Fashion | A Minimalist Approach

It goes without saying that I (like a lot of woman) spend a remarkable amount of time in the morning getting ready for the days excursions. There’s a lot finessing that goes into getting your hair, outfit and makeup perfect all in one go.  I wake up roughly 3 hours before I need to leave the house. This gives me time to do the following in this particular order:

Shower

Drink my coffee

Check Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest

Dry my hair

Curl / Straighten my hair

Start my makeup

Check Facebook again

Clean my apartment

Finish my makeup

Find an outfit.

Switch that outfit

Begin the household hunt for my car keys

Leave for work

In contrast, here is what it takes a man to get ready for work:

Wake up 10 minute prior to leaving the house

Shower

Dress

Done

For the past 9 months I’ve listened to my boyfriend express his opinion on how I take too long to get ready and care too much about what others think of me. As usual, I objected with the average excuses like “I just like taking my time” or “It just takes so long to dry my hair that’s the only reason”. After many of these discussions, I’ve come to a terrible realization - he was right. It should not take me 3 outfit changes before deciding something looks good on me, not when I’ve worn that exact outfit before and thought I looked hotter than Beyonce’s booty. This is why I’ve decided to embark on a new journey in terms of my fashion choices - a minimalist approach.

Simple. Elegant.

Nothing is more simple and elegant than the little black dress, a staple in every girl’s wardrobe. Hell, any dress could be a winner in this category. Save for the bra and panties, there are few things you need to dress yourself and look presentable. Since my job does not require a strict business dress code, I’ve opted for mostly black skinny jeans and a plain coloured v-neck the past couple of weeks as a test run. I bought v-necks in purple, bright coral, mint and navy, which I’ve paired with a black/gold belt and neutral coloured purse.

Now I’m not saying this is going to last. I’m the type that gets bored easily and needs to change things up; this is merely a test pilot. The next few updates I post will hopefully showcase some of my minimalist fashion choices in hopes of inspiring more women to carpe diem and simply be happy with their selves. The only competition you have is improving from who you were yesterday.

DENIM DENIM DENIM...DENIM DENIM DENIM

It’s made a surprisingly quick comeback in the recent months. As much as I love this look when paired with white or black leggings, I find myself reminiscing. Oh, the days when my mother would wear one of these shirts while crafting or painting.  At that age it was never a bright idea to go to school dressed in denim on any part of your body other than your legs. Now – it’s completely acceptable to don an entire Levi’s commercial.

The Fall 2013 collection from Levi’s Vintage Clothing brings us a mix of dark, medium and light washes with a western feel. The Orange Tab - 1960’s Chambray Shirt demonstrates that with two chest pockets and sewn together with just one signature orange thread. The 1970’s Denim Shirt is a great option if you’re looking for something to throw on over a few layers. The slit on the side makes this shirt fit more like a jacket – perfect for the Fall.

Levi’s (being the original and iconic denim company they are known to be) however, are not the only ones to produce such a wide spread pandemic of denim shirts. Banana Republic, Topshop, Forever 21, Primark and Target all retail their own unique take on this classic.

Always a safe bet - match any wash of denim shirt with either black or white skinny leggings. If you're the bold type - try pairing it with a patterned short like Julianne for a fun, casual look with a tinge of flare. 

The denim look can be pulled off in more ways than just a shirt and/or jeans. Accessories hold a large share of the denim market and they’re popping up all over the place. Raw denim known for its crisp, clean look and durability has become a great use for accessories. Camera straps, iPad/iPhone covers, aprons, handbags- you name there is probably a denim version of it.  

My must have look - Jenni Kayne’s denim D’Orsay flat which look immaculate with a pair of leggings or skinny jeans.  Retailing at $425, this might not be in you’re budget for a pair of flats. The patterned denim fabric reminds me a lot of any pair of TOMS, but much more sophisticated. What I love about these little things? The open sides of the flat that expose more of your foot, is a perfect addition to nearly any summer or fall number. An alternative to the price tag is Breckelle's DOLLEY-03 Sideless Pointed Toe Flat available at zooshoee.com for just $22.

