Travel Style Diary: Paris Part 3

Paris had lots in store for us, even during the last leg of our time there. By this point, temperatures had dipped quite a bit, so it was time to bundle up in boots, scarves and cozy knits before heading out for our daily adventures. My camel cape was the perfect warm yet chic piece of outerwear to wear over top - yes, it definitely weighed down my suitcase dragging all my coats around, but considering your outwear is what gets seen the most when on a fall/winter trip, I think it's worthwhile taking on the extra suitcase weight.

During the next part of our time in Paris, we did a self-guided walking tour in the area of  Ile de la Cité and Le Marais, where we made a stop for a photo op at Notre Dame, and Shakespeare and Company. Going to Shakespeare and Company had been on the bucket list for a few of us, and since the new Harry Potter script for The Cursed Child had just come out not that long ago, we wanted to buy our copies there and have them stamped with the Shakespeare and Co. stamp! A special momento from the trip. We wandered past a couple more landmarks on our walking tour before getting sidetracked by other sights...it's hard not to in Paris! We stumbled upon Hotel de Ville, where the outfit photos below were taken.

Two more activities that were on our must-do list were having lunch/dinner along the Seine, and trying absinthe for the first time at La Fée Verte. Our dinner on the Seine was a perfect evening; we found some delicious paninis nearby, grabbed a few bottles of wine, and sat along the water after the sun had gone down. La Fée Verte was an equally good night; we picked our absinthe from a long list of choices, and had it served with the large water dropper, sugar cubes and absinthe spoons. It was quite the contraption! But essentially, you dilute your absinthe as the water drips from the reservoir, over the sugar cube and into the glass. Fair warning though if you don't like the taste of black licorice, the flavour is anise - something my friends weren't crazy about, but I didn't mind at all! Traditionally, it was a drink consumed by Parisian artists and writers in 19th and early 20th-century France. A fun dose of history!

Finally, we couldn't leave Paris without seeing the best view of the Eiffel Tower from Le Trocadero! We grabbed some champagne and sat on a bench along the fountains, watching the twinkling lights on the Eiffel Tower at the top of the hour. Perfection. 

Photography by Chantale Tyers

Cape - Topshop | Scarf - thrifted | Hat - (similar) | Sweater - Neiman Marcus (thrifted via Salvation Army) | Earrings - Forever 21 (similar) | Jeans - Urban Planet | Boots - Miss Smart | Purse - Florence Leather Market

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Holiday Gift Guide: Fashionable Gifts for Her

I feel like this is the first time I have ever gotten myself organized and planning for Christmas this early! Usually, I figure the beginning of December is early enough, but then before I know it, I'm racing around trying to get gifts for those people I just can't find something for. But this year, I have finally learned how to do it right, and it starts with a trip to Chapters!

I've actually notice I always end up at Chapters any time I'm searching for a gift for someone. I'm not the biggest book worm (ok, not really at all), but I could spend hours scouring all the fashion, décor, kitchen goods, and stationary...and I always seem to find the perfect little gift for whoever I'm looking for. So I'm planning on it being one-stop-shop for Christmas gifts this year. This is my first gift guide of the season, specifically for the fashionable woman in your life (or even just something for yourself). Stay tuned, and I'll have a men's and kid's gift guides coming soon too!

Hope this helps you cross a few off you list...

1. Time for Tea Set

2. Pinch Miniemergency Kit

3. Cozy Cable Reading Socks

4. Harney & Sons Holiday Tea Gift Set

5. Supersoft Plaid Scarf

6. Solid Wrap in Camel

7. Gold Rim Coupe Glasses

8. Why Not Me? Mindy Kaling

9. Wooly Bucket Bag

10. IndigoSweets Dark Chocolate Salted Caramels

Happy Holiday Styling! xo

~ Britta

Tea at the Top: Fairmont Vancouver

As you all know well by now, I have an obsession with afternoon tea: part of it is the dressing up, part of it is the atmosphere...and the biggest part is definitely the tasty little treats! This lucky gal recently won afternoon tea the the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, at their 15th floor pop-up called 'Tea at the Top'. I was lucky enough to have tea at the Fairmont Empress earlier this year for my birthday, so I was beyond excited to have the chance to try another Fairmont tea in Vancouver!

Usually I like to get pretty dressed up for afternoon tea, but with the cold rainy weather lately, I just haven't been feeling up to it. Luckily, I found this gorgeous camel cape at Topshop recently (I have been searching YEARS for this baby!), and I can't help but feel polished and classy in it. The key is matching it with pants, not a dress, because of the silhouette of the cape. I was perfectly happy to pair it with easy-to-walk-in boots for the rain.

Every single bit of  the Tea at the Top's menu was divine. The tea is always a treat- especially when served in royal china, and before the 3-tiers of bite-sized eats arrived, we were treated to a tasting of dungeness crab cakes, foraged mushroom and goat's cheese tartlets, and a sweet taste of honey yogurt panna cotta with macerated fruits. What a start!

Then, it was on to main course! 3 tiers of delicious little treats: butter and raisin scones, an assortment of sweet pastries, and finally a selection of English-inspired finger tea sandwiches. From top to bottom, the fashionable eats were delicious and the perfect combination of traditional and unique. I always have a soft spot for scones with house-made preserves and Devonshire clotted cream, but I must say the tiny salt beef with radish and arugula on mini mustard bagels. Adorable! The spiced apricot cake was also a new favourite.

The whole experience was so lovely- I wish I could do it every week! Wouldn't that be the best? And did I mention the view? Spectacular from the top of the Fairmont Vancouver. For now, a special one-in-awhile visit will have to do. A girl always needs an excuse to dress up, after all!

Butter and raisin scones with house-made blueberry preserves and Devonshire clotted cream

Sweets: salted caramel chocolate financier, vanilla bean mille-feuille, macaron, strawberry charlotte, spiced apricot cake

 Savoury: St. Mary's River smoked salmon with lemon ricotta on buckwheat blini, salt beef on mustard bagel, organic egg salad with english cucumber and watercress, curried free run chicken with Branston pickle on a caraway roll

Butter scone with blueberry preserves and Devonshire clotted cream, organic egg salad, salt beef on mustard bagel

Cape - Topshop (similar) | Scarf - thrifted | Top - Winners | Necklace - Nobis & Grey | Purse - Steve Madden via Winners | Boots - Miss Smart

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta