OOTD: Catching up with friends

Hey Everyone,

So last night I met up with a couple of my friends from my MA year in Toronto. I hadn't seen them in ages and ages and a catch-up session was definitely in order. I finally got to see my friend's place (she's been living there since April, I think), and things have just been so busy with school lately that I hadn't gotten a chance. We sat at her place and had a few glasses of cheap jug o'white wine and played scrabble. Pretty awesome! They're doing pretty well and it was really nice to hang out. I made some great friends during my MA year and I am really sad that we don't stay in touch more. I know that life can get in the way sometimes (my exams + whatever everyone else is up to + we're all spread out in different cities now) but I really feel like it's important to make an effort to stay in touch with friends. I always force myself to make time, and I am always glad I do. What about you guys? Do you find it hard to fit socializing into busy work/school schedules? Do you have friends that you wish it was easier to stay in touch with? I think PhD work is necessarily isolating (you stay at home or in your office at school all day, working by yourself), which is why I find it especially important in my case to make time for friends. Some professors I have met in my time as a student have clearly been isolated from society for too long, lol! Some of you know what I'm talking about... 0_o
In any case, I had a great time.

But what's with this weather? Yuck! It's so hot here! I can't deal. I looked cute at the beginning of the night (at least I think so...), but I was a total sweaty Betty by the end of the night! It's probably my own fault for wearing jeans. What was I thinking? I just love jeans so much! It's hard to wait until more appropriate weather to wear them. What do you guys think of this outfit? Am I totally nuts for wearing jeans? Do you wear jeans in the summer?

Top - ASOS (from their straight size line)/Jeans - Swapped at Big, Fat Toronto, Shoes - Target/Clutch , Scarf, and Blue Bangle - Thrifted/Other Bangles - Forever 21/Necklace - Ardene

PS - I am growing my eyebrows in a bit thicker. Can you tell? What do you think? It's killing me not to tweeze them! Also - the 6 take scheduled for the end of the month is going to be epic. I've started taking shots for it, and they're turning out pretty awesome. I'm excited for it. I almost want to post the pictures now!

OOTD: Outfit for a Meeting

Hey Everyone,

Yesterday, I had a meeting on-campus that I had to go to, so I used it as an excuse to wear something post-worthy! It was a pretty straight-forward meeting... Every year, there's a new graduate chair assigned for the department, and all the PhD students are called in as a group to meet with them and address any concerns. Nothing major... It was a good opportunity to get together with a bunch of my PhD friends though!

During your first year in the program, you complete your course work and meet other 1st year PhD students in the department. In your second year, you start reading for your comprehensive exams and work independently. You often end up teaching on a team with other PhD students, though, so you get to interact with them that way. By third year, you are working on your dissertation and teaching independently, so you are fairly isolated... It was nice to get back together with them, and we ended up at the grad pub for a few beers after the meeting. I had lots of fun!

Dress and Purse - Thrifted/Beaded Bracelet - Dollarama/Other Bracelets and Flower Headband- Forever 21/Necklace - Charming Charlie/Earrings - Pixics

A Fantastic Weekend!

Hey Everyone!

I had a really fantastic weekend, what about you? It is SO hot and humid in Toronto right now. Peter snapped these pictures so quickly because it was sweltering outside and we wanted to get back into the air conditioning! My family took me out for brunch to celebrate me passing my PhD field exams and brought me a big bouquet of flowers! My niece even painted me a beautiful ceramic wall hanging that says "Dreams." So sweet! It was just the ladies at brunch, so we got a chance to catch up. It was awesome. We started out on the patio at about 10, but it got so hot so quickly that we had to move inside.

I think it's finally hitting me that all I have left to do before I graduate is write my dissertation. I am so excited to get down to work on it! I finally get to write solely about what interests me. I am also looking forward to finishing and defending my thesis so that I can finally get full-time work, get married and (eventually) start a family... Not to mention all the fantastic clothes that I will be able to afford once I'm working full-time.

