What I Wore: Saturday Night Fever

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When I first saw this J.Crew tuxedo blazer, I knew I had to have it. So after months of stalking it like an obsessed puma, it finally went on sale and of course, I snapped it up. But then, it just ended up languishing in my closet for weeks and weeks without seeing the light of day. The truth is, as lovely as this jacket is, I found it very hard to style without looking like a Saturday Night Fever extra, or a waitress at a golf club. Until…life made me wear it. True story.

As some of you might already know from my frustrated tweets, I’m in the process of house-hunting, and am currently living out of a couple of suitcases, which, as you can imagine, makes getting dressed a challenge. Well, this week, I finally ran out of clean work clothes, and had to make do with what was left – the clothes in this post. And you know what? I actually loved the 70s vibe of this blazer, and the crisp feel of monochromatic black and white. I also may or may not have done the John Travolta SNF routine to the Bee Gees that day.

Moral of the story…don’t be afraid to mix it up. If you fell in love with a piece, try wearing it in a few different ways until it feels right…or you run out of clean clothes…whichever comes first.

Happy Friday!

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What I Wore: Paisley and Fish Scales

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Shooting outfit posts in the winter sucks. There, I said it. Half the time, I am bundled up to my chin in a blanket-like Canada Goose jacket and a pair of comfy boots, while the other half, you can find me in my PJs. Not very blog-post-worthy. So this outfit is from October, when the weather was still leather-jacket-perfect and going tights-less didn’t feel like an act of rebellion and/or insanity. Sorry for recycling, but fresh outfit posts are coming SOON! I promise.

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What I Wore: Dream Wardrobe

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How awesome is this illustration of me rocking my dream Spring 2013 pieces like the now-infamous checkered Louis Vuitton dress and these hot-to-trot Alexander Wang sandals?! Pretty amazing, non? Well, this is all thanks to my friend Marcus, who introduced me to artist Kathryn Wilkins and her lovely blog LOOKBOOKILLUST! Once I saw the multitude of gorgeous illustrations and the attention to detail that Kathryn puts into her pieces, I knew I had to commission her!

This isn’t the first piece that Kathryn did of me, but it’s the one I asked her to do for my blog’s new header. If you’ve been reading for a while, you know that I’m (very) slowly changing up the look of the site, and this adorable addition is just what Style Blog’s been missing. While deciding on what to “wear” for this illustration, I decided to go with aspirational dressing, rather than my good-old real clothes. Just because I can’t afford the entire Louis Vuitton Spring 2013 collection doesn’t mean that cartoon Nelia can’t.

If you like this illustration and would like one of yourself, or your dog, or yourself and your boyfriend/friend/husband/mom/goldfish, Kathryn is still accepting commissions, so if I were you, I’d jump on that before some huge company scoops her (and her talents) up. She already got a fun gig working for Bourjois, so who knows what’s next for this amazing woman!

What do you think of cartoon Nelia? Do you like Kathryn’s work? Share in the comments!

One more illustration after the jump!

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What I Wore: eBay Style Stories

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Guess who’s featured on eBay Style Stories this week? Yup, you got it…ME! Clad in my fave animal sweater from H&M, I spill my beauty secrets, “the one that got away” stories, and share my #1 eBay search word. Each week, there’s a new Style Story to read, a new stylish person to get to know, and I am super excited to have been able to be a part of this awesome project.

So what are you waiting for? Go on and check out my feature HERE!

I Wore: Sweater – H&M; Skirt, Necklace – Zara; Boots – c/o Stuart Weitzman; Clutch – Prada; Watch – c/o Marc Coblen

Photo Credits: eBay (Lu Luo)

Prada Spring 2013 Ad Campaign

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Can I tell you how much I love these Prada Spring 2013 ad campaign images?! Considering how awful those geisha flip flops are, I am rather surprised that I am so into this campaign. And though these photos certainly haven’t changed my mind about those nightmarish shoes, I am still head over heels about the styling of this campaign, the models, the eyewear, and those quirky floral pieces. If I was a rich girl…I’d have a wardrobe full of Prada, because season after season, I fall in love all over again. How does Miuccia do it?!

What do you think of this ad campaign? Share in the comments!

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Shopping: Black Friday and Cyber Monday Wishlist

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Sponsored Post

While Canadians tend to save the majority of their holiday shopping for Boxing Day, our US neighbours get to go all out on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. And as someone who’s lived in the US, I can attest to how tempting some of those deals can be. But what usually stops me from doing some major damage and taking advantage of every awesome sale out there (apart from the budget, of course) are those pesky duties, and shipping and handling charges.

Well, if there’s something on your list that you simply MUST have this season, you MUST check out MasterCard Canada’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals that will be in effect until December 10th! With great offers like Free Express Shipping, Discounts, and DUTY FREE SHIPPING from some of my fave US retailers like Barneys New York, Bloomingdales, Gilt, Saks Fifth Avenue, and more, shopping those Cyber Monday deals has never been easier…and cheaper.

