What is your shopping style?

Everyone has their own specific shopping style. Myself for example, I rarely go on a full out shopping "spree". Because I rely on the dreaded OC Transpo and all of the major bus stations seem to be also at all of the major malls, I constantly find myself there. I usually pick up a thing or two, here and there, every once and a while (too often). I have always feared the shopping "spree", thinking that it is just too much money at one time to blow, but in all honestly, the amount of "picking up a thing or two" probably amounts to the exact same thing. My goal is to one day STOP the constant picking up of little things, save up and treat myself to an actual "spree"! Maybe it'll be my graduation gift to myself once I finally finish my degree, we shall see!

On that note, here are a few things that I picked up in the last little while. Most necesary & practical, while some not. This story actual starts with Groupon. I receive the Groupon emails that tell you what the deal of the day is, and sometime last week I received one that informed me that there was a deal at Suzy Shier, where you pay 15$ and get 30$ credit at the store. I'm not the hugest Suzy Shier fan, but time to time I can find some good basics and deals there, so I thought "Why the heck not?" That same day, I received a second, even BETTER email from Groupon, stating something along the lines of "Hey customer, we see you haven't bought anything yet so we want to give you 15$ free at Groupon on your first purchase." 15$? Do you remember how much the Suzy Shier deal was? Yup, that is right. 15$. So I hop over to the website, and lo and behold, I got the 15$ Suzy Shier deal (worth 30$) for 0$! Zero! Zip! Nada! Free money? Free SHOPPING money? I will take it!

So, I head over to Suzy to see what I can get for my money and of course, with my luck, I ended up going last week when they had 40% of the entire store event. My Groupon could not be used in conjunction with any other deal. The ENTIRE store was 40% so there was literally nothing I could buy. Unfortunately I had came to this realization at the cash register when the cashier informed me, a.k.a AFTER I had already picked out my goodies. I had fallen in love with a winter coat. I didn't necessarily NEED a new winter coat...(actually I kind of did).  I do own two winter jackets already, but they are both a good few years old. I have a red wool jacket, and then a Roots black, long, down jacket. My grandma had bought the Roots jacket for me a few years back, and she clearly thought I was larger than I am, I have no clue. She had bought me a large, and although I do fluctuate with my weight (usually between 5-15 pounds) I have never really been a size large, especailly at Roots (things fit big)! Anyway, so I have this jacket, its a nice jacket, I wear the jacket, but it is a tad too big. The wind comes up the bottom of it all the time, there is just too much jacket, so yes I could use another one. Another shout out as to why I enjoyed Suzy Shier so much this visit, I had never noticed how big their clothes fit! I am actually an x-small their! I am usually not a large but I'm not an x-small either! (Usually small or medium) Woohoo! For all of you ladies out their who aren't a size 0, you understand the small victories of actually being able to be an x-small!

Anyway, I found this jacket and fell in love. Although I couldn't use my Groupon, it was still a whopping 40% off (regular 69$, came to 40 something). Too good of a deal to pass up. So I got my jacket and still had 30$ at Suzy Shier to waste!

Here is the jacket, these photos are just quick ones from the change room actually and don't really do it justice! Better ones to come! 

Interested in seeing what I actually did get with my Groupon at Suzy Shier? Stay tuned!

What is your shopping style?

Mad Men Modelling

On Saturday morning I had the pleasure and opportunity to help out my friend, and fellow Place d'Orleans Vlogger Search finalist,  Jennifer Baguss with a 60's/ Mad Men themed shoot for Glue Magazine. Here are just a few shots from my iPhone, stay tuned for the actual feature!

The fall leaves and Tabaret Hall at  Ottawa U served as the perfect backdrop for this shoot. For those of you that are actually  Mad Men fans, the other model, Hannah, was a spitting image of Christina Hendricks' character Joan, the resemblance was uncanny! The coat I wore with the plaid on the interior was absolutely to die for. It was from a vintage store here in Ottawa called Young Janes. It was a bit rainy that morning, hence the Hunter boots & umbrella, but nothing intense enough to stop us!

What do you guys think of the fashion in the 60s and in Mad Men? Love it or loathe it?

Baby's first Movember

That time of the year that most women dread, and most hipsters await, is almost upon us my friends.
That is right. It is only days away from what was previously known as the month of Novermber, Movember.