I saw these murals in Etobicoke (one part of Toronto) that I really loved, and I wanted to make sure I took some pictures in front of them at some point. Peter and I decided to go down this weekend to take them. Is there anything like this in your city?

Skirt - Giant Tiger/Top - Redress NYC via Forever 21/Shoes - Target/Earrings and Mirror Necklace - Forever 21/Bangle and other necklaces- Thrifted/Ring - Ardene

Pink and Lady-Like

Pink and Lady-Like by Karen Ward featuring a lace necklace

Dorothy Perkins coral dress
£25 - dorothyperkins.com

Miss KG stiletto high heels
$71 - asos.com

Hobo handbag
asos.com

Pieces bangle bracelet
$28 - asos.com

ASOS stud earrings
$17 - asos.com

ASOS lace necklace
asos.com

I PASSED!!! Yay!!!

Hey Everyone,

I am totally elated today because I passed my oral exam, and with flying colours too! I am so excited. So now I just have to write my dissertation and I will be finished my PhD! I am so relieved that I passed. I can't imagine spending another six months preparing to sit it again. Torture. But I passed and I feel great today, like a huge weight has been lifted.

I thought I would put up another outfit for you guys to see. This one's nothing fancy. I think I just wore it out to run errands (groceries, etc.). Being a PhD student (and living in an suburban area without a car at the moment), I don't get out of the house much since I'm in studying all the time. So whenever I get a chance to get out (even if it's just groceries or the library or something) I try to put on something nice (otherwise I'd have nothing to post here!). This outfit would be good for the weekend if you're visiting friends or for casual Friday at work. Sometimes I'm sad that I don't have a traditional office type job because if I want to stay in my pajamas all day at home, I can, and sometimes, I will, lol. It would be nice to have the opportunity to get dressed up for work, but I guess I do that when I'm teaching... We get one term off per year from teaching, and this is that term for me, so I guess I'm spending more time in my comfies than I would probably like, but that will change in the Fall. Speaking of Fall - I've picked up so many killer items from my thrifting adventures for Fall that I can't wear yet that I'm sort of (dare I say it) looking forward to it. I think only someone who loves fashion yearns for the Fall. Everyone else probably thinks I'm crazy! But I picked up an amazing red leather/suede-y jacket. It's awesome and I can't wait to show you.

Anyways, here's some pictures of my errands outfit:

Top - Nine West Brand from The Bay/Camisole - Ricki's/Skirt - Giant Tiger/Shoes - Redress NYC (originally from Target)/Purse - Thrifted/Bracelets - Forever 21/Necklace - Gifted by Charming Charlie/Earrings - Gifted by Pixics

The Back-Up Outfit...

Hey Everyone,

I've been crazy busy as of late since I have an oral exam for my PhD coming up on Wednesday. Basically I already wrote and passed the written component of the exam, and now I have to defend my answers to a panel of experts in my field. Anxiety inducing, much? I only found out about the date of the exam on Thursday, so having less than a week to prepare has made things pretty hectic this past week. I have been studying non-stop. So tired. That being said, I must confess that this is a back-up outfit. If you're also a blogger, you probably know what I'm talking about. It's photos of an outfit that you keep for occasions like this, when you don't really have time to put together a nice look and photograph it... I usually have a couple of these in my back pocket in case things get unpredictably busy - like now. That being said, I cannot, for the life of me, remember where I wore this outfit. I think it might have been to the library or to a cafe to study (I know, I am a big nerd for getting dressed up for the library - and for always being studying...). At least wearing something nice makes me feel better about spending my weekends at the library, lol. Anyways, here's a few pictures I've been saving for a while...

Dress - Target/Cardigan - Swapped at Big, Fat Toronto/Tights and Necklace - Forever 21/Purse and Earrings - Thrifted/Shoes - Redress NYC by way of Target/Sunglasses - Gifted from Kmart

OOTD: Come Fly With Me... Let's Fly, Let's Fly Away...

