FRESH PAISLEY

The weather here in Toronto has been beautiful lately! It seems Mother Nature decided to extend our summer into this weekend; adding one more thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Although I'm excited to bundle up in my warm knits and strut in my leather boots, there's no better feeling like the warm summer sun on your face. So before I dive head first into Fall here's one last post that represents what summer means to me...

Effortless, fresh, simple.

Sunnies: Ray-Ban 

Blouse & blazer: Zara

Necklace: Holt Renfrew

Paisley shorts: Joe Fresh

Studded heels: Zara

Purse: Longchamp

VIBRANT VILLAGER

Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre, Italy. The first of five villages lining the coast of the Mediterranean Sea on the north western part of Italy. It took me about 7.5 hours to hike across these picturesque villages, but views like this made every single step worth it! 

Vernazza, Cinque Terre; the fourth of five villages heading north.


Elements of this dress reminded me of these vibrant villages, which made it that much more fun to style! I was immediately drawn to this 'orange peel' shade of orange and the sexy cut-out detail in the back. With a dress this bright, form fitting and detailed I decided to keep my accessories fairly simple by using neutral colours and tones. The idea was to keep the dress the focal point.

I've grown to like the orange/blue colour combo, so I incorporated it subtly with my blue vintage bangle and charm bracelet. I used my favourite vintage clutch to tie in all the colours. And I just love how my necklace catches the light; adds a nice touch of bling!

If you use a bit of your imagination, the back view of this dress looks like one of the many colourful row houses lining each of the cinque terres, even down to the cut-out "windows", don't you think?

Here's another look at my accessories paired with my leather jacket. Aside from being a great summer dress, it can also transition well into the Fall by just adding a bit of leather. 

RIPE RASPBERRY

Here's a gorgeous view of Barcelona from within Plaça d'Espanya. It's one of Barcelona's biggest city squares, which is also home to the famous Magic Fountain of Montjuïc.

I took this photo because I loved the contrast between the raspberry coloured flowers in the foreground and the crisp white haze of the city in the background. The blocks of colour in this photo inspired me to put together this outfit:

PRISTINE IN PASTELS

Il Duomo di Firenze (Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore). I wish my camera had a higher zoom capability to show all of its intricate details and pretty colours. I love the colour composition of this photo; the pastel colours perfectly accent this bright white cathedral and it really pops against the clear blue sky!


I was so excited to put together this outfit; it had all the same key elements as the stunning Santa Maria: white, pastel accents and textured details. And it's oh so feminine! ;)

 With muted tones, I wanted to bump up the details by mixing textures. My embroidered dress, beaded clutch and studded heels complement each other nicely without looking overly busy. 

Dress: Zara

Earrings: Ikavee - instagram.com/ikavee/

Bracelets: ALDO

Heels: Zara

Clutch: Mom's hand me down

MEMORIES IN BLACK & WHITE

So I was tossing around ideas on how to best present my photos while I was tossing around in bed one night. Then it came to me; why not combine my two passions? Travel & Fashion. One inspires the other, so why not?

I had the fortunate opportunity to live in France and travel all over Europe back in 2011 and I think about my time abroad pretty much everyday. So here's one of my favourite photos from Venice and below it is my stylistic interpretation. 

 I love this simple, yet classy outfit because it's suitable for many different occasions. I decided to wear this for a cousin's wedding.

 I love the feminine shape of the peplum and the slimming cut of the pencil skirt.

 I'm a big fan of texture; here's my pretty and understated black lace skirt paired with a textured white peplum top. I continued with the textured theme with my pleated clutch and gold rope bangle. 

 To contrast the tactile stimulation from my outfit, I opted for a sleek and simple pony tail. I also wanted to keep my jewelry pretty simple and 'neutral'.

I never wear lipstick, but thought this pretty coral one would be a nice pop of colour to make this outfit a bit more fun and youthful!

Have a great week ahead!

xx

Top: H&M
Skirt: Banana Republic
Accessories: Chanel earrings from Paris and gold bangle, a souvenir from Iceland
Clutch: Danier Leather
Satin pumps: Love Fury by Nine West

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN!

Recently, I went to Punta Cana in Dominican Republic to celebrate my sister's bachelorette. It was our first time visiting and we were all really impressed at how nice the beach and resort was. It was a small girls get-away, but still full of fun and laughs! The weather couldn't have better; the clear skies, crystal blue/green water and white sand was the perfect backdrop for my first blog post! So here are a couple shots of what I wore during our time on the island:

 Here I am posing on our party boat ;) This excursion included snorkeling, drinking in the water and dancing on the boat! Was an awesome way to spend the afternoon. Here I'm wearing a mesh cover-up I found at Joe Fresh. I don't think it was intended to be worn over a bathing suit, but I thought it would be cute and since it's full of holes it was perfect for the beach!

 The obligatory writing in the sand. Here I'm wearing my favourite bikini from Victoria's Secret. I love how the colourful brooch sparkles in the sun!

Here's a closer look at the pretty broach :)

This was my first time wearing this dress after I bought it in South Beach 6 years ago for my other sister's bachelorette! It was a perfect cover-up while roaming through the resort, but could also work for a dinner out. Its shiny finish, low-cut back and tight accordion pleats make this dress so feminine and fun! I paired it with gold chandelier earrings to up the glam factor ;)