Friday Style tip: cropped wide-legged cotton pants

J.Crew Cropped Pants

Photo - J.Crew

Anthropologie Pintucked Chino Pants

Photo - Anthropologie

Zara Cropped Pants

Photo - Zara

It’s Friday and I am here with a style tip to take you into the weekend. For those of us who work in a corporate setting Fridays are normally “casual Friday” -  a day that leads to a lot of pondering on what you can wear and why your closet sucks. One thing that has been irking me lately is I only have one pair of non-ripped jeans that I can wear to work, and lately I haven’t been loving that pair of jeans, so I had been looking for an alternative. I landed on some wide legged cropped cotton pants which is a style that has been trending over the last year.

Here are 3 reasons why you should consider adding these pants to your casual Friday rotation:

1. You can wear a dress shirt or a t-shirt add a blazer and you’re ready for any last minute client meetings.

2. Heels, flats, or sneakers are no problem - go with your mood.

3. Comfortable, these pants are meant to be comfortable

Bonus points: these pants should work with everyone’s wardrobe and can/should be worn outside of work too!

Have a great Friday and weekend!

Style Diary 1: Wearing Neon to work

Neon Chartreuse (the colour between neon green and yellow)

Neon has been trending over the past 3 years and I’m not sure who started it but as someone who isn’t quick to jump on trends, I decided to try neon out this past month. If any of you are familiar with my blog or instagram page you know that I’m a huge fan of Aritzia, while shopping their winter sale for sweaters, I scooped up this sweater (Wilfred Free-Isabelli Sweater- Waffle-knit crewneck sweater) in neon chartreuse to try it out. Functionally, I love this sweater because its soft and warm, which really saved me for the last couple of month when it was -20 Celsius.  Now to the best part, yes I have actually worn this sweater to my corporate job (multiple times - it was really cold!). Unless you work in a company that is a very strict/formal dress code the only thing you have to fear is standing out. I will say glowing like a highlighter will garner attention because you’re literally a beacon but otherwise I’m perfectly in the parameters of my companies policy.

I’m sure you’re thinking, yes your brave and you stood out but how can I possible work neon into my work clothes? What does neon chartreuse match with? I’ve pulled together 3 looks with my neon sweater that you can wear to the office (if permitted).

Neon Sweater with Black Dress Pants

Neon and High Waisted Skirt

Neon & Navy High waisted wide-leg pants

Neon & Black Pants - Bonus points if you pair this with a non-black shoe. Everyone should have a pair of black pants (if you don’t please email me), this is an easy look and very comfortable for a day in the office and with a colourful shoe transitions well into an evening look.

Neon & Tan High-Waisted Pencil Skirt -  At first glance, these two colours shouldn’t work together. I personally like the contrast of the two pieces and the colour of the skirt falls into the neutral category which tones down the brightness. It creates a unique look paired with comfortable black stacked heel ankle boots. The boots aren’t too high so you can comfortable get from meeting to meeting without feeling your feet go numb.

Neon & Navy Wide Legged Pants -  Blue and Yellow work well together, using different tones of both colours make it easy to pair the sweater and pants together. Personally, I like wide-leg pants for work because you can wear them with flats and heels and look cute in both.

The moral of the story is that you can wear neon to work! If you have something in your closet right now or you were eyeing an item, try it out!

P.S. I wasn’t joking about the black pants, if you don’t have any please email me - you’re clearly in dire need of a closet rehab!

90's Vibes

Last week I served you a red monochromatic look for a work holiday party. That look is for those of us who don’t mind standing out at work events. This week I’m bringing you something cute and sassy that will have you sashaying into the party and maybe onto the dance floor for a little one-two-step. As always, I aim to put together work looks that anyone can wear and feel amazing in!

This holiday looks is pretty simple - the two elements that give it the holiday vibes are the headband that is crown-like and the sparkly tights. I love the billowy sleeves on the Rebecca Minkoff blouse and knitted pattern around the arms and at the top. The black skirt I bought in Paris and it’s been my fun/party since I bought it. Now the tights and headband I bought from Urban Outfitters and they a really the icing on the holiday fruit cake. Headbands have also been really big this year and let's be frank, they’ve been been around since forever so definitely try one out this holiday season. If you live in a cooler climate you definitely wear stocking/nylons in the winter time. Why not make this seasonal mainstay apart of your holiday look? These tights are really sparkly, fun, and will keep your legs a little warmer.  Finally, the ankle boots with a bit of a heel give this look a bit of a 90’s girl vibe but are practical and easy to wear throughout the day.

Happy Work Partying! If you want to put this look together see links below:

Lady in Red

December is finally here and I’m ready for all things Christmas!

