Wednesday 29 January 2014

And The Leopard Looked At Wardrobe Staples

1/Leopard Fur Coat/£25/New Look
2/Checkerboard Handbag/£80/Aldo
3/Swimming Medal/Family Heirloom
4/Nude Lipstick in "Rouge Shine"/£10/Sephora
5/
Nike Blazers/£80/Office
6/Tortoiseshell Watch/£259/Michael Kors
7/Stiletto Nails/£20-£60/Nail Salons
   For those of you who aren't as down with the fashion lingo as your average fashion student, a wardrobe staple is something that defines your style. It is the items you wear and replace religiously. It is the key pieces that you work the rest of your wardrobe choices around. And for me, it is the things that will always be timeless classics.

   My first wardrobe staple of course had to be leopard print! I have had the same leopard fur coat from New Look for 4 years and it is still going strong! It is the perfect length, colour, fit...everything! It has proved well against the Canadian climate so far so it is definitely earning its moneys worth! It looks great over a dress for a classy night out with the girls but also looks equally good walking to class! It is a perfect example of a wardrobe staple as you won't often see me without it on!

   This handbag was definitely love at first sight! I was in New York with my Mum and as per usual I had ran waaaaay over budget already, but after some convincing my Mum was kind enough to lend me some money towards it! This is one of those handbags that will last me a good few years. It has a cool contemporary look that will never completely fade as a trend and it makes any outfit look ten times more stylish. This is definitely one of the pieces that I had a very emotional goodbye with when I left for Canada!

   Every day I get asked what this medal is! My Grandad gave it to me a long time ago and I've been wearing it everyday for about 4 years now. I absolutely love it because it is so different and has such a strong sentimental value for me. It is a beautiful piece that attracts a lot of attention and people are always interested to know what it is and its story. This is a wardrobe staple I can't ever see myself not wearing, I hate not having it on even if it's just for one night so I can wear a statement necklace!

   Nude lipstick is my favourite make up staple! I have tried a vast array of lipstick colours over the years but I always end up back at nude eventually! This Sephora lipstick is one of my absolute favourites as it has a glossy sheen without being sticky like a lip gloss! Wearing a nude lipstick allows me to wear much heavier make up on my eyes so I usually wear it day or night!

   Before last Summer I rarely wore trainers. I had one pair of VERY worn out converse and I only really wore them in the Summer anyway. But when I got a job with GAP I realized I need some shoes that would go well with jeans as that was a key part of the uniform. At the time everyone had blazers and I don't like to follow the crowd too closely when it comes to fashion so when I found these I fell in love! They were totally different to the basic blazer colours and they are so comfy! They literally go with anything and I often wear them on nights out and still look dressy enough!

   This watch is probably the most expensive thing I own. It took a lot of time to decide which watch I wanted when I went to Ernest Jones and classic me, I picked the most expensive one in the shop! But it is definitely an investment piece, even though I've already cracked it once it has been repaired and now looks as good as new! I would say it is definitely more of a fashion accessory than a time piece for me!


   My final wardrobe staple is stiletto nails. I actually feel happier when my nails are done! I've found a place in Toronto that does acrylic stiletto nails for $20! So I will be posting plenty of nail designs on Instagram over the coming months! You can have so much fun with fake nails and follow the trends by wearing the latest seasons colour! I've opted for neon pink and glitter on my accent nail for just now, totally Barbie but I love them!

   Wardrobe staples are an important part of anyone's wardrobe and it's such a good way to define your own personal style. I don't think I'll be changing mine anytime soon!

    

Tuesday 21 January 2014

And The Leopard Went Downtown

Downtown Toronto
   Now that I've settled in a bit I thought it was time to explore Toronto properly! It's an amazing city, and even if it is a bit cold sometimes (-20 degrees!!) it makes a nice change of scenery from Aberdeen and Glasgow!
Me & Sophie outside the Eaton Centre!
   Our first stop was obviously going to be the massive shopping mall right in the heart of downtown! They have so many stores here that we don't have the luxury of having back home: Sephora, Victoria's Secret, American Eagle Outfitters and Juicy Couture just to name a few of my favourites! And with the exchange rate being so favorable to tourists here it has been a challenge to reign in my shopping habits!


PINK by Victoria's Secret
A Beautiful Michael Kors Store!
Visual Display inside Sephora

Being the ultimate fashion tourists!
   After a VERY restrained shopping trip around the Eaton Centre we went to Urban Outfitters where my shopping temptation could resist no more! I found these beautiful holographic pumps with a very on trend silver ankle bar and at $20 (£11 roughly!) it would have been a crime against fashion bargains to say no!
You can never have too many pairs of shoes!
   Although they are very pretty they are going to take a lot of breaking in so I've been wearing them to class (regardless of the snow, you can't wear wellies everyday!) which is a nice 5 minute walk to ease them into one day being comfortable!
Textured Top/£15/Topshop
Skull Necklace/£9/Topshop
   Sophie & I have both received a lot of compliments for our style here as we tend to stand out from the average Canadian! I've had this necklace for a while now but I still love it as much as when I first bought it. It adds a bit of edginess to any outfit, especially something like this white t-shirt! It's little things like this that are making us more unique in a fairly casual city. It's so interesting to see how fashion is perceived in Toronto and how different the trends are here compared to the UK. I'll be posting soon about my new purchases that won against my shopping resistance! I'll worry about my luggage allowance nearer the time...








Monday 6 January 2014

And The Leopard Went To Canada

   So here is the first of many pictures of my new adventure! After a 7 hour flight I touched down in Toronto and stepped out into minus 20! Luckily, I have a good collection of fur coats and leopard print thermals so I should manage to keep warm, even when it's colder than Mars here sometimes!
Black Patent Wellies/£85/Schuh
Leopard Fur Wellie Socks/£30/Schuh
   These Hunter wellies are already proving themselves to be an absolute essential over here! I am like Bambi on ice and snow so I needed something with grip, and so far so good! The wellie socks keep me nice and warm and the leopard fur manages to make even wellies look glam!
Lake Ontario
   This is me and Sophie, the other exchange student from Robert Gordon University, in front of Lake Ontario. The lake had actually started to freeze at the edges because it has been so cold here! It was amazing to see though and it's only a five minute walk from our campus!
Lake Shore Boulevard
   The campus and halls of residence are on Lake Shore Boulevard and it is an amazing area, it's so different to Aberdeen! There is a tram (called street cars here) that runs right outside the campus that can take you straight into downtown Toronto. I've not been to downtown during the day yet but will definitely be there soon to check out the malls! 
   I will have a post up soon with some of my new Canadian purchases, not sure how my luggage allowance will cope but I couldn't resist!