Pointing Fingers

You know how sometimes you will make a clothing purchase a little too hastily and that item ends up sitting in your closet for months on end? I've been making a real effort lately to minimize the amount that this happens to my purchases. On the other hand, there are times when you make a real solid purchase decision and that item finds it way into your regular rotation of clothing. This blue skirt is one of those real good purchase decisions. Every time I wear it, I am so happy I bought it. And I may be a bit of a weirdo but to me there is hardly anything better than having your shopping habits validated in this way.

black tank {Victoria's Secret} - blue skirt {Zara} - belt {Loft} - sunnies {H&M} - bronze gladiator sandals {Steve Madden via Century 21}

I have officially been to each of my classes now and met all of my profs. I can tell you that I am happy with five out of seven of my profs, and to be fair the other two aren't horrible just....what's the word, perhaps eccentric...each in their own way. I am most excited for photoshop and retailing because the former will allow me to use my creativity and the latter will be most beneficial to what I'm interested in pursuing as a career.

I hope you're all having a great long weekend!

j.

Summer Lovin'

It's starting to feel like summer around these parts. It was near melting today and it's only the middle of April. Most of me loves it. But a teensy, small part of me worries for this redhead's well-being come, say July...or August. Afterall, we are more prone to melting than most. It's all good though, A/C and fro yo will be my new best friends. Never thought I'd say that. The A/C part (hate it), I've always loved fro yo...although I really need to stop calling it that.

 

 

 

 

black tee & royal blue skirt {Zara} - chain necklace {DIY} - sunnies {H&M} - bronze belt {Old Navy} -

gold gladiator sandals {Steve Madden via Century 21} - photo credit {Kiki}

 

 

This skirt really is the best. I just love it so much that I've compiled a list of the top five reasons why this skirt rocks my world:

 

1.  It is beyond ridiculously comfortable, fooling me into thinking I'm not wearing anything at all.

2.  The color makes me want to do cartwheels across a lawn (ideally not while wearing the skirt).


 3.  The mullet hem line (shorter in the front, longer in the back) allows for superb leg movement while walking and creates a billowy sort of train effect in the back making me feel much classier than I really am (see mullet reference above).


4.  It is so flowy and flouncy that the slightest breeze makes for lots of "Marilyn" moments, especially while descending stairs and/or waiting on the subway platform.


5.  The modest hem length refrains from showing off my unmentionables when number four happens.

All jokes aside, I really am loving the mullet dress/skirt trend this Spring. I also have anothet skirt that is as long in the back but much shorter in the front, making it a true "reverse mullet", business in the back and party in the front. I love that this one is conservative enough to wear during the day and even to a job (when I have one of those...).

Okay, I think I've used the term "mullet" quite enough for one post. So on that note, good night!

j.

 

Blue Tie {Not} Optional

I busted out the formal attire for class today. Black tie...err, I mean blue tie, certainly not optional. Only the best for Professor Poshy Poshy Poo Poo. She cracks me up every class. Most recently, when discussing the benefits of plied yarn, I believe, she said it is often used in exercise clothing because "it is unhealthy to jiggle when we wiggle". Classic.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you all to my beyond amazing iPhonography (that's a made up term for photographer using an iPhone). She is very patient (truth), always humble (lies...) and slightly crazy (more lies...big time cray cray). Everyone, meet Crazy K, or as I am now going to refer to her, Kiki. Her and I, we often meet up before our Textiles class on Mondays. We always get a chai (okay, fine...I always get a chai), we always take some outfit pics (okay, fine....I always beg her to take outfit pics) and we definitely always have some laughs (okay, fine...she only started laughing after I took back my extremely heavy book bag, purse and wool coat from her one free shoulder). Moral of the story? Kiki is a gem. And a very good photo stager....scroll down to see her magic.

blue & black flannel {Aritzia} - blue tie sweater & tan denim trousers {Forever 21} -

beige suede booties {Dolce Vita via Century 21}

She instructed me to "go stand by the cab and whip my head around". Because I don't already look crazy enough posing in the middle of the sidewalk. First whip. And she got it! That is some serious iPhone clicking skills. My neck thanks you Kiki.

j.

