Nordgreen Watches | All I Want for Christmas

I’m not exactly sure when I stopped wearing watches but let’s just say it’s been a minute (see what I did there?) With a smartphone always in tow, I guess I just got out of the habit and as time rolled on, I thought I didn’t need one anymore.  

But lately, I’ve noticed that my favourite style influencers/muses ALL wear watches. I’ve found myself pining for a pretty watch again and let's face it, I wanted to try my hand at it (I can’t stop). It’s like Nordgreen heard my fashion cry across the pond and showed up in my inbox one day, asking if I’d like to test out one of their watches and give a special discount to my readers (use code SARAHF for 15% off your order btw). I obviously agreed!  Nordgreen, if you don’t already know, is a cool AF Scandinavian brand based in Copenhagen, so it’s no surprise that they’ve got minimalist design down to an art. I was immediately smitten with the Native in white leather - obsessed in fact - and could barely wait for it to arrive. It’s like I suddenly needed to know what time it was ALL the time. Without it, my wrist felt lacking. 

While I love the timeless, ageless, minimalist aesthetic of Nordgreen watches, it’s the company’s values that will make me a repeat customer. 

Nordgreen is carbon neutral; they plant thousands of trees to offset carbon emissions generated by their office in Copenhagen and shipments of their watches across the globe. Plus, their packaging is sustainable and made of FSC-certified cartons and upcycled plastic bottles. 

Probably my favourite thing about Nordgreen, though, is its Giving Back program. Through their partnerships with three NGO’s, each watch purchase allows every customer to donate to an important cause. By registering the serial number on your watch, you can donate 2 months of clean water to a person in need in the Central African Republic, 1 month of education to a child in India, or preserve 200 sq ft of rainforest in Latin America.

Since my Nordgreen watch arrived on my doorstep, I wear it every day with EVERYthing. I ordered the 36mm version because I like an oversized watch, and people comment  on it all the time. In non COVID times, I expect I’d get even more compliments but let’s just say the people at my local grocery store reaaalllly dig my watch. Thank you produce guy. Grazie lady in the Express Checkout aisle. Oh, and even the Starbucks drive-thru barista gave me a little 'oooh, where did you get your watch?' too. It's that good. 

You need one. You really do. Don’t forget -  Nordgreen has given me an exclusive promo code just for RLR followers. Use code SARAHF for 15% off your order :) That’s 15% on top of the 20% off they’re already offering on bundles. Plus, between Dec 2nd - Dec 30th, Nordgreen has partnered with KidsOut and my discount code will automatically give a toy to a child who has escaped domestic violence. 

So excited for you to have your own. It’s my fave thing. Oh, and come on - you’ve gotten so many gifts for everyone else this month, it’s the least you can do for yourself, right? Merry Christmas, you beauties!

p.s. What time is it? Time to get a watch. Bahahaaaa. Sorry, I’ll stop now ;)

Waterloo Region's Thrift & Consignment Shops I'll Go Back to Again (& Again)

photo via Lauren Fleischmann/Unsplash

Originally published for KW Joy & Co. 

It’s Saturday night and I am lit-er-ally sorting my sock drawer. It’s October, it’s freezing, and everyone’s fire tables are en route from Wayfair (mine too), so I have zero socially-distant social excuses here. At this point, I’ve done just about everything else around my house, so it’s time to hit up my drawers for a “fun night in”. Before you start feeling sorry for me, I’m feeling quite content; glass of wine in hand, my fave podcast on, kids making TikToks, my husband happily playing video games - it’s just me and my rather giant pile of socks. TBH, organizing my closet is like my own form of meditation, but make it fashion.

I’ve reached expert level at origami-ing my way through any closet. Jeans, underwear, tees; they all look like perfect little hot pockets by the time I’ve tamed them. Don’t ask what a hot pocket is. I don’t actually know. Hmmm...but I’m pretty sure I don’t want my underwear to be one. Even those cropped hoodies - the fitted sheets of clothing - now easily bend to my will. And yet Kondo downplayed the importance of one crucial element in her quest for wardrobe joy: the subject matter. Naturally, the clothes need to fit and make you feel good right now, but all the folding and pretty baskets in the world will never bring true fashion happiness if the clothing in question has no future.

I curate my closet just like I do for my clients: by keeping or repurposing the gems, storing the seasonal and sentimental, and donating/consigning the rest. After years of doing this (and by “this”, I mean compulsive shopping) I now feel any purchases immediately destined for the trash need a reeaally strong case to come home with me - namely that they’re either a) holographic (because holographic things are bomb) or b) made of natural fibres like cotton, so when I’m finally done with them, I know they will eventually biodegrade. I also try to make sure that whatever I buy, I can see myself (or someone else) wearing that piece 30 times over its lifetime. As I’ve evolved into a more thoughtful, purposeful shopper, I’ve fallen deeper in love with thrifted and vintage pieces. For a sick wardrobe, turns out that all you really need is a curated closet of really good basics peppered with beautiful, thrifted finds. Oh, and maybe a Hot Wheels tee like the one I picked up at H&M last week. I’m only human.

