Adore...

The Official Royal engagement picture, taken by Mario Testino, was a perfect picture that captivated the world.  And the earrings sported by the now Duchess were the ‘Hope’ earrings from {Links of London}.

 {Image}

In Cambridge, Ont resides my Aunt Mary-Ann, thousands of miles away from the royal couple.  After having a conversation with her niece Katie about a bracelet she had recently purchased from {Links of London} on her holiday in the UK.  My Aunt checked out their website to see what other pieces they sold and to find out which Holt Renfrew stores were the carrier for them.  Upon her surprise when she logged into the website a pop-up appeared to join the waiting list for the HOPE earrings.  She signed up, why not she thought.

A week or so later she was in Montreal and decided to go into a Holt Renfrew to shop.  She walked in and with perfect serendipity; first thing she saw was the {Links of London} counter.  She began a conversation with the associate about the earrings who then told her that only 16 pairs of the HOPE earring were shipped to Canada, she was sure they were already sold out; my Aunt left her name and number anyway.  Hours later she decided to go back to the store to see if they had by chance located a pair.  Sure enough, THEY HAD!  And they happened to be the LAST PAIR IN CANADA!!!

Another week went by and then they arrived.  My Aunt is now a proud owner of the elusive and exclusive {Links of London} HOPE earrings. Here she is sporting them at the family dinner we had on Wednesday night.  These white topaz jewels are just perfect.  They are dressy yet not over the top, may I even say perhaps, the perfect earring?  Plus anything good enough for Royalty is good enough for our family. lol

The reason for the family dinner was my Aunt Pat’s 65^th birthday party.  Below is a picture of my mum with her sisters at the dinner.  They are quite remarkable women, and seeing them together for a perfect picture is priceless.  All three of you are stunning, strong and beyond Royal in my eyes!

 Aunt Pat, my mum, Aunt Mary

Inspiration...

When I was in high school, I may have loved fashion, watched Jeanne Becker till the cows came home, and lived by the rules of Y.M. but something I wasn’t was fashionable.  In high school, Tommy Hilfiger overalls were all the rage!  Hahahaha  Use your imagination, and recall what you looked like too.

This new generation of young ladies is far more fashionable then we ever could have imagined.  With the influence of new media, blog ideas, looks and the ability to relate to fashion is much more at their finger tips.  Not to mention I believe with Facebook, Twitter and digital cameras the pressure for them to always look their best is way higher then ours ever was.  I mean now everything they wear is documented, a luxury and yet a curse I think.

I was recently inspired to do this post by my cousin Emily and her girlfriends.  They all recently took a trip to NYC and WOW they looked fantastic.  When I went to NYC in high school with classmates I was not NEARLY as well dressed as these young ladies.  Check them out!

They are all sporting trends and classic pieces; cross-body bags, skinny jeans, striped nautical shirts, small floral dresses, blazers, tights, liquid leggings.  I mean they look fantastic!  I am totally envious of when they look back their pictures when they are my age they will look classic and not out dated.  That’s one thing about fashion now, its not dated, everything goes; which allows a great mix and match of all era’s, creating and effortless style.

After speaking with Emily she was telling me their favorite stores are, Forever21, Urban Outfitters, Urban Behavior, Hollister and H&M.  No wonder they are fashionistas, these stores pack some major trendy punch!

I want to add that I might be also slightly jealous of their toned teenage legs too!  Way to rock out those mini’s ladies!  Keep up the great dressing, cause you are making everyone green with clothing envy!

{P.s.  My cousin in the top photo is on the far left, and the bottom photo far right}

Just Because...

Not sure about you, but I am poop'ed today.  Lots happened yesterday with the Zoo then a large family dinner.
Turns out, so is this adorable baby sloth.  Him and I are on the same page.

Field Trip...

Today I am heading to the Toronto Zoo with my little cousin and my sister.  I cannot wait! 

I haven’t been to the Zoo since my gr. 8 graduation trip and to say I am excited is an understatement!

I am thinking these {TOMS} would be the perfect shoe for a day at the zoo.  Sadly I didn’t think to purchase them before we went and TOM couldn’t ship them to me fast enough.

Off the Zoo we go! Lions, Tigers and Bears OH MY!  And my favorite, PINGUINO’s!!!!

Will post some Zoo pics when I get back.  Enjoy your Wednesday everyone!

  

Happy Hump Day Everyone!!!

Gripe...

