Six Take: A Tale of Six Cities (Toronto)

Hey everyone!

Sorry it's been so long since my last post! I've been working on this epic six-take featuring city-inspired style. Since I am from Toronto, and it's such a diverse city (both in population and in terms of its architecture and things to do, I couldn't just take pictures of one place and outfit, so I took inspiration from a number of different locations across Toronto. I've been putting together the outfits and shooting them for over a week! I hope you like it!

Toronto is situated on Lake Ontario, one of the 5 great lakes. The lake is a big part of Toronto culture and recreation, with residents and visitors flocking towards it on hot days. There are loads of beautiful yachts docked along the shore, as boating is a favourite pass-time of Torontonians. I interpreted Toronto's love of the lake with this nautical look.

Hat, Purse, Earrings, Necklace, and some of the Bracelets - Thrifted/Shoes - Penneys (Ireland)/Skirt and Camisole- Ricki's/Tunic - Forever 21+

Another really amazing part of the city is Kensington Market. It's crazy colourful community with lots to see and do. Since it is a market community, there are loads of vendors selling everything from fresh fruit to linens, meat and fish, chocolate, baked goods, and clothing. It is a very socially conscious neighbourhood, so you find a lot of vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian, organic, and fair trade options there. There is a street in the community that consists mostly of eco-friendly fashions (more organic and fair trade, and of course, vintage), and I absolutely love getting lost in it on a Sunday afternoon. I interpreted this neighbourhood in my outfit as sort of nouveau-hippie/bohemian chic. 

This car is a project called the "Community Car Reclamation Project." It's an old car that has been totally gutted and has been reclaimed as a street garden. It's permanently "parked" in a municipal parking spot, but the city would never dare to try to remove it because of its significance to the community (not to mention the logistical difficulties of such an undertaking).

Earrings, Purse, and Skirt - Thrifted/Necklace - Dollarama/Top - Dots/Scarf - Costa Blanca/Shoes - Target/Sunglasses - gifted from Kmart/Hat - Domino Dollhouse

Another important part of Toronto that I wanted to highlight (probably because I am there so much) is the University of Toronto. It's my Alma Mater, so I couldn't resist! Many of the buildings on campus have been around since the 1800s, and it's one of the best preserved parts of early Toronto as there were a couple of massive fires around the turn of the century here. It's a beautiful place for a walk, especially on a hot day, since there are loads of shady trees to sit under. These pictures were taken in front of Hart House, which functions sort of like a student centre for U of T students. I interpreted U of T style as sort of preppy - the summer scholar...

Jacket - Thrifted/Shoes - Dorothy Perkins/Purse - a gift from my Dad (tag says Esprit)/Shorts - Dots/Camisole - Forever 21+/Bracelet - Dollarama/Necklace - Gifted from Charming Charlie

St. Lawrence Market is another really fun part of Toronto. The building that houses the market used to be Toronto's city hall (way back when Toronto was still called York). It also functioned as a jail for much of the late 1800s. Today, it is where Torontonians go to get their produce at the Saturday farmer's market and all of their spices, seasonings, meat and fish during the week. On Sundays, it even hosts antique vendors. I interpreted this Toronto site by wearing a fruit themed outfit. I kind of feel like I'm channelling Carmen Miranda a bit here!

Scarf and Clutch - Thrifted/Shorts - Dots/Top - Forever 21/Shoes - Target/Sunglasses - ASOS/Earrings - Etsy store called Bonjour Button

And the last area of Toronto of which I did a style interpretation is the Distillery District. The buildings in this district are some of the best-preserved examples of Victorian-era industrial architecture in the world, and as a result, have been the backdrop for quite a few films set in this era, including Cinderella Man and Chicago. The plant in this area was owned by William Gooderham and James Worts and produced rye-whiskey. In the 1920s, after the decline of the (short lived here in Canada) prohibition, the company was purchased by Harry C. Hatch and was renamed Hiram Walker (who still make Canadian Club). The rye-whiskey was produced at this site until 1990, after which it was converted into "the distillery district" which is now home to loads of trendy restaurants and boutiques, a excellent theatre, and functions as the backdrop to many important art exhibits (including Nuit Blanche). I interpreted this area of Toronto into my style by trying to emulate the style of the roaring twenties, just after the distillery was purchased by Harry Hatch and prohibition had ended.

