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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Va Va Vintage - Ottawa Vintage Clothing Show

Just as spring finally began to sprung here in the 613, the city also preps for one of my most  favourite events held in our national capital, The Ottawa Vintage Clothing Show. Vintage, clothing, and my city ALL in the same sentence? Yes please!

There is just something about vintage clothing. That "je ne sais quoi", a certain va va voom factor that can't be acquired through modern day attire. Maybe it has to do with the fact that each unique item holds its own sassy story, or that that particular piece has stood the test of time. Whatever it is about vintage, I adore it. I also think it has something to do with fit. Vintage clothes are made for a woman's figure, which is not so much the case in 2013. I have curves, many of them actually and I love that vintage clothing allows me to embrace them, rather then curse them like current garments make me do. Viva la va va voom curves! 

Last season was my first time attending. Myself and a bunch of other fabulous fashion bloggers got together for brunch (some of them it was my first time actually meeting in person, its so great to finally be able to put a face to a twitter handle!) and afterwards we hit up the vintage show to see what stylish scores we could dig up. I personally found a great Burberry bag for a steal of a price. I am very, very pleased to announce that this year we are continuing the tradition. We are holding our bloggers brunch in the morn, will eat some breaky and indulge in a mimosa or two, and then hit up the show!

Check out my pics from last season! Burberry BagBloggers BrunchEmily, Laura & Marcia at the show

Now that I can (kind of) call myself a vintage show veteran, here are a few tips if you plan on attending: 

Wear your eyewear! If you need glasses or contacts, wear them when you go to the show! Vintage clothing is usually all about the details and you don't want to miss a single one. 

Bring cash $$$! Many vendors only accept cash, and the last thing you want to do is have to run out of the show and miss precious vintage scouring time, plus you don't want to deal with ATM fees! Better to save your hard earned dough for your vintage finds!

Layer up!  And dress comfortably. Raiding the racks among hundreds of other vintage hungry women is almost an extreme sport. Come prepared for the battle, and for "in the moment" try ones. Leggings are a good layering piece that works with shirts, dresses, anything!

Cut your coupons! If you thought the Vintage Show couldn't get more wonderful, you are so very wrong my friend. They offer a two dollar off coupon that they will send you via email a few days before the show here: Discount Coupon. They really have thought of everything. 

My last comment (before the show, don't worry I will have plenty more to say afterwards) is a huge kudos to the organizers for listening to the people. Today the Vintage Show's Facebook page posted a location change, and the reasons behind it are due to an overwhelming response from attendees about a few issues. The Vintage Show took it all in with ears wide open, and not only listened but delivered.  Last year the sun was a huge issue (we may not encounter this problem this year) and you almost needed sunglasses just to view the vendors. Heck, I was almost to the point of buying a pair just to be able to see what was going on. Also, the vendors booths were very crammed. There was not a lot of space to search and rescue pieces, and many people (myself included) just simple skipped booths to avoid the crowd. The organizers have addressed and acknowledged BOTH of these issues and are  giving the people what they want. Awesome customer service if you ask me. I cannot wait to see these improvements as well as all the show has to offer. 

So, all I have left to say is...will I see you there? If you see myself or any of the other bloggers attending feel free to come up and say hi and show us the treasures you found at the show! The show is this Sunday, April 28th.

You can find the show on Twitter: @613vintageshow and don't forget to use the hashtag #OVSfind!

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

H&M's Flower Power

For someone who calls them-self a fashion blogger, I don't do many outfit or OOTD posts. Maybe I can chalk it up to the winter and usually not wearing outfits worthy of photographing, or not having a tripod (or boyfriend around) to take pics. Whatever the reason, today I decided to give it a shot. It is finally starting to warm up outside, my boyfriend is visiting (a.k.a playing photographer) and I had a class presentation this morning so I had every excuse in the book to dress up. Oh, AND I had a new pair of pants. These are my very first pair of patterned pants. Last spring I invested in my first ever pair of pastel pants, and thought I would give be adventurous again this spring. Spring is for new things, right? Printed pants have always terrified me, even more than pastel ones. I feel like its just a magnifying glass on the worst parts of my body. I think these pants worked relatively well because 1) the print isn't too big or too small and 2) the black background makes it a little more neural. I picked up these pants, the bow bangle and the black t shirt with lace detail at H&M in Quebec City over the Easter weekend, which brings me to the second point of this blog post...

H&M IS COMING TO OTTAWA! YES IT IS TRUE!

This morning Bayshore shopping mall confirmed that an H&M will be opening in fall of 2013 and all I can say is it is about time! 

Are you excited about the new H&M in our nation's capital? What do you think of my printed pants?



Sunday, April 7, 2013

Mad for Mad Men

Is anyone else as excited as I am for tonight's premiere of Mad men? I feel like season 5 ended ages ago and I have just been here waiting in limbo for my weekly Don Draper fix. Tonight's 2 hour special has me EXTRA excited, I mean its a full 2 hours! Its like a Mad Men movie! If I wasn't so lazy or drowned in schoolwork I probably would have organized a themed party, full with outfits straight out of the 60s and cocktails, well just straight. Instead, I will probably be curled up on my couch with the boyfriend in sweats and attempting to make our 1 bottle of wine last the full 2 hours. Challenge accepted.

Here are a few teaser pics to last you the agonizing 5 hours until the show starts.

Will you be watching tonight? What are your predictions?
Does Don get silly this season?


Thursday, April 4, 2013

Bras & Bargains

The Canadian Forces really take care of their girls. Literally. I work part-time in the Naval Reserves and one of the amazing perks is that female CF members get reimbursed a fixed amount for bras every year. I guess it is because the men are issued those awful green boxers, this is our (better) version. So, every single year I get to treat myself and my girls too some brand new over the shoulder boulder holders. There is not much I love more than shopping, other than shopping and getting my money back, that is.

This morning while checking through my inbox I came across an email from La Senza about them having a 40% off sale only today and tomorrow. That is the moment I knew that today would be the day I started my bra shopping spree of the 2013 fiscal year. Between the 40% deal and the 10% off I get for being a Prestige member, I managed to score 5 brand new bras for 100 bucks (including taxes!) April 5th is the last day of this 40% promotion so if you want to take advantage of it you better get on it!
*Caution: objects in photos are smaller than they appear.

Here are the models I picked up:

The Itec: As far as strapless bras go, this is a personal fave. I bought one many years ago, and sadly it has now stretched out beyond wear (I was also told they used to make them a bit larger, they just recently changed for a tighter fit). This bra is seamless therefore making it the perfect fit for your chiffon and beige blouses. I bought it in beige. Oh! And how can you resist the adorable polk dot print on the inside!
The Beyond Sexy: I went ahead and bought not one, not two, not three, but FOUR of these guys. It fit me like a glove and they had such an awesome assortment of colours! I went for black, hot pink and a blush pink colour, all with lace detail. This is pretty much my new favourite bra. They have just the right amount of pushup (help me not look too flat, but don't make me look like a bimbo), a back closure and don't gap in any awkward spots. I also picked up one of the gel ones with no lace detail over top, in beige, making it the perfect t-shirt bra.
Most of these bras were around 40$ or more each, therefore I am BEYOND pleased with 5 for 100$.

On this same trip I stopped by Envirotrends, a haircare store in the St. Laurent mall that I adore. They have great products at reasonable prices and even offer a rewards program. You get a percentage of what you spend back in store credit! Amazing. I picked up this OPI shatter nail polish for just 1.99$.

Where do you like to shop for bras? Please share your preferred places, I still have more bra money to burn!