Style Profile: Dainty Girl

Name: Nicole Wilson aka Dainty Girl

Age: 28

Occupation: Blogger (Marketing Manager by day)

Site: http://DaintyGirl.ca

Location: Toronto, ON

When and why did you start your site?

I’ve always loved fashion, beauty and style and I think I’ve got a pretty solid written “voice” so I made it my 2012 New Years Resolution to launch a blog. On January 28^th 2012, Dainty Girl was born and I haven’t looked back since! I’m honestly amazed at how far it’s come.

How would you describe your site?

 It’s a fashion, beauty and style blog with a “dainty” twist! I’m passionate about all things local and take pride in sharing and supporting local designers, artists and entrepreneurs on my blog. There’s so much creativity, innovation and passion on the Toronto (and Canadian) fashion scene and I want to share that with the world.

Where do you get your inspiration?

 I’m incredibly inspired by the fashion and beauty entrepreneurs that I’m lucky enough to meet on a weekly basis. They have fierce and unwavering passion for their craft so it’s easy to fall for them and the goodies they’re selling with such heart. They make me feel like anything’s possible.

Who are your style/beauty icons?

 Michelle Williams is such a dainty darling. I love everything she wears and her flawless natural beauty. Emily Blunt and Amy Adams always look perfectly flawless on the red carpet; I love their elegant sophistication. I adore Nicole Richie and her effortless bohemian-chic style and fun statement jewellery.

Describe your personal style. 

Well I am Dainty Girl! I think have pretty diverse fashion tastes; I have equal love for shapely and structured glam styles and loose, flowing bohemian styles. I love juxtaposing feminine with edge - lace and leather, sparkle and studs. Everything has an element of dainty and I’m always a sucker for a pretty dress and heels!

What was the best style/beauty advice you were given?

 Don’t overdo it when it comes to fashion or beauty. Try one or two trends, not all of them; less is more when it comes to makeup, tanning and exposed skin. Drink lots of water!

Where are your favourite places to shop?

Local boutiques supporting Canadian fashion, like Fresh Collective and Homegrown Boutique in Toronto. Zara, M for Mendocino, Joe Fresh, H&M and ModCloth are always dependable for a great fashion find and affordable accessories. Sephora is my beauty mecca.

What are your favourite trends for this season?

 I absolutely love the burgundy trend. It’s flattering on every skin tone but I love the way it contrasts my fair skin and brings out the red in my hair. Also loving the leather accent trend; it’s so naughty versus nice and I’m hoping to find a detachable leather collar and a coat with leather contrast sleeves this season.

Style/Beauty Pet Peeve?

 Too much skin – porno cleavage and super short skirts never look classy. Heels with wide leg pants that just aren’t long enough. Tube tops with chest/back skin spillage. On the beauty front, hands down it’s overly tan skin or too much bronzer – we’re in Toronto, not California ladies!

What do you never leave home without? 

Lip balm or lip gloss – hate dry lips! My cell phone; gotta stay connected to my social networks! Business cards – never know who you’re going to meet!

What are your five essential items that you think every woman should own? 

1.    The perfect Little Black Dress (LBD)

2.    Blazer than can be dressed up or down

3.    Skinny Jeans that make your butt look awesome

4.    Comfortable heels (platforms baby)

5.    Statement Accessory – bold jewellery or a vibrant handbag

Where do you see yourself and your site in five years? 

I want to be synonymous with Toronto fashion – a trusted advisor for shoppers and a trendsetter for the stylish. I want to bring together local designers and entrepreneurs for exciting collaborations and events. I want someone to ask for my autograph ;)

What's on your nightstand?

 A tall glass of water (always), Canadian-made SheeBody hand cream, USB keys full of media photos, DaLish lip balm (that I made myself), business cards collected at recent events and nerdy (yet awesome) reading glasses.

All images courtesy of Dainty Girl.

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Travel Diary: Moscow

For two cities located just 632.59km apart in the same same country, St. Petersburg and Moscow could not be more different.

While St Petersburg had an air of history and elegance, Moscow felt like communism, or at least what I believe communism would feel like: expansive streets, ominous tall houses looming over you wherever you looked and police everywhere. As a Canadian, it wasn't something I ever expected walking into the capital of the world's biggest country. But, I rolled with the punches. By the end of our three day stay I was used to walking through metal detectors and showing the contents of my purse to police to access to public places, like the Kremlin. 

