ONE HUNDRED & NINE/ about last night

Last night was spent celebrating my good friend, Aurelia. Today is technically her birthday but we grabbed some drinks and tapas last night from a cute little place called 10fourteen in Wellington West alongside a handful of her closest friends. I had a lot of fun munching on delicious food (honestly we ordered close to everything on the menu #sorrynotsorry) and just chitchatting about anything and everything.

For my outfit du jour I decided to go for a simple all black look (surprise, surprise) with hints of iridescent accessories. I paired my new Lord & Taylor blazer with a leather lapel with my go-to black chiffon top and ripped jeans for more of a rock star vibe. The look all came together with my iridescent loafers from Miista and a killer necklace that I scored from H&M for only $2.50. I carried this outfit over from grabbing brunch with friends in the morning, to a short stint at work in the afternoon, to drinks with friends in the evening.

BLAZER/ Lord & Taylor TOP/ Goodwill JEANS/ Forever 21+
 SHOES/ Miista (via consignment) HANDBAG/ Zara WATCH/ Michael Kors
LIPSTICK/ Too Faced Melted 'Violet'

Photos by Aurelia Cerquozzi

NINETY-FIVE/ outlet

Last Thursday was spent roaming around town with Aurelia. We had originally planned on making a trip down to Montreal to wait in line overnight on St. Catherine's Street in line for the Alexander Wang x H&M debut but we had a change of heart last minute. We decided to grab some breakfast at Baker Street Cafe, check out the new 'Tanger' outlet mall in Kanata and just run errands all over town.

In all honesty, we didn't have the highest hopes for the outlet mall. If we did, we would have been really disappointed. Although the stores were pretty well stocked, the prices didn't reflect those of typical outlet stores. The prices were virtually the same as mall prices, but we did leave with more than a few goodies nonetheless. My favourite part of the entire shopping trip was stepping foot into Hot Topic. Aurelia and I were laughing the entire time and discussing how our sixteen-year-old scene kid selves would have died for this kind of store so close to home. I almost left with a 'My Chemical Romance' tee but unfortunately they were out of my size. I'll be checking back soon though!

My best finds were a pair of Nike Roshe Runs (found in the kids department, heeey) and a pair of burgundy booties from Shelly's London. My favourite piece that Aurelia picked up were a killer pair of windowpane patterned pants from JCrew that I'm sure will be showcased on her blog sometime in the near future.

Since I knew we would be spending the day shopping and running errands, I dressed for the occasion. I broke out my favourite distressed jeans from Forever 21 that I haven't had the chance to wear in forever and my favourite top and kimono. I pretty much live in this oversized plaid scarf and easy to wear slip ons at the moment. I really love simple, comfortable outfits that I really don't have to put that much thought into.

TOP/ via Goodwill SCARF&KIMONO&JEANS/ Forever 21
HANDBAG/ 3.1 Phillip Lim WATCH/ Michael Kors
SHOES/ via Winners

Photos by Aurelia Cerquozzi and myself

NINETY/ girls night

Last Friday my friends Laura, Lisa, Aurelia and I decided to treat ourselves to a little girls night out. It wasn't anything too extreme or wild but we had a blast just lounging and chatting. We went for drinks and tapas at a spot down in Little Italy called The Moon Room. I had a champagne/gin based cocktail (which was to die for) and we shared bacon wrapped olives, some candied pecans and a cheese platter - all of which were out of this world. I loved how tiny and intimate the place was and the staff was extremely knowledgeable of everything on the menu.

The plan for me that day was to go to work, shop around with Aurelia, get ready at Laura's, go do drinks and eventually sleep over at Laura's place (I live pretty far to go home and get ready after work) so I was living out of a backpack for that day and the next. I assembled my bag in a mad dash that morning (as per usual) but I have to say, I loved what I ended up wearing. I'm basically a cartoon character in the sense that you can find me repeating outfits 90% of the time. In fact, I've blogged essentially this exact outfit before but I'm a firm believer in "if it's not broken, don't fix it". This outfit is as reliable to me as an old friend and I also believe that every one needs that one fool proof outfit that they can throw on and feel fabulous in a pinch!

BLAZER/ via Burlington Coat Factory DRESS/ Forever 21+ 

LEGGINGS/ American Apparel BOOTS/ Forever 21 (borrowed from Laura) 

BAG/ Zara (via consignment) WATCH/ Michael Kors (via consignment)

Photos by Laura Kidd and myself

EIGHTY-NINE/ forever 21 x bayshore

Forever 21 just opened up at my favourite mall in the city, so you all know that I HAD to be there for the second they opened their doors. We already have another in location, but that one is smack dab in the middle of downtown and I don't really care for the mall that it is in. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just personal preference.

Laura, Aurelia and I woke up super early this morning to ensure that we were some of the first people in line. They had promised to give out $21 gift cards to the first people in line and they did not disappoint. We got in line at around 7AM and we were among the first ten people there. When the clock struck 9AM, the doors open and music started to blast from the store. We entered and got our gift cards and we booked it in different directions to find what we're looking for.

I have to say, the Bayshore location in Ottawa is simply beautiful. It is only one floor (the one downtown is two floors) but it houses a large section for shoes, accessories, menswear and my personal weakness - plus sizes. I made out like a bandit by only spending a tiny amount of my own money. I wasn't thrilled with the plus size selection at this time. Although some of the pieces were beautiful, they weren't exactly my style. I can't wait to return in a few weeks to check out their new arrivals, though.

Clothing wise, I only picked up a basic cami. Those are a staple in my wardrobe and I truly cannot live without them. I picked up a few accessories and socks that I can't wait to wear! I didn't snap any pictures of the store itself because my battery was completely drained but I did grab some of my friends while we were waiting in line and a picture of my purchases as well.

waiting in line | Aurel gathering half the store to try on haha

my purchases (not pictured: basic black cami)

EIGHTY-SIX/ sundaze

I'm not a morning person - I never have been and I've come to terms with the fact that I never will be. There's a short list of things that have the possibility of getting me out of bed before noon on a weekend and brunch is at the very top of that list. The neighbourhood that I work in is one of the more ~trendier~ places in the city and it is jam packed with different brunch joints; every time I grab a coffee on break I fantasize about sinking my teeth into a hot, fresh breakfast as well.

This past weekend my friend Aurélia and I decided to try out The Savoy Brasserie, which is about a five minute walk from where we both work in Westboro Village. It has a Parisian atmosphere and the food was so delicious. It was definitely worth the 7AM weekend wake up call.

It was rather chilly that morning and I was feeling particularly lazy (surprise, surprise) so I just threw on a bunch of my favourite pieces and a pashmina for added style and warmth.

JACKET/ Old Navy TOP/ Thrifted SCARF/ Gifted JEANS/ Forever 21+ (DIY rips)
SHOES/ Converse HANDBAG/ Balenciaga

Photos by Aurélia Cerquozzi