Thursday, January 31, 2013

Thrifty Thursday

It's very hard to go out thrift shopping with something in mind that you're  looking for. Likely, you won't find it if it's something specific. Thrift shops are generally the place you go looking for something more unexpected. But lately, I've been keeping my goal fairly broad and it seems to be working. I've been looking for sleeveless/dressy shirts that go well under cardigans. You'll see a couple of interesting ones fitting that description below:


Yes, there is a massive bow inside a bow on this shirt. What can I say? I love bows. And the colour red.



Store: Salvation Army
Brand: New York Laundry
Section: Sleeveless shirts
What I Paid: $3.99
What it's Worth: ?


Costa Blanca was always one of my favourite mall stores. They have such a great Mediterranean vibe in their stores and their designs. I like that this shirt is very basic, with just a little ruffle to make it interesing.




Store: Salvation Army
Brand: Costa Blanca
Section: Sleeveless shirts
What I Paid: $2.99
What it's Worth: ?


I have paid full price for a pair of Anne Michelle heels from Sterling Shoes before, but it just feels so much better when they're super cheap!! I bought these originally to use for my upcoming DIY glitter heels, but ended up liking the black and white pattern so much that I decided to keep them as are!



Store: Salvation Army
Brand: Anne Michelle
Section: Shoes
What I Paid: $6.99
What it's Worth: ~ $50


Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Monday, January 28, 2013

Fashion Week Season: Help me win tickets to VFW!

In anticipation of the roll out of fashion weeks everywhere, Vancouver Fashion Week has started a weekly contest to give us the opportunity to win tickets to the F/W2013 shows in March. Every week up until March 18 you can enter a photo of how you would wear the trend Vancouver Fashion Week has picked for  the week. The photo with the most votes will win tickets to VFW. There's one catch: your look has to be under $100! For those of you who have been following my Thrifty Thursday tips, this should be no problem! You can get all the details here.

For this week, VFW's trend is mixing pastels, as inspired by Stella McCartney's Spring collection. You can see my interpretation on mixing pastels below. I went a little crazy over mint last year (how could I not at those prices!), so I was very happy to see that pastels were sticking around this Spring season. My favourite way to wear pale shades is by pairing them with bright hues. I'm oftly pale myself, so I have to be careful not to over-do it in the light colour department. This is how I would wear the trend, but how would you??

If you dig my look and want to help get the Vancouver Vogue team to fashion week once again, you can LIKE my photo on Facebook here. I appreciate each and every one of you who has liked it already, and would be ever so grateful to those of you who will! <3 Here's to getting psyched for fashion week!













Jacket - Zara(thrifted), Shirt - Suzy Shier, Pants - Zara(thrifted), Purse - hand-me-down, Scarf - hand-me-down, Necklace - S.H.E. by Design, Shoes - Jessica Simpson(via Vince Camuto)



You can LIKE me on Facebook and help get me to VFW by clicking the photo above! I owe you one :)


Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Thrifty Thursday

Some people wonder what exactly I look for when I go thrift shopping. To sum it up: uniqueness. I look for embellishments, lace, leather, fur, dynamic prints...pretty much anything that stands out among the racks of fabric. This can definitely be seen in the 3 clothing items I found this week:

Leather sleeves and studs all over: that's what I'm talking about! This would be a great jacket to wear over a simple LBD.



Store: Salvation Army
Brand: Unknown
Section: Blazers
What I Paid: $7.99
What it's Worth: ?



Lace always stands out right away to me on the clothing racks. It has such a delicate yet sensuous quality. I particularly like the overlay of the lace on this shirt; it makes it stand out on the beige fabric even more.





Store: Salvation Army
Brand: Love21 (Forever 21)
Section: Sleeveless shirts
What I Paid: $5.99
What it's Worth: ~ $30



How is this for a dynamic print? Even the cut of the neckline is very unique.



Store: Salvation Army
Brand: Le Chateau
Section: Sleeveless shirts
What I Paid: $2.99
What it's Worth: ?


Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Monday, January 21, 2013

Look of the Week: The Cape

Brrrr it was chilly photoshoot this week...

