Alicia, Author at Alicia Fashionista

Travel

Why You Need Flytographer On Your Next Vacation

July 5, 2016

Have I told you guys about my sunset anxiety? I’m sure it applies to sunrise as well, but I never seem to be awake for those. Anyway, I’m referring to how, instead of simply enjoying the natural beauty of a sunset, I get distressed about capturing THE perfect sunset moment. You know the one, when things are centred just right and there’s the ideal amount of cotton candy skies with a couple scattered clouds. It’s so stressful though, because the lighting and colours change so rapidly, that I’m left with like a hundred photos of the same thing, all the while, I’ve missed taking the view in. I don’t know why, but sunsets turn me into a bit of a photo monster. It’s not my finest quality, we can all agree on that! I share this, because I experience what I call “the sunset effect” on vacation.

As relaxed as I am on my trips, I always have this lingering thought in the back of my head about the need for high quality photos. Not of the scenery, I love capturing that myself. It’s always a worry about getting a great photo of the people I’m travelling with! iPhone selfies just won’t cut it in one of my photo books, and the dreaded stranger ask somehow always ends up with no background scenery, feet cut off, or some other boggling photo fail. All of this changed a few years ago on our family trip to Kauai. I hired a local photographer to come meet us for half an hour to take some family photos. Not only was it really fun, but I was actually able to relax the entire trip about photos knowing that a professional would be taking care of that. We have the most beautiful memories of our trip from that shoot, and it was such a lovely gift idea for my parent’s 30th wedding anniversary!

So, this brings us to Flytographer. This brilliant company facilitates these exact types of shoots all over the world! They act as a photo concierge and pair you up with the local photographer of your choice from their roster. You select the location (or ask for suggestions, like we did) and guide the general feel for the shoot. The Flytographer team is so amazing, we even had to deal with a last minute crisis with our original photographer and they were able to arrange for someone else at the last minute (thanks, Roberta)! We got our photos back within a WEEK and the price was extremely reasonable, especially for such high quality pics. Enough talking about them though, take a peek at some of my favourites from our Flytographer experience below! Images by the talented Roberta Perrone on our honeymoon in Positano. Really wishing I could snap my fingers and be back on the Amalfi Coast right about now!

Want to book Flytographer for your next vacation? Click HERE and use code #FLYFAN for a $25 credit, or “Fly Bucks” as they call them!

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Style

Modern Safari

July 4, 2016

Happy 4th, friends! Hope you’re having an awesome day. Personally, this long weekend was much needed and the best way to unofficially welcome the summer. Unfortunately, I spent Canada Day doubled over in pain due to a food sensitivity. I’ve had stomach issues my entire life and finally decided that it was most likely eggs. I LOVE eggs and being a lifelong vegetarian, they were an absolute staple in my diet. Since cutting them out at the beginning of this year though, I’d yet to experience any sort of tummy issues. That was, until I made cookies Thursday evening, using the 2 eggs the recipe required. Not thinking it was a big deal, I may or may not have eaten a ton of cookies (they were small, okay?) and paid for it big time on Friday. Not an ideal holiday, but luckily felt great the rest of the weekend and found the perfect balance of hanging out with friends, relaxing, cleaning the apartment, eating barbecued foods, and enjoying the beach. Ooh, and we found some vegan (and just regular) waffles in the city that are a MUST try! Will be sure to write a full report soon.

I was thinking about it the other day, and I haven’t owned a safari dress in quite a few years, but I forgot the ease and wearability that comes with. I love that you can just throw it on and it’s such a neutral, blank slate. I only wish that I’d steamed this Joe Fresh number before photographing it – and that I didn’t stuff my face with cookies! But hey, you can’t win them all, can you?!

GET THE LOOK:

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Featured Life

Goodbye June

June 30, 2016

Photo by Jenna Hill

My day planner has a page at the begging of each month with about 8 blank lines intended for your upcoming goals. As I’ve worked towards setting realistic expectations for myself, I make sure to only use up the first line with a semi vague but powerful mantra. June’s goal was simply, Move Forward.

