Fashion

What I Wore in California

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It’s been a while since I did a fashion post and I’m super excited to share my outfits from our recent trip to California! It was so great to finally get to travel, albeit just across the border to the USA. As Sashien and are both fully vaccinated we were able to fly to the US and back without any difficulty (I’ll pop up an Instagram story for any of your travel related questions).

As with any trip we always like to plan our itinerary beforehand and have everything organized, which means all the flights, activities and restaurant reservations are booked well in advance. This also helps with packing and outfit planning. We had a flight every other day so I needed to be organized and know what I wanted to wear to each outing.

Here’s what I wore in California:

Leopard Print Top & High Waisted Pants

I wore this look to what I thought would be brunch at the London West Hollywood. Instead Sashien had planned a surprise for me and took me to the rooftop at the Peninsula Hotel. This wasn’t my original outfit choice (I had planned to wear a pistachio green slip dress) but Sashien insisted I should dress up a bit more, and boy am I glad I did.

My top is from Shein and I love the print and cut away neckline. This top is so light and airy as well. I paired it with the Heidi wide leg pant from Dynamite. These pants come in many different colours and the high waisted look went well with the top. You can also wear this top with shorts or a skirt. To finish off this look I added a hat that I also picked up from Dynamite, because you just can’t go to Beverly Hills and not wear a hat. If you’re looking for a place where it’s okay to be extra then BH is it! To tone down the look and blend in the colours I wore nude sandals.

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Ruffle Detail Halter Dress

This dress was such a great find to wear during a hot summer in California. It’s also from Shein and it’s so comfortable and chic! I love that this is a one-piece outfit. This dress traveled well and needed minimal ironing which was great. I added a pair of snake print Tory Burch flip flops to give some contrast to the dress. For some extra flair I accessorized with some long earrings. This photo was taken at the historic Hotel De Anza in San Jose. We had no idea this hotel had such a rich and storied history when we booked it online but we loved the art deco elements mixed in with modern touches at this hotel.

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One Shoulder Ruched Dress

I wanted something a little more fun and out there for dinner in San Jose so I wore this hot pink one shoulder dress. It also traveled so well, I didn’t need to iron it at all! The ruching was really flattering and forgiving ( we had been eating out for the last few days so I was a little worse for ware). I felt like a Barbie doll in this dress and I just love the colour! I went for a more simple look with this and added some sparkle with a gold metallic purse.

We went to dinner at Pedro’s in San Jose as we wanted to try some tex mex food and this restaurant didn’t disappoint. First of all, how gorgeous is the outside! It’s built to resemble a classic Spanish villa and the inside of the restaurant is just as nostalgic. The food was great and we really enjoyed the cocktails too. This restaurant was huge and we felt really safe inside with plenty of social distancing.

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Floral Print Cami Dress

Our travels from took us from San Jose to San Francisco, and since we had both been there before we decided to spend a day in Palo Alto. For our day out in Palo Alto I wanted a dress that could go from day to night without being overly dark in colour. This floral print cami dress was an easy choice. It worked perfectly for shopping and walking around during the day and transitioned well for dinner at Nobu Palo Alto in the evening. This dress was also travel friendly although the material was a little bit warmer than some of my other choices. Since the weather in Palo Alto wasn’t overly hot I was comfortable in this dress. I wanted a very easy carefree look so I paired this dress with nude sandals and a straw bag with pompom details.

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I hope you enjoyed my California vacation looks! Don’t forget to look out for my story sticker where you can send me all your travel questions!

Personal

The Year in Review: 2020

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Can you believe this year is almost over? And what a year it has been! For me 2020 started off pretty slowly. I was very ill with a bout of food poisoning on January 1st, great way to start a new year right? It was a slow, cold and boring start to the year. I remember feeling de-motivated and like everyone else was going ahead with their plans but me. My mom encouraged me to set some goals and stay motivated.

