diy: feather headdress

With Squamish Valley Music Festival starting tomorrow, I thought it would be fitting to share with you, one of the key pieces to one out my planned outfits.  The feather headdress.  

I was inspired by this one, and thought I'd give it a go.

I picked up some scrap leather at the local fabric shop, 

and luckily a piece was long enough to make some straps.  

Here are the super easy steps:

1. Cut out your leather pieces to make some sort of rectangular shape.  

As long or as short, as wide or as thin as you want.

2. Glue down your straps.  

3. Create a soft seam by folding over the edges and gluing them down as well.

 4. Lay out your feathers and arrange them however you like.  Then with a strip of glue, lay then out lining up to the half way point of the width of your leather.  

5. Then glue down the bottom half of your leather creating a center fold.  

6. Voila! 

On the Want List.... Eyeglasses

A few months back I lost my glasses.  Now I don't need to wear glasses all the time (yet), mostly just for driving at night and distances.  So, loosing them wasn't the complete end of the world.  Until I thought I had also lost my back-up pair (which about a month later I miraculously found).  So, one of the things I did while back home was go see the eye doctor and get a renewal of my prescription, in order to get a new updated pair of glasses.  

Both my sisters and I have been using this website called Zenni Optical for a few years, and have had great success.  They have good quality frames, great prices (cheaper than Clearly Contacts!) and serve their customers well.  

When buying glasses online there's always the issue of not being able to try them on, Zenni Optical has an option to upload a photo of yourself, or you can use an existing photo of someone else with a similar face shape to yours, problem solved.  And seeing that their prices are so reasonable, you can get 2 pairs, with the hopes that 1 out of the 2 will look as you expected.

I found these frames that I loove! They are the same wayfarer style as my old ones, but with a tortoise shell colour.  These bad boys are $12.95!! 

p.s. I may also be getting them in black....to replace my lost ones.

This post is my own opinion.

favourites - fall trends

cozy knits

Fall is fully upon us now, as we get into October, and I find that fall fashion is sometimes easier to shop for now compared to end of August/start of September.  I take a lot of my style inspiration from everyday people on the street, bloggers, and magazines, so I take my time observing and letting it all soak in before taking the next step.  Now, I may be a little different in my next step, but, I'm all about my favourites.  It's important to have your seasonal staples in your wardrobe, but I update those pieces with my absolute favourite trends.  These are a few photos of inspiration.  Thoughts?

p.s. You may have noticed, I'm all about favourites, so a new feature on the blog is going to be all about my favourites! It could be about trends, books, decor, food, it really could be about anything.... perhaps those close to my heart... ;)

the colour burgundy

leather everything

peplum and stripes

photo 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Express yourself

Just over a week ago, I attended the Grand Opening of Express at the Pacific Center, downtown Vancouver, put on by the amazing FASHION Magazine. It was such a great event, drinks, tiny appetizers, and lucky for us, a shopping discount! I brought along a friend and we had such a good time shopping around and really discovering the store. I found Express to be really on trend with bright coloured denim, dresses with feminine silhouettes and some great separates for suiting.   Some of my fave pieces included a high-low striped maxi dress, blue satin shorts, black with snakeskin detailed blouse (bought this one!) and the most perfect fitting leather blazer (wanna go back for this one!). Unfortunately, we got there a bit late and missed the celebrities, Glee's Mark Salling and 90210's Shenae Grimes, but heard they did an amazing job cutting the big ribbon.  Here are a few of my favourite photos!

Thanks so much Express and FASHION Magazine for a great night! and some swag ;)

Mom

Fashion has always been a part of my life.  Growing up a lot of my outfits were made by my Mom, she went to design school as a young lady and was and still is very good.  She's always inspired me.

Now with a blog and everything, the thought of outfits and outfit photos is kind of daunting.  You guys may have noticed that I've been trying to incorporate them more into my my blog and share photos of some of my favourite outfits.  But, when I get dressed and ready for them, the anxiety starts.....do I look on trend? I need to add more accessories! my hair is too puffy/flat! I look fat! I look too tall!  The list could go on for a while... and don't get me started on the awkwardness that starts when I'm in front of the camera.  Posing, trying to help the Bf figure out my camera and generally trying to look slim and hold a smile.
Another thing is, it can be hard to not compare yourself to other bloggers out there.  They're all so beautiful! Have lovely wardrobes! and are just down right amazing! Well, instead of comparing, I've got to think of them all as inspiration.  Some of you may know who you are ;) , some I'm sure may not even know I exist, and in the grand scheme of life, that's ok.  Thank you for beautiful inspiration everyday.

I've come to the realization that I can no longer kid myself with the idea of perfect photos every time, and getting it perfect the first time.  It all comes with practice.  So, outfit posts are here to stay, but as a work in progress.  (please don't judge me too hard!!)

I look at old photos of my Mom, and she looks so effortless and happy.  And I can't lie, she was/is such a cutie!  That's what I hope to get out of outfit photos.  Happy and effortless.  Who cares about the rest!

Any tips?

p.s. this photo is from about 1981, and unfortunately it's not me with my Mom, it's my older sister.  My photo collection is a little limited living in another province from the rest of my family.  But doesn't she look lovely in her printed blouse?!

