Never Say Never

I’m not an animal print kind of gal.  I appreciate it and like it on others, but I usually feel like an imposter when I try animal print pieces….until I bought these leopard print boots from Top Shop.  I got interested in leopard print footwear from seeing them styled different ways on the fashion blogs I look at.  I love the splash of colour on my feet. They’re fun to wear! JD

Rest of outfit:
Jacket – H&M (on sale for $30, reg $100 – deal!)
Silk boyfriend shirt – Joe Fresh
Coral t-shirt – H&M
Sunglasses – Cheap Monday
Hat – Goorin Bros.
Coral scarf – The Bay
Pants – Domino

Photos by Tania Alvarez

Leather and Lace

I forgot about this skirt, and found it while organizing my closet a few days ago.  The last time I wore it was here with my coral sweater. It’s my Mad Men inspired lady look, and it often gets mistaken for a dress. I bought it for $22 at Vintage Mix 1 on Ossington. One of my favourite vintage shops!  My top is by Vero Moda from The Bay, and leather boots are by Cole Haan. I’m kinda cold just looking at these pics…now back to hibernation. JD

And for all you Steve Nicks fans, here is one of my favourite songs – Leather and Lace.

The Winter Anorak

My search for the perfect Anorak lead me to this Vero Moda coat with great seasonal timing. My 2010 hunt was all disappointment upon the realization that the good Anoraks had sold out in my size or were simply too much moolah. On Boxing Day at Sherway Gardens, I was walking through The Bay and stumbled upon this Vero Moda jacket. My stumbling was followed by a “Eureka!” as it was the very last one and in my size. I ran to the cash to hear “$34 please”. “Double Eureka!”.

The rest of my outfit:

Hat – Hudson’s Bay Company

Infinity Scarf – Reese from Doll Haus

Leggings – Costa Blanca

Boots – Aldo

Yoga Jeans by Second Denim

Do you own a pair of Yoga jeans by Second Denim?  I didn’t until I visited Shopgirls Gallery Boutique and now I’m in love.  They are 100% Canadian made and the denim has 92% shape memory, while the industry standard is 64%.  They contour your body like second skin and hold their shape throughout the day….similar to a comfortable yoga pant.

Please note:  it does not mean you can wear them to yoga class – please do not.

Before getting my pair, I was told that I’d never want to go back to regular jeans, and that is precisely right.  You get the same look as a jean, but the feel of a yoga pant – PURE GENIUS!!!

Mine are the high rise skinny leg, but they come in a variety of rinses, shapes, and rises.  If you’re looking for a new pair of jeans, I’d definitely check these out.  They retail for $110 – a good investment if you ask me.

I’m also wearing:
* Lace top by Vero Moda from The Bay ($20)
* Belt from Zara ($10)
* Lace-up booties from H&M ($69)

Lace Top Tight Pants

I popped by The Bay on Queen last week and found this lace top by Vero Moda on sale for $20. Score!  I love Vero Moda – they always have nice stuff.  I bought an amazing dress as well that I’ll show you soon.

My pants and belt are from Zara ($59), and  I’m happy to tell you that Zara on Bloor is finally open after 5 months of renovations.  That was a long wait.  They changed the floors, shelving, and light fixtures.  That’s it! I thought they were building another floor at that rate.

My lace-up booties are from Spring shoes, and cashmere scarf is by Arnold Brant.  Hope you are bundled up today, it’s getting so cold!  It’s going to be difficult to take outfit photos outside soon.  Not sure what we’re gonna do!  JD

 

Sunday Lazy Sunday

What is better than a lazy Sunday?  The clothing that lazy Sunday allows.  I enjoyed brunch at Fire On The East Side with friends and then set off to do some shopping at The Bay.  My sister had still not seen The Room so we went for a browse seeing oh so many amazing things for fall.  Unfortunately I did not buy anything that day – I seemed to be conscious of my bank account.  That is so unlike me.  Here I am wearing my $39 Joe Fresh silk tunic, $30 Zara sweater, $10 Costa Blanca leggings and my go to $70 moto boots from Spring.  CM

27 Dresses?

I have had one busy summer.  Approximately seven-million wedding invitations (real number is seven) have come my way and all are taking place within three months of each other.  Two were this past weekend.  The first was for my Western University roommate Liz.  She married her macho man Jeff at the Miller Lash House at U of T Scarborough.  The grounds were stunning and Liz, being a wedding planner, planned and executed the most beautiful wedding.  I wore this dress that I found at The Bay.  It was 70% off for $36.  My bag is an old sale purchase from Banana Republic, wedges are from Pegabo, and necklace was borrowed from my friend T.

The following day the gorgeous Courtney married her math professor beau at Grace Restaurant on College Street.  It was the ultimate city wedding and tres chic.  She requested that her closest friends wear white – what a confident bride!  I wore this dress that I purchased at Lolita when I was a student in London, ON.  Those who went to Western or grew up London know that Lolita is the go to shop on Richmond street.   I decided to give the dress a boho look with big gold earrings from Forever 21 ($6) and strappy leather wedges from Aldo ($90).   Purse is a Cole Haan sample sale purchase.