Hey Guys,

I thought I'd post a new OOTD post since I went to an art show on Wednesday night in Toronto and I thought I would dress nicely and take a few photos. When I was putting this outfit together I started with the dress (I always start with one piece that I want to wear and build my outfit from there, adding and subtracting pieces as I go - how do you guys do it?) and wanted to do a sort of nautical theme inspired outfit since the dress lends itself to that with the combination of navy blue and white piping around the sleeves and neckline. The outfit quickly morphed itself into something I hadn't expected as I began to add the pieces I wanted to wear. I just picked up the scarf at a favourite thrift store, so I started by adding that. I wanted to put some gold in because there's always gold involved in nautical theme stuff, so I put on the earrings. Then I wanted to add a red purse because that's also a colour frequently used in nautical imagery, so I tried that, but for some reason, it just wasn't working well with the other pieces. When I looked in the mirror, I realized that the scarf and the earrings were sort of making it look more like a 1950s-60s stewardess/flight attendant inspired outfit, and honestly, at that point we were running late, and so I just decided to run with it! I think it may have been some sort of subconscious manifestation of excitement for the new ABC series starting in the Fall called Pan-Am. Have you guys seen the preview for it? I will be watching, if only for the fashion. I loved the film Catch Me If You Can, and I think I'll also love this. Here's a link to the preview if you haven't seen it yet. I picked out a purse I also got on a recent thrifting outing that looks sort of like vintage luggage/a hat box, and a pair of aviator sunglasses that were a gift from Kmart, and I ended up with a bit of a happy accident of an outfit. What do you guys think? Has this ever happened to you before?

Like I said, I decided to just GO WITH IT... And I embraced it fully, as you can see... "The emergency exits are located at the front, middle and rear of the plane on both sides." 

Here are some more pictures of the outfit and the pieces:

Dress - Forever 21+ (US)/Shoes - Redress NYC (originally from Target)/Belt -  Taken off a blouse from Dots/Purse, Scarf, and Earrings - Thrifted/ Sunglasses - Gifted from Kmart

When we got to the art show opening, which was being held at the Steam Whistle Brewery (and the display will be in their gallery for the entire month of July), there was a huge tent outside for a show called "The Railway Children." All around the tent were antique Canadian trains on loan from the Canadian National Railway museum, displayed to promote the play as well as interest in the history of the CNR. The oldest train on display, named Vicky, is a steam engine from the late 1800s and is actually used in the play (it goes through the tent during the play). If that's not enough to get people interested in theatre, I don't know what will. I really want to see this play now! There were CN operators on site to answer any logistical or historical questions for people as well. It was a really interesting display, and of course I couldn't resist taking some pictures with the trains for the blog... LOL. People must have thought that we were cheesy tourists or something. Oh well!

I made these photos look kind of vintage-y. What do you guys think? Do you like it?

Product Review: Butterfly Collection

Hey All!

Recently, I was contacted by the fabulous Claire of Butterfly Collection Lingerie to see if I would be willing to review her online store and one of her bras. Of course I said yes!

Butterfly Collection is an online shop based out of Vancouver, BC (you know I love Canadian businesses!). They ship free to anywhere in Canada and for a $12 flat rate to the US. Customers in other countries around the world can have their products shipped for $20.

It is Claire's mission to provide supportive and well-fitting bras to larger-busted women. When we were chatting over email she was amazingly helpful and knowledgeable and provided me with a wealth of information on bra fit. She even explained some of the terminology to me (did you know that the middle part of the bra that holds the cups together is called a gore? I didn't!). Apparently if your girls are heavy, then a small gore will make a bra very uncomfortable for you...

I was a bit sceptical about doing a fitting over the internet, without trying the bra on, but again, Claire was very helpful and guided me through the fitting process at home. I just sent her my measurements and she was able to fit me perfectly. Her website even offers a Bra School so you can equip yourself with knowledge before you make your purchase.

