So on this hot and humid hump day I present you with a video that is sure to make you smile.

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Looking back the night was a little too warm for the tights but I just loved the way they looked with these peep toed wedges.  I was lucky to find these Tuk serpent shoes the last time we wee in New York City at Trash & Vaudeville.  I absolutely love that store and it is one of our favourite places to go whenever we are in the city.  If you are ever looking for some cheap and funky shoes this is the place to go especially if you can snag a pair on sale like I these ones.

The outfit was really built around wearing these shoes for the evening.  I had picked up this dress a few months ago and have not really warn it too often.  I thought the black dress would be the perfect backdrop for the coloured tights and funky shoes.  I thought the outfit was missing some colour near my face so I decided to wear my favourite spring scarf tied in a bow at my neck.

Apparently I was channeling the air stewardess vibe and I totally dug it.

Outfit Details
Dress: Addition-Elle
Tights: We love colors
Scarf: Sidewalk Sale
Shoes: TUK

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Click through the to see more details about each of the jackets below.  I’ve included the price and measurements for each of the items below.  I have a lot of things that I’ll be putting up throughout the week so keep an eye out fore more items.

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I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with my mother and sisters and I had a great time. It was a bit heavy on the sister/mother/daughter bonding moments so it was probably best that Gary went to Montreal for Fantasia and a heavy metal concert with some friends. My husband loves my family, but even I will admit that when the four of us get together it can be pretty intense. There is always a lot of laughter, talking over each other, teasing, bickering and hugging. But I love every moment of it because my family rocks.

One of the many reasons why I adore my family is because they are and always have been loving and supportive. When I was a teenager and in my 20s I did not have the confidence that I do now. I was insecure about my body and the amount of space I took up in the world. The fact that my sisters and friends were always encouraging, that they were never hurtful or dismissive about my weight, gave me the space to feel comfortable and eventually confident in my own skin.

It was a tough road and trust me there were many nights filled with angst that I would never be loved, I would never marry, I would die a virgin, I would never …. well I would never be worthy of finding someone special because of my size. I find it interesting looking back now that I was always confident about being successful in whatever career I choose, but it was the fact that I would be alone is what troubled me.

Fast forward 20 years later and I am sharing my life with an amazing man. A man that does everything to encourage me and make me feel beautiful. Over the last five years I’ve become confident in my skin and that I know now that I have the right to enjoy my life. I have stopped waiting for the day when I am thin to do what my heart desires. Instead I do what I want now and my life has never been more full of love and laughter. In the last two years I married the man of my dreams, had some amazing friends throw us a surprise stag and doe, traveled Europe, posed for art, got a half sleeve tattoo, continue to work in a job that I love, went to concerts, attended art shows and had a life that makes me smile when I think back on it.

You can not imagine the weight of letting go of that baggage of feeling like you are not good enough because of your size. No one should have to live a life half lived because they are afraid. Do I still struggle with body image issues? Of course I do. But for me the first step was accepting that a size is just a number and that number may go up and down depending on so many factors. And you know what.. That. Is. OK. There is no need to panic and think that you are not good enough. I look so much better wearing clothes that fit me then trying to squeeze into a number that might not.

I think I’ll leave this for now. I wasn’t really expecting this to come out here in this post but I am glad it did. I tried to come up with some kind of summary…so way to wrap this post up nicely and I am at a loss. Probably because I have not wrapped this issue up nicely in my own head.

P.S. All of the photos taken in this post with the exception of the tattoo close up were taken by the amazing Ashlea Wessel of Revolver Photography.

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As you can see from the slideshow above, we had a great night hanging out and having a fabulous time. I probably do not say it enough but we are lucky to be surrounded by a talented, loving and amazing group of people. I know it’s cheesy but I really love our family and friends.

Now on to the outfit!

I bought this dress last summer from Torrid but I never really had the chance to wear it more than once or twice.  I was getting tattooed pretty steadily last year leading up to the wedding and the elastic on the arms just irritated it too much.

