Autumn's kiss.

The temperatures have been dropping, and not a moment too soon as far as my Fall 2016 pinterest board is concerned. I'm full of inspiration thanks to the always hefty fall editions of my favourite fashion magazines. Every year this season comes around, I come up with a different theory as to why I love it so much. This year's theory: Layers. I love clothes, and so it would only hold that I would enjoy wearing as many as fashionably possible. I have the most awful time choosing when I am presented with many options, and I always try to maximize my choice. It's interesting to see how this part of my personality shows in my style choices. I enjoy the challenge of combining my clothes in interesting and different ways, while still presenting a cohesive, pleasing outfit. I'm no expert by any means, but I think that it's a worthy aspiration. 

This season's trends are full of pieces to inspire many a layered fall outfit, but my muse for this particular look was this dark, floral print maxi. Definitely one of my favourite pieces for fall. I am constantly fantasizing about looks with dark, romantic maxi dresses and an even darker lip. Mmm! Just talking about it make me feel dreamy. 

Dress: H&M (old) (cute). Jacket: Winners (old)(similar)(also cute). Belt: H&M. Purse: TJ Maxx (similar). Hat: H&M (similar). Make - up Tutorial: Lisa Eldridge. 

A case for thrifting.

The evolution of this blog post is a bit long winded, but here it goes...it all started with a jacket. Not just any jacket, an adorable cropped denim, moto jacket that I scored for $15 at a local consignment store, Unika. I styled a cute look (see below) around the jacket, and it turned out even better than I had hoped. I was so happy I had pulled the trigger and bought the jacket, and that got me thinking about the reasons why I bought it and what helps me decide when to get pieces when I am thrift shopping. Sometimes thrifting can be overwhelming, there are so many clothes..how do you choose what will actually benefit your wardrobe? I have a few go to tips that help me find and decide what pieces to buy, and I thought I would share them with you guys :) But first, the outfit! I paired the cropped jacket with a high waisted white lace skirt, and it begged for this graphic striped cropped sweater. Something about the sweater made me crave a bold pink lip - such an easy way to make a statement with your makeup. The white, perforated purse had the same cute summer vibe, so it was a perfect addition and then I went for casual comfort in my shoe choice with a neutral leather flat sandal. I loved the result, it's fun and fresh and easy to wear.

Classic Pieces: not a necessity, but I think you get the most bang for your buck with classic pieces, simply because they could be in your wardrobe forever. A blazer, denim jacket, a trench coat - these sort of things will stand the test of time. The denim moto jacket I am wearing in this post, the inspiration for this whole idea, is a perfect example. A moto jacket will always have some place in fashion. It’s iconic. The fact that this one was in denim just gave it a little twist that I loved. And it was 15 dollars, people. Hello.

See with your hands: That sounds totally cheese, but what I am trying to say is…quality clothes will be made with quality fabric and I believe that you can feel the difference. I will touch the clothes on the rack as I scan through. It’s like a little game - when I feel like an item is quality, I check the tag and if it’s a more expensive brand…I win :p This very technique picked me out a gorgeous grey Aritzia wool sweater for $3 and a silk Alice + Olivia dress for $7. 

Shop outside your “size”: Never, I repeat, never shop only in your known size section! For me personally this is most obvious in the jean section. In different brands, my size can fluctuate wildly, from 25-28. In my experience, vintage clothing is usually a size larger than what I would wear currently (ie. I am usually a dress size 2, in something vintage…maybe a 6?)

Patience, my friend, patience. Thrifting is not quite as easy as strolling into a store at the mall: there isn’t multiple sizes in the same piece, not every piece is on trend, you might not find anything you like. Thrifting does involve extra effort - extra time and patience, but when you find that great piece…it’s like winning an exciting treasure hunt!

Do your homework: know the trends before you head out shopping. Unlike stores at the mall, the stuff coming into the thrift store isn't all the latest and greatest and you will need to know what you're looking for as you sort through the masses.

Value Village has a great page on tips for all different aspects of thrifting, from furniture thrifting to how to clean vintage clothing. 

Hope these tips help! Happy thrifting!!

Denim moto jacket: American Eagle (thrifted from Unika) (similar). Striped cropped sweater: Forever 21 (old) (cute). White midi skirt: Forever21 (old) (cute). Tan sandals: Aldo (old) (similar). Purse: Indigo Chapters (on sale!). Sunglasses: Winners (old) (cute). Lips: Wet 'n' Wild in Dollhouse Pink.

Doin' what we love.

Warning: image heavy blog post ahead. Haha. I couldn't help it! I had the amazing opportunity of being shot by a photographer I am also very lucky to call a close friend. Her name is Sasha Moir, she's a brilliantly friendly and warm person who has a huge passion for photography - a person after my own heart. Please check her out on instagram @sashamoirphotography! I have never shot a blog post with anyone beside my blog husband (hehe, you know...like a instagram husband), so I was a bit nervous...for like 2 seconds, and then Sasha put me totally at ease. I think it helped that I wore a dress I knew she liked, from a previous photo. We shot in a favourite location for both of us - Fort Langley. It's got a quaint charm, and is so photogenic! Blake and I had our engagement photos done here :) Back to the outfit! So, I chose the dress because I knew Sasha liked it, but I decided to layer it with a denim button down to do something different from the last time I wore it. I belted it, to give me a waistline, and when I had the shirt all buttoned up, it was just screaming for this necklace. It added a kinda western bohemian feel that I am totally digging at the moment. The fringe boots and brown faux leather backpack just added to the carefree feel, and I added the sweater at the last minute, but it was the perfect choice. I love the pattern of the sweater against the floral of the dress. Overall, I was really happy with the outfit, but these photos really bring it to life!

Dress: H&M (similar). Denim button up: H&M (old) (similar). Boots: GoJane. Backpack: Winners (old) (similar + similar). Coat: Hand-me-down (authentic + similar). Hat: Sirens (old) (similar). Necklace: Dynamite (old) (similar). 

Art of the mix.

Nothing makes me happier than mixing prints, and really pulling them off. I know I pulled this one off when my husband looked at me and said, in shock, "That weirdly works". I feel like I earned a real fashionista badge of honour when I mixed plaid with leopard and stripes! This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I sure love it. Another thing I am in love with...my new hair! I've never been this blonde before, it's fun. I love it with the dark root, and also with the darker brows. It looks great with a red lip - my fave!

Jacket: J.Crew (old) (also cute). Dress: Alfred Sung (omg soooooo old, we're talking 8 years) (similar). Striped mock neck: H&M (similar + similar). Shoes: Forever21 (old) (very cute). Purse: Kate Spade (similar). Faux fur keychain: Dynamite (similar).

A life of athleisure.

I feel like I haven't written a blog post in forever! Probably because I haven't...haha. The end of the year was crazy busy for me with family stuff, and add on top of that the holiday rush. I feel like I'm already behind and it's not even a month into 2016. So blog posts haven't really been on the top of my to-do list, but that doesn't mean I've given up on looking stylish while I am running around trying to keep up with my life. This outfit has definitely been a frequent go-to when I need something fast and comfortable ( and stylish but that goes without saying, right?). I've been a huge fan of the trend of dressing up runners, but I confess until last week I did not know it was called 'athleisure'. It's cheesy and perfect. I hope comfortable shoes never go out of trend, but in the mean time I will take as much advantage of this as I can :) 

Sunglasses: Target (old). Sweater: Forever21 (old)(similar). Cargo pants: Sirens (similar). Jacket: H&M (old) (similar). Shoes: Nike (similar).