Kensington Strolls

Up until about two months ago, I lived within walking distance of one of my favorite markets in Toronto - Kensington Market. Unfortunately time flies and with my hermitting ways, I spent a lot of time indoors and not enough outdoors. Now I'm living further away and it makes the trek out to the market a little bit more difficult. Fortunately for me, I have some friends who enjoy the market just as much as I do. So now I have reasons to go out to the market and to enjoy it at it's fullest.

I spent the day with one of my friends roaming around the city, trying a $54 grand-buffet brunch, and then continuing on through a walk down Queen Street before making my way over to Kensington. We happened  upon some lovely steps out front of a church and managed to catch the last few rays of sunshine before it settled over the city. After commuting back home, I realized just how much I missed the area.

Collared Sweats

Although I loved the freedom of being in a completely different city all by myself, I constantly longed to be home again for the holidays. The days leading up to my departure were pure torture in my eyes just knowing that I'd soon be home, but I was still so far away. It's comforting to be in my old bed, in my old room, and to see all of my old friends again. But the one true thing that I despised about coming back was all of the packing. 

Winter in Canada is harsh, if not harsher in Ottawa. The weather is not only cold, but extremely dry as well. In preparation for the torrid conditions, I tried my best to pack the warmest of the warm sweaters that I could find. Which would also entail lots of layering so that the looser knits wouldn't let in the draft. Sweaters, however, mean bulk. And bulk leads to wasted space in my luggage. Two weeks worth of clothes means that I'm in need of some smart packing. So I took on the challenge (obviously I'll need some space to bring back the Christmas goodies) and brought home enough pieces to layer differently, without taking up too much space. How do you pack for colder climates?

Shirt - Aritzia | Sweater - H&M | Pants - J Brand | Boots - Zipia

Prairie Girl

I've always felt that midi skirts are so feminine and ultimately I'd love to pair one up with a bralette. Unfortunately for me, when I've finally found one that I like, it seems that the weather is against my plans. Instead, I chose to layer my favorite turtleneck sweater over top of the skirt and finish it off with a pair of heeled booties to add some height back into my silhouette. Because the skirt is so full, I wanted to elongate my legs so that my height doesn't get lost beneath the layers of fabric.

I decided on a muted pastel palette and surprisingly I think that this is the first time in a few months that I haven't worn a single black piece in my outfit. Oddly enough I felt very comfortable using some color and will definitely go back to it again and again.

The fullness of this skirt reminded me a lot of the costumes from Little House on the Prairie, hopefully everyone understood that reference, or am I dating myself here? I love how much movement the skirt gives to the outfit and I had a lot of fun trying out different poses for the photos. It was also surprisingly warm in terms of a skirt in the winter time. This was most likely because of the volumes of fabric insulation all of the body heat underneath and keeping me cozy while outside in the chilly air.

Sweater - Garage | Skirt - H&M | Boots - Zara

A Special Christmas

If you know my locations well, then you'll have recognized that this doesn't look like my normal shots. Yes you're right, I've changed locations for the holidays! This holiday holds a dear part of my heart since I've grown up celebrating it with my family. I'm back in Ottawa for the next two weeks in order to spend both Christmas and New Years with my loved ones. That doesn't mean no posts, but rather a change of scenery. And wouldn't it be nice to have change every once in awhile? I sure think so!

I just wanted to wish all of my readers and followers out there a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and nod to every other holiday you maybe celebrating at this time of the year. I hope that everybody has fun, stays safe and I'll see you all in the New Year! Cheers!

Top - H&M | Shorts - H&M | Tights - Hudson's Bay | Boots - Zipia

A Canadian Toque

It's going to be a white Christmas! Last year at this time we hadn't even had our first snow fall yet. I'm overjoyed to know that there is some white on the ground, but the fact that it's there also means that it's cold out. In the past I've resorted to keeping my head, neck and ears warm with my hair. Don't laugh, all you girls out there who've tied your hair up in the winter know exactly what I'm talking about. This year I decided to give keeping warm a go by using some of the hats that I own, but have never really put to use. In Canada we don't call them beanies, we call them toques. That's actually a common misconception since I've never called a knitted hat a toque in my life and I'm Canadian born and raised. So a beanie it is!

I'm absolutely in love with this burgundy mixed knit beanie that has an assortment of multi-colored threads going through it. The different colors gives the beanie a sort of multi-dimensional look which I appreciate besides it being just one color overall. The faux-fur pom on top is also removable, so on days that I just want a beanie with no topping, I can pop it off and away I go.

T-Shirt - c/o WMCFW15 | Vest - Dynamite | Pants - H&M | Shoes - H&M | Toque - Zipia

Winter Whites

Everytime I wear something white, I always manage to cause a spill that stains it. Always. It's by far the color that I avoid the most since it's the easiest to damage. However, come winter time, it becomes one of the colors that I reach for the most. It reflects beautifully off of the snow on the ground and creates a warm glow on whoever wears it. This silk crepe, moto blazer has recently made it's way into my many of my outfits since it fits in with my neutral scheme and it layers well for warmth.

