Malene Grotrian, S/S 2012

This past Friday I had the pleasure of attending a Malene Grotrian Spring/Summer 2012 presentation. I attended the event with my internship manager & WearThoseDeals founder, Sue Dickie. The event brought fashion lovers together in an intimate boutique over looking the water - you could see over to North Vancouver. Malene Grotrian is a designer who specializes in classic pieces that flatter and make her clients feel beautiful. "The more true to myself I am, the more success I have," Malene remarked as she introduced her collection, Instrumental Dream. I was thoroughly impressed with the fabrics she used in her collection. Additionally, every piece was wearable in more ways than one (versatility is always key), and it was nice to see the European-style of shopping she brings to Vancouver.

Be sure to check out WearThoseDeals and Malene Grotrian on Twitter for updates!

Sweet Treats & Sight Seeing

There's nothing like walking to the gas station in your owl pajama pants to get candy on a Tuesday afternoon. Actually, I'm 99.9% positive that my over consumption of sugar this past week contributed to some kind of sugar induced coma that made me sleep like a rock on Tuesday night! Similarly, it's also quite fun to play tourist in your own city. I moved to Vancouver in September, but I have not exactly become familiar with the various neighborhoods and areas. I typically go to the same spots, the same shopping destinations and the same coffee shops when I want a pick-me-up. However, this week I had time to kill before school (and a whole Saturday free with B), so some adventuring was in order! From False Creek/Science world to Gastown, and lots of sweet treats in between, we also made our way to New Westminster and discovered an area with TONS of outlet shops. It's amazing what you can find when you actually LOOK (and all of you native Vancouverites are laughing, "ha ha I knew that already.")!

It looks as if I will be making my way to the island tomorrow morning! I am SO excited, seeing as the last time I tried to venture over in January I got to the ferry terminal expecting to catch the 1045 ferry only to have to drive back home because it wasn't sailing. Damn you, BC Ferries & your trickery. It has been over a month since I have seen any family (the last time being Christmas!), so it will be a refreshing break to kick back with the famjam. PLUS, I will see them on the weekend too when they come HERE! Hmm, this means I should do some dishes.

Hope you have a happy Monday!

The Weekend via Instagram

Despite a fairly uneventful weekend that mainly consisted of coffee, cookies & running (who knew that cookies and candy aren't the best fuel for running?), it was still an enjoyable one. It is the second week of school now, and I am already learning a lot of stuff I never knew before, especially in my textiles class. Additionally, Saturday marked the day I purchased my first "big kid" winter jacket - perfect timing too since the snow has began falling here in Vancouver. There really is nothing better on a snowy evening than baking cookies, too! I hope you all had a great weekend. Here are some snaps I took!

1. Homemade chocolate chip peanut butter oatmeal cookies... Three left!

2. Apparently leaving curls pinned to your head makes for crazy hair when you finally take it out (four hours later). Needless to say, I wore my hair up that night.

3. Messages in the snow! Funny how that happens.

xo

The Style Spy Shopping Event x The Gap: Pictures

 

On Monday I had the pleasure of attending a shopping event hosted at The Gap by The Style Spy. My lovely friend Lauren accompanied me, and together we wandered down to Robson Street to participate in the fun (and shop, of course)!

Swag bags were given to everyone (while quantities last) who purchased $50 worth of merchandise. There was also a 25% promotion on regular priced merchandise, which made it awfully tempting to get a little spend-crazy. Don't worry, MasterCard, you're not broken (yet)!

My outfit of the evening! Unpictured are a pair of black glitter heels I found while running errands (and clearly getting distracted by shoes) with Brandon.

I am wearing:

Joe Fresh faux fur scarf
Suzy Shier blazer & tights
H&M dress

Faux fur heaven. Seriously - I can't get enough of faux fur! Check out this video where I show you my latest faux fur finds!

Feelin' thirsty? The Style Spy team had Jones Soda placed around the store for the party-goers to sip on throughout the night. 

They also had a candy bar! If you know me at all, you know I love me some candy. Or rather, anything sugar-coated and sweet. I just can't say no to candy!

The lovely ladies of The Style Spy styled these mannequins, and everyone got the opportunity to put their name in the draw to win $500 worth of merchandise based on their favourite mannequin. I am not sure which one I would've picked had I won - they are all so cool & incorporate elements of my own style!

Insert witty comment here.

