this week at work

I work in a very conservative place. I love to mix in little unexpected elements with a classic look to infuse a chic dimension to an otherwise plain Jane suit.

Monday: Mix to make a suit

You always have to be cautious when mixing two pieces of a similar colour to try to make a suit-type look. This skirt and tux jacket are quite close in colour but it helps to have the eye diverted to the bright pop of colour at the waist so that it doesn't focus on the mismatched pieces.

(in this outfit: bandolino ruby heels, banana republic grey wool skirt, H&M tux jacket, gifted colourful silk scarf, banana republic fuschia top)

Tuesday: Dark and milk chocolate

It doesn't show well in these pictures but the top under the jacket is asymmetrical to add a different dimension to the outfit. I also added a chunky bracelet with pops of aqua to break up the shades of chocolate.

(in this outfit: Jacob cotton velvet jacket, Victoria's Secret asymmetrical top, Ricki's high waisted pencil skirt, Seychelles snakeprint pumps)

Wednesday: A break from neutrals

Sometimes, a girl just needs a break from blacks and browns and their various shades. Today was about colour. This is about as far as I would be comfortable veering from the suit and tie culture at work. My personal philosophy is to stand out but not have it be too obvious.

(in this outfit: green Tulle cardi, thrifted scarf, grey Old Navy trousers, white Mexx blouse, Steve Madden ruffle pumps)

Thursday: Maybe it was the comfy shoes

Thursdays have always been my favourite day of the week - ever since I was a kid. This ended up being one of the best days I've ever had at work. I felt fully on top of my game, recognized for my work and what I can contribute plus got the chance to do some "cleaning house". I was on such a high when I got home that we went out for a long xc ski. The weather was really mild and we had drinks and snacks at a beautiful old chalet about 4.5km into the park. The huge uphill climb at the beginning of the trail was a liberating steep downhill on the way back that had me wanting to yell all the way down "I'm on top of the wooooorld". Great day.

(in this outfit: Asos studded belt, Laura grey cowl sweater, RW & Co skirt, Aerosoles patent wedges)

Friday: A neutral smoothie

Today's outfit is brought to you by a mix of grey, navy, black and brown. I love the big buttons on this jacket and how they play of the heels of the shoes. Today was also the test run of a new product I decided to try out - the Tonytail. Ever wondered if there was an easy way to get that wrap-around-hair look to finish off your pony tail? This is it ladies! I had to play with it a bit and add some bobby pins to get the look I wanted but it really is great. Stay tuned for more reviews of some of their other fun products!

(in this outfit: Steve Madden gunmetal pumps, Old Navy navy pinstripe trousers, steel grey Smart Set tank, thrifted steel blue wool sweater, Midtown jacket)

the borrowers

Have you ever read the kids book "The Borrowers" by Mary Norton (I recommend it highly, btw)? It's about a little world, with tiny people who make off with items around your house to use in their miniature worlds. It's the explanation my parents always used when we misplaced anything - "the borrowers must have taken it". Lately, I have been feeling as though we had a serious infestation of the borrowers! I kept looking for staples in my wardrobe and couldn't find them anywhere - including: my black boots (boots for crying out loud!), my favourite black tankini and my winter running pants (a definite necessity for winter sports). My tankini has been missing for months. Have you ever wished you had a crystal ball to find out what has happened to these missing things?

Today, I decided to make the most of the last couple of days of vacation to edit my closet and put together a couple of bags for the Sally Anne. Wouldn't you know it, I found all of my missing items! All of them! My boots were hiding in the corner of my bedroom under a bag I had already started for charity, my tankini was in my summer bin - how did I miss it? I guess little black things can hide in the shadows sometimes. And my running pants were in another summer bin. Moral of the story? Too many summer bins for one. Much editing needed - but it's so hard...

At least I won't have to bring in an exterminator just yet... Now, if we could only find Rich's hockey gloves and helmet...

In other news, it's bloody freezing here today (minus 28 Celsius with the wind chill). This isn't really news but I'm still in denial that we have to live in this deep freeze for a few more months yet. Why do we live here again?

