Category: style

For the Love of Paisley

J. Crew Factory orange blue paisley shirt; J. Crew brown chino shorts; J. Crew Factory Anya flats
Shirt, J. Crew Factory (thrift); shorts, J. Crew; belt & shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag. Marc Jacobs (via consignment)

Sometimes, I just don’t have any good post title ideas. Sorry. On the plus side, I really like this outfit – it fulfills my yearning to match all the things. Also, that blue. I’m seriously smitten with it. Does anyone know what it’s called?

Free People blue stone cuff
Cuff, Free People

Also kinda smitten with this cuff. It’s half boho, half deco, 100% awesome.

J. Crew Factory orange blue paisley shirt; J. Crew brown chino shorts; J. Crew Factory Anya flats
all the angles

And this shirt ain’t so bad, either. It’s way big, but it cost $5 and I can’t leave a good cheap paisley behind. Tucked in, with the sleeves rolled up, the bagginess is not immediately evident. Works for me!

J. Crew Factory orange blue paisley shirt; J. Crew brown chino shorts; J. Crew Factory Anya flats
Matching everything

Last of the Summer Skirts

Anthropologie Edme Esyllte Phosphorescence skirt; Pour La Victoire wedge sandals; Marc Jacobs Courtney hobo
Skirt, Anthropologie (via eBay); top, Old Navy); cardigan, J. Crew Factory; shoes, Pour La Victoire; bag, Marc Jacobs

This is really it, you guys. Say goodbye to my colourful Anthro skirts, because they’re going into storage for the winter. Fall. Winter. Mostly semantics around these parts after October hits.

Anthropologie Edme Esyllte Phosphorescence skirt; Pour La Victoire wedge sandals; Marc Jacobs Courtney hobo
the details

You can already see the fall vibe in this outfit with the burgundy cardigan. Was there ever a more cool weather colour than burgundy? It just looks so … toasty. It’s no secret that I’m mad for all things burgundy, and here’s a good reason why – it works so well as the “neutral” colour in this outfit. Who needs black?

Anthropologie Edme Esyllte Phosphorescence skirt; Pour La Victoire wedge sandals; Marc Jacobs Courtney hobo
matchy matchy

Oh look, my nail polish matches my outfit. Totally not intentional … (much).

Anthropologie Edme Esyllte Phosphorescence skirt; Pour La Victoire wedge sandals; Marc Jacobs Courtney hobo
my hair is still funky

I wore this outfit on a visit to some dear friends, who just moved into a new neighbourhood. Possibly the best one in Edmonton. I mean, look at this view:

Edmonton downtown; North Saskatchewan river; edmonton river view
pretty as a postcard

Siiiiigh …. this picture brings back so many memories – I think I have a case of the (end of) summertime sadness.

Anthropologie Edme Esyllte Phosphorescence skirt; Pour La Victoire wedge sandals; Marc Jacobs Courtney hobo
au revoir, summer!

Date Night: El Cortez Tequila Bar & Kitchen

Vintage floral fit and flare dress
Dress, Temperance (thrifted); belt, Club Monaco; shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag, MbMJ (via consignment)

Right before I went back to work, my husband and I got to have one last (summer) date night courtesy of my parents, who offered to babysit. You don’t turn down that kind of offer. At least, we don’t. So I got myself gussied up, and we hit Whyte Ave with a vengeance. I love the vintagey vibe of this dress I thrifted at Value Village for $8, so I added some actual vintage sparklers – a matching brooch ‘n earrings set.

vintage brooch; Vintage floral fit and flare dress
Vintagey

We decided to check out El Cortez Tequila Bar because, apparently, our newest hobby is hanging out at hipster haunts. Also, my husband loves Mexican food. Also also, we were both in a nostalgic mood; we remember about 3 previous incarnations of this little joint. I spent many a night in my undergrad years dancing at Suite 69 upstairs – and I can’t quite believe it’s still there 15 years later. That’s practically an eternity in nightclub years.

Back to the present. The menu is not extensive (the name gives fair warning that the food is secondary at El Cortez), and everything is kinda expensive for the amount you get. We enjoyed the salsa trio appetizer, as well as the cheese taco. The other tacos were forgettable. I persuaded my husband to get a Dos Equis beer, because how could he not. I Instagrammed everything, because how could I not.

Edmonton El Cortez tequila bar; dos equis beer
Hipster tacos

We also got the (mini) churros, which were excellent – possibly the best part of the meal.

Edmonton El Cortez tequila bar; churros
mini churros!

But what I really loved about El Cortez was the dedication to its theme. Everything from the table settings, to the food presentation, to the decor, is very OTT Mexicana by way of Desperado. My favourite was the bathroom.

Edmonton El Cortez tequila bar
Mexican whorehouse chic? Yes!

I could have happily spent a few hours in there, and that is not something I’ve ever said about a bathroom before. Since I was alone, I figured it was as good a time as any to take a selfie.

Edmonton El Cortez tequila bar; blue collar red lipstick
#bathroomselfie

The upside of the small portions at El Cortez is that, for once, we had plenty of room for dessert – not counting the yummy churros. We took a leisurely stroll down the Ave, and hit our go-to dessert destination, Block 1912. I also made my husband stop in front of every brick wall along the way. What can I say? He really loves me.

Vintage floral fit and flare dress
same dress, different brick wall

A lot.

Vintage floral fit and flare dress
Besos, amigas