Tuesday, January 31, 2012

tiaraiconcrop top

Blouse- Zara; Skirt- Thrifted; Tights & Mittens- Aldo; Heels- Charlotte Russe; Hat- Alfred Sung for Zellers; Winter Jacket- Old Navy; Necklace & Bracelet- Joe Fresh; Nail Polish- Posh by Revlon

The adult version of a crop top is either worn with a longer shirt underneath (as seen above) or with a sassy strip of stomach peeking out (unlike the kind one used to wear in Junior High flaunting your adolescent stomach with no shame- refer to last photo of this post).  I'm all about flaunting what you've got but in moderation.  If I wear a mini skirt, I'll ensure my top has a high neck and if my shirt is low-cut than I willl wear a pair of pants or a longer skirt. It's too cold to wear any revealing outfits in the snowy Canadian wilderness so I knotted my favourite leopard print blouse and paired it with winter whites, bright tights, a fun hat and simple jewellery for a winterized crop top ensemble.



{Wondering what's with the shoes? I took these photos for a contest I entered that I will tell you about if-fingers crossed-I win!}
 

Here's photographic evidence of my 15 year old self in all my crop top, soccer stomach glory (note- both of these photos were taken at school- I was always trying to bend the clothing rules- good thing I didn't attend private school!)
{1st pic: I'm in the middle showing off my newly pierced belly button & 2nd pic: I'm on the far left with my favourite shirt from Sirens which read 'Athletic 76'- classy!}
Do you like cropped tops? If so, how do you  rock your crop top?

Monday, January 30, 2012

tiaraiconmondays are my new sundays

T-shirt- Anthropologie; Turtleneck- Club Monaco (Swapped); Trousers- Gap (Thrifted); Heels- Thrifted; Hat & Ring- H&M; Nail Polish- Posh by Revlon

 Now that I no longer work a Mon-Fri 9-5 job I've found myself indulging on my time off.  For instances, I now work Saturdays so Sundays are now my Saturdays and Mondays are now my Sundays  (if you were able to follow that train of thought than I'm impressed!)Yesterday I enjoyed a lovely brunch and clothing swap (I got some great goodies!) hosted by the beautiful Kat, followed by a fabulous deep tissue massage at Soma

As much as I love massages (the masseuse said my back was as knotted as a washboard), am I the only one who finds them slightly awkward? You're there to relax so you don't want to be all Chatty Cathy but the silence can be deafening! Plus when they're working out those tense parts of your back, do you let out the oooohs and aaahhhs or not? (Hmm guess I should have brushed up on my massage etiquette beforehands such as 'don't be embarassed if you've forgotten to shave your legs'- phew!)

Today, on my 'Monday is the new Sunday' I plan on leisurely reading, organizing my closet and working out any remaining tension at the gym. I hope you're all having a great Monday so far and if you're working the 9-5, be sure you take some time to indulge in the simple pleasures of life!

 (I thought I'd have to miss out on this week's Inspiration Monday but after looking closely at Taylor Swift's outfit I realized I'm already wearing a similar slouchy hat and skinny pants!)
 

Below is another way I've worn a t-shirt over a long sleeved top (back in my platinum blonde Barbie wannabe stage) Craving more inspiration? Check out how all the other gals styled the short sleeve over long sleeve fashion challenge over at Megan and Keely's!

T-shirt, Pants, Scarf & Purse- Thrifted; Heels- Priceless Shoes UK

Friday, January 27, 2012

tiaraiconlacy

Top & Pants- Thrifted; Flats- DIY; Bracelets & Earrings- Joe Fresh
In my new job I'm working with clients 4/5 days so my attire must reflect that of a business environment.  I work from home on Fridays and because I'm not with clients or volunteers, I assume a more casual approach.  Today I decided to wear my thrifted bow top, which I bought over the holidays for only $2.99.  The top is a pale pink cotton with a denim like fabric on the bow and sleeves and the bow is outlined with a zipper track.  I kept the rest of the look simple with light brown trousers and my DIY sparkly flats and piled on Joe Fresh bracelets I bought at the grocery store last night while buying canned pumpkins for my cats (they're on a very expensive diet and the pumpkin is used as a filler...let's just say they hate it. On the plus side because they hate it, they're barely eating, which means they're bound to lose weight- right?)


