4.19.2013

Pink & Blue.

This is the cute spring dress from the gap that I am thinking about buying.


Harbour Jersey Half-sleeve Dress in pink stripe.

4.15.2013

Cardigan.

With the last gasp of winter over the weekend, I am pleased that the weather has turned pleasant! The temperature has reached 10 degrees celsius and I didn't have to wear a scarf with my coat. In warmer weather I like to wear sweaters or cardigans instead of jackets. To this end, I bought a cute cardigan from the Gap that was on sale. It was a wonderful deal, and the Gap online and in-store is still having wicked deals! I picked fuchsia because I thought it would look great with my darker clothing.



Gap Cardingan.

4.13.2013

Crest.

I have wanted a pair of everyday loafers for a while and finally purchased a pair! I will let you know if a few weeks whether they are good quality and I would recommend them.\



4.09.2013

4.08.2013

Nordstrom Update.


When talking about shopping, I often find myself lamented the fact that the Nordstrom that was supposed to go into my local mall has yet to start renovations on its retail space. Just this weekend I said that I didn't think that Nordstrom was going to actually open! Well good news. Just this morning when I was reading the news, I found out that not only is Nordstrom still opening in Ottawa, but it is going to  be opening a store at Yorkdale Mall in Toronto.

Although I am glad that Nordstrom is still coming to Ottawa, I am sad that the store will not open until spring 2015. Two years seems like a long time to wait, and quite frankly, I am tired of waiting for American stores to move across the border and tap into the Canadian market. Regardless, I am happy to report that Nordstrom will be opening, it is just a matter of time!

4.07.2013

Grape.

I am not the biggest fan of Gwyneth Paltrow, I think she is a so-so actress and slightly pretentious. She has a crazy diet plan that I think borders on an eating disorder, but I will give credit where it is due... she looks great! A couple of nights ago she was at the opening of Tracy Anderson's new gym in LA and looked very fit. I also like her grape dress!






4.04.2013

Professional.

I was standing in line at a printing shop today and was strike by the beautiful brief case the woman standing beside me was carrying. It was made of leather, but had an almost hard casing shell. It had a zippered top and a handle that reminded me of my grandparents suitcases. I was quite impressed with the briefcase and how it completed her overall look. I started to think that maybe I should look into buying a briefcase. I usually think that briefcases are too masculine, but was pleasantly surprised with the quality and feminine look to her briefcase.

I started to search the internet for such a briefcase! Unfortunately, I had no luck finding the same briefcase that the woman had, but I came across the brand Lotuff. Lotuff is an American, family owned leather company that makes beautiful leather products. Here is their blurb:

"Lotuff Leather is a collaboration of prideful American craftsmen making fine quality leather goods the way they should be made. The love and passion that go into our handmade bags are tangible: you can see, smell, and touch the difference. Our vision is to create items of lasting value and the work is a reflection of our personal character. We are proud to put our name and unique product number on every good."

I find their products darling, and am posting the two briefcases that I would love to take to work.


Bridle English Briefcase.




Bridle Lock Briefcase.

4.02.2013

April Fools.

Although April Fools Day was yesterday, the weather has played tricks all weekend. It has been grey and warm, sunny and cold, and sunny and snowing! Despite the frigid temperature, the sun has been out and shining. This means that I have pulled out my trusty sunglasses. I have only had two really great pairs of sunglasses in my life. The first was a bright yellow pair from Nine West that I ended up breaking and repairing twice, before finally putting them to rest. The second pair is the ones I have now; they are also from Nine West and I hope to get several more years of wear out of them. Because one can never have too many pairs of sunglasses, I thought I'd post some. In the spirit of being frugal, I have included both high end and mid-range designers.



Tommy Hilfiger Sunglasses DL69 in purple.


 

Steve Madden S5319 in black.

 

 Steve Madden S5248 in pink.

 

D&G DD8065 in black and grey.

3.31.2013

Stuart Weitzman

I have posted before on my love of Stuart Weitzman. I have a pair of knee-high leather boots and love them. I have had them for over two-years and, luckily, they show little wear! I recently became aware of a contest that Stuart Weitzman was having for its 5050 boots. If you like them on facebook, you can follow the links and enter to win a pair of 5050 boots! I hope you enter and good luck.

After signing up for the contest I have been receiving emails from Stuart Weitzman about new products and have had a look at their website. I really love this Pasaralto purse and thought I would share it with you.



3.29.2013

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter Everyone! 



I hope you all have a nice long weekend and some tasty Easter treats.



3.28.2013

Style Watch: Kim Kardashian.

I'll admit it, I am a Kardashian fan! I recently started watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians a few seasons ago. I am really annoyed and upset with all the Kim Kardashian bashing over the weight gain she's experienced since becoming pregnant. Kim looks great as a pregnant lady and is darn fashionable. I am impressed and wish more women had the ability to look this good! I wanted to post some pictures of her, because she looks GREAT and I'd like to celebrate her as a pregnant lady!











3.27.2013

Spring Dresses.