J. Loves {His} Style: A Breath of Fresh Air

Meet Bernard. He's from Singapore. And I love his style. Read on to find out why!

 

Bernard came into our Fashion Design class a couple weeks ago wearing this. Although I'm usually not drawn to tone-on-tone looks, I was immediately drawn to his. Feeling the Winter blues in a major way these days, this bright blue ensemble had me pining for warmer days.

 

He pretended to be bashful about posing for me in the hallway, but then he started killing it. I knew he had it in him all along.

I liked that he broke up the blue with a plain white tee. And don't forget his navy blue sneakers. Which are really quite fancy. They are leather and have nice stitching detail which gives them an oxford sort of feel.

I think Bernard and I would both agree that dressing for Spring is much more preferable than dressing for Winter. Being a huge blazer fan myself, it really gets me down to then have to squeeze my blazer wearing self into a jacket. It constricts my arm movement, which is usually holding a Starbucks. And we most definitely can't have that. Hear that, Mother Nature? You can go ahead and send Spring along any day now...

A little shout out to Bernard for being my first "j. loves {HIS} style" muse!

j.

J. Loves {Her} Style: Wildly Chic

Meet Lara. She's Lebanese and I love her style. Read on to find out why!

Her shoes caught my eye first seeing as how we were sitting facing one another in our Fashion Marketing class. Is that a royal blue heeled loafer with tassels I see poking out? Why yes, I think it is. Obviously while paying close attention to my professor, I began to check out the rest of her look. Perfectly tailored bootcut jeans? Check. Sleek black turtle neck? Check. Knee-length leopard print jacket? Big check. Amazingly chic black accessories? Check and check.

Having never actually spoken to Lara before this moment (besides a smile and hello) and never having asked someone to take a photo of their outfit, I really wasn't sure what to expect. But I just knew by her smile that she was going to be the sweetest thing and I was right. I approached her and asked if I could snap a photo and she graciously agreed. The real kicker was, when I told her I loved her outfit, do you know what she said to me? She told me she thought her outfit today was no good and she had wanted to go home and change! Girl, if this is what you look like on an off day, I would love to see you on, what you consider, a good day.

Simple, sleek, interesting. I can not get enough of this look. With skinny jeans ruling the denim world these days, it was so refreshing to see someone rocking a pair of denim trousers so effortlessly without looking frumpy. This look is all chic, no frump.

So, this concludes my very first "J. Loves {Her} Style" feature. I hope you liked it as much as I did because I do plan on doing it again. Next week. Thanks to Lara for being my very first style muse!

j.

Just Rocks

I had a difficult time deciding upon a name for this post. I had many ideas. All of them with one thing in common. The word rocks. Black, Blue and Rock. Cobalt Rocks. I Love Rocks. Love Rocks. Then I thought, just rocks. And so I took my thought quite literally and ended up at just that. Just what, you ask? Just Rocks!

(haven't you been paying attention?)

cobalt blue blazer {Banana Republic} - black & white geometric tunic {Mexx} - black leggings {Aritzia} -

black biker boots {Paradise Boutique} - bracelet {Palm Desert street market} - rock ring {Urban Outfitters}

Clearly I am out of the nerd closet after declaring my unhealthy obsession love for rocks above. So I might as well continue with this (surprisingly not) embarassing confession. Because I really do love them. I suppose you could say I collect rocks. It's my favorite thing to do at the beach. Or anywhere else rocks can be found. Such as, rivers, forests, even parking lots. Most of my friends know of my fondness for rocks. So being the gems that they are, they will often keep their eyes open for any treasures they know I would love. Sasha once brought me back a rock she found in Nicaragua. It was, and still is to this day, the most beautiful rock I have ever seen. It is rectangular in shape and no bigger than an eraser. It is so smooth to the touch and even creamier to the eye. It has the most magical pattern of vivid orange and creamy white swirling around each other to create the most pleasing marbled effect. I will show it to you one day. Obviously I still have it. Along with many other beautiful rocks. It's just that they are still in their box. Because they made the move, of course. What? Doesn't everyone have a box full of rocks when they move?

