Prints for a Rainy Day

Super messy ponytail, glasses, & jeans. Not my usual, but it was raining & I was a bit pressed for time. I certainly didn't intend to photograph the look, but the rain ceased for about 5 minutes, so I gave it a shot. I showed you a look with this striped cape last week, but the majority of my things are packed for my flight tomorrow, so spare me. I went for prints, both as an anti-rain tactic & in response to the fact that I missed Mary Katrantzou at The Room in Vancouver last night (Kris was lucky enough to attend; hope she posts about the event soon! hint hint ;) Mom commented that the blocked stripes & florals made me look like I was disoriented while dressing... don't think print-blocking has caught on in NL quite yet haha. 

I've got a million & one things to get done today, but I'm feeling a tad Zombie-esque. Here's hoping my tea date this afternoon will give me the energy I need to finish everything before tomorrow! Hope you all have the loveliest of weekends <3 

I was wearing:

Floral blouse - Zara

Rose striped cape - H&M (Autumn 2011)

Gold Chronograph Watch - Michael Kors

Boots - Mom's, from Naturalizer

Glasses - Ray Ban

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)

The Rainy City

Let's face it: although it doesn't actually hit the top 10 list (those being reserved for more southerly origins) Vancouver is one of those legendary rainy cities. I can say with true conviction I've never seen rain like this. Because the rain we get here (which occurs 5 out of 7 days) comes at you hard, on an angle; making it virtually impossible to do a variety of things - one of these being to snap any decent picture, the other to make any solid plans. While the dear folks of Vancouver have adapted well to this climate (both in terms of fashion & lifestyle), I've still yet to come to terms with it. I shamefully trudged home, past Hermès & Louis Vuitton, with soaked hair; drenched pashmina wrapped around my head. Passing girls in their Hunter rainboots & matching umbrellas peered out at me smugly from the safety of their dry havens. Where was my umbrella you may ask? My boots? Both left behind at work of course.

But it wasn't all bad; actually quite the opposite. Although our plans to visit the Aquarium were rained out, I'm lucky to have such an obliging friend as Kris (& one with an umbrella might I add!). We ate lunch at a delightful Lebanese place called Nuba. Five minutes after we arrived the entire place was filled, & I can certainly see why. Fresh pineapple orange juice with ginger; wholesome red lentil soup; followed by what was probably the biggest/most filled falafel pita I've ever seen. I know I probably post about food too much, but being a nutrition student I just can't help myself - I sincerely love it. Post-lunch we went to The Descendants matinee. It was an unquestionably great film, & if you haven't yet seen it do yourself a favour & go! Last but not least, there's something to be said about crawling into a cosy warm bed after coming in from the rain. Curling up under a fluffy duvet after you've had a simple but lovely day with a friend. Rain or not, it can't get much better :) 

My not so great rain gear: Zara coat, Topshop shirt, American Apparel Skirt, H&M bag

P.S. Not sure how I neglected to mention it in my last post (because I was pretty estatic) but as of yesterday my blog has just surpassed 100 followers via GFC (& 24 on Bloglovin'). Big deal in my small world! Thank you so much to those of you who are following - your feedback means the world to me :) 

Quiet Mornings // New In

1. Catching up on Bloglovin' on a rainy morning. 448 posts to read? Completely normal.

2. Gluten-free pancakes with vegan chocolate chips, vanilla agave syrup, & frozen raspberries

3. My favourite mug; delightfully sarcastic, it was given to me by my Mom years ago. Everywhere I move or travel, this guy comes with me

4. New top from Zara. The top portion is a great rusty-brown, contrasted with a sheer mustard asymmetrical piece on bottom. It's a great basic. Don't you just love sales? :)

Something I cherish above all else is having quiet mornings to myself. I revel in the complete silence & prospect of doing whatever my heart desires. It's something I've always done. When I was a little girl I would wake up at 5am, tip toe to the kitchen to make a small snack, & read Jane Austen & Lucy Maud Montgomery for a few hours before the rest of the house came alive. These days aren't much different. I make a delicious vegan breakfast of some sort (which I always eat in bed), answer the emails which have piled up during the night, & then catch up on my blog reading or writing. No distracting music or TV, just quiet time to read & think. It's my personal way of achieving balance. 

Do you have any morning rituals or time set aside just for you? I'd love to know! I'd also like to do a little shout-out to those of you who have just started following! Don't worry, I've set aside time tonight to answer all your lovely comments :) For the time being, I'm getting ready & headed to work. Fingers crossed I'll have a new outfit post for you all tomorrow! Until then, have a fabulous day <3 

Molten Gold & Rain

A recent personal trend I've noticed: I seem to gravitate toward velvet on rainy days. So when I came to terms that my day off was to be a distinctly wet one, out came the velvet. The particular piece I chose was the Club Monaco amber velvet skirt I received for Christmas. It reminds me of molten gold. I paired it with two items I purchased last year in Halifax: my golden leaf necklace & grey shoulder cut-out top. I love the silkiness of the top, the unique shoulder detail, & the rich texture of the skirt. 


