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What They Wore: Operanation 2014

22 October, 2014 Nelia

COC Operanation October 16th 2014- Tara Noelle-34

I’ll be honest with you, I am not a fan of galas. Don’t get me wrong, I do love to get dressed up once in a while, but when I have to go to a big gala event, where how you dress actually matters, I get anxious. Plus, I like to be in bed by 11pm (don’t judge!), and most galas just get going around that time. This is precisely why I’ve never gone to Operanation until this year. But after finding out that Yelle was going to perform, I pulled up my big girl pants and decided to go. And boy, was I a fool to have avoided it all these years!

First of all, Operanation was an amazing place to people-watch and witness some great fashion go down. I won’t go so far as to call it the Met Gala of Toronto fashion, but it’s pretty damn close. Most people stuck to the theme of the night, and lit up the room in neon gowns and accessories, sparkly beading, and pops of colour.

And then there was Yelle…Their performance was everything I hoped it would be and more – energetic, engaging, and SO MUCH FUN! I danced, tried to sing along (my French is very limited), and just watched Julie Budet (Lady Mary lookalike) do her thang. Oh, and members of the COC’s Ensemble Circle joined her for a few songs too. Best ever!

On top of the cool performance, and great people-watching, there were also limited-edition designer slap bracelets – coolest raffle entries possibly ever. One lucky girl walked away with a $10,000 shopping spree from The Room (!!!), while a few others snagged COC-sponsored prizes. There was also a churro bar, a photobooth, half-naked Calvin Klein models, hourly drag queen flash mob…in the immortal words of SNL’s Stefon Zelesky – Toronto’s hottest party of the year is Operanation and it has EVERYTHING!

Operanation 2014 (Tyler Rumi) 60Operanation - Light Up The Night. Toronto, ON, Canada. October 17, 2014. (Image: Ryan Emberley)Operanation - Light Up The Night. Toronto, ON, Canada. October 17, 2014. (Image: Ryan Emberley)Operanation - Light Up The Night. Toronto, ON, Canada. October 17, 2014. (Image: Ryan Emberley)Operanation - Light Up The Night. Toronto, ON, Canada. October 17, 2014. (Image: Ryan Emberley)Operanation - Light Up The Night. Toronto, ON, Canada. October 17, 2014. (Image: Ryan Emberley)Operanation - Light Up The Night. Toronto, ON, Canada. October 17, 2014. (Image: Ryan Emberley)

More photos after the jump! [Read more…]

Events, Fashion, Organic Style Amina Said, Amy Burstyn Fritz, Beaufille, Blaire Borins, Brittany Barkwell, Calvin Klein, Even Bergstra, Events, Gracie Carroll, Jenna Naumovich, Julie Budet, Kaelen, Odessa Paloma Parker, Operanation, Operanation 2014, Organic Style, Randi Bergman, Ryan Emberley, Sarah Stevenson, Tara Noelle, Tyler Herbert, Tyler Rumi, What They Wore, Yelle

What I Wore: This is 30

30 June, 2014 Nelia

paris-birthday-trip-sarah-stevenson-dress-30

First of all, I apologize for the million photos in this post. Most of them feature my love affair with the Eiffel Tower from various angles and I just couldn’t narrow them down. Sorry (not sorry). With that said, this is what I wore on my first day of being thirty.

While in my early twenties, thirty-somethings seemed practically ancient to my silly young self, but I am happy to report that I don’t feel different, even though I am no longer the youngest person in the room. I also didn’t suffer too much anxiety over the big 3-0…after all, I consider myself extremely lucky to have a wonderful husband, supportive family, great friends, and of course, this little blog. Growing up, I used to make those “before 30” lists, which included “swim with the dolphins” (done!), “skydive” (nope), “graduate” (yup), “get MBA” (not yet), “open an RRSP account” (check!), “visit the Amalfi Coast” (3 times), among many other cool/cliche/silly/important/unimportant tasks. And while I definitely haven’t checked off every item off those lists, I don’t feel like I let myself down because I didn’t complete them by the time I left my twenties. That just means I’ll have fun accomplishing them in my thirties.

Having said all that, entering a new decade wasn’t a daunting prospect for me. Back home, each new decade is welcomed with lots of fanfare and celebration, and so in that tradition, I also made quite a big deal about my birthday this year (according to le bf) and decided to jet off to Paris and the South of France to celebrate. And while I’ll have more travel posts coming, this is what I wore on my actual birthday.

That day, le bf and I wandered aimlessly around Paris (mostly around the Eiffel Tower, as you can see), enjoying the views, stopping in at random cafes for a drink, savouring a delightful lunch at Laduree, and a delicious dinner at Shangri-La Paris, wrapping up our night with an impressive Disney Dreams! show at Disneyland Paris. It was a sticky hot day, we walked so much, our feet were buzzing, my hair and makeup were a huge mess by the time dinner time rolled around, but we didn’t care – nothing could spoil this imperfectly perfect day. That night, I went to bed with a huge grin on my face…yes, I may be getting older, but the adventures along the way make it totally worth a wrinkle or ten. Bring it on, thirties!

paris-birthday-trip-sarah-stevenson-dress-10

paris-birthday-trip-sarah-stevenson-dress

paris-birthday-trip-laduree

paris-birthday-trip-sarah-stevenson-dress-8

More after the jump!

