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!

Looking for a dress for yet another Wedding? Try Renting

      Most of us love dressing up once in awhile, but there are several constraints that have developed in our lives that has made this a little bit more of a challenge - social media. Social media has made it almost impossible to wear the same outfit twice. Now that isn’t to say that  you can’t put your styling skills to use but if you’re like me who likes to buy things that are bright and colourful maybe you’ll get two wears out of that fabulous dress you bought. Cost is another factor that has been a stumbling block from time immemorial, can I just say that the prices for clothing have gone up across the board. Zara, H&M, Aritzia, Club Monaco they have lovely things but it's getting to the point that buying certain items for one wear isn’t cost effective. Also the time old situation of someone showing up to the same event wearing the same dress (and looking better than you *shock and horror*)

    In comes dress rentals. I have heard about renting clothes before but didn’t really know if it was something that I could access. A lot of dress rental websites are based in the US and as a Canadian that is really annoying for obvious reasons - shipping and duties. Enter Fitzroy Boutique, I have been a loyal follower of their store for the last couple of years. They’ve always sold some amazing clothes and accessories so when they decided to start dress rentals I was excited. I recently had need for an outfit as I have a wedding I’m attending last November. It was a great experience!  

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     How does it work? Well you have two options you can check out their website and order your outfit on their or go in store. I use the website to check out if there were any outfits that I was intrigued to try on. I headed to their boutique 1227 Dundas Street West, 2nd Floor, no appointment is necessary. They carry numerous outfits in XS - L and some plus sizes, you can go through the racks organized by size and grab whatever you like and head to the change rooms. Can I say that I loved their change rooms! They are bright and well lit thanks to some large windows and the lighting fixtures in the space. They have heels that you can use while trying on clothes and you can buy some accessories as well. You get to play dress up, if you find a outfit you’d like to rent the rental price is on the tag attached to the outfit. You can rent items for 4 or 8 days. The time for rental includes the day you pick up and return the dress. In this case I needed the jumpsuit for Saturday November 18th, so I picked up the dress on Friday and returned it on Monday.  I believe there is a $20/day late fee for every day the dress is late. As well there is a $5 insurance fee that you can choose to pay for. This covers any reasonable damage that may occur on the outfit. I got the insurance because I would rather not worry about it. They dry-clean all of the outfits before and after use. If you have any questions please call the boutique Julie was a great help to me while there trying on clothes and getting me through the process.

    My verdict, I have another wedding to attend this July and I’ll definitely be heading back to the boutique to find an outfit. While you could be spending up to $100 on a rental in my mind it's still a great deal, you get a new outfit and you don't have to worry about it gathering dust in your closet when you realize you can’t wear it again for whatever reason. Another plus is you can spend your time on buying some cute accessories (shoes, bag, jewellery, etc.)

Update: They now have bag rentals, so you can find a matching clutch as well! 

*Reposted from November last fall

ISSA headwrap

Growing up in a Ghanaian household one thing that was ever present was the headwrap. It’s a cultural mainstay for everyday or for when we dress up in our traditional clothes for various events such as weddings, funerals, and all holidays. This isn’t unique to Ghanaian people as our fellow Africans do it too. Recently it’s become really popular I think with the rise of the natural hair movement and also African people embracing and celebrating our culture. I’m not going to lie it’s also so convenient when I’m feeling lazy to do my hair. Luckily for me I just know how to tie a headwrap based on my upbringing but if you’re looking for some tips check out this video from OkayAfrica

Having trouble styling your headwrap? Okay Africa has a great tutorial:

The ladies of OkayAfrica show us 7 ways to tie a headwrap. Producer: Chika Okoli Video Editor: Paul Notice Song: Only Girl Artist: Adekunle Gold Download here: smarturl.it/Only.Girl

Blue Double-Breasted Blazer and a not so ordinary pencil skirt

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 If I catch you in the hall during announcements you’re late for class… I’m out here channelling my inner teacher. Double Breasted blazers scream POWER and NO-NONSENSE, which is what you want to exude on a Monday to get your week rolling right.

   I’ve professed my love for blazers and this picture just reinforces my love for them. Without the blazer you have a classic work outfit - pressed white collared shirt and pencil skirt with a mini twist. Anyone can wear this outfit and look great but throwing the blazer on top in my mind really takes this outfit from uniform to personalized. The shade of blue is vibrant and works for all skin tones and hair colours (I would love to have pink hair again). Also you get another another wear out of your uniform because the blazer completely changes the look of it.

    One of thing I’ll be trying to show is that styling and interesting pieces will help you get the more wear out of your clothing. Does this mean that I never buy new things? Of course not but the key is to figure out what clothing you actually like to wear and get rid of the things you bought because they were cute, or on trend, and you only wore for that one night and never wore again. By figuring this out you’ll be able to pare down your closet and have a cohesive look - whatever you look is.

I love pleated skirts - JCrew outfit

I love pleated skirts and with my recent closet clean out I only have 2 left which sucks! 3 things I love about this skirt are the length, the lining, and the style of the pleat. It's also perfect to wear in the fall without tights, which is always a win. The colour of the skirt is a dusty rose, paired with a green tiger patterned silk shirt, and a navy blue blazer. All three pieces are from J.Crew with the most recent purchase being the silk shirt (this summer), the skirt 2 years ago, and the blazer from 4 years ago. The shoes are courtesy of Zara. This outfit is comfortable and great for the office or heading to brunch/lunch/dinner.