Thank you to everyone who commented on my blogiversary post; y’all made me feel all warm and fuzzy. Not gonna lie – I could get used to it. Ahem. On to more important business … like the winner of the anniversary giveaway. I promised to spare you another video’s worth of my um’s and uh’s, so I’m going slightly more low-tech this time.

We have the hat. (The hat is a given.)

We have Adina’s odd facial expressions. (Those are a given too.)

And we have a winner!

Congrats, Robyn J!!

Happy Victoria Day/Memorial Day/Monday, everyone!

BCRL is officially … a pre-schooler! Man, the toddler years are rough – and not just for kids. I was poking through the archives a bit in prepping this post and … ooof! There are a lot more WTF moments in there than I seem (or care) to remember. It’s a veritable gold mine, and no, that’s not an invitation for you to take a look. Consider it a warning, should this post inspire any nostalgic browsing.

That has to be the most underwhelming opening paragraph to an anniversary post ever (whomp, whomp), but it’s actually kind of appropriate. I’ve been “failing” as a style blogger for 4 years now, but I keep on trucking, and if that isn’t a lesson in pursuing your passions against all common sense … well, what else can it be. And by “failing”, I mean that I have not attained fame, much less riches, and not even a hint of free swag. Can I still call myself a style blogger if I’ve never been offered a single c/o item? Does a tree falling on Mars make a sound? I have no idea. But 2 kids, 20 pounds, and 347 closet overhauls later, I’m still here.

And you are still reading. Which is awesome. Some of you have been reading since the beginning, which is truly the best accolade I could get. Some of you write blogs I love very, very much, which makes me feel almost cool (by association). Some of you comment regularly, which makes me happy as a pig in … erm … free swag. Some of you binge-read my blog every now and then, spiking up my negligible traffic so that, for one glorious day, I feel like I’ve made the A-list; as one inveterate lurker to another, I salute you.

I could wax poetic on my “style journey” over the last 4 years, but the blog kinda speaks for itself, yes? I started this blog around the time I first felt like I was getting a grip on fashion, and I was (naturally, perhaps) in a bit of a proselytizing mood. There are worse sins than being awfully earnest about essentially trivial things, but the simple truth is: fashion is neither scary, nor complicated, nor exclusivist. No matter what some blog, or magazine, or Very Important Fashion Person tells you. If you’re putting on clothes every morning, you’re engaging in fashion. You’re fashioning. And you don’t need a manifesto, or a rule book, or a pot of gold, to do it. You should have fun, if possible. Or at least be comfortable. And, ideally, not piss off your HR manager.

I know less now about fashion than I did 4 years ago, which is to say that I’ve stopped trying to be fashionable. Which is not to say that I don’t still love clothes way, waaaay more than a grown adult should. But I love them on my terms. And you should too. Or not. I mean, I’m not trying to tell you what to do or anything. Except to keep reading my blog. Yes, definitely do that.

Because there can be no official birthday without presents, I have a little prize pack to give away to one BCRL reader. It’s made up of some of my favourite things from some of my favourite brands: sparkly bracelet (J. Crew Factory), floral print scarf (H&M), badass eyeliner (Benefit), and pretty nail polish (A England).

For a chance to win the prize pack, please leave a comment on this post on a topic of your choice. (Telling me how awesome I am is one example of a topic. Also acceptable: what you enjoy about BCRL, what you’d like to see more of, what you’d like to see less of, what you’d like to never see again, what you wish you’d never seen. I will also accept, but only grudgingly, if you merely write “gimme”.) The giveaway will close on Sunday, and the winner will be announced on May 19.

Thank you and good luck!

Last week, I had a bad idea. Not, like, the bad kind of bad. More like … the ill-advised kind of bad. I decided to make a video.

You know how they say that some people have a face made for radio? Well, I have a voice made for print media. Also, I get really twitchy on camera. You guys, it’s not pretty. Not even a little bit. But I thought doing a video of the draw for the DVF dress would be something novel and possibly fun. Now that the video’s done … let’s just say that I’m reconsidering the merits of novelty, as well as my definition of fun. But if I had to go through the mortification of making the damn thing, y’all are going to have to experience the dubious pleasure of watching it … if you want to find out who’s joining the sisterhood of the magical wrap dress, that is.

[Please hold all applause laughter until the end.]

OK, I promise not to subject you guys to something like that ever again. Virtual pinkie swear.