{For those of you who were wondering if I was cold in my Heidi outfit, taking outfit pics was the only time I stepped outside all day- I'm what you call a winter hibernater.  I'm not outside for longer than 15 minutes during the months of December- March- I'm definitely not an outdoorsy type!}


I finally jumped on the nail polish strip bandwagon and tried out Sally Hansen's 'Laced Up' strips. Maybe it's just me and my impatience but they are not as simple as they promise to be.  They took 25 minutes to apply, they didn't properly fit my nails and the filing was proving useless so I ended up snipping the excess off with scissors.  I'm pretty low maintenance when it comes to my nails, if it takes longer than 10 minutes for an at-home mani than I've lost interest.  I do love the end result (even though cat hair has started to stick to the strips' edges!) but this is one nail polish trend I give a pass!



Now off to eat a waffle and then get my work day started!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

tiaraiconfräulein

Dress, Pantyhose & Knee Highs- Forever 21; Jacket, Purse, Earrings & Belt- Thrifted; Mittens- Aldo; Earmuffs- Gap; Boots- Spring; Ring- Vintage; Nail polish- Cabernet by Gap
In this outfit I feel like I stepped straight out of the cast of The Sound of Music where I was yodelling on top of a mountain. I think it's the innocence of the braided pigtails, the flouncy dress and the faux fur that has me feeling like Heidi, girl of the Alps. I promised you outdoor photos with my new camera and so this weekend I delivered.  I love how the photos turned out, especially the close-ups with the faded background.  I'm hoping to take a beginner's course to photography so I can use my Canon Rebel to its full potential! I wore this outfit on Sunday for an afternoon of book store browsing (I decided on Rules of Civility from Oprah's book club which is phenomenal thus far), followed by cheese and cocktails with a friend at a new restaurant in my area which has quickly become one of my favourites. 



{Remember my poodle sweater which was buy one get one from Forever 21? This dress was the 'get one' item-don't you just love free clothing?!}
{I thrifted this jacket for $4.99 and didn't realize until I was taking these photos that it's actually reversible! In the first picture I'm wearing it inside out with a fabric body and fur collar!}




Wherever you live, I hope that you're staying warm and cosy!

Monday, January 23, 2012

tiaraiconsometimes less is more

Blazer- BCBG (Thrifted); Top, Pants & Ring- Thrifted; Knee-Highs- Roots; Booties- Charlotte Russe

I'm a colour, jewellery & hat gal but sometimes even I support the notion that less is more.  This week's Inspiration Monday challenge provided me with the perfect opportunity to exercise my accessorizing restraint.  It was hard for me not to pile on the jewels or add a splash of brights but I like how it turned out.  I wore this outfit on Saturday night for sushi and comedy with a close friend. One of the (senior, overwight and sweaty) comedians decided to strip down to his underwear and then treat horrify the audience with bizarre magic tricks including a vacuum and fabric.  He then proceeded to call an unsuspecting lady on stage to feed him a banana.  He must have been high on something, that's the only explanation...

 

{Let's just focus on the cute striped socks and not my lack of floor/wall cleaning....now that I think of it I don't think I've ever washed the walls!}


P.S. Happy Chinese New Year! Want to know which colour is thought to scare away evil spirits? Check out my blog post for Lilac Lingerie here.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

tiaraiconthe whites of winter

Skirt & Boots- Thrifted; Top & Cardigan- Swapped; Ring- Zellers; Necklace- Gifted
Forget army colours, the true Canadian winter camouflage is white.  There is so much snow on the ground that if you wear white you are sure to blend into your surroundings, no matter what frenemy comes your way (and let's be honest gals we all have at least one frenemy!) This week I wore two outfits which broke the no white after labour day rule which I blogged about in one of my first posts


I do try to follow some basic rules when wearing white in the colder months:
 *DO wear thick fabrics and knits (like my thrifted skirt which is too warm to wear in the summer)
*DO wear cream colours or off-whites which are the winter version of bright whites
*DO wear white sweaters or blazers with a winter ensemble to liven the look
*DON'T wear white shoes, instead opt for a beige or tan colour
*DON'T wear white pants, tights or leggings (although in my personal opinion, unless they're linen, avoid white pants altogether!)
Shorts- Club Monaco (Thrifted); Sweater- Zara; Hat- Vintage; Ring- Thrifted; Boots- Aldo; Belt- Forever 21; Nail Polish- Cabernet by Gap


{Warm sweater and sequined hat- I'm staying cosy and linking up to The Winter Warm-up Linky Party!}
{No bright colours in this enemble, I'm staying neutral in order to link up to Tammy's Trending through the Decades: Neutral edition}


Do you follow the no-white after labour day rule?

Friday, January 20, 2012

tiaraiconcamera, clumsy & collect

Skirt- Gap; Blazer, Blouse, Ring & Boots- Thrifted; Cat- Mr. Marley :)
Have I mentioned before my fondness for making lists? It's just part of the type A personality package! This blog post is brought to you by the letter 'c' because if you don't know by now I have a fondness for alliterations (hence Tinfoil Tiaras and Elegance of Emily).  

