Thrifty Thursday: Bright New Colours

We've been wearing dark fall colours for quite a while now, so I can't help but start looking for brighter colours in the thrift store. Time to lighten things up!

I always run my fingers over the clothes as I go through the aisles, looking for interesting textures. The bright orange was awesome enough, but I really like how the dress also has an interesting texture to it. It's not quite sweater material, but definitely thicker than you'd expect.

Store: Value Village
Brand: unknown (no tags)
Store Section: Dresses
What I Paid: $6.99
What it Costs New: ?


Just because the blazer is a little big, doesn't mean it's a a reject! If it's about 2 sizes bigger, it should fit nicely as a boyfriend blazer! Just roll up the sleeves and it pairs well with pretty much anything.

Store: Value Village
Brand: H&M
Store Section: Blazers
What I Paid: $8.99
What it Costs New: $29.95


Oh yeah, that's right: purple jeans! Coloured pants seem to be a big fashion risk for a lot of people, but they're an easy (and comfortable) way to inject some colour into your outfit. Just throw on a white tee and you're all set!

Store: Value Village
Brand: Tobi
Store Section: Dresses
What I Paid: $8.99
What it Costs New: $29.99


Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Look of the Week: Pantone Colour of the Year Marsala

As I'm sure you already know, Marsala is the colour of the year, as announced by Pantone. I'm pretty happy about this, as this has been one of my favourite colours for fall/winter over the past couple years. It pairs so perfectly with browns/bieges such as camel and cognac (see my shoes below), and looks great with the mauve lipsticks that have been especially hot this season.

Of course, I always infuse a solid dose of girliness into what I wear, so when I saw this dress in Value Village with gorgeous box pleats, I had to snatch it up! I am a huge fan of box pleats, as they give skirts and dresses a ton of volume. The little leather trim gives the dress just a touch of edginess, which is an added bonus. Unfortunately, there were no tags inside, so I have no idea who created this lovely dress, but it's a winner in my books!

Have you tried wearing Marsala yet?

Outfit: Jacket - Zara Trafaluc (thrifted) | Dress - thrifted |  Earrings - Forever 21 - Necklace - Nobis & Grey (c/o) |Shoes - Mei Xi (thrifted)

Makeup: Eyeliner - Lise Watier Feline | Mascara - Covergirl Clump Crusher | Lipstick - NYX Matte Lipstick in Whipper Caviar

 Lip Liner - NYX Pencil in Mauve | Nailpolish - Revlon Gel Envy in High Stakes

Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Thrifty Thursday: More Pretty Dresses

My favourite section of the thrift store is always the dress section! I find my luck is better there than anywhere else on a regular basis. If you only have a few minutes to see what's in store, the dress section is your best bet. That or the blazers section.

This dress is a good combination of comfortable and fashionable! The faux leather, open back, and laser cut detailing are all nice touchs, and I could wear this all night long.

Store: Salvation Army
Brand: Tobi
Store Section: Dresses
What I Paid: $9.99
What it Costs New: ?


Here's a quick tip when it comes to sizing: don't always trust the tags! I find that with 'younger' brands like H&M and Zara, the sizes run very small, but when I try on dresses for a slightly older demographic, like Max Studio, I find I can fit into much smaller sizes. This XS (which was in the Size 1-2 section) is actually surprisingly roomy, which I only discovered after trying it on. When in doubt, give it a try before passing it over!

Store: Value Village
Brand: Max Studio
Store Section: Dresses
What I Paid: $17.99
What it Costs New: ~ $250


Even though it's been a while since the Gatsby style phenomenon took over, I still get  pretty excited when I find beaded dresses like this. I love that opulence they have! No styling necessary, just throw this on and you're good to go.

Store: Salvation Army
Brand: H&M
Store Section: Dresses
What I Paid: $9.99
What it Costs New: ?


Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Look of the Week: Plaid & Bows

And the plaid obsession continues...I can't help it, I tell you! Especially when there are bow involved too. I am helpless to bows and plaid.

I found this adorable dress from online shop Chicwish, which I had never purchased from before, but when I saw this dress, I just had to have it! I couldn't believe that it literally arrived 5 days after I purchased it (with regular, free shipping, might I add!). And the quality? SO pleasantly surprised! I can pretty much wear this out as a coat, the fabric is so nice and thick.

PS. Did you notice the new 'do? I finally bit the bullet and had April from Is. Salon in Yaletown chop off a solid 8 inches of my hair so I could finally try out the the ever-popular lob (long bob) hairstyle. I must say, I am totally loving it! So much easier to take care of, and I can't wait to give the beachy wanves look a try.

Outfit: Dress - Chicwish | Purse - JustFab Queenly | Boots - Miss Smart | Earrings - Forever 21

Makeup: Eyeliner - Lise Watier Feline | Lipstick - L'Oreal Colour Riche in British Red | Nails - Revlon Gel Envy in High Stakes

Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Valentine's Day: Love Yourself!

I am sooo excited to share with you my Valentine's collaboration with Miranda Sam & Aurora Chan of Style By Fire and Samantha Sito of OTISamantha! We took a slightly different approach to the usual 'be with the one you love' Valentine's Day theme this year, and instead opted for a stronger more individualistic theme: love yourself!

