Totem

In a massive effort to procrastinate last minute exam cramming, here is the outfit I wore yesterday! Basically all I had to do was study & go to a few appointments, so I opted for something fairly casual & added some heels. It was a peculiar day, with cloud vs sun in constant battle, & eerily quiet where we shot these photos. 'Hectic' is an understatement for this week (final exam, packing endless suitcases, appointments galore) so to enjoy the sun in near silence was a nice break. 

[ I have an absolute abhorrence for wrinkly clothes, so I feel the need to explain away these wrinkly trousers. I always press them before wearing them, but they're a tad too big so the excess material keeps bunching & wrinkling every time I sit. It drives me crazy, but I love them so I wear them regardless. ] Excuses aside, I paired them with this ruffle-laden purple transparent top (an oldie from ASOS), a simple pair of pointy-toed black heels, my Vanilla Michael Kors Hamilton bag, & some gold accessories. Nails painted in Lily by Revlon.

3 more days here in NL & so much to get done before I leave. With any luck I'll be able to get in one more outfit shoot with my dearest obliging Mom beforehand. Until then, hope everyone is having a fabulous week! :)

I was wearing:

Purple ruffle top -  ASOS (old)

Trousers - Zara (old)

Necklace - F21 (old)

Heels - Spring (old)

Watch & Bag - Michael Kors

Nail polish - Lily 610 Revlon

May Day

So what I didn't happen to mention yesterday is that it's been snowing on & off since I returned to NL Saturday night. This should offer you an explanation as to why my outfit is decidedly more Autumn appropriate than May Day wear. I probably should have included more florals or brights, but I was feeling a much more layered look with some rose & burgundy thrown into the mix. Nothing fancy, just something to keep me decently warm while running errands. 

I was inspired to pull out my liquid leggings when I saw this look by Breanne of Flattery, worn in Sydney (though to be fair, it actually is Autumn there). This is actually the first time I've worn them in over a year. On the top I layered with a charcoal silk tee from Lush, burgundy cropped jumper from Urban Outfitters, & H&M rose striped poncho/cape/shawl/thingy; all purchases from last Autumn. I accessorized simply with a knit circle scarf from ASOS, Michael Kors Gold Chronograph watch & Michael Kors ballet flats. 

I'll be returning to Vancouver in less than 2 weeks & I'm getting pretty excited. I'm coveting some real Spring weather, time to finally shop & build my Summer wardrobe, amazing vegan restaurants, the beach, lovely friends... I could go on forever, believe me.  

I was wearing:

Rose striped cape/shawl - H&M (Autumn 2011)

Burgundy Jumper - Urban Outfitters (Autumn 2011)

Charcoal Silk Tee - Lush (old)

Liquid Leggings - Bootlegger (old)

Knit circle scarf - ASOS (old)

Gold Chronograph Watch - Michael Kors

Ballet Flats - Michael Kors

Sunshine Stroll

It seems like Friday really was Winter's last hurrah. It's been a beauty of a weekend, with sunshine to make up for the minimally warm temperatures. Mom & I went out this morning for a little post-errand stroll, which was enjoyable if not great for photos. The sun was so bright it really makes my skin appear ghastly white. Nonetheless I've been all smiles all day.

It was one of those mornings where you stare blankly at your closet for a solid hour. Time-pressed & in pure frustration, I finally went with my cognac leather shorts, paired with a relatively ancient printed trapeze top (tucked in). Stella & Dot earrings, H&M bangle, H&M x Versace medallion bracelet, Karen Walker Number Six sunnies, & my black Michael Kors ballet flats. Et voila :)

I've another exam coming up this week, so hopefully I'm able to tear myself away from sunshiney outings long enough to cram. I'm just getting back into my running routine & it feels so good I'm finding it hard to sit still for long. I've also been on a huge cooking kick (used this Chef Chloe recipe for vegan Mexicali Sliders today & I highly recommend trying it!).

That's all for now. Hope you've all had a fabulous weekend & thanks for reading! :)

I was wearing:

Belted leather shorts - Vila, via ASOS

Purple printed top - Le Chateau (2006)

Chantilly Lace earrings - Stella & Dot

Cream + Gold Bangle - H&M

Number Six Sunnies - Karen Walker

Gold Medallion bracelet - Versace x H&M

Ballet Flats - Michael Kors

Frühlingszeit

Sunshine, melting snow, Camera Obscura, Springtime: Pretty much the main things which influenced this outfit of mine from yesterday. It made for the perfect opportunity to wear my new orange batwing jumper c/o OASAP which I received last week. I was looking for some interesting contrasts so I paired it with blues & red. You've seen these blue pleated palazzo pants once before (here), but I have to say it again: these are so much fun. Especially on a windy day like yesterday; they're blowing every which way & I can't help but smile over them. Definitely need to find a second pair of these soon. 


Despite the fact that our house is still in the heart of winter, I wore my peep-toe Foxy platforms; deeming it safer uptown where there was significantly less snow. Accessory-wise I wore 2 vintage necklaces + red rosette stud earrings passed down from my Grandmother, & a printed navy clutch with wooden handle. I bought this clutch when I was fifteen for $5 at Old Navy... & this is actually the first time I've ever used it believe it or not. I'm not quite sure how to describe, or sum up the outfit style, but I can tell you I loved it. Definitely put me in the mood for Springtime/Frühlingszeit (been working on my German all week; my head is a mess of vocabulary & a headache of foreign pronunciations)!


As lovely as yesterday's brilliant sunshine was, it was not exactly conducive to great photography. So while it looks like I did godawful things with the saturation/exposure, seriously just blame the sun (what you see is unedited; fixing these was beyond my skill haha). And if you're wondering why I look cold, it's because I was cold freezing. Wish I could teleport to a warmer climate right about now! One more month...

I was wearing:

Orange Batwing top - c/o OASAP (here)

Blue pleated palazzo pants - ASOS (old)

Navy patterned Clutch - Old Navy (old)

Necklaces - Vintage

Rosette Earrings - Vintage

Nude suede Foxy Platform - Jeffrey Campbell

Neon & Peplum

A little neon there, a little peplum here. This will be my last outfit post from Vancouver, so I had to make it special. I'm anticipating a lot more heavy winter clothes once I hit the East Coast so I wanted to be as Spring-y as possible while I could. That being said, Vancouver seems to be prepping me for the upcoming climate change by mixing the pleasant sunshine with bitter cold. It couldn't have been above 1 degree so our photo shoot was cut a little short, & filled with laughter over my red nose (most apparent in the last of these photos) & incredulous looks from bundled-up passers-by. 


I showed you this neon yellow jersey pencil skirt (à la ASOS) in my last post & was delighted by the positive feedback I got from you guys. Trust me, I love it too. I decided to pair it with my 'Scuba-esque' peplum top from H&M (also fairly new) & my Steve Madden peep-toe heels. I really liked the resulting look & chose to wear it for my last day of work at BR. The only thing I'd like to change about it would be the addition of a little arm party. My Michael Kors watch is looking a little lonely there by itself. And no, that pesky hair elastic that I unfortunately overlooked does not count. 


So there you have it; one last Vancouver look. Tomorrow I fly across the country. Today? Well I have yet to pack a single thing but that's beside the point. I've got an irresistible urge to go shopping, the sun is shining, & Kris & I are going to have one last friend date. It's going to be lovely :)

I was wearing:

Neon yellow jersey pencil skirt - ASOS

Black Peplum top - H&M

Peep-toe Heels - Steve Madden

Gold Chronograph Watch - Michael Kors

Necklace - Forever 21

Nail polish - OPI Mermaid's Tears

Newness & Change

Finally something new! I know it has only been a few days since I last posted, but it has seemed an eternity to me. I've got some recent purchases to show you & some 'life updates' to share! First off, some new additions to my wardrobe/beauty/book collection:

My new neon yellow pencil skirt from ASOS which I'm completely enamoured with - can't wait to show you the outfit I have planned for it! :)

Sephora is a rabbit hole. Seriously. I stopped by this morning on my way to a coffee date & ended up getting a few items. The Dior Rosy Glow blush you may recognize from my 'Beauty Edition' post last week. The visiting Dior rep who did my make-up used this on me & I've been lusting over it ever since. Today I finally gave in & picked it up. It's 001 Petal & although it looks like a scary bright pink, it's formulated to blend with any skin tone. I also got a Bobbi Brown concealer/corrector to aid in the ongoing battle against my dark under-eye circles. 'Porcelain Peach' is the colour I went with.

