PSA

Photo Credit : Google Images

I love Vancouver, mild weather, excellent food, beautiful parks, lots of trees but for the love of all things stylish, why on earth do most of the men in this city dress either in typical "gangster" garb (re: some sort of graphic tee with obnoxious phrases and generic true religion jeans or some other tacky branded jeans) Or at the opposite end of the spectrum in frumpy dad jeans and t shirts about 3 times too big.  There seems to be the idea that donning a pink polo counts as being "stylish," or the misconception that somehow dressing better equates to being too flamboyant.

 So here is my list of essentials every guy should have in their closet:
A pair of well fitted jeans
A white long sleeve dress shirt
A white t-shirt with no stupid sayings
A cardigan sweater
A well fitted black suit
A fitted jacket/blazer
casual shoes
Black dress shoes
 A tie

These will pair well for any occasion dressed up or down and present the wearer as clean and well put together.  You don't need to go all out on designer trends and spend two months paycheck on your wardrobe but it is important to stay relevant and modern, especially in today's fast paced life style.

Now you can say oh but it's all about the inside and looks don't matter; all that warm fuzzy stuff but let's face it how you present yourself will be seen as a reflection of your personality and if you walk around looking like the friendly homeless person two blocks over, it shouldn't come across as a surprise if people are less inclined to take you seriously!
                                         

Playing Dress Up

Top: Zara 10 | Skirt: Vintage | Belt: Vintage | Necklace: Wilson’s Leather 12| Handbag: Aldo 35 | Shoes: BCBGMaxAzria 65|

 As a girl who started making handmade clothing for her Barbie doll at the age of 8, playing dress up was also an essential stage in life. My mother’s closet walk in is the perfect place to borrow true vintage pieces; ones that were on trend when she was “my age”. Of course, these well-loved pieces need to be mixed with new pieces to bring them up to date since trends are brought back but they are never exactly the same. We ditch the boxy man-shoulder pads that were ever so horribly popular back in the days, but we keep the fine fabrics, classics and the sturdy leather goods. 

Top: Zara 15 | Skirt: DVF Vintage | Necklace: Aldo 20 | Clutch: Vintage |Shoes: Dolce Vita 65|

We need to know which pieces are worth taking a second chance and which ones can finally retire or be loved by someone else.

Blazer: H&M 20 | Top: UO 20 | Pants: Vintage | Bangles: F21 10 | Shoes: Aldo 40 |

Top: Vintage | Pants: Zara 25 | Clutch: Vintage | Necklace: F21 10 | Shoes: BCBGMaxAzria 65|

Top: F21 18| Skirt: Vintage | Belt: Club Monaco 17| Necklace: F21 10| Purse: BCBGMaxAzria 108| Shoes: Zara 35|

What kind of treasures have you found or been pasted down to you?

My Plus One

Top: UO 20 | Cardigan: Zara 20 | Jeans: F21 19 | Shoes: Zara 35

 

With birthdays comes the inevitable +1 to your age. Whatever I may actually be is not how I feel or live by, for instance shopping is of course a favorite pass time of mine (typical right?) but with age I tend to forget what I throw hang up into my closet. Those old lady moments lead me to the treat of shopping my closet.

Isn't it a wonderful thing when you rediscover something you love and it’s practically free? I mean at some point you paid good money for it, but it costs nothing to find again. I loved each of these pieces dearly when I picked them out, but with time and my ahem "senior moments," they have been sitting there, unfairly neglected over the last year or so. Since my love of fashion can beat down my magical plastic card, I've challenged myself to fall back in love with the same pieces.

Absence makes the heart fonder and love does grow with time, so while I cannot love them in the exact same way, who said love only comes once?

Buttery Smooth

Jacket: Danier 250| Top: F21 23| Jeans: AE 14| Belt: Joe Fresh 12| Scarf: H&M 12| Boots: Steve Madden 70
 

I have a reputation to keep when it comes to presenting me in public.  But who doesn’t like to play on the edge a bit and bring out their inner bad ass (or in my case the one that is hidden in my mind).  Leather has always had its reputation, favoured by all the bad boys and tough girls of our time and beyond.  As an ongoing trend, I am seeing more and more leather surface in different pieces which allows me (and you) to be fearless and pull off different looks incorporating the fabric.  Little subtle hints of leather never hurt anyone well maybe it hurt Ross from Friends in his little leather incident, but we learn from others misfortunes!

 

Sweater: Zara 20| Jeans: Zara 15| Necklace: H&M 18| Shoes: BCBG Max Azria 60

 

I know that the boot is probably the piece of footwear that I don the most during the winter.  All that lovely shiny leather just makes an outfit more polished and keeps my legs all nice and toasty.  There is an abundant amount of boots that I can choose from but as the seasons change, I gravitate towards my booties.  Booties are the more season appropriate choice before we move on to flats, and the “it’s-not-a-shoe-but-it-is-a-shoe” flip flop.  The never ending Raincouver…err I mean Vancouver rain sure doesn’t help one to put away the boots in storage. So why not make them an essential that I can pair with just about anything, and for any kind of day or night look. 