Luckily, I have a sunny little spot to sit in and a nice big pot of homemade pea soup on the stove. Perhaps I'll make myself a chai and read my book for a bit. I'm currently reading The Opposable Mind, by Roger Martin - very applicable to things I'm trying to get done.

charcoal dress: two ways

I'm going through a yellow phase. Truth be told, I've been having a little love affair with yellow - I mean bright yellow - for a couple of years. It's not my fault, it keeps wooing me with its sunny personality! Stop it yellow. I'm a married woman.

Dress: Joe Fresh, thrifted
Belt: eBay
Necklace: Etsy
Clutch: somewhere in Cambodia
Boots: Feet First









Thought I'd try this dress another way too, mixing neutrals. FYI - the dress also has adorable pockets! Love.

Shoes: Chinese Laundry
Belt: Asos
Necklace: thrifted
Bangle: thrifted

close one

Thought I was going to have to go in to work there for a minute. Nope, false alarm. Phew. Time for another outfit! Everyone and their sister seems to have these American Apparel tights but, what the hey, I love 'em too.

This skirt has cute detailing on the pockets and the shoes have adorable ruffles around the edge.


This outfit put me in a great mood - or maybe it's that I don't have to go to the office after all...

Top: Victoria's Secret
Shoes: Steve Madden
Scarf as belt: thrifted
Denim skirt: thrifted
Tights: American Apparel

on vacation = more posts

Here's what I had fun with last night. I bought this top at a hip little shop in St. John's Newfoundland called Model Citizens, which carries vintage and local designer pieces. I love the fabric and am trying to make the design work with my body type. I flipped up the gathered bottom to sit at my waist (I think I would wear a belt over top of this part in the future), which I need to highlight to avoid putting too much focus on my hips. Shoes: Seychelles. Necklace worn as a bracelet: thrifted. Jeans: thrifted.

posting wedding pics made me feel a bit nostalgic

In 2006 and 2007, Rich and I sold everything, left our jobs, put packs on our back and traveled for just over a year (13 months). All in all, we visited Morocco, Spain, China (in preparation for which, we took 7 months of Mandarin lessons prior to leaving), India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. I feel so lucky to have had that experience - but I've got itchy feet and would love to take off again. I doubt we'll be doing anything quite so epic again any time soon but I've certainly started thinking of where I might like to go next...

wedding attire

Rich and I recently celebrated our third wedding anniversary.

We were married in Sri Lanka at a private villa on a pineapple plantation, part way through a 13-month backpacking trip around the world. It was a buddhist ceremony completely in Sinhalese - really lovely with alot of symbolism (a good thing as, otherwise, it might have been difficult to understand what was going on). Here is a bit of a collage as to what the day was like (click on the image to see a larger version).


We bought the maid-of-honour's sari in Varanasi India. I wanted to wear it as my wedding dress but it wasn't going to work - a bit sad since Varanasi has arguably the most beautiful saris in the world and I really wanted to get mine there too. Since white is for funerals in India, the selection of white saris was somewhat more sombre than what I was looking for. The wedding colour in India (at least in the North) is red! Fantastic! This got me all excited that I could wear a nice bright colour for my wedding. Alas, the reverse is true in Sri Lanka where white is for weddings and red is for funerals. Although I'm all for doing things in a non-traditional way, I thought it might be distasteful to get married in red, so I had to get my sari once we arrived in Colombo. It was a bit of a mad dash to find it and I was ushered around to numerous sari shops by our (rare in Sri Lanka) drag queen wedding dresser/makeup artist/hair stylist. I also had to settle for a white bouquet of flowers as the options were surprisingly limited and we weren't interested in getting stressed out over the event.

I adored the head jewel and gold and garnet accessories and the bright colours for the rest of the wedding party. I also loved being barefoot. We opted out of the traditional men's wedding attire, which looks like tan coloured pijamas, but needed something other than traditional tuxedos or suits which, aside from being way too warm, would have looked out of place. Their outfits weren't so shiny in real life - the silk really reflected the camera flash! For fun, Rich and the best man also decided to grow mutton chops for the event. Hilarious!

Even with only two other guests (our maid of honour and best man) it was totally over the top with a poruwa (a platform made entirely out of woven palm leaves), dancers, chanters, drummers, an elephant and a five course meal that included a huge lobster each. The weather was super hot and we all started to look a bit like glazed donuts by the end of the day so wedding attire was quickly shed and we all jumped into the pool, played some tunes on our iPod over the speaker system and drank champagne all night.

The best wedding I've ever been to - glad it was mine!