101 ways to wear a romper

Wearing: Joe Fresh Trench, Club Monaco Romper, Aldo Pumps & Barefoot Contessa Necklace

I'm just kidding, I'm not going to show you 101 ways to wear this romper. I really should though, I wear it all the time.

So what's new with all of you? Our kitchen renovations are done and I looooove how they look. We* updated the cabinets to white, put a white tile back splash and painted the walls a really nice grey/green. It's so bright now! (*I am using the word 'we' very loosely. Kevin did all of the work. I just watched)

We booked our camping site for July. We go to one of those camp sites that is so popular that you have to book the site 3 months in advance by competing with everyone else who wants the site. It's like trying to get concert tickets to a concert with only 30 seats and I am not laid back enough for the stress that comes along with maybe getting the camp site when you want it. Luckily we got the site we wanted on the date we wanted to I am counting down the days until we go.

What's new with all of you?

Robson In Bloom GIVEAWAY

Zara Jacket

Club Monaco Romper

Aldo Pumps

I recently mentioned that I have been spending my clothing budget on pieces that I love and would want to wear more frequently.While a polka dot romper isn't exactly a practical purchase, I am so in love with it that I have already worn it a handful of times.

This jacket and these shoes on the other hand are just fun pops of colour that I've been using to brighten up my easy to wear basics. I also wore this yellow jacket with a floral skirt (the one I wore here) and blue blouse to a family dinner recently and so many people told me I looked like spring. Who doesn't love dressing like a season?
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Now is the moment you've been waiting for! You can enter to win a $100 gift card to the Robson Street Aldo! If you love shoes or want to update your spring shoe collection than this giveaway is for you! To enter,
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1) Follow @robsonstreet on Instagram
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2) Comment on this post with your instagram username and an email address where I can contact you .
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That's it!  Contest is on from Thursday April 10th until Thursday April 17th 4pm PST.  Contest is open to lower mainland residents only. (Or, Vancouver and it's surrounding areas. This gift card is to be used at the Robson Street Aldo location so in order to win you have to be able to get to Robson Street.)  Winner will be chosen at random and contacted shortly after.  Good luck!

PS, don't forget to check out how Alicia and Alex styled their Robson Street looks. Jen will be posting hers soon! You can also still enter Alex's Zara giveaway!

breaking habits

Wearing:

RW&Co Blazer (also worn here)

Zara Blouse

Club Monaco Skirt (available here)

Zara Pumps

Kate Spade Bag

photos taken by Viranlly

Whenever a new season begins I try to come up with a way to stop my excitement from getting the best of me. I love clothes and I love styling so a new season always feels like a fresh start and an opportunity to shop.

I've really had to work on breaking my bad habits. I get bored with my clothing easily, I really really enjoy shopping, and I put far too much value in new things. You would think that bad shopping habits are really trivial, but it has taken a long time for me to change. 

This spring I will be spending my clothing budget on fewer pieces that are higher quality. I've also been trying to buy pieces that I really love instead of buying a bunch of pieces that I like. I would always try to get as many pieces as I could with my budgeted amount but now I'm really trying to just focus on quality, even if I only walk away with a couple new items. None of these concepts are new but now I am trying to finally put them into practice. I'm also rewearing the clothes in my closet a lot more than I have in the past, and I always thought I was someone who rewore a lot before. One of the pieces I bought during our Robson Street shopping trip (which I will be posting this Thursday when I host my GIVEAWAY) has already been worn 5 times. It's really shown me what happens when I actually love the clothes in my closet.

I bought this Club Monaco skirt a few months ago with a gift card and I combined it with a few spring-y pieces I've had in my closet for a few years. I'm really looking forward to wearing different variations of this outfit (or, who am I kidding, this exact outfit) this spring.

Do you have any shopping habits that you're trying to change? Or have you changed any recently?

tips for outfit planning

Wearing:

ShopRuche Blazer (see other ways I've styled this blazer here, here and here)

Zara Dress

Aldo Pumps

Kate Spade Bag

When I have plans right after work I usually try to be proactive (and prevent the panic in front of the closet while I'm rushing around) by mentally planning my outfit earlier in the day. Sometimes it works wonderfully but the rest of the time it's a horrible idea. The problem is that while I'm mentally sorting through my closet I get bored thinking about my own clothes. Once that happens, I start visualizing pieces that I don't actually own. I then start creating perfect outfits using items that I randomly saw on pinterest one time or pieces that I saw while browsing at a store once. By the time I get home and start actually trying to style my outfit, I am frustrated because that blazer I don't own would obviously look so much better with my white dress than the twelve hanging in front of me.

So here is my tip for planning an outfit. Don't plan your outfits using items of clothing you don't actually own.