So, I was pretty excited to wear it since it is one of my favourite looks of a more fitted top and a full skirt.  I like to think it’s a nice modern twist on a vintage classic. The ruffles are a nightmare to iron though so I can’t wait to try out my new steamer on it.  I know for some it might be too matchy,  but I was pleased that the pinkish-purple tank was identical to one of the colours in my head scarf.  A scarf that soon became  a spring wardrobe staple.

I thought that the white tights with the black mary janes might be hovering a bit close to the school girl look but I was feeling sassy so I did not bother changing the tights.  The belt added a bit of texture and shine to the outfit and I broke out my mother of pearl and onyx checkerboard necklace to echo the black and white of the rest of the outfit.

And last but not least, here is a picture of me and my handsome husband on right before we left for the pub.  I’m one very lucky lady.  If you want to see some more photos of the night, feel free to check out the flickr set.

Outfit Details
Black & White Dress: Torrid
Tights: We love colors
Tank Top: Reitmans
Scarf: Sidewalk Sale
Shoes: Fluevog
Necklace: A jewelery shop in the Toronto PATH

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I also misplaced my tripod.  You see my amazingly talented husband Gary had some lovely folks come over to the apartment to film it, him and a short piece on us for a new show coming out.  It won’t be on air until 2011 but when I find more out I’ll be sure to share it.

Well as I was saying, I of course organized the apartment so well that I have seem to have lost track of my tripod.  I’ll look for it a bit more this weekend, but until then I have a few photos from spring I thought I would share.

I recently discovered the joy of skinny jeans this spring.  I bought my first pair of Source of Wisdoms a size too big but I still loved them, in fact I may be making them into shorts this summer, if I can find the energy.  I ordered a second pair a size smaller and they are perfection!  I had a hard time finding the type of tops that I liked with it and I came across this black jersey knit tee at winners.  It has a belt type rope that goes with it but I decided I wanted to fill unrestricted that day.

One of the things I really liked about this top was the fact that it had some detailing around the wide neckline and the sleeves were a bit floaty.  Also it was incredibly comfortable, but a bit low cut for the office.  So I layered this light purple tank I picked up on sale as part of a top/tank set .  Then to dress it up a bit I added a cute scarf I picked up at a sidewalk sale and topped it off with a teal beret.  Oh and be prepared for this scarf to make an appearance in two other outfits but worn in different ways.  I did not realize its frequent appearance until I looked at the outfits I had photographed this April.

Since the spring was quite wet, may hair was in braids for the most part.  The berets always helped hide some of the frizzy mess that was happening on most days.  I topped it off by tucking my jeans into my boots.  This was a look that took a long time for me to feel comfortable with wearing.  But once I realized I liked the proportions and the fact that it was showing off my legs I finally accepted it and now, love it.

Outfit Details
Black Jersey Knit top: Winners
Jeans: Source of Wisdom via Torrid
Tank Top: Reitmans
Scarf: Sidewalk Sale
Shoes: Fluevog
Beret: Le Chateau

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So, without further ado, here is an outfit from early April. What I really liked about this outfit was that I was able to pull out and wear a long sleeve top that I was certain was going to end up in the donate pile.  The length of it just did not work with my body proportions, but I loved the colours in the stripped pattern, and the length of the arms.  When I ordered this modified (sleeveless) burgundy dress from eShakti, I knew I was going to try pairing these two pieces together.  When I received the dress I tried it and I loved how it worked out.  The belt is from Torrid and I love the texture of the knotted pattern that allows you to see the dress beneath it.

I wanted to keep the outfit from feeling too dark so I paired it with a pair of grey tights instead of black ones.  I figured that the black from my boots would be enough black in the outfit.  To fight against the rain and wind, my hair was often in braids, with my black beret from H&M.  For jewelery I have on a sacred heart necklace and my trusty silver hoops that were a gift from my mother-in-law.  One of these days I’ll remember to take a better shot of the jewelery, I promise.

