An Industry Event

 

Blouse & Skirt - Jacob; Tights - Sentiments from Zellers;
Boots - Aldo; Watch - Fossil

I'm not going to lie to you; I'm already in holiday-mode. With a mere 15 hours of work left (16 if you count lunch) before I jet off to the west coast, my brain is essentially mush. All I can think about is how close I am to vacation-time. So, you'll excuse me if this post lacks: a) creativity, b) humour, and c) a clever title.

I wore this look to an industry event last week. I figured it was the perfect opportunity to debut my new peplum lace blouse from Jacob. And I was right! An evening of cocktails and communications was the perfect time at which to wear this chic piece.

The only problem was that my name tag didn't really go with this look. Oh well; introducing myself verbally wasn't the worst way to spend the evening.


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On the Go

Sweater - Zara; Blouse - Smart Set; Skirt - Jacob; Tights - Sentiments from Zellers
Boots - Aldo

Yesterday's was one of those crazy days where I was on the go from 7 a.m. until I finally crashed 12 hours later. The first of many crazy days to come.

From a seminar to work to holiday shopping, I had to find an outfit that would take me from A to B to C. Plus, it had to be a look that would keep me warm while I was running around in the -11C weather (that's right, winter is here).

To satisfy my criteria I settled on layers - and lots of them! It's that time of year, when I wear everything I own to make it through the day without frostbite.


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Lace and Luxury

Shirt - Smart Set; Skirt - Jacob; Tights - Zellers Boots - Aldo

Sorry for the unexpected hiatus yesterday, but this week did not get off to the greatest of starts, and I blame it all on hormones. Evil, evil hormones.

Because I wasn't feeling like my usual petite, chipper self, I decided that it was the perfect day to wrap in lace and luxury, in the form of my new bamboo tights.

Absolutely fantastic.

I'm now convinced that the cure for any bad day is bamboo tights.

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Petite Adventures on Marcia B. Creative

Dress & Jacket - Old Navy; Tights - Zellers; Boots - Steve Madden;
Scarf - H&M; Bag - Aldo; Sunglasses - Ray-Ban

I didn't intend to take a break this week, life just got away from me and I didn't have time to snap any photos (or put together creative looks). So, to tide you over until next week's outfit posts why not check out Marcia B. Creative where you can learn a little bit more about this petite.

A couple of weeks ago Marcia, an incredibly talented and sweet Ottawa photographer, and I met in Westboro Village where she snapped some photos of this awkward duckling in a few of my favourite looks. I can't thank Marcia enough for not only reaching out to me for the profile, but for making me feel so comfortable in front of the camera. It was a fantastic way to spend a Saturday afternoon! Thanks again Marcia!

Have a great weekend!

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I'd Waited So Long...

Dress - Old Navy; Tank - Smart Set; Tights - Zellers;
Boots - Steve Madden; Watch - Fossil

... for these Steve Madden boots to be mine.

I first spotted them at Town Shoes in June, when I dragged my friend away from writing her Masters' Thesis to go shopping with me. I walked away with a different pair of shoes that day, but I never stopped thinking of these cognac beauties.

Fast forward four months and I still couldn't get them off my mind. Beautiful colour, low heel, and nothing like any of the other boots I owned. I needed them.

So, to celebrate the end of my October shopping ban, I whipped out the credit card and made them mine!

They made their debut on Saturday for my first volunteer shift at Dress for Success. I've been wanting to get involved with the organization for quite some time, and I'm so glad I did. It was the most amazing way to spend a Saturday morning - I can't wait to do it again!

Afterwards, I braved the chilly Saturday weather and wandered Westboro (my new favourite 'hood) before meeting up with the always lovely and stylish Marcia B. Creative for a photo shoot (my first!) I'm so excited to see the end results, and will share them as soon as they're up.

And, I'm so excited to wear these boots again! I feel like I have a whole new wardrobe thanks to them.

