FIFTY-FIVE/ OFW S/S'13 day one

Oh September, how I love you. From the chilly air to the falling leaves to fashion weeks all over the world. Who doesn't love Autumn? This past weekend was Ottawa Fashion Week (OFW) and that's when all of the fashion lovers in Ottawa and Gatineau come out of hiding (so it seems) and try to out style one another (or so it seems). All jokes aside, it actually is a great weekend and it's great to see a lot of people in from my city out and about and expressing their love for different fashions. I was fortunate enough to receive a media pass from the organizers at OFW and I'm beyond thankful for that. I of course went with Laura and we were up to our usual shenanigans. I'm still on a fashion high from all of the great looks that weekend, on and off the runway.

I didn't really figure out the proper camera settings for the runway shows until the very last day, of course, and my posts will totally reflect this. But for the first night of Ottawa Fashion Week my favourite show, by far, was Brit Wacher. I'm still obsessed with monochromatic looks and I'm a complete sucker for drastic and structured pieces and every piece of that collection materialized those looks.

I never know what to wear to these occasions. I either dress too causal, too dressy, too outrageous or too boring. I think my first outfit would fall under the "too boring" category, but I was comfortable and felt at ease. That's all that matters, right? I wore my favourite jacket by Calvin Klein paired with a black and white stripe dress from the good old Old Navy sale rack. You can't see my shiny leggings or black creepers, so you might have to use your imagination on that one, but believe me they're there. In all honesty I didn't plan this outfit out at all and I didn't even have time to change my purse so I just grabbed my everyday Marc by Marc Jacobs bag and prayed it worked. I swear my outfit for the next couple of days was better planned than this.

DRESS/ Old Navy JACKET/ Calvin Klein PURSE/ Marc by Marc Jacobs (via consignment)

LEGGINGS/ American Apparel SHOES/ New Look

* Outfit shot was taken by Gabrielle McKay (edit done by me) / Runway photos were taken by me.

FORTY-SEVEN/ riri woo and nikes too

I think it's safe to say that I'm addicted to wearing a strict uniform of black and white with a pop of colour on my lips. I have been wearing red lipstick almost daily as of lately and I'm alternating between Raspberry by Joe Fresh (more of a purpely red) and RiRi Woo by MAC (pictured below). Both colours have an extremely matte finish and they're both absolutely phenomenal. It's weird for me to wear red lipstick this often, seeing as pink is my usual, but ever since receiving my RiRi Woo lipstick I've felt the need to wear this shade more often. Sometimes change can be good.

But with all that being said, my shoes are actually my favourite part of this outfit. I found them by chance at Winners and I freaked out in the middle of the store. I used to have the biggest collection of sneakers, especially high top ones, back in high school and I've been dying to get my current collection back to its former glory. It's becoming increasingly more difficult to find a unique looking pair of sneakers, that aren't wedges, so I knew I couldn't let these get away from me. Also, they're black and white... how could I say no?

DRESS/ Forever 21 SUNGLASSES/ Ray-Ban LEGGINGS/ New Look SHOES/ Nike ACCESSORIES/ Various VEST/ American Apparel (DIY from jacket)

* All photos were taken by Laura Kidd.

THIRTY-FOUR/ beetlejuice

Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice.

It is no secret that I love black and white together. From stripes, to polka dots, to gingham, to just solid pieces - if it's black and white I must have it. I jumped on this blazer from Forever 21 the second that I laid eyes on it. I love the Beetlejuice vibe it gives off and I love how cropped and fitted it is. These leggings are something I have been lusting over since I saw pictures/videos of Azealia Banks at Coachella last year. I have been looking high and low for these leggings ever since but I was never quick enough at finding them online and the quality of the ones I found in store were always embarrassingly poor. Eventually I thought to look on eBay and I found an amazing high waisted pair. Unfortunately they were too good to be true, and fit extremely small (I later gave them to Laura). I tried my luck again with eBay, and although these fit perfectly, they're a bit too low rise for my liking. I might have to add some extra fabric so they stay up, if that fails - the hunt continues.

I paired this look with my huge heart shaped purse that I thrifted a couple of months ago and my new Creepers from New Look. These are probably the best shoes I own right now. They are extremely comfortable and I love the way creepers look. I have the T.U.K. brand Creepers in white and I find them a bit too heavy and stiff, these are a lot more light weight without losing any height in the sole and fit like a glove. I'll be wearing these shoes a lot this spring/summer.

BLAZER/ Forever 21 TUNIC/ Thrifted LEGGINGS/ eBay
PURSE/ Thrifted SHOES/ New Look

* All pictures were taken by Laura Kidd

STYLE ICON SATURDAY/ twelve

MARC JACOBS

I have a very weird relationship with his brands. It's something like an obsession, it's almost a sickness. I fantasize daily about Marc by Marc Jacobs accessories and Marc Jacobs ready-to-wear pieces. My undying love for this man's work is definitely no secret.

I have watched the Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2013 RTW show about a dozen times and I'm still blown away by it. Monochromatic looks and stripes hold a very special place in my heart, and in my opinion no one does those looks better than Marc Jacobs.

I am always lusting over certain pieces from his lines. Right now it's the MBMJ clear cross body bag, tomorrow it may be something different all together. I fear that one day I will just turn into a giant walking advertisement for his brands, but I really can't help it. It's like an addiction, really. I haven't put my finger on what exactly it is about it all, but everything he does is just so visually appealing to me. My interest right now is mostly focused on Marc by Marc Jacobs and that's mainly because the prices are more within my reach. I hope to one day say that about his main brand, and I would die to have a piece from his work with Louis Vuitton. 

I am fortunate enough to own a few items from MBMJ and his main line. I did buy them all secondhand but they are all authentic and I love that I got them all for a fraction of the cost. My favourite pieces that I own are the black leather clutch and the royal blue Natasha Q bag. I do wear my black MBMJ bag more often than not though, it's just so big and it holds everything.

"I love to take things that are everyday and comforting and make them into the most luxurious things in the world."
- Marc Jacobs 

source: the-talks

Marc Jacobs work with the Louis Vuitton brand (source: thetimes)

Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2013 RTW (source: thesatorialist)

My current collection: Marc Jacobs scarf, black Marc by Marc Jacobs Twisted Q Riz bag, Marc Jacobs Latin ring, Marc Jacobs black leather clutch, royal blue Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Natasha Q bag

* All images are referenced back to their original sources.