One Year Wiser?

Tee: Alternative Apparel, sequin jacket: Matty M, jeans: J Brand, flats: Kimchi Blue, fedora: Target, necklace: homemade.

Today I'm celebrating my 26th birthday. My birthday last year was rough because I had a hard time realizing that I'm no longer in my early 20's and that I'm supposed to be older and wiser now. When I think back to my teen years and early 20's I used to think that I 'would have it all figured out' by the time I was 25, but now I realize that no one really ever 'figures it all out'. This year I've decided not to worry about getting older, but to try and enjoy life one day at a time.

Do you look forward to your birthday each year or do you dread it? If you dread it, at what age did you start to feel this way?

Sparkly Tights

Skirt: Target, blouse: Forever 21, tights: Hue, booties: Madden girl, necklace: ? (0ld).

Here are a few pictures of an outfit I wore this weekend to meet a few friends for drinks. I picked up these black and gold sparkly tights a while ago, but this was the first chance I had to wear them. I thought I would give them a try to break up the solid black skirt and booties. I got this skirt at Target for $7 on black Friday and I have already worn it more than a handful of times; it's becoming my new favourite!

Plaid and Leather

Shirt and skirt: Target, tights: Urban Outfitters, boots: Botkier, necklace: Hilary Druxman, belt: Banana Republic.

When I put this outfit together I decided to mix two completely different styles; the leather skirt and the plaid shirt. I wanted to dress down the skirt so I decided to pair it with a tucked in plaid shirt and flat riding boots. The result was a unique outfit that in my opinion can be worn anywhere because it is both dressy and casual at the same time.

Back in Rotation

Skirt: Gap (old), boots: ? (old), tights: Urban Outfitters, blouse: Target (old), blazer: Silence and Noise, necklace: ? (old), sunglasses: RayBan.

I've decided to make a conscious effort to stick to a budget (it's so hard!) and find new ways to rotate older pieces back into my wardrobe. This skirt, blouse and boots are all 3-4 years old and I had never worn them together before. I added a boyfriend blazer, opaque tights and wayfarers to create a brand new look with old pieces!

Coloured Denim

Biker jacket: Danier, trapeze tank: target, jeans: Genetic Denim, pendant: Hilary Druxman, necklace: ? (old), wedges: Steve Madden.

Do you ever just throw together an outfit on the spur the moment with minimal planning and thought involved? I often do this and more often than not, my outfits end up looking just as good, if not better than if I would have planned them in advance. I think I end up taking more chances and mixing items I normally wouldn't when I am pressed for time. This is one of my outfits that falls into that category. I literally grabbed the first top I saw in my closet and threw on my leather jacket to keep warm and voila - a new way to remix my purple jeans!

From a Dress to a Skirt

After cleaning and organizing my closet last week, I decided to turn this eyelet dress into a high-waisted skirt. It never did fit quite right in the ribcage, so instead of getting rid of it I figured I would try to make it into something wearable.

It was actually easier than I thought; the longest amount of time I spent on it was removing the seam along the bodice, which I did while watching tv one night. I then hemmed the skirt and sewed the seam back together and voila - it was ready to wear!




Skirt: Gap (was a dress), Tank: Target, Necklace: Topshop, Watch: Citizen, Belt: Winners, Shoes: Vintage (found in my grandma's basement).

Pattern Mixing

Top: Forever 21 (old), Skirt: Topshop, Platforms: Steve Madden 'Melrow', Socks: Target, Necklace: Urban Outfitters, Clutch: Winners.

This weekend I was feeling gutsy enough to put together an outfit based on pattern mixing. I knew I wanted to wear this skirt and tried on several different tops but nothing seemed to work. I came across this old polka dot top while cleaning out my closet the previous day, and decided to give it a shot. As luck would have it, I put it on and it just seemed to work with the skirt. I'm thinking the trick might be to mix a symmetrical pattern (polka dots) with a non-symmetrical pattern (floral).

Have you tried pattern mixing? If so, what patterns seem to work best for you?

Keeping Cool

Dress: Target, Sandals: Target, Sunglasses: RayBan, Belt: Vintage from my Grandma's basement, Watch: Citizen, Necklace: gift.

This is one of two tribal print dresses that I picked up at Target earlier this summer. Photos of the other dress can be found here. I pretty much go crazy for anything with the colour turquoise in it, so that is one reason I love this dress; the other reasons being that it is insanely comfortable, it's breezy on hot summer days, and the length is just right. Yesterday I braved the heat in this dress to pick up some fruits and veggies at my local farmer's market.

Dog Days of Summer

Blouse: Forever 21, Tank: Lululemon, Shorts: Joe's Jeans, Clutch: Louis Vuitton, Sunglasses: RayBan, Sandals: Target, Watch: Citizen, Necklace: Urban Outfitters, Earrings: Banana Republic.

In my area of Canada, the dog days of summer are here. It has been unbelievably hot here, and the humidity is out of control. It seems crazy that I have been shopping online for fall boots, jackets and sweaters when it is sweltering outside. Yesterday it was so hot that I didn't feel like leaving the house, but after a while I got bored and decided to go out thrifting. I decided to stay relatively cool and comfortable in a thin blouse and shorts.

Feeling Festive

Top: Gap, Skirt: I made it!, Platforms: Steve Madden, Belt, Target, Necklace: ?(old), Watch: Citizen.

This is the nautical patterned skirt that I was working on last week. I promise I did iron the skirt before I left the house; apparently it got a little wrinkled from the car ride! The pattern and instructions can be found here. I finally finished it on Friday and decided to wear it out that night to my city's multicultural festival, Folklorama. According to wikipedia, Folklorama is the largest and longest running festival of its kind in the world! On this occasion, we decided to check out the Chilean pavilion. We had a fabulous time; the empanadas and pisco sours were tasty and I came home with a pair of gorgeous handmade earrings. Hopefully we can visit at least 1 or 2 other pavilions throughout the week!

Florals in the Forest

Tank: Forever 21, Skirt: Joe Fresh, Necklace: Topshop, Sunglasses: RayBan, Watch: Citizen, Belt: Charlotte Russe, Sandals: Target.

Last night I went out to take some pictures with my new tripod for the second time. I think I'm finally getting the hang of it. Next time I will make sure that I set up in a better position in relation to the sun.

I am loving this Topshop necklace; it's a total statement piece when paired with a solid top. What is your favourite piece of statement jewellery?

Suburban Waterfalls

Top: Forever 21, Jeans: Joe's Jeans "Ex Lover", Wedges: Target, Earrings: Banana Republic, Sunglasses: RayBan, Watch: Citizen.

Yesterday I was walking around looking for a quiet place to fool around with my new tripod and take a few pictures, and I stumbled upon this cool waterfall/fountain. No one was around so I set up my tripod for the first time and tried to take some pictures. I think I managed to figure out the majority of the tripod's functions, and the pictures turned out better than I expected. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to turn the darn thing to take some portrait pictures, so all pictures are landscape for this post. Of course the second I got home my boyfriend showed me how simple it was to switch to portrait and I couldn't believe that I hadn't figured it out myself. Oh well, there's always next time.