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Seeing Red

 

Top - Zara; Skirt - Jacob; Tights - Zellers; Boots - Aldo

There seems to be a theme in my posts in this early part of the week - I've worn a lot of red.

I've always gravitated towards the colour, but don't tend to wear it that often. However, there was just something about last week; it seemed like a red week.

Psychologists believe that red is a colour that exudes strength and confidence - so maybe that's what I was unconsciously going for.  Even if it was a complete fluke that I wore red three times in five days, it's something I think I'll be repeating much more often throughout the upcoming months.

Because who doesn't love a pop of red on a cold winters day!?

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This is Why We're Friends

Dress - Old Navy; Tights - Zellers;
Wedges - Aldo; Watch - Fossil

Last week, while chatting with a friend, I was bemoaning the fact that in all of our technical advances, we still hadn't figured out a way to have laundry do itself. As I was beginning to brainstorm about starting an agency for life interns she blurted out: "Why don't you treat yourself to new outfit?"

This is why we're friends; she's a genius.

However, there was one minor flaw in the plan - I've put myself on a shopping ban for the month of October. After a few more minutes of brainstorming I realized I had some Visa Rewards points I could cash in for a gift card. With just a couple clicks of the mouse, I was now the proud owner of a brand new dress.

Plus, it matches quite well with the red and white animal print shirt I wore in yesterday's post. You see, everybody wins!

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At a Loss for Words

Sweater - Talula; Tank - Smart Set; Skirt - Jacob
Lace tights - Zellers; Boots - Aldo

It was one of those days.

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Nailed it!

Shirt - Smart Set; Skirt - Jacob; Tights - Zellers; Boots - Aldo

Do you ever have those days where you look in the mirror, analyze your ensemble, and think: "Nailed it!" Yesterday morning was not one of those days, at least not at first.

Monday had been unseasonably warm, so naturally, I assumed that Tuesday would be the same. I was completely dress and ready to emerge from my apartment with bare ankles, but at the last minute I decided to check the weather - and thank goodness I did because it was four degrees with a high of five. FIVE. I quickly ran to my closet and grabbed whatever was closest and was out the door.

It wasn't until I walked into the kitchen at work and a colleague commented on my outfit: "You look so put together!" It was the best compliment I could have gotten since I'd gotten re-dressed in such a rush.

It wasn't until I got home that I looked in the mirror and thought: "nailed it." Felt great.

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Mixing Prints

When mixing prints was first introduced as a trend, I wasn't quick to jump off the deep end. Even when I did decided to give the trend a try, I barely dipped my toe into the shallow end of the pool (as seen here and here).

Over the weekend, I went on a Pinterest pinning spree and after I realized that I had pinned some variation of this outfit four times, I decided it was time to jump off the deep end and give mixing prints a real college try!

Top - Jacob; Skirt - Zara; Tights - Zellers; Wedges - Aldo

It's definitely not as scary a trend as I once thought. One I'll have to try again very soon.




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Bad Luck

Cardigan - Zara; Tanks - Smart Set & American Apparel; Skirt - Jacob
Tights - Zellers; Boots - Aldo

Last week was not my week.

It all started on Sunday, when a random red light I've never seen before lit up on my Tassimo coffee machine. I'd already made my morning coffee so I choice to ignore it and focus on more important things, like getting ready for Harvest Noir.

Monday morning the ominous red light was still on; the water tank was full, so after pushing the button a few times hoping it would cure itself, I was out of ideas. Frantically, I turned to Google and that's when my world came shattering down around me - my Tassimo needed to be descaled. I had no clue what that meant.

Over the next few days I tried everything: lemon juice and water, filtered water; nothing was working. Giving up on natural remedies, I even went on the hunt for descaler, literally running across town to locate this product that I'm now convinced doesn't exist. That's when I turned to a radical google-suggested solution: Orange Kool-aid.  Surprisingly, it worked like a charm. Tassimo was on the mend, life was good again.

Or so I thought.

I turned a blind eye on the coffee machine for two minutes and that's when it decided to flood my kitchen, sending two juice glasses sliding off the counter and smashing onto the floor.

