Summer Lace

This lace sleeved top is very easily one of my most favoured clothing items. You know I love me a good black piece, and the lace just adds such a nice bit of visual interest. I also love how comfy and surprisingly breathable the fabric is; it's really an all black piece that works great for the summer heat.

top: Simons / pants: Zara / boots: Steve Madden

All the Frills: Eleanor's First Birthday Party

Here are the promised photos of the little birthday party we threw Eleanor. It was a small gathering; we just invited a few immediate family members, I spent a bit of money buying some decorations that we can reuse for future parties (the theme of which actually wound up perfectly matching her party dress, so bonus!), and got some cupcakes and potato chips. From start to finish it was about a 1.5 hour party. But she had a great time opening her gifts, seeing her first sparkler, and generally just being the centre of attention.

Weekend Reading:

• Wow, this movie sounds hideous.
  
• This is a really messed up family and crime.
  
• Well, this swan is appropriately named.
  
• This just makes me want to weep.
  
• Sharks don’t care about your Instagram posts.

It's a Keeper

I tossed this outfit together pretty quickly for an afternoon of running errands but I was really pleased with how it looked so decided to grab a few photos (I appreciate that one of the benefits of blogging is that I can have something of a clothing archive in terms of things that worked, didn’t work, etc for me). I think I’ll be resurrecting this outfit again – maybe for work or an after work social activity.

top: French Connection / shoes: Aldo / jacket: Simons / pants: RW & Co

Jacket and Heels

My favourite new jacket is back – I even felt coordinated enough to pair it with heels, which I rarely do because I just find heels too uncomfortable to wear for more than a few hours at a stretch (and they are also definitely not conducive to running around after Eleanor).

jacket: Simons / shirt: Simons / heels: ModCloth / pants: H&M

About as Summery as I Get

There are some days when it’s still pretty chilly here in the mornings when I set out for work. And my office is always chilly, so pairing this pleated skirt with a cozy sweatshirt worked out really well for me. And I even let a little summer into my life with my trusty red sandals.

skirt: Simons / sweatshirt: Contemporaine / sandals: ModCloth

Return of the Summertime Goth

Well, it’s the summer. So that means it’s the return of my summertime goth wardrobe! Get excited…

dress: Simons / jacket: Wilfred / shoes: Spring / necklace: Stella and Dot

All the Frills: We Made It To One Year!

I can’t believe it but Eleanor turned one in June! We threw her an adorable little party with family (I’ll post photos of that soon) but we also did our standard monthly photo shoot. And, no, I am not an Oilers fan (I’m not a hockey fan at all) but my helpmeet is and he got to dress her for this one.

At one year she still only has two teeth, baby talks incessantly, is obsessed with grabbing my glasses, loves clapping, and is almost walking. I can’t wait to see how much she grows and changes over the next few months.

Weekend Reading:

• No wonder this woman quit pageants.
  
• This is a great read on the “no makeup/natural” look.
  
• Maybe Google your proposed name selection before setting up the website and ordering brochures?
  
• This person and what he has subjected children to is beyond sickening.
  
• Again, it’s nice to see that there’s some small measure of cosmic justice in the world.

Apparently Lace Inspires Rage In Me

I absolutely love how fundamentally pissed off I look in the first of these photos. Maybe this lace blazer makes me deeply angry (it doesn’t though, I actually love it)? One of these I'll have to figure out what to do with my face in photos - but today is not that day.

blazer: Zara / necklace: Stella and Dot / leggings: ASOS / tank top: Target

All the Frills: Summer Getaway

Well, I finally made it camping. Usually we go out at least once or twice each summer with a group of friends but we haven’t had the chance to head to the woods in the past two years. Needless to say I was very, very excited about this trip and even though I desperately missed Eleanor (she had a sleep over with my parents for two nights), it was really wonderful to disconnect from everything and just hang out with friends was absolutely amazing.

Weekend Reading:

• This was an amazing read about a cult and bedazzled denim jackets.
  
• I will admit that I’m sort of looking forward to the new Purge movie.
  
• This made me chuckle.
  
• It has definitely been a summer of rage for me.
  
• Well, at least there’s some small measure of justice in the world.

All In For Velvet

I am also on somewhat of a velvet kick lately (one of my favourite trends from the 90s) and was glad for a bit of a cooler day weather-wise so I could wear this black velvet dress. Then, a day or two later, it was my red velvet blazer’s turn to be taken out for a spin. It’s pretty much officially now too warm here to wear these again for a while but I was really happy I snuck them both in.

dress: Simons / necklace: Jenners

pants: The Bay / shirt: Dynamite / necklace: V&A Museum / blazer: Simons

My Burgeoning Statement Sleeve Addiction

I’m taking my love of a solid statement sleeve (it’s a thing) to a whole new level with this jacket. As I add all these statement sleeves to my closet, I most definitely live in fear of the day that I get them all covered in food or something…but, thankfully, it hasn’t happened yet.

pants: ASOS / jacket: Simons / cuff: gift from my mother / ring: Stella and Dot