The Friday Five: Things on My Mind

I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to come up with five things that have been on my mind today because ever since I booked my trip to Japan, it’s just about all that I have had on my mind! Okay, okay, here are a few things that have been on my mind lately.

1. Japan

I have been reading a lot and talking to anyone I know who has been to Japan. My discussions are definitely making me even more excited. My Japanese is slow-going, but I hope to know more than arigato (thank you) by April.

2. The Office

I never watched the US or British versions of The Office. Until now. I have had a pretty exhausting week, and I opted for it one night. It makes me laugh out loud. I know I’m not alone on this one.

3. The Duchesses

Who has been watching Duchess Kate and Duchess Meghan touring and attending events? I’ve caught updates and photos here and there, and I can’t help but be interested in what they say and do (and what they wear!).

4. Local travel

One of the reasons why I love living in Waterloo is that it’s close to so many lovely places. Toronto is only an hour away. In the other direction, we have Stratford, where I was just a couple of weeks ago. And London, too, is just over an hour away, and I’m happy to be heading there this weekend to see friends. While I do love to travel far away (see point #1), I have been enjoying learning about local gems, too, over the years I’ve lived in Southwestern Ontario.

5. OOTD

What do you think about Outfit Of the Day (OOTD) posts that you see online and/or on Instagram? I post my outfits regularly on Instagram (not styled, not posed, no fancy lighting, no photographer), but I wonder if I should keep going. I do scroll back through these photos when I need an outfit idea or when I want to see how I wear some of my favourite pieces, so in that sense, the photos serve a purpose. I’m curious though…Do you like seeing what your friends and favourite bloggers wear each day?

That’s it for this week. Have a great weekend!

Fashion: Styling with Saffron Road

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A couple of weeks ago I was invited to style outfits and be part of a  fashion shoot with Jennifer at Saffron Road in London, Ontario. I had so much fun!

I browsed the amazing designer collections…

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and tried to apply what I’ve learned from America’s Next Top Model in my own personal fashion shoot!

For my first ensemble I went for all-white. The Theory peplum shirt was so crisp and is a great match for a skirt or pants. I paired the shirt with a textured knee-length Theory skirt. I added a bit of gold and sparkle with House of Harlow’s starburst necklace. The House of Harlow shoes added more texture to the outfit, not to mention, a lot of height.

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(worst smeyes ever)

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such a great pair of heels!

For my second look I grabbed a gorgeous Lida Baday suit. I love the black and white pattern and the boxy modern jacket. Generally I’m a fan of a classic pencil skirt so this suit was a clear winner. I paired the suit with a beautiful silky transparent black Theory shirt. The outfit is complete with a beautiful black leather M0851 tote and nude-coloured strappy heels by Modern Vintage. I opted to wear my own stack of silver bracelets and bangles to go with this outfit.

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And here’s one last photo of Saffron Road’s all-white fitting rooms…you can imagine how pleased I was to be in there. White is the perfect backdrop for the beautiful clothes in this London store!

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I learned quite a bit from my photo shoot…

* I am becoming such a big fan of the brand Theory. The few pieces that I already own and the pieces I tried on at Saffron fit me well and are made of fabrics that feel so good.

* I love Lida Baday but the pieces that I picked didn’t fit me as well as I had wanted them too. They’d definitely need tailoring. The fabric was absolutely beautiful.

* Modelling is harder than it looks. Figuring out what to do with your face and your body is tricky. Note to self: watch more episodes of America’s Next Top Model.

* I tried to channel one of my favourite fashionistas Blair of Atlantic-Pacific when I was styling outfits but this, too, was harder than I thought it was going to be. I had the whole store to choose from so I’m not sure why I felt challenged. Maybe I was simply overwhelmed?

* Sometimes it’s just best to trust the salespeople. When they’re good, they’re good. They know the labels, the merchandise, and spend so much time with clothes and getting to know what works on different body types that it is worth drawing on their knowledge.

Update: Good news for shoppers –  all Theory items are currently 50% off at Saffron Road. So if you’re in London, be sure to stop in! But don’t think you’re going to be able to buy the white shirt in the first photo because I went in about a week after my fashion shoot and bought it. I needed another white shirt.

Many thanks to Jennifer and the Saffron Road team for welcoming me in. Photos by Jennifer. I have previously written about Saffron Road here.

Event: World Figure Skating Championships

London, Ontario is home to this year’s ISU World Figure Skating Championships. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the transformation of the downtown core as the city has prepped for this big event. There’s excitement and energy downtown and I just love being surrounded by it all!

So – here we go, a figure skating-themed post to mark today’s start of World’s!

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Go Figure by Lori Doody, $25

via Sweet Montana

via Sweet Montana

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Marilyn Monroe

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Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (Go Canada!)

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via All the Beautiful Christmas

Welcome to all the skaters and visitors to London this week!

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