159/ DRESSING UP AS SELF CARE

Dressing up is a huge part of self care for me.

I haven't been feeling my best lately. Physically, and as a result of that, mentally as well. The only thing that allows me to escape for a bit is dressing up. Sitting down and doing my makeup, planning a killer outfit and watching it all come to life is my saving grace right now. It may seem superficial to some, but it's an important self care step for me.

I'm trying to be a bit more daring with my looks lately. I have more spare time lately and I'm spending a lot more time at home (because of my health), so I have a bit more time to experiment with looks. I'm really into mixing patterns at the moment. For this look I kept it kind of simple and went with a floral dress (that I wear a minimum of once a week #sorrynotsorry) and my Alexander McQueen skull scarf.

JACKET/ Michel Studio (similar) DRESS/ Torrid (similar) BOOTS/ Old Navy (similar) 

HANDBAG/ Rebecca Minkoff (via consignment) SCARF/ Alexander McQueen

Photos by Sue Waugh

153/ WHAT I WORE TO THE OTTAWA VINTAGE SHOW

I attended the Ottawa Vintage Clothing Show last weekend with my best friend, Laura, and our good friend, Michael. Unfortunately I didn't come home with any goodies this time around, but we still had blast!

It took me forever to get dressed that day. I'm usually the kind of person to throw something on in a hurry so if you give me a little bit of wiggle room to try to put thought into an outfit, it's going to take a life time.

148/ LIVE FOR LAYERING

I live for layering and I'm thrilled that I finally get to (slowly) transition into my autumn wardrobe.

I picked up this light pink double breasted blazer a little while ago and I've been itching to wear it. It's the perfect piece to dress up or down. I decided to go a bit more casual with this look so I paired it with my Alexander McQueen skull scarf, basic black skinny jeans and my trusty Dr. Marten boots.

This look is so me and it gives me an extra boost of confidence. I walk tall when I wear my Dr. Martens and I feel luxurious when I wear my skull scarf. What more could you want in an outfit? I look forward to wearing these pieces a lot in the upcoming months.

BLAZER/ Penningtons TOP/ H&M+ JEANS/ Forever 21+ 

BOOTS/ Dr. Martens SCARF/ Alexander McQueen HANDBAG/ 3.1 Phillip Lim

Photos by Sue Waugh

FIFTY-EIGHT/ if i had a million dollars

It's no secret that I obsess over designer items, it's honestly like an addiction to me. I scroll through countless online shops and browse through tons of brick and mortar stores looking at amazing pieces that I'll never be able to afford - I don't know why I torture myself. Some people like to go to museums and look at the unbelievable art there, I prefer high end stores. I'm weird like that.

So far I've acquired some of my dream pieces, but the problem with fashion is that styles change every season. I've just been sticking with secondhand classic pieces that won't ever go out of style; it's more practical and wallet friendly. But of course every few months something new comes out that totally sweeps me off my feet and makes me look at my bank account and cringe. I keep telling myself that someday it'll happen, and I hope that someday comes soon. Sometimes I feel as though I'm far too materialistic for my own good...

ANYWAY, here are some pieces that I'm currently dying over from current collections, classic collections and past collections. They are mostly footwear, scarves or handbags seeing as the vast majority of designers do not make clothing in my size, not to mention the fact that I crave accessories.

Some of these items are obtainable, like the Michael Kors watch and the Kate Spade bangle, and some of them will probably torment me for the rest of my life, like the Chanel bag.

1. Louis Vuitton 'Neverfull' GM 2. Giuseppe Zanotti for Balmain buckle boots 3. Michael Kors silver 'Chronograph' watch 4. Kate Spade "Lights, Camera, Action / Steal The Show" bangle 5. Chanel 'Large Classic Flap Bag' 6. Charlotte Olympia red suede 'Bisoux' slippers 7. Tiffany & Co. Ziegfeld Collection black "Spinel" ring 8. Alexander McQueen tan leopard/skull print cashmere pashmina  9. Balenciaga 'Giant 12 Silver Town Bag' in black 10. Burberry stud detail belted rain boots 11. Christian Louboutin 'Gine' black and grey velvet flats

* I could have easily made this into a post about the designer handbags I want, but I decided to hold off on that. Another post for another day, possibly. I only added the three handbags I've been lusting after for what seems like forever. | All thoughts are my own, this post is no way sponsored by any of the mentioned retailers. | All images are referenced back to their original sources.

STYLE ICON SATURDAY/ nine

LEE ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010

I was going to wait until February to do this post, but I couldn't wait. I'm going to try to tone down the dramatics on this post so you all can take me a bit more seriously. (Key word: try)

Alexander McQueen is my absolute favourite designer. To put it in simple terms, his pieces take my breath away. In my opinion he has one of the most beautiful, haunted and creative minds to ever grace the fashion world. I'm not quite sure what you're doing with your life if you haven't seen one of his runway shows. (It's hard to pick a favourite but A/W 98 is inspired by Joan of Arc and is amazing, it's a good place to start) This is a man whose art has been displayed in museums, and it was displayed for just reasons. Everything he's worked on, from couture to ready to wear, is so intricate and detailed. You can physically see the passion and heart that went into everything he's accomplished. A couple of years ago I fell head over heels in love with his classic black and white skull scarf and I'm fortunate enough to have received one for Christmas last year. I just about passed out. Every time I wear it I feel as though I'm wearing a bit of fashion history and I love that I can pay tribute to this extraordinary man. 

