crop it like it's hot

{top: Club Monaco; tank: RW&Co. (old, love this one); skirt: Wilfred (old, love this one);

boots: MICHAEL Michael Kors (also here); bracelet: BCBG; sunglasses: Prada (bought in-store)}

It was a gorgeous day yesterday and I was at home sick.  I slept until almost 11 am (after going back to bed after dropping the kids off at daycare/school) and felt a bit better.  It would have been the perfect day to run errands, etc. but I was not up for doing anything.  I could not pass up the opportunity though to take some quick pictures of today's outfit without having to worry about freezing, or covering up with a coat.  It was just after 4 pm and already getting dark out.  Sad.  Also sad, it was almost 17 degrees.  Today the high was supposed to be about 4 degrees so of course I'm wearing this outfit with tights and a coat.  It's just not the same.

not-so-basic basics

 

{skirt (old, love this one), sweater: Wilfred Free; tee: Wilfred; socks: GAP;

MICHAEL Michael Kors Salem Bootie (all leather version); rings: Free People; sunglasses: Prada}

 

I bought a Prada bag recently and blew my fall budget already so I'm trying to be smart with my shopping lately (or actually not shop at all, which will be impossible and will not happen).  I'm also planning to go to Paris in the spring, which has always been a dream of mine and included in that dream is to buy a Chanel bag.  So I'm all about basics lately and these are probably my favourite so it made sense to put them all together.  These pieces will be worn over and over again this fall and winter.  I bought this faux leather skirt years ago and I am still obsessed with it.  This grey tee will go with everything and I'll soon be pairing it with a long-sleeved blouse underneath for extra warmth.  And this sweater.  I am in love with this sweater.  It was more than I would usually pay for a plain, white sweater, but this sweater is anything but plain.  As you can see, the texture of this sweater is beautiful and it is so cozy and soft you just want to live in it, so it definitely was a great investment.

sweet

 

 

 

{skirt (similar here and this one is so pretty), top: ZARA; blazer: Joie; 

bracelet: J.Crew; Valentino Garavani Rockstud Grained Leather Flats; sunglasses: Prada}

 

Summer is back!  It was starting to get really chilly and I was worried for a minute, but the last couple of days have been really warm.  I was ready for fall though because I'm pretty much done my fall shopping (already, I know - but fall clothes are my favourite!).  But I'm happy that we're getting some more warm weather because it really does feel like winter just ended.  I bought this pretty ZARA blouse thinking I was going to pair it with jeans, but I love skirts and definitely wanted to take advantage of the warmth so I paired it with this pretty ZARA skirt I bought this past winter.  The morning was a bit gloomy and cool so I threw on this floral blazer and ended up with a really girly outfit.  Plus, I love wearing bright colours when it's miserable out.  But the sun came out in the evening and it turned out to be a beautiful night.

black, white & red

{blouse: J.Crew; skirt: MinkPink (sold out, love this one); shoes: GUESS;

bag: MICHAEL Michael Kors (similar larger version here); bracelets: H&M; sunglasses: Prada}

It has cooled down over the past couple of days, which gave me a chance to wear this J.Crew blouse I bought a couple of weeks or so ago.  It has a subtle polka dot print and a pretty front tie.  (It will also look great dressed down with a pair of shorts!)  When I wear black and white I always tend to pull out this red MK handbag because black or white would be boring (to me) and any other colour would just not seem right.  Black and white is a classic combination and red just adds more class.

polkadots & florals

{dress: Talula; blazer: Joie (love this and this one); bracelet: J.Crew; sunglasses: Prada;  

sandals: Splendid (similar here and here)}

Recently I wore this exact same dress but in blue (see here) and I was talking about how I also had a black version of the blazer I wore and I was going to wear it with this dress.  But I also happened to pull this beautiful Joie blazer that I bought last year out of my closet to remind myself to wear it soon.  (When you have a ridiculous amount of clothes, you need to do this at times, or else the season will pass and before you know it it's winter and you'll be kicking yourself saying, 'Why didn't I wear that?!'  Which is why I wonder sometimes why I continue to buy clothes and then I remember... oh, right, I'm a shopaholic.)  I saw this blazer hanging up outside my closet door and thought why wouldn't I wear this blazer rather than go with the obvious black?  I love mixing prints and this dress is perfect for doing so because the polkadots are not 'in your face'.  Because the blazer has speckles of yellow in it, my yellow Coach bag, which is my go-to these days, tied the outfit nicely together.  (See here on Instagram.)

