Topshop Giveaway!

I'm very excited to co-host this Topshop backback giveaway via Gumball. I love this bag!!! It retails for about $70 US.

Check out how it looks HERE.

Entering is easy, just click enter on the widget below and follow the directions. Good luck everyone!!

Roshambo

I saw this video on another fashion blog and it's probably been re-circulated a thousand times so if you've already seen it, look on child!!

If you haven't it's so worth the 3+ minutes. I am a romantic by nature so naturally, I loved this short fashion film by Free People.

From Free People's site: "A Touring band member and his bohemian beaut are unexpectedly reunited on a Brooklyn street and share a short time together in the city's boroughs."

The chemistry between the two actors Christopher Abbott and Sheila Marquez is undeniable. I love it.

Style Talk Live Recap - Spring Trends

To celebrate the official start of spring, Google+ hosted an online hangout yesterday featuring fashion influencers: ELLE's Creative Director Joe Zee, Designer & Stylist Rachel Zoe, Model Coco Rocha, and Neiman Marcus Fashion Director Ken Downing. It was awesome!! I almost felt like I was in a seminar with them face to face! The internet is so amazing. Honestly.

One fun fact I learned while watching the video: Joe Zee is Canadian!! Did anyone know that? I was amazed when he said that. I had no idea! 

For anyone who missed it, here is the video:



If you don't have time to watch the video, check out the set I created below. It has the key trends they talked about in it. My favourite piece is the pink moto jacket from Forever 21. I love that they said coloured leather (or faux leather if you're vegan) is a huge trend because I haven't even clued in on that trend yet and it is such an exciting idea. Can you image pink leather pants? Cause I totally can.

Links are posted below. Enjoy!!

Trend Links:

1. BRIGHT COLOURS - Romwe Abstract Drawing Blouse
2. NEON ACCESSORIES - Neon Ganado Print Scarf & Adidas Santiago Orange Neon Watch & Neon Faux Leather Belt
3. GLADIATORS - Park Lane Embellished Gladiator Sandals
4. BLACK & WHITE - Diamnate Collar B&W Blouse & Rivet Detailed Pants
5. COLOURED LEATHERS & MOTO JACKETS - Zippered Faux Leather Moto Jacket
6. WOODEN STACKED HEELS - Janus Spike Platform

*Note: If you're doing online shopping this weekend ASOS is having a huge sale, in addition to their already free shipping*: 20% off your Spring Fling or Save up to 60% on Women’s occasion wear and prom at ASOS.com. Valid 3/24/2013 only.

Music Festival Fashion

Every time music festival times comes around I get nostalgic. I've always read about them in magazines and dreamt about spending my weekend in a tent, running down mudslides and wearing braids in my hair. (Was that just me? Kate Moss in Hunter boots anyone?)

I've never actually been to a music festival so it's on my bucket list for 2013. Funny enough, today one of my friends invited me to go to one because she knows someone who bought extra tickets. Sweet!!! I'm obviously going! I wonder if Tupac will be there? I also wonder if I'll have enough stylish clothes by then to wear something like this... I hope so. haha

1. Sunglasses - NastyGal

2. Bag - ASOS

3. Spike shoes - ASOS

4. Cross iPhone Case - ETSY by BeautyandLuck

5. Tank - Freedom Culture

6. Denim Shorts - Romwe

Note: I just discovered this tank top at a Toronto fashion event. Proceeds from every sale go to stop human trafficking. Great company!

Brunch CHIC

I don't know about you guys but I am super pumped that patio weather is right around the corner. In my mind, patio = BRUNCH.

I love everything about brunch; pancakes, mimosas, gossip, eye candy, beautiful decor, city views... it is one of the best parts of summer. 

Since summer isn't here yet, we can still dream about what we're going to wear once it hits.. right?

