j. loves {her} style: The Original Boho

Remember when I tied a scarf around my head and called it fashion? Well, I got that idea from my favorite boho beauty, who also happens to be my bestie. This is Sasha Rae and I will always love her style. Sash is one of those people who just naturally pulls stuff off. I mean, this girl was rocking the lace bralettes and band tanks waaay before they were cool. But she always looked cool doing it, if you know what I mean. While she certainly has a natural style and is, of course, drawn to items that reflect it, she is probably the most thoughtful shopper I have ever known. She may actually be my shopping opposite. Where I base decisions on emotion and immediate satisfaction, Sasha weighs the pros and cons of each and every purchase, does a complete wardrobe inventory to determine the item's need and has likely placed it on hold every three days for the past two weeks. 

In the end, she winds up with a perfectly curated and unique wardrobe that is 100% true to her personal style. Perhaps she may be on to something...

j.

J. Loves {Her} Style: Boho Beauty

Meet Sasha Rae. She's from British Columbia, Canada. She is my bestie. And I love her style. Read on to find out why!

 

My two favorite hipsters. Arguably the only ones I like...(I kid, but not really). Yes, that's Sasha's boyfriend. Yes, he's in a band. Yes, they are both ridiculously good looking. But in that effortless, we don't give a hoot kinda way, that just makes everyone all the more envious.

Since Sash and I are living on opposite ends of the continent, we make up for it by daily creeping on each other through various forms of social media. She was at a music festival in Canmore, Alberta this past weekend and Instagrammed (is this a legit verb yet?...I hope so) the above photos. Not only did I creep them, I "liked" them all instantly and, taking my creeping to a whole new level, asked her to send them to me so I could blog about them.

I have had the pleasure of knowing this beauty for nearly ten years and I have got to watch as her style transformed and ultimately grew as she did. Sasha has always had a defined style, from surfer chic when I first met her to what I like to call urban boho - the style that I think she has been honing for the past several years. The thing about style is that, in order to effortlessly have it, I think you need to know yourself and be confident in presenting who you really are to the world. This is why Sasha has always had style. Even though it has changed with her tastes and preferences, she has always known "who she is" - one of her most admirable qualities.

She is the perfect balance of bohemian. She's free spirited yet shows restraint. Wildly creative and fiercely intelligent. Always polished - but not too polished - and never sloppy. Rarely does she brush her hair but always seems to have those perfect bedhead/beach waves that most girls spend hours striving for. She is laid-back yet pain-stakingly detail oriented, all at the same time. And her style has come to reflect all of these things in a beautifully cohesive way.

I better stop this love fest now and simply just say this: Sasha Rae is an urban bohemian and I love her and her style to bits.

j.

J. Loves {Her} Style: Graffiti Grandma

Meet Steph. She's from California. And I still love her style. Read on to find out why!

These photos were from a little while ago when Steph and I met up at the cutest little artisan market in the lower east village. I'm going to be honest and say that I am pretty much obsessed with Steph's entire wardrobe. To say that I love her style is a bit of an understatement. I think it's because she has defined her style so well and it compliments her personality just right. And she's all about the details, which I can't help but notice.

Who else noticed that the inside of her bag perfectly accentuates the blue of her vest - which is vintage by the way. Only me....? Okay, moving on. It's such a treat to get together with this girl, not only do I know that I will be drooling over her outfit but she always has the best ideas of fun things we can do. From craft days to museums to markets we always have a blast.

j.

J. Loves {Her} Style: Braided 90's

Meet Kiki. She's from Israel and I love her style. Read on to find out why!

So, yes this is the Kiki I often talk about. This is the Kiki I live with. This is the Kiki who takes ALL of my outfit photos. This is my New York bestie. I turned the tables on her today when I told her I loved her style and wanted to take a photo of her. (She was secretly over the moon excited, pretty sure...)

She found it funny that I chose this outfit to feature because she thought it was rather simple. I think that's why I loved it so much. She put this outfit together with a theme in mind - chanelling the 90's - and we all know I love me a good theme. From her vintage denim jacket to her gold hoop earrings, Kiki was a vision from twenty years ago.

I wish I took a close up of her hair because it really was impressive. Two side braids connecting at the back into a beautiful braided bun. Simply gorgeous!

Thanks to Kiki for always being so patient behind the camera and a big thanks for finally stepping in front of it.

j.

J. Loves {Her} Style: Never Enough Neon

Meet Kanika. She's from India and I (still) love her style. Read on to find out why!

The first time I loved Kanika's style she was all about color and mixing patterns. Today, she was still all about color, but rocking the neon trend to the max. And I was loving every second of it.

One thing I appreciate about Kanika is that she commits to a look one hundred and fifty percent. She never does a style halfway. She's all about the details and the details usually make the outfit. I especially loved her neon necklace that she wore over top of her buttoned-up blouse.

From her sandals, to her bracelet and even her fingernails, she was neoned out. A big props for being able to match the colors of that skirt so spot on. Which, by the way, she made!!!

I am pretty much in awe of Kanika's design and artistic abilities every. single. time I see her. It also doesn't hurt that she is the biggest sweetheart on the planet. I just know that this girl is going to be something else real soon. I just have a feeling.