Blo Blow-Dry Bar had braid stations set up in store. It was fun to see so many girls rocking different braided hairstyles throughout the night. The ladies at Blo were amazing!

Me & my fishtail braid. I remember learning how to do this via YouTube & wearing the hairstyle for about two weeks straight. Soon, people started to catch on. "Haven't you been wearing your hair in that same braid for like... A really long time now?" Perhaps I should revisit the style now!

The woman creating Lauren's hair-do did a beautiful job. It reminds me of a Grecian Goddess. I wish I could do that!

My Jones Soda fortune. 

Lauren & myself. Hey, Jones. I'm promoting your product here (you can sort of see the label), so that must mean I get incentives, RIGHT, RIGHT? :) I kid!

Thank you to The Style Spy & The Gap for hosting such a fun event. It was nice meeting the beautiful ladies on your team & celebrating in style with everyone who made the event such a huge success!

Victoria's Secret Comes to Vancouver

Ladies, get ready! The American lingerie giant Victoria's Secret is coming to Vancouver. No longer will we have to travel over the boarder or order online to keep our lady bits well covered. This Monday, Victoria's Secret will be popping up at YVR Airport!

"The VS at YVR will carry beauty and accessory products, including perfumes, bags, sunglasses and wallets. It will also have a “panty bar” containing 5,000 panties." says VanCity Buzz. Although it is not a full store, you can get your cute panty fix while picking up your favourite VS scents and accessories. It is more of a concept store, but there's rumors for more locations in Vancouver.

You can read the VanCity Buzz article here for more information.

I don't know about you, but I am excited to check it out! Plus, class is in the evening on Mondays, so I'll have all morning & afternoon to drool (and wish I had some extra wiggle room in my budget for unnecessary undies)!

Recent Posts!

Furry Friends - Stay warm with faux fur this winter!
Fallen Leaves - A look into a lovely fall outfit
Life Lately - What's new and exciting!?

ABC's

A: Adventures

B: Boyfriend

C: Clothing

All of the above are a few of my favourite things!

1. Recent outfit to a management midterm this past week. It's amazing how many people you see wearing sweatpants just because there's an exam happening. Yes, post-secondary school is hard, but make it FUN with a cute, functional outfit! Wearing: Zara asymmetrical shirt (longer in the back with a neck/bottom zipper), American Eagle jeans, gifted scarf & Payless motorcycle boots.

2. Ring from H&M (they had a super cute snake bracelet there too. Nail colour is Naked by China Glaze (more pink in real life).

3. Another quick outfit snap. I apologize for the poor camera quality - I am desperately wanting to purchase a new one soon! Dark jeans by American Eagle, leopard flats from a boutique in Duncan, gifted scarf, Old Navy anorak.

4. An adventure through Delta, Richmond & Burnaby took Brandon and I over the Alex Fraser bridge. I let Brandon have the camera reigns on this one!

5. A little bit of hilarious background noise the night before my retail buying midterm. It was definitely a nice distraction from all the formulas!

6. Post-It notes on my notebook were a constant reminder of things I needed to know for my midterm! Thankfully they worked!

7. My handsome study buddy catching a glimpse at Bridesmaids on TV. Brandon made quizzes for me with content to study, and I had to fill in the blanks. He made it fun & a lot of the "tricks" he came up with helped me during the actual exam! Thank you!

I hope you are all having a wonderful week! My homework assignments are done, midterms are finished, laundry is caught up, and Sex & the City is to be watched (for about the billionth time)! I'm currently on the last disc of season 4. Good night!

Happiness

 

 Well, I am finally settled in my apartment. School is half way through, midterms are almost finished (retail buying on Monday & then they are all done), internship has begun, and soon a seasonal job opportunity at Holt Renfrew will begin! It has been a whirlwind of excitement for me lately, starting with my internship. I came across the opportunity from teachers at school, and soon I found myself in one of the meeting rooms on the 4th floor of Holt Renfrew's flagship store in Vancouver at the orientation. Next, I met for one on one interviews with women's wear and marketing, and the next day I got the call to become part of the marketing and events team! It has been amazing, to say the least, and the fact that I am able to network and meet others through this is going to be an incredible journey. Isn't it crazy what life throws at you sometimes?

