90's Girl

top: glmr kills 

skirt: TOPSHOP

plaid shirt: Amrerican Eagle

shoes: Converse via Hudson's Bay

bracelets: Helloo Sailor and Aldo 

After getting dressed and walking out of the bedroom, the Bf said "you look like Alanis Morissette."  

My response, "sweet!"  

I've been wanting to give a second try to the trend of tying a plaid shirt around your waist, seeing as the first time I did it was actually in the 90's.  And I have to admit, I don't mind it.  I decided to leave my plaid shirt buttoned up though, to not add any extra width at my hips (aka. my widest part).  

This would have been the perfect outfit in some great 90's movies...Empire Records, come on, I would have fit right in with Liv Tyler! 

Some of my favourites include: Clueless, Romi and Michele's Highschool Reunion, Can't Hardly Wait, Scream, 10 things I Hate About You, She's All That, Cruel Intentions, Dangerous Minds, and of course Billy Madison.  

This list could definitely be bigger, but I had to cut myself off somewhere!! 

Have you tried this trend? first or second time around?
And for an even better question...any movies to add to the list?

how to: pack for a business trip

image via

Well, I'm back from an unexpected work trip.  I was in Calgary, AB, for the week helping out at a store that had just finished up renovations.  This was my first ever business trip and it was pretty exciting.  We worked very long days, so unfortunately I wasn't able to do any sightseeing in the city, or really have much downtime at all (hence the quiet abyss of this blog).  But I was travelling with some great co-workers, so it made the long days go by quicker and the end of work day dinners that much more hilarious.

Because it was last minute, my packing skills were not at their best.  Let's be honest, I'm an over packer.  Packing smartly is definitely a skill I've been trying to perfect for a long time now, but I just can't seem to leave the kitchen sink behind!
I wish I was able to just bring my carry-on sized suitcase on any trip and be able to make it work.  This time I figured, I'm going for a full work week, that the next size up wouldn't be so bad, and luckily I wasn't the only one, but seeing the other girls whip through the lines with their cute little suitcases really made me want to try harder.  I did notice, however, that this time I didn't have it completely jam packed full of silly, useless things, but having to wear all black for work helps.

I'm starting to call myself a bit of a traveler and with that I've picked up a few tips along the way.  I'm slowly getting better, and one day will make it to just that cute little carry-on sized suitcase!!
Hope these tips help you pack your bags!  Do you travel for work? Any tips you'd like to add?

1. Pick a colour story for your trip, it's makes pulling complete outfits that much easier.  Obviously my colour this time around was black, but burgundy, or grey would be great for this time of year.

2. Wear your biggest items on the plane.  Wearing your tall boots makes sense, because they'll take up lots of space in your suitcase. And wearing or carrying your jacket saves you some space, and will give you the option to layer on the plane, where there's always a random draft.

3. Travel sized toiletries, aka. free samples!  I save samples of shampoo, moisturizer, or anything else handy from swag bags or cosmetic counters to pack instead of the regular size I use daily.  These little guys are so small that you can have them in your carry-on and won't lead to having to dump them at security. That's the worst!

I don't have any travel plans coming up, but I just may have to change that! Here's to my next trip!!

happy thanksgiving

Just wanted to wish everyone, in Canada, a Happy Thanksgiving! Get outside and enjoy this fall weather!
We're having a couple of friends over and are going to attempt cooking my first turkey.  I'll let you know how it goes! All I know is that our apartment is going to be filled with the yummiest smells, great people, and lots to be thankful for.

sweater dress

sweater dress: Phillip Lim for Target

belt: Target

scarf: Club Monaco (hand me down from a friend)

boots: sooo old, I don't remember

First of all, I must say, what a beautiful fall weekend it was in Vancouver.  It reminded me of back home, walking through the Forks of the Credit, looking at all the trees as they change colours.  I love fall in Ontario. Anyways...
I've always been a fan of the sweater dress.  But as the different silhouettes over the years have changed, I think I've finally found one that suits me.  I decided to belt mine to create a bit of a waistline, but seeing as this dress has been in,  what seems like constant rotation, it's surprisingly versatile.  Worn loose with my jean jacket, or pulling the neckline off my shoulder and layering with some leggings.  Great for fall transition.

heat wave

dress: Target

boots & belt: American Eagle

bag: Miz Mooz

necklace: Gifted

We seem to be experiencing a bit of a heat wave here in Vancouver, and all I want to do is start wearing my fall clothing! So, to make a compromise with mother nature, I went for this daytime summer dress, but mixed it with brown leather accessories.  I was still very hot.  

A funny thing about this dress, when Target first opened in BC, it was nearly sold out in days (the influence of these ladies probably helped). And with my first trip to the store, I did try this dress on, but opted to pass, only because my 'yes' pile in the fitting room was too big.  But, when I was home a few weeks ago, in Ontario, this same dress was on the clearance rack for $8.99!! with a very full arrangement of sizes!! Just my luck! 

It's crazy how different the demographics are between the west and east coasts.  

Update: the weather has turned.... and now I want to wear shorts.

spooktacular skulls

I realize I'm a little late, but I thought I'd still share a bit of our Halloween/Autumn decor.  A friend told me about these skulls from the dollar store, and I knew right away they'd be prefect for the mantle.  The skulls came with coloured sequins in their eyes, so I ripped them out and coloured in the styrofoam with a charcoal pencil.  And I also put a few crows around our place.  Little did I know, Kea isn't a huge fan of them, so they are placed high enough that she can't get them.

Even though Halloween was 3 days ago, I'll be keeping these guys out for a little while longer.  At least until I can begin planning this years Holiday decor!

Take a look on my Instagram to see Drac-Kea!

@closetomyheart