I've been waiting to jump on this trend's bandwagon for awhile now. I went looking for left-over Boxing Day deals later that week and came across this waist-cinching cape at Costa Blanca for only $30! These coats are super comfortable, and the tied waist also creates feminine peplum effect. It's also a huge plus if you're sick of having all the buttons fall off your coat- no buttons here!

Today is supposedly the saddest day of the year (Blue Monday, so why not add a little sparkle to your outfit to lighten the mood? I always dress the way I want to feel, and sequins (like this Zara skirt) make me feel bright and fancy. Try it and see how you feel!



















Cape-Costa Blanca, Necklace&Ring-H&M, Shirt-Jacob, Skirt-Zara (thrifted), Tights- Betsey Johnson (via Winners), Bag-Aldo (thrifted), Shoes-Aldo




Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Thrifty Thursday

More treats from my thrifting escapade over Christmas...


The second I saw this Zara diamante embellished skirt, I already knew exactly how I wanted to style it: cozy sweater, sequin skirt, opaque tights. The best winter look. I love the added detailing of the mint jewels; they make this different from any other sequin skirt! That's definitely something you could do yourself with a skirt you already own, too.





Store: Salvation Army
Brand: Zara
Section: Skirts
What I Paid: $9.99
What it's Worth: $79.90 (now on sale for $39.99 on Zara's website)


After being to Vancouver Fashion Week in the fall, I noticed that a good dose of fur (or in this case, faux fur) takes an outfit to new heights. Keep the rest of the outfit simple, and you'll have a high fashion look that's runway-ready!





Store: Value Village
Brand: Bebe
Section: Vests
What I Paid: $19.99
What it's Worth: $189


I found this bag at the same time I found the Burberry-esque backpack in last week's Thrifty Thursday. I was so torn between the two I had to buy both! I'm glad I did, since this one is the perfect bag for all my stuff- even my Crumpler Camera pouch!




I was pleasantly surprised to come across a picture of Leona Lewis toting the same Aldo bag while looking for the value of the bag on Google. The classic hues goes great with her colourful trench!








































Store: Value Village
Brand: Aldo
Section: Purses & Bags
What I Paid: $12.99
What it's Worth: $50

Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Monday, January 14, 2013

Crumpler: The Fashion Blogger's bag

The coolest, most unique gift I received this Christmas was a Crumpler camera bag insert from my boyfriend! After I purchased my Nikon D5100 DSLR back at the beginning of December, I started looking around for a stylish camera bag. Truth be told, they aren't very easy to find! I did come across one here and there, but didn't think they were very unique. Unfortunately, I fell in love with a bag developed by blogger Fashion Foie Gras and Coach, but unfortunately it came out almost exacly a year ago...and came with a $500 price tag. I decided to leave the search over Christmas, and was very pleasantly surprised with my gift of a Crumpler Haven pouch! This particular one is an insert, which means it can turn any bag into a camera bag. Problem solved!

Naturally, I still managed to justify buying 2 new bags to house my new Crumpler bag: one of which you just saw on Thrifty Thursday yesterday. The key is still having enough space for a pair of flats, phone, wallet, and in my other larger purse, even an iPad! Everything a fashion blogger needs on the go. Even for those of you who aren't fashion bloggers, if you're on-the-go and want to have your DSLR too, this is such a great idea. There's a location in Gastown, Vancouver if you want to pick one of these genius inventions for up for yourself!







See how it fits inside my new thrifted backpack? No more transporting my camera in a toque! (Yes, for the last month, I have been protecting my prized camera with a wool toque when keeping it in my purse). The dividers are removable too, so you can adjust the inside any way you like. For me, it fits a camera with lens on, an extra lens, and external flash.



Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Thrifty Thursday

As I mentioned last week, I went a little crazy at the thrift stores while back with my family over Christmas. My favourite place for amazing deals on great items will always be Salvation Army, but I also stopped by Value Village to take a look at their selection. It drives my bestie/photographer crazy when I rant about how overpriced some items are at Value Village; she thinks it's ridiculous how warped my sense of 'expensive' has become. I find the prices there are much higher than Salvation Army, and my mindset has always been that if I'm going to the trouble of spending hours finding it amongst thousands of items, it should be priced pretty darn cheap. I grumbled while paying $96 for 6 items at the cashier, but after coming home and finding out one of the items was worth $170, I supposed the trip was well worth it!


