Yorkdale | Style Blog | Toronto Fashion and Lifestyle Blog

What I Wore: Lanvin for H&M

This is me, around 8:30 am on a Saturday (which is unheard of), happy as a hippo to have been able to snatch up the things I wanted from the Lanvin x H&M collection. Got the dresses I loved, the necklace, the totes, and a couple of other things. I was really, really lucky at the Yorkdale location - most things were gone in less than 30 minutes!

Shopping was done in an actual cage! Can you believe it? Cage shopping in 15 minutes: grab, pull, yank, grab, yell…No, it wasn’t too horrible. No one got slapped nor stabbed in Toronto, as opposed to the rumour that 3 people were hurt in a Lanvin dispute in New York. We were all pretty civilized, considering the circumstances. Sales associates were extremely attentive – helping find sizes, boxes, etc…all while being super pleasant…perhaps they felt bad for all the shopaholics in line.

As a reward for our patience, dresses were wrapped in beautiful garment bags, shoe bags were given for shoes, and credit cards were maxed out all around. Seeing my total on the cash register display made me feel slightly faint, but the 30 day return policy calmed my nerves (a bit).

The collab was a mad success, and some were even wondering whether Lanvin would do a second collab with the fast-fashion giant. Only time will tell. For now, I have to make sure that I coordinate my holiday outfits, as to avoid wearing the same things my friends are wearing. Lanvin or not, being dress-twins is so not cool.

PS. If you haven’t gotten a piece of Lanvin x H&M and are still holding out hope for a dress or two, items off the mannequins will be sold today. So make sure to stop by your nearest store.

I Wore: Cardigan – Billabong; Leggings – Target; Tank Top – Forever21; Boots – Zara; Bag – Prada; Belt – Moschino

8 Comments

Style Blog, November 22nd 2010 | Tags: Billabong, Events, Forever21, H&M, Lanvin, Moschino, Organic Style, Prada, Shopping, Target, Toronto, What I Wore, Yorkdale, Zara
Posted in Fashion, Organic Style, Shopping, What I Wore

Holidays 2010: Clinique Beauty Essentials

Tis the season to be jolly! But all the fa-la-la-la-la-ing aside, the partying, unhealthy eating, and not enough sleep that come along with the holidays, can wreak havoc on one’s skin. Which is why we asked a Clinique skincare specialist to give us her top three “holiday survival” must-haves.

1. Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief ($57.50) is perfect for any skin type. It’s an oil-free, multi purpose cream gel that quickly delivers long-lasting hydration. Moisture Surge provides immediate and long-term hydration boost, perfect for the cold winter weather (as well as post-champagne skin relief). It hydrates the skin correctly so make up goes on flawlessly.

2. 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula ($22) is a water-rinsable, manual exfoliator in a lightweight cream base. Suitable for any skin type. For dry to combination skin, it polishes and refines skin’s texture, allowing for make-up to wear better. For oily skin types, it refines texture, leaves skin clearer, dislodges impurities to help control breakouts, while allowing for smoother makeup application. This scrub brings out the radiance within, and who doesn’t want glowing, healthy-looking skin for the holidays?

3. Pretty Day Into Night Looks Makeup Set ($43) includes such necessities as eye and blush palette, High Impact mascara, Different Lipstick/Long Glosswear, Cream Shaper for eyes, as well as a full-sized tube of All About Eyes cream. Everything you need to look your best at the office and the office party is right there in the kit, all for a fraction of the price (value of $111).

And if that wasn’t enough, The Bay Yorkdale will hold its Showtime holiday gala on November 27th (12-9pm). Tickets are $10, with $8 that can be spent on any beauty product in the store, and $2 going towards the Look Good Feel Better foundation, which helps women whose appearance had been affected by cancer, learn how to look and feel a little more like themselves again.

Clinique will also offer a free 5 piece gift set with any purchase of $50 or more, and an additional silver tote bag with a purchase of $75 or more (perfect for stocking stuffers!). Couple that with food, drinks, and beauty tips, and you’ve got yourself a party to remember! See you there?

2 Comments

Style Blog, November 19th 2010 | Tags: Beauty, Clinique, Events, Gift Ideas, Gifts, Holidays, Holidays 2010, The Bay, Toronto, Yorkdale
Posted in Beauty, Events, Shopping

Don’t Miss – This Week in Toronto!

