Browse Tag: dress

Why colour is everything

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I was reflecting on an article I read, if you can even call it an article, rather a personality assumption based on your astrology sign. My horoscope likes to portray me as a wild-crazy-spontaneous Sagittarius always going against the grain. In many ways I’d say that’s true. This particular piece of writing suggested I am constantly craving attention, which I thought was amusing as I enjoy my silence and solo adventures.

I mentioned the article to family and some agreed, some disagreed. A few friends thought it could be interpreted a few different ways. Ultimately regardless of astrology I am a person that doesn’t like to blend in, but I’ve never thought of that being for attention. I love bright colours, flashy heels and neon. Most people prefer solid colours, neutrals, no jewellery, basic black footwear. Nothing “too flashy” is a common thing to hear when shopping. No sequins, no beads, no prints, no florals…

Wearing bright colours and prints cheers me right up and I think that’s an easy way for me to feel my best. The moment I put on something dark, whether it be black or navy, perhaps that’s psychological too – my day becomes a struggle and my mood sinks. I’ve worn navy in my Instagram photos and a YouTube video or too and when I look back I frown on it. So many people love that colour palette, and that’s totally fine. I’m a rare species but I don’t mind standing out.

I do not have a fear of people looking at me, thinking I’m unusual. The amount of dates I’ve had where he points out my fashion sense with awe. I don’t claim to be ordinary, or normal or basic. I think there are endless reasons to wear an exciting dress. A hundred excuses why you should wear the sequined dress and no, it’ll never be “too fancy”. Thrift stores, where “formal” dresses go to die. I love looking at them, I’ve even bought a few. Any excuse is good enough for me to wear sequins or neon, or a pair of dazzling heels. We seem to worry about being noticed… if you are dressing for yourself what do you care if you stand out in the crowd?

Today I wore a tight shapely white dress to work with a pair of yellow neon heels and earrings. My friend stated that I blend into the scenery. As much as I can appreciate the sarcasm, I prefer to make a statement then dwindle away in the crowd. So I guess I just answered that, yes I do like the attention. But the statement I’m trying to make is I’m fearless, I wear what I love and I don’t need an excuse.

 

Dress for the Job You Want!

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I had written a post about this same topic three years ago but I felt it was time to revisit it. Here is a passage from the first post:

I can’t imagine you haven’t heard this English idiom. Essentially what it means is you should not prejudge the worth or value of something by its outward appearance alone, however, when the reputation of the business is lowered due to the “appearance” of its employees – the line needs to be drawn. When I interview a potential candidate for this relatively simple sales associate position, my first reaction is based on punctuality. My second thought is based on appearance. My third thought is based on personality (due to the nature of our small shop, personality is key to the team working well together.) My fourth thought is about the ability to do the job well.

Working in fashion retail for all these years and any appointment I have gone to in a business oriented environment, I am always seeing black. Black, black and more black. I understand though as black business suits are easy you just swap out the blouse underneath to change it up. Not to say there is anything wrong with that, but you didn’t come to this blog to hear me talk about basic black business attire! I love colour, even if its only present in my heels and jewellery. I feel a world of difference when I wear it.

I dropped off a resume and portfolio package to a potential employer one morning wearing this very exciting bright coloured combo. Although its not quite what I envisioned in my dark dreary basement wardrobe room that morning, I thought the coral blazer matched the dress perfectly, but as it turns out in day light its orange in the dress, not coral. Oh well the fun citrus colours do play well off each other!

My philosophy has always been to make a statement when dropping off a resume or interviewing. I first thought of this years ago when I was at an interview for a local government office position with dark brown hair, sporting hot pink underneath. I styled my hair up so that it was less noticeable and died it solid brown after I was hired for my first day. When the CEO walked into the office that day her first reaction was “Oh! Where did the pink go? It was so cool!” Over the next month different employees would walk in and say “you’re the girl with the pink hair, but where’s the pink?” Who knew it would make such a statement!

Now not only is bold bright colours and patterns part of my every day wardrobe, I make a point of wearing a striking bright dress with matching jewellery and a blazer for any professional meetings or events. Making a statement is everything! You can get lost in the crowd of black business suits so make sure you are wearing something “wow”!


