Spring Sorbet: Fresh & Sweet Colour Inspiration

It's that time of year where we all starting cleaning out our closets: switching out the faux furs and plaids (well, in my case, anyways) for fresh whites, brights, and pastels. So the Style By Fire gals Aurora Chan and Miranda Sam, Samantha Sito, and I pulled our pastels out of storage, and got together for a fun spring photoshoot with Jason of Aparte Photography!

I've always been cautious with wearing a lot of white or pastels for the obvious reason that paleness usually just makes it all look very, well, white, but lately I've been playing around with light colours again. I think I just need to stop worrying about what I think might not look good, and test out some new colour combos!

The beginning of a season is a great time to reassess your wardrobe, and maybe add some new styles or colours to the mix that you haven't tried (or been afraid to try) before. If you pick something in the store and think "hmm I shouldn't.." maybe it's still worth trying on! It's like when I go thrift shopping: if I'm ever in doubt, I still try it on, because you really can't tell when it's just on the hanger.

Don't forget to play around with draping and textures too! I loved Aurora's vinyl mint pencil skirt, Samantha's draped skirt, and Miranda's killer gladiator sandals. All awesome, fun elements that added some character to the usual "spring pastels".

From left to right: Samantha of Obsessive Trend Invitation, Aurora Chan of Style By Fire, me, Miranda Sam of Style By Fire

Thanks to Aparte Photography for the photos!

My outfit: Shirt - Meiling Couture (thrifted via Salvation Army) | Necklace - Olive + Piper | Bracelet - Betty Be Good | Skirt - Zara (thrifted via Salvation Army) | Heels - Call it Spring (thrifted via Value Village)

Samantha's outfit: Shirt - Malaysia | Skirt - Ego Closet (similar) | Heels - Malaysia

Aurora's outfit: Shirt - Zara | Skirt - Topshop | Necklace - Whiskey Teacup

Miranda's outfit: Shirt - Vince Camuto | Shorts - BCBG | Shoes - Matiko

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

Vancouver Vogue: Year in Review 2014

2014 was definitely Vancouver Vogue's most exciting year yet! Here's a look at the top moments of the year, and the many, many, many outfits that were posted on these pages this year:

First helicopter flight...to the London Drugs Beauty Event!

There were many firsts for Vancouver Vogue in 2014, including my very first flight by helicopter (an amazing feeling and beautiful view, let me tell you!), plus my first time attending the highly anticipated London Drugs Beauty Event.

Meeting Katy Perry

This was truly one of the most amazing experiences this year! Thanks a million to COVERGIRL for inviting Vancouver Vogue to see the Prismatic World tour and meet Katy Perry, the Covergirl herself!

Walking my first runway show, Brilliant!

I'm used to watching the runways, but this was an entirely different experience! Modelling was definitely more difficult than I had expected (so much to remember!), but the avant garde make-up and hair was a blast! (Hair by Is. Salon in Yaletown. makeup by Derek Lauscher & Keleigh Evans)

Beauty Videos with London Drugs Cosmetics:

   

Vancouver Vogue has ventured into the world of Youtube this year! You can see all the beauty videos on London Drugs' channel here.


First WeDay Coverage:

An inspiring day covering some very inspiring people doing some truly inspirational things in the world! I tried to soak in as many wise words as possible, and truly marvelled in the energy that filled Rogers Arena with all those bright young minds!

Joining the Style By Fire Team:

Vancouver Vogue has always been a place for fashion inspiration and posts, but now you can find more beauty-related content from VV on Style By Fire's beauty column!

Vancouver Vogue styles Hamlet:

Vancouver Vogue styled what was most likely the most fashionable play in Vancouver in 2014, with clothing sponsored from local talents such as Grandi's Atelier, Nina Tan, Kitsilano Kitty's Closet, Hey Jude, and Rebecca Elizabeth Designs.

The Vancouver Vogue family grows!

Thrifting maven and owner of the online affordable luxury boutique Kitsilano Kitty's Closet joined the Vancouver Vogue family as a contributing writer at the end of 2014! You'll be seeing lots of posts from her in the New Year, so stay tuned, and find out a little more about Helen here.

Finally, a look back at the fashion that made 2014 such a thrill! Happy New Year, everyone!

Happy Styling and Happy New Year! xo

~Britta

Nina Tan Design at Vancouver Fashion Week

Sometimes, you need to step outside your fashion comfort zone to really have some fun with your style! Stephanie Hung of Nina Tan gave me the opportunity to wear some of her newest pieces to Vancouver Fashion Week this past season, and it really got my imagination running wild!

This Nina Tan collection offers an assortment of pieces in this unique blue print: jacket, skirt, pants, and dress. Rather than picking just one piece to wear, I thought I go print-overload and style 2 items! The key is to balance all that print out with solid colours, in this case, a very vibrant highlighter yellow top. And the result? A head-turning statement ensemble. The best part of all, is those pants are insanely comfortable, so I can go from wearing them to Vancouver Fashion Week to rocking them on the couch at home!

You can check out my interviews from Day 3 at Vancouver Fashion Week below, where I chat with designers Taranjit K Cheema, Melissa Bolduc, and Shravan Kumar on Wow TV's Vancouver Weekly.

Jacket & pants- Nina Tan Design, Tops-Winners, Shoes-Army&Navy

Interviewing Taranjit K. Cheema at Vancouver Fashion Week (see interview on Wow TV below)

Interviewing Shravan Kumar at Vancouver Fashion Week (see interview on Wow TV below)

Joined by the talented ladies Samantha Sito of Obsessive Trend Invitation (left) and Aurora Chan of Style by Fire (right)

Front row catching the shows with Miranda Sam and Aurora Chan of Style by Fire (both wearing Alex S. Yu designs)

You can watch my coverage of Vanouver Fashion Week, including my interview with Taranjit K Cheema, Melissa Bolduc, and Sharvan Kumar on Wow TV's Vancouver Weekly!

Happy Styling! xo

~Britta