If you haven't yet noticed that the population of moustaches residing on mens' upper lips multiply heavily in November, then I would like to introduce you to Movember. Movember started in Australia and it's goal is to raise awareness and funds for men's health issues, particularly prostrate cancer. The pink ribbon has been around for breast cancer for ages and is widely known across the globe, but there wasn't really anything targeted towards men, and that is where Movember comes in. The deal is, you start November, oops Movember, off clean shaven, and you continually grow and groom a mustache until the end of the month while raising funds and awareness.

Here are the rules!

Alright, now that you are in the know, I have to share with you...my boyfriend is going to be participating in Movember for the first time EVER! That being said, I have to confess, he is not Canadian, he is Mexican. Contrary to popular belief, no not all mexicans have moustaches. At least they don't if they are under 45 years old. Movember isn't yet all that popular in Mexico. As a matter of fact, I don't think they have really even heard about it. My boyfriend hadn't until I had brought it up.

This means that he is VERY brave to be participating. In Canada it has become the norm to see our men walking around like 80's rock starts for the month of November. It is to be expected and accepted. In Mexico, not so much. I think what he is doing is very noble and he is going to be able to create a huge amount of awareness because I have no doubt at all that EVERYONE will be asking him "Why on EARTH do you have a moustache?" If they didn't know about Movember before, they will now!

Maybe I am being a gushy girlfriend but I really am so proud of him. It's easy (well, easier) to grow a moustache or do something abnormal in a society that has come to accept it, but he will be doing it somewhere that has no knowledge of this cause and I am so proud of the awareness he is going to be able to raise. Maybe next year he will be able to come up with a whole team!

I will be posting the progress of his moustache (it should come in pretty quickly, he is mexican after all) and if you would be so kind as to donate you can do so on his MoBro page here (Roberto's MoBro page).

What about you guys? Are you participating in Movember? Any Mo Sistas out there? Let me know your thoughts!

St. Laurent Centre wants to see YOUR #OTTstyle!

Ladies (and gents?),

I have to say that I am extremely impressed with how local national capital region malls are stepping up their fashionable games and putting their best (and most stylish) foot forward.  As you may already know, earlier this fall I participated in the Place d'Orleans Vlogger Search, and now I have another fabulous contest  from St. Laurent Centre to bring to you!

Now, THIS contest doesn't require any embarrassing videos or the such. All you need to do is submit your most stylish photo that best represents your very own personal style to any of the usual culprits of social media (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) and you could win a brand spanking new iPhone5! The link for the app is here.

Don't forget to use the hashtag #OTTstyle and you have until the 26th of October to enter. After that, the voting shall commence!

Luckily for all of you fashionistas I already have my very own iPhone5, so I felt generous enough to share this contest with you!

Good luck to you all! I can't wait to see your personal style, and maybe will even feature some of my favourites here on The Eternal Optimist!

Breaking out of your comfort zone, slowly but surely

As devoted as I am to fashion, and as appreciative as I am to street styles on other people, I tend to find myself in a rut. A fashionable rut, but a rut nonetheless. My problem isn't that I don't buy new things (I do a lot of that), my problem is my colour palette. I tend to stick to the same tried and true colours. When I like a colour, I will quite literally wear it out. I like pinks, beiges, whites and the like, but I need to open up my mind (and closet) and realize that there ARE other colours out there as well.

I took a step in the right direction yesterday when I stopped by the local Dynamite at Place d'Orleans and bought a ridiculously well priced electric blue dress. I believe the key to testing out new colours, or pushing your boundaries in any way, lies in doing it gradually. If you have the same problem that I have, I would not recommend buying a highlighter yellow dress in a new trendy style that you have never worn before. Just dip your feet in the water, don't drown just! Try a new colour in a classic shape, so its not so overwhelming and you can gradually start incorporating new colours into your wardrobe.  Get used to the idea of colour in shapes that you know work for your body, and then you can move up to more edgy things.

This dress is a classic sheath shape, but modernized with cut out details at the waist and of course, the colour. It was a steal at only 25$ and the perfect choice for the Shopify party last night.

The necklace is also from Dynamite and new earrings from Aldo. 

With fellow fashion blogger  Kate Forrest

Also in the spirit of embracing new ideas, I tried out this hair bow that I had seen on my addiction, Pinterest. Didn't quite turn out like the picture on Pinterest, but hey I tried and that's the most important part!

I encourage you all to take a small step forward and embrace a new colour, pattern, texture or style that you haven't yet dared to wear. I know if I can do it, you can too!

What are your thoughts? What have you been too scared to try?