One of the main reasons Claire started Butterfly Collection was because of how uncomfortable it can be for full busted women to shop in traditional lingerie stores. It can be embarrassing or awkward to ask a sales associate for a size that you're not even sure the store carries. We've all been there! I won't even step foot in a Victoria's Secret because I feel like everyone is looking at me funny. Butterfly Collection offers the comfort of shopping at home combined with the knowledge of an industry professional (who makes you feel amazingly at ease) and a wide selection of merchandise for you to choose from (wired, unwired, sports bras, nursing bras, and even matching panties for some bras!). Butterfly Collection carries bras from a DD cup to a G cup, and you can special order up to a J cup.

Claire sent me the Grenier Xtreme Comfort Bra, and boy, does it live up to its name! It is SO comfortable. It is made of unbleached organic cotton and lycra. The straps are padded so that you don't get shoulder dents and so that the bra is more comfortable. See?

There is also a clip in the back so that the bra can convert into a racer-back for sleeveless tops.

All in all, this is a great everyday wear bra (especially if it's going to be a long day!). I would also recommend this bra if you do a lot of travelling. It seems like it would hold up well under travelling conditions and it would be very comfortable for long treks schlepping your luggage around with you. I usually wear a sports bra while travelling, but this one is so comfortable that I would definitely wear it instead. This also means that you can look better when you travel. I normally just have on a t shirt or a hoodie, but since I wouldn't have to wear a terrible sports bra anymore, I could wear something that would make me feel like I'm travelling in style! 

Many thanks to Claire from Butterfly Collection who gifted this bra for me to review. Check out her website here.

Six Take: Celebrity Style - Kate Middleton

Hey Everyone,

So remember a month ago I did a three-take on what I would wear to a wedding with Rikke from Sticky, Sweet Danish and Jessica from tooMANYsequins? Well we've added my room-mates from NYC as well! Welcome to Jessica from Chic in Every City, Yoli from Diva in Deep Thought, and Sarah from Queen Sized Flava made in Montreal! They will be joining us for these monthly features from now on.

This month we've decided to interpret our favourite celebrity's style for ourselves. I would say in terms of style, my favourite celebrity is Zoe Deschanel. She has a very pretty, feminine, and unique style, but my style is already so similar to hers and I wanted to try something different! Since Kate Middleton and Prince William are visit Canada at the moment (and everyone seems to have royal fever) I thought I would play along and use Kate as my style inspiration for this blog post. She's very feminine, proper, and conservative, she loves navy blue and has worn the military jacket look before, so I thought that's the way I would go with it.

I found an amazing vintage hat at Public Butter for $12 and I thought it would work perfectly for this post. What do you think? Did I capture the essence of Princess Kate's style? Make sure you visit the other beautiful bloggers' sites!

Suit - Thrifted (Vintage Christian Dior, damn they don't make 'em like this anymore.... $10!)/Hat - Vintage from Public Butter/Shoes - Costa Blanca/Clutch - Express

Happy (Belated) Canada Day!!! And Early 4th of July!

Hey Everyone,

Since yesterday was Canada Day, I wanted to wear red and white to show my pride! I went to visit some friends in Waterloo and we watched a fireworks display. It was awesome! What did you guys do?

This outfit could probably also work for the fourth of July for any Americans reading my blog, since the denim shorts are blue...

I wanted to keep it simple and comfortable since I was spending a lot of the day outside. I think I got a bit too much sun though. Ouch! I forgot to bring sunscreen with me. Oops! I look a little lobster-y today, lol. I can NOT tan. I either look like Snow White or Sebastian from The Little Mermaid, LOL.

Top - Re/Dress NYC (tag says Necessary Objects)/Shorts - Dots/Purse - thrifted  (tag says Banana Republic)/Shoes - Target/Sunglasses - ASOS 

So what did you guys do for Canada Day? Anything good? What'd you wear?