Even with the police presence throughout the city, we were still able to fill our days with sightseeing (although sadly we couldn't get into Red Square, which was closed; therefore denying me the chance to see Lenin's Mausoleum), museum visits, and guided tours of statue park (where communist statues are kept) and of the Moscow subway, complete with communist era propaganda mosaics.

Not at all what I was expecting, but cool nonetheless.

One of Moscow's seven tall houses

The Kremlin walls

Gardens outside the Kremlin

One of the many police security lines I went through during my stay

St. Basil's

As close as I could get to Red Square,
which was closed all three days we were in Moscow

What I Wore

For our night out in Moscow we had VIP service at Pacha nightclub, and for this I thought there was no better time than to pull out the purple jeans.

Moscow was ready for purple jeans!

Top - Aritzia; Jeans - Forever 21; Heels & Clutch - Aldo

Now, I'm not normally a club girl; I used to be, but have grown out of that stage. But, that didn't stop me from dancing, singing and laughing until 5 am. It made for a very long last day in Moscow, but it was certainly one of the nights I will never forget.

Much like this entire trip!

I hope you've enjoyed my Travel Diary this week.
I'm now taking suggestions on where to travel to next - the travel bug has bitten and it's bitten hard!

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Travel Diary: St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg was definitely the highlight of my time abroad. We spent three action-packed days exploring all that the city had to offer; from Peterhof Gardens to the Hermitage (the Romanov Winter Palace) to Peter and Paul's Fortress (where all the Czars and Czarinas are buried) to the Leningrad Memorial, we saw it all. And drank a lot of vodka (when in Rome, right?!) 

Peterhof Gardens

Peterhof Gardens - looking out onto the Baltic Sea 

 

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood 

The Hermitage (Romanov Winter Palace)  

St. Issac's Cathedral

I even climbed the 262 steps to the top of the Colonnade at St Isaac's Cathedral to get a birds-eye view of the city. It was absolutely terrifying to be up so high, and I didn't let go of the railing the entire time, but to see St. Petersburg that way was unbelievable, especially since it happened to be during one of the rare times that the sun was shining during our stay. Totally worth the crippling fear I felt the whole 15 minutes we were up there.

St. Petersburg as seen from the Colonnade of St. Isaac's

St. Petersburg as seen from the Colonnade of St. Isaac's

The Ballet

 Alexandrinskyi Theatre Sankt

As a huge Russian history nerd (and secret Doctor Zhivago fan) I can't tell you how incredible it was to be in St Petersburg, a city with so much history, and a city that is still so beautiful after all this time (having 24 carat gold all over the statues and buildings doesn't hurt). Too see all the sites that I've been reading about for years, and to walk through the Romanov Palace; it was three days I'll never forget.

What I Wore

For our big night out in St. Petersburg (it seems we had one big night out per city) we went to the ballet and then off to a nightclub, so I had to wear something that would be appropriate in both of these very diverse settings. While finding an outfit that would fit both venues would be difficult on a normal day, it was extra difficult trying to do so when living out of a suitcase - damn me for not packing my ball-gown!

With limited options I decided to go Vogue Paris chic with skinny jeans, heels and confidence - I figured if I walked with confidence I could get away with anything - and I did! Or, maybe it was just that we were at the ballet on a Wednesday and the dress code wasn't as strict, but I'd like to think my confidence played a part.

Sweater - Zara; Tank & Necklace - Smart Set; Jeans - H&M;
Wedges & Clutch - Aldo  

Turns out it was the perfect ensemble; but then again, when has Emmanuelle Alt ever steered anyone wrong?!

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Travel Diary: Minsk, Warsaw, Berlin

For the last week of my adventure (we're jumping ahead a few days, trust me, it's for the best...) my time was split between Minsk, Warsaw and Berlin. 

Minsk

Minsk was not a place I had ever thought about visiting, and honestly, had the tour not stopped there I never would have gone, but I am so glad that I did; Minsk was stunning. Although we only spent one night in Minsk, I had a blast exploring the city, bowling and taking in the local entertainment.

