#ootd - my photographer has returned!

Some of you may remember that my husband, also my #ootd photographer (yes, he's a super sweet guy <3), was away for 6 months to go return to school and pursue a new career. He returned home in early February after passing with flying colors, and has already begun employment with one of the largest companies in his new industry. Many congrats to him!!!

And now, after settling down with a new work schedule and finally being able to spend a weekend together between both our work schedules, was able to spend some time to do a #ootd shoot. It also helped that our rainy Vancouver weather let up for an hour and we were able to head outside. 

Work has gotten even busier for me so I don't get home until after dark, therefore, moving forward, I'll try my best to keep up with daily #ootd posts but will try to do a proper shoot and post a 'featured #ootd' post when I have more time on the weekends and me and the husband have more time together. 

So, without further adieu, the return of #ootd! 

Jacket | Michael Kors

Top | Banana Republic

Jeans | Banana Republic

Shoes | The Wishbone Collection

Bag | Lauren by Ralph Lauren Whitby satchel

Watch | Seiko

Necklace | Swarovski

 

 

February comings and goings

Wow, I actually had quite a few items come in this month, but fear not, every single item was a 'love it' piece and I have been wearing them non-stop. 

Comings - 6

• Red Banana Republic sweater with side zip - I actually bought this for Chinese New Year since it's traditional to wear something red to celebrate and start the year off
• Navy Banana Republic sleeveless top - I love navy and find the color is a great base for me to build outfits around and this was super comfortable, a great length to act as a layering piece or on it's own, and also just really basic looking which I like
• Raspberry Banana Republic cardigan - love the color of this, and against navy, it just looks so good. A great pop of color to add to my wardrobe and a very easy cardigan to wear. 
• Pair of casual pants with zip detailing from Banana Republic - these are just super cool and I'm obsessed with zippers lately so these were great, and they were petite so the length was perfect to wear with flats and heels. Just fantastic and sooo comfortable to the point where I don't even feel like I'm wearing pants haha. 
• Gray sweatpants, also with zipper details, and yup, you guessed it, from Banana Republic - I was thrilled to find these and they up my lounge wear by 200%
• Orange satchel from Lauren by Ralph Lauren - I finally broke my bag ban and succumbed to this beauty. It was love at first sight and I've used it every day for work. I even go the extra mile to carry a separate tote to fit my laptop and other things in, just to carry her. 

Current budget left over for this year - approximately $700

February goings - 1

• I sold my Coach Poppy Madras bag to start my 'let go of 10 items' goal from my bag and wallet collection =)

My first bag after a 1 year, 1 month, 18 day hiatus - the Lauren by Ralph Lauren Whitby satchel

As most of you know, I spent many years resisting the urge to buy bags and after many failed attempts, 2015 was MY YEAR. I didn't buy a single bag, and managed to rotate through more than 90% of my collection. SUCCESS. 

I went into 2016 attempting this same thing and the urge to buy wasn't strong, until I came upon this beauty - the Lauren Ralph Lauren Whitby satchel, in mandarin

The color just attracted me to it, like nothing had in a long time. The gold hardware was perfect since I'm currently hooked to gold details, something about the zipper against a higher backing was intriguing to me, and the tab closure lock at the end of it, was just icing on the cake. It just screamed 'take me home, you will love me'. It also has a detachable strap - and I love that the attachment is on the back of the bag like that, and not the alternate-opposite ends like most designers are doing now (I don't like that),and different from just the regular end-to-end. Truly, LOVE. 

Now, taking a year off from resisting bags has definitely helped me to reassess my previous buying habits - I used to buy bags on a whim, and at any price range as long as I could pay cash for it. In 2015, if I wanted a bag, I had to think about what I already owned and how what I already had could be a good substitute for current bag target, and I had to walk away. It was good practice and helped me reach my goal.

With that in mind, I should have never purchased this bag. I already have an orange bag, of similar size and purpose, and other similar bags with detachable straps. Really, this bag is in a similar category of purpose, style, and color, with several other bags.  

So why did I pull the trigger despite all logic telling me that I didn't need this bag? Because I truly love it, and sometimes you just have to treat yourself to the things you really love. Also, now that I'm more mindful about my purchases than I used to be, I already know that this is an item that I will be using a lot and have a good idea on how to work it into my wardrobe already. 

#sorrynotsorry

FINALLY!!! - Knee high boots that fit me!!!

This post may be THE most exciting one for me because I'm so so SO happy to share that I have been able to find knee high boots that will zip up over my calves. I kid you not, I have been searching for almost 10 years - every knee high boot I've ever tried on would never zip up over my calves (even at my skinniest at 125lbs). 

I was commuting to work on Thursday when I came across an ad for the Hudson Bay's "Bay Days" where they have one day sales on selected items, which on that day were 50% off all boots. I never paid much attention to these but for some reason decided to check it out during lunch and thought, "maybe I'll see if I can find knee high boots," which is something I stopped even dreaming about. It must have been fate because I found beauties: 

With a little oomph, they zipped up all the way, and when on, did not feel tight at all. I unzipped them and tried again (just to be sure I wasn't just forcing them too much) and they were actually easier to zip than the first time. 

Black. Gold hardware. Leather. FIT ME. Everything I could ask for. Also, I was happy that they were Lauren by Ralph Lauren so I do have some comfort that the quality will be relatively good and hold up for a while as it may be the only time I will ever find knee high boots that fit again. The icing on the cake was that they were half off, so I paid only $95 for these!!!

I already inputted them into my Stylebook App and began making outfits with them. These are a few of my favourites: