Making a DIFF

via @diffeyewear 

Some people collect shoes (I do), some collect coats (I do that, too), but then others collect glasses (to confirm: yep, still me). I have a few "collection" "issues" but I'm working on it. 

You see, here's the thing: curating fashion is a valid pursuit, especially when it has a purpose. I could go on and on about why stockpiling stamps or Pokemon cards or multiple husbands is a waste of time and resources, but accessories? Let me break it down for you. Shoes keep your feet protected and stop you from embarassing ejections from public spaces. Coats shield you from the elements, of course, while allowing you to wear pajamas to school drop-off and cover up coffee spills. And glasses? Well, they shade you from the sun, hide lack of sleep, and make you look cooler at all times of the day (just ask Corey Hart). While most people are obsessed with sunglasses, my particular fetish is for the non-shaded, non-prescription variety of glasses. I have my creative glasses (pink, tortoise, clear), my take-me-seriously spreadsheet glasses (no-nonsense black and heavy rims fit the bill) and then I have my 'my outfit is basic today' glasses that instantly elevate any 'fit.

I scored my first pair of DIFF glasses at Winners last year and while I fell in love with the style and comfort of these shades, it was their company mission that made me a repeat offender. Every pair of DIFF glasses sold helps to provide the gift of sight to someone in need through eye exams, glasses, medicine, and surgery. To date, DIFF Eyewear has donated over 1.5 MILLION pairs of glasses worldwide. So yup, kinda like Toms but in the eyewear space.

With all of the time I spend on my laptop writing, I've recently become a huge fan of DIFF's Blue Light Blocking collection. Not only do these glasses look dope, they minimize eye strain, prevent dry eyes and blurry vision, and reduce headaches that come from too much screen time. 

I'm a fan and I think you will be, too. Ch-ch-check 'em out below. Epic website problems seem to be fixed for now so will be sharing more scores on the regular, kk?

Happy Friday, beauties!

Bella in Clear Crystal

Carina in Clear Leopard

Selena in Cream Tortoise

Carson in Light Pink Crystal

h.e.r x DIFF

Bella in Black

Becky II in Himalayan Tortoise

2020 VISION | My (Chinese) New Year Fashion Pledge

My Chinese New Year outfit picks for Vaughan Mills (before I added cherry blossoms & fixed the shoes but you get the picture.) L to R: Uniqlo, H&M, Laura, Disney Outlet, Marc Cain, Tommy Hilfiger 

I consider myself a naturally positive person and try hard to keep my champagne glass half full (a girl's gotta play) but TBH, it's been a bit of a rough start to 2020. Between school strikes, seriously meh weather, my kids being sick, this blog crashing for 2 weeks right after I tried to relaunch it, and having to put our dog Fonzie down (heartbreakingly horrible), the year of January has felt E-TER-NAL.

But then Vaughan Mills asked me to be their stylist for a Chinese New Year event and I felt like 2020 was starting to turn around. I booked a collab with Charmin (started from the bottom now we're here), secured a partnership with another big exciting brand (stay tuned for that one) and have started to feel my freelance writing flow again. And so, I've decided to treat Chinese New Year as a second chance for a fresh start. I could pretend that I meant to wait for Chinese New Year to make some resolutions but I'll be honest: with everything going on at home, I just kinda missed the other new year. 

And so, with a renewed sense of hope and a steadfast commitment to a ballin' February, let's celebrate the Year of the Rat. Ermmm, okay, nobody in the fashion world wants to acknowledge that for obvious aesthetic reasons, so let's go with the rat’s close but cuter relative: the mouse. For my styling project with Vaughan Mills, I added Mickey & Minnie Mouse into the mix and, of course, added loads of red for loads of good luck (see above for the lewks). 

Happy belated NY and a most fantastic Feb to you, you beauties! Here are the fashion resolutions I intend to keep this year - while 'guilt-free finds' used to reference budget, it's come to mean a lot more to me as I try to be more mindful of what I buy. None of these pledges are particularly groundbreaking but I find writing things down helps my sticktoitiveness. Hopefully seeing them here will help you, too!

1) BUY LESS, BUY BETTER

For 2020, I'm only buying things I love. Like, actually, 3 o's-worthy looove. I intend to buy fewer things but better things - better quality, better details, better fit. I want my closet to be full of well-curated gems so I never feel like I'm compromising.

2) REPURPOSE WITH PURPOSE

Before donating something, I'm going to first see if there's a way it can be repurposed. As this viral Vogue article so rightly points out, the year of 2020 will be about giving new life to old things. I've given some of my 90s vintage sweatshirts a modern edge by cropping them with a pair of scissors (sometimes lazy = edgy, unlike that time I tried to cut my friend Krista's hair in grade 7). I've found new life in old dresses by layering sweaters over top and adding a belt. When I can't find a way to repurpose, I'll...

3) DONATE AND CONSIGN LIKE IT'S MY OWN SIDE-HUSTLE 

My city is full of amazing consignment shops and clothing donation centres. Nothing goes in the garbage. I'll take the time to consign to make more room in my closet and then donate the rest. Anything that's not in good enough shape for the above, I'll recycle (see below) :)

4) RECONSIDER RECYCLING

Stores like H&M have made sustainability a growing part of their mission statements. Their fabric recycling programs take donated clothing and gives you a coupon in return (ideally to shop their Conscious line). Certain clothing donation programs like Diabetes Canada accept unusable clothing (ie. ripped, stained, torn) and sell them to fund research. Other local programs are doing some incredible work - Markham’s textile recycling program saved 1.4 million kg of clothing from going to the landfill in less than a year - so be sure to search for textile recycling programs wherever you happen to call home. 

5) FOCUS ON FABRICS

While I don't enjoy wrinkles (on my face or my clothes), I really hate the idea that when my clothes eventually end up in a landfill, they will never biodegrade. While natural fibres make their own environmental impact, I still feel that cottons, linens, silks and wool are better choices than man-made. Do your own research (if you dare), and do what makes the most sense for you. I'm a burgertarian so I eat like a vegetarian 90% of the time and then spend 10% of my life in drive-thrus blissfully eating hamburgers. I see fashion the same way - it's impossible to be perfect but every little effort helps. 

6) RENT, ROCK IT, REPEAT

The rental business in Canada is getting more and more attractive, with stores like The Fitzroy, Dresst and Rent Frock Repeat springing up all over the place. If you don't live in Toronto, certain companies offer free shipping and subscription boxes. For occasions like weddings, job interviews, important presentations, a very extra school drop-off (sequin jumpsuits are one surefire way to liven up those early mornings), renting is so. much. fun. 

Ok, I'm out. Off to take a pair of scissors to an old hoodie. Um, wish me luck. xx

GIVE A LITTLE BIT | My Fave Holiday Tradition at Vaughan Mills

Messages of love at the Vaughan Mills Love Lock Wall.

Right now is that precise time of year when the fashion on my mind is exclusively inspired by jammies. The week leading up to Christmas, for me at least, involves a steady fashion menu of Roots joggers, cozy rompers, oversized sweaters and maybe the odd puffer for those last-minute panicked trips to the mall. Sure, I'll bust out the sequins and velvet and all of that festive hawtness starting Christmas Eve but right here, right now, I'm just down for anything that I don't mind spilling hot chocolate on. You feel me? Fashion, I'm afraid, is the furthest thing from my mind as I watch Home Alone (1 & 2, not 3 - ugh), pop advent chocolate and test-drive red wine. So when Vaughan Mills asked me to come back to celebrate the launch of their Love Lock Wall - this time as a blogger - I knew this was going to be the perfect first post back, since this event has come to mean so much to me. 

Our first time at Santa's Tiny Big Town in 2015, when they were still so little (sniff)...

For the last 4 years, my kids and I have gone to Vaughan Mills for what's become one of our absolute fave holiday traditions. We shop (of course), we eat (obvs), but then, we head straight to the Event Court to give a little bit. It's SO easy for kids to get caught up in the 'getting' this time of year, the 'giving' part sometimes gets a little lost. This trip always flips the switch and somehow makes us all care a lot less about gifts and a lot more about what actually matters: presents. My daughter just read that and was like, 'omg, mooooomm!' 

The amazing team at Vaughan Mills has made it their mission to give back in the most epic way to SickKids Foundation. As an official Catalyst Sponsor, Vaughan Mills has already raised over $600,000 (seriously) in only 4 years for this amazing cause, with an ambitious $1 million goal; all through Santa photo packages at Santa's Tiny Big Town and its Love Lock Wall experience.

C & I locking in our love at the Vaughan Mills Love Lock Wall.

That's me, trying to act natural. 

We arrive at Vaughan Mills and get right in line to get photos with Santa (which I can't stop, won't stop doing until they're in highschool - they'll thank me later). Santa's Tiny Big Town is stunning, Santa is the real deal, and unlike so many other places, you get your own private family moment with the big guy. The best part? 100% (!) of the proceeds from the photo packages goes directly to SickKids. Right beside Santa's Tiny Big Town is the Love Lock Wall, where you purchase a lock, dedicate it to someone you love with your own special message, and lock it on the wall. There's something about the act of dedicating the lock that always makes my kids quiet (this is a big feat) and thoughtful and truly, I think, helps them remember just how lucky they are. You can purchase 1 lock for $15 or 2 for $25 and with each lock purchased, you get to take home a beautiful 'keypsake' necklace to gift or to keep (um, yup, best teacher gifts EVER). Once again (you guessed it) a full 100% of the proceeds goes to SickKids. We lock on our locks, choose our necklaces (a moon and a star for their fave teachers) and then sit down for a concert by Shawn Hook (looove) who's come to celebrate the launch at Vaughan Mills. Scroll down to the video diary below to see how it all went down.

Want to give back this holiday season and share an amazing experience with your fam? Be sure to head to Vaughan Mills to visit Santa's Tiny Big Town and the Love Lock Wall. Oh, and while you're there, be sure to snap a pic of you locking in your love and share it with the hashtag #VMGives. After visiting SickKids hospital and getting to meet some of the families whose lives have been impacted by this amazing place, including kids who can't come home for the holidays at all (ugh I know), I really cannot think of a better cause than this. xx

 

C & A at the Love Lock Wall & Santa's Tiny Big Town in 2016. 

Back at It

Me with my hair not did. Typical.

Okay, so I know I've been gone for a little while. Okay, a loooong while. I'm sorry. I don't really think I ever said goodbye, did I? Here's what happened: I was the stylist for Vaughan Mills, which morphed into me taking over a mat leave as Marketing Director, which then became another marketing mat leave contract at another shopping centre. I was offered an amazing career opportunity, so I took it and loved every minute. If you follow me on Instagram (& if you don't, please do), you probably saw just how much fun I've had over these last few years. 

But here's the thing: commuting nearly 4 hours a day with a husband in a start-up and two busy kids at home left me with z-e-r-o time to blog (or shower or brush my hair - see pic above). My life was an actual highway, and I really did ride it all night long. So, sorry not sorry?  Just know that I've really missed you over these many months. 

I've been more than a little nervous to get back to blogging; I mean, is it like riding a bicycle? Will I remember how to write? Does anyone even care about fashion blogs anymore? Can I leave like Taylor Swift and come back more relevant than ever? Or will I be like Madonna who young folk only recognize as that old lady who used to sing? Did I just compare myself to Taylor Swift and Madonna? This is off to an impressive start. 

Anyway, I'm excited to get back to sharing my favourite finds with you, if only so I can shop obsessively/ therapeutically with full justification to do so. It's called taking one for the team and team - I am here for you. Kk, let's do this...

FLOWER POWER | 10 Ways to Pull Off Fall's Floral Trend

via @howimetmystyle

Originally posted in The Fashion Scoop

While summer might be officially over, I'm not ready to say goodbye just yet. Luckily, the fashion world isn't great at letting go either. One only has to glance at any fashion influencer to see that when it comes to fall fashion, it's all about embracing the season with a healthy dose of denial. Yup, I'm talking fall florals. The runways were loaded with moody blooms that perfectly echo our feelings about fall. We love it, we're ready for it, but at the same time, those lasting memories of gardens in bloom and a long, lazy summer can't help but bring us joy. The leaves might be falling but our wardrobes are just getting ready to bloom - think embroidered floral sweaters and jeans, pretty floral ankle boots, and fun floral printed pants that bring life to our solids and let us think warm thoughts. Alright fall we're ready for you...kind of..sort of...;)

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