Manulife Place 'Show Us Your Edmonton Style' Challenge

Wearing: Blazer - Smythe, jeans - Paige Denim, camisole - VINCE, necklace - Rebecca Minkoff, 

purse - See by Chloe (all from Holt Renfrew, Manulife Place), shoes - Sole Society (old)

EIA's Great Jetaway Contest!

It's January. We're all paying off our credit cards from Christmas, it's cold outside, there's snow on the ground and you're probably thinking, "I could use a tropical vacation right about now!" Or maybe your parents, sister or best friend would love to get away and have never been anywhere outside of chilly Canada? Well lucky for everyone, I've teamed up with Edmonton International Airport to bring you a contest that could send one of your loved ones on an ultimate vacation (valued at $10,000.00!) to wherever their heart desires -  New York, or London or even balmy Bora Bora which sounds SO nice right about now! It's easy to enter:

Pura Botanicals Soiree

Last night I attended a Harvest Garden Soiree at the new Pura Botanicals apothecary and perfumery in downtown Edmonton. It was a magical and intimate evening spent with some of the city's most inspiring bloggers, creatives and entrepreneurs and we all got to create our own custom perfume in the most beautiful and relaxing setting! I had an absolutely wonderful time, (I didn't want to leave) and I am excited to share some photos from the event.

Local Spotlight: Eve + Enoch

Today I'm featuring one of my favorite local designers: Jessilyn Poole from EVE + ENOCH! I first met Jessilyn and her sister Megan (now a partner in her business) back in 2011 at an Edmonton fashion design contest when she was just 20 years old, fresh out of college (she went to Marvel) and having recently started her label only a couple months before. After seeing the Sherwood Park resident's cute and contemporary dresses at the event, I remember thinking to myself, "I would totally wear her clothing!" Fast forward four years later and the EVE + ENOCH brand is now available to the masses online, at Bamboo Ballroom and J. Lea Fashion House opening this fall in Windermere. Scroll down to read my interview with this bright-eyed beauty about how she got started, what obstacles she's had to overcome starting a business from scratch and what she thinks about Edmonton's fashion industry.

#MyStyleWEM Contest Announcement!

Are you a teenager who enjoys getting dressed, has great style and loves the camera? Well you could be part of a West Edmonton Mall campaign seen throughout the city! If you're a student, WEM wants you to show them your style by sharing a pic, collage, video or Flipgram on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #MyStyleWEM, or click here to upload your photo on Facebook. In addition to modeling in a photo shoot, winners will also receive an outfit and accessories from their favorite retailers! Teens can enter into the contest until June 24th, 2015. Click here for contest rules and regulations.

Last year's contest was a great success and I'm happy to announce that this year I will be the Official Style Consultant for the 2015 campaign and can't wait to work with the lucky winners! Good luck everyone!

xo

Blend & Boost Personalized Skincare

A couple of months ago I was asked to attend an info session at Dr. Neeraj Bector’s aesthetic clinic in

West Edmonton Mall about a new, customized skincare line called Blend & Boost by Medisca. You all know how much I love talking about skincare and how important it is to me, especially now that I’m in my thirties so of course I had to attend! 

PARK SHOW 2014

Edmontonians, don't forget to get your tickets to PARK SHOW which is happening this Saturday! Presented by Simons, the biggest fashion event of the year will feature two fashion shows highlighting eight local designers, pop-up shops throughout the evening, art exhibitions, food and drinks and gift bags for VIP ticket holders. Get your tickets here!