Looking back on the last 30 days, I really did. I pushed myself to attend as many events as possible and even managed to still take care of my health. It might seem from afar that I’ve been neglecting my blog, but behind the scenes, I’ve been spending countless hours researching, planning, strategizing, and trying to step up my social media game.

As we hit the halfway mark of 2016 (can you even believe that?) I must reflect and make plans to improve. In terms of this strange and wonderful career path, things have been going relatively well. I am SO happy taking on the Alicia Fashionista brand as a full time gig and haven’t felt these levels of motivation in a long time. That being said, it’s really difficult to bounce back after experiencing burnout AND to get out of the mentality that this is simply a side project. After a bit of soul searching, I realized that I was still not giving things a hundred percent, which is REALLY tough to come to terms with. Finding that old work ethic doesn’t happen over night and it’s going to take some more time and effort to get things where I want them to be. Subconsciously, I think that I sometimes don’t let myself give things my all because of a fear of failing. That way, if things don’t work out, I can just tell myself that I didn’t really try that hard anyway. This doesn’t just apply to my job, it’s also prevalent in relationships, school work, creative projects, etc. I’ve got to break out of the calculated and cautious mindset and learn to be a little more fearless.

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Style

Stuck In Neutral

June 27, 2016

White denim is my JAM right now! I used to obsess over having all new outfits to post, but that got so expensive and exhausting. And really, I think that showing a realistic closet is essential, even if some pieces are gifted. It’s valuable to display a variety of ways to wear one piece, don’t you think? Are you cool seeing me remix the same pieces from time to time?

So, on Saturday, I posted these white jeans with more of a nautical look. I get an instagram comment from this lovely girl Em who I met at a friend’s wedding last month asking for the details. I tell her that they’re the white ‘Adriana’ ankle length denim from Mavi and she thanks me for the info. That night, we attended our friend’s housewarming party and I almost wore these jeans, but decided against it since I’d just posted them, and opted for a black jumpsuit instead. We walk into the party, and there’s Em, in these white jeans just a few hours after we’d spoken! We had a great laugh about it, she’d gone straight to Mavi after I told her about them and bought her very first pair of white jeans (and got them in the black colour as well, because she’s a woman after my own heart). It was too funny, you have to love the power of social media!

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Featured Style

Summer Nautical

June 25, 2016

I know, white skinny jeans are apparently something I wear now? Lately I’ve felt my most comfortable in some sort of variation of this look, distressed skinnies and a loose, but cute, peplum tank. Thank goodness for those inexpensive Old Navy tops! Always love a good ON haul to update the ol’ summer wardrobe, linked to a couple favourites below.

This week was a little bit interesting. Thursday, I got to spend the entire day on a field trip with Etsy where they took us on a trolley around the city to fun insta worthy places. There was, of course, a crafternoon activity involved as well! Then yesterday, I ended up having a huge health day, as I had a colposcopy done in the morning and then went to the dentist for a filling and to be fitted for a new night guard (my stress continues well into my sleep in the form of jaw clenching). It was exhausting by the evening, to say the least, especially since I ended up having quite an experience at the doctor. I think I’m going to tell that story in a separate post because there’s a powerful message that must go with it, even if it is TMI. We must talk about these things, ladies! Then there was all the crazy news on Thursday night regarding the UK and I lost an earring last night. This week has just felt kind of heavy, ya know?

On a much happier note, I went on an awesome hike this morning to Quarry Rock in Deep Cove with 2 of my best girl friends. We’ve deemed it ‘The Summer Of Us’ and planned all sorts of fun local activities over the next few months. We had a really awesome summer together in 2006 and decided that we’d really make the most of this one together as well. Like a 10 year reunion of friendship or something. Should be a blast, our next activity is paddle boarding, which I’ve never tried! Getting out of that comfort zone, so good for the soul!

