The Room | Style Blog | Canadian Fashion and Lifestyle News

Mary Katrantzou x Adidas Originals 2015 Collection

25 July, 2015 Nelia 4 Comments

If you’re a fan of Mary Katrantzou’s masterfully printed frocks, but can’t justify the hefty price tag, then Mary Katrantzou x adidas Originals collection is going to be right up your alley! This is the second ‘fashion meets athleisure’ collaboration between the two brands, and it’s amazing!

The first collection, while pretty cute, was too heavy-handed for my taste – giant shoe lace prints all over the place are not my idea of casual chic. But this collection is different – the athletic theme is still clearly present (tennis racquets, badminton shuttlecocks, baseballs, darts) but this time, executed in a more subtle way. There are dresses that look like they could easily belong in Katrantzou’s regular line-up, as well as more casual pieces perfect for those sporty fashion-lovers.

In Canada, select pieces from the collection can be found exclusively at Hudson’s Bay online or at The Room in Toronto and Vancouver. If you’re in another part of the world, Shopbop carries some styles, while most of the collection can be found on MaryKatrantzou.com.

I already ordered my fave pieces, and if you’re into any of the styles, I recommend snagging them ASAP…lots of sizes are already gone online. Good luck and happy shopping!

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What I Wore: Belong Anywhere

15 July, 2015 Nelia 4 Comments

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending one of the funnest events in a long while! Airbnb hosted a little lawn bowling tournament and we had a blast learning all about this fun sport, while hanging out with blogger friends and Airbnb Canada team.

Dress code for the event was all-white-errythang, so I wore one of my fave LWDs, and my new “catlady essential” Charlotte Olympia kitty purse. It was an easy-breezy outfit for a fun day outside. Our team ended up winning at lawn bowling, and we all slowly but surely improved our game, in between taking silly photos with the Airbnb bus, of course.

If you’re not familiar with Airbnb, it’s truly groundbreaking! I’ve used their services several times in different cities – each a huge success. This past March, le bf and I stayed in a stunning Parisian flat owned by a bridal designer. We were located steps away from the Eiffel Tower and had the entire 2 bedroom apartment to ourselves for around CAD $300 for 3 nights…total! In Paris! If you were to book a similarly situated hotel room, it would be a lot smaller and A LOT more expensive. Thanks to Airbnb, it’s never been easier and more affordable to travel the world, and feel like a local at the same time!

If you’ve never travelled with Airbnb before, you can sign up using this link and get $32 off your first booking. And trust me, once you try Airbnb, you won’t look at travel the same way again.

So tell me, have you ever used Airbnb? Share you experiences in the comments.

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What I Wore: Off To The Races

9 July, 2015 Nelia 5 Comments

Last Sunday was my first time at the Queen’s Plate, but it certainly won’t be my last. I loved everything about my experience at the racetrack – from dressing up, to bidding on horses, to people-watching, to enjoying everything the Hats and Horseshoes party had to offer – it was truly a blast!

I did have a moment of panic about 30 minutes before leaving the house…and ended up completely changing my outfit, and also MacGyvering a fascinator from a large flower purchased at Homesense, old headband, discarded ribbon, and 2 hair elastics. Though le bf looked at me as if I was insane, I did end up getting a ton of compliments on my DIY headpiece, and it was even featured in Toronto Star’s Queen’s Plate hat line-up. Take that, le bf!

Once we got to Woodbine Racetrack, we were a bit overwhelmed by all the action happening all around us – food trucks selling yummy bites, various party tents with things to do and people to see, wine and beer tastings, fancy hats for sale, and that’s before we even stepped foot inside the main building! We found our way to the Rethink Breast Cancer tent, where we spent most of our day. It had everything – DIY fascinator station, manis courtesy of The Ten Spot, fashion illustrators drawing partygoers’ outfits (mine was done by the talented Danielle Meder!), sweet and savoury treats, silent auctions, Be Good gelato cart…it was THE PLACE TO BE!

But of course, the track provided even more entertainment! Knowing close to nothing about horse races, I decided that my strategy would be to bid on contenders with fun names and/or my lucky number 8, which is how I ended up picking Aldous Snow and Conquest Boogaloo, and actually winning!

Overall, we had a wonderful time at the races. Queen’s Plate is quickly becoming one of the top summer events, and now I know why. I was told that each year it gets bigger and better, and I can’t wait to see what next year’s Queen’s Plate will have in store.

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Rewind 2014: A Year in Photos

2 January, 2015 Nelia 1 Comment

It’s official…2014 is out, 2015 is in! But before we move on to all things new and exciting, I wanted to do a little revisiting, in part to look back on the wonderful year that 2014 was, and in part to have this post for posterity, and in case I ever need a reminder of some awesome things I did last year. If you hate those “me, me, me” posts, then this one may not be for you. Sorry (not really).

2014 started out pretty well for me, unlike 2013 (credit card fraud galore!), I kicked off the year with a brand new video segment I created in partnership with Yorkdale and Max Kopanygin, called Styled By Nelia. Since January, we shot 9 segments, with 9 amazing retailers, and plan to shoot lots more in 2015. Since I truly hate to be on video, this was a huge challenge for me, but I got more and more comfortable with every episode we shot…and hope to get a little better with each video going forward.

In February, I had the pleasure of participating in a photoshoot for eLUXE’s Spring 2014 lookbook, featuring Canadian bloggers. And as I will find out later, this will not be the last collab with eLUXE that I would shoot in 2014.

At the beginning of 2014, I also go to test out the Olay Regenerist Luminous skincare line, with beautiful results. Freckles, be gone!
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What I Wore: Orange You Glad It’s Spring?