This one is a doozie!  Wednesday UGLY clothing day belongs to this dress.  For the record, not many people could pull this dress off, second, it's made for teens, not sure which kind, third, must only be worn on the Jersey Shore, and fourth, the dress measures just over 2' LONG, so unless you are like 4' tall and all legs this dress is 

SUPER DUPER SHORT!

{Wet Seal}

Also, anyone know what animal is teal?! hahaha

Finds...

Saw this awesome dress on {J.Crew}  Paired with some gladiator sandals, it would make a fantastic date night dress for sure!  Sad news is, its sold out :(  Hate when you miss out on a good thing.

Finds...

For those of you that know me really well, you know that I am NOT a baker.  I have much patience in my everyday life but when it comes to 30mins prep, 30mins to bake, and 30mins to cool, I lose all patience.  Something about baking is just not for me, cooking yes, and baking no.

So when I came across these two baking ideas I thought hmmm... could I become a baker?  And what cool apron could I wear?  Then I remembered the heat outside and the heat of the oven and having no A/C and said no! HaHaHa

But still, these items would be great ideas!  The cupcake tin would be great to bake and bring to people for a party or to make for special occasions.  And these cookie bowls, which I think is a great double use for a muffin tin, would be great with vanilla ice cream in them.  Who doesn’t love cookies n’cream, literally!   

Check out their links for more product details and recipes.

{ William Sonoma}

{Wilton}

Hope these inspired you do some baking; proceed only if you have A/C!

Thank You's and Adore...

{Image}

WOW   WOW   WOW

This morning I hit 2000 page views in under a month.  I couldn’t be more thankful for all the support you all have given my blog.  I am so happy after years of pondering it I took the risk and did it.  It has been an awesome creative outlet for me and one that I am truly thankful for.

I look forward to the next milestone, and seeing where else this blog will take me!

Thank you again for the love, I am sending oodles of hugs and kisses into the world today!

Thanks for hanging out in my closet!  :)

Field Trip...

Heading out later to meet up with my cousins to talk about our energy readings we had the other day.  Since this weather has left me some what uninspired to mix things up since I just sweat thru it anways, this would be ideal Monday night coffee chat outfit.  Lite, laid back, yet still very much put together.  Click on the images to find out where to get the pieces.  Also, loving the cupcake rings, how fun!

Inspiration ...

{Anthropologie} is a website filled of clothes and housing ideas that I try constantly to draw ideas and inspiration from; even with not owning a piece of their product, sadly.  They recently launched new bedding collections, laelia, pavo, nimbus, and albertine.  All outfits are gorgeous, ethereal, colourful, stylish and relaxing all at the same time.  The way they staged the ads is awesome, and makes me want replica rooms ASAP.

My favorite was the PAVO.

 

This room has old and new world charm.  Has a city yet country feel.  I want to curl up in the bed and read a great book at night, I want to spend Sunday mornings with VOGUE and Stella and wake up slowly.

I will stare at this picture and just think of all the great things to come in life; This room makes me DREAM.

Summer Fun...

At one point ‘planking’ was all the rage; laying face down on, across, above, below something could go viral.  Something as simple as laying became a famous activity that started in Australia and took off all around the world.

This is my cousin up at my cousin’s family cottage in Port Elgin, perfecting his viral plank.  It was fun and tricky, and he did such a good job; with all the lululemon he is decked out in, it should be an ad for them!

Now the new trend is ‘owling’.  You now perch, on, across, above, below something and it could go viral.  Now I personally have not yet owl’d or planked, but I better soon jump on some trend.  Check out Hilary Duff doing it on her dinner table.

{Image}

Question is, have you planked? and do you plan on owling?  hahaha

Summer Fun...

This is how I spent my weekend.  Away up at the cottage, maxn' and relaxn'.  I think it is splendid when you can just sit down and read VOGUE cover to cover. ahh.  Hope you had a good weekend too!

Finds...

One of my favorite Sunday morning activities aside from fresh coffee and reading the paper is hitting up the Aberfoyle Antique Market.  Few weeks ago when I went with my friend Shannon it was a spectacular day.  The best is just walking around and taking in the atmosphere and seeing all the little unique things that vendors have to offer.   

You never do leave empty handed.

 

I went with nothing in mind, she went on a mission.  She came out successful with a coffee table tray, some vessels for plants, and some old cigarette tins for décor table items.  Quite a treasure-trove for her!