In terms of light & photo quality I'll be the first to admit that these are far from my favourites. But I promised you an outfit photo, & unfortunately this is all the rain allowed for! I've been wanting to share more outfits with you but between time conflicts & weather mishaps it just hasn't been a possibility as of late. Rather than simply hope for improvements I've been thinking about getting a wireless remote so I'll be able to take my own photos. Not sure how it'll work out but it's certainly worth a try! Do any of you take your photos this way? I'd love some feedback/suggestions :)

I was wearing:

Grey cut-out top - Lush (via Envy)

Amber velvet skirt - Club Monaco

Gold Leaf Necklace - Girly Peepshow Boutique

Hammered Ring - Forever 21

Paloma wedges - Dolce Vita

John Fluevog Sample Sale

Holy line-up! And in the rain too...

Immediately after work today my dear co-worker (& Fluevog-aholic) & I headed for the John Fluevog sample sale taking place in Gastown. To our surprise & dismay the line stretched all the way down the block. Having trekked all the way there in the rain (me in my cat tapestry lita's might I add) we decided to wait out the line. So with each other for company we waited, umbrella-less, for a chance to find ourselves some beautiful shoes.

For those of you who aren't familiar, John Fluevog is a Canadian shoe designer, born & raised right here in Vancouver. His designs are fun, unique & art deco inspired - & have certainly gained the international spotlight. For more information or to do a little online shopping for yourself you can visit the Fluevog website here. 

I didn't end up getting any myself (focusing on Christmas gifting & not myself currently!), though I did see so many gorgeous pairs that it was quite a task to refrain. I particularly fell in love with 2 pairs of oxfords (one black, one two-tone cream & tan) - the heavy, masculine type which you know will probably outlive you. One day... 

Have you attended any good sample sales recently? 

<3 Shawna

Rainy Days & Mondays

Being silly :)

I was wearing:

Pearl shoulder-detail sweater  - Forever 21

Blue chiffon skirt - American Apparel

Pink belt - Vintage

Lace socks - F21

Plaid coat - F21

Black Paloma wedges - Dolce Vita

Karen Carpenter had it right. Today, being both rainy & a Monday, has been a bit too much ''doom & gloom'' for my taste. But between the grey skies, rain, & wonky alley lighting I at least managed to get in a little 'Look of the Day' post! Nothing too fancy; just a cosy sweater, comfy wedges, skirt + tights for a quick trip to the grocery store! I do however love the pearl-bead shoulder detail & the pop of colour added with the vintage belt. My apologies for the poor lighting (that's a shameful 2 in a row) but I sadly can't control the weather! 

Now I'm off to study a little microbiology (great fun, I know) & later reward myself with some Christmasy treats & a movie :) How are you all spending your Monday? 

And then the rain came

1. Watching the rain on our balcony + sneak peek of outfit photoshoot to be posted tomorrow. 

2. Noel Nog - delicious Christmasy goodness a la vegan 

3. New books arrived in mail - yay!

4. My lovely new silk scarf from Banana Republic (today's acquisition) 

I sleepily went off to work this morning at 5:30 AM, quelled by the prospect of sunshine & after-work adventures. Unfortunately by the time I reached home at 1 PM the rain began & hasn't stopped since. So it turned into a quiet day at home, gloating over my newest item (the gorgeous gem-printed silk scarf seen above), enjoying far too much Noel Nog, & just relaxing. It was actually quite nice, however I am hoping for some productivity & pleasant weather tomorrow morning!

We also managed to get in a quick photoshoot before the sun went down. Albeit a dusky set of photos, they'll be posted tomorrow here & on lookbook so stay tuned :)

Thank you for reading! <3 

Newness & Grey Skies

Hello hello, for the second time today! I just wanted to share a few photo's of my recent purchases & what quickly became a grey rainy day here in Vancouver. Fortunately I didn't have to leave my cozy haven & avoided the ill weather entirely. I always love listening to the rain when I can take comfort in the fact that I needn't go outside. Now... picture time :)

This gorgeous grey knit is from the Banana Republic Heritage Collection. I actually saw it a couple weeks ago & had been dreaming of it. When pay day finally came along, I knew I needed to add this beautiful staple to my wardrobe! So very pleased with it :)

One of my trend obsessions this season has been velvet, but I had yet to find many workable pieces here in the city. This simple black velvet top is from the Banana Republic Holiday Collection, having just been released this past week. As with most BR products, this XS is quite a bit too big for me, but I had to get it anyways. I foresee it figuring big in my holiday wardrobe.

Another member of the BR Holiday Collection, this headband is pretty, girly, & has just the right amount of sparkle! Perfect for jazzing up a simple LBD look. 

This piece you've already seen here - my blue micromesh button-down, acquired at the American Apparel Warehouse Sale on Thursday! I am so happy over this piece - it's so versatile & can work for any season.

Our poor pumpkin friend has seen better days. His teeth & eyes have been the victims of weather & neglect...I still like him though haha

Grey skies & constant rain... so fortunate not to be out in it!

So that is that! What do you all think of my new purchases? Any favourites?