What I Wore

Dress Up

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You’ve heard me complain about the lack of colour here in Toronto many a time, so you can imagine the thrill I felt upon learning Crown Flora (a super dreamy local plant shop) decided to paint their entire massive Parkdale storefront pink!

Conveniently I’d just so happened to pick up an amazing strappy slip dress from while in LA that perfectly matched Toronto’s newest destination photo wall, so I got all dolled up and took to the Parkdale hot spot!

Paired with over-the-knee boots from ALDO (a new staple in my wardrobe), a perfect plain white tee, and the ultimate team jacket from Bow and Drape, this rosy transitional outfit was just the thing to lift my spirits re: the gloomy weather we’ve been having.

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Dress Up

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I’m definitely not one of those “Fall People” who can’t get enough of this season’s chilly air and cozy knits, but even I can admit the beauty of a forest full of trees bursting with Autumn colour. When my boyfriend and his roomie invited me to the Badlands on Thanksgiving weekend I jumped at the opportunity to get out of the city, and though we couldn’t actually get into the park area (it’s currently closed) I totally fell for Fall!

Somewhere between the apple farm and the long drive down winding country roads we stopped to snap some outfit photos, and it turns out endless forests of golden leaves make for a really good backdrop!

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Photos by my love Josh (aka @default.jpg)

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Dress Up

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I subscribe to “cute halloween”. Every year I dress as something fun and glittery, like a unicorn, a Barbie, an ice cream sundae, or the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. The best part about this type of costume choice is how easy it is to wear all day, wherever you go, and since I love dressing up for work during the Halloween holiday week (that’s a thing, right?), I’m all for it.

That said, there is something appealing about a dark night time costume too. It is, after all, Halloween, and since I live a pastel lifestyle every other day of the year, maybe this should be the one night where I go over to the dark side…

Torn between two worlds this year, I decided to go with the obvious choice: come up with two costumes!

After much debate I decided on two of my favourite strong female characters – Carrie Bradshaw and Catwoman – as a jumping off point, and immediately got to work sourcing my costume. First stop? Value Village of course! One of my favourite places to donate and go thrifting year-round, Value Village doubles as the perfect shop for all of your halloween needs. The shelves are suddenly stocked with every costume option you can dream of, and if you have a particularly great imagination, you can also skim through the second-hand racks and find some amazing dress-up items too!

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With a bag of donations on hand (because I like to donate whenever I can!) I headed to the nearest location, determined to find the perfect pieces to complete both of my costumes. Luckily I had a lot of what I needed already in my closet, so there were just a couple items left on my list! I immediately pulled a simple pair of cat ears from the new costume section, then went off in search of amazing leather pants. After some heavy hunting I managed to find a pair that would fit perfectly with a bit of alteration (a key factor in second-hand shopping). For the Carrie look I was lucky to already own the key pieces, though I did contemplate a big blonde curly wig from the amazing wig selection on the Value Village shelves. Finally I scooped up a few spooky decorations at the cash register, because you can never have too many Halloween props for photoshoots!

If you’re still hunting for the perfect Halloween ensemble for the 30th, I highly reccomend you head to your local Value Village – and don’t forget to say #ThriftorTreat!

One more fun treat: All Value Village stores will host free Halloween Costume Catwalk fashion shows at 3 p.m. every Thursday in October showcasing the season’s most popular Halloween looks! Be there or be scared!

This post was sponsored, but all opinions are my own. To inquire about sponsored posts, please emailjess@shineinfluencers.com

Dress Up

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Whether you want it or not, Fall is on the way. I know, it’s sad to think of saying goodbye to the the sunshine, but I can’t help but feel semi-excited about pumpkin spice treats, hot tea, and Fall fashion!

Oh Fall fashion, you perfect amazing wardrobe transforming force. The scarves! The boots! The jackets! I’ve ranted again and again about how I despise the cold, but even I will admit that those few precious weeks of real, crisp Fall weather are total heaven. There’s nothing quite like the crunch of Autumn leaves under your loafers, or taking a new pair of wool tights out of the package to pair with your favourite long sleeve dress. Fall has always been a transformative time for me style-wise (I loved having a new look for the new school year), but one item that has remained steadfast every year since I was 16 years old was the trench coat.

As embarrassing as it is, I fell in love with Breakfast at Tiffany’s by way of Gossip Girl the summer I turned 16. Not the Gossip Girl TV show, that was much later, but the actual books! Blair loved Breakfast at Tiffany’s, so I loved Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and though my love affair with Gossip Girl faded shortly after, my love for Audrey Hepburn and her nameless cat never faltered. Anyway, that Fall way back when I saved up my back to school shopping budget and splurged on a classic beige trench from Aritzia. It reminded my of Audrey with her classic elegance, and I lived in it that Autumn (well actually, every single one after until the coat literally disintegrated.)

Seriously, it basically broke down into threads and pieces of fabric, but in all fairness I wore it nonstop for TEN YEARS! I knew I couldn’t stretch it another year, so when I turned 26 this year I went out to Club Monaco (the queen of classic chic) and picked out this perfect peachy number. It was weird to upgrade, but after searching for the perfect replacement for so long it felt like something I needed to do! Paired with platforms and a cute new romper, this outfit actually makes me super excited for Fall. How about you?

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Trench and Onesie from Club Monaco, Platform Shoes by Miu Miu, Bag by Kate Spade, Umbrella from American Apparel, Hair clips via Eternally in Amber

 

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Dress Up

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All summer I dreaded the day I’d have to return to wearing pants over shorts, long sleeves over tank tops and tights with my dresses, but now that the season is starting to shift I find myself surprisingly, well, excited!

One of the things that got me thinking chilly weather might not be such a bad thing was shopping at Negarin while I was in LA last month. My favourite store on the Abbott Kinney strip, this shop is always bursting with pastel magic, and everything from their coats to sunglasses is just gorgeous. I walked out with a little pink dress (shown in my red carpet look), a white silk bow blouse, and the best pink trousers ever. Sadly I couldn’t actually wear my new treasures in Cali because it was too warm, but when the brisk wind came in here in Toronto I knew my time had come. Topped off with dainty jewels, black mules, and a cute vegan bucket bag from Harvey’s, it was the perfect transitional look!

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