Spring 2013 Wardrobe: Black Lace

And now for my 100th post!
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I know most people are down with all the exciting colour combos that work for spring, this year, but for this post I want to focus on classic, black lace. While researching floral prints, pastels and monochromatic dresses, I came across way too many lovely pieces featuring black lace to not share a few of them with you! Bonus? These can all be worn in the summer, too!

1.  LOST Bossanova black lace shorts. $40 USD at tillys.com.

2. The ASOS lace dress with cape. $79.80 US.

3. Bloomingdale's has the aqua lace dress that is currently on sale for $78.40 USD.

4. How cute is the Parisian black lace cutout playsuit from New Look?

5. Last but certainly not least, I'm really digging the Isla lace ponte dress at Monsoon for $120 USD.

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25 Days of Etsy Christmas Gifts. Day Twenty-Two: Montreal, Part Two.

i'm having so much fun with these montréal lists! today you'll see a lot of jewelry but i have to start injecting them into my posts more frequently if i don't want to supply you with ten jewelers on the last day of this series; we have such an abundance of beautifully handcrafted jewelry made right here in montréal! 


1. for stylish, feminine fashions, check out local designer, vicky dubois.

2. have a look at a selection of over one-hundred-and-fifty lovely jewelry items at nelly van see.

3. for fun and mostly geeky ipad and phone pouches, hair clips and necklaces, be sure to peruse yummy pocket!

4. i'm really stoked to be featuring this next shop! my homegirl, claire carny, runs south side soaps, a an awesome rock n roll, rockabilly and tattoo culture-themed body care product shop, based in ndg, a borough in south-west montreal. please note that south side soaps is not taking anymore orders on etsy before christmas but claire is happily taking local orders. extra bonus: miss carny is graciously offering a 10% discount to all local readers of my blog who wish to make a purchase. you can order a premade gift basket or customize your own for gift-giving, for an additional $3.00. 

to place an order and encourage a rockin' local momma, please email claire at: southsidesoaps@gmail.com

5. i recommend métal en bouche for fun yet tasteful, handcrafted jewelry.

6. be sure to check out kimberly fletcher for gorgeous, excessively well handcrafted leather goods!

7. it's getting cold outside so why not warm up some people on your list by ordering something pretty and handmade from knits by nat?

8. whether you're looking for a phone cover that is geeky, pretty, classic or bad-ass, you'll probably find it at i art monograms.

9. giving little guys on your list a craft kit means giving the gift that keeps on giving so why not put together a gift basket with paper, glue, pencil crayons, marker, scrapbooking accessories... and one of these cute little artist's aprons from set carré?

10. i find myself drawn to several of the pieces from mélanie favreau jeweler's present collection and i'm sure someone on your list would too!

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Wardrobe Challenge Update: Fabric Store Mini-Haul

thanks to my holiday gift guide, my current hunt for employment, the process of redecorating three rooms in my flat and a side-project i'm working on, i'm a little behind on my wardrobe challenge. i'll probably end up with four dresses, 3 skirts, 4 pairs of pants and few blouses and tops. hrm. well, that's not so bad, given that i started when it was already autumn... right, then!

i'm not really into the madness that is black friday and i already look forward to no longer having to hear about it for about eleven months so, instead of going to fabricville today, waiting in line for hours, having to be crowded by the woman who wants to get a hold of my fabric roll next, etc., i went out to the one in lasalle yesterday evening, when they were offering up great discounts, anyway. all vogue patterns were $5.99, burda were 25% off and, as usual, i found some fabric in the discount section, this time for only $3/meter. 

i already have all the skirt patterns i need and i can draft my own patterns if i want anymore so, as far as bottoms go, i've moved on to pants. i keep finding the same, matronly, wide-legged polyester pant in thrift stores and so i'm going to make my own. do i think making pants is a huge pain? yes! but it'll be worth it. check out the patterns i scored for this purpose:

i can't wait to rock the shorter version this spring, with a nice pair of loafers or ballet flats. they'll also look great with my chucks. in the meantime, style b will be perfect. i have two tuxedo jackets that need partners in crime, anyway. 

and, speaking of tuxedo jackets needing matching bottoms, i love these pants! they will look great with so many things i already own and i can wear them to an office, for sure. i won't make the jacket, seeing as three tuxedo jackets is a bit overkill for me and, unless i find a designer one on sale, my ben sherman one is perfect. 

the third and last pants pattern i purchased was the vogie 8859. i have a pair that is similar to these now and i know that i love the fit. 

it's so important for women to wear pants that fit and that compliment our bodies. the wide-legged trouser mom wears is not okay, especially if you're short and curvy, like i am. wide-legged only really works when they're high-waisted and have a 1940's or 1950's design to them. 

i have to admit that flipping through the vogue pattern catalog left me feeling a tad disappointed and the feeling only lifted one i started searching through burda's selection. this has never happened before but, for some reason, i feel like most of vogue's new collection is dated and drab and features over-rouched, ill-fitting garments. a look at the vintage section is always nice but, seeing as i already own most of the ones in this season's catalog, i decided to go with on of the few dress patterns i like from their newer ones, the vogue 8825:

this sleeve always draws attention away from the upper arm and accentuates small wrists, a great combination for my shape. the waistline is also flattering and, although it can easily be changed, i love this length because it hugs my curves but shows off my calves. thanks to this image, i want to make it in green, too!

and here is the houndstooth fabric i found for $3.00 CAD per meter. i bought four meters so i can make a pencil skirt and some pants like the ones in the first pattern. if i don't make the pants, i will use it to line a warm, winter coat. 

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