So, there I was, picking up glass and moping in my PJs at midnight. Not too fun or fashionable.

To cheer myself up the next morning, and celebrate the return of my morning cup of coffee, I pulled together a look to make it appear that the horrors of the week hadn't happened. The tights may have been a bad idea on such a warm fall day, but I had my morning cup of coffee; nothing could phase me.


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Harvest Noir

This past Sunday, I had the privilege of being my friend's plus-one at Ottawa's secret, chic picnic, Harvest Noir. Only hours after learning the location (you receive an email at noon and are to arrive promptly at four), 1,500 people of all ages gathered on the front lawns of City Hall in their most stylish black apparel, to toast the harvest, and in our case, wine and dine in the rain. 

In only it's second year, Harvest Noir has not only doubled in size, but it has quickly become one of the most sought after social tickets of the season. The evening is comprised of three acts, each unique and breathtaking.

ACT I: The Secret Picnic
Elegantly-dressed diners head to the secret destination toting picnic baskets stuffed with locally-harvested food they've prepared, set up a feast at their assigned tables, and celebrate the harvest with friends and family. Guests will enjoy the dining experience of the year, accompanied by glasses of fine local bubbly, wine and beer, and refined live music by a 13-piece orchestra. (Official event description, sourced from HarvestNoir.com)



Despite the fashionably late rain, which arrived ten minutes after the picnic started, it was a fabulous evening, if not for the people-watching alone. With men in tuxedos with tails and top hats, and ladies in hooped skirts and fascinators, and even a gorilla suit, Harvest Noir was like dining at Downton Abbey, if only the Dowager enforced a strict black-only, steampunk-inspired dress code.

Our table decor

The lighting of the burner - a true team effort to ensure we had a hot meal

ACT II: The Pop-Up Parade
After cleaning up our table, we were given sparklers and followed a marching band from City Hall, through Confederation Park to the N.A.C. 

Throughout the parade I happened to walk behind a girl wearing the most fabulous wings. 
So, naturally, I had to take a picture. Creepy, I know, but how could I not!?

ACT III: The DJ DanceParty

Once we arrived at the N.A.C. the party really began. With three different dancefloor, each table had been assigned to a room. Ours was the Classic Room, so we danced and sang the night away to oldies tunes - everything from Mungo Jerry to 80s rap. I loved it all!

The only time we weren't on the dancefloor was to watch the fashion show and marvel at the hula hoop artists who'd taken over the foyer. 

One of the highlights of Act III was when a choir started to sing "We are Young" by Fun. and everyone in the N.A.C sang along. You really can't beat the sound of 1,000+ voices singing together.



What I Wore

As soon as I was invited to Harvest Noir, I knew exactly what I was going to wear: the strapless, bubble dress I'd worn to my University graduation. It's been sitting in my closet ever since just begging to be worn. So Harvest Noir was the night.

In keeping with the Harvest theme, I thought it was only appropriate to wear gold leaf accessories (the bartender was thoroughly impressed by my dedication to the harvest).

My original lookDress - Jacob; Tights - Zellers;
Boots, Necklace, Earrings, Clutch - Aldo; Watch - Fossil

For an outdoor evening event, where rain was expected, I knew that a cashmere cardigan was a must - plus, the pearls made it feel very Harvest Noir appropriate.

Cardigan - Joe Fresh

And finally, to top off my look, the chicest of all rain apparel: a trench coat and umbrella.

Trench - H&M

My Harvest Noir date, Alayne, and I - before the rains started.

Thankfully we took photos before the rain *really* started, because before long I looked like this (Alayne, on the other hand managed to look stunning, as always):

  

Half-way through the picnic and still smiling, after at least two hours in the rain.

Even though we were soaked, Harvest Noir was a fantastic night. So much so that we've already decided we can't miss 2013; rain or shine.


All photos in this post are my own. For official event photos check out Jake Wright - they're amazing!

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