It's Been a While

Well hello there. It's been a while. I can't tell you how happy I am to be back, up and running!

This past month has been a whirlwind of new adventures, new friends, and was in a word: amazing! When we last spoke I was on my way across the pond to cross off resolution #16 of my Petite Resolutions. Over the next 21 days I crossed exploring Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg and Moscow off my bucket list; was introduced to the surprising beauty of Minsk, Belarus; and, was immersed in history in Warsaw and Berlin. It was the trip of a lifetime, one that I won't soon forget. Sadly, my vacation abroad was punctuated with a vicious case of the travel plague which has kept me out of commission this past week. But now, thankfully, after a week of soup, sneezing, sleep and tea, I'm back!

For my reintegration into society I chose a simple, yet functional look, perfect for running errands and catching up with friends.

Sweater - H&M; Capris - Smart Set;
Flats & Necklace - Aldo; Watch - Fossil; Sunglasses - Joe Fresh

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On Vacation

Photo courtesy of Food Fashion and Flow

As of 10:45 p.m. last night my not-so-Petite Adventure has begun!
I've hopped on a jet-plane and am Stockholm-via Toronto and Helsinki-bound. For the next three weeks I'll be crossing out Petite Resolution #16 (for the original post, click here, and for recaps, click here and here) as I explore all that Scandinavia, Russia and parts of Eastern Europe have to offer.

Be sure to follow my adventures on Instagram (@PetiteAdventure) or  Webstagram.

See you in September!

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Repetition

Shirt - Jacob; Tank - Smart Set; Pants - Forever 21; Heels - Aldo

This outfit is a combination of two that were posted last week (seen here and here) and this repetition was no accident. I was testing out possible outfits for Europe and decided to combine a few of my favourite pieces. After running errands and grabbing coffee with a friend I decided that this look would was packable.

This weekend was a great mix of productivity and relaxation. On Saturday, I ran around crossing errands and items off my to do list, and doing multiple loads of laundry. Once everything was clean (and I do mean everything), I laid out all of the clothes I wanted to take with me, and I evaluated and edited to figure out what I had and what I needed - I was very surprised to learn that I only owned one plain black t-shirt! Clearly, shopping had to happen.

The next morning I was up bright and early to pick up a journal at Chapters and then it was off to Old Navy to stock up on plain t-shirts (which only ended up being $5 each - obviously it was meant to be!). After re-evaluating my choices (all black and white with a few splashes of blue and the purple jeans, to make dressing easy) I packed everything into my suitcase and began the final countdown - only a few hours to go!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend!

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The Final Countdown

Sweater - Old Navy; Skirt - Jacob; Shoes - Nine West

Happy Friday everyone!

The countdown is officially on! In just four short days I’ll be on the other side of the Atlantic, exploring the city of Stockholm. It's something I've wanted to do for so long and I can’t believe it’s coming up so quickly.

This weekend is going to be a busy one. I still have so much to do before I leave. I now regret all of the hours I spent watching 30 Rock re-runs this week when I could have been productive. 

Scratch that, I will never regret watching 30 Rock – Tina Fey is awesome. 

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Mistakes

Shirt, Skirt - Jacob; Shoes - Aldo; Watch - Fossil

I hate making mistakes. 

I know no one likes making mistakes, but I absolutely hate it. Maybe it's because in addition to being a perfectionist I'm a worrier (great combo right?!) and I can drive myself crazy for ages afterwards with the endless possibilities of what could ensue - it's actually quite impressive how my imagination runs wild.

Sadly, yesterday was one of those days.

Thankfully, I was wearing this skirt, which is never a mistake. The colour and the fit are the perfect recipe for a (sartorially) successful day. And, really, we all know that sartorial success makes everything better.

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Man Repelling

Romper - Forever 21; Wedges - Aldo; Belt - Joe Fresh

When I first came across this navy blue polka dot romper I was immediately attracted to it, despite it's impracticality. But, just my luck they didn't have my size, so I went home alone.

Four days later when I couldn't stop thinking about it I decided that it was probably best to buy it a size (or two) too big and get it altered. So I did; but before it goes under the knife (or needle) I thought it would be a good idea to capture the romper in all of it's man repelling glory.

Even unaltered, it's not horribly too big, but I am so excited to see how many men I can repel once this romper fits properly.

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Future to Present

Sweater - Old Navy; Jeans - Forever 21; Wedges - Aldo

Lately, I've been in the habit of leaving a lot of projects for future-Kate. This is my way of procrastinating and allowing myself to enjoy the summertime without feeling guilty. Unfortunately, this past weekend saw future-Kate becoming present-day-Kate.

With just days before leaving for Europe I forced myself to tackle all of the projects I've been putting off these last few weeks, including (but not limited to): booking accommodations for Stockholm, actually researching the climate of the cities I'm visiting so I'll know what to pack, and a myriad of other things I've let pile up.

Needless to say, present-Kate was busy.

The weekend didn't get off to the most productive start (coffee and lounging followed by getting my hair cut at Saab Salon), but by mid-afternoon on Saturday I was the picture of productivity. I was crossing things off my to-do list like it was my job.

