#ThisIsParadise

What is your paradise? I'll be visiting Turks and Caicos next month, which has been deemed paradise on earth, and I'm sure it will be. However, my ideal version of paradise is to simply be able to eat as much sushi, drink as much bubble tea and sleep as much as I want, whenever I want, without worrying that I'd turn into Snorlax. 

I stumbled upon this work of art while searching for booties down Queen St. Trying to find an exact dupe for Acne Studios' Jensen Boots is proving itself more difficult than I had imagined. Breaking in these Jeffrey Campbell flats is also taking longer than I would like. The back of my ankles are taking a beating, but other than that they're super comfortable. Speaking of super comfortable, I have these Babaton Cohen pants in 3 colours, and would invest in 5 more if I could.

Forever 21 Denim Jacket // Topshop Cropped Round Neck Tee // Aritzia Babaton Cohen Pant // Jeffrey Campbell Vionnet Flats // Chloe Medium Drew

#BeanieLyfe

October is when my beanies come out to play and don't crawl back into the closet until mid-April. They're cute, keep my tiny ears warm, and I don't have to worry about what my hair looks like. I bought this plush coat last year on sale and have been waiting for the perfect weather to wear it. It's as soft on the inside as it is on the outside, and you'll see me constantly petting it as if it were my own alpaca.

This outfit entails all your fall essentials: 1) Beanie, 2) Oversized coat, 3) Boyfriend Cut-offs, and 4) Black booties. I'll be doing a review on the Chloe 'Drew' in a separate blog post, but as a teaser, I friggin' love it.

Aritzia Wilfred Laboratoire Coat // Aritzia Wilfred Free Divina T-Shirt // A&F High-Rise Girlfriend Jeans // Browns Wishbone Settignano Booties // Chloe Medium Drew // Urban Outfitters BDG Ribbed Beanie

#YellowFever

I love Ikea. Mainly for their Swedish meatballs, but also because I always walk out inspired, and wonder why I don't do interior designing professionally. The same thought always occurs to me when I'm in there -- If I was a hobo, squatting at Ikea would be a dream. I have multiple spaces and washrooms to choose from, and in order to avoid getting caught, I'd probably hide in one of the wardrobes or underneath the beds. Food for thought.

Onto the actual outfit -- This top from Topshop caught my eye 2 months ago, but I wasn't inclined to buy it at the time. Seeing it again recently and still loving it, justified the purchase and definitely have no ragrets! Anything that requires no pants, has pockets, and is as easy breezy as this is, I'm all in. #TeamNoPants

Topshop Cotton Oversized Shirt (Similar) // Aritzia Wilfred Mixed Stripes Blanket (Birch/Taupe) // Browns Wishbone Settignano Booties 

#PoshSpice

For some odd reason, the Gooderham building in St. Lawrence reminds me of that scene in Harry Potter when the Knight Bus goes between two London buses, brick by brick. Does anyone else have a go-to British accent when they read the HP series? Well mine comes out whenever I'm in this draped trench, and also whenever I'm feeling a bit posh. 

Forever 21 Draped Trench Coat (Similar here and here) // Aritzia Wilfred Durandal Sweater // Zara Zipped Moto Jeans // Nike Juvenate // Quay Cha Cha Sunglasses

#DontCallItFrisco

This was my second visit to the golden city aka. baghdad by the bay aka. fog city aka. paris of the west aka. san fran aka. city by the bay aka. whatever you want to call it. I was plagued with the stomach flu the first time, so I didn't experience much of SF other than from inside my hotel room. I went for Dreamforce, but stayed the weekend for some R&R with my colleagues.

We decided to visit beautiful Sausalito, which I've decided is where I'm going to retire in 40 years. I hadn't ridden a bicycle in more than 10 years until this past weekend, but with views like this I'd do it everyday! It's no wonder even 70-year-old grandmas are ripped there. It was nice to get out of downtown SF and to not smell pee at every corner. Everything from the weather, view, people, and the food was breathtaking.

Let's not forget the painted ladies!

Zara Cropped Sweater // Urban Outfitters BDG 4-Pocket Pin-Up Shorts // Forever 21 Marled Jacket (Old) // Nike Juvenate // Aldo Bynam Aviators

The best cupcake ice cream and prettiest wall in Santana Row.

Aritzia Wilfred Free Lillian Dress // Forever 21 Marled Jacket (Old) // Browns Wishbone Settignano Booties

Wish we had brick walls like this in our backyard in Toronto...

Aritzia Wilfred Beaudry Blouse // Aritzia Mackage Kenya Jacket // Topshop Jamie High-Rise Ripped Jeans // Browns Wishbone Settignano Booties

Karl came out to play that day, so sweater weather it was.