This sign was on the ceiling of a vendors shop.  I want to recreate it for my house since they wouldn’t sell it to me.

Always useful to have some vampire stakes on hand; Purchase them there..lol

Then there was this secretary.  For some reason this half Parisian blue piece spoke to me; and then she came home with me.  It’s from approximately 1850, so she is an oldie but in good condition.  In the next couple weeks it is going off to be refurnished by a local man in Fergus.  It will be stained in Walnut, so good bye Parisian blue.  

I can’t wait to show you the update in a month or so when I get it back.  Stay tuned!

I am off to Port Elgin, for a weekend of sun tanning and chilling.
Hope you all have a great weekend too!!!!

Summer Fun...

{Image}  Photo Credit: Deidre Schoo for The New York Times

Yesterday was SOOOO HOTT!!  I wish I had looked as cool and stylish as these ladies did on the beach yesterday in Queens, NY.

Inspiration ...

In the heat of summer LIPSTICK is not something I enjoy wearing all that often.  However I do feel like great colours just add and enhance a look.  Also, it’s a cheap and easy way to boost your moral without spending a fortune, like that new pair of high heels would!  Below are some of the colours that I think look best on me and bring out my pearly whites!

How do you use lipstick to highlight an outfit?  Are you partial to light or darker shades?

All of the colours above are MAC, and all are from the VIVA GLAM collection.  I try to always buy VIVA GLAM becasue 100% of the cost goes to Aids Research.  So why not make a simple purchase help someone else too.

Put on some lipstick, smile ear to ear!!!

Just Because...

Last night I was working on the blog from {Red Brick Cafe} downtown.

Happy to announce we are going to have a guest blogger soon!  She will do a great piece... keep your eyes out for it!

Interesting...

My favorite magazine is VOGUE and my favorite issue is the fall issue.  It is the biggest and most coveted issue of the magazine.  Adage.com just released that the issue will contain, 584 ad pages, a 9.3% gain over its September 2010 issue.

Largest issue to date was the one pictured below.  It had 727 pages of ads.  Ads of today's era are like art, and I love treating each page as such.  

However I always do feel bad for my postman.

{Image}

Spotlight...

Saw this picture of Eva Mendes walking across a parking lot in LA on the blog-roll today.  This is how a hot summer day of errands should look like.  Not to over the top yet super stylish.  A+ for her!

 {Image}

Adore...

I often imagine what I want to be when I grow up, at least I do.  Although my path is very much still in the dark I know I want to look like Kate Winslet.  Her looks, her aura, and her style are everything I can hope to look like when I grow up.

She is currently the face of Lancôme and American Luxury Apparel line, St. John.  St. John just released their behind the scenes video from the Fall 2011 campaign featuring Kate.  WOW.  Even if you watch the video on mute it’s the most beautiful thing.  The clothes are perfection and ooze class and desire.  And Ms. Winslet is the epitome of what a woman in her 30’s in my opinion should look like.  I want to be her in this video.

Please enjoy the 5 minute video below, and appreciate Kate and the quality of what 

St. John’s brings to the fashion table.  

Also expand the video to get a better view of what I am talking about :)

Finds...

This dress just came up to purchase on the {Forever21} I can’t wait to get my hands on it!  It’s the perfect type of dress that will take you from summer to fall.  In the summer with a great chunky heel and some great tanned bare legs; then come the fall/winter a great ankle boot and opaque black tights.  It’s sassy yet sophisticated, young but elegant.  I hope it will be hanging in the closet soon!

Adore...

I had a shoe’gasm the other night in Aldo.  I had seen them on their website but needed to see and feel how they were in person.  I fell in lurve.  Everyone please meet, {Capecoral}.

However I currently have no where to wear them and this makes me sad.  Earlier this year I did make a promise to myself I would stop buying sky-scraper high heels, which I adoringly call ‘date shoes’; they are only easy to wear to the car, into the restaurant, back to the car and then home. Lol But I saw these and thought ‘maybe I can make an exception’ they are approx 7 inches in height, which makes me, 6'2 tall; but I was good, and I left without buying the shoes.  Talk about visa restraint!  I know the minute they go on sale they will be mine!!! 

Something else to note, these Capecoral shoes are as close to the ‘Daffodil’ pumps by Christian Louboutin that I will ever get.  Ahhh, a girl can dream.

Gripe...

