pop some blue on, dark features try a teal!

 

 

 This necklace is by Hillberg & Berk - a designer from Regina, Saskatchewan. I grew up in Saskatchewan, and have a lot of pride for my province. Never doubt a small town or region - she now designs pieces for Celine Dion and various celebrities.

 

 

I took a summer intensive program at Parsons in Paris this summer. My good friend forecasted that back detail would be a major trendsetting detail for the coming seasons. So - I played that up with this outfit! The top would look better without the black cami; however, I didn't want to bear too much skin at work!

 

 

Top: Boutique. Pants: Hue. Shoes: Zara. Necklace: Hillberg & Berk.

 

This scarf is so beautiful; I wanted to include it in this post. It was handmade by a woman in Hawaii - she designed the pattern and put it on this soft, soft silk scarf. She was such a sweet woman.

 

I like the contrast of the green earrings with the colours in the scarf - and if you look closely it has a somewhat marble effect similar to that of the scarf.

 

 

Suspenders! Love them - I'm going to make them a staple of my wardrobe for fall!

 

Shoes: Fly London. Skirt: Maje. Tank: Niki Biki. Scarf: Boutique. Earrings: Boutique.

Professionista

I would never be able to work in an office that didn't give my freedom to wear what I wanted. Usually I tend to push the dress code line, but hey - fashion is supposed to be fun. So, I wore these dress pants with a fun top and heels to make me a "professionista." (Is that too cheesey? Because it might be my new favourite fashion word!)

 

I do believe they're supposed to be capris, but because of my height they're more of a flood length - which I prefer! It cuts right above the ankle which is so flattering with heels! Or, with a really cute Oxford and socks it would give it an "Ellen DeGeneres" look.

 

 

This ring just pulled everything together. I was wearing a grey handbag (my Mondalu pictured in other blog posts), so this outfit had zero colour. BUT, it's again a spin on the monochromatic look with sticking to white, grey, and black. You don't always need a pop of colour, it's okay to be dull once in a while! As long as you're still chic ;)

 

Shoes: Aldo Rise. Pants: Banana Republic. Top: Cop Copain. Watch: Guess. Ring: Boutique.

Happy Birthday Coco Chanel

To me, Coco Chanel is the most influential woman in the fashion industry still today. Her ideals about empowerment, individuality, and rule-breaking still thrive in women. If you're a woman and you're wearing pants or jeans or shorts right now... you can thank Coco Chanel. I hate the idea of feminism, because so many women who are promoting it are doing so in the wrong ways. Instead of making yourself sound like an idiot and claim you want equal rights while being able to bat your eyelashes and get free drinks at the bar, you need to act on it. Coco Chanel made her way in the world by continuously promoting women equality in her actions AND words - she definitely had some fun along the way, but her strength shone through the entire time.

I respect Karl Lagerfeld and his Chanel vision - he is truly an icon and he has made the brand one of the most successful luxury fashion labels in the entire world. HOWEVER, I think if Coco Chanel were alive, she would continue to further and diversify the brand. If 2013 Chanel was to reflect Coco Chanel's vision, it would be more innovative. Chanel will always be my favourite designer, but I think Karl has been led astray over the past couple years with his other line. It's time to put a woman in charge to run the show. (Uh oh... was that a hint of feminism...?)

Wine Tasting

Why is it when I think of wine tasting I think of a flowy, bright dress? It's a Sunday, so we popped over to Arrington Vineyards and tasted some of their wine. To be honest, the wine isn't great, but the view is absolutely incredible. Even if you don't like wine, it's the cutest place for a picnic or a romantic date. Seriously, boys - get some roses.

 

 

Love the back detail on this dress. Make sure if you have great detail on your back, don't cover it up with your hair!

 

 

There's nothing wrong with mixing shades that don't seem to go together 100%, but I loved how this minty-turquoise wallet looked with my royal blue dress.

 

The incredible view of the countryside and vineyards was so inspirational.

We got to choose 4 wines to taste (should have been more), and despite the weak taste, I still took a bottle home! This was a rosé I tried.

 

 Girls + Wine = <3

Farmers Market

Our plan today was to check out Nashville's Farmers Market, so I just wanted to be comfy. My outfit is simple: black and white with a pop of red. The blouse, however, is great, because I can have the tie around my neck or wrap it around my waist to give me a tailored look - I chose to wear the top flowy.

 

 

When you're wearing a simple outfit, it's so easy to dress it up with funky jewelry. I found this bracelet at a small boutique (cannot remember where), but it adds a small, yet bold, detail to an outfit.

 

I love the vibrant colours at Farmers markets. SO much fashion inspiration to see what unexpected colours look great together.

 

 

It's so important to support local farmers and organizations. I love supporting local boutiques, which is one of the reasons I love attending farmers markets. We all want to make it somewhere in life, so it's important to help each other out.