Aritzia Babaton Avery Sweater // Zara Skater Skirt // Topshop Super-Soft Pinstripe Scarf // Browns Wishbone Settignano Booties

#MidnightinPari--Mississauga

All black errthang for ya. Lesson learned: Never shoot black on black with a Note 4 camera. The photos come out super saturated and over exposed, so it was difficult to edit. However, I'm kind of digging the artsy/indie vibe so let's go with it. San Francisco post coming soon :)

Aritzia Mackage Kenya Jacket // Aritzia Babaton Templeton Dress (Similar) // Browns Wishbone Settignano Booties // Topshop Super-Soft Pinstripe Scarf

#CleanSlate

Boxy, light wash denim jacket [✓]; Pink tips [✓]. All I'm missing is my Sony Walkman, scrunchy, mood ring and Baby Spice pigtails to complete the 90s mood. Cue Wanna Be by the Spice Girls ♫.

Forever 21 Denim Jacket // Aritzia Wilfred Free Sweater Dress (Old) // Browns Wishbone Settignano Booties / Quay Cha Cha Sunglasses

#CozyMonster

Cozy cardigans are my everything. It was really cold yesterday so I jumped on the opportunity to bring out this soft and cozy staple from Topshop. The oversized fit makes it 10x more comfortable and I will be living in this for the next 6 months.

Topshop Block Stripe Cardigan // Zara Top with Frilled Hem (Similar) // Aritzia Citizens of Humanity Rocket Indie // Browns Wishbone Settignano Booties

#2Kewl4Skewl

The moment I put on these shoes, I'm taken back to the first day of high school when all I wanted was to look effortlessly chic in my new wardrobe, but still remain comfortable. Having these pictures taken near an elementary school probably adds to that too.

I love how adding a hint of leather can edge up any simple outfit. I also love how I haven't washed these bad boys once, since I bought them 2 years ago. I particularly love the fact that it looks like I'm wearing no pants from the front and back. #teamnopants 

Aritzia Wilfred Palmier Sweater // Club Monaco Leather Shorts (Old) // Topshop Tiga Lizard Shoes

#BlushTones

Whenever I'm feeling indecisive about what to wear, I always end up opting for simple neutrals. This basic dress is a staple mostly because you can stuff your face without any worries, but also because it's very easy to dress up (slap on some accessories and heels) or dress down (who said you can't class up your PJs). Less is always more. 

Aritzia Babaton Templeton Dress // Banana Republic Lace-Up Sandals // Forever 21 Necklace (Old)

#YinYang - A Special Collaboration with Shakura Galloway

I am finally able to share my collaboration with my friend and colleague, Shakura Galloway. This lookbook shoot marked a first of many: Our first shoot together, my first shoot period, and her first fashion shoot. I'd like to give kudos to anyone that films regular lookbooks, as it is NOT easy. The medley of good weather, a nice location, lack of crowds, change area, sufficient camera battery, and not to mention the avoidance of deodorant stains on your tops, is enough to make someone stray away from filming one lookbook, much less make it a weekly occurrence.

However, we both learned a great deal from this experience, and there is no one I would rather pop that lookbook cherry with, than with Shakura. She is incredibly talented, an inspiration, and her amazing work speaks for itself. GIRL, GET YOUR WEBSITE UP!

Below are some snapshots from our shoot, as well as some not so flattering GIFs to entertain you with. 

Now for some fun GIFs!

Forever 21 Cropped Turtleneck (Similar) // Aritzia Babaton Johan Skirt // Aritzia Mackage Kenya Leather Jacket // Forever 21 Peep-toe Booties (Similar)

Club Monaco Cropped Top (Old) // Aritzia Babaton Cohen Pant // Prada Wallet (Old) // Oak + Fort Flats (Old)

Forever 21 Semi-Sheer Oversized Shirt // Aritzia Babaton Antoine Shorts (Old) // Topshop Tiga Lizard Skater Shoes // Tory Burch Robinson Crossbody (Similar) 

Aritzia Babaton Carson Bustier // Aritzia Babaton Johan Skirt // Aldo Colyn Lace-up Flats // Prada Wallet (Old)

#ShagedelicBaby

Mustard will be doing some ketchup this coming Fall, as it quickly becomes a new favourite and this season's it colour. It's accented when coupled with dark denim, but when paired with this cozy striped skirt, I felt like I was channelling a more behaved, less hairy Austin Powers. 

Silence + Noise Cropped Sweater // Zara Jacquard Skirt // Zara Lace-Up Ballerinas // Aldo Bynam Aviators

#Back2Basics

I'm a basic b17ch. A simple white tee paired with denim shorts, and a denim jacket is my go to uniform. Comfort level = Super Saiyan.

Aritzia Wilfred Limoges T-Shirt // American Eagle Denim Cut-Offs (Old) // Forever 21 Denim Jacket // Jeffrey Campbell Vionnet Flats // Forever 21 Aviators (Old)

#Creamsicle

What do you call ladies that tan a lot? OranGINA. Hehe. Jokes aside, I love a pop of colour against a basic palette, and you can't go wrong with bright orange. It compliments any skin tone, and makes you appear more tanned. I'll take orange over pasty any day.

Zara Cropped Sweater // Aritzia Babaton Antoine Shorts // Vince Camuto Dally Flat Espadrille // Aldo Bynam Aviators