FALL / WINTER 2016 PLUS SIZE OUTERWEAR WISH LIST

One of the most interesting things about living in Canada is that we really get to experience every season. It's a bittersweet thing, really. It means that you always have to be prepared. It means that having key seasonal pieces (like a winter coat) is essential for combating the elements and trust me when I say that it can extremely hard to find nice plus size outerwear options. When I was younger all that I had available to me were hideous ski coats that really didn't fit my personality or showoff my personal style. There are definitely more options to chose from now and I'm thrilled about that. My plus size outerwear picks for this season range from lightweight to heavy parka and I think there's something in this list for everyone.

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

FIFTY-FOUR/ 3.1 phillip lim x target

If you know anything about Ottawa, or Canada in general really, you'd know that we're usually the last to get anything associated with fashion. So when I heard that a few Target stores were opening up this week, my mind didn't even go to the 3.1 Phillip Lim collection that was released on Sunday. I thought there would be absolutely no way we would get it, I was sad about it, then I got over it. Nevertheless I was still excited for Target to open up shop here. As someone who frequently goes across the border, I make that one of my have to shop stores. The prices are just so fantastic, the items are almost always on trend and the quality of their items is usually great for the price point... anyway, on with the story.

My boss / my personal hero when it comes to shopping, Mona, texted me yesterday about the collection. We were both swooning over it and we were a bit devastated when we thought Ottawa wasn't getting it. There had been no ads or anything saying that we were to get the collection and it was very under hyped here. A few minutes later I received some information from Tinfoil Tiaras that blew my mind. She went on a bloggers walk-through of the new Target store in Billings Bridge before it had opened and confirmed that yes indeed, we were to get the line.

Mona and I set course for Target early the next morning; we had to be there by open to get our hands on the majority of the line and to ensure that we went home with at least one of the handbags. Although we got there right at open, all of the handbags were gone and I was devastated. We were on the hunt for more and thankfully they brought out a few more boxes of them. I was over the moon happy. I didn't pick up the any of the clothing because I didn't have time to try any of it on and I was unsure of how the pieces would fit on me, but Mona bought a lot of the items available and she texted me later that day saying the fit, quality and materials were amazing. And this is coming from someone who lives and breathes designer brands and qualities.

I'm really happy with my choices. Picking up two of the mini structured bags may seem ridiculous to some but the grey and yellow colours are phenomenal and the size is just perfect. The quality of the handbags is mind blowing, especially considering that they were only $34.99 each, not to mention the fact that they're polyurethane. I picked up the leopard scarf as well because I did want a few pieces with that pattern on that I was unable to try on and buy, so I figured the scarf was a good compromise. I'm more of an accessory fan, anyway. I can't wait to see what else Target has in store for us in Ottawa.

* All pictures were taken by me, except for the Instagram collage - that is courtesy of Mona EL Rafie.