With Waterloo Region’s absolute plethora of thrift, vintage, and consignment options, you can shop more sustainably, stick to your budget and score truly special pieces locally. Win. Win. Mother F’in (fashion) win, y’all.

SEE MY TOP CONSIGNMENT AND THRIFT STORE PICKS AT KW JOY & CO. 

GOOD BUY | Johanna Ortiz x H&M

via H&M

Scroll down a few posts and you'll see my 2020 fashion pledges. Let it be known that I am inserting an addendum; one that seemed implied at the time but let's make it offish by adding it here:

7) WEAR IT OUT

Before I 'add to cart', I'll ask myself this question: will I wear this multiple times? Many sustainably-minded peeps subscribe to the '30 Wears' philosophy made famous by Livia Firth (Colin's wife), whereby if you don't see yourself wearing the piece 30 times over its lifetime, it's not worth the buy. I'm less of a strict rule follower so my take on it is that I ideally want to add things to my closet that will last for years (not months), and will look amazing for several different occasions and in multiple contexts.

At the H&M Spring 2020 Press Preview in Toronto last week, I fell head over kicks in love with the new Johanna Ortiz x H&M Collection. If you don't know Ortiz, then it's time you did; powerhouses like Michelle Obama and Beyoncé and style-setters like Olivia Palermo and Sienna Miller are all fans of the Colombian designer. Sadly, her designs have remained in my 'life goals' bucket since her full-priced line runs in the $2-3 K range. Ortiz's maximalist aesthetic manages to be bold yet timeless - and such a welcome change after so many years of basics. 

All of the racks on display at the H&M preview were beautiful, but I found myself camped out in the Johanna Ortiz x H&M section, fondling the beautiful fabrics, entranced by the vivid colours and smitten with the chic AF florals, doing some serious fashion math.

FASHION MATH

Cost of dress / 20 wears = approx $4 per wear. Less than a flat white? Done.

20 wears / 4 years = 5 occasions per year.  I have 1 vacay planned for June, at least 2 summer parties sure to happen, a grade 6 grad to attend and I'm sure my sister will want to borrow it at least once. Add weddings, family photoshoots, date nights, and work events to the mix and I'm golden. If I want to amortize it over 30 wears, I'll either consign it or simply book more vacations & enroll myself in some salsa lessons, which I've always wanted to do anyway. Everybody wins.

Cost of the sadness I'll experience if I miss out on a rare amazing designer collab = priceless.

I feel strongly about picking up one of the red palm print dresses (the ruffled one is insane), the B&W one-shoulder bather, and that white shirt dress. I've done fashion math on all 3 pieces and I think it's all highly justifiable, since the collection ranges from only $19.99 - $79.99 CAD. That's it. Uh, I KNOW. Some designer collabs feel watered down but I can tell you from getting handsy with the collection that the pieces feel decidedly luxe and totally legit. 

Click on the thumbnails below to check out the stunners for yourself. The Johanna Ortiz x H&M collection will be in select stores and online March 12th so mark your calendars and tell me what you end up buying. Hope you've enjoyed watching me wrestle with my fashion demons as much as I've enjoyed doing it ;)

Happy Tuesday, beauties! 

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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. 

WHAT'S GOOD | Warby Parker's New Sculpted Series

all images via Warby Parker

I have no shade when it comes to Warby Parker shades. I mean, is there anyone better in the glasses game RN? So when they asked me to check out their new Sculpted Series collection, I just had to share. The 4 new frames are handmade in Italy from premium cellulose acetate and layered in the coolest way. On the face of each frame, 2 layers of contrasting acetate are laminated together, then sculpted down to reveal the layer behind giving a frame-within-a-frame effect. Loving all of the earthy, luxe-looking frames but I'm especially tempted by MAE in Onyx Tortoise & Ivory Horn. More like SLAY. And since they start at $195, I might just be able to justify a new pair to keep the rays at bay in the most stylish possible way. Check out Warby Parker's full sunglasses range here - but only if you're ready to pick up some new shades because, well, Warby Parker just does that to a girl. Enjoy pics & a little outfit inspo below. Thanks Warby Parker - call me anytime ;)

xx

1. Dress w Tie Belt, H&M | 2. Mae Sunglasses In Onyx & Ivory, Warby Parker | 3. Mini Tote w Handles, Zara | 4. Leather Mules, Zara | 5. BITE Beauty High Pigment Pencil, Sephora.