bardot maxi dress // plum earrings // forever 21 sunnies // gifted bracelets // american apparel hat
nothing like looking back at some photos from only a couple weeks ago and wondering how the last few months flew by so quickly. and it’s not even summer that has escaped me. according to the calendar, it’s almost october. i think i’m still trying to complete my july to-do list…slightly behind 😛
taking an hour and a half detour on the way back from portland to stop at cannon beach was the best decision we’ve ever made. the oregon coast really is as beautiful as people say. we spent a few hours enjoying a relaxing picnic on the beach while people watching. it was a beautiful warm day, perfect for a simple maxi dress and floppy hat. although, i could barely hang onto my hat in such extreme winds! and an afternoon at the beach wouldn’t be complete without a photo shoot (in my world anyway). although, photos can barely do the views enough justice. you must see it for yourself! next time we plan on staying beach front and venturing into portland on the way home, we just can’t get enough! have you ever been to cannon beach?
hope everyone is having a great week. i’ve been a really bad blog friend lately, but I promise to pop by every one’s sites this week to catch up! xo
labour day weekend post coming to you weeks later…typical. after a mesmerizing ray lamontagne concert on friday night, we left vancouver at about 5 am saturday morning. did you know starbucks doesn’t open until 6 am? lesson learned! anyway, the drive is easy and only takes about 6 hours.
we’ve stayed at the mark spencer hotel twice now and it has worked out really well for both trips. it’s perfectly situated by the heart of the pearl district and only minutes away from downtown. we booked it through portland perks, which got us a really great deal including coupons and free breakfast and parking! last time we went in the off season and got a $50 credit card too.
stumptown is definitely worth checking out. the jj bean of portland.
after getting up at 4:30 am, driving for 6 hours, and shopping/sightseeing for the entire afternoon, we wanted an easy choice for dinner. we opted for mothers bistro because it was walking distance and had been recommended. i had a lavender vodka infused cocktail and the most amazing salad. the perfect meal at the end of a looong day!
we skipped out on the free breakfast after finding isabel cantina. best. breakfast. ever. we actually went both mornings because we wanted to try more items on the menu. worth the wait to be seated…seriously!
off to nw23rd street for some shopping.
there are tons of great boutique clothing stores like this one, reveille. beautifully decorated, with gorgeous hand picked vintage pieces. i found my ideal pair of fall cowboy boots in a great shade of cognac, totally should have bought them!
adam insisted on trying a sandwich from the pb and j food cart on nw23rd. we tried the cream of the crop, and it was even more delicious than it looks.
great vintage, i could have spent hours rummaging through the treasures.
our last dinner at montage was the best meal we ate the entire trip! montage serves up southern food with common shared seating at long tables (which we saw at a few places in portland). adam wanted to try the alligator jumbalaya, and i had the green basil pesto macaroni…sooooo good! and they pack your meal up in an adorable tinfoil animal. a must try!
the night ended with drinks, operation: the sponge bob square pants version, and yahtzee!
Anya is a young fashion blog fan who contacted me a while ago asking for career advice. I was so impressed by her initiative. Pretty sure at 16, I had no idea what I was going to do with my life (perhaps I still don’t?) Her love of fashion and writing was so admirable, I had to suggest she try writing something for aliciafashionista.com! Please join me in welcoming her to the blogsphere and let her know what you think of her Celebrity Style Picks!
I’ve never really known who Kendall Jenner was until I was flipping through a Seventeen magazine and a friend of mine pointed her out and started gushing over her style (she’s a half-sister of the Kardashians, if you were wondering). And I have to admit, for someone who’s younger than me; she has some awesome fashion sense. This indigo dress is adorable and I especially love the peek-a-boo sleeves!
Lauren Conrad: TURQUOISE OVERSIZED CLUTCH photo credit here, here, and here
This clutch. Words can’t even describe just how wonderful I think it is. It’s such a gorgeous oversized clutch, maybe even … the perfect clutch? Maybe? And even though it’s such a bright color, I’m sure you can still have fun with it in terms of styling. By the way – if you were wondering, this is a Marc by Marc Jacobs Airliner Magazine Clutch in Foam.