Personal and Professional Achievements

I decided to set some professional goals for myself to help create some structure. I still decided to enrol in the CITP (Certified International Trade Professional) program at the Forum for International Trade Training. In order to earn this certification I would need to take 6 courses and pass 6 exams, after which I would have to submit my resume along with my experience in international trade.  In January when I signed up for this, it seemed daunting and never ending. I also decided I wanted to complete my PMP – Project Management Professional designation this year.

I finished the first course in my CITP when the pandemic hit. All my classes at Algonquin were to be taught remotely and it took a lot of adjustment to get used to teaching fully on zoom. The pandemic hit us harder than we expected in Canada, and the initial lockdown was both disheartening and depressing. I decided to make the most of this time and complete the rest of the 5 courses. Within the month of April I started and completed 4 courses to finish off my CITP designation. This was exhausting and I frankly don’t recommend trying to do 4 courses which are supposed to be 6 months each within a span of 4 weeks, however I’m glad I did it. I earned my CITP in June and I was really pleased with this achievement. I was also surprised and humbled to be featured by FITT in their CITP spotlight.

I was on the fence about studying for my PMP but decided to take it seriously and started studying in September. If any potential PMP test takers are reading this, yes, I did read the entire PMBOK! I completed a prep course in November and did countless practice exams from mid November to early December. I wrote my exam at home on December 14 through PMI’s online proctoring service PearsonVue and passed it on the first attempt! I was and am so thrilled about this! I had been wanting to take this exam since 2018 and this year I finally did it! P.S. I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have about the PMP exam, feel free to comment or email me 🙂

Blogging Progress

On the blog front I really focused on growing my following and creating more engaging content. The pandemic prompted me to shift my focus to more local brands in Ottawa. I was happy to collaborate with businesses such as Skuish Cookies, Oh My Honey, The East India Company, MC Laser and Hair and Buyers + Cellars to name a few. I am so pleased with the growth I’ve experienced on my blog and Instagram channels, I was able to reach and surpass my goal of 10K followers this year, which was a milestone for me. Thank you to everyone who supported me in this journey.

I also focused on more hospitality and lifestyle content and was fortunate to collaborate with The Fairmont Chateau Laurier, The Frontenac Club and The Fairmont Chateau Montebello. I was also thrilled to secure more fashion collaborations with international and local clothing brands such as Shein and Chicwish. Sashien and I did some his and hers style collaborations as well.

I didn’t travel as much this year due to the travel restrictions as a result of the pandemic however Sashien and I were able to take a trip to Florida in February prior to the lockdown. We were thankful to have been able to experience a little bit of warm weather before the shutdown.

Overall 2020 was not the write off everyone keeps calling it. Plans may have changed and we all needed to adjust but in the end life is what you make it. I decided to make the most of a rather unfortunate year and I’m even more motivated for 2021!

Looking ahead

I’ve got a lot more goals and plans in place for next year. I’m currently working on a capsule collection with none other than the Capsule Creator herself, Rebecca Rowe. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks! I’ll be posting about this on my Instagram page.

Sashien and I also have something exciting that we’ve been working on and we can’t wait to share it with all of you! I’ll be posting and sharing more about this project soon!

Fashion, Holiday Style

Holiday Style with Shein

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Can you believe the holidays are just around the corner? It’s been a while since my last blogpost but I’ve been very active on Instagram. Christmas is my favourite time of the year so I’m really excited to share some his and hers holiday style looks from Shein.

Look 1 – Festive Casual

Our first look is a casual yet festive look. I love this plaid print dress. It’s very stretchy so it fits quite snug and is very figure flattering. It also comes in two other colours. This dress is perfect for looking festive without being over the top. I styled it by adding a pair of over the knee boots and tights.

Sashien found a great layering piece in this grey turtleneck. This garment is form fitting, Sash usually wears a M in Shein sizing and this one was very fitted. I would recommend sizing up if you plan on wearing this piece as a stand alone top. For this look he paired it with a double breasted red blazer, pocket square and black coated jeans.

We wanted a really festive feel to this photoshoot so we decided to photograph these looks at Tinseltown Christmas Emporium. It’s a must visit location in Ottawa, especially during the holiday season.

