Pinch of Chic
outfit

White Overalls

OUTFIT DETAILS:

The Reformation Misty Top
Mango White Denim PInafore Dress
Yves Saint Laurent Wrap Strap Wide Heels in Icy (Similar here) via The RealReal
Ray-ban Aviators Sunglasses
arc Jacobs Limited Edition Bunny Hop Tote Bag

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Nothing screams youth and summer like rocking a pair of overalls.

To elevate the look and make it look more mature and feminine, I paired the pinafore dress with a lace off the shoulder top from The Reformation. (An amazing eco-friendly label!) Whether it’s an off the shoulder top or dress, I feel like the exposure of your shoulders is ultra feminine, sexy and still appropriate while still wearing some sleeves. It’s a beautiful area to reveal…including your collar bone. Baring my shoulders is one of the reasons why I look forward to summer. It’s a nice subtle way to show some skin for those hot days and add a bit of mystery.

For my style these days, I catch myself mixing unique pieces that feel different from each other. One day I’m very minimal, another I’m very feminine and classy, some other days I feel a tad bit edgy… overall chic I hope! I like to sum it all up and say my style is a collective inspirations. I still think in age and time I’ll become less edgy and more minimal with a hand full of romantic pieces, since I find basics to be timeless and easy to work with. I’ve yet to visit Europe and I have this strong feeling that it’ll heavily impact my style when I do get a chance to travel there. It’s funny because when I received the Misty Top from the mail, the first thing I thought of was a Barcelona inspired look, with an old chapel backdrop at sun dust, red lips, holding a oversized, cascading bouquet of greens– A shoot Nicole Warne of Gary Pepper Girl would definitely approve of. Ideas for the next shoot I suppose. *wink wink*

Do you guys have a “off-the shoulder” top or dress?
If so, I’d love to see how you styled it. If not let me know what you think of the trend!

Photography by: Verne Ho

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outfit

Crossroads

OUTFIT DETAILS:
The Fifth ‘Fall in Love’ Top
ASOS Black Front Split Pencil Skirt
ZeroUV Sunglasses
Luvaj Silver Huggie Hoop Earrings c/o
Marc Jacobs Limited Edition Bunny Hop Tote Bag

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Hello lovely darlings! I always tend to forget that the best places to be are the hidden gems in such a big city. Clearly those recent and constant rainy days got me thinking of more indoor places. Here in Kensington market, there’s just so much to be found. Countless patios, food, vintage goodies, amazing treasures and drool worthy vegan and non-vegan sweets! Don’t let the awkward location being in the middle of China Town fool you— this area has really cool vibes. I have to thank talented Mack Canelas for suggesting to come here, whom I also had the great pleasure of meeting and shooting via Instagram.

This whole blogger meets blogger or photographer over Instagram is quite the new concept for me which I’m quickly grasping and having a blast doing! (Thanks to Arnold Lan for kickstarting me into this!) I took the opportunity to share my foodie side and ran over to Bunner’s Bake Shop on 244 Augusta Avenue to try their soft served swirl cone and Moo Frites on 178 Baldwin Street for their Belgian-styled fries with Kimchi. Before you judge, you should try it, because surprisingly it was good and somewhat addicting. I actually couldn’t help myself…sneaking in a few sporks full at each stop on the public transit bus. What I wouldn’t give now to have something like that in Stoney Creek! I suppose I’ll just have to schedule in another trip to Kensington soon and spread the good foodie words to mes amis!

Photos by Mack Canelas

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style file

Bell Sleeves Gal

OUTFIT DETAILS:

Urban Outfitters Bell Sleeve Top
ASOS Skaters Skirt
MANGO Strap Cord Sandals
Forever21 Brown Cross Body
Thrifted Brown Leather Belt
Goorin Bros. County Line Black Hat

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Hello lovely readers! I see you eyeing at my bag and scratching your heads. Trying to figure out ‘Cynthia got her hands on a Drew bag by Chloe? But how??’ Simple answer. It’s actually Forever21! If you haven’t already seen it on other bloggers then low and behold, this ‘Drew’ inspired bag from Forever21 is only about $30! In three different colours too.

For me buying and wearing affordable pieces is always a good idea when it comes to dressing up for music festivals. When you’re actively smashing into sweaty, incoherent people in the attempt to find space to dance at a festival, It’s good to know your Saint Laurent Lulu bag is safe at home and that you’re just ringing out a F21 bag.. that in my opinion looks just as good! The day which this outfit was taken was for the Bestival Festival in Toronto. While neoprene crop top with crazy cut outs sounds cool and all. I opt for the bell sleeves and skater skirt for a flowy and comfortable feel. The rainy weather actually got me into wearing a lot of black which explains a lot. Fingers crossed for rain-free festival days in Toronto!

What festival will you be attending or have already attended? Would love to see links to those outfits too! 

Photos by Verne Ho.

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style file

Suede For Me

OUTFIT DETAILS:

Club Monaco Elizabina Silk Top 
Banana Republic Suede Mini Skirt via Kind Exchange (Similar here and here)
Thrifted Black Gold-studded Leather Belt via Black Market
Thrifted Vintage Coach Brown Leather Cross Body
J. Crew Hammered Choker Necklace (Similar here too)
Zara Aztec Woven Ankle Strap Wide Heel Sandals

Check out below for more links to similar pieces!

