I got this blouse from J. Crew on clearance and it is absolutely sumptuous. I’ve been wearing it nearly daily under sweaters.

Sometime life calls for a badass moment, when you just want to break free from the rules that govern your life and throw all conventionality out the window.  I find myself experiencing these moments more often than ever before.  2012 might very well be a year of me doing me.  Time to rock!  Happy New Year, buddies.

Sick photograph by Andes Lo.  Thanks for letting me be!

Dearest friends, welcome to Winter!  We’re getting sub-zero temperatures in Toronto and a bit of that fluffy white stuff that some people seem to be a fan of.  Like my girl Justine, I too haven’t bought anything new in the longest time.  You can expect to see some extremely old stuff being worn in the next little while because I likely won’t be acquiring much of anything this season.  Now that I’m someone’s fiancée, my mind is always thinking about the dough I can save for the future.  Sigh.. is this what growing up is all about?  So boring.  haha

Not ready to grow up yet!

I am wearing..

Blazer:  H&M
“Fruity” top:  Zara
Pants:  Initial (Hong Kong)
Shoes:  Zara

I have not bought a new piece of clothing in months and haven’t used my Visa since September (bought a bag) so I’m quite proud of myself! I hope I can keep it up while holiday sales are going on.

I’ve been digging in the far corners of my closet and forced myself to wear something I haven’t worn in ages. And if I didn’t feel like wearing it when I pulled it out, it meant I should donate it. I’ve placed a bin at the bottom of my closet called my “Donate” bin so that it makes purging much easier and on-the-go rather than a full-day planned session.

I am wearing:

Plaid shirt: Bluenotes
Jeans: BDG Cigarette High-Rise Jean – Pure Blue from Urban Outfitters
Shoes: Spring, 3 years ago

Still alive and kickin’!  A week ago, Davis surprised me with a little accessory for the fourth finger of my left hand, so my mind has been preoccupied with things that come after.  Hope everyone’s keeping warm and looking awesome doing it. For the record, I still haven’t put away my summer clothes. Welcome to my delusional mind.

I am wearing..

Shoes: Nine West
Shirt Dress: H&M
Scarf: BCBG
Tights: FCUK

My obsession with capes (as seen here) shows no sign of stopping.  Well, of course not.. That’s like asking Superman if he gets tired of that red thing on his shoulders.  This convertible cape/top/coat thing I recently picked up is pretty much the Magic Bullet of clothing.  It can be worn in a variety of ways to suit different wardrobe needs.  So much fun.

I was practicing my flying.

The tiered-back is lovely too.

I am wearing..

Top/Cape/Jacket/Kindersurprise toy: Max Azria
Pants:  H&M
Boots:  Deena & Ozzy from Urban Outfitters

I got another pair of new frames. Yes, another… but this time they’re the ones I’ve been eyeing on for the past couple of months. The free pair I wore in my previous post just didn’t cut it. Not because it was free, but the lenses were just a couple centimeters too big. I searched high and low for them, only to find that Clearly Contacts would provide them for the lowest price possible. It came with a really cute rectangular prism box:

I loooove them.

I am wearing:

Glasses: Christian Dior 3197
Shirt: Vintage
Skirt: Vintage
Suspenders: Dad’s
Shoes: eBay

Matchstick has graciously offered to send me a pair of Pillow Boots from Cougar Boots to review and style.  Of course I jumped at the chance!  It’s illegal to say no to shoes.  Besides, I am all about supporting companies which spring from my country’s red and white grounds.  I have utmost faith that a Canadian company would turn out a boot worthy of engaging in battle with our cold and wet elements.  Hardcore as these Pillow Boots are (pillows are SO hardcore!), they have a soft and cushion-y inside too.  I felt so comfortably protected and invincible that I wanted right away to jump into a big pile of snow, but I guess nature can’t be hurried.

The Pillow Boots come in a variety of colours, but the tan with red fleece lining is LIMITED EDITION!  Can’t ever go wrong with Limited Edition.  (Side story, in the makeup world, we call them “LE”.  And we looooove our LEs!)

I can imagine getting a lot of use out of these when the snow hits.  Check out the store locator to find out where to purchase yours!

I am wearing..

Top:  Zara
Blazer:  Yeou-Ya (Korean brand)
Shorts:  Stella McCartney for GAP kids
Necklace:  Street Vendor in Toronto

Special thanks to Davis for snapping these shots!

Unfortunately, it’s too cold to dress like this now.  Toronto has been getting some chilly temperatures already. I guess it’s time to bust out those opaque black tights again!  Just as well, because despite my best efforts, the pasty legs just refused to adopt any colour.  Softball, jogs and camping apparently weren’t enough to beat them into submission.   Summer, you really weren’t that hot, but I’ll miss you anyway.

What are you gonna miss the most about Summer fashion?  SHORTS for me.

I am wearing..

Skirt:  H&M
Blouse with bow:  Club Monaco
Belt:  Versace
Shoes:  Nine West
Headband:  Hong Kong

The best time to take outfit photos (and any photos for that matter) is at around 4:00-5:00 in the afternoon. That’s when the sun sets and the light is just right (if it isn’t overcast/cloudy). If you miss it, you miss it. But there is always tomorrow.

These huge hipster glasses have my new prescription (I’m nearsighted) and got them free from Clearly Contacts (well, I had to pay for shipping which was like $15-$17). They have promotions for free glasses (select frames) every so often. I keep a lookout for  promotional codes from Smart Canucks. The funny thing is, Clearly Contacts never had freebie promos for contact lenses, even though their business name sounds like they’re all about contacts, clearly (ha!). It’s like that restaurant with the words “express donuts” in the name, but they don’t sell donuts (???) and are well-known for their quick chow mein lunches.

I’m trying not to depend on my glasses so much, but it’s really hard. I find that I even need to wear them when I’m in front of the computer! And the screen isn’t even that far away from me! I guess my eyesight is getting worse…

I kind of got a little overboard at Forever21 and suddenly bought 5 dresses from there in a span of 4 weeks! I don’t know, I never really bought dresses from there since I know they don’t last long and probably made by sweatshop workers, but they’re so cute!! And I guess, like the rest of the middle class, I passively feed the exploitative system and perpetuate bad business practices because I think “they’re so cute!”.

I try to stop and think — is wearing cute clothes a priority over ethical consumption? But it’s too late, the credit card has been swiped and the ethical shopper in me had lost. But the battle was already lost when I stepped into the store.

Now I’m trying to just spend my lunch hours with bubbly new co-workers and have insightful conversations, rather than walk around the big mall like an Olympic sport. Like any addiction or bad habit, the first step is to replace those bad activities with something else (hopefully better), and take other conscious steps to ween off of it. Baby steps….

I am wearing:

Dress: Forever 21
Purse: Vintage
Shoes: Korea
Glasses: Clearly Contacts