Little Party Dresses

My work Holiday Party (how PC...) is this Friday and while a new dress wasn't in the cards for me this year (I have plenty...and I mean plenty), that doesn't have to be the case for you. Here are some great festive (aka: obnoxiously shiny) dress picks:

Vince Sequin-embellished crepe dress, Net-a-porter - $495

ASOS Sequin Dress with Long Sleeves, ASOS - $290.88

Haute Hippie Sequin V Neck Dress, Singer22 - $895

Studded Scoop Bodycon Dress, Topshop - $110

TFNC Sequin Dress with Long Sleeves, ASOS - $99.99

ASOS One Shoulder Dress in Metallic Jacquard, ASOS - $88.17

Tibi Metallic Jacquard Sleeveless Dress, Shopbop - $352

Love at First Sight

It's not often I meet a pair of shoes I don't like. But it's rare for me to meet a pair of shoes and have it be love at first sight.

When I laid eyes on the Alexander Wang Chloe. Ugh. Be still my beating heart.

The colour blocking! The different textures! The height! The velcro! The ankle strap! The juxtaposition of the masculine & feminine!

If you're interested in donating to my Chloe Fund, please let me know. How killer (and freezing) would these bad boys be for New York Fashion Week?

the lip scrub

Last week at the Beauty Mark holiday media event, I picked up some much needed lip scrub. I had been exfoliating my lips the old fashioned way, with either a facecloth or a combination of sugar and lip balm, with little results. And as a gal who likes to wear bold lipstick, it's super important to have that nice smooth base so that you don't end up with chapped lip chunks in your lipstick (you may not see them, but I know they're there!).

I had been putting off a visit to Sephora to find something and I'm glad I did.

$26 at Beauty Mark

I picked up the lip scrub by sarah happ in creme brûlée from Beauty Mark and I absolutely love it! The granules are just right - big enough to be effective, but not so harsh that they make your lips hurt - and the flavour is yum! Beauty Mark carries a wide array of the available flavours.

Sarah Happ is also the creator of the lip slip - the "perfect" lip balm - and I can't wait to go back to Beauty Mark to pick it up!

Winter's White

A few weeks ago I attended the (212) Winter Showcase.

I wore the white, sequin Charlotte Tarantola cardigan that I picked up at the Dakota Group Sample Sale. I love this cardigan so much. It's grandpa-esque, white (aka neutral), and SEQUIN. #win

I also look extremely giant-like and disproportionate in these photos. I promise I don't look like this in real life (much), so don't worry, you'll still probably want to be my friend (no guarantees though). I also don't often have Peggy Olson hair (what is up with that?!).

Cardigan: Charlotte Tarantola Skirt: Urban Outfitter Tank: Obakki Boots: Sam Edelman Zoylas

Hot Spot: House Guest

Last week I attended the media event for House Guest, Gastown's newest hot spot. And, it's just that.

The crowd was eclectic, from fashion bloggers to foodies, there was something for everyone. House Guest is definitely the type of place that attracts beautiful people, but it also boasts great food. I must say that the quality of the food surprised me, even though Liv & Kelsey had told me how great it was.

Liv & Kelsey of Northill Creative

In addition to the crowd and the food, the space is gorgeous. The branding was done by House Guest bartender, Adam, with owners Justin & Mattie leading the team behind the decor.

Food recommendations:

• PMC - pimento mac'n'cheese croquettes (the Red Eye ketchup is amazing)
• Petite Ground Round - braised short rib Sloppy Joe's (favourite!) *
• Fish Tacos - soft shell crab tacos*

* not on the online menu

I'd had such a great time at the media event that I had to go back the next day to try some other items on the menu (still delish), scope out the actual crowd (still beautiful and well dressed!), and drink some more!

Ashley from Social Chair & Peter of the Starving Stylist

Be sure to save me a spot at the bar.

Amazeballs

Some things require no words...

Tibi Metallic Jersey Easy Pant ($230) - image from tibi.com

And sometimes things don't need any words and yet you use them anyway.

These pants! Not only are they amazing! gold lame, but they're harem pants! Say it with me - gold lame harem pants. It's my sartorial nightmare dream come true! But seriously, forget a night on the town in these bad boys, try a Wednesday to work. I've never met a drop crotch I didn't love.

I'm such an 80s kid. And 80s-wear this time around is so much better than the first...

SATC2

A Little Less Wednesday & A Lesson in Primary Colours

If you had a really keen eye, you would've noticed that I wore my Wednesday Addams dress to the Vancouver Blogger Meetup panel.

Dress: Vintage Socks: Falk Belt: Club Monaco Shoes: Shoedazzle Bag: Cambridge Satchel

I probably could have gone a (little) bit shorter in the skirt, but at this length, it's still office appropriate. I love the shortened sleeves. I kept the collar because 1) I was kind of scared how it would look altered; and 2) Pussybows are so hot right now. But overall, I'm very pleased with my first go at reworking a vintage piece.

The primary colour palette wasn't intentional. It actually works without being too Sesame Street or obnoxious.

Wednesday already. Can you believe that it's the middle of November?!

untitled post.

Genius personified.

Vintage.

Homemade Vietnamese salad rolls.

Blackberry vodka sauce - perfect with ice cream.

Festive Hallowe'en cupcakes.

Shockingly accurate.

Hallowe'en costume.

More festive cupcakes.

Hallowe'en wig - playing with fringe.

Rawr.

Rainbows.

Brunch at Save on Meats.

Vancouver Blogger Meetup: Recap

First off, thanks to everyone who came out last Wednesday. A big thanks to The Network Hub for letting us use their fabulous space. A huge hug to Hummingbird 604 for asking me to be on the panel, and of course, a huge thanks to my fellow panelists: A Beautiful Life, Fashion Forward 40, & Style Struck.

For those of you who missed out, we had a lively discussion about monetization, the state of blogging in Canada, PR pitches, and many other things.

A few tips from the evening's conversation:

1) PR firms: Know the blogger & their content before pitching. Also, personalize pitches.
2) Some brands, big and small, don't see the value of getting blog exposure.
3) Don't get discouraged by not having a high number of comments.
4) Blog for yourself, not for attention.
5) Have a consistent brand across social platforms.
6) Post as often and consistently as you can.
7) Take the opportunity to meet other bloggers in real life - even if you seem like a stalker.

Likely telling about the time I was pitched a story about sex toys.

If you have any other questions for me to (attempt) to tackle, ask me on Formspring or shoot me an email.

(212) Showcase

A couple weeks ago, I attended (212)'s Winter showcase. The event was held at Montauk Sofa's new Gastown location. It is an amazing space with vaulted ceilings, exposed brick, wood beams, and glass. So beautiful. We were treated to canapés from Cobre and cocktails from GLIA.

Party, programs, cocktails, designers, & bloggers

The winter collection at (212) is...ok. There were some outfits in the show that I thought really worked, and some that worked but I probably wouldn't have felt comfortable putting together. That said, while the clothes are nice, they're just so, generic. The palette was muted, with greys, blacks, plums, and blues.

Vancouver is grey and dreary in the winter and I don't always want my clothes to reflect that too. I can't control the weather, but I can control my clothes and let them have the life that the weather lacks.

I really appreciated the layering and the turtlenecks. These are definitely looks that I would see in places other than Vancouver, so I definitely have to give credit where credit is due.

Thanks to DITC for hosting such a great event & for providing the photos.


Collage photos are property of Haus of Hybrid.