My Style

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I was once a girl that always felt awkward and uncomfortable, trying so hard to follow these fashion trends but never actually went to the mall or paid close attention to what the magazines were showing. I just liked clothing piece by piece, not how they fit into any sort of style or trend at the time. To this day my feelings about it remain the same, each item I find is unique and it doesn’t matter if its not from this season’s collection.

This is an outfit I could never in a million years imagine putting together, but I did. This light pink furry vest came into the store and I was captivated by it. I’d never liked anything furry up until this particular day and what can I say, I had to have it. Its a soft light rosey pink which is one of my favourite colours lately so that may have everything to do with it – its not black.

“I stay true to myself and my style, and I am always pushing myself to be aware of that and be original.” – Aaliyah

The dress is one of two matching spandex numbers I thrifted together, I believe an H&M or similar brand, one dark purple the other dark green. Now they both required alteration so that I could walk freely so I put a slit in the side of each on one side. The scarf was consigned not long after and it has just the right hint of plum and pink to work with this whole look and tie it all together in a not overwhelming sort of way. I mix the look up with a different dress or jewellery sometimes to keep it interesting, but its still a favourite.

I think I enjoy it so much because of exactly how unique it is, it follows no trends, no magazine clippings and no celebrity style. Its comfortable but edgy. It makes me feel super stylish and with that, I glow when I wear it to work. Its a statement for sure, a conversation starter at the very least. I don’t feel that I have any particular look, any signature style but everything I wear has a “me” look to it because of how its styled with other pieces, with the jewellery accents or the footwear. It all sort of works together in a Pamela-sort of way.

I follow no rules, I blend colours based on my accessories and I try out all kinds of ideas. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. The bottom line is thoroughly enjoying everything I wear.

Fun with Fashion

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A regular customer came into the store last week and paused, she was trying to find the right words. “You’re dressing very… ” then she skipped finding a word to fill in and went to “…lately” yes I agree I have been dressing very “…” lately! I told her I was enjoying styling new outfits lately and she agreed it was really nice to see.

Yes it is nice to see when people dress up and look put together. I enjoy being complete with accessories and matching elements. I like to look like I thought about it when I chose my look. I care about these things.

I’m most sad when women bring in their clothing for consignment and say “I’m retired now so I don’t need any of this” which would make sense if it was clearly business attire, but its their every day nice casual wear. They get rid of all their dresses, all their jewellery, their “nicer” pieces. So what that tells me is women who retire resort to wearing sweat pants? Wearing athletic wear even though you haven’t seen a gym in ten years?


Clothing is an exciting thing we can wear over our bodies, why not love and enjoy every day with something that says wow! I like to feel my best, which comes from looking my best. I rarely leave the house dressed down, even when I am people still think I’m dressed up. There’s nothing better to me than styling a new outfit and have people say “that outfit looks amazing on you!”

I like to look at my clothing and say, this is such a nice top… I wonder if this will go with this… and it does! So many women hate to shop, and I get that. I hate to sit around watching Netflix. We all have things we do that we enjoy and no one else has to understand. It just makes me feel great to leave the house looking my best. It makes me sad however when our culture is looking more and more like we rolled out of bed and didn’t bother to change out of our pajamas. There’s a time and a place and that’s at home at bedtime.

Easy Layering for Scarves & Dresses

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I love dresses. I know so many women hate them, refuse to wear them, dread them when a holiday party comes around and find every possible way not to have to wear one. Dresses are a choice. For me dresses are easy, comfortable, flowy or fitted, stretchy or sparkly… Their possibilities are endless and there is always a style that flatters every body shape. Well, except that one woman we tried every single dress in the store and none of them flattered her shape…. aside from that one time haha.

lucianmatisgreenI have found in recent years there is a designer that fits me to perfection, the right combination of ruching and stretch. Lucian Matis. You may not have heard of this brand because the price tag is quite steep for the average Joe, as I love his style, I just can’t afford it. I am a huge fan of the classic feminine styling of Michelle Obama and our own Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, I was doing some research on Lucian Matis and was even more pleased to learn he is a Toronto designer! Yay Toronto!

