style – Page 110 – Blue Collar Red Lipstick

31
Aug
2015

The Urge to Chartreuse

categories: style

Blouse & cardigan, J. Crew (via consignment); pants, BR; shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag, Mulberry (via consignment)

Here’s a not very juicy secret about me: I pick out my outfits ahead of time. Well, I do about 90% of the time, anyway. It really is a very efficient way to go about getting dressed, especially for work, if you ask me. Which you didn’t – unsolicited advice alert. Ahem. Getting back to the issue at hand, I sometimes pick my outfits so far in advance (weeks) that by the time I have to actually wear them, I’m no longer particularly enthused by my previous selections. So, from time to time, I just wing it.

On this particular morning, I decided that I HAD to wear this chartreuse blouse I recently rescued from the downstairs overflow closet/purgatory. (I’ve decided that maybe I don’t hate ruffles after all. For now.) I also decided that I HAD to wear my new J. Crew Factory leopard print d’orsay flats that I scored for $25. So I tried to come up with an outfit built around those two pieces.

looking over my shoulder ... ? — looking over my shoulder … ?

When pressed for time, keep it simple. Actually, that’s probably a good mantra for all occasions, but especially if you’re running late/feeling stressed/unsure about what to wear. Black and tan have been serving me well recently, so they seemed like a good bet. And, voila, outfit complete!

something interesting must be happening over there ;) — something interesting must be happening over there 😉

28
Aug
2015

Stripes on Stripes

categories: style

top, RACHEL Rachel Roy (via consignment); shorts & shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag, MbMJ (via eBay)

I was very gung-ho, “rah-rah, go me with my awesome print mixing skills” until I saw the photos of this outfit and realized I had managed to pair stripes with stripes. *insert deflating balloon noise here* Well … at least my hat looks spiffy.

Speaking of which, I have struggled with hats a lot in the past, so finding this Aritzia fedora was a small victory. I love the look of hats, but have always felt silly wearing them, and had a hard time finding one that looked “right” on my (slightly) huge noggin. One of my stylish Vancouver friends sported this hat for brunch one day, and I immediately and shamelessly asked her if I could try it on. She graciously agreed, and I fell in love with the darn thing. Luckily, Aritzia sells this hat every season (my friend’s hat was a few years old) so I ran to the nearest store and picked up my very own. And hat and I lived happily ever after. The end.

26
Aug
2015

The Magical Dress, 2015 Edition

categories: Favourite things, style

Dress, Joe Fresh; shoes, Giuseppe Zanotti (thrifted); bag, MbMJ (via consignment)

I have a lot of dresses in my closet, and they are all lovely in their own way. Every so often, though, there comes along a magical dress. The magical dress is a cheap, comfortable, no fuss, could-wear-it-all-the-time kind of dress. I’ve been lucky to run into a few in my time, and this is my most recent one. For $40 (full price), it’s not exactly cheap considering it’s just Joe Fresh, but that’s relative, I suppose. It’s made from super soft, floaty rayon, and it has a gorgeous print that will work perfectly with my wardrobe colours. A good thing, since the remixing possibilities are endless. I CANNOT wait to transition this dress to fall (though I CAN wait for fall a while longer, kthanxbye).

For a friend’s baby shower, I wore it with my recently thrifted Giuseppe Zanotti sandals. If you follow me on IG (or read Monday’s post, hah) you know I found these gorgeous shoes at a Salvation Army store in Vancouver for a mere $20. They’re in excellent condition, and if the heel is a little higher than I’m used to these days, that is a small price to pay, I think. Love the rose gold with my complexion.

All told, this entire outfit, minus the earrings, cost me less than $100, which is pretty impressive (if I do say so myself) considering the shoes alone retailed for around $700. Most importantly, I felt like a million bucks. That’s some serious magic, right there.

the $100-feels-like-a-million-bucks outfit

Category: style