You're welcome ;)

holiday pressures

Wearing:

J Crew Blouse

Aritzia Skirt

Aldo Pumps

Marc by Marc Jacobs Bag

Whenever the holidays hit I start over thinking what I'm going to wear. I always assume that what I wear to my family events will somehow define how my entire year has gone. I want the comfort of sweat pants, the forgiveness of an elastic waist (this year I ended up with 3 turkey dinners, a lunch and a brunch in a matter of 3 days), and I still want to look put together. 

So during my mission to try to find this perfect outfit that screams "I had an amazing year and I swear I have my life together" while being comfortable and stylish, I usually end up only giving myself 5 minutes to pick what I'm going to wear.

Spoiler alert, I ended up wearing a skirt (with an elastic waist) and a blue silk blouse.

I tell myself that I'm not alone, that everyone puts pressure on themselves around the holidays and this is normal. Right? RIGHT?

 1.                      2.                        3.                        4.

body type

  Wearing: 

In Love With Fashion Dress c/o

H&M Faux Fur Vest (similar here & love this one here)

Aldo Pumps

Kate Spade Bag

Fossil Watch (similar here)

First, I would like to thank all of you for your kind words on my last post. I really wasn't looking for compliments but now I know where to go if I ever need a self esteem boost! You are all way too kind.

I really just wanted to bring up the fact that we all (well, most of us) have that part of our body that we struggle to style. There have been so many styles I would have loved to wear but they just weren't meant for my body type, and that's okay. Could I have worn them? Of course, I just wouldn't have felt very confident.

I think that once you find out which styles and silhouettes make you feel confident it's so easy to put outfits together.

Which silhouettes make you feel your best? Are there any styles you avoid?

 See a few ways I've worn this vest and dress in the last few years

1.                      2.                     3.                      4.                          5.                        6. 

eventually

 

Wearing:

Club Monaco Blouse

Oasap Skirt (c/o)

Zara Booties (now on sale)

Kate Spade Bag

My love of skirts stems from the fact that they work really well with my body type. I graduated high school with no curves but when I turned 19 these hips appeared and apparently I'm stuck with them. This style of skirt emphasizes my waist and flows away from my hips which is exactly what I need. I'm sure I'll come to terms with my curvy lower body eventually... it's only been 12 years. Give a girl a little time, okay?

Christmas Eve

Wearing: 

H&M Jacket

Aritzia Blouse

Modcloth Skirt

Aldo Pumps

Marc by Marc Jacob Bag

Happy Christmas Eve! I get really sappy this year so I'm full of happiness and love. I'm also full of chocolate and caramel. Did you see the cookies I posted yesterday? Can you blame me?

snow

 photos by Veronika

Wearing:

Gap Sweater

Zara Skirt (Similar here and here)

Zara boots

Marc by Marc Jacobs Bag

 I recently styled a party look with a black and white striped sweater with sequin detail and a short black skirt. This striped sweater and midi skirt version was worn last week during Vancouver's few snowy days when I went Christmas shopping and to a coffee date with blogger friend Veronika. My love for black and white striped tops and black skirts is pretty evident at this point but how can I not love a look that can be worn in so many different ways?

In past years I have complained that the holidays fly by too quickly and I never get to enjoy them. This year our tree is decorated, stockings are hung and our advent calendars are in full swing. We decorated a gingerbread house and baked sugar cookies. I use the word "we" very loosely here, although we've both been very involved in the eating step of the cookie baking process.

 A few other ways I've styled this skirt and blouse

here                          here                               here

party

photos by Alicia

Wearing:

Joe Fresh Sweater (found here and also love this one)

Skirt via Piperlime

Marc by Marc Jacob Bag (on my wishlist)

Aldo Pumps

I love getting dolled up for holiday events but unfortunately I am lacking in holiday parties this year. When my cousin Alicia was having a few gals over to celebrate her birthday I took the opportunity to wear sequins, a flirty skirt and a red lip. There is a really good chance my holidays will be spent wearing sweat pants and pj's so I might as well wear sequins when I can.

forgetful

 Wearing:  Zara Coat  //  Old Navy Blouse (similar)  //  ASOS Skirt (now on sale!)  //  Banana Republic Tights  //  Aldo Pumps  //  Coach Lindsay Satchel

 I am very visual so if something isn't visible in my closet I will probably forget I own it. This skirt was lost amongst all of my skirts so it completely slipped my mind. I stumbled across it while trying  to get a different skirt out of my closet and it fit perfectly with my winter wardrobe. I'll probably have to look through my closet more often because forgetting what is in there is a horrible habit. I can't be the only girl who has purchased two very similar items of clothing because I forget what I own, right? Only me? Darn it.

 here                     here                    here                  here