Anyways. Needless to say, but I'll do it just for kicks, when I saw this ring in Urban Outfitters I just had to make it mine. It was more than I usually spend on a single item. But it is a double ring. And I've wanted one of these for a long time. And this one has rocks on it!!!

2 finger holes + 3 rocks = 1 kicka** ring = Merry Christmas to me!

Do you also buy yourself Christmas presents? (please tell me I'm not the only one!)

j.

Winter Wish List

1. Blue suede studded loafers {Loeffler Randall}. Blue suede shoes. Bedazzled blue suede shoes. Need I say more?
2. I love me a little cape. Particularly this little plaid number {Dorothy Perkins}. Who else loves that it is perfectly acceptable for grown women to wear capes? Like we're super heros. Because let's face it. Most of us are.
3. Sexy. Nerd. Glasses. It's inappropriate to feel this way toward an accessory. And even more inappropriate to blog about it. But I do. And I just did. Moving on...
4. I am not only bursting with excitement at the plethora of possible post titles that this particular item will come with. I also happen to think fur vests look kinda badass. In a 1920's kind of way. This one will be mine {BB Dakota Janika via Urban Outfitters}.
5. I need (and I really mean need, not want) a pair of everyday winter shoes. But they have to be comfortable. And stylish (obvi). And go with everything. I'm sorta in love with these ankle booties {J Crew}. But the over-indulgent shopaholic with no limits in me wants a pair in each color. Sort of defeats the purpose of an everyday shoe...
6. I know it's very trendy right now. Which I kind of hate. But I can't help but love anything aztec. Seriously love. Like this beautiful sweater {BB Dakota via Polyvore}. That I would do slightly frowned upon things for.
7. I dare you to find something more festive than metallic finger nails. I dare you.

This post took an obscene amount of time. Obscene. It was supposed to be Saturday's post. Oh well. It was so much fun to put together my winter wish list. And I could have made it ten times longer. But I practiced restraint. Barely.

What are you asking for this holiday season?

j.

The Nautical Lumberjack

I'm starting to get that excited/anxious/can't sleep/can't wait feeling. You know the one. It's the same one you get before your favorite holiday. May that be your birthday. Or Christmas. Mine is Christmas. Or vacations. In this case it's both. But more imminently it's a vacation. To - arguably - my favorite place on earth. Palm Springs. More accurately, it's Palm Desert. Which is about 15 minutes away from Palm Springs. But they are basically the same thing. I've been going there with my parents my whole life. It was my family's version of a cabin. My parents are not "lake people". They are golfers. And Palm Desert has golf. So why do I love Palm Desert so much? (Do you even have to ask!?!). The Shopping! Lots and lots of shopping.

It has everything a girl could ask for.

A mall with the obligatory cheap trendy teeny bopper stores that I can't help but still shop at, like Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe? Check.

An outdoor market with hundreds of different vendors ranging from artwork and lawn ornaments to jewelry and watches? Check.

An outlet mall several kilometers long (and do I have to remind you of my lust for outlet shopping)? Check.

 

A swanky shopping section that's fun to pretend in but only in my alter universe could I afford anything in any of the stores? Check.

And if that was not enough to get any shopaholic's heart racing. I have recently been inspired to start researching another kind of shopping. A type of shopping that I have dabbled in. And loved. But have never tried in Palm Desert before. Thrifting! There are lots of thrift stores in the area and even more white tops with loads of dough (no disrespect). I am so excited to see what's in store for me. 

faux fur ear-flap toque {H&M} - black hooded jacket { Uniqlo, NYC} - striped sweater {Jacob} -

floral tank {Target} - blue denim skinnies {The Gap} - wooly boots {Winners}

More on my newest Daily Blog Read/thrifting inspiration/girl crush later.

Until then,

j.

Professor Plum Plaid

So. Remember how bad things happened yesterday? When I stayed in my house all day. Well. Even worse things happend today. When I left the house. I did the worst thing. But it was the best thing ever. Just like yesterday. But much worse. But so so much better. OK. Enough already. I bought a new camera. It's beautiful. It was much more than the $40 wedges from yesterday. It's a Canon PowerShot XS30 IS. It's 14.1 megapixals. My old camera was 4.0 megapixals. And it's beautiful. Enough Said. Did I mention I also bought a tripod? Because I did. And they are (to my amazement) not cheap. And I may have bought a memory card. But it's 8x bigger than my old one. I know, I know. Day one of unemployment has been extraordinarily expensive. And unemployment and extraordinarily expensive should not be used in the same sentence. Twice.