I love how popular he, and his works, are now. I love watching red carpet specials because I know someone is going to be rocking something from the legendary brand. I truly believe that Sarah Burton is doing a fantastic job keeping his legacy alive and the way I see it is that everything she does is something he would be proud of. That's saying a lot, those were huge shoes to fill and I was nervous about it - but she is rocking it.

"Clothes and jewellery should be startling, individual. When you see a woman in my clothes, you want to know more about them. To me, that is what distinguishes good designers from bad designers." 
- Alexander McQueen

source: vogue.fr

source: savage beauty exhibit metmuseum

source: a/w 2009 elephantjournal

* None of these pictures belong to me and they have all been referenced back to the appropriate sources.

STYLE ICON SATURDAY/ four

Here's a random fact about me:
I love menswear.

To me, there is nothing in this world like a well dressed man. After I'm done looking the women's section of a website, I immediately go to the men's. I could spend hours on sites like ssense.com or Topman. I don't know what it is exactly about men's fashions that I love, but I'm always drawn to it. I love anything from suits, to rocker, to borderline homeless looks in menswear. I've never been comfortable wearing completely feminine looks so I find myself incorporating more masculine looks into my outfits, simply to bring it down to earth a couple of notches. Right now I love Dr. Martens, brogues and boyfriend fit blazers. I knew I had to do a post on man whose fashion really stood out to me, and although it seems like an odd choice, I knew in my heart who I had to write about.

Russell Brand

source: don't stop moving

I believe that Russell Brand is a great example of a collaboration of different styles. This man is never completely polished and he is known to wear anything from suits and top hats to tight leather pants and teased hair. He always looks like a greasy rocker but he does it in the most versatile way possible. I fell in love with him after seeing Get Him To The Greek. Honestly, I've seen that movie at least twenty-five times... I'm not even exaggerating. I even own the soundtrack. In the movie he wears such amazing ensembles including, but not limited to, various Alexander McQueen scarfs, an emerald green velvet suit and a blazer with just a bare chest underneath. And who could forget him buying and wearing Abe Lincoln's suit and top hat in Arthur?

source: india server source: zimbio source: daily mail source: posh24 

Russell Brand is one of my style icons because he isn't afraid to be himself. I'm sure he gets a lot of negative feed back on his personal style but it doesn't hold him back. He will never stop wearing tight pants, his hair will never be short and his chest will almost always be showing.  As you can probably tell by now, I really admire those who are fearless in their fashions and I think that Russell Brand is a great male example of that.

“It's difficult to believe in yourself because the idea of self is an artificial construction. You are, in fact, part of the glorious oneness of the universe. Everything beautiful in the world is within you. No one really feels self-confident deep down because it's an artificial idea. Really, people aren't that worried about what you're doing or what you're saying, so you can drift around the world relatively anonymously: you must not feel persecuted and examined. Liberate yourself from that idea that people are watching you.” - Russell Brand

source: upscalehype source: fashionindie source: coolspotters

None of these photos belong to me, all photos have been referenced back to the original sources.

ELEVEN/ mccqueen skull scarf

I'm currently suffering from the worst case of writers block I've had in years, so please bear with me. In this post I'm wearing mostly clothing from mall stores; a bit of Old Navy here, Addition Elle there and Tom shoes. It all seems very bland and generic, even the pictures are void of any colour. I think all of these boring elements help draw attention to what really matters in this post - my Alexander McQueen skull scarf.
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With my skull scarf being just about one of the only designer items I own, I'm very afraid to wear it around. If you've ever felt one, you'd know that it feels like nothing - it's so light and airy. It's so delicate. I have been lusting over them for years now and now that I finally own one I'm not letting anything happen to it. It's like my child, seriously. I can't afford to replace it anyway. If you know me in real life or follow me on Tumblr, you'd know just how much I love skulls. If it has a skull on it, I need to have it. I also adore Alexander McQueen. I live for his gothic style, hauntingly beautiful pieces, and his runways were like nothing I've ever seen before. It just makes sense that I needed this scarf in my life. The scarves became sort of an obsession with me. I told my mother about it, and I would talk to her about them every single day.
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When opening presents on Christmas of 2011 she wrapped a fake skull patterned scarf in a box for me as a joke. I looked at it, laughed and put it on the ground on top of the box and then I noticed something else in the box. My heart nearly stopped as I reached over to investigate and I, no word of a lie, almost passed out. There it was: my very own Alexander McQueen skull scarf. It was one of the biggest/best surprises of my entire life.
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 I'll be the first to admit, I'm very spoiled. But I'm also very thankful. 

JACKET/ Old Navy SCARF/ Alexander McQueen JEANS/ Old Navy

SHIRT/ Addition Elle SHOES/ Toms
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All pictures were taken by Jessie Larabie, Michael Tundo and Laura and Lisa Kidd.