And, because present-day-Kate was so productive, the only task left for future-Kate is getting on the airplane and jetting off to Scandinavia (one week!)

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Simple

Dress - Forever 21; Tank - Smart Set; Sweater - H&M; Flats - Aldo

Yesterday morning I had no clue what to wear. I stood in my closet for 10 minutes touching every piece of clothing hoping it would speak to me, but nothing was jumping out at me. Nothing. When I'm overcome by that feeling I find it's best to keep it simple. And that's exactly how I landed on this comfortable yet chic ensemble.

You really can't beat a little black dress; especially on a Wednesday.

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Foiled

Yesterday was a holiday here in Ontario (and across most of Canada) and I made the most of it!

Sweater - H&M; Dress - Banana Republic; Bag - Aldo;
Sandals - Zellers; Watch - Fossil; Sunglasses - Ray-Ban

After sleeping in until 8 a.m. (nothing makes you feel older than when you consider 8 a.m. a sleep-in) and leisurely enjoying a cup of coffee I was up and off to the Rideau Centre to start my pre-Europe shopping. I picked up a few essentials, new headphone and an outlet converter (I refuse to not bring my hair tools with me across the pond), and then I started into the fun kind of shopping - clothes and shoes!

I wasn't really on the search for clothes but when I came across the cutest polka dot sweater at Old Navy I couldn't resist. And, then I went to Lululemon and, as usual, struggled to only bring home one pair of cropped pants.

The real reason for my trip to the mall was to pick up cute, comfortable shoes that would allow me to easily walk through Scandinavia and beyond. I had my heart set on getting a pair of Puma Espera 3s. They met two of my requirements - cute and comfortable - however, I was foiled when they didn't have my size. It's not that Foot Locker don't carry size 5 - they don't even make size 5s. I would have happily settled for a 5.5, but again - foiled!

So now I'm lost. I have no clue where to look or what to even look for.
Any recommendations of where I can find a cute, comfortable walking shoe?

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It's the Weekend!

 

Dress - Forever 21; Sweater - Zara; Belt - Joe Fresh; Wedges - Aldo

Happy Friday everyone!!

How excited are you for the long weekend?! I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am that we have three days off. I'm going to be spending my time relaxing, preparing for Europe and helping my friend decorate her new apartment while her boyfriend is out of town. The poor guy is going to come home to a whole new place - it's going to be amazing!

I picked up this dress last weekend when my best friend was in town - I was instantly won over by the colour and the loose, retro fit, and wore it (hanger over my head) around the store for quite some time before actually trying it on. So far I've worn it to brunch and work, and loved how it easily transitioned between the two. I have a feeling it's going to get a lot of wear if this hot and humid weather continues.

Happy Weekending!


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Good Old Days

 

Shirt - Smart Set; Pants - Jacob; Shoes - Aldo; Watch - Fossil

A quick post because I'm extra tired today - this oppressive humidity we've been having the last few days is really taking it out of me. I'm currently sitting in wind tunnel - a fan trifecta, if you will - and it's glorious. I never want to leave.

This outfit is from late last week when the temperatures were semi-normal - or as I like to think of them, the good old days.

What do you do to beat the heat?

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Faculty of Celebrity Studies

Last night, I had the honour of attending gossip maven Lainey Lui (of eTalk and Lainey Gossip fame)'s first Faculty of Celebrity Studies event in Ottawa. I had no clue what to expect from the evening, but I can honestly say it far exceeded any expectations I may have had.

Held at the Terence Robert Gallery on Sussex it was an evening of not just gossip (we did talk all about the latest on K.Stew, Katie and Tom, and much, much more), but we also discussed how celebrity gossip can be used as a barometer for the current state of society and, when done properly, gossip can actually be a study in human behaviour - see, I told you, not at all what I was expecting. For example, Lainey hypothesized that global events, such as the decline of the world's economy, can be mirrored in the way celebrities are portrayed in gossip mags. Back in the days celebrities were larger than life, unapologetic characters and now they're "just like us." 

But, it wasn't all hypotheses and theories, the evening was a gathering of many of Ottawa's most fabulous. We sipped Vitamin Water cocktails and nibbled on delicious spring rolls and bison sliders (NB: I can only speak for the deliciousness of the veggie spring rolls, but I was assured that the bison sliders were also very tasty).







And of course there was a chance to do a bit of mingling (I completely repeated an outfit for the event, for a better look, click here.) Lainey was awesome - what you read/see is exactly what you get. She was very down-to-earth and genuine, cynical but sweet, and she has a killer sense of fashion (check out her shoes in the very last photo - amazing!)

photo credit: Marilou, Twenty York Street

photo credit: Marilou, Twenty York Street

photo credit: Marilou, Twenty York Street

After attending the Faculty of Celebrity Studies, I've decided that I'm going to look at my gossip addiction in a whole new light - I mean, it's basically cultural anthropology - at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

A huge thank you to Lainey Gossip and Vitamin Water for hosting such a fun and educational evening.

Vitamin Water with Lainey's special, custom labels

And a special shout out to the beautiful Marilou of Twenty York Street who patiently held my iPhone while I waited to have my picture taken with Lainey.

Marilou of Twenty York Street with Lainey and a friend

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