Selena Gomez: CAMEL RIDING BOOTS photo credit here and here
I’ve ogled Selena Gomez’ style for a while now. She has that “I-just-threw-on-whatever-but -it’s-going-to-look-fabulous-no-matter-what” look mastered. Thus, I stumbled upon these beauties. Honestly, are these boots not WORKS OF ART? This is pair of Modern Vintage Mack Riding Boots in the color Rum. But from my understanding they aren’t for sale anymore and even if they were, they retailed for over 400 dollars, so something tells me I won’t be seeing these in my closet anytime soon.
Blake Lively: PLEATED SKIRT photo credit here and here
I love this skirt! (Shocker, eh?) I love how high-waisted it is, I love its shade of white (trust me, there are plenty of whites out there!) I also love the “crinkly” look that the pleats give it (enough to make me start craving crepes). I found a pretty similar skirt from ASOS and no, it’s not white, but it’s a cute skirt nonetheless. I’ve been really drawn to salmon colored things lately so I’m pretty sure it’s my subconscious mind telling me to eat more fish or something…hmm.
Emma Stone & Rihanna: HOT PINK LIPS photo credit here and here
You probably guessed it. No, this isn’t a fashion trend. It’s a makeup trend, but makeup is fun, right? Anyhoo, hot pink lipstick is very in right now and anyone can pull it off as long as they know how. I pulled up one picture of Emma Stone and one of Rihanna to show that pink lips it can look good on multiple skin tones. Hot pink lips look great with simple black winged eyeliner (Gel liner is great by the way, in my opinion). With simple eyeliner, pink lips it don’t look overdone!
kelsey of the anthology could have easily been one of the models!
i really had no expectations before the standing armed spring/summer 2012 preview but i must say, i was absolutely blown away by the collection! the ivory, coral, and gold colour scheme was perfectly complimented by the neutral brown, tan, and green hues. the use of lace, mixing of patterns, and eye catching silhouettes are what really made this collection stand out for me. i also loved how the fashion show was done with models standing around the perimeter of the room, the perfect way to get a good look at each piece.
it was a really fun evening, a big thanks to social chair for the invite. now i’ll have to save my pennies to purchase that bright patterned maxi skirt (in the first collection photo) next spring!
bardot blouse // aritzia shorts // nine west shoes // forever21 jewellery // fine finds scarf // co-lab purse
i am very disgruntled with an aspect of my life right now. for months i have endured frustrations in search of a solution, but am left puzzled and seemingly trapped. though i hate to generalize it, with my 25th birthday fast approaching, i can’t help but feel that it is, in fact, a quarter life crisis. when i close my eyes and picture what i thought life would be like at this age, i am living a completely different life. and for the most part, it’s actually better than i ever could have imagined! logically, the time has come to fix what is bothering me instead of complaining about it. i know my friends are sick of listening to me whine 😉
thankfully, a great idea hit me like a surprise slap in the face and i am so, so relieved. it’s going to be risky and very spontaneous, but i am beyond ready to take a leap and try something new. yes, i’m being vague, but when i can tell you more details, i will. for now, i am grateful to have such a wonderful support system of friends, family, and of course, all of you!
hope you have a lovely weekend, it’s supposed to be hottest days of the entire summer here in vancouver! big internet hugs and kisses xo
a completely surreal moment to be featured in the september issue of vancouver view magazine…twice! among some amazing and talented fashion bloggers on pages 42+43, and then again on page 63 at the pinkberry launch. i can’t wait to get my hands on a printed copy of it, i just still can’t believe that i’m in a magazine! to read the articles, click on the pictures above.
thank you all so much for your ongoing support, it means the absolute world to me 🙂
i love that cougar, a canadian company that has been around since 1948, puts a lot of thought and love into their footwear. their boots are made to withstand even the harshest of elements, including a waterproof guarantee (that’s considered a major bonus here in raincouver). spending the money on cougars really feels like you’re investing in something practical, yet fashionable that you know will last you a long time.
and so, i was just thrilled to be sent these limited edition cougar pillow boots! only 900 hundred pairs were made in this beautiful tan colour. the red fleece lining is so soft, i can honestly say these are the comfiest boots that i own. is september too soon to be wearing my winter boots? i sure hope not 😉
planning a shower can be extremely costly and overwhelming for those of us who aren’t named martha stewart (girl has money and creativity…an event planning goldmine). without such a helpful and kowledgeable bridal party, i wouldn’t have even known where to start!
