Daily Dose: Lacy days

I have a thing for lace skirts. I have about seven, and most of them are black. I gravitate towards them in the store and even when I remember the ungodly amount of lace skirts I have, I still want more.

Daily Dose: Short Stories

I don't know how all these fashion bloggers take such fantastic outside photos. Take today, for example-- I didn't even wear a photo-worthy outfit, because I knew it was going to rain, and I knew I was going to get very wet. So I give you this very underexposed indoor photo from sometime in the past:

Daily Dose: Sweetheart

It's been a long time, blog. I've missed you.

For a while there, I-- gasp-- stopped caring about dressing up nicely. I was having some trouble career-wise, and it was seeping into what originally was an escape from work. I was sad. My clothes were sad. (There were lots of fancy sweatpants involved.)

About a month and a half ago though, I managed to make a switch in my career specialty and have since incredulously watched as my desire to take photos of myself returned! I still wear the fancy sweatpants a lot though. (No regrets.)

Daily Dose: The girl in the green scarf

I have been reading a lot lately.  My brother kindly found me an iPad mini and so far I've read through A Song of Ice and Fire and the Shopaholic books.  Obviously both clothing and dragons excite me immensely. I don't quite know why the Shopaholic movie changed the colour of a Very Important Scarf to green (it was blue in the books), but that's OK.  Green scarves are better anyways.

Daily Dose: Kimonos

I don't know about you guys, but I tend to fluctuate in my use of accessories.  Lately, I've been crazy for necklaces and nothing else!  My belts and bracelets and scarves are languishing in their drawers, crying out, 'wear me, wear me!'  I pulled out a belt for the first time in a long while, and it reminded me of my belt phase.   I have resolved to try to not get stuck in accessory phases (we'll see how long that lasts).

This is an outfit from the aforementioned belt phase.  It really reminds me of a kimono because of the flowy jacket-thing and the obi belt, although I am aware it is nothing like a kimono if I'm honest with myself.

The jacket-thing (I still don't really know what it is) was a cheap buy because I was intrigued.  I have become very fond of my jacket-thing, because it's super comfortable and I love the way it drapes.  It has a pattern but it's very subtle, so it's not too hard to pair with other things.  And of course, I'm wearing my much-beloved liquid leggings.  Have I told you how much I love my liquid leggings?  I thought not.  Finally, the outfit's finished off with a pair of nude pumps.  I do really like nude pumps for their versatility and leg-lengthening effects, but I've found it's quite difficult to find the right nude for you.  Nude doesn't mean a sort -of beige coloured shoe, but rather one that matches your skin tone.  Being browner than much of Canada, I went on quite the hunt for these, but I think they're exactly the right shade for me!  If you want to invest in a pair of nude shoes, please take the time and effort to find something as close to your skin tone as possible!  It looks super chic when you find the right ones!

I added up the total cost of this outfit for interest, and thought it might be cool to post the total costs of my outfits from now on, since I post the prices of the items anyways.  Is this of interest to anyone?

Grey lace-paneled tank - Smart Set - size S - $4.99

Floral kimono jacket - Smart Set - size XS - 4.99

Cognac obi belt - Aldo - size S - $5.99

Copper bracelets - from India

Liquid leggings - Suzy Shier - size S - $7

Nude pumps - Aldo - size 7 - ~$40

TOTAL COST OF OUTFIT = $62.97

Daily Dose: Tweed zebra

I used to be very against wedges.  I didn't like the chunkiness, but since then I have come to embrace wedge heels.  I do think you need to be careful and pair more delicate things with them to counteract the chunk though!  I think these zebra print wedge booties are the most outrageous pair of shoes I've got; my cousin came over one day and asked me why I owned a pair of hooker shoes.  BECAUSE.

Daily Dose: Rust and Feathers

I've got a giant backlog of outfits, which I'm thankful for, because for the past few days, I've been meaning to snap some photos of what I've been wearing, but always end up thinking, 'Eh, I'll do it tomorrow'.  TOMORROW NEVER COMES.

