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What I Wore: Jardin Majorelle

21 April, 2015 Nelia 5 Comments

After months of dreaming about visiting the Majorelle Garden in Marrakech, le bf and I have finally made it! With shocks of saturated blue, yellow, and orange all around us, fountains, birds, and all kinds of cacti on display, the botanical garden was even more beautiful in real life than I’d imagined. Owned by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé since 1980 (memorial erected in his memory can be found at the garden), Jardin Majorelle was teeming with tourists, but even with a line-up to get inside, we still had a lovely time exploring the grounds.

For fans of Yves Saint Laurent, the Love Gallery is a must-visit. The designer created the colourful “LOVE” posters, which he sent every year as New Year’s greetings to his friends and clients of his fashion house. At the gift shop, I was trying not to go crazy, but the “LOVE” postcards were so beautiful…I probably got way too many, intending to one day frame my faves.

After an hour or so at the garden, we jumped into a cab to go back to our riad…we chose a freezing day to visit the garden, and were definitely not dressed appropriately for the chilly weather. But even with my teeth chattering…I had a tough time leaving this enchanting and peaceful place behind. I’ll always have these photos to remind me of its beauty…and hopefully will have a chance to visit again.

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What I Wore: Solange, Coco, and Minnie…Oh My!

5 November, 2014 Nelia 7 Comments

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Another WMCFW season has come and gone, and this time I found myself at the tents every single day, and saw more shows than I normally would have. As such, my full fashion week recap is going to be up sometime next week, with my fave new designers, outstanding pieces, and fave collections, as well as the beauty recap from our contributor Aleyda. But for now, here’s a post about all of the fun outfits I wore to the tents last month.

Thanks to a slew of wonderful photographers like Ania Boniecka, Aleyah Solomon, Jenna Marie Wakani, Ryan Emberley and Stefania Yarhi, among others, I was able to document every look from a variety of angles and lenses…candid and not. It’s a bit of an exercise in narcissism, but hey, this is a style blog, what did you expect?! Let’s get to it, shall we?

On day 1, I ran into the lovely Talia Brown, and we were snapped together for FLARE Magazine. I didn’t bother with my outfit on day 1 – mainly because I had a very intense day at the office, so I simply swapped my ankle booties for a pair of ALDO heels, and my work bag for an ela clutch, and that was it.

After the shows, we were treated to a VIP party courtesy of Joe Fresh, with Solange Knowles on turntables. We were literally inches away from this stylish beauty, but I’m still not sure if waiting nearly 3 hours for the privilege was worth it. My feet were crying by the time I got home.

xx, attends the Joe Fresh Cocktail event on Monday, October 20th, 2014. solange-toronto-joe-fresh-style-blog-nelia-belkova

On Day 2, I actually managed to change out of my office clothes, and into a fun faux leather overalls from H&M. Knowing that a Minnie Mouse party was in the cards, I made sure to grab my trusty sequinned Minnie ears, which completed my look that day. To add a bit of Canadian flare to my outfit, I wore one of my fave falconwright clutches to the tents.

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What I Wore: On The Street

10 October, 2014 Nelia 1 Comment

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One day during NYFW, I was walking down the street, giddy from my delicious Shake Shack lunch date, when a man stopped me on the street and asked me whether I was a blogger. Since we were quite a ways away from Lincoln Centre, I was a bit taken aback when he asked me for a photo, but nevertheless obliged. I think you can actually see the apprehension in my eyes…but I’m really glad I stopped to chat with this man.

His name is Mangue Banzima and he’s a street style photographer. By now, I’ve spent a ton of time going through his site and Instagram, looking at the beautiful photos of people on the street. He has a very warm and approachable personality, and it’s reflected on his subjects’ faces…well, except mine that is. Hopefully, we can have a re-do another time, Mangue. Sorry for the bitchface in some pics.

This post is also the very first time I’m posting a photo of myself with my newly-ish silver/grey/platinum hair. It’s actually been nearly a month since I dyed my locks, and it’s decidedly less grey and more blonde now. But thanks to Mangue, I have it captured in all its silver fox glory. Stay tuned for my hair story about entering the Khaleesi/Gandalf hair territory. Happy Friday!