Looking to do a little shopping? There are a few awesome shopping events happening in the city this week! Don’t miss out!

1. BOGO Event at H&M

Buy One, Get One Free on select knitwear at H&M stores in Canada from October 28th, until November 10th! Perfect time to stock up on your fave sweaters, or even buy a few early Christmas presents.

2. RACHEL Rachel Roy at The Bay

The RACHEL Rachel Roy collection is the redefinition and exploration of cool. One foot uptown, one foot downtown with a dash of daring. RACHEL Rachel Roy captures the cultural and individual essences of an urban-inspired lifestyle.”

The collection, available at The Bay, is full of fun party dresses and cool separates for any stylish urbanite. And this week, until November 1st, get 30% off regular priced RACHEL Rachel Roy items.

3. Victoria’s Secret Opens at Toronto Eaton Centre

Tomorrow, October 28th, the Angels will be landing at Toronto Eaton Centre for the opening of the second Victoria’s Secret store in Toronto. Come by and get your picture taken with Alessandra Ambrosio and Lily Aldridge from 5-7pm. Get access to the faster VIP line with a $100 minimum Victoria’s Secret purchase. Plus, get a Free Limited Edition Tote—filled with beauty must-haves and The Lacie — with a minimum $75 purchase. While supplies last. One tote per transaction.

Judging by the way autograph signing went at Yorkdale in August, I would suggest to get there early to ensure you actually get to meet the models.

4. Reia Studio Sample Sale

Not exactly this week, but it’s always good to plan ahead. November 4-6, Reia Studio will be holding a sample sale featuring accessories, clothing, and shoes from brands such as Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Miu Miu, Givenchy, and many more.

Having never been to a Reia sample sale before, I am not exactly sure what to expect, but the promise of amazing brands at 70% off sounds pretty darn good to me.

Reia Studio is located at 555 Richmond St. West, suite 706, Toronto, ON.

1 Comment

Style Blog, October 27th 2010 | Tags: Alessandra Ambrosio, Events, Freebies, H&M, Lily Aldridge, Models, RACHEL Rachel Roy, Reia Studio, Sale, Shopping, Toronto, Toronto Eaton Centre, Victoria's Secret, Yorkdale
Posted in Events, Fashion, Freebies, Shopping

White Space Launch at The Bay Yorkdale

If you like The Room at the Queen St. Bay store, then you will love the brand new White Space at Yorkdale. As I’ve mentioned before, The Bay has been consistently improving and brightening up their stores, bringing in new and well-established brands, making the shopping experience so much better and so much more fun. At last week’s launch party, Al and I found out just how much fun shopping at White Space is.

The spacious and well-lit women’s contemporary department is filled with brands like Love Moschino, See by Chloé, killer shoes by Sam Edelman, party dresses by BCBG, pretty prints by ADAM, lovely separates by Sandro - that’s a whole lot of beautiful clothes! It’s so refreshing to see great brand name selection at a Canadian department store…perhaps in the near future it’ll become a regular occurrence? Fingers crossed.

After going around the room taking some photos, Al and I got to enjoy the most delicious Amarula Colada cocktails, a complimentary candy bar (Chupa Chups!!!), and a Fall Trends presentation by FASHION’s own Sarah Casselman. We were hoping to meet Adam Lippes, designer and creative director or ADAM, but unfortunately, he could not make it to the party due to a hurt foot (ouch!).

I also got to meet a few lovely Style Blog readers, and took photos of the stylish attendees, which included Daniel Buckman of BELLOSOUND, and the always fashionable Nolan Bryant, who was lucky enough to win a fun prize basket, courtesy of The Bay!

I think it goes without saying that if you love beautiful clothes, then a trip to The Bay’s White Space is a must. And their revamped shoe department? It begs a whole post of its own!

5 Comments

Style Blog, October 11th 2010 | Tags: ADAM, BCBG, Events, FASHION Magazine, Love Moschino, Parties, Sam Edelman, Sandro, See by Chloé, Shopping, The Bay, Toronto, White Space, Yorkdale
Posted in Events, Fashion, Shopping

Yorkdale Shopping Centre Fall 2010 Campaign

It seems just yesterday, I found out that I, along with nine other lucky ducks, won Yorkdale’s Yorkdale is Me contest! It was an awesome and memorable journey, and it was an honor to be able to participate in the mall’s Spring 2010 campaign. Well, it is spring no longer, and Yorkdale’s Fall 2010 campaign is now out – and I love it so hard!

