Friday Find: Beach Beauties

All bags from GAP

Anything goes at the beach. While time might slow down when your feet are planted firmly in the sand, horrendous fashion crimes are committed every 1.6 seconds.  From Crocs to too-tight-everythings, it's best to keep one's eyes focused on a trashy beach read to avoid Speedo PTSD later on. 

You, of course, are a beacon of chic, in your super cute 'kini, sweet shades and killer curves. But even the most savvy of beach-goers sometimes forget about a perfect bag. Consider it the icing on the cake (or the lime in your Corona) to your perfect playa look; and in my mind, the brighter, the more stripey, the better. I've tracked down the cutest under-$40 totes to carry all of your summer essentials, from sunscreen to your cellphone, in style...

SEE MORE... 

Wedding Crashers

The bouquet toss via Vogue‘s June 2009 issue. Image via moodboard.

Originally posted in The CLOSET

Ever since the amazing Kleinfeld Bridal launch party for Hudson's Bay last week, I have been dreaming of weddings. The emotion of the day, the funny speeches, the reception which always starts so civilized and then almost inevitably degrades into open bar fails, from bridesmaids speeches gone horribly wrong to tipsy aunts dancing with drunken groomsmen.

But above all else, it's the fashion that makes me the most excited for a wedding. After all, it's not the '40's anymore, where women wore dresses daily and full hair and makeup were the norm. Since we rarely ever get to dress up, look beyond your basic LBD for your next wedding. The stores are loaded with fanciful frocks just begging to celebrate a happy marriage, plus shoes, jewellery and beauty 'musts' (waterproof mascara - check!) to help you shine bright on your..ahem, I mean her...big day...

Check out all 6 super chic wedding guest looks here...

15 Stylish Summer Updates

Photo courtesy Smart Set

Originally posted in The CLOSET

It's amazing how little it takes to feel refreshed and renewed. Take an amazing new pair of shoes - I've seen them take me from depressed to elated in 5 seconds flat. Add a handbag to the mix and I feel like a new person - a more stylish, more organized, more grown-up version of me. I'm not going to pretend that shopping changes the world, but it can certainly change your world, especially after the epic hibernation we experienced this past winter.

If you're finally ready to get out there and update your wardrobe for the new season, I've got the perfect finds for you. From the wearable crop top (really!), to the shoes you'll love to choose, read on for the stylish instant summer updates you can start wearing now. I don't know about you but I feel happier already...

READ MORE...

50 Dreamy Spring Dresses

Gisele Bundchen for H&M Spring/Summer 2014. Photo via H&M.

Originally posted in The CLOSET

Once the weather warms up, I'm quite happy to go pantless. Whether in a board meeting or at lunch with my mother-in-law, I find that pants are a bit of a bother. I mean, all the buttons and zips and worrying about how I look when I leave - it's all so much stress with little sartorial pay-off. And I've never met a boss, friend or boyfriend who doesn't load on the compliments when I leave my pants at home.

I say let's all go pant-free, ladies. I don't care whether you're a girly-girl or not. It doesn't matter if you're a risk-taker or a play-it-safe kind of girl. And it certainly doesn't matter what body type you've been blessed with. A dress, my friends, is always the answer. And now that the long range forecast is calling for a steady stream of double-digits (FI.NA.LLY.) you really need little else. From minis to maxis, and Kate Middleton-esque long-sleeves to bicep-baring sleeveless shifts, White Oaks Mall is full of frock stars just waiting to be worked. So say sayonara to your socks, see you later to your skinnies, and an emphatic 'YES' to the dress. I've rounded up 50 of my fav frocks in stores right now...

SEE MY DRESS ROUND-UP HERE...

MOM LOVE: A Gift Guide

Model mom, Natalia Vodianova, in a sweet editorial for Vogue. Photo: Vogue.

Originally posted in The CLOSET

When I had my first baby, it took me a some time before I felt like a mom. I mean, I definitely felt like a mother when instead of being at a club at 1 am, I paced the floors with an inconsolable newborn. And I certainly felt the full depths of motherhood when on a grocery run for diapers, I realize I already had one stuck to my leg. While those first months of momdom are as unselfish as they come, I still just wasn't on board with the whole 'all you need is love' mentality, gift-wise. Don't get me wrong; there is nothing more amazing than the love of your children, from the smiles and giggles to those rare quiet moments when your beautiful baby is sleeping. But at first, I didn't understand how my mom could have been so genuinely thrilled when we'd give her scraps of scribbled-on paper for her birthday. Now my kids are 3 and 5 and I have to admit, nothing gets me more excited than when my kids come home from school with a homemade card that they've thought up just for me. The tears flow, I get all snivelly (just like I thought I never would) and I cannot possibly imagine a more perfect gift.

Except for those times when you've had months of sub-par sleep, zero breaks from the toddler tyrants who take, take, take ALL. THE. TIME. and then, despite all that glorious love you feel for your little ones, then you want stuff. Like, pretty, impractical, no-kids-allowed stuff that make you feel more like a woman than a mom. Ahem. Just me?

SEE THE GIFT GUIDE HERE...