If you ever come across one of his dresses I would consider it a real find. This white, plum and green watercolour print is everything I could possibly want in an all season dress. Higher neckline, 3/4 sleeve and to the knee. It could be shortened if need be but I kind of like that look lately. I was looking for an edgy outfit to wear to a holiday show I was doing with a more artsy-creative customer base so I paired this beauty with my new thrifted Groundhog boots, mixed print scarf and my own jewellery from OOAK.darkgreendressscarfhat

I can wear his dresses all day and they are most flattering on my figure. The stretch easily covers and shapes my curves and hides any unwanted attention with ruching.

This is my first date look from this past week. I love “dressing up” although to me this is a normal everyday look even to buy groceries! I altered the second of my two skinny dresses, again with 3/4 sleeves, but they were hard to walk in as they come below the knee so the slit in the side opens it right up for me. I wanted to be comfortable yet stylish so I opted for a brown and green toned look with my khaki coloured Fly Londons, dark teal pashmina and matching jewellery.

 

Ottawa Thrift Trip

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I have skipped plenty of Value Village half price weekends this year as sometimes thrifting loses its thrill when the price points start creeping up and I don’t see the value in it. Last weekend I decided to spontaneously treat myself to a morning away (as in a two hour drive) to Ottawa to hit up the Value Village circuit for the Super Saver’s half price day. I like to be there for 10:00am when it opens that way I can get a cart and the clothing isn’t absolutely everywhere as per my second stop an hour later.

ottawa3 By the time I get in there are already women rummaging through every row so I get in line as it were and start the plunge. I thrift to resell far easier than I thrift for myself. I know at this stage of the game what will sell the fastest and what the women in Kingston are looking for. Mainly tops, bright prints and clean lines. I spent $180 in the first location I stopped at, which is over $300 in product, roughly $3 per item! The most expensive item I bought was $20, so I paid $10… I flipped this wonderful item at the store within two days to bring home a $40 profit!

I was hoping to turn a profit on a Kathy van Zeeland bag I found for $6… unfortunately even after examining it I realize the shiny finish was completely peeling away. Can’t imagine how I would have missed it in the store as I comb through everything after discovering these items. Sadly not much you can do but shrug your shoulders and toss it.

I have two favourite finds at the end of this haul: a nameless white lace long sleeved mini dress and a vibrant neon print dress by Sandra Angelozzi. I paid $3 for the white number and wore it the next day, I had not expected it to even remotely fit but my gosh its a beauty!

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The neon print dress the cashier commented on how she loved it but donated it because the top was too gappy on her – it was on me too always is! So in the early hours of the morning before work I took it up in the shoulders as I so often do and it fits like a dream. After wearing it over the course of a regular busy work day I discovered it is not so good for bending!! I checked out the brand online and Sandra Angelozzi dresses range in the upwards of $200 ballpark! Not bad for $6!


How to dress, when you’ve gained weight

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kimchibluedressIts not easy to say those words is it? That word “weight” combined in the same sentence as “gain” just doesn’t feel good to say. Not that weight gain is bad or should be frowned upon, it is just ingrained in us, especially as women, that weight gain is negative and therefore fills us with disgust.

I have, for the most part, always been the same size and same average weight – but more and more as my work consumes most of my spare time, I find myself having less and less energy to do any sort of physical activity. Combined of course with the stress of searching for your new home and all the wonderful goodies that come along with buying your first home… I’m sure there’s a few stress pounds in there too.

Regardless of the reasons why we gain, we need to be able to dress regardless of our size. By all means don’t go throwing out all your clothing that suddenly no longer fits. For all you know this could be a fluctuation which happens in women’s bodies. Sometimes I wake up and can’t fit into a pair of shorts, by the afternoon those same shorts are falling down. This could be just me, but my weight shifts over the course of the day. Continue Reading

Neon Yellow

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13240032_863233000473173_3979429039166249576_nHave I told you how much I love yellow recently? Well let me tell you again! Two years ago I would have grimaced at the thought of adding this colour to my wardrobe, after years of listening to the old wives tales about what colours you can or can’t wear I just assumed no one could wear yellow. Since throwing out the nonsense tales of what I can and cannot wear I decided I would wear whatever I wanted, including this colour. Why the sudden love of neon? Who knows.