 

 

This is Nashville's first fashion truck. It's the same thing as a food truck, except you buy clothes - self explanatory. This is an incredible idea - so cost effective and creative.

 

This was a boutique in Franklin called "Blush." Their décor was so fun, it definitely added to a shopper's excitement.

 



 

My necklace I found at "Blush:"

 

Shorts: Split. Blouse: Hawaii Boutique. Bracelet: Unknown. Handbag: Dooney & Bourke.

 

Cheekwood Gardens



My inspiration for today's look was these three patterns and fabrics. Mixing a silk scarf and blouse with a rougher texture of the floral shorts gives an interesting edge. I also love the combo of hard skulls and soft flowers - it keeps a chic balance.

 

 

My roommate and I went to Cheekwood Gardens outside of Franklin, TN. Brian Munro had a display set up around the entire gardens entitled "Lights." The man-made aesthetics of the light displays were such an interesting contrast to the natural beauty of the gardens - such fashion inspiration.

 

 

The button on my shorts is a metallic colour so I wanted to bring that out with this rose gold watch and I loved the mix of subtle floral patterns with this Chanel wallet on a chain compared to my shorts.

 

Basically, my outfit today was all about contrasting delicate and rough exteriors. I love this combo and it happened to reflect the theme of the gardens and exhibit (I swear I didn't plan that). It's just a great point how inspiration for fashion is EVERYWHERE. Literally.

 

 

The rest of the photos are my favourite examples from the Lights display. If you're reading this and you live around Nashville, go check it out!

 

 Shoes: Chanel. Shorts: Ted Baker. Blouse: Franklin Boutique. Watch: Michael Kors. Handbag: Chanel. Scarf: Alexander McQueen. Necklace: gift (unknown).

Chic Sophistication

The thing I probably love most about fashion, is being able to mix and match not just styles, but levels of brands as well. You don't need to be head to toe in Givenchy or Prada, but you can mix low, medium, and high designers to look chic and sophisticated. Or at least that's what I was going for today.

 

My pants, top, and earrings only cost me about $50, and it's pretty hard to tell - so never worry about a price tag. I definitely used to avoid sale items at all costs (no pun intended...) because to me, they were out of style and no one wanted them. Now, I truthfully don't care if they're on the sale rack, consignment, or at Forever 21. If you like something, just go for it. The only important thing is to make each piece your own.

 

 

 

I love the combo of the detailing on my pants versus the detailing on my top. I would say that the trend of mixing crazy patterns together is on the decline (although, I still follow it on occasion), and mixing patterns has become more refined and sophisticated. Et...voila! 

 

For me, diamonds are definitely a girl's best friend. Like I said, I love mixing lower brands with higher brands. It keeps it fresh and different. All these rings, except for the bottom, are from independent jewellers. If you're a diamond fan and go for the mass marketed diamonds, definitely try a smaller boutique - the quality is usually better and the design is more unique.

 

These earrings are heavy. Very, very heavy. But they're cute and I thought they just added a neat, contrasting touch!

 

 

Flats: Chanel. Pants: H&M. Top: Forever 21. Diamonds: various boutiques. Earrings: TopShop. Handbag: Chanel



Geometric Black and Gold

Today, I wanted to centre my outfit around the buttons on my skirt.

 

SO easy to plan an outfit around black and gold, but I also tried to pick up on the geometric shapes on the skirt by adding these AWESOME bangles by House of Harlow - I've definitely got my money's worth out of them.

 

 

My necklace also picks up on the colouring in the skirt with a completely different shape than that of the bangles - fashion doesn't have as many rules as people think it does. If you want to mix shapes and colours and fabrics that's probably MORE fashionable than just pairing matchy-matchy accessories with a basic outfit. Have some fun - I wanted to incorporate a little bit of colour into my outfit, so I added these awesome heels. They are literally the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn.

  

 

Love this nail polish colour - enough said. 

 

 

Shoes: & Other Stories. Skirt: Leifsdottir. Top: BCBGMaxAzria. Bangles: House of Harlow. Necklace: New York & Co. Nail Polish: O.P.I

Office to Girls Night

When I'm working in an office, I want my outfits to be able to transition into a night out for dinner and drinks easily, without being too corporate-stuffy or too bar-slutty.
The main highlight of this post is my shoes. I absolutely love these heels - to me, they look chic and sophisticated and guess where I found them... ALDO. I know, hard to believe right? Aldo teamed up with Preen (look them up if you haven't heard - they're going to get bigger and bigger) and created a fresh line that looks high-end.
Once I knew I wanted to wear these heels, it was easy to pair with a colourful skirt and top, and keep the rest of my accessories white.
Comfy, chic, and sophisticated, you can turn heads in a business meeting and at a martini bar.

Shoes: Aldo. Skirt: Desigual. Sweater: TopShop. Watch: Guess. Handbag: Chanel. Necklace: PinkFire (a designer from my hometown in Canada)