Dress - Penningtons - Shoes - Redress NYC via Target/Purse - Gifted from Jessica at Chic in Every City (she's awesome) by Simply Be/Hat - Thrifted/Necklace - Garage Sale

So, lovelies, what do you think of my city and my style?

Make sure to visit all the other wonderful bloggers participating in this take of six cities!

Jessica - Too Many Sequins - Australia

Sarah - Queen Sized Flava - Montreal, Canada

Rikke - Sticky Sweet Danish - Copenhagen, Denmark

Yoli - Diva in Deep Thought - Baltimore, USA

Jessica - Chic in Every City - Philadelphia, USA

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

OOTD 3 Take - What I Would Wear to a Wedding

Hey Guys!

I've gotten together with the lovely ladies Rikke from Sticky Sweet Danish and Jessica from Too Many Sequins to do a 3 take on what we would all wear to weddings! This is what I chose. I decided to do three different outfits, since fashions for weddings can vary immensely, some being highly formal, black tie, affairs, and others being more casual. What you wear should depend on how formal the wedding will be. If the invitation suggests black tie or insists that jacket and tie are worn, you can be fairly sure that that's a very formal wedding, whereas if you're going to an outdoor wedding, you can probably assume the dress will be a little bit more casual. Either way, you'll want to look beautiful and I hope that some of these outfits will inspire you as wedding season begins and you go out to shop for your own dresses!

Outfit 1 - Casual

Dress - Ricki's/Shoes - Winners/Jewellery and Purse - Ardene

Outfit 2 - In-between (this type of outfit is a good idea if you're not sure whether it's a more formal or casual affair)

Dress - Marshalls (US)/Bolero - Forever 21+/Clutch - Express (US)/Jewellery - Ardene/Shoes - Penney's (Ireland)

Outfit 3 - Formal/Black Tie

Dress - ASOS Curve/Earrings - Panache/Shoes - Spring/Clutch - Express

My Hair

I put a bump-it in my hair to make it sort of big on top, wore it half-up, half-down, and put a  gold headband on to emphasize the height that the bump-it gave my hair. What do you think?

So what do you guys think? Which one is your favourite? Make sure you visit both Rikke's and Jessica's blogs to see what they would wear too!

Canadian Plus Size Outfits - Some pictures I took awhile back but didn't post

Hat - BeauChapeau Hat Shop/Jacket - H&M/White Camisole - Forever 21 +/Skirt - Ricki's/Shoes - Payless/Wristlet - Coach (a gift from my friend Suzana)

 

 

 

Dress - Walmart (725 Originals Plus)/Pashmina - a gift from my sister/Shoes - Old Navy

Cardigan - The Gap/Dress - Forever 21/Belt - Voluptuous Clothing/Bag - Value Village/Shoes - American Eagle by Payless

I guess I didn't post these here because they weren't my favourites, but they were on the Facebook page (if you haven't "like"d us yet then please click here and do) and a few people have commented on them saying they liked them, so I thought I might as well. Enjoy!

Another New Outfit

This is another new outfit I wore this week to teach. It's a bit more casual than some of the other ones I've put up here, so I was sort of reluctant to put this one up, but what do you all think? Would you like me to continue posting outfits like these, or do you prefer my more fancy/unique outfits? I really like to have your feedback, so please leave me comments! I love to hear from you all so much!

Cardigan - Ricki's/Top and Jeans - Forever 21 +/Shoes - CBX (Costa Blanca Accessories)/Briefcase - Thrifted (Value Village)

Hope you liked this outfit! Check back very soon for a feature on an awesome Canadian plus size clothing store, including an interview with its owner and photos! I'm not telling which store it is, though! You'll have to check back for that!!!

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