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Look 2 – Christmas Glam

This second look is all about glamour and bling. Just because you’re staying in or socially distancing doesn’t mean you can’t dress up right?! I absolutely love this gown with sequin details. The sweetheart neckline is really flattering and the longer train at the back and fitted cut make this dress a real stunner. This is probably one of the most exquisite dresses I own.

We wanted to find a complementary piece for Sashien so we were thrilled to come across this embroidered high neck blazer. The open neckline gives this piece more of an eastern fashion feel to it. The embroidery on it matched well with the design on my dress and really added character to the piece. Sashien paired it with a black turtleneck but you can also wear this blazer with a black or white dress shirt.

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Look 3 – Christmas Colours

Our last look is perfect for a Christmas photoshoot! When I saw this red bow detail dress online I knew I had to have it! It also comes in black, navy, and white. Side note I also have it in black! The red is just perfect for the holidays and the bow at the back makes this dress truly unique, it kind of looks like a present 🙂  I love the halter neckline and pencil cut of the dress.

Sashien’s shawl collar blazer is a great contrast with my red dress. We didn’t want to be too festive for this look but the combination worked really well. The blazer has a jacquard design on it which makes it a really interesting piece. Sash paired this with a black turtleneck and coated jeans for a semi-formal look.

This look would be best suited for an in studio shoot, perhaps one with a Christmas backdrop!

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I hope you enjoyed our his and her holiday style looks. Shein is currently having their Black Friday Sale! Use our code Sh92L and save 15% on your purchase til December 6th.

Thank you to our photographer Ricardo Boreka for these lovely photos!

A special thanks to Shein for sponsoring this post.

Fashion

My Favourite Neutrals for Fall

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It’s Fall y’all! I feel like I haven’t done a fashion or styling post in a while so here it is! Fall is here in full force and I couldn’t be happier to show off my Fall fashion.

This year I’ve noticed a shift away from the usual burgundies, greens and jewel tones we usually see in Fall fashion. An affinity for neutrals has definitely developed. I personally love neutrals as they’re so versatile and can be worn in any season. In this post I’ll be sharing some of my favourite neutral pieces for Fall.

Colour Block Coat

I picked up this colour block coat from Shein and it’s a great addition to my Fall wardrobe. I love the camel, black and white colours in this piece. It’s a great coat to wear with blue or black jeans. To put this neutral look together I paired it with a neutral taupe turtleneck from Dynamite along with some black jeans. To accessorize and elevate my outfit to a more polished look I added a belt from Gucci, some block heels (you can also wear booties with this) and one of my Tory Burch handbags

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Camel Sweater with White Jeans

Camel is a colour I’ve recently come to love. I wasn’t a fan of it before but I have converted! I love this oversized camel turtleneck, it’s cozy and chic. I always love wearing white so I paired it with some white jeans. This is one of my favourite neutral looks. It’s dressed down yet classy. In keeping with the camel look I added some matching booties and accessorized with an off-white Tory Burch handbag. The booties and bag really help tie this look together. This is a perfect outfit for running some weekend errands or grabbing a quick coffee with a friend.

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Faux Leather Crocodile Skirt

Faux leather is back again this Fall and although this may seem more of an edgier trend you can sport it in neutral colours. I found this midi skirt online at Chicwish. I’m not normally a fan of faux leather or crocodile print but I did like the colour and shape of this skirt. The crocodile detailing is subtle and the taupe colour really helps  soften the look of the faux leather. I styled this skirt by pairing it with an off-white turtleneck and some brown pumps. I added an off-white handbag. I wore this look to work as the skirt definitely lends itself to workwear.

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Dusty Pink Coat

Pink isn’t typically a colour we see in Fall coats but this one sure makes an impression. If you haven’t guessed already, pink IS my favourite colour. I love the gold button details on this coat and the removable faux fur collar. Throwing this on top of any outfit would definitely elevate your look. This would also work as a Spring coat.

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What colours do you prefer wearing in the Fall?