i’ve broken down what i learned about throwing a creative and special bridal shower into these 8 simple steps and tips.
there are so many options for bridal shower themes and a great place for inspiration is martha stewart’s wedding site. i have been to a kitchen themed one, and i love the idea of an afternoon tea party or parisian theme (super bridesmaids the movie, but it’s all good).
since jessica’s engagement party was hawaiian theme (where she’s having her wedding) we decided to veer away from any major idea and keep it to a colour concept instead. apple green is part of her wedding colours and we just incorporated the bright pink and some white to break it up.
with the unreliable weather in vancouver this summer, we didn’t want to risk holding the shower outdoors. thankfully, one of the bridesmaids was able to book us in at her apartment building’s party room. it’s a really nice space with lots of room, a kitchen, and plenty of tables. whether you host it at your house, a park, your backyard, a hall..wherever, you’ll need to figure out dishware as well. we were able to get enough glasses, platter, plates, cake stands, etc. together between the 4 of us but there is always the option of renting dishes. or, paper plates i guess.
once we locked in a location for the party, it was time to sort out the guest list. feel free to work with the bride on a list of guests, as there will likely be family members and friends you might not think to invite. after you’ve determined how many people will be attending, it’s time to move onto step 3 (my favourite step).
i actually worked with a great graphic designer from fonik design to make jessica’s bridal shower invites. i showed him an invitation design i liked online and he was able to recreate it for me for a great price. i got them printed and bought a pack of silver envelopes at michael’s crafts. looking back, i probably could have just emailed the invitations out (would have saved paper and been more cost effective) but sometimes it’s a nice gesture to send a piece of mail! it’s also easy enough to make your own invites online, handmaking them, or using an e-vite system.
we had 31 guests attending the shower and made the ambitious decision to cater it ourselves. each bridesmaid was responsible for two appetizers. my mom and the groom’s mom kindly offered to also pitch in two appetizers, bringing the grand total up to way more than a room full of women would eat! we had sandwiches, quinoa salad, bocconcini bites, 7 layer dip, deviled eggs, hummus and pita, cheese/cracker/meat plate, veggies and dip, mini tortilla wraps, and the wildly popular steak bites. i’d always rather have too much food than not enough!
as an afternoon event, we were sure to offer coffee and tea, as well as water and a non alcoholic punch. we also served white wine, mimosas, and champagne with edible hibiscus flowers. for dessert, jessica’s mom the wedding lady contributed a delicious and visually stunning cake. always the best from susan! i also ordered some mini cupcakes from cakelicious that were lemon flavoured and ahhmazing. my mom made some brownies and lauren brought a fruit platter. we really had too much food, but don’t worry. i polished off those mini cupcakes by myself later on, it was really no trouble at all!
also from cakelicious, we sent each guest home with a pink cake pop that we put in a little bag and tied with ribbon with a little handwritten “thank-you” note. they were a big hit!
each bridesmaid took on some of the decorations. flowers, balloons, tissue pom poms, and some handmade signs. all of which were possible with some sticker letters from michael’s, a few supplies from the dollar store, some scrapbook paper, and a bit of creativity.
many bridal showers involve games as an ice breaker, or a chance for people to get to know the bride to be a little bit better. jessica hates games so we were sure not to include anything embarrassing and remotely game-like. our only moment of silliness was making her a bridal shower ribbon bra while she opened gifts instead of a bridal shower ribbon hat. although, we did manage to put a vintage feather hat on her as well. all in good fun, it was actually really cute! we did include some blank cards (that were also purchased from michael’s on sale) for guests to write a short piece of advice to the bride and groom.
ultimately, it’s important to always keep the bride in mind when planning the shower. we were sure to include jessica’s favourite wine, chips, and peanut m&m’s. we even had a surprise special guest attend from out of town! putting up pictures of the bride and groom is a nice touch (oh right, it’s about him too :P). any thoughtful gestures will not go unnoticed, and it’s ultimately a party in honour of the bride. have fun with it!
you can see what the final bridal shower looked like here or here
hope you find some of the tips helpful, feel free to let me know if you have any advice to add. happy planning xo