The upcoming release of The Great Gatsby has inspired many 1920's fashion trends to resurface, and I think this gorgeous shirt fits the style perfectly! The heavy beading and flowing fabric are indicative of the vintage style, while the peplum waist keeps it contemporary.





Store: Value Village
Brand: Bebe
Section: Sleeveless Shirts
What I Paid: $24.99
What it's Worth: $170


I have been on the hunt for some great new, spacious bags to house my new DSLR, and found this backpack just before calling it a day. I have always hated backpacks because of dragging it to and from school in high school with stacks of textbooks, but this one was just far too cute and fashionable to say no to. I love the Burberry-esque print and the thin straps; plus there's just the right amount of space inside to make this a great camera bag.





Store: Value Village
Brand: ?
Section: Bags & Purses
What I Paid: $14.99
What it's Worth: ?


Here is a perfect example of something from Zara which I would never have paid full price for, but now that I own it, I am completely in love with it! It's great to have basic sweaters like this that just have a little something extra to them (like the leather shoulder inserts). I styled it with black leggings and my suede wedge booties, making me feel a little edgy and very fashion-forward; I feel a Look of the Week in the making!





Store: Salvation Army
Brand: Zara
Section: Featured Items
What I Paid: $14.99
What it's Worth: ~ $79.90


Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Monday, January 7, 2013

DIY Project: Coloured Shoe Soles

As much as I would love to own my own pair of Christian Louboutins, these will hold me over until that miraculous day comes. Really, you can do this DIY with any colour you like, but by now you know I tend to stick to the classics. I found this DIY for painting the soles of your shoes on Pinterest here, and if you're thinking this may be up your alley, make sure you pin it!

First, you'll need white nail polish, coloured nail polish of your choice, and clear nail polish (not necessary, but you could apply at the end), and nail polish remover. As for brushes, I just used some old make-up brushes.



Next, you'll need a pair of heels. I picked up mine from the thrift store a while back, and they're perfect for my Louboutin look: black and with the iconic super high heel.



I used nail polish remover on the soles to get them prepped and clean before beginning to paint.



I used a small brush to paint on a layer of white nail polish onto the sole of each heel. (I attempted to put tape along the edges of the shoes to avoid getting paint on the rest of the shoe, but this was ineffective and unnecessary as long as you're careful). I recommend using a bigger brush than your nail polish brush, otherwise the polish will dry unevenly as you try to paint faster than the pain dries!



Leave the heels until the soles are completely dry. I left them for 30 minutes- just to be safe! It probably takes only about 10 minutes, but I didn't want to risk it.



Once they're dry, you can start applying your colour coat of nail polish. You'll want to do 2 coats, allowing time to dry in between each coat.







After the last coat, leave the shoes to dry overnight. When you check on them in the morning, they should be hard and not pliable at all. If you want, you can add a layer of clear nail polish on top of the coloured polish. Personally, I didn't bother. I figure if the paint starts to come off, I'll just paint them again!



And there you have it! A smokin' hot pair of heels with soles you'll want to show off! I can see these going well with a LBD...




Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Thrifty Thursday

Happy New Year, lovelies!

I went on quite the thrifting extravaganza this week and came home with an assortment of treasures which I'll be sharing with you over the next couple of weeks. For now though, I'll share with you a couple of unique skirts I found before Christmas: one of which was my go-to skirt for holiday parties!


This Zara skirt has an interesting touch: studs along the waistline! It makes a formal pencil skirt just a little bit edgy, and defines your waist in a unique way. This could also make an easy DIY project on a pencil skirt you already own!





Store: Value Village
Brand: Zara
Section: Skirts
What I Paid: $9.99
What it's Worth: ~ $60


Here's a vintage gem. It's too bad the pictures really don't do this skirt justice. All I can tell you is that investing in a plain black skirt with a high slit will never do you wrong! I can't wait to style this baby with some hot stilettos, red lips, and vintage curls. Reading to pull an Angelina Jolie- BAM!





Store: Salvation Army
Brand: ESCADA by Margaetha Ley
Section: Skirts
What I Paid: $5.99
What it's Worth: ~ $150

Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

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