Banana Republic is having a one-day sale on its dresses! Use BRSPRING30 to take 30% off dresses. I decided to take a quick look at the dresses they have in stock as I haven't looked at their website in a while. I was pleased to find trendy colours and prints and great silhouettes. I am a huge fan of shift dresses, although they sometime look a little off on my body shape. I like the mint colour and the paisley print the best, and I will definitely try them on the next time I am at the mall.



Banana Republic Ponte Knit Square-Neck Sheath.



Banana Republic Paisley Print Dress



Banana Republic Carrie Printed Sheath.

3.21.2013

Beyonce for H&M.

Great news all! One of my personal style icons, Beyonce, has partnered with H&M! Beyonce apparently gave "personal input on the pieces seen in the campaign". Beyonce's campaign will be both print and billboard images and will serve to promote her upcoming "Mrs. Carter" world tour.

Beyonce said, "I've always liked H&M's focus on fun affordable fashion. I really loved the concept we collaborated on to explore the different emotions of women represented by the four elements - fire, water, earth and wind. It was a beautiful shoot on a tropical island. It felt more like making a video than a commercial."

The H&M's creative director, Donald Schneider, is quoted as saying "It was amazing to watch her on the shoot make it all look effortless - a quality that makes her such an icon for women around the world. The campaign is the essence of Beyoncé, and also the essence of H&M this summer."

I am looking forward to seeing Beyonce's campaign and I can't wait to see if there are any unique pieces influenced by her! In the mean time, here is a taste.



3.20.2013

Oynx.


I've been having a very busy week and have been taking comfort in browsing online. I am looking forward to going back to England in six weeks and I am looking at the shops online. Here are some of things that I am really into right now.: spring skirts, watches, and comfortable sandals.


J Crew Daisy Lace Mini.


Fossil Ladies’ Goldtone Link Watch.

Birkenstock Women’s Mayari Sandal in Onyx.


3.19.2013

In Honour of Pi Day.

Last week was "Pi Day". I only heard of Pi Day this year, but it is a celebration of the mathematical term 3.14..... To celebrate Pi Day and some personal accomplishments, I decided to bake a lemon pie and had a friend over for tea and pie. I was pleased with how the pie turned out, I was planning to make a heavy cream topping, but realized I didn't have the proper equipment (a electronic hand mixer). Going forward, I am going to try to acquire hand mixer and try out the recipe for a heavy cream topping.





Lemon Pie
1 Store bought crust
1 Shirriff Original Lemon Pie Filling
2 Egg yolks

I usually like to make my own crust, but I do not have the space or materials in my student apartment. this summer I will try to bring back some of my baking tools and will post on pie crusts!

3.16.2013

East Coast.

Last week I went to Naturalizer with a friend to check out their "Boot Sale". I hadn''t been in Naturalizer before because I thought the shop was for older women. I was pleasantly surprised by the young and trendy pumps, flats and boots.

Although I did not buy anything, my friend got a killer deal on a great pair of leather boots. I saw these great  summer shoes and took a quick snap while in the store. LOBSTERS! What a cute and fun way to get into summer, lobster patterned summer shoes.


3.14.2013

Obssessed.

I received an email from J Crew advertising their new line of "New York Designed, Made in Italy" footwear. As I scrolled through the copious amounts of shoes, I came across these beautiful pumps. Sadly, they are already sold out! If you are bent on buying them, the website offers a phone number you can call where they will try to track a pair down. A lot of work for a pair of pumps, but if you want them, you want them!




 J Crew Etta Glitter Heel Pump in Hummingbird Floral.

3.12.2013

Shoe of the Week.

I was at the mall over the weekend to see Oz the Great and Powerful (review forthcoming) and wandered into a store that I don't usually go in and found two great pairs of smoking slippers. I had thought Aerosoles was a "middle age" store, without trendy shoes and boy, was I wrong.

The window display caught my eye and once inside I found many pairs of well made, trendy shoes. I am really impressed with the quality of Aerosoles shoes, they have good soles and arch support. My only hesitation purchasing the smoking slippers was the price, $110. I decided to think about it and when I was at home later I looked them up online. The website offers the slippers for almost half price, $69. So before buying Aerosoles in store, I'd recommend taking a look at the price online.



Betunia in Tan Leopard Calf Hair.



Betunia in Black Embroidered Suede.




3.10.2013

Arnold Palmer.

A few weeks ago I had a friend over and wanted to make a simple, yet delicious drink. Last summer I tried a "drunk Arnold Palmer" at a restaurant and was smitten with it. This version was alcohol free, but could easily be drunken with an ounce of vodka or gin. The recipe is below!











Arnold Palmer Recipe
** Makes 4-6 glasses

1. Black Tea.
          I used Twinnings English Breakfast.
          I let the tea steep for 3 minutes before pouring it over ice.
2. One Litre of Lemonade. 
         Choose from pink or lemon flavour. I used pink and didn't notice a change in flavour.
         I used concentrate here, but I bet it is better fresh. 
3. 16 Frozen Strawberries.
         The strawberries have two purposes: cooling the drinks and sweetening the flavour.
         Add 3-4 strawberries to each cup.
4. 3 Ice Cubes Per Glass.
5. Mix! 
         Add ice to each glass.
         Pour black tea over the ice until glass is half-full (or your desired strength).
         Add frozen strawberries.
         Pour lemonade until the glass is full.
6. Serve and Enjoy.