Swept Bridal Event

Gorgeous display of cakes, sweets and treats from Over The Top Cakes 

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the Swept Bridal event at the Royal Glenora Club and boy was I impressed. Twenty five vendors from Edmonton and surrounding areas came together for a non-traditional, boutique-style bridal fair offering brides-to-be to experience the beauty of a wedding with the best in decor, cakes, design, hair, makeup dresses, stationary and more. I was blown away with every single theme room - and there were four - the Inspiration Room, the Beauty Room, the Sweet Room and the Groom Room. I will admit I spent most of my time drooling over all of the desserts in the Sweet Room, don't judge ; ). Congrats to Erin Walker, Morgan Hrynyck and Hans Kristian Larsen for putting on a very successful event. I was literally SWEPT away (tee hee) and am excited and inspired to plan my wedding! Below are some more photos from the event.

Close up

I fell in love with this pretty dessert display at the Style Cakes Custom Bakery booth

Gorgeous right?! The Art of Cake. Flowers by Cory Christopher.

All of the desserts were styled by the very talented DESSERT STYLIST (!!!) Lindsey Wheatley of LOVEinc. She has the best job ever. 

Complimentary Bubbly 

 This beautiful, vibrant floral dress was hand made with tissue paper by Jessilyn Poole of Eve and Enoch

Vintage lace from Delica Bridal 

My friends from Glow Juicery handed out healthy samples. (I drink about 3 or 4 of these a week, they're delcious!) They have a juicery in the same location where I teach barre classes and will be opening another location in Sherwood Park very soon!

A beautiful, romantic centerpiece from Atmosphere Wedding Planning & Design 

 Cute table setting from A Modern Proposal. 

Stationary by Pinkpolka Design, where I got my wedding invitations from : ).

Cigars galore in the Groom Room from Hub Cigar

Have a great week!

Personalizing Your Wedding Dress

I recently chatted with the Edmonton Journal about how to inject personal style into your bridal wear like Man Repeller Leandra Medine, Avril Lavigne and Ann Hathaway (above) and what brides MUST consider when choosing their wedding dress. You can check out the article here and see some beautiful photos of my friend and fellow blogger Vickie (who also wrote the article!) playing dress-up in some absolutely gorgeous gowns from Delica Bridal. 

Have a great weekend!

Life, Lately

I'm sorry I haven't been posting on a regular basis lately, life has been crazy busy for me. In a good way, though. I promise to return to regular scheduled programming soon! ; ) For now, here are some photos and little blurbs on what I've been up to recently!

Clockwise starting from top left: I recently hosted a fashion show at French Connection's re-location party at West Edmonton Mall. It was so much fun! I love, love, LOVE their clothes. Jaclyn and Suzy from Girls Club DJ's provided the music for the event.

In October I had the pleasure of styling the gorgeous Up99.3 radio host Kari Skelton for Glow Juicery and Barre Body Edmonton's Grand Opening. Her outfit, which I found at Bamboo Ballroom, was auctioned off for charity and ours went for the highest bid!

This month I've also been wedding dress shopping, I went to four places and I finally found The One! It's nothing like what I thought I wanted! Funny how that happens once you actually start to try dresses on ; ). We have also set the date for our wedding. I don't want to give away too much because we haven't told all of our family members yet but the actual ceremony will not be held in Canada, we'll be going away but we'll come back home and have a big party afterwards. I'm very excited, we are getting married in less than a year! So I've been planning, planning, planning.

Just some pictures of my cat. You know, cause she's my baby and I think she's the cutest thing ever.

Last month I filmed a short film at the Hotel MacDonald called 'Voila.' We shot in the middle of the night in the same hotel room that the Queen, The Rolling Stones and Sting stayed at when they came to Edmonton so that was very cool. The story takes place in 1969 and the wardrobe was so fun! I had a great time on set, the director, the cast, the crew, were wonderful. I think it's going to be a really cute film and can't wait to see it once it's edited. (That's the talented and dapper Ryan Parker in the photo with me.)

We got a HUGE dump of snow a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't happy. This is why you haven't seen any outfit posts on my blog in awhile, the weather was the sh*ts but now it's nicer out thank goodness.

My nephews! Total farm boys, they are. Cowboys, too.