  1.) Camera.  Have you noticed that my blog photos are of higher quality than usual (no? well you will soon!) My Christmas gift from my man finally arrived- the Canon Rebel t21 and it is glorious! I know nothing about cameras but even just to shoot and click takes a decent photo (check out the unintentional but desired background blur effect in the nail polish photo below- magical!) I am planning on spending some time this weekend getting to know my camera and hopefully take some outdoor photos so you can really see what the camera is capable of!
{Nail polish=Cabernet by Gap- who knew Gap made nail polish?!}




2.) Clumsy.  Last night when I was lovingly painting my nails (in order to link up the Nail Files) I spilled the plum colour all over my man's white, $3000 couch! When I've made a mistake I tend to get defensive so my response was "who spends $3000 on a couch?" "so much for stain resistant!" "who buys a white couch anyways?" and "well I never liked this couch to begin with!" Now I understand why my Mum thanks my man for being so patient with me...I can be a lot to handle sometimes! You would think I would have learned my lesson after spilling a bottle of bright pink nail polish last week all over my desk chair and favourite (not to mention most expensive) LBD! From now on I vow to only paint my nails in the bathroom (and maybe the bed, no promises!)


3.) Collect.  Speaking of nail polish- it's still my favourite thing to collect even after all the spillage.  I currently own 105 bottles which are proudly displayed by colour on these plastic racks that my lovely friend drove up from New Jersey.  You will never catch me without my finger nails and toe nails painted- to me that is the equivalent of forgetting to wear pants (you know who you are tights as pants ladies- oh wait I've been that girl -tsk tsk!)

Thursday, January 19, 2012

tiaraiconAnjolee Jewellery Review

Ring- c/o Anjolee; Skirt (worn like this) Vintage; Blouse & Necklace- Thrifted; Heels- Priceless Shoes UK; Nail Polish- Stiletto Red by Rimmel
Here comes the bride...well not quite yet but I recently got the opportunity to review a gemstone and cubic zirconia ring for Anjolee so I briefly felt like a blushing bride (minus the white dress and wedding jitters). I tend to gravitate towards bigger is better jewellery pieces so it was a nice change to wear something so delicate and elegant. I chose the citrine stone because I think the colour is unique, yet could easily be incorporated into your wardrobe.  

Be sure to check out Anjolee for diamond wedding ring, anniversary ring and bridal sets while visions of prancing down the aisle dance in your head! (cheesy I know but lately I've been thinking of nothing but proposal, wedding, honeymoon, baby!)
{Full Disclosure: Anjolee provided me with this gemstone and cz ring for review however all content and opinions expressed are mine. I have not been financially compensated by Anjolee for this product review.}

{Pssst wonder why these photos looks so much better than my regular indoor shots? That's because I finally got my new camera- but more on that tomorrow!}

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

tiaraiconwhen in rome

Skirt- Boutique in Rome; Vest & Scarf- Thrifted; Blouse- Smart Set (Swapped); Boots- Sirens; Tights- Lilac Lingerie; Ring- H&M; Belt- Forever 21

 

We all hold on to at least one piece of clothing that tells a story.  As I was cleaning out my closet the other day, I stumbled upon this black embroidered skirt which I'd completely forgotten about.  I bought this skirt in February 2007 (almost 5 years ago- how time flies!) during my university reading week trip to Rome with my Mum.  It was an unforgettable vacation- we shopped, ate pasta, took in the culture, got lost in the suburbs and were mistaken for sisters by the charming Italian men! I can honestly say that Italy is my favourite country to visit (having explored Florence, Venice, Pisa, Verona and Rome). There's just something about the history, fashion & lifestyle (not to mention the impeccably dressed men!) that suits me just perfectly.  
(Let's just say that Elizabeth Gilbert wasn't exaggerating when she wrote Eat, Pray, Love!)

 

{You can't visit Italy without doing a bit of shopping- even if you can't afford to get past the windows- or in this case giant purse!}
{The Spanish Steps were crawling with tourists...}
{...but we managed to squeeze our way up for a photo op and a bit of exercise to work off all the Italian pasta we'd been devouring!}
{I dragged my Mum to see the Colliseum- rain wasn't dampening my adventurous spirit!}
{In San Pietro square with Prada bag-street version.  Hmm now where did that bag go to?}
{My love of cats isn't confined to Canada, I'm an international crazy cat lady!}

Ciao bella!