Maybe this colour has come back in a way I had never seen before, maybe it’s the right shade that does it for me. I picked up this dress a couple years ago with the plan of wearing it on holiday in Cuba. Unfortunately it did not make it out of the suitcase due to it being a thicker fabric – not suitable for such warm temperatures! But for spring with a little blazer, it’s just the right amount of warmth.

It’s also nice to be able to wear some of my brighter statement jewellery that I snatched up on eBay. The earrings have been redesigned so they are less bulky than the original set.

 

Show Me The Denim!

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13254522_869579383171868_3443448951467857891_nNow that the warm weather has finally arrived, along with it comes air conditioning! Haha we seem to go from one extreme to the other – personally I am not a fan of AC at all because you wait from October to May to have nice weather and the first thing you do is say “Ugh its hot turn on the AC”…

I have always liked jean jackets when paired with really feminine outfits. For years I was without one and resorted to cardigans but I think they look sloppy on me, I need more structure. I had found one from Cleo, a 3/4 length sleeve with sparkle buttons last year which wasn’t my favourite but it would do for the time being. Recently I found two fabulous jackets, a cropped version (cheap by Digital) and a full length dark denim by Parasuco.

Styling these is so easy, it actually allows me to wear almost any dress underneath whether to dress down or dress up, sometimes make it more country – I even dropped the word Coachella the other day but I was quickly corrected with a “no no far less effort, not the forced look of Coachella!” I find dresses to be the most comfortable thing in my closet currently. I was not built for shorts so I’ve removed them from my summer wardrobe and went back to my beloved dresses.

I snatched up this adorable lavender floral dress by Bar III last week, did a few alterations to make it fit better in the shoulders – story of my life! My lavender statement necklace finally matches something yay!

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Vlog: Value Village Half Price Day Thrift Haul

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If you cannot view the video above please check it out on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjUk-RFWINA

I consider this thrifting trip to be quite successful however as always some things are better left on the hanger or for another body shape. I was excited for a couple pieces that I do not feel were all that flattering which is completely okay, you don’t have to win them all! I styled up a select few pieces from this haul quickly to show them off but I’ve gone into more detail below as to which are yay’s or nay’s!

The Yay’s
Taupe Joe Fresh Skirt ($3.50)
Blush Forever 21 Dress ($6.50)
Pink Dynamite Blazer ($5.00)
Ivory Calvin Klein blouse ($4.50)
Peach Forever 21 top ($3.00)
Grey Emma & Michelle dress ($10.00)
Turquoise Forever 21 dress ($3.00)
Coral Forever 21 skirt ($5.00)
Continue Reading

Christmas Eve on the Beach

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In light of the past year with working two jobs and the amount of responsibility I have obtained I was not sure when I would have an opportunity to go on holiday. People had been saying “just go” but its not as easy as that because around the holiday season the rates of all the resorts skyrocket! I was looking at the Valentin Perla Blanca in Santa Maria, Cuba which is an adult resort (something I had never tried) and was upwards of $900 for 4 nights. The second downfall of travel (at any time) is that for one person the price is at least $200 more than if its for two people, which I feel is so unfair.

However this particular resort I had been watching on SellOffVacations.com and the price dropped three times the Friday before I planned to leave so I thought “Yes! This is it!” I left on December 21st the Monday before Christmas and returned Christmas Day around 3pm. What an amazing holiday, my first completely alone and I loved every minute of it. Because I could go on forever I’m just going to let you know about the outfits!

xmascuba1Now I know I preach that I never buy new, but this tank top was part of my charitable donation this year to TenTree. I purchased their mystery bag which includes 5 random articles of clothing in a size of your choice. I ordered mediums just to be safe! This tank was my favourite and I thought it would be a great style for just walking down to the beach.

The second outfit is one of two dresses that I only wear on holiday it seems! They are on the short side so that may have something to do with it – but they are just the easiest pull on dress that hang away from the body in the heat. And wouldn’t you know it, from Streetwear Society (a cheap mall brand) that I paid about $5 for!
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