Then I decided my lips needed some loving too. So I picked up this amazing new lip exfoliant by Bite. It smells & tastes amazing; like wild cherry. I've read good reviews so I'm excited to try this one out. I then chose the Too Faced Lip Insurance lip primer because keeping my lipstick on & decent looking is always a challenge for me. I decided to pick this product up after reading this lovely post by Tess.

Post-Sephora I stopped by the drugstore, as I had some credit to spend from points accumulated. I needed a new facial exfoliant so I picked up this one from Soap & Glory, which I've heard good things about. I also picked up this Revlon lip stain upon a friend's recommendation. I just tried it out & am not sure how I feel about the colour, as it's a little too plain. I think it'll be perfect for quick & easy use on busy days though. 

And finally, new books! (so not fashion related but the arrival of new books makes me incredibly happy. I've mentioned before that I have a slight obsession with travel guides... well Rick Steves' books are my favourites... his dry sense of humour suits me to a tee)

Hello new favourite hairstyle! I've always adored the fishtail braid but shamefully never learned how to do one. Fortunately I discovered a great how-to video through L is for Lois' blog last week. I've done my hair like this the past 4 out of 5 days hehe. Although I'm pretty slow at it, & still in the 'practice makes perfect' stage, it's a great idea for other-wise bad hair days or busy days out & about. And I must say I've gotten so many compliments on it!

And now, the big-ish news. I'll actually be leaving Vancouver this coming Tuesday (so soon I know!). I'll be spending the next 2 months with my family on the other side of the country. Not only can you expect a big change of scenery, but a definite change in clothes as my mother informs me they are in the midst of several feet of snow. I'm not a fan of the snow & cold at all & to be honest I'm on a huge summer clothes, summer colours kick at the moment. It'll be interesting to see how I cope with the climate change. 

I've also been trying to cram in as much eating out as possible. Whatever picturesque points Newfoundland may score, shawna-friendly dining is not one of them. I've already said goodbye to my favourite burrito place folks, & intend to visit as many of my favourite restaurants as possible over the next few days. A little shopping on the side may also be in order.... though with the prospect of 3 overweight suitcases this may not be the smartest move on my part. 

In the meantime, I have one day of work left & a tonne of goodbye visits to fit in. Coffee dates, strolls, rushed farewells at work. I'm not very good at articulating emotional goodbyes though... I always like to believe I'll cross paths with the people that matter at some point in the future. I am feeling a little blue about leaving Vancouver, but as I always believe, everything happens for a reason. It'll be nice to be around my family, to have my mom baby me for awhile, & to see my favourite rambunctious 3 year old again. It'll be a good opportunity for me to actually focus on my German coursework. I'll also have more time to blog & take photos as I won't be working. See, there is always a silver lining! :)

Hope you all have the loveliest of weekends :) Mine will certainly be a busy one! 

Be Mine Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day lovelies! And cheers to all things cheesy & cute (typical post title included). Unfortunately I have to work this evening, but I'm trying to make the best of my morning with a little 10AM cookie baking & some Valentine's Day-themed blog reading ;)

When I went to my closet to find a Valentine's Day outfit I was amazed at the sheer amount of red, pink, peach, & burgundy it contained. Seriously... clothes, bags, shoes, hats, accessories... the whole nine yards. What made me choose this particular outfit is the simplicity & the dress itself. It's a member of the 'occasion dresses' section of my closet, so today felt like the perfect time to show it off. The structure details on this dress are what made me fall in love in the first place - the peter pan collar, the exposed back, & the cute pleats. I paired it with polka dot tights for a little playful fun, a girly gold bow chain bracelet, & my Jeffrey Campbell Foxy platforms in nude suede. I painted my finger nails for the first time in a long time... possibly years... & felt like a 5 year old sneaking her mothers makeup & making a complete mess of it. Ah well, candy-floss pink for the win. 

A note on photo location: it was raining; the ugly balcony backdrop long ago exhausted itself; & so the next best thing was bed. The place from which I eat my breakfast, read my blogs, & indeed, am writing this now. Not sure if you've ever tried to take outfit photos in bed, but it proved somewhat difficult for me this time around. Practice makes perfect? 