Jenni Kayne denim D’Orsay flat

Breckelle's DOLLEY-03 Sideless Pointed Toe Flat

- Lyss

Lush - The Brightside & Comforter

Having set up shop back in 1995 in Poole, England, LUSH has become known as one of the most devoted companies to use organic ingredients with little to no preservatives. They don't believe in packing and are diligent in purchasing their ingredients from suppliers who do not conduct, or commission product testing on animals. To say the least, their marketing campaign is one to be envied by other cosmetic companies. Click Here to learn more about LUSH.

One of my personal favourites from the LUSH product line is The Brightside Bubble Bar. If you have never used a bubble bar before, let me explain. Remember that scene from Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts is in the bath tub in the hotel room? The one that leaves you wondering why you can never get that amount of bubbles in your own bath no matter how hard you try. Any one of the LUSH bubblebars will have you throwing your run-of-the-mill drugstore bubble bath in the trash.

The Brightside was made from Sicilian Mandarin Oil, Tangarine Oil and Bergamot oil. Regrettably, it is no longer available for purchase. However, if you're in the market for one similar, The Comforter is another great choice. Both of these products smell amazing. The Brightside has notes of citrus from the mandarin and tangarine oil and turns the bath a bright orange colour. The Comforter tends to be more sweet smelling but is another one of my personal favourites. If you can think of the scent of swedish berries mixed with cotton candy, that is essentially the aroma the comforter produces in addition to bright pink bath water.

When using a bubble bar, use your own discretion. The LUSH recommendation is to break the bar in half, giving you two baths out of it. I say that half of the bubble bar is far too much and a waste of a great product. The bubble bars retail for about $10.95 CDN which can seem like a lot but if you cut the bar into six pieces, you will get your moneys worth. I personally break off about 1-inch cubes at a time and run it under the faucet, watching it to see if I feel like adding more later on. LUSH store locations are located all across Canada and products can be purchased online from www.lush.ca.

- Lyss

Travel | Hanlan's Point Beach

As a Toronto regular it somewhat surprises me that I've never been to any of the Toronto Islands. This past week I decided to take a trip down to visit a friend and take advantage of the nice weather that Ontario has been having as of late. Since the Ferry's over to the islands are not far from her house we decided to walk - subway - walk - ferry and more walk to Hanlan's Point Beach. As you may or may not be aware, Hanlan's Point Beach is known mostly for its "clothing optional" half (the other half is far more family oriented and clothing mandatory).

My view before heading back from the Island to the city

11:00 AM  -  After two Mimosa's and a considerably longer than anticipated time packing the cooler, we were on our way to the Young and Eglinton TTC stop.

11:20 AM -  The cooler bag seemed to be gaining weight by the minute and the walk to the TTC station was finally over. We took the subway down to Union and proceeded to walk the remainder of the way to the Ferry Docks.

Somewhere between 12:00-1:30 - We managed to purchase our tickets for the Ferry over. What I didn't understand is that you purchase your ticket and then literally two steps later you hand it over to someone who rips it up. That is the entire job description of that second person. There is no ticket required for your return. Why have that second person in the first place? Just rip it up when I give you the money.

The walk from the Ferry docks to the beach was less than pleasant. The cooler bag was killing our shoulders and walking through heaps of blazing hot sand, it felt like like we were in the Warrior Dash. Burnt feet and sore shoulders aside, it ended up being a marvellous day at Hanlan's Point. The beach wasn't packed and the weather was perfect. One suggestion if you decide to check it out for yourself: Bring your own umbrella. You can rent them when you get to the beach, but for an astounding $12. If you forget one though - it's still worth it to get the minimal amount of shade that they provide. Following our trip to the beach we decided to head downtown to King St. to find a place to have drinks. We stumbled upon Hey Lucy Cafe. Sadly, we didn't have the opportunity to try any of the food as it was about 1:30 AM, but we did manage to crush a couple of martinis as seen at left. If you're in the neighbourhood I highly recommend you stop by and try the Chocolate Martini as there really isn't a better combination than vodka and melted chocolate at 1:30 AM. 

- Lyss