I am training to be a Barre Body Instructor, I did my training this past weekend in Calgary. I love the method so much (and have seen great results) so I wanted to be able to teach it, along with teaching Pilates. I love sharing my passion for fitness with others so I'm really excited for this new journey! P.S. My butt's never been so sore but has never looked so good. HA!

Our first fire of the season at home! A fire place comes in real handy, especially when it's -30 degrees outside which is ridiculously cold yet normal for Edmonton winter weather. 

I hope you're all having a great week!

French Connection

blouse + faux leather skirt - c/o French Connection, purse - H & M, 

booties - Madden Girl by Steve Madden, tights - HUE from The Bay, jewelry - can't remember

When I have to scrape frost off my car windows in the morning before driving it (which I've had to do the past couple of days) that means two things: #1 It's reeeeally cold and #2 It's tights season. Tights season lasts about 6-7 months out of the year where I live so it's nice to have a few skirts and dresses on rotation to pair them with. I have a feeling I'll be getting a ton of wear out of this fun, faux leather skirt this winter as well as the gorgeous long-sleeved printed blouse, both from French Connection. Fun fact: Sometimes it gets so cold up here that I will also wear tights under my pants. I'm sure some of you Canadians can relate.

And hey, the French Connection store in West Edmonton Mall is relocating and to celebrate the new space, they are throwing a party! There will be door prizes and discounts all day long and beats by Girls Club. As well, I will be hosting two fashion shows on trends! I hope you can make it! See below or click here for more details.

Juice Cleanse With GLOW Juicery

About a week and a half ago I embarked on a one-day juice cleanse with GLOW Juicery. Since juice cleanses are all the rage right now and you may be contemplating participating in one yourself, I thought I'd share my experience with you here on my blog. I've been juicing for awhile now (click here if you're unfamiliar with the process) and was so happy to hear that Edmonton's first juice bar, GLOW Juicery will be opening October 1st at Whitemud Crossing! It's about TIME Edmonton set up shop! (They were everywhere when I was in California.) I was a little intimidated to start out with a 3-day cleanse, which is a pretty normal length for a juice cleanse so I thought I'd begin with a 1-day one, since I'd never done a cleanse before. The night before I started, the lovely Marnie Ashcroft, owner of GLOW, delivered 6 fresh and unique juices right to my door with a guide outlining which juice I should drink and when and how to prepare my body before beginning my cleanse and how to treat it afterwards. Even though I was allowed a salad for lunch (no dressings allowed, other than Apple Cider Vinegar or fresh lemon) I had a lot of hunger pains throughout the day, which is totally normal but were a bit uncomfortable for me. Fortunately that was the only negative side effect I had. I also had to pee a lot. Like, a lot, which was really good because I felt like I was ridding my body of toxins, which I was doing! I loved that. The juices were delicious, too. My favorite was the Earthly Glow which consisted of apples, beets, carrots, cucumbers and ginger. The 1-day cleanse was a nice glimpse into how a juice cleanse can de-toxify your body and bring it back to optimal health. I would do one again but next time I'd push myself with a 2 or 3-day cleanse. Meanwhile, I am happy to purchase bottles of fresh GLOW juices to drink daily when I don't have time to juice myself. GLOW makes it easy and convenient for me to do so with their new store opening up! For more information on juice cleanses and about purchasing bottles from GLOW you can click here. They are also on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Flare September 2013: New Look Ahead in Fort Edmonton Park

photographer: Andrew Soule

hair and makeup: Diana Carreiro

styling: Rita Liefhebber

model: Julia Dunstall, Mode Models & Marilyn Model Agency

Alberta plays a huge role in Flare Magazine's 2013 September issue. This editorial spread (set in 1948) was shot in Fort Edmonton Park (in my city!) and stars Alberta born-and-bred model Julia Dunstall, as a young European prairie wife "wrapped in waisty tweeds, skirt suits, and an air of mystery." One of my favorite fall fashion editorials so far. 

