A Royal Visit

Today the moment I have been looking forward to for ages finally happened! This morning I got up and got ready to walk over to Rideau Hall (although I probably should've bussed, it was SUCH a long walk!) and waited in line in order to enter the grounds of Rideau Hall at one o'clock with, at that time, about 150 or so fellow Royal watchers hoping to see TRH William and Catherine on the first day of their visit to Canada. I struggled to find a good spot to watch the action, but finally ended up along the safety barrier tucked between a few other girls who kindly let me squeeze in. Thank goodness, because I had been looking forward to snapping some photos and seeing these two for weeks.

(My own photo!)

We waited along with constantly growing crowds for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to arrive. People just kept on coming - and apparently there were actually thousands of people waiting to see the Royal couple  as they arrived.  It turned out that I was at the very spot where they got out of their vehicle and greeted the Governor General and his wife (the couple in the first & second photo for those of you who don't recognize them) as well as our Prime Minister and his wife.  Kate stopped to say hello to the crowd literally right across from me, I was bemoaning the fact that I hadn't chosen to stand on that side, since I might've actually gotten to meet her!

 I have to say, it was an absolute thrill for me to get to see them, since many others didn't have as close a look as I did. There were rows and rows of people behind me, who probably didn't get to see much of anything let alone snap pictures. Prince William was much taller than I had expected, and Kate is (not surprisingly) absolutely stunning in person. Obviously she is really photogenic, but she is just perfectly lovely in person, especially in her beautiful Erdem dress (I predicted an Erdem look = win). She is absolutely flawless, and totally chic.

Photo by Arne Berg.

A fellow Ottawa resident and photographer extraordinaire, Arne Berg (or OttawaArne as he is known on twitter), arrived seriously early this morning in order to get the best chance at a prime spot by the stage, and as such, he was able to get some seriously fantastic photos. Luckily for me, he was kind enough to share the above photo that he snapped of HRH Catherine waving to onlookers.

Something that I thought was really nice about the visit so far, having heard reports from their visit to Ottawa's War Memorial, as well as witnessing them first hand at Rideau Hall, was their enthusiasm and willingness to interact with the public. Pretty impressive for a probably extremely jet-lagged pair. I am hoping to catch them again tomorrow as they celebrate Canada Day here in the Nation's Capital!

I am looking forward to seeing the rest of Kate's wardrobe choices during the rest of this trip, and will likely do a roundup at some point featuring my favourites. So far she is 2 for 2, having sported two Canadian labels so far, and this Erdem from Resort 2012 (that I actually posted here) is just gorgeous. Fashion icon in the making, for sure.

What are your thoughts on the Royal Visit so far? Let me know!

The Elusive Dress

This Joe Fresh dress has been on my mind since I saw it strut down the Spring 2011 runway. I have been absolutely, utterly, dying to have it, and the closest location that (hopefully) is supposed to carry it is in Montreal. A relatively short and inexpensive train trip away, perhaps, but not exactly one of my regular stops. 

 It might just have to become one though, especially since I just got the above Tory Burch wedges via Net-a-Porter during their amazing sale - I got just shy of $100 off the original price - score! Less expensive than a pair from Aldo, they are now mine.  And would they not look perfect with that white dress of awesomeness? The tote and accessories would essentially make this ensemble my summer uniform, were I to have all of them (alas, Kate Spade and Prada are currently out of my price range). I am hoping to make at least part of it happen, and share it with all of you in an outfit post. 

By the way - the winner of my Ruche $25 giveaway is Virginia!  As for those of you who haven't perhaps won in a while (or at all yet!) please do keep an eye out. I have big plans for this summer, and giveaways play a large roll in them. You will have your chance, I promise!

Keeping Time

I stumbled onto the blog of Swedish photographer Hilda Grahnat yesterday while browsing some of my usual blog favourites. In addition to her lovely photography, Hilda also had a button to a small blog-shop where she sells homemade book-clocks out of previously loved vintage books.

Being the somewhat dorky librarian that I am, I was immediately intrigued by and enamoured with this idea, especially since the books she chose have such interesting and artistic covers. I love books in general (obviously!) and also have a near-obsessive affinity for other objects masquerading as books (i.e. clutches or totes), so naturally I was drawn to these fabulous little clocks.

The likelihood that I will be purchasing one, however, slightly slimmer. Why order something from Europe when I could potentially make it myself? With the plethora of homemade clocks on Etsy, it can't be that difficult? Or at least I hope not. In any case, I will be prowling the shelves of used bookstores around Ottawa to find a worthy candidate for my DIY version.

