Friday, December 30, 2016

Vancouver Vogue's 2016 Fashion Year in Review


It's always at the end of the year, looking back, that the last 12 months seem to have flown by. Where did the time go? 

Let's take a peek back at some of the things that happened on Vancouver Vogue this year:
  • More outfit posts than ever! Vancouver Vogue posted 52 outfits this year - 16 more than last year!
  • Participating this this all-too-real-and-hilarious "I Am An Instagrammer" video. Oh and this adorable LOVE video too.
  • Spreading the word that Kindness is One Size Fits All for Pink Shirt Day!
  • Working with London Drugs Beauty on more fabulous and fun makeup videos: blue eyeliner, Harley Quinn Halloween, Holiday Gift Guide.
  • Celebrating National Thrift Shop Day with Value Village.
  • Diner en Blanc...year 2!
  • The Deighton Cup horse races in Vancouver - our city's excuse to wear a fancy dress and fascinator.
  • Vancouver Vogue started a weekly beauty section on Fridays (stay tuned for more).
  • Travelling 3 weeks in Europe to Italy, Switzerland, France and England, sharing style inspiration and travel details along the way (still more to com from France and England in 2017!)
Judging by Vancouver Vogue's Best Nine 2016 on Instagram (the grid of 9 photos below), you want to see more outfit photos in 2017, so don't worry, there will be lots more to come in the New Year! What else do you want to see more of here? Thrifting? Style tips? Beauty? Lifestyle? Let me know in the comment section below.

Wishing you all a fabulous 2017 <3


















Happy Styling in 2017! xo

~ Britta

Monday, December 26, 2016

Outfit Inspiration: New Year's Eve Sparkle


Considering how many sequin pieces of clothing there are in my closet, you'd think I do a whole lot more partying than I do. In reality, most of them just wait patiently for Christmas parties, New Year's Eve, and the odd fashion event throughout the year. While I don't wear them often, sequins still have a special place in my heart. And these sequin leggings are no exception! I picked them up from a blogger clothing sale a couple of years ago and have been in love with them ever since. You may have already seen them on the blog here, when I wore them to Vancouver Fashion Week.

I've also been coveting this No Champagne No Gain sweatshirt from Brunette the Label for a long time; finally, Christmas came around, and now I can call it mine!! I love that it came in gold print - perfect for glamming up with my sequin leggings for NYE. After New Year's Eve passes, though, it'll be equally chic with dressed-down jeans. If you're planning to spend New Year's at a casual party with friends, this would be a fun glittery outfit to wear. It's more laid back than a sequin cocktail dress, but you don't have to forgo all the glam just because you're not out on the town.

What are you planning to wear to ring in 2017?











Sweatshirt - Brunette the Label | Leggings - May & July | Hat - Camden Market | Boots - Jules & James (via Zellers)



Happy New Year! xo

~ Britta

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Fashionista Gift Guide


Alright, hands up: who still has most of their Christmas shopping to do? Well, you're not alone. I still have a few gifts to find too. And we're running out of time!! If you have some fashionistas on your list, here are some chic gift ideas that might just fit the bill. Check out the Fashionista's Gift Guide here, and keep reading below for another fashionable gift idea that's also super thoughtful (and even romantic!).



Now, this gift idea I just had to share with you in a bit more detail. Vancouver-based jewellery design company, Everly, makes beautiful pieces customized with a heartbeat! Picture the heartbeat waves on an ECG, but recorded via your phone and engraved onto a necklace, pendant, ring or bracelet. As a hopeless romantic, I think engraving someone's heartbeat onto a piece that you wear every day is such a brilliant and thoughtful gift idea! You can also engrave something on the opposite side of the piece too.

Everly let me take their amazing tech-based jewellery for a spin, and I decided to try it out by making a necklace with the BF's heartbeat (did I mention I'm a hopeless romantic?). It was super easy to do in a matter of minutes using their app - I chose my design (the gold fill on sterling silver chain you see below), placed the BF's finger on my phone's camera to record his heartbeat via the app, cropped and edited the placement of the heartbeat wave on the necklace, and then added an engraving on the back - our initials. I was so excited when it arrived in the mail! It's beautiful, and is going to be such a special piece in my wardrobe now.

Even if you already have all your Christmas gifts covered, this is an idea worth keeping in mind for Valentine's Day gifts, Anniversary gifts, or pretty much any other occasion. I think it would also make a really sweet gift for a mom or dad - with her child's heartbeat on it!

PS. If this necklace stole your heart like it did mine, head over to my Instagram today for a giveaway!!








Happy Holidays! xo

~ Britta



Disclaimer: Everly sponsored this post. As always, opinions are my own.


Monday, December 19, 2016

The Holiday Outfit


I am still amazed that I managed to go all the way to Europe and only come back with 2 little black dresses when it comes to shopping. But I must say, I am very happy with this particular LBD purchase right now. I found it while touring Les Galleries LaFayette from the brand Molly Bracken (it has a bow and scallops...how could I honestly say no). It's ended up being the perfect party dress for the holidays this year!

For family gatherings and office parties, I tend to want to dress a little more conservative (at least compared to this fun and sexy holiday outfit), so a dress like this is perfect. Yes, the hemline is on the short side, but it's off-set by the high neckline. Plus, the pearl earrings, bow and scallops give it a more sweet than sexy vibe. PS. Those bow heels were the best impulse buy from Forever 21 like 8 years ago.

If you need some holiday makeup inspiration, you can see how I did the makeup for this look here!











Coat - Zara | Dress - Molly Bracken | Earrings & Bracelet - Nobis & Grey | Purse - Aldo | Heels - Forever 21

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta



Sunday, December 18, 2016

Holiday Entertaining on a Budget


I love entertaining during the holidays. Eating Christmas baking, drinking festive cocktails, exchanging gifts and opening Christmas crackers...all with your friends and family...does it get any better than that? After buying all the gifts on my list this year though, there wasn't a whole lot left in the budget for entertaining, so I popped into Value Village to see what I could find in the home/kitchen section.

I was planning to serve guests a new warm cocktail I was introduced to while in Switzerland this year, so I was on the hunt for thick glasses with handles, a serving tray, and a nice decanter to hold the liquor. Guess what?? I ended up finding them all with 1 trip to Value Village! For a total of $30, I ended up with 4 glasses, a tray and this amazing crystal and gold decanter. Such a deal! The decanter alone was a fabulous find. There were tons of other pretty glasses I would have loved to bring home too, but sadly, my bar cart is running low on space. But if you're looking for stylish wine glasses, champagne flutes or liqueur glasses, there were plenty of those too. And serving trays galore! Pro tip: make sure you really get in there and look through every shelf, and move stuff around, because I found my glasses behind a bunch of wine glasses and almost missed spotting them!

The "warm cocktail" that I'm planning to serve using my fancy new wares is called Schümli Pflümli (pronounced Shoomly Floomly), a drink popular in the area of Einsiedeln, Switzerland. It definitely has the feel of an après ski cocktail, something I imagine drinking in a cozy ski chalet. Perfect for sharing on a cold wintery night with family and friends!

Here's the recipe in case you want to try this drink yourself (you really really should):

Schümli Pflümli

1. Brew 2 tbsp of coffee for 4 minutes
2. Fill the glass just over halfway with coffee
3. Add 1/2 to 1 tsp of sugar (depending on how sweet you take your coffee)
4. Add 2 1/2 tbsp of plum schnapps (or plum brandy - I found this one at our BC Liquor Store)
5. Stir
6. Optional: add a dollop of whipped cream

Enjoy!













Happy Entertaining! xo

~ Britta



Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Value Village. As always, opinions are my own.
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