Back in Action

Sweater - Talula; Shirt - Barefott Contessa; Trousers - Off the Wall
Wedges - Aldo; Watch - Fossil.

After what felt like the longest 48 hours of my life, I'm happy to say that I'm back up and running. And, to celebrate I'm going to keep this post short so that I can catch up on everything that I've missed since 2:45 p.m. on Sunday.

Happy Tuesday!

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Urban Safari Biking Adventure

I find trying new things to be slightly awkward. Okay, extremely awkward, but that doesn't stop me. I'm just strategic about it. I always have a plan.

Take Sunday, for example, when I embarked on my first ever BIXI bikes adventure in Ottawa. I wasn't sure how it all worked, so I researched a location that had a lot of bikes (I didn't want to walk all the way out there to find there was nothing to ride), and was somewhere that wasn't too out in the open, so I could struggle, walk around the station eyeing my "enemy" (I do this when I get frustrated, glaring solves everything) and figure things out, without too much of an audience.



Well, sometimes things don't go according to plan.

The closest location with a lot of bikes just happened to be on Elgin Street right in front of city hall, so I had quite the audience while I desperately tried to pull and wiggle the bike out of it's parking space (it's not as easy as it sounds, either that or I have severe issues; most likely the latter). And of course, because I like to look cute when I'm out and about I wasn't exactly wearing the most appropriate outfit for this sort of endeavour. But I made it work.



Finally, after multiple attempts, and a lot of strange glances, the bike was free!

Top - Song from Off the Wall; Shorts - Old Navy; Sandals - Jules & James; Bag - Aldo; Sunglasses - Ray-Ban

But this was only the beginning. You see, I haven't actually ridden a bike in years - I can't remember the last time I was on a bike. I knew I'd be wobbly, so I walked the bike away from the street and once I knew no one could see me I was off, wobbling down Nepean Street.

My view - don't worry, I wasn't biking and shooting.
I was standing awkwardly half resting on a bend and shooting

It took about ten minutes of riding for me to feel comfortable (and to figure out how to change gears) but it's like they always say, it was just like riding a bike! By no means was I going fast, distance wasn't the goal of this adventure; it was all about being out in the sunshine, cursing along the canal and feeling the wind in my hair. 


It was glorious! I can't wait to take the bike out again next week!

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Petite Fashion Challenge #11

Tonight, I'm taking part in Petite Fashion Challenge No. 11 hosted by Ski Petite. 

 

This month's challenge is to "put together an outfit made for sightseeing. It should be one that will be comfortable for walking around in and can last you from the early morning until dinner and drinks in the evening. Plus, you're on vacation, so you'd better make sure you look good in photos, which you'll have for years to come. You can choose just one outfit but vary it by adding or taking off layers or accessories to take you from the a.m. to the p.m. and make one outfit easier to last through the day."

This challenge had me stumped for quite sometime.  It wasn't until my flu quarantine that I was able to rummage through my closet and put together what I consider to be the perfect sightseeing ensemble.

For day time sightseeing I chose a pair of skinny jeans, a colourful, flowy top, and a pair of espadrilles.

As I'm not going travelling anywhere in the near future, I used my imagination for this challenge and dreamed I was going somewhere hot, instead of being at home in chilly Ottawa - that's why I opted for open toed shoes and a tiny tank.

The espadrilles are perfect for pounding the pavement, or strolling along the cobblestone streets.

Top - unknown; Jeans - Mavi; Espadrilles - Aldo

 For nighttime, I chose to throw on a blazer. I love the short over long layers, and how the black makes the colours of the tank pop.

Blazer - Talula

And, if I'm feeling really up for a night out on the town, I would trade my espadrilles for leather heeled booties. Perfect for dancing the night away in any locale!

Booties - le Chateau

 

Mixing Prints Rd. Two

A couple of weeks back I received some of the greatest news any working girl could ever ask for: I was getting a raise. But it gets better; not only was I getting a raise, but I was overdue for one, so retro-pay was coming my way!

On that news, I did what any good fashion loving lady would do - I went shopping! Who doesn't love spending money you don't yet have. The next couple of posts will feature some of my newest pieces.

I wore this outfit at the beginning of a very busy week, one that included a visit to Emilia Torabi's showroom with the lovely Twenty York Street, an IABC Ottawa event and finished off with Ottawa Fashion Week SS12 (I was so enthralled by the clothes walking the runway - especially the David McCaffery show which actually gave me goosebumps - that I took no useable photos, but if you check out Lot 65, Marcia B Creative, Twenty York Street, Sincerely Sabrina, The Taste of Fashion, or Moose Photography you can get caught up on all the sartorial action).

To start off my busy week, I thought I would do so with a bang, and mix some prints. This was my second attempt at mixing prints petite-style (my first attempt can be seen here). I was much more adventurous this time around pairing a bolder paisley print on top with a more subtle print in the pants.

There's something about this outfit that made me feel very polished, but not.

And, I loved it!

In all honesty, I bought this shirt on a whim. I was drawn to the patterned but didn't pick it up right away; instead, I circled around it four or five times before I actually added it to my pile. Even as I put it on that morning I wasn't sold on it, but after strutting down Metcalfe, I realized it brought the perfect amount of punch to an otherwise dreary day.

Top - Jacob; Pants - Off The Wall - Shoes - Aldo

And, I loved it! 

Petite Adventures Returns

I've been more than a bit neglectful of the blog lately. 

In the midst of phase full of life changes, the boy allowed stress to overwhelm him and ended things. To say I was blindsided is a dramatic understatement. Needless to say, I've been looking less than camera-ready these last couple of week. So I hope you'll forgive me.

But I'm back! It's not the triumphant return that the exclamation mark will lead you to believe, but it's progress... baby steps.

I don't know about you, but my office likes to keep the A/C cranked to a point where I look a bit ridiculous on my way to work. It's as if I got dressed on a blustery winter day... and that's before I put on my office sweater and shawl. It makes dressing in these humid times quite difficult.

This outfit was one of those days where I was trying not to freeze too much.

I didn't succeed.

Shirt - SmartSet; Pants - Off The Wall; Shoes - Aldo

At least Fall's just around the corner, and then I'll be warm in the office again... right?!