The thing that definitely drew me to these is their aesthetic. Totally inspired by Tommy Ton photos, no? Love that the campaign focuses on the many different styles and price points the Yorkdale stores carry. And since I’m an H&M junkie, I love that items from my fave store are featured a few times (can you spot them?). Overall, I find that these photos are very different from other malls’ advertisements, as well as compelling enough to make me want to go hunting shopping for those sweet camel-colored boots…now!

What do you think? Are you loving this campaign as much as I do? Let me know in the comments.

Photo Credits: Yorkdale

3 Comments

Style Blog, October 8th 2010 | Tags: Ads, Fall 2010, H&M, Shopping, Tommy Ton, Toronto, Yorkdale
Posted in Fashion, Shopping

What I Wore: Billabong Intarsia Sweater (aka The Sweater)

I’m back from my little European getaway…and as sad as it was to say good-bye to my best friend and her amore, I am definitely happy to be sleeping in my own bed. That’s the thing about me and travelling - I’m always eager to leave Toronto for some new exciting place, but am always very happy to come back. I guess, that’s how you know if your house is a home too.

If you know me, you know that I am a pretty good packer. For the last 8 or so years, I’ve travelled with my trusty green Heys carry-on, and it’s never let me down once. But the thing about carry-ons is that there’s not much room for error. Everything I packed had to be worn at least twice or more. And this year’s most-used item was definitely this Billabong Intarsia sweater that I picked up at a Yorkdale Billabong store during the Fall 2010 preview! It’s extremely comfy, eye-catching, and I wore it with everything on this trip. I got a ton of looks and compliments on it, and once I get around to doing some laundry, I will continue wearing it all through the fall.

What about you? Do you play favorites with your clothes? Share in the comments.

What I Wore: Intarsia Sweater – courtesy of Billabong; Denim Shorts, Top - Forever21; Black Boots, Necklace, Sunglasses - H&M; Boyfriend Jeans, Fringe Sandals - Urban Outfitters; Red Purse – Prada; Backpack – Chanel; Sunglasses – Ray Ban

2 Comments

Style Blog, September 23rd 2010 | Tags: Billabong, Chanel, Florence, Forever21, H&M, Heys, Organic Style, Prada, Ray Ban, Urban Outfitters, What I Wore, Yorkdale
Posted in Fashion, Organic Style, Shopping, Travel, What I Wore

Billabong Fall 2010 Preview

Billabong – the name is almost synonymous with surfer clothing, no? Apparently - wrong. After attending Fall 2010 preview at the Yorkdale store last week, I realized that Billabong not only caters to surfer dudes, it has a fashionable side as well!

The first thing that caught my eye as I entered the store was a multi-color Portola cardiganwith fringe detailing – a super amazing boho piece, perfect for wrapping oneself during the cold winter nights. I knew I had to have it. Throughout the store, I spotted a few other cozy-looking cardigans, faux leather jackets, super cute black dresses, and a ton of on-trend accessories. Wait, at Billabong? Yup, at Billabong.

Other than Billabong, The Yorkdale location carries brands such as Element, TOMS, Nixon, Von Zipper and Dakine.

And of course, there are rows of bikinis. Bikinis and shorts that are available all year-round. So if you’re looking for one in the middle of January, Billabong is definitely a safe bet.

For guys and boys, the collection seemed to be a bit more grown up from what I remember. There are still plenty of hoodies and t-shirts to go around, but there are also classy button-ups and sweaters available for the dressier occasions. Another cool thing that Billabong store carries is Saxx underwear. It’s pretty great to see a small company with a great idea represented at a bigger store. Plus, guys seem to looove Saxx. If you don’t believe me, get it for your man, and see him rave about the…ahem…extra support.

Overall, I was pretty impressed with the Fall 2010 collection, and having worn my new cardigan around the house, I can’t wait to take it out for a spin in the real world! I’m definitely packing it for my upcoming trip and will share some pics after I come back. You may see more Fall 2010 pieces on Style Blog’s Facebook Page HERE.