Thanks, Kanika, for rocking my favorite trend for Spring. You make neon look real good!

j.

J. Loves {Her} Style: Nerdy Neon

Meet Steph. She's from California. And I love her style. Read on to find out why!

I first took a liking to Steph's outfit in our Textiles class. She wasn't even wearing her gorgeous teal coat yet and I was drooling over her neon lace detailed top. I am really loving the neon trend right now and am kinda jealous of people who can wear the colors on their top half - this redhead, not so much...

When Steph got chilly in class, she slipped on her coat and I actually elbowed Kiki (also in the class) who was sitting beside me. I told her that Steph's outfit just got even better, as if that was possible. I die for the combination of the neon yellowish green and teal together.

Steph is all about the details when it comes to her style, which I always notice and appreciate. First, the bag she was using for all her books was a burlap tote from Elegant Fabrics. Burlap, people! Making a comeback. You should know I have a slight obsession for burlap. Next, her glasses. Love, love, love me some stylishly nerdy frames. I also loved how she paired the flowy, feminine skirt with black leather boots and don't even get me started on her thigh high polka-dot socks!

Self-described as having a grandma chic style, Steph really knows how to pull off conservative, frilly pieces by pairing them with on trend items and adding in elements of the unexpected, like her boots and socks.

Whenever I see Steph, I always adore what she's wearing and usually want at least one of her items for myself. This day was certainly no exception.

Thanks to Steph for being a constant source of inspiration and for bearing the chilly Spring day for a few photos!

 

j.

J. Loves {Her} Style: Bag Envy

Meet Amy. She's from China. And I love her style. Read on to find out why!

Amy and I have a few classes together each week. And every week I drool over her handbag. I mean seriously drool. Serious bag envy. Then yesterday I find out it's Celine. Come on, Amy! As if my green-eyed monster wasn't rearing his ugly head enough already.

 

It was ridiculously warm in NYC yesterday. Like, 20 degrees celsius warm. Sorry American friends, no idea what that means for you... A little sidebar to let you all know how thankful I am that the rest of the world also measures temperature like us Canucks. Really, these faren..what? loving people need to get with the program! Anyways, Amy and I had back-to-back classes so we stopped for a moment in Union Square to enjoy the beauty that is Spring trying really hard to happen. Oh yeah...I also made her pose for me.

 

As if bag envy wasn't enough, Amy has to go and wear a leather sleeved, knee-length blazer. Her arms felt like butter, people! It's so chic, so "on trend". Then, when I think the green-eyed monster has done his worst, she mentions, "oh! This old thing? I got it on sale at Zara for $30". ROOOOOOAAAARRRRRR! So instead of letting my angry little monster gobble her up right there in the square, I snapped a few pics and told her I loved her style!

I suppose the ridiculously on sale leather-sleeved jacket balances out the insanely beautiful, insanely expensive, definitely out-of-my-price-range purse. I will have to settle for drooling a little bit whenever I see Amy carrying it. Sigh...

Once I got beyond the purse and jacket, which was hard. Really, really hard. I loved the deep orange dress she was rocking. And yes, those are leopard print sleeves you see peeking out. They took the form of a cardigan. So much awesomness in this outfit, it was almost too much to bear.

Amy, do the rest of us a favor, will you? Stop looking so damn good and being too darn cute all the time. K, thanks.

j.

J. Loves {Her} Style: Color Outside the Lines

Meet Kanika. She's from India and I love her style. Read on to find out why!

Kanika wore this colorful ensemble to one of our Color Theory classes. Perfect, no? I think so. She arrived just a minute late so all heads turned as she made her entrance into class. They probably would have turned anyways. I loved her look right away. Especially the fuschia scarf with the mustard blazer. Obviously a statement. Obviously not something just anyone could pull off. I think Kanika pulled it off really well. She had fun with color and prints and wasn't afraid of making a mistake. She then rocked this look with such confidence, I would've dared someone to tell her it didn't work.

When you're wearing an outfit like this, you can't really be surprised when some crazy asks to take your picture. She agreed to indulge me after class and this girl's got some serious poses up her sleeve. She was working that camera iPhone so hard it was making me jealous.

Kanika joked with me that her outfit resembled a clown's. I think that's the main reason this look worked for her. She has such a fun spirit about her and isn't afraid to poke fun at herself. It's daring, bold, a little bit eccentric yet still youthful but most of all, it's fun! I'm pretty sure you can't help but smile when looking at this outfit.

Notice those two amazing bags she's rocking? I love the brown one on the left. I'd die for that buckle (okay, so that's a teensy bit dramatic...). And the one on the right says, "The Doors", in Hindi. How cool is that? Wanna know what's even cooler? Kanika, along with two of her friends, designed these bags. They legit have a handbag company. It's called Yelo Bags and you should check them out. I just read an interview with them that they posted on their blog and I'm kinda in love with all of them.

Thanks to Kanika for posing up a storm for me and for introducing me to the coolest handbag company ever. I'm pretty sure I need a Yelo bag now!

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.