After a fleeting moment of buyer's remorse, I was over it. Might as well use my new (expensive) toy. So I took myself for a nice autumn stroll. I have some practice to do using the tripod and self-timer. Among other things. Please be patient.

I had to throw in that ridiculous jumping pic. Because I look goofy. I'm not the most coordinated person. This pic doesn't give that away does it?

Ha!

Who else noticed the dent in the toe of my boot? That's what you get for buying $70 boots from The Bay. Don't worry (because I know you are), I can pop that puppy right back out. That's quality for you folks. Quality.

                        purple plaid button-up {Mexx} - plum sweater {Gap} - blue stretch skinnies {Gap} - tan riding-inspired boots {The Bay}

I think my color scheme is similar to that of a medley of fall berries. I see my outfit and smell cinnamon, cloves and a hint of raspberry. Oh wait. That's my delicious smelling air freshener. Ooops.

On that note, good night friends!

j.

Western Frills vs. Combat Cool

Happy weekend friends!

Sasha Rae and I spent another Saturday together (as per usual). We used to have Sand too until she moved to New Brunswick for a real (big kid) job a couple months ago. Ky completes our foursome but currently spends her days in Toronto. When I leave the Island at the end of November, it will be the first time in 8 years that the four of us have each been living in different locations. Gross.

The four of us met in first year university. We were all from out of town (and different towns at that: Toronto, Calgary, Fernie and Horsefly). We all lived in Rez. We all lived in the same building. On the same floor. I met Sand first, on the very first night (my 18th birthday, in fact). She was looking for a party. It was my birthday. It was love at first sight. Ky arrived a couple days late. In the middle of the night (classic Ky). Loudly. She was my next-door neighbour. Did I mention Ky is loud? It's funny but I don't actually remember meeting Sasha. However, it happened and Sash and I were basically inseparable for the rest of the year (and several more to follow). I do recall seeing Sasha before meeting her and thinking she was pretty and that I wanted to be her friend. Creepy. But true.

The four of us are as different as different can be. We like different things. We all studied completely different things in school and we all have a different career (or plan for a career). Each one of our personalities is completely unique. Odds were certainly against the four of us females to get along so well and bond so strongly. But we did. Anyways, the four of us became great friends. We moved off campus together and lived in a house together for several more years. We have travelled together. We grew up together. We became family. I am thankful for each one of my ladies and am so happy that we have maintained our friendship so well over the past 8 years.

                                                                      

Back to Saturday. It's mid-October but it was beautiful out. Thank-you Victoria. Sasha and I decided to go for a photo walk because we were both wearing cute outfits. I have named my look Western Frills and I think Sasha looks Combat Cool. We walked around Moss Street Market and looked for eye-catching backdrops for our photos while we weaved our way through the character homes and still bountiful, sun-thirsty gardens of Fairfield.

I'll break down our outfits for you. Because you're all dying to know (obviously). Sasha is wearing a beautiful scarf (likely from one of her many travels), her new vintage Levi's denim jacket (re-worked courtesy of yours truly) and her forest green combat boots (from Decade).

I am donning thrifted blue beads from ages ago, a blue striped, ruffle shirt and skinny jeans (from Jacob), brown jacket (from Aritzia) and tan, riding-inspired boots (from The Bay).

This black cat followed us for blocks. Sasha loved it (of course). I did not (allergic). The cat loved me (of course). Some may think a black cat crossing their path numerous times is a bad omen. We thought of that too. We decided this time it was a sign of good luck, if anything. And we were pretty scientific when coming to that conclusion so we figure we're fine.  Sasha gave me a piece of advice today that I am going to hold on to. She told me to "be bold". She was referring to my blogging and photography. But I think it applies to many different aspects of my life. It is something I strive to be but am not quite. Something I will work on. One of my mantras.

How did you spend your Saturday?

j.