Colour + Print

Yesterday I had the pleasure of lunch & a stroll with Kris (of Back Alleys & Boulevards), in the presence of some pretty glorious sunshine. After a long lunch at Nuba (delicious vegan Lebanese cuisine), we sat outside while Kris showed me her gorgeous designs & the current collection she's working on. We then proceeded to snap a handful of photos atop the Law Courts downtown. Most of mine are pretty ridiculous... it was somewhat difficult to keep a straight face with Kris laughing at at my awkward facial expressions & lack of balance. Nonetheless I hope we'll get in some more lunch + photo dates soon! It's certainly nice to be back & to see the lovely people I missed so much. The sunshine doesn't hurt either ;)

A few words about the outfit: my oversized fluoro orange top (layered over a lace bodysuit) was an obvious choice for a casual Summery day. I paired it with a black & white pencil skirt for a bit of contrast, & accessorized fairly simply: bag big enough for the camera, the necessary sunnies, comfortable flats, & statement earrings which you regrettably can't see all that well (they're a striking vintage roped gold, which I recently discovered in an old jewellery box while I was visiting home). I don't know all the details on Kris's outfit, but I do know I love her punchy colour-blocked top, well-worn brown satchel, & fantastic snake-print sandals from H&M!

The sun is out in full force again today, so hopefully I'll be able to accomplish my lengthy 'to-do' list while still enjoying the weather. Hope you're all having a fabulous week & thanks for reading! :)

I was wearing:

B/W printed skirt - Joe Fresh (old)

Fluoro top - H&M (old)

Earrings - Vintage (Grandmother's)

Vanilla Hamilton Bag - Michael Kors (Here, US)

Ballet Flats - Michael Kors (Here, US)

Number Six Sunnies - Karen Walker

Sunny Vancouver

Vancouver in the sunshine is a completely different world. Not just from the bitterly windy other coast, but the rainy city itself in mid February. Since my arrival the weather has been undeniably gorgeous. What I remember as a quiet city on a wet Monday morning has seemingly increased tenfold in population. Fighting the jet-lag we went for a stroll along the Seawall yesterday to soak up some Vitamin D. My skin is a pretty ghostly shade of white, but even already my freckles are starting to burst through. So many people were out tanning on the beach & in the park. I can't wait to take a picnic & a book to put in an afternoon there myself. 

As always on a sunny day, I wanted as much colour as possible. The base of my outfit was one of my all-time favourite vintage pieces - my striped Adrienne Vittadini skirt. I paired it with a mint crop top from American Apparel, atop a white bandeau, & accessorized with my pastel yellow satchel, gold/white bangle & sandals, & a hand-made necklace (black braided with pastel baubles). Classic Ray Ban wayfarers to top it off. Simple look for a Summery day :)

I was wearing:

Striped Skirt - Vintage, Adrienne Vittadini

Mint Crop Top - American Apparel

Necklace - Handmade by my Auntie

Yellow Satchel - H&M

Bangle - H&M

Sandals - Aldo

Wayfarers - Ray Ban

Sunshine Brights

There I go with that automatic timer again. At least I didn't confine it to the balcony this time! Rather instead, I found a semi-secluded place downtown where I had only 2 awkward run-in's with curious people wondering what the heck I was doing. As mentioned in yesterday's post I was feeling excessively cheerful & decided to celebrate the sun with some bright wardrobe choices & lip colour. Pulled together rather quickly,  I chose my favourite turquoise top from Nastygal & went from there. For another pop of colour I added my velvet skirt from Club Monaco, tights so my legs wouldn't freeze, & a blazer to replace the confines of my winter coat. Add to that gold accessories, round sunnies, bright pink lipstick, et voila.

I had a lovely afternoon strolling around, people watching & wandering in & out of shops. I managed to restrict myself to one teeny-tiny purchase from H&M, which I'll share with you later this week. In the meantime, I'm planning another little sunshine excursion (thank you weather gods!) today, followed by a productive evening of studying. I spent last night getting all my coursework organized & am consequently both proud as a peacock about it & significantly less anxious. Win-win :) I'm so looking forward to having it all over with soon... only a few more months until freedom!

Cheesy Smile :)

Told you it was bright! Sadly the photos above do it no justice. 

I was wearing:

Turquoise batwing top - NastyGal

Golden velvet skirt - Club Monaco

 Black Blazer - H&M

Necklace - Forever 21

Gold Chronograph Watch - Michael Kors

Number 6 Tortoise Sunglasses - Karen Walker

Black Paloma Wedges - Dolce Vita

Vanilla Hamilton purse - Michael Kors

Lipstick - Elizabeth Arden (Pink Vibrations 49)

What's Inspiring Me Lately...

A miscellaneous handful of the things which have been inspiring my mood & style lately:

Dreaming of London, first & foremost

Colourful nails & lips

Simple, organized, white spaces

Clashing patterns - this floral & polkadot combination is one of my favourites

Simple & very me. My next tattoo, just don't know where to put it yet - suggestions?

Desperately wanting to fill my closet with blue pieces to create an all-blue look

Spring brights, patterns, & faux fur

Sunshine & big sunnies - I'm lusting for these Prada Baroque pair in particular...

Braided to perfection

A cosy work space 

Bright pink lips

Images via Pinterest, Tumblr, Fashion Squad, Jak & Jil, Nobody Knows Marc, & Miss Pandora

Before settling down to a night of study I intend to enjoy this gorgeous sunshiney day to the fullest. I'm going to pick out the cutest, brightest outfit I can find, put on my Elizabeth Arden hot pink lipstick, & shop, explore, & photograph the city to my heart's delight! Have a wonderful day everyone :)

What's In My Bag?

   

The bag: my dear 14" Cambridge Satchel in fluorescent pink, with my initials embossed in gold! Every time I wear this thing people stop me in the street just to comment. Pretty amusing, pretty bright.

My beloved Blackberry 

Comb, bobby pins, & my work name tag, on top of the most important thing of all - my Planner! I prefer to write things out rather than put it in my blackberry. I actually would not be able to function without this thing, so it obviously comes with me everywhere. 

My favourite lipgloss in the cutest little floral ball; a USB drive for those 'just in case' times; & a lucky penny... it's a little weird I guess, but I keep one in all my bags (& suitcases when travelling) for good luck haha :) 

The best moisturizer ever (Cosmetic Lad, Lush) & a lipstick, which I always have on hand in some colour or another. This particular one is Elizabeth Arden, Fiesta. 

My handy dandy Ray Ban glasses, without which I would not be able to survive. I shamefully don't wear them as often as I'm supposed to (that being all the time...oops). They are super fun though, & I love them dearly!

My favourite wallet: It's a Matt & Nat item with pyramid stud detailing. Matt & Nat is an amazing Canadian line of vegan & eco-friendly handbags & wallets - if you haven't heard of them definitely check them out! 

My neon yellow makeup pouch from H&M + my basic retouching makeup: L'Oreal Paris True Match foundation in N2 Classic Ivory; Bonnebell eyeliner in Black Ink; & Garnier Nutritioniste Anti-Dark Circle Roller.

Organic trail mix... I go literally nowhere without a bag of this on hand.

My cute bejewelled compact mirror & a pair of earrings I always keep in my bag just in case I forget to put in a pair before leaving home. 

And this is the gorgeous weather I woke up to this morning :)

So there you have it - that is what's in my bag! This was actually a pretty fun post to create, so hopefully you guys enjoyed it as well :) After a very hectic few days at work, I have the next 4 days off & am pretty excited as you can imagine! I'm really looking forward to getting in several outfit photoshoots, & spicing up the blog a little.

I really want to thank all you lovely readers for taking the time to read my blog. Please feel free to comment & leave your own personal blog address, as I visit each & every one. And if you enjoy my blog please consider following on Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin' :) 

<3 Shawna

Vancouver Fashion Week SS12 - Part I

Hello hello :)

I'd just like to start with a little about my day! Unfortunately I've never really gotten the hang of Daylight Savings time, so confusion reigned when I woke up this morning; whether I would be early/late/on-time for our Holiday Staff Meeting at work. Fortunately I did make it on time after all & despite the early hour it was interesting to see everyone, devour what I could of the breakfast provided, & learn a little about our upcoming Holiday collection (stay tuned tomorrow for a post about this!). Then onto brunch with two lovely ladies (& fellow STFX grads) at Gorilla Foods, which serves amazing raw vegan food. Throw in a gorgeous sunshiney day with coloured leaves, city wanderings, and voila - you've got my relaxing Sunday afternoon!

Now on to the real business at hand - Vancouver Fashion Week! I attended 6 shows last night (with my lovely co-worker & student of fashion, Kris :) & had a fabulous time....

Not particularly digging this photo of me but it's the only one we managed to get, so here it is...

The shows we saw included Belinda Liu, Hachung Lee, Jose Jhan, Rajadano, Maria Peligro, & Claire O'Connor - all international designers & quite the eclectic bunch as you can imagine. Two were mens collections, one handbags, and the remaining were women's. Camera glued to face, I took just over 700 photos. Unfortunately 3/4 of them blurred (those models walk far too fast!) & I had quite the ordeal going through them all this evening. To get them all in without overwhelming you lovely readers, I've decided to post them in two parts. Also, I apologize for the quality of some of the photos (I am not the most skilled with a camera, no matter how fancy it is!).

Without further ado, here are the first 3 shows:

Belinda Liu is a designer from Romania, who presented her AW 11 collection at London Fashion Week last winter.

I've never been a huge fan of prints such as this one, but I do love the cut of this dress with it's fitted waist, maxi length, and half-sleeve.

Really love the fitted waistlines of these dresses, and the neckline detail of this one in particular.

This was my favourite Belinda Liu piece (with palazzo pant, not skirt bottom as you'd think from this photo) - the only issue with this however was sizing; the neckline was too wide & the poor model had to hold it closed most of the show.

 I really enjoyed the blue transparent pieces of this collection in particular. They made me think fondly of 'I dream of Jeannie' reruns. I wasn't sold on many of the other pieces in this collection however. Although each piece was lovely on it's own, I did find the overall collection was a bit 'all over the place' in terms of style and flow.

Hachung Lee is a Korean designer, who showed his contemporary men's collection. The instant I saw the clothes I thought 'Samuri-esque!' & indeed, on his website Hachung describes his collection as 'Korean warrior' in style.

Admist all the black and white I loved this pop of vibrant red!

Loving those hats.

Next up, Jose Jhan! A Dominican designer, his mens collection was beyond fun. There was a huge variety in colours, patterns, and fabrics - and the upbeat south american music was perfect to set the tone.

Absolutely fell in love with this pastel plaid blazer & short set. Combined with slicked back hair & thick-framed glasses - such a fun look!

A really cool mens cape, which had bright red detailing on the front pockets. Not to mention... hello feather in hat! :)

I was in raptures after seeing this red VELVET blazer. I am currently obsessing over all things velvet and this bright red beauty made me smile like a chesire cat! 

Hope you've enjoyed the photos as much as I enjoyed attending the shows & seeing these talented designers showcase their works! I'll post Part II of the evening shortly :)