boxing day blue

Boxing Day dinner is getting cooked by the guys tonight (i.e. by Rich, my brothers and my step-dad). Thought I'd wear something cozy and relaxed. I'm still not quite feeling as though I'm on vacation yet. Maybe on Monday when I would normally feel as though I have to go to work.

It's been so great to see my brothers and my sister-in-law with my mum and step-dad for Christmas. It was such a mild day on Christmas day we all managed to get out tobogganing for a bit after gifts and breakfast.

This is a pic of Rich and my gorgeous Californian sister-in-law who is braving the Canadian winter days like a champ. All in all, a fun holiday so far and I think I've actually managed to not over-eat! Could that be possible?

Inspired by Jessica

Today's work outfit was inspired by Jessica Schroeder from What I Wore. Of course, she is probably 6 inches taller than me and has those funky tights but my version will do nicely for work today. Thanks Jessica!

Turquoise: the colour of 2010

A fellow fashion blogger turned me on to the fact that turquoise is going to be the "it" colour of 2010. I had no idea when I donned today's work outfit! Ahead of the game for once. Who knew!

I got plenty of compliments on today's outfit both at work and in the Weardrobe-osphere. Very flattered indeed.

This is one of my gran's hand-me-downs. I wonder what she would think about my styling of it. One way or the other, it's pretty impressive that this skirt has had three generations of owners and is still as good as new.

Sequiny goodness

This is what I wore to a friend's Christmas party tonight. The sequins made me feel fancy ;)

* Paige jeans
* Sequin shrug from Simons
* Bracelet (actually sold in the store as a napkin ring!)

Just an average snowy day in Canada

Rich getting creative for a Weardrobe contest. Fun but a bit chilly...

Gown: Shawn Alexander
Shoes: Guess
Axe: Fiskars

They don't make things like they used to

My mum's new-ish washer just broke (remember when washing machines lasted 30 years - oh, wait, like the one I currently have) so I got a surprise visit from her and her three loads of laundry yesterday morning - talk about role reversal!

It was great. We spent the morning chatting and finishing off two of my five unfinished sewing projects. I now have two new (to me) altered skirts for work, both of which belonged to my gran! I can't wait to take photos and show her how well they've held up. Talk about quality. They look brand new! The funny thing is that, as I was taking apart one of the skirts, I could see where my gran had altered it before me. Three generations in the same skirt (altered by three generations of sewers). These days, you would be lucky to have an item of clothing last a single season.

Yup, they just don't make things like they used to.

Retail Me Not!

Being a huge fan of online shopping, and wanting to buy some of the fun colourful tights that are so popular right now for my sister-in-law for Christmas, I thought I'd hop on We Love Colors to see if they deliver to Canada. They do! They have so many fun colours, it was hard to pick.

I had also heard about this other site that supposedly provides all kinds of promotional codes to your favourite online shops. I was skeptical but thought I'd try it out to see. I searched for "we love color" and a few options came up. I tried one and, wouldn't you know, it worked! I got free shipping!

The site is called Retail Me Not - try it out! I will definitely be checking in before checking out from now on. It's a good retail day.

Upcycling Ups and Downs

My mum just gave me several suits and skirts for me to upcycle - fun!

She and I are completely different shapes and heights (she is almost 5'9" with a slender build and no hips whereas I am 5'6" with a slender but curvier build) so I was stunned that all the skirts fit me perfectly! Just a little shortening required to update them and that's it! Although the shoulders on the blazers are a bit wide, one of the suits is definitely worth the effort to tailor and one of the jackets can be worn as-is, boyfriend style and belted.

I went to hem one of the skirts (red wool) only to discover that there are a bunch of random little holes all over the skirt - moths? Not salvageable one way or the other. Rats.

The suit that I'm in the middle of tailoring (sleeves are off and seams are pinned to bring in - tailoring a jacket is a huge job, btw, and not for the faint of heart) is of incredible quality. When I mentioned this to my mum, she slyly mentioned that this was, in fact, a third generation suit - it used to belong to my gran! Well, now I love it all the more. This also explains the amazing quality of the tailoring to begin with. The suit is made in England, 100% wool and a really classy light chocolate colour . They just don't make them like this anymore - at least not the suits I can afford! I can't wait to finish it! I will definitely post pictures when it's done. Here's the "during" pic.

Stay tuned...

Fun with animated GIFs

I've seen a few of these animated GIFs around lately and thought I'd try it out. Not bad for a first effort, I think. :)

I wonder how annoying this will get...

Liz's almost thrifted instead gifted top

My friend Liz had this top in a bag headed for goodwill. I snagged this and a long jacket that I'm hoping to up-cycle into a jacket and skirt. Thanks Liz!

Update on the shopping moratorium: it's going well so far! It's really gotten my creative juices flowing. I got some nice red wool crêpe to make a skirt suit. So far I've cut out all the fabric pieces but had to let my back rest before cutting out all the lining and interfacing pieces. I think I'll start with the skirt to get a sense of accomplishment before tackling the finicky looking jacket. I'll definitely post pictures of the finished projects!

Black, White and Red

I was in the mood for a bit of a power suit today. I'm hoping to get as many days of skirt wearing in as possible before it becomes essential to wear tights or trousers to work.

Black suit: custom made in Vietnam
Red and black resin necklace: Joan Rivers Collection
White tank: Smart Set
Black patent wedges: Aerosoles

Finished

Kinda looks like suede now I think. I added some awesome ceramic buttons and voila! I might have redyed it again to make the colour really really dark but I kind of like the way it looks now. We'll see.