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Featured Life

Inspo: Cool, Earthy Tones

June 21, 2016

Images are NOT mine and sourced via here, here, here, here, here, and here.

One thing that has really helped get me out of the fog is focusing on big, exciting projects. Last year it was, of course, the wedding and then recently all the travel I’ve been lucky enough to embark on. Now, it is re-decorating the apartment aka #fauxreno. It just to so happens that Alexandra, Bethany, and I are giving our shared studio/office space in Gastown a much needed makeover as well! I can basically only think in home decor these days. One tool that has been incredibly helpful is…PINTEREST! I have been pinning like crazy and it has really clarify different styles and colour palettes I tend to be drawn to. I’ve been creating mood boards and constantly on the search to get the look for less in our place. Thought I’d share the love with some of these inspiration boards I’ve put together. These cool, earthy tones are a big part of the look in our studio/office. Can’t wait to show you the before and after!

Style

Flared Denim

June 20, 2016

Happy first day of Summer, my beautiful people! Instead of travelling as much as I have been for the last 6 months, my plans (at the moment, subject to change of course) are to stick around home this summer. Thinking lots of beach days, bbq’s, weekend getaways nearby, hikes, and patio drinking! Things have just been so crazy with the apartment flood and jet setting, I’m kind of looking forward to taking it easy, hanging out nearby and getting loads of work done. What are your plans this summer?

I spent most of last week at lots of fun events, which a lot of you probably saw on snap. If you aren’t already following me on snapchat, you should: a_fashionista. I also did a TON of reflection and research for the Alicia Fashionista brand and am feeling really focused and motivated. My problem is that I’m an idea machine and don’t really know how/where to start everything. I want to make sure I do things right around here! If you have any requests for content, let me know in the comments below! My first order of business is to get you 5 blog posts and a video per week, gotta start putting these “brilliant” ideas to good use!

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Style

Basic B

June 15, 2016

Yesterday I wore my non-stretch jeans for the first time since they were washed and oh dear. No stretch denim equals no chill. I may or may not have unbuttoned them while driving/almost passed out while sitting through a presentation. Perhaps I should hold off on the stiff denim and stick to these Mavi Emma boyfriend jeans. The new slimmer leg is the perfect compromise between a skinny and a bf cut, plus they’re the ultimate in comfort.

I’ve found myself recently struggling with the newest comfortable trends. From athleisure to baggy tops/dresses, suddenly it’s okay to parade around in your gym shoes and not see your waistline for weeks at a time! I used to pride my personal style on being slightly dressier than the average person and I find that 85% of the time I’d kind of rather just throw on my little white sneakers instead of my heels. I can’t decide if it’s the newest trends working against me, the influence of a notoriously casual Pacific Northwest, or the fact that I’m getting older? Maybe we’ll never know! For now, I think I’ll just embrace the liberating feeling of hiding my natural figure and bask in the comfort of wearing only oversized pieces.

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Featured Life

Why I Went To My 10 Year High School Reunion

June 10, 2016

Can you imagine how intimidating it was being in high school with such gorgeous ladies? And this is only a few of the beautiful women I had the pleasure of graduating with!

It was a stunning June day in 2013. We lay on the beach in Antibes, France, soaking up the sun in the Cote D’Azure. I brushed away a few crumbs from the heavenly pain au chocolate I’d just consumed at an impressively reserved speed. Somehow we’d been on the topic of high school and I was grilling Adam about whether or not he regretted not attending his 10 year reunion. He seemed quite neutral about the entire thing. “Do you think you’ll go to your high school reunion next year?” he casually asked me. Without a beat, I replied, “Only if my friends go,” in the ditziest tone. Apparently my unfiltered response was to revert back to high school me. We both burst out laughing at my desperation, and went back to our ever important pastries.

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