P.S. My friend Andrew also shot a fall 2011 editorial in Fort Edmonton Park (which I modeled in), you can click here to see those photos : ).

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

JACOB Shopping Event!

I'm very excited to announce I'll be hosting JACOB's Spring Shopping Event at West Edmonton Mall this Friday June 7th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.! Fashionista's who attend will be able to get their hands on the hottest spring and summer fashions and enjoy 30% off all regular-priced merchandise! Also, I will be on hand (along with cupcakes) all evening to offer free styling tips and advice. I hope you can make it! I would love to meet you : ).

Blogger Sale

blouse - Nordstrom Rack, cropped pants - Rachel Roy from The Bay, heels - Aldo, jewelry - old (I can't remember)

I remember seeing these Rachel Roy fancy pants (and falling in love with them) at The Bay for $120 or $130 last fall. Flash forward to after Christmas during all the Boxing Week sales and I scored these suckers for $35! Not bad, not bad. I wore this outfit to our first Fashion Blogger Clothing Sale held at Phabrik Art & Design last Saturday. A bunch of Edmonton bloggers (Sandy from The Pretty Secrets, Alyssa from The Ordinary People, Vickie from Adventures In Fashion, Jenna from Smitten, Susanna from A Clean, Well-Lit Style Blog, Melanie from Born Lippy, Courtney from The Button Up Blog, Jenn from LUX Beauty Boutique and me!) got together and sold our gently-worn clothing to the public for discounted prices. We had a really good turn-out and it was a lot of fun hanging out with the girls (and Anton and Derek!) and meeting readers of our blogs, who were so sweet! We're hoping we can make this sale an annual event. If you came on Saturday, THANK YOU for shopping our closets and we hope you're enjoying your buys! Most of the items we didn't sell were donated to the iHuman Youth Society.

Here are some photos from Saturday:

All set up at Phabrik, which was the perfect space for an event like this!

Alyssa (right) from The Ordinary People and her friend Joy.

A few pairs of Courtney's gorgeous shoes she was selling.

New friends Melanie and Courtney (It was so nice meeting these two for the first time on Saturday!)

Susanna's AH-MAZING vintage pieces.

Vickie's clothing rack was a hit!

So I was able to do a little shopping myself and picked up these booties from The Ordinary People for $20 : ) HOW COULD I RESIST??
 

Blogger Wardrobe Sale!

I'm very excited to be a part of this event! It's been a long time coming! Come shop the closets of your favorite Edmonton fashion bloggers Saturday, May 18th at the beautiful Phabrik Art + Design Center near Whyte Avenue. Gently worn, name brand and designer clothing in sizes 2 to 18 will be available for purchase as well as shoes, accessories and more! All at huge discounts. I have a ton of clothing I'll be selling, even some pieces I've never worn. We would love to see you there : ). If you have any questions, please email me or leave a comment in the comment section below and I will respond to it. You can also join our Facebook page for updates where we'll be posting a few pictures of what we'll be selling.

Update: Check out the interview I did with the Edmonton Sun about the event here. We were also featured in the Edmonton Journal : ).

Any leftover clothing we don't sell will be donated to the iHuman Youth Society.

The Best of Western Canada Fashion Week

Angelique Chmielewski

Angelique Chmielewski

Angelique Chmielewski

KaaDki

LUXX

Nicole Campre

Nicole Campre

Nicole Campre

all photos by Aragondina Photography via Fashion Magazine

These are my top picks from Western Canada Fashion Week March 2013. Not only are they all gorgeous pieces but they are completely wearable off the runway. (You can actually see me in the audience in a couple of the photos drooling over them and thinking, "Hmmmm...How can I get my hands on that as soon as possible?!") These outfits satisfy my craving for beautiful, minimalistic, well-cut clothing. And can I just say, how talented are the designers we have in Alberta?!! I can't wait to see what else they all have up their sleeves! To see more pictures and coverage from Western Canada Fashion Week, click here.