[Read more…]

Fashion, La Vie, Organic Style, Travel, What I Wore Aldo, Canadian, Disneyland Paris, Eiffel Tower, France, H&M, Ladurée, Organic Style, Paris, Sarah Stevenson, Sarah Stevenson for Target, Shangri-La Paris, Travel, What I Wore, Zara

Sarah Stevenson for Target Lookbook!

2 March, 2014 Nelia

sarah-stevenson-for-target-spring-2014-13

Canadian designer Sarah Stevenson is having a pretty damn good year so far! Not only did this Toronto Fashion Incubator New Labels Competition winner scored the Emerging Talent Award at the inaugural CAFA Awards, but her highly-anticipated Sarah Stevenson for Target collection will be hitting the stores in just a few weeks on March 23rd…and it’s GORGEOUS!

After seeing so many well-known designers do fast-fashion collabs (some more successful than others), it makes me really happy to finally see a Canadian designer collab that’s not only really well-executed, but  also true to the designer’s aesthetic. “As a textile and fashion designer, her collection features richly hued florals and feminine, sophisticated styles. Inspired by nature, her collection is timeless, elegant and romantic.”

Pieces from the collection will range from $24.99 to $59.99, making this one of the most affordable designer collabs ever. And at those prices, I just know that I’ll be picking up at least a few of Sarah’s beautiful pieces (floral blazer, laser-cut blouse, peplum dress, and blue laser-cut dress are my must-haves from this collection).

So what do you think of Sarah Stevenson for Target? Share in the comments! And I’ll see you at Target on March 23rd!

View the complete lookbook after the jump!

[Read more…]

Fashion, Shopping Canadian, dresses, Sarah Stevenson, Sarah Stevenson for Target, Shopping, Spring 2014, Target, Wishlist

CAFA 2014: The Inaugural Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards

12 February, 2014 Nelia

cafa-canadian-arts-fashion-awards-sephora-2

Earlier this month, Canada’s brightest fashion industry talents gathered at Fairmont Royal York Hotel’s ballroom for one big reason – CAFA, otherwise known as the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards – the inaugural edition. Held for the very first time, CAFA Gala was a huge deal, and though I usually tend to avoid big fancy bashes, with a star-studded guest list that included DSQUARED‘s Dean and Dan Caten, Coco Rocha, and Mads Mikkelsen, attending this one was a no-brainer, especially when the lovely folks from Swarovski offered to “frost” me with their sparkliest baubles! Thanks to my blogger bestie Sharon, we got to join Team Swarovski at their table, joined by the beauties from Power of Privé, adorable actress Elisha Cuthbert, Emerging Talent Award winner Sarah Stevenson, and other amazing people. For the occasion, I wore my new Erdem dress from The Room, which was fitting since Erdem Moralioglu was one of the nominees. I also got to wear a beautiful vintage Mary Katrantzou for Swarovski cuff that was simply stunning.

Canadian-Arts-Fashion-Awards-2014-Model-of-the-Year-winner-Coca-Rocha-with-DSquared2s-Dean-and-Dan-Caten

The award show was very well-produced, and at times actually made me tear up, like when Jeanne Beker’s Vanguard Award was presented, followed by the loveliest of video montages, showing the most memorable moments from the Canadian Icon’s lengthy career, from her earliest days at MuchMusic, to her most jaw-dropping FashionTelevision reels. As I watched Canadian designers, stylists, photographers, models and other industry professionals on that CAFA stage, I could feel their happiness and excitement fill the room. With so many talented Canadians in this industry, spending the evening honouring some of them for their achievements felt great.

After the awards, the winners and the rest of us moved on to the after-party, where we danced to “What Does The Fox Say”, watched Bite lipsticks being made, hijacked a photobooth, and actually got to check out the CAFA trophies – shoe-shaped and very heavy. As someone who doesn’t stay out late very often, I was shocked to realize that it was past 1am when I finally decided to call it a night and head home. Yup, I’m a grandma and not even embarrassed to admit it; but some things are really worth sticking around for. I truly had the best time at this year’s CAFA Gala, here’s hoping that next year it’s going to be even more spectacular (perhaps with more monetary prizes for the winners?). I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Canadian-Arts-Fashion-Awards-2014-Emerging-Talent-Award-winner-Sarah-Stevenson-and-Elisha-Cuthbert

The full list of winners and nominees is after the jump!

[Read more…]

Events, Fashion CAFA, CAFA 2014, Canadian, Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards, Coco Rocha, Dan Caten, Dean Caten, DSquared, Elisha Cuthbert, Fairmont Royal York Hotel, George Antonopoulos, Greta Constantine, Jeanne Beker, Jeremy Laing, Joe Mimran, Kimberly Newport, Sarah Stevenson, Suzanne Rogers, Sylvia Mantella, Toronto

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WHAT I WORE

WHO IS NELIA?

Nelia Belkova is a Toronto-based fashion and lifestyle blogger by night and a financial analyst by day. She loves to travel, read gossip sites, eat sweets, and cuddle up to her husband and her cat on the couch. Read More…

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