Daily Dose: Modern day geisha

Once upon a time, I bought my mum three scarves.  She has worn them exactly zero times, and I stole one and wore it once.  Here's what happened.

Daily Dose: Anthropologist

First off, I apologize so very much for the long break with no posts!  Work/school is currently crazy busy with very long days and no laptop access.  I'm also currently applying for residency programs, which is taking up a lot of my time and thinking power.  Unfortunately, things will be busy for a bit longer but I think I'm over the worst of it at this point.

This outfit reminds me of something that comes straight out of Anthropologie; I think it's the vintage-y vibe.  Nothing in it actually comes from Anthropologie, of course.

Daily Dose: Green thumb

I have recently discovered maxis.  I don't know what it is, but they drive my usually logical brain into an irrational frenzy where I feel like I must have many, many maxis AT ALL TIMES.  After reflecting, I've decided it's the length and swooshiness of the maxi that makes it so desirable.  It's my grown-up way of dressing like a princess.  (Also swooshiness.)

Daily Dose: Blue suede shoes

So I think suede shoes are supposed to be fall and winter appropriate.  However, I'm not sure in which fall and winter that would be true.  Canadian winters are (in my neck of the woods) rather wet, cold and full of snow.  Suede + snow = not a good idea.  This does not stop Canadian shoe stores from being full of suede boots however.  I try to keep my suede/microfibre shoes to a minimum as I'm scared to wear the things outside, but sometimes there are just those pairs that I think are too good to pass up.

I've worn this skirt a million times since I bought it.  I guess it would be categorized as a 'tulip skirt', where there are pleats or gathers on the front.  This probably exaggerates my hips as a pear-ish shaped person, but I don't care.  I love this skirt.  I also love this blazer and have maybe worn it a million and one times.  It seems like it would have too much going on, with the poofy shoulder, the pleats at the torso and the leopard-print lining, but all together it just works.  It's a great neutral blazer with a great pop at the sleeves with the leopard.

I thought these tights were going to be a lovely opaque sky blue so I was a bit disappointed initially that they were a bit sheer.  But after wearing them for a bit, I really like the look!  Not as useful for the aforementioned Canadian winters, but cute, so who cares?

And so we come to the the blue suede shoes of the title.  They don't look like much above, but I assure you they are quite fabulous.  They're one of those pieces that gets compliments, and I like how they add a pop of colour to any outfit.

Tank - Smart Set - size S - ~$2.50

Skirt - Urban Behaviour - size XS - ~$15

Blazer - H&M - size 2 - ~$15

Tights - Joe Fresh via Superstore - size B - ~$1.50

Booties - FeetFirst - size 6 - ~$20

Daily Dose: Garden party

Everyone loves this dress.  I don't know what it is about it; the colour, the silhouette or the flowers, but it sucks everyone in and makes them beg for mercy and someone to save them from the overall twee-ness of it all.  The day I wore this outfit I got two compliments from random ladies at the library.  Score!

I love this dress too.  It manages to be a full-skirted shift-sort of thing, which is, in my eyes, kind of amazing.  I haven't seen a silhouette like it since.  These shoes are slightly red now, after I wore them with a pair of horrendously bleedy red jeans.  They fulfilled my itch for white shoes though, and have the slightest wedge heel, which is nice for my poor, flat feet.  

The cardigan is something I was initially unsure about.  I'd seen a few lace cardigans on bloggers before, but they were from Target and I currently don't have Target.  (Next year!)  And wouldn't you know it, I saw some walking through a Forever 21.  I wasn't sure about this colour, but I'm glad I got it, as it goes with more than I thought it would, and summer's been warm this year, so I've been glad to have an item of clothing that covers the shoulders but doesn't actually provide any real coverage whatsoever.  There's some sort of statement on clothing and function or lack thereof in there if you look hard enough.