So now that I wore this blazer, I'm already trying to figure out other ways of wearing it because I thought, 'Why do I not wear this beautiful blazer more often?!'  Oh, right, because of the excess clothing thing.

pretty pastels

{Talula Keisei Dress, Talula Kent Blazer; pumps: GUESS (other colours here and here);

bracelets: J.Crew; sunglasses: Prada}

I love pastels, especially paired together, so when I saw this pretty blue dress at Aritzia, I knew instantly that I would pair it with this pastel blazer (that I also picked up from Aritzia a year, or two ago) because the dress has spaghetti straps and an open back, which are not appropriate at my work.  But that's why I love this dress so much.  It works for the office by adding a blazer (or sweater) and it's perfect for drinks on a patio after work without the blazer, especially when it's super hot.  And if it gets a bit chilly, you just throw the blazer over your shoulders because it's so lightweight and drapey.  I love this dress so much that I also picked up this polka dot version and knew I could pair it with the same blazer that I also have in black.  I also just realized I have these pumps in black too.  Hey, when you love something that much, why not buy two?

goodbye, spring

{tunic: Topshop (similar here); jacket: Anthropologie (similar here and here);

Coach Bleecker Mini Preston Satchel; Valentino Garavani Rockstud Grained Leather Flats;

bracelets: J.Crew, H&M; Roxy Heat Wave Hat (similar); sunglasses: Prada}

I'm so happy I picked up this Anthropologie jacket last fall because it's a great spring jacket too.  It's lightweight and basically goes with everything.  It's the first day of summer today and hopefully that means warmer mornings, but we haven't gotten there yet.  Some mornings this week I have been able to get away without wearing a jacket, but there still has been those days that have a little bit of that spring morning chill.  Earlier this spring I said that I normally don't get to wear spring jackets for very long because in Canada it goes from cold to hot, but this spring has been perfect.

So long, Spring... hello, Summer...(you're my favourite)!

easy breezy

 

{GAP Stripe Roll-Sleeve Shirt (in-store, white version here); skirt: ASOS; shoes: GUESS;

bracelet: BCBGeneration (similar); sunglasses: Prada}

Yesterday was another scorching hot day, but I was prepared.  This GAP shirt is super comfortable - you can almost sleep in it - and perfect for a hot day because of its loose fit.  I actually bought this ASOS skater skirt in the winter but never got around to wearing it, but thought it was the perfect match for this blouse.  Yes, normally you're supposed to pair something more fitted at the bottom if your top is on the voluminous side, but because I knew what the weather was going to be like, I wanted both pieces to be loose-fitting, but balanced the look out with these GUESS pumps.

pink lady

{shirt, skirt: ZARA; shoes: Guess by Marciano; bracelets: H&M, J.Crew; sunglasses: Prada}

I saw this shirt/skirt combo in the ZARA lookbook and immediately fell in love.  At first I thought it was a dress and as much as I love a dress, I was happy to find out it was two separate pieces because it could be worn two different ways.  First, as seen above, not tucking the shirt into the skirt, which shows the two tones of the shirt, which is what I love so much about it.  The other way to wear this outfit is tucking the shirt in which gives it a more polished look.  I love the look above because it's a more looser vibe, which I thought was appropriate hanging out on a rooftop of a hotel after my Goddaughter's Communion.  It was also really hot that day.

touch of gold (tone)

 

{sweater: GAP; pants: ZARA; Pierre Hardy Block Heel Pump (black leather); bracelets: H&M;

necklace: Mendocino; bag: MICHAEL Michael Kors (other colours here); sunglasses: Prada}

It's still sweater weather and it's getting depressing.  Especially because I'm still wearing my wool coat on top of it (and still cold!).  It was so cold and rainy today (I shot this picture on the weekend when it was actually sunny) and the only thing getting me through this miserable weather is wearing brights, like these ZARA pants.  (And large Tim Hortons teas.)  Of course I fell in love with these Pierre Hardy pumps because they're pink, but also because they have a gold-tone plated heel, which makes them unique.  I added my adorable MICHAEL Michael Kors handbag with gold-tone hardware and some gold-tone jewellery to tie it all together.

black & white

{MINKPINK Cheerleader Skirt; shirt: Madewell (old); blazer: Marciano (old, similar);

shoes: GUESS; cuff: Chanel (vintage); sunglasses: Prada}

 

Well, it's snowing today.  But up until today the weather has been gorgeous (look, no tights!).  I've been wearing a lot of colour lately, but when I bought this adorable MINKPINK skirt (love the trim!) I wanted to stick with a black and white theme.  I've had this gorgeous Marciano blazer for years now and it's a classic piece.  It reminds me of Chanel of course and when I wear black and white, I always pull out my Chanel 'COCO' vintage bangle.  It's a perfect match.  Just like black and white.