Pinned

One of my latest online obsessions is Pinterest, a site where you can take your inspiration and moodboards online and curate collections of pretty things, colour stories, style inspiration, DIY ideas and so much more.

The above two images are examples of a couple of the boards I am "pinning" my latest inspiring finds to (Entitled "Sweet & Pretty" and "Feeling Blue" respectively).

You can check out some of my curated boards (as well as follow along!) here. Happy Pinning!

Forever Friends

An accessory trend that has been cropping up all over the place lately from street-style spottings to offerings from high-end designers (Proenza Schouler and Marni, for example) are some seriously DIY-able accessories - friendship bracelets.

Be they the traditional knotted embroidery floss (below) variety you might recall from your days as either a summer camp counsellor or camper (I know I made and traded my fair share in my day, seed-bead bracelets (above), or the less traditional Proenza-esque cords, these are certainly something you could make yourself (see Andy's sweet DIY idea here).

If you want your own arm party full of trendy bracelets, you certainly don't need to shell out 100-200 dollars for a designer version. This is one knock-off that is well worth trying on your own. Cord, beads, embroidery floss and any other supplies you might need will only run you a few bucks at your local craft supply store, and the results look exactly the same as the (ridiculously) high-priced designer versions.

Between you and me? If you don't already have the steps to making these bracelets engraved in your memory from childhood summer days, pick up one of any books (like the one above), check out some youtube tutorials or any number of instructional websites. If you do, you'll be making some seriously sweet arm candy for yourself (without dropping too many dollars) in no time.

Top Three photos by Tommy Ton via Jak&Jil
Bottom photo via Honestly...WTF

Music Monday: Brooke Fraser

For Christmas my lovely sister Rose got me "Flags" the latest album from New Zealand songstress Brooke Fraser I hadn't previously heard of her or her music, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed her songs, and folky lyrical style. I guess that goes to show that my sis has a pretty good idea of the music I like!




I have been listening to these two tunes, pretty much on repeat lately, and dancing and singing around my apartment, so I thought I would share them with you all for this instalment of Music Monday. Her videos are very whimsical and playful, in addition to featuring some seriously good tunes. Hope you enjoy!

Oh Dear Megan

If you know me at all, you know that sustainable, re-used, recycled items that are turned into something beautiful are always high on my list. I also love simple accessories lately, and these necklaces from Oh Dear Megan fit the bill on all counts.

Made from recycled coins, each of her pretty baubles is handmade and unique in its own right.  I also love that these baubles are strung so simply on delicate gold chains. There is just something so lovely about that, in my humble opinion.

Photos via Oh Dear Megan

Timeless Beauty

The latest Resort collections for 2012 are out and one of my very favourites (as he almost always is in any season) was the presentation from Erdem. It was full of classic, beautiful pieces that would be at home in any woman's closet, old or young. There is consistently a timeless quality to the work of Mr. Moralioglu, in addition to his beautiful prints that I always love.

I also loved how the lookbook itself told a story, or at least hinted at one. I found myself wondering what  model Guinevere Van Seenus was thinking as she looked over her shoulder.

According to the lucky folks at Style.com who got to see the mood board that served as inspiration for this collection (to be a fly on that wall!), a few classic silver-screen sirens were Moralioglu's muses for his Resort presentation - Tippi Hedron, Eva Marie Saint and Romy Schneider, most notably. As I looked through photos of these three ladies, I could certainly see the appeal - each has such classic beauty and fantastically inspiring style.

Erdem was going for "eerily composed" in these looks - and there certainly a feeling of mystery and allure in the garments themselves as well as the impeccably shot lookbook, and it's the kind of feeling that any woman, old or young, could definitely appreciate.  This is definitely one of my frontrunners for favourites in the Resort collections so far, second only perhaps to Oscar with his paper hats.

Photos via Style.com, collages by me

It's All in a Book

I love these pretty prints from Sophie Blackall. I think I stumbled upon them through the Kate Spade tumblr, and am so glad I did! These particular ones are from a series on missed connections: "based on real, anonymous messages posted online by lovelorn strangers", but the librarian in me loves that books feature heavily in these particular paintings. Who knew that bookshops and libraries are such a fantastic spot for romance?

I am always drawn to things that tell a story, and I love that within each of these pictures is a story of two people, of fleeting glances and furtive smiles and wishes for what might have been, or what is yet to come.

This last one was my particular favourite, and I loved it so much that I snapped it up out of Sophie's etsy shop right away. I haven't decided yet whether it will hang on my wall at home or be put up in a frame here at my desk (appropriately, in a library).