Today I am off to Ottawa for another wedding…and no, my dress for this one isn’t floral print.  Stay tuned! CM

Weekend Warrior

Last Sunday, I dressed myself from the head down.  I found this hat in the Men’s section at H&M for $2.  Big score!  Next I put on this t-shirt I got from The Bay for $15.  The t-shirt is as light as silk and so soft it feels like second skin.  The necklace is from VV Boutique in Burlington (Value Village) and was $5.  Boyfriend jean shorts are from H&M ($13) and my boots are from Spring ($70).  My bag is a great oldie purchased from Forever 21 when I was still in high school.  I bring it out every summer.  Not sure why I limit it to one season?  CM

SMUT Soiree with Lainey Gossip

We were at the 5th annual SMUT Soiree last night at Audi Downtown where the night was filled with lots of sugar, girly cocktails, cars we dream about, gossip, and good times with friends.  The highlight of the event featured a panel discussion with Canada’s queen of gossip – Lainey from Lainey Gossip, along with Dan Levy from MTV Canada and George Pimental – a celeb photographer who knows a thing or two about the stars. Between the three of them, they had a lot of inside scoop and shared some funny stories. Very entertaining. We particularly enjoyed Dan’s one liners!  Here are a few shots from the night….

Maynards candy was a sponsor of the event, along with The Bay and Fashion Magazine. Candy was EVERYWHERE! We’re still dizzy from the sugar high.

Sweet wheels.

Lainey, Dan, and George.

With the lovely Lainey.

Planning a getaway with Ashleigh. We were hoping someone would give us the keys, but no such luck.

With Dan Levy…we love his glasses!  Tomorrow we’ll be dishing on our budget party outfits – we love to dress up! JD & CM xo

Queen Fresh

I haven’t gone grocery shopping in about 2 months now which is kinda bad. I’ve been grabbing bites here, there and everywhere as I run from meetings to events to my next adventure – I’m always on the go. I don’t feel too bad when it’s a healthy option but that’s hard to come by. I thought this baby warrior bowl from Fresh on Queen street would’ve made the cut, but it just tasted like grass and rotten tofu. Definitely not as delicious as the Craft Burger I had the other day or the spicy pad thai I tried at Red Room. Don’t get me wrong, Fresh on Queen is amazing and they have a lot of great options, but this one just isn’t the greatest.

I decided to forget about my lunch and do something a little more fulfilling — search for vintage cut-off jean shorts. And guess what? I found them! To be revealed at a later date. This is my strolling the street look. High waist, pleated pants are from Zara, fringe sandals are from Spring Shoes, crop top is from America Apparel – oh yes you read that correctly – CROP TOP! Loving the 90s comeback. My moto-inspired jacket is from H&M, purse was found on the street, sunglasses were my grandpa’s, and my pop of coral light weight scarf is from The Bay, or La Baie if you are French. JD

Moto-Pretty

If ever you are looking for the perfect outfit to transition from a bikers Harley to the office this is the one.  I was almost hoping, on this particular morning walking to work, that a bad-a#@ biker was going to pull up beside me and say, “Wanna ride sweet thing?”.  I would have put on my pink helmet and been off covering the best three city blocks of my life!  Sigh, it didn’t happen.

Here I am office ready.  Jacket is from Club Monaco on Bloor Street and H&M top was purchased on Bloor.   My skirt was purchased at Suzy Shier in Calgary for $10.  Shoes were found at The Bay in Burlington for $12 and necklace is from Forever 21 on Yonge Street for $8.  CM

The Striped Blazer

I was finally able to make my way over to Hero Burger this week.  Since opening a new location on the corner of Church and Wellesley, the joint has been packed for weeks with lines stretching to the door.  In this pic I was talking about how crazy the $10 hamburger phenomenon has become in T.O.  Seriously though, they are everywhere.

A few weeks back I picked up this jacket at H&M, Eaton Centre location, when they had their sale on jackets and blazers. All were reduced by $15 so after the discount it came to $25.  Ah-mazing. T-shirt is from Zara on Bloor St. and jeans from Uniqlo.

Some boys have compared this jacket with Beetlejuice’s and I’m cool with that.  I actually like to think of it as a reverse mullet – long in the front and short in the back.

The wedge shoes were a good find at The Bay in Burlington.  They cost $12.

I can’t believe I’m actually sharing with you my dire need for a pedicure.

Hero burger was delish.  I got the onion rings and my date got fries.  Next time I will skip both (they were just meh) and get just the burger.  The toppings alone are like a side dish anyway.  CM

Oh Canada!

Dressing the part is something we know all women do and most know there are no boundaries for this;  even when it comes to athletics.  No…we’re serious.  Here we are dressed in HBC Olympic hats gearing up for the Opening Ceremonies tonight!  Both are found at The Bay for under $20.  How do the hats and mittens fit into our budget?  They were gifts from a friend who works for HBC within the Olympic sponsorship team.  Gotta love free stuff!

CM