Here’s my attempt for a desert-Coachella-LA-vibes-western kind of look.
A combination inspired by WhoWoreWhat’s Danielle Bernstein and Lust for Life’s Olivia Lopez.

To further explore and take my art directing up a notch, I decided to change up my visual style to curate more interesting stories for my readers to see other than my usually expected whimsical and overexposed lit posts. Because change is good right? Or should I say variety.

This outfit was shot at Toronto’s Allen Gardens. Since the winter of last year I wanted to shoot at this location for a while but decided to wait until spring’s warm weather rolled in. I thought to myself… what area in Toronto would make the closest resemblance to California’s hot landscape? Or it went more like: where can I find a few palm trees? Even a bunch of Monstera leaves would do as well. In the end, a room full of cactuses was found at the green house and that seemed to do more for me than palm trees.

I currently have a mild obsession with cognac-coloured suede at the moment and have been trolling the internet slash lurking through countless vintage stores for brown suede pieces for a couple of months now. Next on the list… if possible.. would be to find a fringe suede jacket that actually doesn’t give me gigantic football shoulders. While on my search for a girlfriend’s birthday gift I was lucky to have found a Banana Republic suede mini skirt from the Kind Exchange, a consignment store on Queen Street for $30. Don’t you love it when you’re looking for someones gift but end up coming out with 3+ items for yourself? Regardless, this was a way better price for a real suede skirt compared to buying from Zara. (No hate– that was actually going to be my last resort.) 

Below, I attached some music by Alina Baraz to compliment the photos photographed from above. Hope you guys can see the Tumblr image x  Majestic Casual vibe here.

Just wanted to give a shout out to Dennis since it’s his birthday today. 
Happy birthday buddy!

Photographed by: Dennis Grishnin aka Mandala Beats

Speaking of Coachella the music festival… what’s your opinion on the trends showcased at music festivals?
Q: Is it just me or do you find that the outfits of today’s festival-goers are ignorantly using statement pieces from certain cultures? (i.e. headdresses and bindi gems.)

Let me know what you think in your comments below! x

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style file

Airy and Distressed

OUTFIT DETAILS

Club Monaco Elizabina Silk Top 
Urban Outfitters BDG Slim Boyfriend Jeans
Forever21 Pinstriped Open-Front Blazer
White Leather Snake Embossed Crossbody (Similar here) c/o Therese
Yves Saint Laurent Wrap Strap Wide Heels in Icy (Similar here) via The RealReal

As many of you may have noticed I’m usually caught wearing either semi-formal and conservative pieces. If I’m wearing jeans, they’re often form-fitting and don’t look that worn out.

For me— it was quite the challenge to find a decent pair of boyfriend jeans, let alone a pair with what seems to be the right amount of rips and tears. Took me a couple years really. I found myself going through the GAP, J. Crew, even the thrift stores… contemplating if I should make my own pair. But most of which I found at thrift stores were either too large in length or width. I wanted to find a pair that wasn’t so expensive and that would fit nicely on my petite frame.

I’ve been frequently shopping at Urban Outfitters and saw that they carried a whole bunch of jeans, including boyfriend jeans and distressed ones as well. To own a wear of boyfriend jeans— I guess sacrifices have to made in terms of the unflattering fit around the rear aka no bum look… also known as border-line mom jeans. Right? But here I am today, finally a proud owner of a pair of distressed boyfriend jeans from UO.

On to how I wore out mine…

To maintain out my ultra femme and clean style, I paired my DBJ (distressed boyfriend jeans) with a flowy, white silk top from Club Monaco (in love with the lace up collar) and nude wide heel sandals that have wrap-around straps from Yves Saint Laurent via The RealReal for ONLY $115 which were retail for about $700. New in a box, with tags and dust bag. (SCORE!) I’m a huge fan of wide heels for good support and distant walks. My girlfriend and talented photographer, Therese also allowed me to borrow her adorable snake skin embossed cross body which she got from Asia to continue the light look I got going on. To tie the look altogether and contrast the light palette outfit, I wore my pinstripe navy blazer for a hint of dapper chic.

x

We all have different body shapes, so finding the right pieces to compliment and enhance our bodies is important. There’s no rush in fitting in the latest trends. I felt the same pressure when Zara and GAP started releasing a whole bunch of boyfriend jeans for a hefty $60-80 about one or two years ago. But I was able to hold back for a while and wait until I found a decent pair that as equally flattering and comfortable to wear. x

Speaking of The RealReal… I’d highly suggest anyone who’s interested in finding cost-friendly designer goods to go there. It’s an online consignment platform for all luxurious goods, from handbags, shoes, coats to works of art. Some things are second hand, vintage or even brand new. First timers even get an additional $25 off their first purchase!

Visit the link here!

Photos (Film and Digital) by: Artiese Studios

I want to give a shoutout and huge congratulations to my best buddy and talented photographer Arnold Lan for winning the Jubilee Project Fellowship in L.A and the Dreamjob Photojounalist competition to Norway. You have such a bright future ahead you. Way to go bestie! xo

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