Dress - H&M (Garden Collection) - size 4 - ~$15

Cardigan - Forever 21 - size S - $4

Ballet flats - Call it Spring - size 6 - ~$12

Headband - Likely the dollar store - no size - <$1

Daily Dose: Daytime sparkle

I have a confession to make: I don't really like jeans.  You know whenever there's an interview with a celebrity or something and the interviewer asks them what their favorite outfit is?  And they invariably say a white t-shirt and jeans?  I find that the most BORING outfit possible.  I am obviously a maximalist.

Mostly I am currently finding plain old jeans played out, especially bootcuts.  And now I present to you an outfit featuring bootcut jeans.

Daily Dose: Midis and me

I was excited about midi lengths when they first appeared.  I don't think it's the best length for me, as I'm pretty short and can't really afford to look shorter than I am.  Unfortunately, midis are renowned for their shortening properties.  I, of course, totally disregarded this and bought a few anyways.

Daily Dose: Oh Baby

I haven't been too happy with the sketches I've been posting up here lately.  I just feel a bit... embarrassed, I suppose.  I had originally thought that I would draw all the images for the blog digitally, but I have now realized I really suck at digital drawing.  Back to the lovely feeling and ashy graphite wrists that come with pencil and paper!

Daily Dose: Pink Lady

I am way behind on my outfits.  I think this one is from February.  (I'm sorry!)  I loved this pink blazer the moment I saw it, and although its not the greatest quality, I'm enjoying the time we have together before the inevitable pilling nightmare begins (it’s a knit).

Daily Dose: Velvet Underground

 It's been a while since my last post, and I apologize sincerely for that!  This has been a transition time for me in terms of school, and it's been a little bit crazy.  I've had this post half done for a long while, but just couldn't find the time to finish it up.  This illustration is not my best work; that's part of why there's been such a lag on publishing this post.   

This blazer is actually made of velvet, and I found it at a Goodwill in Hollywood for $5.  It's been a good addition to my wardrobe and surprisingly versatile, considering it's 1) purple and 2) velvet.  The shirt I'm wearing underneath is something I believe is now being referred to as a 'cold shoulder' top, where the shoulders are cut out.  It's cool, but I find that it's sometimes hard not to look too 80's with it.  The shorts are a kind of silky material and are pretty short, but I love them with tights.  I think I've become addicted to shorts and tights to be honest.  I find it a very fresh look, and it's pretty easy to put together.

Daily Dose: The woman in black (and white)

I really hope Daniel Radcliffe does well with his career.  I dunno, he just seems like a cool guy.

In fashion-related news, another January outfit (I am very behind with the outfit posts).  I've been looking for a well-fitting, super classic long-sleeved white button-down shirt for ages, and still haven't found one.  The one I'm wearing here is more of a camp shirt with front pockets and a shorter length on the sleeves.  I really like how well it fits in the torso!  I do get a bit of gaping between two of the buttons at the bust, but I don't worry about it too much, because I've found a fabulous quick fix: grab a bit of double-sided tape and tape that gap together!  If the gap isn't due to excessive tension, this should work quite well.  Alternatively, for a more permanent fix, I've sometimes seen blouses with a hidden snap in between those two problem buttons which I thought was ingenious.  The necklace was given to me by my most fabulous aunt, and try to wear it at least once whenever I visit her. (:

I wear this blazer way too much for my own good-- the fit is just really nice, and the cut is both dressy and relaxed which I love.  It reminds me a lot of a ubiquitous Aritzia blazer that I've seen around a lot, but which is also a lot more expensive!  The colour's very strange-- it usually looks black, but sometimes depending on the light, it can take on a brown or purple-ish hue.  Which is not a bad thing in my book!  This skirt was part of my first online order ever, from Charlotte Russe last Black Friday.  It's super short, so I only wear it with tights or leggings, but the shimmery lace overlay is gorgeous!  One thing I really don't like about it though is that the lace part rides up leaving the lining showing almost all the time.  I tried to safety pin the two layers together once, but it was warping the lace.  I think I'll stitch it down in the future or get a tailor to do it.  The bow belt I'm wearing is silver, and I found that overall metallics go with everything.  Or maybe I'm just really into shiny things.