Brest Fortress

Warsaw

The day we spent in Warsaw was one of the most beautiful of the trip. The sun was shining, the breeze was warm; it was perfect for exploring the Polish capital. After spending the morning on a bus tour, which took us to all the key sights and drove us through the Warsaw Ghetto (that was very surreal), we enjoyed a delicious perogi lunch before settling in for an afternoon of beers and people-watching along Warsaw's main street. It was absolutely glorious day!

Berlin

By the time we arrived in Berlin, the travel plague had firmly taken hold; I was sick and just getting sicker. Although I'd been a little sick through most of the trip I was able to push through and keep exploring, that did not happen in Berlin. I spent one day touring the city and that was it. The last day of my trip I spent quarantined in my hotel room drinking tea and watching old documentaries on CNBC (the only English channel I could get). 

Even though the end of my stay in Berlin wasn't great, I'm so glad I spent my one semi-healthy day by taking in a walking tour of the city. I can't tell you how surreal it was to see so many historic sites that I've read about for years, like the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial and what remained of the Berlin Wall. 

The Brandenburg Gate

Holocaust Memorial

The Berlin Wall (what remains)

What I Wore

Although I wasn't able to frolic through Europe's cobblestone street in my sundress, I did have the chance to wear it a few times throughout the trip. Whether it was due to distance (700km+ Minsk to Warsaw), border delays (Belarus to Poland) or crazy Russian traffic (pretty much everywhere in Russia), there were more than a few days where we spent at least six hours on the bus - and on those days I broke out the sundress. Cute enough that when we did get off the bus I didn't feel like a schlub, but comfortable enough that when we finally arrived in Moscow after 11 hours I didn't feel absolutely horrible. 

Sweater - Zara; Dress - Old Navy; Sandals - Zellers

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Travel Diary: Stockholm and Helsinki

I've only been home for two weeks but I'm already mourning the end of my trip and starting to plan my next big adventure (London and Paris next fall perhaps). So, this week I've decided to relive the adventure by publishing a travel diary.

Stockholm















Helsinki

The first week of my vacation was spent mostly in Stockholm with a brief pause in Helsinki before moving onto Russia. Stockholm is somewhere that I've wanted to visit for years, so I couldn't have been happier to have four whole days to explore the city. 

I spent my time doing the dorky tourist things that I love, like taking a bus tour (or three), watching the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace (I thought I had read somewhere that there was a Royal Goat, I was mistaken and very disappointed when there wasn't), touring Stockholm's many islands, and shopping at H&M.

My last day in Stockholm (also the first day of the organized tour) after a visit to City Hall, we boarded the cruise ship bound for Helsinki; when you're on board the Love Boat with 30 strangers/soon-to-be-friends, the only thing to do is have an amazing time and watch the drag/cabaret show (when in Rome, right?!).

I wanted to make the most of the one day we had in Helsinki, so I saw as much as I could in the 8 hours that we had. Between a city tour and a ferry ride to Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, I feel like I got the full Finnish experience.

Although my time in Scandinavia was brief, it was amazing - this is definitely somewhere that I want to revisit!

What I Wore

When I started packing for my trip I had grandiose dreams of frolicking through the Northern European cities in cute sundress and sandals; sadly, Mother Nature had other plans. While the weather was nice it was not exactly sundress weather everywhere that I travelled; thank goodness I brought along a good supply of jeans.

The first few days of my adventure I focused on fashion that was comfortable enough to spend many hours pounding the cobblestones, yet also chic. But, as the trip progressed and our wake-up times became earlier (and bedtimes became later), and with the ever-changing weather, I quickly developed a travel uniform that would get me through the day no matter where we were going, or what the temperature might be.

Shirt - Old Navy; Jeans - Mavi; Jacket - Marmot; Scarf - H&M
Sandals - Birkenstock, Zellers; Flats - Aldo

 These henley t-shirts from Old Navy were a last minute purchase (we're talking last minute - I realized when packing that I only had one t-shirt that was presentable, so I ran to Old Navy and scooped up these fab pieces - two in each colour) but they soon became my go-to throughout the trip. Not only were they great to wear on their own, but they made the perfect base for layering when the temperatures dipped in Russia, and they dried super fast when I was forced to hand-wash them in the sink in St. Petersburg.

Not the most interesting of looks, but definitely a casual and classic look for travelling.

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