Vancouver Eco Fashion Week 2012

Last week I attended the opening show of Eco Fashion Week here in Vancouver.  I got an invite through work and attended with my Store Manager.  We got there a bit early to enjoy the lounge and have a look at the Designer Showroom, where we mingled and ran into a couple of friends.

The opening was a vintage show presented by Value Village, styled by Sarah La Greca, Deanna Palkowski and Myriam Laroche.  We saw lots of on trend colours, pastel pinks mixed with mints, burgundy lace, leather mixed with metallic, and lovely work with scarves wrapped as tops and dresses.  Definitely inspirational and I can't lie, I'm heading to my nearest Value Village as soon as possible.  Check out photos of the show on the Eco Fashion Week Facebook Page.  

fall is autumn

Now that October is here and in full swing, I'm really excited to be dressing for fall. I'm a sucker for anything cozy, cableknitted, or just downright comfy. Ya know, the 3 C's of cold weather. I plan on doing a lot of my own knitting this year and wearing my own creations (as long as they turn out ok). I've recently been introduced Ravelry.com, a free site for knitters and crocheters.

Grab a hot apple cider and take a look my inspiration for this years fall season.

If you'd like an invite Ravelry, leave a comment with your email!

All images are from my Pinterest account, included are the original links.

image1, image2, image3, image4, image5, image6, image7, image8

new job, new me

What an awesome week! I started my new job and I absolutely love it!

I kept things on the low down until I got started, but for those of you that don't know, I'm part of the management team for the Anthropologie thats going to be opening on South Granville, Vancouver. The store is planned to open in mid May and is going to be pretty big.

I'm so excited!

I can't wait to get in there and really dive into my new position and get going.

Be sure to come by once the store is open to say hello!

www.anthropologie.com

Oh! and if you or anyone you know loves fashion, has a creative eye, and genuinely enjoys talking with people, we're hiring!

Leave me a comment with any questions you may have and I'll definitely get back to you as soon as possible.

polka dots

I had what I would call, a casual interview this week. A quick meeting to get to know each other and get a vibe for personality. At the thought of an interview, my mind first runs to dress pants and a blazer, but in this scenario, that was far from necessary. I could wear jeans!! I was very excited about it, as I usually live in my denim. I threw this outfit together keeping it fun, yet with a professional edge via my polka dot cardigan. Hopefully my outfit was a hit!

oh, Dior

Well, its official. The fashion house of Dior has fired chief designer, John Galliano. A video surfaced containing rather disturbing outbursts from the designer and from that the obvious occurred, he was immediately suspended followed by being fired.

After viewing the video myself via youtube, the truth is in his spoken words. I considered not watching it, but thought forming my own opinion was only fair. I'm a bit of a believer that alcohol is not an excuse for your personal behaviour. As well, The thought that the truth slips out while under the influence, has crossed my mind more than once. However, thoughts of such an anti-Semitic nature, are hard to ignore. I do not agree with any of the words spoken within the footage.

Natalie Portman, who has recently signed a promotions deal with the company, was found to agree with Dior's choices, and wishes to not be associated with Mr. Galliano by any means.

All things aside, creative vision is a gift. And I truly believe that the world of fashion has felt a deep loss and feeling of grief throughout all aspects.

So, what is to become of Dior? Well, as of now, they are going ahead with the planned shows at the Autumn/Winter 2011 Paris Fashion Week.

*to warn you, I am not condoning any negative behaviour what so ever, this is purely just my opinion, and do not have any intentions of offending anyone. I leave it totally up to you as to watching the footage.*

*I read this article from the New York Times to learn the latest information on the story*

day dreaming

Is it fair to say that today I caught myself day dreaming about summer. It's the middle of January and visions of beaches, sunshine, and bare legs are dancing through my mind. I've been doing some research (read: online window shopping) and Spring/Summer 2011 trends are looking amazing. Whether its flowy fabrics, bright and pastel colours, or bold embellishments that aren't too overpowering, I'm enjoying the dream of wearing it all! Here's a look at some of my favourites.

Light and Airy Florals

Vintage Inspired Shorts

Embellished Sandals

1. American Eagle - Tiered Party Dress $44.50

2. Anthroplogie - Cavorting Floral Blouse $98.00

3. Aerie - Belle Fleur Poplin Skirt $34.50

4. Forever 21 - Flower Sketch Top

5. Topshop - Leather Buckle Shorts $ 68.00 (pounds)

6. American Eagle - Denim High Rise Shorts $36.50

7. Forever 21 - Tri-Tone Houndstooth Shorts $22.80 (I so have these!)

8. Topshop - Multicoloured Flower Print Paperbag Waistband Shorts $36.00 (pounds)

9. Sam Edelman - Daley Beaded Sandal $49.90

10. Forever 21 - Ditsy Floral Wedges $22.80

11. Steve Madden - Bhianca 3 Sandal $39.96

12. Nordstrom - Cream of the Crop Sandal $79.95

Shorts, Dresses, and Sandals, oh my!

You've also gotten a sneak peak at where I like to spend my hard earned money.

What are you waiting to pull out of your closet?