1. Nasty Gal Straight Laced Dress

2. Michael Kors Sunglasses 

3. H&M Earrings

4. DVF Clutch

5. Nasty Gal Dark Matter Ring

6. Alberta Ferretti Pointy Pump

DIY Studded Moto Jacket

This is a really easy project to do if you want to add a little edge to your jacket (or any piece of clothing).

All you need is:

• Screw in studs
• Something sharp to poke a hole (I used a toothpick because that's all I could find and it worked out well. I've seen DIY's where people use darts and that scares me because I poked myself with the toothpick and that freakin hurt! I wouldn't recommend using a dart in case you hurt yourself).
• A tiny screwdriver to make the hole bigger and to tighten the stud

I got my studs in Chinatown here in Toronto, they were only $1.50 for 15 studs so this project only set me back $3.00! Pretty sweet deal. (Not to mention, the store has a "buy 2 packets get 1 free" deal so I got an extra 15 studs for free!).

This project is REALLY fun to create and it only took me about an hour. Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions!

Toronto Fashion Event!

Interested in a career in fashion? Would you like to network with fashion professionals and aspiring fashion students in the Toronto area? Having a tough time breaking into the industry?

On Wednesday, March 20, from 6:00pm - 7:30pm, the Academy of Design will be hosting a really exciting "Wine and Cheese" event where they will discuss their fashion programs in detail and offer an opportunity to meet with faculty and view the recent work of fashion students.

There is no question that the fashion industry is not like it was 20 years ago and it is much harder to break into the industry without formal education. Just two weeks ago I spoke to one of the HR managers of Fashion Magazine and she told me she receives approximately "100 resumes per day". Crazy eh? When I worked at Holts, our department alone received about 50-60 resumes per day when a position was posted. It really is that competitive.

The Academy of Design has reacted to the fiercely competitive job market by ensuring each student is exposed to as many career opportunities as possible and as many skills as possible to increase each student's marketability. The programs are also shorter than a typical college program so that students can enter the field sooner. The school even has their own fashion magazine where student's can write, edit and even do creative photoshoots! How cool is that?

If you'd like to see more information before registering, see what students are saying about the programs and watch a snippet of a previous Wine & Cheese event HERE.

If you're ready to go... Sign up HERE! Tickets are going fast! Registration is free via Eventbrite.

Full Event Details:

Fashion, Wine & Cheese Info Session
Academy of Design Davisville Campus
1835 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON M4S 1X8
Canada
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
6:00pm - 7:30pm

Designer Spotlight: Beau XOXO

Some people are born with creative instinct. They just know what to do, how to do it and go about getting it done. Georgie is one of those people. As the creator behind the online hair accessories shop "Beau XOXO", Georgie has effectively translated her creative skills into a source of income. 

In 2010 she began selling her pieces in markets and officially launched her Etsy shop online. In 2011 she was invited to partake in a clothing show, where an X-Factor hair stylist purchased a variety of her pieces for pop group Little Mix to wear on the show. Much to Georgie's surprise, when the show aired, Perrie Edwards was wearing one of her pieces. Since then, Beau XOXO has boomed and is still going strong.

This photo set is a creative derivative work of original images owned by BeauXOXO. Logo via Beau XOXO's blog Dreams That Glitter. 

**Prices are approximate conversion from GBP -CAD/US**

With her continued success you might think to yourself (as I did)... How did she do it? How has she grown her crafting business? 

Well, Georgie did an interview with Seek My Scribbles last spring to share the answers. It's a great read for any DIY crafters wanting to grow their business. She explains in the interview how she started selling in local markets and then grew to selling online after getting a good reaction. Here's the meat and potatoes:

Do you have any advice for crafters wanting to take the next step and sell their creations?