Now what about you, lovelies? Do you shop at Billabong? Let me know in the comments.

Huge thanks to Micki Benedetti for the invitation!

2 Comments

Style Blog, September 2nd 2010 | Tags: Billabong, Dakine, Element, Events, Fall 2010, NIXON, Shopping, TOMS, Toronto, Von Zipper, Yorkdale
Posted in Events, Fashion, Shopping

First Victoria’s Secret Store in Toronto!

The Angels are landing indeed. This Thursday, August 26th, the first ever Victoria’s Secret store in Toronto will finally open its doors! And to give its customers something really special, VS is flying Adriana Lima in to sign autographs at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre location. If you’re wondering where your boyfriend is this Thursday between 1:30 and 3:30pm, Yorkdale might be a good bet.

Oh, and if you spend $100 or more, you’ll get to jump into the VIP line, which (as noted) should be faster than the regular ol’ lineup.

Are you excited about having Victoria’s Secret in Toronto? I used to work there (at the NYC flagship location), so I still have some unworn items in my drawers (hence no need for more) – but I sure am excited about the lotions and the beauty products! And though Adriana Lima is not my favorite Angel, if I didn’t have to be at the office that day, I might’ve ventured out to get a glimpse. Will you?

Photo Credits: Yorkdale.com

1 Comment

Style Blog, August 23rd 2010 | Tags: Adriana Lima, Models, Shopping, Toronto, Victoria's Secret, Yorkdale
Posted in Events, Fashion, Shopping

Yorkdale is Me: Outtakes

Woohoo! I have finally updated my About page! It’s been 15 or so months and I just couldn’t get around to doing it. I’m still not completely happy with the final result, but it’ll do for now. Why it’s so hard to write things about yourself, I’ll never know.

And in the spirit of sharing things that are overdue, here are some of the outtake photos from my Chris Nicholls Yorkdale is Me photoshoot. I still can’t believe my luck sometimes…not only did Chris Nicholls, the same guy that shoots for Holt Renfrew and Flare Magazine took my pictures…but they also appeared on a billboard! Crazy talk.

Here’s what I wore:

Outfit 1: Striped Mens Shirt, Pants, Shoes – H&M; Lip Bracelet – Aldo

Outfit 2: Top – Aritzia; Leopard Print Cardigan, Necklace, Shoes - H&M; Jeans – Gap

Photos courtesy of Yorkdale Shopping Centre

6 Comments

Style Blog, August 5th 2010 | Tags: Aldo, Aritzia, Chris Nicholls, Gap, H&M, What I Wore, Yorkdale, Yorkdale Is Me
Posted in Fashion, What I Wore

What I Wore: Bad Day

Last weekend, amid the G20 craziness, le boyfriend and I finally made a trek to Yonge and Sheppard to see my “Yorkdale Is Me” billboard! After a few minutes of silly picture-taking and attempting to climb up on the roof of the building in heels (me, not le boyfriend), which was unfortunately locked, we ended up spending the day wandering aimlessly around the Lawrence Park area, stopping by Sporting Life to check out their sale, and finally sampling Capocaccia (foodie post coming soon).

All in all a great day…especially compared to the day before that, when I hit a parking lot pillar, almost killed myself while hanging wallpaper and shopping at IKEA (hint to self: don’t attempt to drag a super heavy shelving unit across the driveway – it will inevitably result in busted up toes and scratched up, yet brand new piece of furniture).

Thankfully, there were kind souls that helped me along the way, and made my day a bit brighter. Like the guys at the auto shop, who instead of taking advantage of clueless me, helped me with the dent, offered advice and manual labor…all without any monetary expectations (I still paid them, of course). Also, huge thanks goes out to the random guy at the IKEA parking lot, who after seeing me wheel a huge shelving unit over to my car, did not hesitate to offer his help, which was hugely appreciated. And last, but not least, I am really thankful for the assitance of my almost-neighbor, who helped me get the aforementioned piece of furniture into my house, after seeing me helplessly fighting with and flailing around the careening shelf, which clearly was out for blood (ouch!).

What last weekend taught me (other than not to go furniture shopping alone, and to watch out for parking lot pillars), is that the world isn’t such a hostile place afterall…there are still people out there who will lend a helping hand to a stranger in need, without expecting anything in return. And that’s a pretty awesome thing to realize.