By the way, have I mentioned how much I love these boots? No? Well, these boots are probably the best purchase I have made in a very long time.  I think once I have my pictures up from our Honeymoon I’ll tell you the story of these boots and why I love them.

Outfit Details
Dress: eShakti
Belt: Torrid
Long Sleeve Blouse: Addition-Elle
Grey Tights: Penningtons
Shoes: Fluevog
Beret: H&M

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I like the blue monotone colour palette of the scarf and the length is perfect for me.  I find wearing scarves like this with a loose, low knot gives me a nice pop of colour but it still keeps the V neck line I prefer.  I paired the blue scarf with turquoise tights that matched one of the shades, but I felt they were a bit too bright for a work day.  So, I layered a pair of black fishnets on top to darken them up.  The Fluevog Mary Janes with their funky heels gives the outfit a bit of fun twist.  I topped it off with a white cardigan which I think softens the look of fishnets and black dress.

Outfit Details
Dress: eShakti
Cardigan: Torrid
Belt: Addition-Elle
Scarf: Spoof
Blue Tights: We Love Colors
Fishnets: Torrid
Shoes: Fluevog
Beret: H&amp;M

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I bought this dress at a time when I was really starting to pay attention to the shapes of  my clothing, and what kind of overall silhouette it would give me. I like the shape because it highlights the smallest part of my body, which is just below my chest, which I accentuated with a red leather obi belt, and the black bolero jacket.  From that point the dress flares out in an A shape skimming past the areas I don’t want to draw attention.  I also wore a black peasant type skirt underneath to give the dress for warmth and to give it a fuller look at the bottom.

I paired the dress with my red fluevog boots, a pair of circular white shell earrings and put all of my hair into a black beret which I often wear as a snood.  I love my black beret and actually need to find a lighter weight version for the summer. It’s great to quickly throw your hair in when you are running a bit late or your curls are just way too wild to tame that day.

Outfit Details
Dress: Addition-Elle
Bolero: Torrid
Boots: Fluevog
Obi Belt: Viktorsabo
Beret: H&Mt

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I liked the way the red compliments the blue and white of the dress, giving it a bit of a nautical feel. I added the flower in my hair to add a touch of red to the top half of my outfit. I also took a shot of the back of the dress so that you can see how I wore the straps of the dress. Instead of tying the straps behind my neck as it was intended, I crossed the straps and pinned them to the back in a cross pattern. I usually wear all of my halter dresses with the straps pinned back like this because it lets the dress keep its intended shape in the front but it also stops the back of the dress from moving down. This outfit was perfect for the day and it transitioned well to an evening out on the town for a few drinks at our friend’s bar.

I wanted to take a moment to talk a little bit about Collectif.  I discovered the brand in a little Rockabilly store in Edinburgh.  You can’t imagine the moment of pure glee when I plucked a gorgeous dress with roses and anchors off the rack and it actually fit me.  Normally I have to shop at plus size stores which is limiting and a bit of a pain in the ass.  So, you can understand how this little label from the UK completely won a special place in my heart at that very moment.  As soon as I got home I ordered a second dress from their website but I ordered it a size smaller then the one I already had, hoping it would fit me. Well, it didn’t so I had to return it.  During that transaction I struck up a correspondence with the lovely lady who answers their customer service email. She tracked down all of the available dresses in my size so that I could choose which one I wanted to exchange for my returned dress. It took about a month but she never forgot about me. Because of that correspondence I bought two more dresses from their website. This navy blue with micro dots, and a black dress with large white polka dots that you can see in this wardrobe diary entry.  I got an email today saying that Colletif just redid their website and I highly recommend checking them out. Their dresses are certainly worth the price.

Outfit Details
Dress: Collectif
Shoes: Fluevog
Hair Flower: Ardene

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