 

Top: F21 19| Skirt: F21 30| Belt: Old Navy 5| Necklace: F21 9| Clutch: H&M 12| Booties: Zara 40

 

 

  

Top: F21 12| Skirt: F21 30| Necklace: F21 12| Clutch: F21 15

 

We've Got Mono(chromatics)

Blazer: Zara 80| Top: F21 23| Skirt: Urban Outfitters 20| Necklace: AE 7| Bangles: F21&H&M 6+7| Clutch: Aldo 15| Shoes: Dolce Vita 65

 

The amount of black that I wear in the winter can probably put a Goth to shame.  Black isn’t just sliming but the best blank canvas for playing with.  My basic black, grey and white canvas is premium for using accessories that have a personality of their own.  Instead of walking around the street in my drab monochromatic to welcome spring, I pair it with colourful and patterned accessories, no matter if they are around my neck or at my finger tips or kissing my feet.  Simply putting away all the monochromatic goodness is out of the question, so why not just change and adapt?

 

Tunic: H&M 18| Scarf: Zara 20| Liquid Leggings 6| Bracelet: F21 7| Shoes: Aldo 20

 

 

Blazer: Urban Outfitters 27| Tunic: F21 20| Necklace: Costa Blanca 9| Bangles: F21 8| Boots: Joe Fresh 40

 

1. Duo tone necklace, F21 $6
2. Blika ring, ASOS $7.08
3. Jewel tone bib necklace, F21 $26
4. Nude chain ankle strap flats, Zara $80
5. Neon pink anchor studs, F21, $1.50
6. Red bow skinny belt, F21, $6

 

1. 1. Hodde Necklace, Aldo $18
2. 2. Aureda bracelet, Aldo $18
3. 3 .Attard ring, Aldo $8
4. 4. Prak heels, Aldo $40
5. 5. Amphillis ring, Aldo $10

What Goes Around

Knit top: Zara 20| Cami: Aritzia 25| Scarf: F21 10| Liquid leggings: Urban Behavior 6| Bangles: F21 7| Purse: BCBG MaxAzria 50 

 

In winter we look to all kinds of pieces of clothing and accessories to keep us warm.  I did not learn until this winter following the top bun trend that my neck is a weak part of my body, often finding it turtled inside to keep warm.  Scarves in the winter are a must have; I often forget that the scarf isn’t just for function but it’s one of the best accessories ever made.  You can change the way an outfit looks with the right scarf pairing.  Just one pop of colour or pattern and your outfit suddenly becomes well put together and magical! So this season let’s shed the function of a scarf and use it to its full potential of making a drab outfit a unicorn, a magical unicorn.

 

Blouse: F21 23| Scarf: F21 12| Leggings: F21 5.5| Necklace: F21 12| Booties: Zara 40

 

Knit Top: Winners 15| Liquid Leggings: Urban Behavior 6| Belt: Joe Fresh 12| Scarf: Zara kids 10| Bangle: F21 8| Shoes: Aldo 20

Top: Zara 20| F21 12| Middle: Zara kids 10| H&M 12| F21 10 Bottom: Shanghai

 

I Like Them Chunky

Sweater: Zara 20| Leggings: Aritzia 20| Necklace: F21 1.5| Bangles: Winners 25| Clutch: H&M 18| Booties: Zara 40

I’ve been putting chunky knit sweaters on the top of my ‘want list’ this entire winter.  I’ve been lucky enough to add a couple of new and clearance ones to my winter wardrobe.  Now that we are slowly (but surely!) heading towards spring and warmer weather (or just rain), I’m still not ready to give up on my precious chunky knits! I’ve come to the conclusion that layering is probably the most sensible thing to do. Of course we will also throw in some accessories and then we can go frolic and play without looking like what I call “weather retarded”. We shed the winter uniform and say hello to spring…err transitional weather!

What are you not ready to give up yet for spring?
 

 

Sweater: F21 18| Shirt: Garage 15| Leggings: TNA 20| Purse: H&M 12| Necklace: F21 8| Bangles: F21 10| Boots: Aldo 90

Sweater: Zara 20| Jeans: Zara 15| Belt: AE 11| Necklace: F21 8| Earrings: Aldo 7| Bangles: F21 8+12| Shoes: Sam Edelman 20

Boots, Knits and Sweaters…oh my!

Sweater: Aritzia 50| Shirt: H&M kids 6| Leggings: TNA 20| Necklace: H&M 17| Boots: Shanghai| Bangles: F21 12

It’s that time of the year again when I find myself standing in front of my closet facing seasonal dilemmas; what do you wear when it’s between winter and spring? It’s not quite time to give up on jackets, scarves and boots, but how do you wear it all without looking like the familiar Eskimo we’ve been all winter…? Incorporating spring pieces here and there to look more weather applicable and of course shelter ourselves from this Vancouver rain.  How do we shed the layers without facing a nasty cold or worse looking seasonally inappropriate?