Even better is the fact that I can take it off while eating so as to avoid any food splatters. This definitely calls for a win-win situation and pushes the blazer into the forefront of my closet.

Top - Zipia | Blazer - Dynamite | Pants - H&M | Boots - Zipia

Lids

I picked up this Yankee's cap in NYC this past summer while on a trip with a friend. I'm not a fan of hats, but I do have to admit that they are fantastic for bad hair days. I try not to wash my hair everyday since that causes it to dry out quickly. So on days in between washes I've been toying with the idea of hats as an accessory as opposed to just a method of keeping my head warm. I prefer not to tie my hair up in the winter in between washes since it makes my ears cold. So headgear has been a go to for me for the past couple of weeks.

On chilly days I like to dress comfortable and the easiest way to do it is through a sporty chic style. A la Wang, I chose the T-shirt dress that I grabbed from his collaboration with H&M and layered a peacoat on top to put some femininity back into the outfit. I decided that I'd been wearing my Isla booties too much this past month so I swapped them out for these lace-up combat heels instead.

All said and done, I loved how comfortable yet warm this entire look was. Will it become a repeat? Definitely once the temperature becomes a little bit warmer.

Top - Alexander Wang X H&M | Leggings - Urban Outfitters | Jacket - Aritzia | Hat - Century21 | Boot - Zipia

Another Day of Blanket Scarves

There are days where all that I want to do is to snuggle up in a corner and sleep for the whole day, but who am I kidding, life doesn't allow that. Even on weekends I have to get up, clean, blog and do socially acceptable things such as spending time with friends. I've come to a conclusion that the only way I could ever enjoy that feeling would be to simulate it. Through what you ask? Through blanket scarves. You don't know how many times I've wrapped this scarf around myself and just sucuumbed to the warmth of it. It's like a warm frying pan melting you, who is a stick of butter, into a puddle. Yes, I went there. So on days that I don't want to roll out of bed, I bring the bed with me wherever I go.

Sweater - H&M | Scarf - Aritzia | Jeans - Garage | Boots - Miista

Holiday Gift Guide: $500+

As we come upon the last day of the Gift Guide, it marks 4 days left before Christmas. I'm hoping that almost everyone has at least started on their gift hunting by now, if not, hurry up! Christmas is just around the corner!

The last and final installment for this series is always a tough one for me since $500+ is not within my personal budget to get anyone as a gift. However, I know that some of my readers out there enjoy a good splurge every once and awhile and what better time than Christmas than to go all out?

1. NIKKOR 50mm f/1.2 (Nikon) | $799.95
   This is for the photographer that you're shopping for. Most have access to a 50mm f/1.8 lens since it's relatively inexpensive. But for a beautifully bokeh'd photo, a f/1.2 is always a dream to own!
2. iPhone 6 Plus (Apple) | $859.00
   If you're jonesing for a larger screen, then you might as well go all out and get the Plus model of the new iPhone 6. Personally I love the gold case against the white piping, but the person you're shopping for may not, so make sure you know what their preferences are!
3. Alexander Wang Black Leather Lizard Embossed Anouk Boots (SSENSE) | $632.00
   If the person you're shopping for likes making a statement, grab them a pair of the Anouk Boots from Alexander Wang. A peek of hardware at the heel is always the perfect amount to grab the attention of others.
4. Pop Bracelet (Coordinates) | $3, 880.00
   I love the coordinates collections since you can engrave any place on Earth onto it. This beautiful solid 14K gold piece is embelished with sterling silver that pops open at diamond studded hinges.
5. 32mm Belt Kit (Hermes) | $880.00
   The iconic H belt from Hermes is both simple and classy. It elevates even the most simple outfits and is perfect for going to work or out with friends.

Best of luck to anybody and everybody out there who is still doing their Christmas shopping! Make sure to share what you've picked up, but only after your gifts have all been opened. We don't want any spoilers on here!

Fluoro Yellow

As much as I try to incorporate color into my wardrobe, I often end up purchasing pieces in neutrals because they're "safe". I convince myself that I'll get much more wear out of pieces that are similar in color (which is very true), but in the end I always feel like my wardrobe looks so, well, blah. In my quest to inject color into my life, I picked up this blazer from Zara over the summer during their semi-annual sale since I'd had my eye on it for so long. I usually refrain from purchasing pieces that I'm unsure of whether or not they'd fit into my wardrobe, but since this blazer kept making its way into my thoughts for a couple of months, I justified that it had won a place in my closet.

Since it's purchase, I've actually only worn it a surprisingly total of two times. Yes two. Does it still deserve that pedestal spot in my closet? It's becoming harder and harder for me to say yes now. Which pushes me farther into the direction of "let's just stick to neutrals since you can always wear them with anything". And then I fall back into that cycle of only wearing neutrals. One of my NYE resolutions this year is to keep taking this blazer out and to wear it at least once a month. Hopefully I can slowly reintroduce color back into my life and become inspired by the variety of colors that the rainbow has to offer!

Top - Aritzia | Blazer - Zara | Pants - H&M | Boots - Shoemint