The Silver Age

I was inspired to write a topic on silvery-gray clothing that I've been seeing popping up a lot over the summer and because I happened to be wearing a silvery-gray dress at my sister's wedding this past weekend (which was my choice) - Congratulations guys!!  To be honest I didn't think too much about the colour of the dress that I was wearing - more about whether it coordinated with the rest of the family + bridal party, but I got loads of complements on it (colour, cut and style) and thought hey, why not write about how you can include this great "neutral" into your wardrobe - if you haven't already got some of it in there!


I say "neutral" in quotations because in my opinion this colour - although it is a metallic - can be considered a neutral due to its subtlety and how you can pair it with another metallic, be it gold, copper, bronze, etc. or easily introduce a colour to make a statement.  Dress it up or take it to work, silvery-gray can easily be added into your wardrobe without much thought and goes with just about everything!  Here are some ideas to get you inspired:

Not too shabby huh!  From the cropped pants to the organza dress you can see how easily this colour fits into everyday - or happy hour - and can make quite the statement.  The majority of the items I selected are solids but there are patterned combinations of silver-gray as seen in the blouse above that can also be included to introduce some visual interest into your palate.  Tip: don't go full on head-to-toe with the silvery-gray (unless it's a dress) otherwise you might end up looking drab, instead pair a silver-gray pencil skirt with an azure coloured top; or have a pop of hot pink poking out of your silvery-gray blazer.  Black and white are also other options so don't limit yourself, get out there and experiment with this colour, you'll thank me for it!


Happy Shopping!


Courtesy of:
Banana Republic
J Crew
Le Chateau

Flowers in Full Bloom

I would like to start by dedicating this post to Jim Peters, a long time friend and lover of art ;)


It might be a product of my photographic nature but I have found a love-affair with large scale botanical prints.  They have a grandness about them and being a macro photographer I can fully appreciate their beauty.  The detail and delicateness of the prints make these some of the most interesting paintings (or photographs) out there (at least in my opinion).  I strongly recommend that you try and incorporate one or more of these style of prints into your home and when doing so you should remember when adding a large scale piece (or small) into your home to make sure that the colours coordinate or are complementary to your colour scheme (as we've already discussed in previous posts) and accentuate your room with pops of colour that are pulled from your print.  You can easily add a large-scale piece over your sofa, but you can also include one (two or three) over your bed to create a headboard centerpiece.  A large floral can also be added in a powder room or even in your kitchen (if you have the wall space).  Whatever you choose be sure to add a large-scale floral to your home and discover the magic that comes with it, trust me you'll never look back!  Here are some prints to help inspire you on your next shopping trip:

How gorgeous are those!! For the most part I selected single flower close-up paintings but you can easily add a macro photograph shot or even select a grouping of flowers that have been painted (or photographed) close-up.  The selection of colours, styles and types of flowers and artwork is endless so the next time you're out shopping for a piece to hang in your home don't pass by these beauties because they will really enhance your living space.

Happy Shopping!

Courtesy of:

art.com

Don't get Cross-Body with me!

Crossbody bags have made a huge comeback this year and you can find almost everyone from your next door neighbour to the trendiest celebrity sporting one.  Because I grew up in the 1980s I still remember when the crossbody was pretty much one of the only styles available and I had some horrible flashbacks to a time when teased out hair, massive gold hoop earrings and leg warmers were all the rage as soon as the crossbody made its way back onto the scene.  But after seeing some fresh revitalized styles everywhere lately I've discovered that I too can love the crossbody and embrace it just as much as everyone else has.  And as a tribute to my new love affair with the crossbody here are a few ideas to get you thinking about picking up one to call your very own:

What a selection!  I honestly had a hard time picking just a few, the options are endless.  You can go from dressy to casual, small to large, pattern to solid and everything in-between.  As you can see above, there are inspirations from Chanel in the quilted versions; from Dior in the blue saddle bag and from Givenchy in the yellow envelope style.  The colour options are superb and you can easily punch up your summer wardrobe by pairing a contrasting crossbody with your outfit.  These bags are multi-functional and versatile.  You can easily (in most cases) shorten the length of the strap to change your crossbody into an over-the-shoulder bag or even remove the strap altogether to turn your crossbody into a clutch.  The possibilities are endless so get out there and pick up a crossbody to add to your wardrobe or collection and have fun with them!


Happy Shopping!


Courtesy of:
Danier
Aldo 
Nine West
Anthropologie
Banana Republic

Living Outdoors: IKEA

With June behind us (how quickly time flies!) the hot and humid weather for July & August truly begins.  If you don't have a backyard pool to cool off in not to worry, these collections I've put together from IKEA for your backyard will certainly do the trick.  IKEA is such a great place for inspiration for your home, office and yes even your outdoor space.  They really stop at nothing to bring you affordable, stylish, trendy and unique pieces so why not stop in their outdoor/seasonal section and pick up a few (or a lot) of items to spruce up your backyard!


There are literally hundreds of items available at IKEA to help liven up your space, I have selected only a few to give you an idea of colour combinations for your outdoor space.  Hopefully these will help inspire you on your next shopping excursion to your local IKEA.

Brown + White + Pink

Blue + Brown

Green + Pink + White - Bistro 

Grey + White + Black

Green + Pink + Black

 Happy Shopping!


Courtesy of:
IKEA