I decided to post some pictures of what has been happening lately. From buying my first pair of Hunter boots and the view from Thursday yoga classes at school, to going back to the island & celebrating a friends birthday (and all the fun stuff in between). Last week Brandon came over to visit and move furniture over, so we went to IHOP - fun fact: it stands for International House of Pancakes. Were we late the to the party & the last to know of this?! I was amazed! I enjoyed some delicious whole wheat with walnut pancakes topped with blueberries and whipped cream. I was barely in three bites before I was full! Brandon said, "I will do anything for you if you finish those!" However, I just couldn't do it. I ate the top pancake with all the good stuff on it, then slowly picked the walnuts out of the rest. I'm sure the server appreciated the mess after I was finished - you're welcome!

I am thinking about doing a video post soon, so stay tuned for that! Hope life is beautiful for you all!

What is making you happy today?

Spot Light: Hunter Rain Boots

Whether you like it or not, with fall comes the rain. However, there are several stylish options that will keep your feet dry without compromising style. I decided to feature Hunter rainboots, not only because they are on my own wishlist, but because they have a huge celebrity following & are practical as well!

Now that I have moved to Vancouver, the ever-changing weather outside is a constant reminder that sooner or later, it's going to get rainy. As I walked to the bus stop this morning in my grey wedge booties, I couldn't help but think of the Hunter rain boots I drooled over many times at Holt Renfrew. Although the price tag is a little steep (the original Hunter boots start at $150.00 and go upwards from there, depending on the style of boot and whether it is a limited edition/collaboration product), it's hard to think that these would be anything but useful. What do you think? Should I bite the bullet & get a pair of my own?

Check out these celebrities in their Hunter boots!

Updates to Inspire

Well, here's another mish-mash of pictures for you. I know in my last post I said I would post tomorrow (meaning Friday, September 9th), but I'm sure you have already gathered that I failed to do so. Why you ask? Friday was the day I moved into a basement suite at my relative's house. Unfortunately, things aren't working out there as well as my family & I hoped. However, I spent some time searching online for apartments, and my mom came over on Tuesday to view one with me. Sadly that one was a no-go: paint splashed across the cupboards was considered a "fresh coat of paint," the carpet was dirty, and a million other things made us stray away. Finally, as we ventured up Oak St., we noticed a block that consisted mainly of apartment complexes. The rest is history - I found my new soon enough and already made the damage deposit. Things may be a little hectic between now and October 1st (ETA at the new apartment) because of school and what not, but now that I have a stable internet connection thanks to my school (VCC), I will be able to visit you all again!

PHEWF. Glad I got that all aired out to you. Now, for the real post.

The above pictures are currently inspiring me as I make the transition between unfinished basement to apartment, and out of highschool to college student. Don't get me wrong, both of these avenues are ridiculously exciting. However, it doesn't hurt to find inspiration through pictures to get you through, right (are we still following, by the way)?

1. I love the mainly white colour scheme of this bedroom. If I was able to afford an apartment with a room like this (the French doors with an ocean view of the balcony somehow hint that it MAY be expensive...), I would WANT it to look EXACTLY like this. How inviting and comfortable, most of all, does this look!?

2. Everything about this room appeals to me here. I love the mix of green and turquoise - a colour combination that would look great in an outfit as well (eg, rich green suede heels and an oversized turquoise clutch). For my future room that I will SOON be decorating (EXCITEMENT!), I want to find some accent pieces in these colours. I already have a picture for the wall that is turquoise, so I'm almost there!

3. Again, some beautiful turquoise shoes and a gorgeous ring. I saw a lot of this colour for summer, and if you already have pieces in this hue, you'll easily be able to transition them into your fall wardrobe for a fun pop of colour!

4. Coral. I. Love. Coral. I can't get enough of it. My first day of school outfit (for Retail Buying) consisted of a fun beige pleated dress from H&M (a slightly heavier fabric and half sleeves makes it perfect for fall) and some coral lace-up sneakers. Thank you to Liz at school who complimented them!

5. Sequins, red, magenta, Loubitins! In a perfect world, these would be appropriate shoes for every. single. day. Actually, scratch that. Who says they can't be!? I am fairly certain I spotted these at Holt Renfrew the other day. Unfortunately, my student budget doesn't allow me to have these in my hot little hands! One day!

6. Nothing says fall quite like knits. As I was perusing some New York Fashion Week photos, I noticed that a lot of designers are into strategic cut outs. Well, same is true for this sweater. I could picture myself wearing this with a pair of dark skinny jeans and some motorcycle boots for an edgy touch, or a pair of riding boots with some buckle details. Lovely!

Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday! xoxo