8 May, 2014 Nelia 2 Comments

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This Roksanda Ilincic skirt has been languishing at the back of my closet for months now. I bought it a while ago on sale at The Room, and have only worn it twice since. Mostly, because in my mind, this skirt length requires a pair of sky-high heels, or a pair of super long gams to pull it off. But last weekend, I just said FAHGEDABOUDID, and wore it with my new ALDO kitten heel shoes (UMANIEL if you’re curious), and I couldn’t be happier. The skirt’s material is thick (and warm) enough for our “spring” weather, and the waist is nice and high to give an appearance of legs-for-days. I love the print and colour of this skirt, and will have to make sure to pull it out of my closet more often.

So tell me, do you own those items – ones that you loved once, but couldn’t figure out how to wear, or ones that you’ve forgotten that you even own? Today, in the spirit of spring cleaning and all that, take a peek at the back of your closet and see what you can find. You may surprise yourself and find a new favourite! Happy closet shopping!

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Valentine’s Day: Gift Guide 2014

29 January, 2014 Nelia 2 Comments

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Be still my hopeless-romantic heart, Valentine’s Day is mere days away! And in case your significant other is stumped and doesn’t know what to get you, how about these lovely items? Chocolate and flowers are so banal, why not get her a fragrant diptyque candle, or a heart-shaped Le Creuset casserole?! I repeat…HEART-SHAPED Le Creuset! I mean if that doesn’t say true love, then I really don’t know what love is. Also, in case you didn’t know, Holt Renfrew now stocks Agent Provocateur lingerie! You’re welcome, and happy Valentine’s Day shopping!

1. Heart-Shaped Casserole – Le Creuset
2. Be Mine Heart Bag – ALDO
3. Lips Perspex Clutch – Lulu Guinness
4. Bonjour Bag – Zara
5. For Keeps Perspex Clutch – Charlotte Olympia (The Room)
6. Rosamundi Candle – diptyque
7. Fancy Lingerie – Agent Provocateur (Holt Renfrew)

Shopping: The Room at The Bay Fall 2013 Sale!

26 November, 2013 Nelia Leave a Comment

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!! The Room sale is almost here, and my heart is going crazy from the excitement. This time, the first markdown of the season is not 40%…it’s 50% off select Fall/Winter clothes, shoes, and accessories, and if you’ve been eyeing something special at The Room, now is the time to scoop it up! The sale starts on November 30th – this Saturday, but it doesn’t hurt to stop by beforehand and make your shopping list…early bird and all that. You know where I’ll be on my lunch break today.

Happy Shopping!

What I Wore: #YesIDoLikeCoatsBigTime

22 November, 2013 Nelia 4 Comments

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Not to sound like @NotCoatFactory Twitter account, but #COATS, you guys! Yesterday I wrote about the RUDSAK Sample Sale that’s happening this weekend in Toronto, and today I wanted to share a sneak peek of what this sale has to offer. This awesome RUDSAK parka was my fave item from the sale – it’s Canadian, warm, stylish, doesn’t make me feel like the Michelin Man…and best of all – you can buy it for a fraction of its original price! Score! There were so many coats to choose from, I had a really tough time picking just one. And as I mentioned before – there are bags, shoes, and accessories galore too! If you have time, you should definitely stop by and check it out – it’s one of the best sample sales I’ve been to in a while.

To wrap this post up, I’ll leave you with these words of wisdom from my favourite Twitter account ever – @NotCoatFactory: “Who does like coats? Let us know with #YesIDoLikeCoatsBigTime and tell others about this.” You know what to do!

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Nicholas Kirkwood and Sophia Webster Party at The Bay in Toronto!

22 October, 2013 Nelia 1 Comment

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The Bay is clearly ON FIRE this month! After hosting the lovely designer Sam Edelman two weeks ago, the magnificent department store welcomed not one, but two uber-talented British shoe designers at Toronto’s newly renovated “largest in Canada” shoe floor – Nicholas Kirkwood and Sophia Webster.

Having met Kirkwood a couple of years ago at the same location, I felt pretty lucky to get another chance to chat with this young and inspiring designer. He was just as approachable and easy to talk to as he was back in 2010, and as you can tell from that pic above, we are now BFFs for life! True story*. I also got to meet Sophia Webster, who used to be Kirkwood’s design assistant, and who has obviously learned a lot from her mentor – her shoes, just like his, are truly drool-worthy and must find their way to my wardrobe one of these days…soon.

Like most parties at The Room, this one was THE place to be if you’re into people-watching, what with stunning clothes, beautiful shoes, and notable attendees like Bonnie Brooks (in a pair of Kirkwood zig-zag shoes), Greta Constantine designers Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong, Suzanne Rogers, Stacey Kimel, and Kim Tanenbaum, mingling with the guests of honor, who were both swarmed by an army of adoring fans for the majority of the night.

I know I’ve said this before, but if you still haven’t been to the gleaming new shoe floor at The Bay (Queen St and Yorkdale), then you are truly missing out. Even without designers in attendance, the shoe department is a sight to behold…and a place to find the most amazing shoes. My BFF Nicholas Kirkwood totally loved it and so will you.

*Not a true story

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What I Wore: Cruel Summer

19 August, 2013 Nelia Leave a Comment

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This summer’s been so crappy, you guys! I don’t mean to sound like a complainer, but I don’t think I should have to wear a leather jacket in August and STILL FEEL COLD!!! Thankfully, this weekend, summer has decided to throw us a bone and let us enjoy some sunshine and warm temps after all. Naturally, I pulled out the summeriest dress out of my closet, put on some happy flats, bright orange lipstick, and dragged le bf for some gelato…and it was glorious!

How was your weekend? Hope you enjoyed the sunshine too!

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