Somewhere Between A Hippie and A Farmer

I feel as though the title of this post is self explanatory and does not require any sort of explanation. 

Anywho... 

I got this dress from The GAP this week and in the fitting room I realized there are literally a trillion different ways I could wear it. I the fitting room my hair was straight and slicked back behind my ears. I was wearing red lipstick and had a silver metal choker on as well as black heels. The look I had on in the fitting room would be a really cool day to night look. 

Today I opted for a beachy and relaxed day time look. The dress came with a thin denim tie for the waist of the dress. I like having something cinching in my waist that is a bit tighter than the belt the dress came with so I swapped it for a leather western belt from M. To make use of the denim belt and to not loose touch with the beloved choker trend I tied the thin denim string around my neck. 

Business As Usual

I wore this outfit while at a presentation for a prominent law firm in Toronto given by a personal stylist/wardrobe consultant who I work with once in a while. The presentation was all about how to dress for your body shape (whether it be pear, hour glass, or an inverted triangle) in a corporate setting. Due to our location I needed to look like I work in a corporate setting but also show off my own personal style. 

I wore a metal silver choker for a trendy and fashion forward look and paired the statement piece with the most comfy black dolman sleeve top from M for Mendocino with my favorite high waist wide leg black pants perfect for an office. 

19.

Yesterday was my 19th birthday - the age in which any minor living in Ontario becomes of legal drinking age; so of course I had to go celebrate because turning 19 in this province isn't the same as just any other birthday.

In the afternoon I went to One Restaurant at the Hazelton Hotel - the hotel favored by the likes of Justin Beiber, Drake, and Kanye West + Kim Kardashian West in  Toronto. At One I met a friend, ordered my first legal drink, Rose, and of course some food...truffle fries and baked brie with baguette. We tried to keep lunch on lighter side since we were going to dinner to follow.

We headed up to where I live in the 'burbs and went for Italian food (my favourite). I couldn't decide between pizza or pasta but since it was my birthday...I got both with a glass of Proseco my second legal drink.

Since any birthday should be a fun filled day I wore an outfit that I saw as pretty fun and a bit of a departure from my other clothing. I wore a white dress with pop art "badges" on it of different foods and accessories. The dress screamed summer and fun. I paired it with a light blue leather jacket because the colours went perfectly together, and then added a pair of snakeskin platform heels to add mixed prints and some more toned down colour.

Off the Shoulder Is Everything

It's no secret that off the shoulder tops and dresses are a huge trend right now and I am such a fan! 

Keeping it Casual

 There's nothing I like more than a long black dress, side swept waves, and a red lip but then dressed down with a bomber jacket to add a cool edge. 

Sophisticated Casual

I am a huge fan of all white and now that I own culottes I'm a huge fan of those too. They're super comfy but also look sophisticated. Even if I were to wear them with a t-shirt and running shoes the culottes would instantly make the outfit look put together. Culottes add instant 'chicness' to anything! 

 Blouse: Aritzia

Culottes: M 

Shoes: Topshop

Dark, Bold & Floral

I've had this dress sitting in my closet for a couple of months now and when I woke up to go to the Opera Sunday morning I knew this was the perfect dress. It's dressy but not overly dressy like the woman's black tie gown in the box next to mine. 

I felt this was perfect because it's dark and dramatic just like an opera but the floral design was perfect for the sunny and warm weather.   

I had to sell myself this dress in the fitting room at Zara. I loved it immediately even on the hanger but I really wasn't looking to spend any money. When I saw the dress was a button up I realized I could style it in tonnes of different ways. Button the dress lower on top for a low cut neckline, undo the bottom buttons for a leg slit or....wear it completely unbuttoned as a kimono with jeans and a t-shirt underneath.  

Obviously I bought the dress, but I did trip on it countless times walking around...haha. 

Layering

 The beauty of layering is well...the layering part. Taking off and adding a layer to piece of clothing can completely transform the outfit. I wore my favourite vest with white pants (inspired by an outfit Doutzen Kroes wore to Paris fashion week this week) and paired it with a bomber jacket. With the jacket off the outfit is a bit more polished and sophisticated. On the other hand when I am wearing the bomber jacket the outfit takes on a more laid back - youthful vibe. Mixing a long vest and a bomber jacket isn't something totally expected but dressing up is all about getting creative and experimenting. 

Thompson Diner

I wore this all white ensemble this weekend to go to dinner with a friend at the Thompson Diner in the Thompson Hotel. What I like most about the diner is the decor inside - it has a 1960's/1970's look to it as do the rooms in the hotel which all have a mid-century modern design. 

I would say if you're in the King West area go eat at somewhere on King West don't look else where! All the food on King is amazing! 

Army Green

Shirt dresses are super cool for this summer and they're also so practical and versatile. This army green one from Gap can be warn in so many different ways. It would look great with gladiator sandals, distressed skinnies with cool oxfords/heels, or un-belted with a pair of bell bottoms and platforms to go more into that 70s trernd. 

Coral

I stole it from my Mama.

l b d x nude

Shades of White

I'm still completely obsessed and committed to this whole white on white look going on. So obsessed that I continue to wear all white looks to school where I've been painting for the past month in art. White clothing + yellow/red paint = pretty dangerous. 

May 21

Spring Trench

Comfy Casual

This may seem crazy but every Sunday night I lay out all my outfits for the week. I started it doing it years ago! It may take a lot of my time on Sunday's but it is so worth it. It saves time during the week instead of picking out an outfit the night before school. For me the biggest benefit of laying all my outfits out on Sunday nights is that I have a variety of outfits to chose one in the morning to correspond with how I'm feeling.

Last night I went out with friends to watch the fireworks (Victoria Day) and didn't end up getting home till 1:30 am so I was way too tired to pick out four more outfits for the week so when I woke up still tired after only a few hours of sleep, I threw on this new comfy white pull over from H&M as well as leather shorts from Zara and my Topshop booties to keep with the more edgy look of the outfit. 

The Opposite

Last week I was going on about much I love all white and all I was doing on the weekend was wearing monochromatic outfits. This weekend not so much....I was all about the total black look and loving it.

Ways to Wear Jumpsuits

I've mentioned before that I'm really into jumpsuits and nothing has changed. I love the modern yet retro look jumpsuits can give off. My only "issue" when buying a jumpsuit, or a dress for that matter, is that there are only so many shoe/make up/hair looks you can try out to give it a different look each time. Because of my dilemma I've begun to come up with other ways to wear jumpsuits. 

1. Add a jacket - if you're going for a more formal chic look wear the jacket over your shoulders

2. Add a shirt underneath. I've worn the jumpsuit below in the winter with a black turtleneck underneath and it was cute! If you have a strapless jumpsuit I recommend changing it up by wearing a blouse underneath   

3. Make your jumpsuit look like pants! Today I wore my navy Forever 21 jumpsuit with a sweater over it and even though I've worn the jumpsuit to school before people had no idea I was wearing a jumpsuit and not pants ! 

The 15th

Golden Knot

I would like to wish a happy late Mothers Day to all the Mommy's out there! 

For Mothers Day my family took my Grandmother for a fancy lunch at Casa Loma. The food was so good and everything looked so beautiful. 

(Photos on my Instagram: Taryn Potasky)