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I Wore: Dress – Finders Keepers (eLUXE); Leather Vest – Urban Outfitters; Boots – Saint Laurent (Winners); Bag – CHANEL; Earrings, Cuff – H&M

Photo Credit: Mangue Banzima

Wishlist: YSL Cassandre Tassel Bag

10 July, 2013 Nelia 3 Comments

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Ever since I laid eyes on this exquisite (Yves) Saint Laurent Cassandre bag, I’ve been dreaming about it. It’s just so damn perfect – the sleek golden chain, the elegant and iconic logo, and of course, the playful tassel. The toughest part is choosing a colour…and of course, shelling out $1700+ for this beauty – a price tag I simply can’t justify at the moment. But dreaming is free…so here I am…staring at the beautiful Cassandre in patent and suede, red and black…wishing, wishing, wishing…

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Photo Credits: Neiman Marcus, Saint Laurent

Stylish Road Trip: INTERMIX Somerset Collection Mall

15 August, 2012 Nelia Leave a Comment

The second day of our Stylish Road Trip to Troy, Michigan started nice and early. After a quick breakfast at our hotel, Kim, Sharon, and I wasted no time…we had places to be! More specifically – Somerset Collection Mall! Having never been to Somerset before, I had no idea what to expect…but the moment we entered the shopping centre’s massive gleaming lobby, I knew I’d love it there.

Split into two parts (high-end South, and more affordable North), Somerset Collection is a shopper’s paradise. With stores like INTERMIX, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, J.Crew, Nordstrom, Ann Taylor, LOFT, among many others, it’s no surprise that the girls and I ended up spending close to 11 hours at the mall. Yes, you read that right – ELEVEN HOURS of shopping…straight! And that’s not counting our late-night visit to Target! Yup, that’s just how we do.

And though we spent hours at Somerset, one of my most memorable experiences that day was definitely shopping at INTERMIX! With a huge selection and a great mix of my favorite brands, I’m pretty sure we spent at least 3 hours with the lovely and stylish INTERMIX team. They were incredibly helpful, and so much fun to hang out with, that time just flew by! And getting treated like royalty was icing on the already awesome YSL/Proenza/Missoni cake. Not only did the girls and I get exceptional customer service, we also received goodies, sweets, and champagne too! I could definitely get used to that!

Luckily for us, there’s an INTERMIX store in Toronto as well…so next time I am in need of a perfect pair of Rag & Bone jeans, or another YSL arty oval ring, that’s where I’ll be!

After a whirlwind shopping experience at INTERMIX, the girls and I continued our tour de Somerset…but I’ll leave that for the next post. In the meantime, check out some of the drool-worthy pieces we found at INTERMIX! Like that YSL cuff on major sale…or that sleek Equipment blouse…Can you tell I’m going through a withdrawal here?

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(Yves) Saint Laurent Paris – New Logo Released

24 July, 2012 Nelia 1 Comment

When I first heard about Yves Saint Laurent being renamed to Saint Laurent Paris, I bristled. Actually, I might’ve dramatically exclaimed something like “Blasphemy!” and “Nah-uh!”. Just like thousands of YSL fans out there, I was not happy (to say the least).

But, unfortunately, the brand, the logo, and the decision are not mine to make, so…here it is – the new logo of Saint Laurent Paris – simple and minimalistic – going back to the brand’s RTW Saint Laurent rive gauche roots. Do I like it? I guess it’s ok…But I honestly don’t think that it’s even half as good as the amazingness that was the original YSL monogram.

What do you think of this switcheroo and the new logo? Are you sad that the brand’s ready-to-wear will no longer be adorned with the now iconic YSL monogram? Share in the comments.

Photo Credits: Saint Laurent Paris Facebook

Wishlist: Small Frame Bags

12 July, 2010 Nelia 3 Comments

Some trends literally make me grimace in terror (cough*clogs*cough), while with others I am instantly drawn and…sold. Such is the case with the new non-it-it-bag – The Small Frame Bag. Having watched my Style Fille fave Diane Kruger toting the above Hermès version for a while now, I’ve made a mental note to keep my eye open for a mere mortal affordable option for myself. But once I’ve spotted one at Zara, the flurry of doubts clouded my judgement and I walked away empty handed.

My main concern? Lack of space. In our ever-so-fast-paced world of iPhones, iPads, and other useless-ish crap, I find myself struggling with an idea of a small frame bag. There’s just too much stuff I tote around on a daily basis to be able to minimize it all to fit into a tiny rectangle of leather. So I ask you, stylish Style Blog readers, do you think small frame bags’ chicness outweighs their lack of practicality? Take the poll below!