It's often assumed that those who dress up (and dress well) are doing so to impress others. But, I personally find that I dress for myself: the way I choose to dress gives me confidence, and that's what makes me want to dress up more! So this Valentine's Day, wear what makes you confident, and embrace that confidence! Loving yourself is all about feeling comfortable in your own skin...and in this case, in whatever fashionable outfit you're wearing ;)

So speaking of confidence, can we take a minute to talk about how amazing these ladies you see below are?? Not only do we look like one badass group of fashionistas, but they are totally hilarious and an absolute joy to be around. They're also the kind of people to do a McDonalds run mid-shoot for chicken mcnuggets to satiate our constant hunger. These are the kind of people I like to surround myself with. Real, down-to-earth, and incredibly talented. They're go-go-go all the time, and all have day jobs in addition to running their own online publications.

We chose to go for a dark, sultry look with red accents for the shoot: a departure from the usual 'sweetness' associated with Valentine's Day. Red lipstick is my go-to usually, although I'm more of a matte lipstick kind of girl, but after seeing these photos with all of us and our glossed up lips, I think it's time to add some more gloss to my makeup collection! We used L'Oreal's Colour Rich Le Gloss in Naturally Nude, and I've got to say, it definitely makes an outstanding pout.

I'll have some individual shots from this shoot coming soon, so stay tuned! I hope you all have a fabulous Valentine's Day, and celebrate love in whatever way makes you the happiest :)

Photos by Aparte Photography

My outfit (centre): Dress- Asos | Necklace - Nobis & Grey | Heels - Call It Spring (thrifted)

Aurora's outfit (centre, front) : Dress - Christine Lingerie | Necklace & Earrings - Front & Company | Heels - Aldo

Samantha's outfit (left): Dress - Nastygal | Heels - Aldo

Miranda's outfit (right): Dress - Zac Posen x Target | Necklace - Nobis & Grey | Heels - Aldo

Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Thrifty Thursday

More fun new stuff to add to the closet this week!

Who doesn't love bows? Don't they make everything better? This super cute top is completely work appropriate, but looks chic and fashionable when styled with fitted dress pants and some fun flats.

Store: Salvation Army
Brand: Jacob
Store Section: Short Sleeve Blouse
What I Paid: $6.99
What it Costs New: ?


I wasn't able to find anything out about this brand, nor why the belt says Gucci, but I really love the cut of this dress! This will totally make a fashionable work dress, especially with a bright pullover sweater over top.

Store: Value Village
Brand: Alberto Gabbana Italy
Store Section: Dresses
What I Paid: $17.99
What it Costs New: ?


You know how your mother always told you to wait for it to go on sale? Well, how about waiting for it to show up in Value Village?? I wanted this purse when I first saw it in Aldo, but ultimately never purchased it. Then, lo and behold, I find the exact purse in Value Village for a real steal! What a win.

Store: Value Village
Brand: Aldo
Store Section: Purses
What I Paid: $14.99
What it Costs New: ~ 30


Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Nebulous Beauty Event

As I've become much more involved with beauty in the past year, I love it now when fashion and beauty come together at events like this! The Nebulous Beauty event, hosted by Black2Blond, La Biosthetique Canada, and Eco Fashion Week, featured live haircuts by Black2Blond hairstylists Sara Burke and Dylan Beatch and a fashion show styled by Sarah D'Arcey.

There was definitely some serious hairstyling skills being showcased on the stage, and when both hairstyles were complete, Burke and Beatch took off the covers to reveal both models' stunning dresses, both styled by Sarah D'Arcey. It was amazing how well each hairstyle paired with their respective dress. The modern bob looked gorgeous with the open-back Ecote dress, and the retro-inspired 'do was a perfect fit for Evan DuCharme's Coco Silk Evening Gown.

Stylist Sarah D'Arcey gave me a quick peek into the inspiration behind the Nebulous Beauty runway show:

"I went looking for garments that were interesting and spoke to me in the form of shape, texture and colour. I love Value Village to find pieces that are interesting and are (or look) high end. I like working with all the pieces to tell a story as a collection. While each look is different, they all build off each other to create this vision of nebulous beauty. I sourced items for well over a month for this project. I really wanted to present a curated collection with the use of tulle, lace and fabrics that were two dimensional," explained D'Arcey. "I really love using Evan Ducharme's pieces because they are so well constructed and capture every detail. The Cordelia gown is one of my favorite pieces he has done and it really highlighted this fashion story."

I was thrilled to hear that Sara had thrifted a good portion of the outfits, as I'm a huge fan of thrifting myself (in case you didn't already know!). She did a fabulous job of creating a continuous theme amongst the looks, and matching them to the edgy hairstyles by Sara Burke and Dylan Beatch. 

Sara Burke & Dylan Beatch of Black2Blond demonstrating two live haircuts on modela Anya (left) and Devin (right)!

Fashions from left to right, styled by stylist Sara D'Arcey:

H&M top and David Dixon skirt, Topshop, Value Village, Lord & Taylor

Fashions from left to right, styled by stylist Sara D'Arcey:

Lavin for H&M, Evan DuCharme, H&M peplum, H&M skirt

Fashions from left to right, styled by stylist Sara D'Arcey:

Evan DuCharme, Ecote, H&M

In love with these 2 hairstyles!

With Fashion Blogger Rosalia of Style Love - Photo by Santiago Firero

With Fashion Blogger Rosalia of Style Love - Photo by Santiago Firero

Jacket - Judith & Charles (thrifted) | Hat - Aldo | Necklace - Olive + Piper | Shirt - H&M (thrifted) | Jeans - Urban Planet | Purse - JustFab | Heels - Jessica Simpson (thrifted)

Happy Styling! xo

~Britta