It’s style post time! I wore this outfit to see Jeremy Laing’s and Jean-Pierre Braganza’s fall/winter 2012 collections at the shOws and was secretly snapped, alongside with Nelia of Style Blog, by FASHION Magazine’s street style photographer Lewis Mirrett (image #4 below). It was during that week in March when Toronto seemed to mystically jump three months into the future to June and the weather was absolutely perfect!

Two of the newest and most favoured pieces I’ve acquired for my spring/summer wardrobe are a pair of OBJECT x George Antonopoulos leather shorts and a colourful handbag by Nella Bella.

Leather shorts in summer you say? Oh yes, wearing leather in the summer is totally hot – literally and figuratively. Leather isn’t a fabric normally associated with spring/summer trends or in anything outside of jacket form; however, when developed into pieces such as these OBJECT shorts and worn on days when the temperature and humidity hovers above 20˚C then I say bring out those babies and shake what your mama gave ya!

The handbag is from Nella Bella’s spring 2012 collection and is dubbed the Hong Kong. It’s fashioned into a square-like structure which makes it easy to fit, find and organize your entire life into it. I acquired it last month and knew it was the bag for me the minute I saw its vibrant turquoise shade.

In my closet: handbag, Nella Bella; necklace, Expression from The Bay; leather shorts, OBJECT x George Antonopoulos for Danier; jacket, Danier; shirt, Club Monaco; shoes, Camilla Skovgaard.

Image gallery #1, picture 4 from FASHION Magazine.

As you can probably tell from the last, oh say four to five blogs entries that Toronto Fashion Week has taken over my fair city. Actually, Toronto Fashion Week ended on Friday and I’m in the midst of finishing off reviews of the shows that I attended.

It’s not always easy to keep up with posting timely reviews of the designers’ collections during this time of the year; I work an office job during the day and fashion blogging is a passion of mine which happens after hours.

To give you a mini break from the fashion week extravaganza, I thought it would be nice to take advantage of the great weather Toronto is having and take a few pictures for this outfit post, something I haven’t done in a while.

Prints and printed pants are a big trend this season and it’s difficult to: a) get into the print trend if you’re not used to wearing it, b) find a pair of printed pants that you like and c) find a pair of printed pants that is budget friendly and under $100.

I saw these printed pants in a spring lookbook the H&M Canada team sent around a while ago and instantly took a fancy to them, especially their $14.95 price tag. Yes, these pants cost $14.95! So I bought them and paired it with a clutch from OBJECT x George Antonopoulos collection gifted by Danier.

In my closet: clutch, OBJECT x George Antonopoulos for Danier (gifted); jacket, Danier; shoes, Jil Sander; sweater and pants, H&M.

Photo credit: Nelia of Style Blog

Canadian handbag company, Nella Bella launched their 2011 holiday campaign on November 4th which features me along with several other Toronto notables such as Anita Clarke, I Want – I Got; April Wozny, publicist; Arianne Young, stylist; Renee Williams, freelance writer and editor.

The campaign was shot back in August and it was my first time taking part in a fashion shoot. It was really interesting to see the creative process that goes into pulling a campaign together, as well as being involved in it.

Creative Director, Tarek Al-Azbat’s vision for the campaign was to cast real people and emphasize the diversity of the company’s customers, fashionable, intelligent and from all walks of life – real people and real product.

To view the complete cast of characters visit Nella Bella’s Facebook page.

What I’m wearing:

• Belt, Zara
• Silk jumper, H&M
• Shoes, Camilla Skovgaard

Photographer: Edwin Cabrera Styling: Tricia Campbell Hair& Make-up: Marcia Garnes Jasmin Bree PUSH Creative Management.Images from Nella Bella

FLARE.com, Canada’s most popular fashion and beauty website, is currently featuring me along with a group of bloggers from across the country in an online article titled, “Wear Canada: Blogger Edition.” We were asked to wear our favourite Canadian pieces/brands and to show off our personal style – I’m #16, click here to view my spot!

The article heralds in the start of the s/s 2012 runways shows for Toronto Fashion Week by gathering over 20 bloggers and I’m in good company with people such as Nelia Belkova of Styleblog.ca, Sharon Ng-Hayes of Backseatstylers and Danielle Meder of Final Fashion.

When I was contacted by FLARE the first thought that came to mind was, “What am I going to wear?!” Near panic almost set in on what to choose, but at that moment I looked over to my closet and saw my OBJECT leather shirt hanging in plain view. Ever since I purchased this shirt from the collection’s trunk show I find every excuse to wear it out, so it was a no brainer to make it part of my outfit.

To balance out the black leather shirt, I paired it with a bright green tulip skirt from Zara and another colourful neutral, a handbag from Nella Bella.

