Foreign familiarity

Black check scarf c/o Dresslily / Green winter coat from StyleWe

First of all, I'd like to say that if you're going to Iceland in late September like I did, do not try to be stylish. It's not worth it. "I'm Canadian. I'm used to bad winters. How bad could it be?" Serves me right for thinking that I could get away with a women's blazer and jeans, trying the effortlessly cool. Turns out I was just cold. Maybe it was just my timing, but it was super windy. And rainy. And sunny. And hail-y. Be practical because the weather changes quickly. Now that I'm back, I'm laughing at how I was freezing from getting caught in the rain, yet I have tan lines from spending too much time at Blue Lagoon. But I suppose that's part of the appeal - the unpredictable beauty of the elements and nature. 

I'm a bit of a cranky traveller. I scoff at people who take photos trying to hold up the Leaning Tower, and grumble at how hard it is to get through crowded streets of people stopping every few steps. Here at Black Sand Beach, it's different. It's a little isolated, but well-known enough to attract the tourists. As the majority of people crowd the area right off the parking lot, a few of us wander off to the side. None of us speak the same language, but the generic gestures of "Take a photo for us?" are familiar. Then unexpectedly, the tide comes in and we all scramble to get as high as possible to avoid soaking our feet. Once the tide recedes, we look around to each other and laugh. I gotta say, knowing that you've shared a memorable experience with complete strangers, acknowledging each others' sense of whimsy, is kind of a beautiful thing. 

Seeing green

Green scarf / Navy windbreaker / Brown tweed skirt from H&M / Faux leather backpack from Target

Let me tell you a story I like to call, "The best worst job interview ever".

I had just come back from 2 weeks in Europe. I'm terrible jetlagged. I want to cancel my job interview, but I decide to drag myself to it. My plan is to slip out of work to the interview during my lunch hour without anyone noticing. Should be easy right? It would have been, but my office decided to have an impromptu pizza party. So I had to say, "Sorry guys, I'm not going to eat free pizza" by lying that I had a chiropractor appointment. 

Pizza-less, I hopped onto the subway. But thanks to good ol' reliable Toronto subway delays, I arrived downtown already 5 minutes late for my interview. I dashed up to the 29th floor, only to find the name of a different company on the door. I called the interviewer and discovered that HR had actually given me the wrong address. The wrong address?? You have got to be kidding me.

So there I was, dashing from building to building in heels, trying to find the right "tall black building" that people were trying to direct me to. Have you seen Toronto? It's not exactly easy. Finally, now half an hour late, I breathlessly arrived at the right office. "I said I wanted to make a lasting impression, not a good one."

After such a crazy experience, at least I can say that I have a new job! Haven't started yet, but I'm pretty pumped. 

Oh, I also got a little lesson in karma. Remember how I lied and said that I had a chiropractor appointment to get out of work? Well while running in heels, I messed up my hip and really did need a chiropractor to stop the pain. And that kids, is why you shouldn't lie.

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Why being a fashion blogger in the winter sucks

Grey jacket c/o Lovely Wholesale / Geo print sweater c/o Lovely Wholesale / Red plaid scarf from Forever 21 / Blue beanie from Aldo

Being a fashion blogger in Canada during the winter is horrible. I don't care what other people pretend to say, it's horrible.

If you don't live in a condo with a fancy lobby or have a whimsical-looking room, you're forced to go outside to keep up with the content while saying crap like, "It's only -10 degrees outside...that's doable!" If you look really closely, you can see my hand starting to turn blue. But I didn't get frostbite while taking these photos, so it was a good day.

On an average day with the windchill, it feels like -20. So no, I don't prance around in skirts with my jacket open. But when I spend most of my days cycling through sweaters and warm pants, I sort of look forward to these where I can dress up a bit, even for 10 minutes.

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Modern 90's

Long wool coat / Navy striped shirt from Gap / Floral dress from Sheinside / Tall boots from Le Chateau

90's nostalgia is a weird concept to me. I don't know about you, but I was a 90s kid. And as an 8 year old, I really didn't give a hoot about what was in style during that decade. It was just a few years ago, and still now, that I'm discovering shows from the 90's. And in the same way, I'm just starting to discover fashions that were popular in the 90s. I'm not re-discovering them, nor do they make me feel nostalgic. Instead of going full 90's today, I grabbed one item from the past and mixed it with a more modern look. Complete with boxy shoulder pads, this jacket has been hanging around at home for a while. I thought that it looked drab and unfitted (like a lot of items from the 90s), but paired with a straight dress and a belted t-shirt, it adds a more fitted silhouette to the look. So I guess if we're pulling out a fashion dictionary, this would fall under "90s-inspired". But to me, I call it "too cheap to buy a new coat so I found an old one that I wouldn't normally wear and made it prettier".