Thankful for deals - some Thanksgiving shopping

Well, it is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. I am so incredibly thankful for the BREAK and the 3 day long weekend. Sleeping in for 3 days straight sounds like heaven...even though today I woke up at 6 out habit..but nonetheless having the option is liberating! Unfortunately I have been abandoned for this usually family based holiday. No turkey for this gal, just a load o' homework and laundry. The whole fam jam are in different places and due to circumstances I find myself here in Ottawa alone. So, whats a girl to do? Well..shop! Duh.

I didn't mean to do any shopping this weekend...it just kind of..happened. I got let off work at 1 on Friday afternoon but didn't have class until 4pm. How on earth was I going to fill those 3 long hours until my class? Perhaps at the Rideau Centre, which conviniently enough is right beside my school? Just for a minute or two...

First stop, Urban Behaviour. There I found a peplum shirt similar to the one I had gotten at the Vlogger search shop off. After buying that one I realized it was a tank and probably not the most practical thing for the upcoming chilly weather, so I bought a t-shirt version in baby blue for only 12 dollars. If you read my blog at all then you already know I'm a huge advocate for the SPC (Student Price Card) which gets you an extra 10-15% off most stores and luckily they accepted it at Urban Behaviour!

Next, I went to Forever 21 and thank goodness I did. There was a sale. Now, when Forever 21 has a sale, YOU GO! Everything that was already on sale was an ADDITIONAL 50% off. Additional off anything is good, and its amazing when its 50%. So, I managed to get a sweater, 2 skirts and a pair of sunglasses for $14 dollars.  WHAT A STEAL!

Sweater for $5.99

These skirts came to $2.50 EACH! So I clearly had to get one in each colour!

These pink sunnies came to $1.99.

Grand total for 4 items: $14.08!

So this was all Friday before class. A successful surprise shopping trip if i do say so myself. Now Saturday, I had committed to shoe shopping with a friend of mine (I should specify that this was shoe shopping for HER). I promised myself and my boyfriend that I would not buy anything and would focus solely on finding shoes for her and that is IT. If you assumed that I caved and broke this promise then you my friend, are correct.

After finding some kick ass boots for my friend Jennica, we found ourselves at the 50% off rack in Suzy Shier where I got this shirt for $14 instead of $28. During the Place D'orleans Vlogger Search I was actually going to buy a shirt almost exactly like this at Dynamite, but ran out of time and money. Thank goodness I didn't, this Suzy Shier version was less than half the price, and well, it came in pink!

At Aldo I found these adorable heart earrings that were also 2 for 1, so I bought these and this bow bracelet for a grand total of $9.98.

We managed to make a little time to goof off with the wigs at Aldo and snap a quick pic before the saleslady snipped at us that we weren't allowed. Oops!

Happy Thanksgiving all! Yes I am very thankful for all these wonderful deals I just found, but more importantly I am thankful for my family, friends and loved ones in my life. It breaks my heart that I can't spend this holiday with them (hence the retail therapy). Life is short, be thankful for what you do have in your life, appreciate the people who love you and tell them how thankful you are for them. Every day. You will never regret speaking the truth about how you feel, and I am extremely thankful to be living a life of little regret! 

Talking Fashion PR with Young PR Pros

Earlier this month I had the privilege and opportunity to collaborate with Kristine Simpson and Julia Kent of Young PR Pros Podcasts. These two lovely ladies have created a series of PR related podcasts that is appropriately targeted towards young PR pros (or the young at heart) and offer a variety of tips, advice and information for current, past and future PR professionals.  Now, that being said, I am not quite yet a PR professional (I'm in my last year of university at the University of Ottawa), so I was extremely honoured (and nervous) to be doing a podcast myself. Me!? Who the heck would be interested in what I have to say? (Apparently all you readers are so THANK YOU)

When Kristine asked me what topic I had in mind, I wasn't sure what to respond. Being merely a student I don't really consider myself an "expert" or "professional" in any field or topic just yet. I mean my full time job is to learn! So, I cautiously through out "fashion PR" expecting to maybe get a "well that isn't overly practical" or "did you have any other ideas?" At least it was a topic I was passionate about. Surprisingly, Kristine liked the idea so I ran with that.

Check out my attempt here: Young PR Pros: Episode #24 – behind the scenes of fashion PR

Also, check out the fashion PR blog I talk about, PR Couture, for great info about the fashion PR industry, as well as internship opportunities.