In my closet:

• Top, OBJECT by George Antonopoulos for Danier
• Handbag, the Riveria by Nella Bella
• Skirt, Zara
• Shoes, L.A.M.B.
• Bangle, H&M
  

Overcoming online shoe shopping with a pair of Camilla Skovgaard shoes

Remember this blog post I published last week touting my struggles with online shoe shopping? Well my friends, the ray of light I’ve been praying for finally appeared and I bought a pair of Camilla Skovgaard sandals from Net-a-Porter. YEAH!

This is the first pair of shoes I’ve bought online, as well as my first pair of Camilla Skovgaard heels. I chose these sandals because I don’t own a black pair in this style, a cut-out heel that’s designed to look like a cross between sandal and ankle bootie.

I placed my order on Wednesday and my shoes arrived on the Thursday – super fast service from Net-a-Porter!

When trying on these shoes, I was incredibly happy to discover that my agonizing analysis of online sizing charts for shoes paid off; for these sandals I fit an Italian size 38 perfectly. The leather is incredibly smooth and soft, and the sole is well padded.

Shoe specifications:

• Outer, leather and patent leather
• Colour, black
• Heel height, 11.5 cm

I’ve overcome this hurdle of shopping for shoes online, but I’m not completely free from this trepidation; after all each shoe is different and no two styles are alike.

For those of you who still have a few reservations of online shopping, my suggestion is to take your time and do a lot of research. Check out the shoes/clothes in your closet and do a few comparisons with the sizing. Good luck and happy shopping!

Image gallery #1 from Net-a-Porter

In my closet are blog entries that documents anything that’s been given to me, purchase out of my own wallet or something I already own. Unfortunately, I haven’t done a good job of publishing this type of entry on a regular basis. My last “In my closet” post was in November 2010, eek! 

Let’s be honest here, I do a decent job of taking pictures of people and objects at events for but to capture myself is a whole different story. It’s more difficult than people would assume and I have to depend on myself to take these shots; using a tripod, setting the timer on my camera and then running to pose in front of the lens while praying that I got a half decent shot of myself, and then repeating the process until I get a picture I’m happy with – it can be quite comical to watch.

There are a number of bloggers who can take outfit pictures so effortlessly. Many have significant others who take pictures of them, or others have an innate talent and the equipment get the perfect shot like my friend Dejana of Shopsterium – she kicks serious butt when it comes to outfit posts.

So after that long rant, I’m kicking off summer with my first outfit post and hope to be a little more consistent moving forward (fingers crossed).

A few weeks ago I was reorganizing my closet and came to the realization I have way too much dark clothing and not enough colour. Therefore, bringing bright colours into my wardrobe is a personal goal of mine for the next few seasons.

For the Proenza Schouler event at The Room, I wanted to dive in head first and tackle the season’s trend by wearing bright colours to the cocktail reception. To update my wardrobe, I went to Zara for something affordable and I came out with a bright green tulips style skirt and an electric blue blouse. 

When it comes to colour blocking with bright colours, simplicity is best especially when accessorizing. After putting together the top and skirt I felt some detail was needed and my immediate gaze went to the waist of the skirt. Instead of using a belt I borrowed a brooch from my mom, pinned it on and tada!

What I wore:

• Colourful tulip skirt with pockets, Zara
• Blouse with turned up sleeves, Zara
• Rio handbag in black snake, Nella Bella
• Leather and suede t-strap heels, L.K. Bennett

A special thank you to Nelia of Style Blog for taking the outfit shots of me!

Over-the-knee boots are a big trend which started a few seasons ago and continue to be a popular footwear choice for this fall and winter. This may come as a surprise but I didn’t purchase a pair of over-the-knee boots until this October, because I didn’t find ones which stood out. Majority of the over-the-knee boots I saw in stores were in black and everybody has a pair or two of black boots – in my case that would be five pairs.

As luck would have it, I was shopping in the Bay and came across a pair of Bronson, over-the-knee boots, from DV by Dolce Vita. Initially, I had a difficult time choosing between colours – should I get the black because it goes with everything? Should I opt for the grey and be slightly different?

After parading in front the store’s mirror for 20 minutes, soliciting advice from Bay associates, random shoppers and tweeting for a little help I chose the grey boots.

To date, I’ve worn the boots almost everywhere and every day. They are very comfortable and the rubber soles are bonuses, especially with the snow and cold weather forecasted for Toronto over the next few days.

The Bronsons are very similar to these Lanvin boots I posted about in July only the price is much more affordable. You can purchase the Bronson boots online through Zappos or visit the Bay’s Queen Street store. Cost, $235 (taxes not included).

Shoe specifications:

• Outer, leather with split collar
• Colours, grey and black
• Heel height, 2.54 cm
• Shaft height, 54.61 cm