I have now made here on the blog Wednesday GRIPE clothing day. aka UGLY clothes lol

Last week I profiled {here} a potato sack disguised as a dress.  This week the lucky winner is this {Dorothy Perkins} shirt.  All together lets have a collective head shake.  

I wonder how many of this shirt they have sold, and even more so, WHO BOUGHT IT?!  So much going wrong, just so much; Not sure about the deer with the rosettes, or the rosettes with the deer. lol  Enjoy the gripe!

Adore...

On this past Thursday I visited my favorite local shoe store {IF…}and while looking around for what I thought I wanted, a classic black moderate heel size peep toe for work, then I came across the HUNTER section of their store.  And there they were!  Now to preface this purchase about 2 years ago I almost purchased one of their classic wellies but changed my mind because the calf fit was not what I wanted.  Since then I keep pondering the purchase but never do.  Then BAM!  My eyes fell upon the ‘Regent Cavendish Black Wellie’.  It was love at first sight!  My friend Angela that is with me will testify to that.  So in my shoe room they go until it rains.  As a girl who never really wishes for rain since I do worship the sun, I will yell,

“RAIN, RAIN, COME MY WAY, NOT TODAY BUT ANY OTHER DAY”

Spotlight...

I love a great anthem.  The song I am currently digging gets me shaking my booty and stomping my feet.  I feel empowered when I hear this song, and it makes me want to take names and kick some butt!   

Who doesn’t love a song with a great beat and an even better message?

Check out the video below for Beyonce’s “Run the World”.

Summer Fun...

Well I didn't come back as a cowgirl but I did survive!  lol

Saturday we loaded up two cars and headed to Sarnia for Bayfest.  All of us girls, mostly country lovers, were in for quite the weekend.  Now I will say no matter what the type of music, an outdoor festival is always splendid!

Now among all the fashion DO’s and DON’T’s and trust me when I say there was way more DONT’S!  hahaha  My girls were especially dressed for the occasion.

I wore pretty much what I predicted {here} with a few adjustments.  My denim cropped jacket did fit, its too big and needs to altered, so I chose a cardigan for the night breeze.  And sadly no feather earring, just wore the fancy gold and coral beaded ones, stacked bracelets and my great leather gladiators from Athens.

I got very much into the spirit as the night went on.  Even dancing and laughing with some local wanna-be cowboys!

This weekend was one for the record book thats for sure.  I had a ton of fun and many many laughs.  Also something I am taking away with me, is a mental note; next time I go to a country festival with LOTS of women in short short shorts make sure I do some squats and lunges to keep up! :)

Hope you all had a great weekend too!

Interesting...

FLORAL.  The GOOD the BAD and the UGLY.

There are so many different ways to rock floral in your closet.  However, with so many rules on how to wear floral always leaves people confused; like, big prints on bottom if your top heavy and vice versa.  Instead of talking about the rules, today’s post is going to be focusing on the ‘print’.  Some floral pieces are just horrible and some are great.  Along with Cindy (the best friend) we found some samples of good and bad floral frocks from three online websites we frequent often.  I believe the key to a great floral is not a LITERAL print.  Have the floral be muted, or not extremely detailed.  I believe size does not matter, but the placement of the print should flatter the area that it covers; no one wants a centre of a flower in the middle of their boob! lol   And most of all, pick a floral you LOVE!  Don't buy a shirt with pansies on it  if you hate them.

Rock a great FLORAL this summer, stay clear of the WEEDS out there!!!  Lol   

GOOD { le Chateau }

BAD {le Chateau}

GOOD {asos}

BAD {asos}

GOOD {Dorothy Perkins}

BAD {Dorothy Perkins}

 

And totally by chance I am wearing a floral top today!  What are those odds.  This is the shirt, seen here with my mum in Turkey last fall!

Wish List...

Have you seen this dress before?!  I am sure you have! 

The Prada Multi-coloured Spring 2011 dress has been WAY over publicized.  I first saw it Hailee Steinfeld at this years Oscars and thought what a perfect dress for a young lady.   

 Then it came out on the cover of, Harper's Bazaar Singapore February 2011, Elle Magazine April 2011, Harper's Bazaar UK July 2011, Flare May 2011, Elle België's May 2011 issue, InStyle UK June 2011, and I was SOOOO over this dress.

Then to my surprise {asos} last week came out with their copy of it.  Now the question is; do you buy into a trend that is OVER WORKED or buy into it because I CAN now have this Prada look-a-like?   

 Decisions, Decisions!

Images: Magazine Covers, ASOS