Justine and I met up the other day over a hot cup of latte. She was kind enough to show me some tips on how to use my DSLR. Very helpful. It was also a nice way to kick back after a long day of work. I’m actually not much of a coffee drinker. But when I do like to pretend to be grown-up, I either choose latte (most of the time), or just black coffee. To me, the bitter taste means seriously-getting-down-to-business. You’d better not mess around if you see me armed with a cup of java.

Justine snapped a quick shot of me.  Silk scarves rock so hard!

Skirt:  mom’s closet
Scarf:  mom’s closet
Boots:  Timberland

Winter and I are starting to warm up to each other, haha.  I’m getting to know Winter a bit more; we have lots in common — we both have our ups and downs and we’re both very unpredictable.

I’ve been doing a series of posts about dressing for freezing weather (see part 1 and Legwork) because I hate having to default to jeans and windbreaker pants.  A well-made pair of tights is you really need.

Recently, I purchased two pairs of tights from a seller on eBay called showwindow, in grey and plum.  These are absolutely amazing for winter. They are made of 65% Pima Cotton (rest is nylon and polyester) so they are breathable and warm.

The inside has this fleecy lining which I absolutely love Love LOVE. It’s so cozy and adds that extra layer of warmth without the bulk.

The stitching construction is pretty good too, although I’ve only worn them twice. I’ll report back about how well they fare after a couple weeks.

Also, what I like is how opaque they are.  Oh! They are a dream!! I have never been this excited over a pair of tights.

The only thing I have to complain about is how tight they are! They’re like SPANX tight. I’m already pretty thin and I found these to be squeezing whatever body fat I had on my legs, which was really uncomfortable. But after wearing them a second time, they loosened up. It’s one of those materials that needs to be “broken in.”

Caring for your tights is really important to endless wearing. Never, ever dry your tights in a dryer. Washing them in the washing machine should be fine as long as you’re using cold water and washing with like colours. But always, always hang dry your tights! I notice that drying them in a dryer will form pilling balls on the surface, will shrink the tights, or will “age” them faster. If you have the time and patience, hand wash them!

Have fun!

YO MAN. SRSLY. YO MAN.

OMG. OMG.

I don’t know, but OMG.

Source: Fluevog

These shoes. Are totally rad. And they come in ladies sizes. I know they’ll look weird on me but I just love everything about these shoes. They absolutely look like brogues that men wore in the 1970′s with a pair of so-ugly-that-it’s-hot plaid pants, a preppy vest, and poor boy’s cap.

I have to try these on. The store is right across from MuchMusic/CP24. I just never had the balls to go inside. I know that if I go in, I will fall in love with everything in that store.

I love how they have blue laces too. WAHHHHH.

As an addendum for my last post on dressing for freezing weather, I’m going to focus on dressing up the legs.

When wearing a skirt in cold weather, I previously mentioned that wearing two layers of leggings works wonders. But if you don’t have a larger pair of leggings, you can still layer knee socks over a pair of leggings.

I couldn’t get any good pictures of myself wearing it but here’s a picture where I got the inspiration from:

Source: Face Hunter.

I prefer this look instead of leg warmers. I find leg warmers are unkempt and make your legs look bulkier.

Good luck with continuing the skirt-wearing throughout the winter! You can do it!!!!

A few hundred dollars later, I became a proud owner of the Canon Rebel XS.  It feels like such power in my hands!!  Maybe because it’s so heavy compared to my A620.. I have to get used to lugging this around.

So of course, I have no idea how to use all the functions yet, but HAVING a nice camera seems to be a good start?

Cardigan wrap: Sears’ house brand
Scarf: Random Pashmina cart
Dress: Urban Outfitters
Belt: Vintage (Mom’s)

Tiny Tines resides in Toronto, Canada, a city well-known for some pretty freezing weather (although incomparable to Calgary or Ottawa winters). Last week, we had some pretty frigid temperatures. So frigid that we’re super happy if the temperature is between 0°C and 9°C.

When the temperature drops below 0°C, we tend to default to jeans and ugly, down-filled parkas, because we have to. I am dressing for those super cold 5 minutes when I wait for the bus (which feels like an eternity).  But once I’m on the bus and at school, I don’t need all those layers and I have no where to put them (my business school does not have lockers).

So, I’d like to share you my secrets to dressing for below freezing temperature…!

Get inspiration from fashion blogs based in other cold cities like Helsinki (Hel Looks), Tokyo (Drop Snap), and Berlin (Stil in Berlin).

Source: Hel Looks

Source: Drop Snap

Wear two pairs of leggings. I know this sounds like unnecessary layering, you might as well just wear pants, right? But hear me out!! Wear one in your normal size, and over that wear a pair one-two sizes larger than your normal size. It really does keep you warm without wearing pants/jeans! Leggings can be found fairly cheap (under $10) if you know where to look, like those small lingerie shops at subway stations (I know, sketchy, but whatever!) or conventional stores like Wal-Mart and Forever 21.

Wear boots, but pack a pair of lightweight flats in your bag. It doesn’t take up space at all.  Change into them when you get to your indoor destination. You will be happy that you aren’t stomping around in your big winter boots.  Ardene is selling flats for 3 pairs for $10.

Wear gloves for goodness sakes! Gloves can be pretty, so as long as you find the nice pair.  Danier is probably selling their leather gloves for lower prices now that it’s the tail end of winter…a good investment also, given you don’t lose them!

Wear extra skirts. If you’re like me, who hates pants and jeans, you have to find a way to make skirts work.  Wool/heavy cotton skirts make a difference. Also, wearing another plain skirt underneath also helps retain body heat around the thighs. It’s like a petticoat — those 18th century people knew what they were doing!

I know this sounds like extra work, but defaulting to jeans and sweats is just terrible.  I know it’s comfortable and practical, and you want to show everyone you’re low-maintenance, but come on!  If you feel better wearing something you love, despite the weather, do whatever it takes!