*If you follow my Instastories you know I’ve been drinking all of the Starbucks holiday drinks since they came out.

Not only is it time for delicious Starbucks drinks but it's PARTY TIME!

This year I have 3 work holiday parties! That’s right 3 parties which, require 3 different outfits that will get me through the work day to the work party. I’ll be showcasing 3 different work-safe holiday looks over the coming weeks. This week, I’m sharing Lady in Red.

I love a monochromatic look and had been looking for the perfect moment to pull this off.

Why do I love this look for a work holiday party? Other than the shoes (which I love!), You’re wearing dress pants and a dress shirt, which are comfortable work clothes. The pants and top aren’t the same shade of red which I feel softens the overall effect. Another great thing about this look is, you can throw on a black blazer throughout the day for meetings. Shoe wise, you can wear flats during the day and change into your heels for the party or, stay in the heels the whole day to get the full effect of this killer look!  

Lastly and most importantly - this look works for everyone!

I would definitely suggest you look through your closet and see if you have pieces in the same colour scheme and match them up. Luckily for me all of these pieces were already in my closet.

See what I did there? I shopped my closet, like the “responsible” adult I am (and you are too ;) ).

*If you’re in the holiday spending mood click on images below to recreate the look:

Happy Work Partying!

Houndstooth fit for fall

One reason that I absolutely love houndstooth is that it never goes out of style. For as long as I can remember it’s always been popular.

*A little side note - the same day I wore this skirt to work another manager was wearing her “old” (that’s how she referred to it) houndstooth blazer and it matched my skirt perfectly*

My goal when it comes to dressing for work is style that is a no-brainer. This iteration of a stylish no-brainer is my favourite red silk blouse from Équipement (I’ve had this blouse for a while) and this midi length houndstooth skirt I recently bought from Zara.

My 3 favourite things about this skirt :

1. The timeless pattern

2. The length - For work, I prefer skirts to be knee length or midi. In a professional setting shorter hemlines are always risky and not worth the embarrassment of someone commenting on the length of your skirt.

3. It’s easy to style with various tops to get you through the fall/winter

*And it’s only $79.99 at Zara (a steal in my opinion)

For some extra style points add some cute shades and a leather jacket to this look and you’ll be feeling like a BOSS!

Shop my look below:

Parisian attitude and a look

​I’m so excited it’s finally Fall! I won’t lie I was over the summer humidity but not sunshine and being able to go outside with wet hair and flip flops. Now that Fall is finally here we get to have Fall fashion - lots of layering, cozy sweaters, and tights.

To kick off the new season, I’ve put together the cutest outfit that is perfect for work and after hours.

I’m giving you Parisian swag and european lewks (half of this outfit was bought in Europe - but can easily be replicated without a eurotrip price tag).

I bought this lovely V-neck Wool dress with a ruffled hem in London at Oliver and Bonas. I knew as soon as I saw it that I needed to add to my wardrobe. The dress is a great length, an a-line cut, and it’s sleeveless so it’s great for layering. 

The dress shirt is from Pink Tartan a Canadian brand. This is one of my favourite shirts - it was a splurge purchase from a couple years  ago but totally worth it. The cut and fit are perfect and it has some really nice details like the grosgrain trim around the cuffs and collar, and the pink stitching in the buttonhole on the cuffs. The yellow belt was a pop of colour that I bought from Uniqlo - if thrifting is up your alley then you could definitely thrift a colourful belt.

“Raspberry Beret,the kind you buy at a second hand store” - lyric by Prince. This beret isn’t raspberry but a lovely mustard I picked up at the Notting Hill market for £8. It’s super cute but also something you can buy anywhere. It was my first purchase on my London trip this fall so it’s a special mustard beret.

I’m also wearing tights which I have a love and hate relationship with. Either I’m super irritated or slightly annoyed while wearing them. Last year I bought Wolford tights in 20 denier and honestly they are the most comfortable tights I’ve ever had. My shoes are super old as I don’t remember where or when I bought them but the best thing about this outfit is you can wear whatever shoes you like; flats, oxfords, heels, booties etc.  

Finally, I got my yellow coat on my first Euro trip in 2015. Boo (my husband) and I left warm Barcelona for cool and wet Amsterdam. With the change in temperature I got a cold and didn’t have a coat. I spent the next day searching for a coat and stumbled upon a random boutique downtown and when I saw the colour and the lining I was sold!

Me in Delft, Netherlands

What do you think? I’m pretty sure anyone can pull off this look. I think the hardest part about pulling this look together is finding the dress for layering so, I’ve found 3 alternative options below to the Oliver Bonas dress I bought.

Happy Layering!