Right now, my wishlist is pretty short, and I am still trying to decide between finally getting my hands on a Miss Lanvin doll, Barneys x DVF vinylmation figure, or that gorgeous printed Prada clutch. A Christmas prezzie from me to myself. Don’t forget to treat yourself too! Happy Shopping!

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Wishlist after the jump!

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What I Wore: Blue

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I’ve been saving this brocade peplum suit from H&M for a special occasion, and last week’s Day 1 of Toronto Fashion Week was just special enough for me to bust out my blue suede suit. I get that it’s H&M, and for some of you, probably not all that special, but if you’ve been reading this site long enough, you know that for me, it’s not always about the labels. Yes, I love my Chanel and Prada…but I’m also majorly addicted to H&M. So in my eyes, this suit is without a doubt something special.

I also wore my latest necklace from LOFT…which opens this month to Yorkdale Shopping Centre, and I couldn’t be more excited! One more option for awesome office separates, beautiful jewelry, and shoes? Yes, please!

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What I Wore: Streetstyling

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Fashion week is over, and after days of running around, not having time to eat or sleep in order to take in as much fashion as I possibly could, I can now relax and look back at all the fun I had. One of my fondest memories of last week was meeting Maxim Kopanygin, Flare Magazine’s street style photographer extraordinaire and as it turned out, a friend’s brother. Small world!

Even after hours in the rainy cold, outside of the tents, Max had the most positive energy…and his photos are amazing too! Pretty sure he has a huge future in fashion ahead of him.

Speaking of the photos, both of these outfits feature pieces I picked up during my last visit to Vaughan Mills mall - the gorgeous Maryam Keyhani necklace and green Prada clutch from Holts Last Call. Both purchased on major sale, and both special pieces I will treasure for years to come, and  which made my fashion week dressing that much easier! Now that’s what I call a good buy.

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I Wore: 1st Outfit: Leather Jacket, Necklace – Zara; Sweater – Winners; Skirt – H&M; Clutch – Prada (Holts Last Call); Sunglasses – Elizabeth and James

2nd Outfit: Trench – Burberry; Shirt, Pants – Joe Fresh; Necklace – Maryam Keyhani (Holts Last Call); Shoes – Zara; Bag – Flare x Aldo Shoes

Photo Credits: Maxim Kopanygin

Giveaway: Bloggers Love To Shop!!!

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Last Saturday, Kim, Anita, Gracie, Hawley and I jumped into our comfy Ford Escape and set out on a mini road trip to Vaughan Mills Mall armed with gift cards and the mall’s new social shopping app to do some pre Toronto Fashion Week shopping. Our mission – find a perfect fashion week outfit. Dying to check out Holts Last Call and J.Crew outlets, we entered the mall pretty much running, grabbed some Starbucks for energy, and hit the floor!

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Three hours later and still at Holts Last Call, looking through rows of Tom Ford, Alexander Wang, LINE Knitwear, Prada, and so much more, the girls and I finally made our first purchases. Anita – a gorgeous Jil Sander blazer for $240 (originally $3000!), Gracie – the sexiest pair of Tom Ford heels I’ve ever seen, Kim – a skin-tight A.L.C. leather dress pretty much made for her, Hawley – a Philip Lim sweater, and a cool burgundy hat, and last but not least, I picked up a green fish scale Prada clutch, and a stunning Maryam Keyhani necklace…each for a fraction of an original price. SCORE!

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Using the mobile shopping app on our phones, we were able to find our next stops in no time – J.Crew outlet and Joe Fresh store, where we did some more damage. Lucky for us, the app advised us of the extra 20% off at J.Crew, which we made sure to take advantage of!

When it was time to leave, we stuffed our numerous bags into our Ford Escape, typed in our next destination’s address into the GPS, and set off for Toronto, happy to know that each one of us found some amazing deals, and that come fashion week, we won’t be standing in front of our respective closets having nothing to wear!

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Giveaway details after the jump!

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Friday Faux Pas: Prada Spring 2013 Sock Shoes

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As a huge fan of Miuccia Prada’s work and an obsessed Prada-lover, I really wanted to like these Spring 2013 Prada “Sock Shoes”, but they are just too awful to even begin to try. Unflattering, uncomfortable (looking), and just plain hideous…these so-called shoes are a huge departure from Miuccia’s usual blend of chic and quirky. As much as I loved her “car shoes”, her “rose heel shoes”, the “Chiquita Banana” collection,  along with pretty much everything else…I just can’t with these fugly silver/gold monstrosities.

What do you think of these Spring 2013 Prada Sock Shoes? Can they be saved with a couple of tweaks? Will you buy a pair when they inevitably get majorly discounted and pop-up at your neighborhood Winners/Marshalls? Are these so bad that they somehow become good? Am I super wrong to hate these? Share your opinions below. Would love to hear what you think.

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