So you can see the entire dress a little better, not a testament to my terrible posing skills ;)

Obligatory back view of dress

I was wearing:

Red Dress - ASOS (old)

Polkadot tights - Gipsy, ASOS (here)

Nude suede Foxy platform - Jeffrey Campbell (Nastygal)

A Peplum Affair // IFB Conference

Please raise your hand if you too, are loving the peplum trend right now. Yeah, that's what I thought. Peculiarily enough, for a style which is listed as one of the top trends of the season, I've found them unusually difficult to find. My closet currently holds a grand total of two. The orange one pictured above was an October purchase from H&M. Thankfully the quality was good & it has withstood some pretty constant use. It's one of my go-to tops for work; generally paired with a navy pencil skirt or something of the sort. Here I've made it a bit more casual with my taupe American Apparel trousers & Michael Kors ballet flats. MK watch + Stella & Dot chandelier earrings (c/o) for some simple accessorizing. Perfect for a rainy day! 

I swear I'll get my hands on a tripod soon. And a better rainy day location... for now, the balcony it is ;)

Just wanted to show off my pretty Stella & Dot earrings :)

Recall a couple days ago when I mentioned a tiny purchase from H&M? Yes, you guessed it; my second peplum item. It seems as if H&M is the only High Street retailer on the peplum bandwagon at the moment. I had made somewhat of an unwritten resolution not to purchase any black items this Spring, but it looked so nice on, the material was lovely, & the price was too good to pass up. For any of you who are interested, they have it in a white/pastel orange combination as well (unfortunately white clothes & my skin-tone are not the best of friends). One combination I am loving however is black + neon yellow. Admittedly my intent was to order a Cambridge satchel in neon yellow, but my patience isn't the greatest when it comes to their month-long waiting period. Instead I ordered this soft jersey pencil skirt from ASOS. It's due to arrive next week so that's one look you can expect to see soon. And who knows, perhaps my upcoming bonus may extend itself to the satchel as well ;) 

On one last note, did any of you watch the IFB conference in NYC live streaming yesterday? I decided to take the day off from studying & followed it from beginning to end with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm haha. The second-by-second #ifbcon hash-tagging on Twitter was unreal & the panelist discussion was truly fantastic. Andy from Style Scrapbook was by far my favourite panelist... surprise, surprise. From start to finish each blogger was full of great advice from content quality, social media networking, & branding, to posting frequency & personal style. If you didn't get a chance to watch it yesterday the video is now available in it's entirety here. Hopefully I'll be able to attend their next conference in person :) 

Have a lovely day everyone & thank you so much for reading! <3 

Woodland in the City

Without further ado, here is the look I told you about yesterday! I absolutely love this faux fur vest I got from Zara during Boxing Day sales & was quite excited to do a 'look of the day' shoot with it. I've got a million combinations for it rolling around my head so you can probably expect to see it again sooner or later. It makes me feel like a cosy little bear when I wear it, which is probably what provoked me to pair it with a rich forest green & the owl necklace. A simple look for a simple day - and hey, it certainly kept me warm! :)

In terms of footwear, I know you're as sick of my small collection as I am. Before moving here this past September I had a closet dedicated solely to my shoes; but sadly only a few pairs would cram into my suitcase limit. Hopefully 2012 will bring me many beautiful new pairs (I have a very strong inclination towards these at the moment :)

Life is all work & rain at the moment, but I'm feeling peculiarly optimistic in spite of it all. What kind of start is your week off to? And please, let me know what you think of this look! <3 

I was wearing:

Faux fur vest - Zara

Winter green batwing jumper - ASOS

Tiered black skirt - Aritzia (old)

Owl necklace - Sale bin somewhere!

Paloma wedges - Dolce Vita

Happy Holidays :)

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays everyone! 

I just wanted to do a quick post to thank my readers for having been so supportive since I began this blog several months ago. Your support & feedback has meant so much to me this year! I'm also really looking forward to sharing the year ahead with you :) 


I hope your holidays have been absolutely delightful & you've all had a wonderful time with family & friends. I'll fill you in on my holiday in Ottawa as soon as I get a spare moment! 

These photos were taken yesterday on Christmas eve. With the temperature hovering around -15 Celsius it was somewhat painful to be outside sans coat. My 'russian hat' helped, but admittedly wasn't the most photogenic. Ditto on the ASOS paperbag waist trousers (last Christmas) & River Island wool socks. I was hoping to take photos outside today in my Christmas dress but it's just to cold to bear! Instead I'm curled up with a blanket & that's where I intend to remain until Christmas supper is served. 

Merry Christmas <3