Place d'Orleans grants every girl's wish...a SHOP OFF!

As many of you already know, I was participating in the Place d'Orleans Vlogger search and thanks to all of your votes I made it as a top 10 finalist! Thank you to everyone who voted and my apologies to everyone that I relentlessly harassed. So, I was a finalist, now what? Well, today, September 16th 2012, all of us finalists were summoned to Place d'Orleans for a final shop off which would determine the winner. Each of us was given $200 dollars in gift cards and an hour and half to spend it! Think it sounds easy? Not so much! We were given a criteria of finding four major categories. We had to find the "it" item for fall for colour, pattern, texture and shape.

Although I did not win, I had a fabulous time spending the money on fall fashions and meeting bubbling bloggers alike. It was beyond lovely to finally meet fierce Marcia of Marcia B Creative, sweet Emily of Tin Foil Tiaras and elegant Nini of The Fine Balance in person. If you have read my blog before you have surely heard me rave about meeting Twitter friends in real life at various other Ottawa events, and well this one was no exception! These ladies were every bit as fabulous as I expected them to be. Social media is great and all, but I'm an old fashioned gal and nothing beats that face to face connection that we so often disregard in today's technological age.

So, enough of my blah blah, here are the goods!

First stop: Dynamite

This black wax pants are the perfect staple for fall and a great starter piece for any outfit. They will literally go with everything and rough it up a little. They were $44.90

I LOVE bows. I am a self proclaimed girly girl and bows are a constant source of weakness for me, so I just couldn't say no to these darling delights from Dynamite. They came in a pack of 2, 1 burgundy and one black for $16.90  During the presentation of my goodies the burgundy bow actually flew across the stage! Dynamite was a good sport and quickly exchanged it for a brand spanking new one!

Next stop, Urban Planet

I got both of these blouses for 12 dollars EACH! Craziness. I have been looking for a peplum shirt for forever, and this ruby red one fits the bill perfectly. Leopard print is everywhere this fall. This sheer blouse combines the trendy leopard with a tie front and sheer chiffon material. 

Up next, the great Canadian Jacob

Polka dots are another huge trend this fall and I picked up this cute high necked blouse for $49.00.

Bows, again! I told you how much I loved bows and I was not kidding. This necklace was just $19.90. 

Finally, I hit up American Eagle Outfitters

I had actually been eyeing this lace, peter pan collar shirt for quite some time now, so I was overjoyed to actually be able to get it! Granny chic is back in style and the lace and wider neck allow this blouse to be more chic than granny!

Overall, I had a wonderful time. Place d'Orleans really knows how to show a gal a good time! It was a great opportunity to not only meet fellow fashionista bloggers and vloggers, but to shop locally which I think is extremely important. Place d'Orleans has a lot more to offer than one might think and I think its fantastic to have events like this in our backyard! 

I would also like to congratulate the winner, Amanda! Be sure to check out her vlogs for Place d'Orleans this autumn. 

A huge thank you to Place d'Orleans for hosting this event! I've got a brand new back to school wardrobe and can proudly say I didn't spend a cent! This blog is supposed to be about affordable fashion ideas, how much more affordable can you get than that?