Well like I said before, market stalls are a fantastic way to start, and so many stalls are as little as a few pounds and you will be surprised how much money can be made, and even if you don’t make much, you will learn so, so much. I do think cracking into the big wide web world is quite hard, but I would definitely advise anyone to join Etsy, Folksy or similar at first, so that you’re part of a community, so it’s kind of like one big market stall in a sense! I adore Etsy. I am so thankful to the community and I have met so many other gorgeous crafty ladies and that’s what it’s all about. Once you have built up a strong customer base it’s then good to look at places like Big Cartel, but this is just my personal opinion! Bear in mind some people will just shop on Etsy and so on. Most importantly though, be determined, be pro-active, network, have fun, be passionate, research your market thoroughly, have fun and never ever, ever give up! I truly believe this period in time is perfect to start a crafting business because interestingly there’s a massive crafting boom right now, despite the struggle for larger retailers in the economic climate. I guess that’s partly due to the fact people are really thinking about their spending, and crafting has the ‘specialness factor’ so it makes you stand out from the mainstream. And don’t be hard on yourself if you find it hard to sell much at first, simply take a back seat and evaluate what it is you adore about other stores, and make small changes. I find the best shops are the ones where I see an item and think, ‘ahh, that’s so, and so’s item!’. It’s really good to keep a scrapbook or simply note down how you want your shop to look from the start.

Shopping Links:

Butterfly Glitter Hair Clips

Butterfly Hair Crowns

Floral Hair Crowns

Glitter Hair Bows

STUDDED GIRL

Woohoo! This set was so much fun to create! I love to contrast items that are typically seen as bold and edgy with soft and feminine items. I downloaded some new fonts to experiment with as I find the more I blog, the more I get the desire to improve the formatting and look. Let me know what you guys think.

In this set I've featured some of my favourite studded creations on Etsy and looks from Lookbook.Nu (which by the way - is such an AWESOME site!).

Thank you to all the designers who gave me the go ahead to feature their unique, hand-made creations. They really are one of a kind. Please check below for links to items and looks.

(How adorable are the matching best friend bunny iPhone cases? Too cute!)

Shopping & Links

①  ETSY: GlitzyGirlBling - Best Friends Bunny Rabbit Heart iPhone Silicone Case
② ETSY:  TheBlackFeather - The Osiris Spike Bracelet
③ LOOK by Lina Tesch Photography on Lookbook.Nu - photographed by Max Liebenstein
 ④ ETSY: NiceReworkedVintage - Tie Dye Studded Sweater
⑤ LOOK by Amanda Shoemaker (OneofEach Blog) on Lookbook.Nu with Alainn Bella studded purse (Website seems to be having difficulties. Here is the Alainn Bella Facebook page)
⑥ ETSY:  ShopWünderlust - The Jenna Shorts

ON THE SCENE: Outfit Inspiration

Curating our own personal style takes a lot of trial and error and an event night is NOT the kind of night for experimentation. These girls are a perfect example of how to dress for an event, showcasing how to break up a dress with great accessories. They really take the guess work out of it eh?

This is a creative derivative work of original photos by Eva Rinaldi, Celebrity and Live Music photographer via Flickr; "David Jones Fashion Launch 2013" originally licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Shopping Links:
H&M 100% Silk dress
H&M Khaki green dress
Massimo Dutti Two-tone Court Pump with Chain
Forever 21, Faux Leather Beige Platform
Forever 21, Clutch
The Bay, Jessica Mcclintock Metal Black Clutch
Vince Camuto Crochet Bootie

DIY Embellished Bib Necklace

I've been wanting to do a DIY blog post for a while now and am so excited to post this! I had a great time putting this together.

I had most of these supplies already but if you don't have any of the below supplies it will probably cost you around 30$ (which is a great price compared to what you would purchase one of these handmade bib necklace's for!). Most of these supplies you can get at Michaels!

Note: You don't necessarily have to sew in beads but if you want a different look on parts of your necklace, string a strand of beads and sew it in, in combination with gluing the rhinestones. Also - get a thicker ribbon. I didn't sew in my ribbon and it seems to be super secure. This glue is MEGA bonding, but I think I may sew in my next ribbon just to feel more secure.

Are there are good DIY posts you've done or have seen? I'm going to do more of these because I had WAY too much fun! Let me know if you have any questions!