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How to: Wear a summer dress in the fall

Green overcoat / Combat boots / Cream sweater / Shoulder bag / Dress / Tassel necklace

Since this summer has been so chilly, I planned to do a nice little post today on what to wear for the early fall. But we finally had one of the hottest days of the season today, so now I'm a little conflicted. A summery day is wonderful, but I was already getting excited for layers and chunky pieces.

My point was that instead of packing up those pretty summer dresses already, you could squeeze a bit more life out of them by styling them for the fall weather. One of my favourite things to do lately is to throw on a dress and then lazily slap a sweater over it. I'm also a fan of contrasting a dainty dress with heavy combat boots, which is also great because combat boots are super functional for dreary rainy days. For colder days, I'd pair the look with a bold coat. Patterned and coloured outerwear make the season more vibrant in a sea of black leather jackets and green military jackets (yeah, you know the one I'm talking about!). I prefer this deep rich green, which is still subtle enough to be worn with anything. But for now, I guess I'll enjoy this freak heatwave. And remind me not to complain about melting and sweating because I just remembered that I absolutely hate the cold of Canadian weather. This cute layered look only lasts for about a month before I give up and bundle myself up like an abominable snowman. I'll be grudgingly counting down with an oversized watch this season in the meantime. 

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Winter Stripes

Tis the season to go see friends and family and be merry and such. I like to dress up when I go out, since I spend the greater part of my day in my pajamas if I'm being a coach potato at home. But with cold temperatures, it can be hard to motivate myself to put on a dress. I made an exception though for this striped dress from Surfdome. I've been looking for a white dress for a while, and it's a pretty big deal that this dress isn't see through, which is especially unattractive in the winter when you're sporting tights underneath. Sure, it's a fun summer dress in essence, but under a few layers, it still works for winter. And if I do say so myself, it's still just as cute.

Vero Moda striped flared dress c/o Surfdome (similar dresses here) / Leather jacket / Black scarf from Dynamite / Knit hat from Forever 21 / Tall boots from Nine West

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Abandoned

I stumbled upon a series of abandoned hospital buildings and decided to poke around a bit. Eventually, I found a building with an unlocked door and walked right in. Among broken glass windows and peeling wallpaper, there were a few isolated posters on the wall still that reminded guests to wash their hands to avoid spreading disease within this children's hospital. I wandered up the stairs, but totally got spooked once I heard a noise, which could have been someone/something upstairs or the wind playing tricks on my mind.

Exploring an abandoned building was kinda cool and I was caught up in the rush. Then afterwards, I remembered that I'm a total chicken when it comes to this kind of stuff. And people asking how Silent Hill-esque the exploration was didn't help. I don't actually know what Silent Hill is about, but I know it's a scary movie. And please don't tell me.

Also, it was a bit hard to find the buildings threatening when "Happiness will find when you stop hiding" was spray-painted along an outside wall. Gotta love that inspirational Canadian graffiti.

Leather peplum top / Grey bomber jacket / Light denim jeans from Pac Sun / Combat boots from Persunmall

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Trench

Now that I'm in limbo where I'm not in school or working yet, I try to dress up when I do get to go out, even if it's to run a few errands.  This way, I hope that I'm giving off the impression that I'm someone who does something productive, instead of someone who spends their days in pajamas while eating Nutella straight from the jar and watching old episodes of Boy Meets World.  Not that I do that...

Beige trenchcoat / Chiffon blouse from Necessary Clothing / Tweed skirt from H&M

Great White North

To me, the glimmer of hope that spring is near begins when I can change from my bulky winter jacket that barely allows me to move my arms to something...well, a little more flattering.  "Warm" means 0 degrees.  At this point, I get all excited and forget to wear layers.  Which isn't that great if you're going to be outside for an extended period of time.

Like a great Canadian, I built a sort of igloo and used it for shelter. Now, I just gotta build an igloo garage for my polar bear...

Bam, pants change!

Oxblood

I know we usually give guys a hard time for only being able to see 7 different colours and 3 shades, but I might have to side with them on this one.  I was okay with the whole "aqua", "baby blue", and "forest green" thing, but are we just using random words to re-name colours now?  Remember the good ol' days when "oxblood" was just called "burgundy"?  That's right.  Burgundy.  Believe it or not, that colour already has a name.  And it's a lot less gory.

Photos by Pop Champagne

What I'm wearing:
-Lace jacket
-Burgundy skirt from Forever 21
-Black heels from Winners