Shopping moratorium and first dye job

On September 13, I challenged myself to a 6-month shopping moratorium. "Why in god's name would anyone do that?", you may ask. Well, I'd like to know that I'm not that much of a shopaholic and I know Rich is secretly excited that he won't have to worry about my shopping habits for a few months.

OK, there would have to be some rules. Here's how it has ended up:

1. No new clothing or accessories purchases for 6 months (starting September 13, 2009, ending March 13, 2010)

2. Exception 1: I get to buy a bag I've been watching for on Etsy.com for months, if it becomes available (one must have their limits!)

3. Exception 2: I can spend gift certificates or gifts of cash on whatever I like, including clothing and accessories

4. Exception 3: I can DIY (sew, dye) during this period

That's basically it! So, I'm more than a week onto my challenge and, so far, still holding up fine. I think things will start getting more challenging around Christmas and February sales. Wow, six months is a long time...

This brings me to my first DIY project since the challenge. I have been wanting to try dying something for the longest time and when I noticed my cotton Old Navy trench getting a little discoloured I thought it would be the perfect thing to try.

I got myself 4 tins of Dylon #7 (coffee), mixed those into a pint of boiling water with 4oz of salt. Put water in a big pot on the stove. Washed my trench and left it damp. Added the dye mixture to the now hot water on the stove. Put the trench in and stirred it and poked it with the water on high heat for 20 minutes. Rinsed the trench until the water ran clear and hung it up in the basement to dry. That's it! Easy!

I have to say that I'm stunned at how well the fabric took the dye! The polyester thread shows up as contrast and I need to add new buttons (and I wish I had thought to dye a bit of cotton to make a belt!) but I'm pleased with how it turned out. I can't wait for it to dry so that I can post a picture of the final product!

This week's Weardrobe contest - Fall Floral

I decided to try my luck at another Weardrobe.com contest entry - this one's for a $50 gift certificate to H&M (not sure if I'm actually eligible since it's an American site and I'm Canadian - or if the gift certificate would end up being applicable in Canada for that matter) but what the heck. The theme this time is Fall Florals. I have also started discovering more about layers in Photoshop and can now do these nifty montages. Cool eh?

Hot pink wide collar top: Kania (by Canadian designer Stacey Bafi-Yeboa www.kania.ca)
Pink and brown floral skirt: Banana Republic
Red suede shoes: Nine West

After Labour Day

Fall is definitely in the air now and with the cooler mornings comes slightly warmer dress... Time to dig out the pants, tights, layers and boots that have been stowed away all summer!

Tuesday was all about neutrals - a no-brainer when you're dragging yourself off to work after a long weekend at the cottage.

White blazer: Zara
Tan crossover top: BCBG
Black skirt: Reitmans
Silver squares necklace: Etsy
Tan shoes: Aldo
Faux pearl earrings

Wednesday called for a little more colour - one cannot live by neutrals alone! I look so serious in all these photos - it must be a reflection of the fatigue I've felt this week. No more pics for the rest of this week though since the man took the camera to Montreal so my likely increased perkiness tomorrow and forward will be missed. I'm hoping to spend some quality time thrift shopping this weekend while the man's away. This makes me feel perkier already!

Short-sleeved stripey blazer: Smart Set
Fave gauzy hot pink wrap top
Fuschia tank: Smart Set
Denim-y trouser pants: Reitmans
Black sling backs: Feet First
Zebra print pendant: Le Chateau
Hot pink Indian bangle

Red Lips

I have always thought that every girl should have red lipstick. That perfect shade. I think I finally found mine. What do you think?


MAC lipstick in Russian Red
MAC lip- liner in Red Enriched

This week at work

I only started logging my work outfits on Tuesday and I have Friday off so there will only be 3 this week...

Tuesday:

- Fuchsia and black blouse by Paper Moon
- Black belt from Costa Blanca
- Grey wool skirt, Banana Republic
- Black slingbacks, Feet First


Wednesday:

- Chocolate ruffle keyhole blouse from Ricki's
- Brown tweed high waisted skirt from Ricki's
- Turquoise teardrop pendant from ZAD
- Chocolate and aqua bracelet from ZAD
- Chocolate wedges, Franco Sarto




Thursday:

- Red jersey dress, Tommy Hilfiger
- Gold circle necklace, Le Château
- Silk scarf worn as a belt, vintage
- Check watch, Burberry
- Nude shoes, Aldo

Exciting!

I am finally biting the bullet and entering my first Weardrobe contest. This one is to take an item of clothing and style it twice - once for daytime, once for evening. Here's what I did!

This is actually a thrifted lambswool and angora skirt that I often wear as a dress but is also great worn long with a matching turtleneck and black boots in the fall or, again as a dress, with colourful flats, a scarf and belt in summer.

Day:
- Lambswool and angora skirt (worn as a dress): thrifted
- Long black jacket: Jacob
- Tan ostrich pattern belt: Banana Republic
- Nude shoes: Aldo
- Gold bracelet: thrifted
- Faux pearl necklace: vintage



Evening:
- Lambswool and angora skirt (worn as a dress): thrifted
- Red belt: bought somewhere in Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Bronze bracelet: Banana Republic
- Black heels: Aldo

The jumper

I've been wishy-washy over the whole jumper phenomenon - until I saw this one by Grey Ant (eBay chiclittledevil). I love that, even though it's a one-piece, the top is separated from the bottom with button detail, which makes it work for me. I'm also a fan of the minimal accessorizing - bracelets with a bare neck. Très chic.

Giving in

I'm an avid fashion blog follower so, after much time spent in front of the computer, I thought I would dive in there myself - if for no other reason than to have my blogroll all in one place rather than always having to sift through my favourites (yes, I'm Canadian, that's how I spell "favourites").