Jean Jeanie

I don't want to wear anything other than jeans right now.

The Ropes

I'm a woman possessed. I'm obsessed. I'm crazy! What am I crazy about? Well, The Ropes obviously. Working part time at Viens Avec Moi is dangerous for me because I love great products and I love supporting local businesses. So if you put a whole bunch of great products in a local business like VAM, well you get where I'm going.

My latest obsession comes from Maine in the form of a nautical rope bracelet. I usually shy away from bright colours, opting to wear neutrals on top of more neutrals with maybe a pair of black jeans or dark denim. I get mistaken for being a lot older than I really am and I feel it has something to do with my wardrobe.

These bracelets are the PERFECT compromise for me. Wearing a little colour on my wrist looks youthful without feeling childish.

I can't wait to wear these bad boys all summer long.

Photo is from theropesmaine.com 

Party at Gatsby's! Er, St. Laurent Centre!

Last night I had the absolute pleasure of attending St. Laurent Centre's Gatsby themed party in support of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation.

Taking place in an unused store made to look like a 1920's parlour by designer Leanne Lacroix, the event was lovely and intimate while still capturing some of the great energy from that era.

People (including me!) dressed in their best Gatsby attire, since most of Ottawa's fashion lovers came out and every fashion-lover worth her salt cites the 1920's as one of their favourite fashion eras.

Waiters and bartenders kept the snacks and the drinks coming while beautiful models styled by Erica Wark drifted around, really adding to the feeling of being a part of The Great Gatsby.

But the real delight for me, came from installing myself next to the macaron table while chatting with a fellow blogger about the lusty appeal of a young James Spader. And at the start of the night there was even a dancing crew that performed and made me long for dance lessons, but only if my speciality was doing a breakdancing version of the Charleston.

A television installed at the back of the room played the original 70's adaptation of the book, which was also a great conversation piece, "Hey! It's that guy who plays in Law & Order now! What's his name? No clue, ooh look, Robert Redford!"

I loved getting dressed up for this event, and seeing all the guests get dressed up too. It absolutely did nothing to cure my Gatsby Fever, in fact I think I have it worse now. Get me a doctor Old Sport! 

Chop Chop See You Later!

In the most recent issue of FLARE, assistant fashion news editor, Emily Ramshaw chronicles the week before lopping off 15 inches of her precious, precious hair.

I wasn't working at FLARE when Emily had long hair, so seeing her with the short hair wasn't a big deal, but reading the her article and seeing how stylish and chic she looks every day has totally inspired me to do my own long goodbye.

My Inspiration:

It's ok, I'm a limo driver.

I saw this picture of Olivia Wilde and I was sold. I had been turning it over in my mind for weeks to chop off my mane, but Olivia sealed the deal for me. I showed the pic to my boyfriend and his response was, "That looks great! But then again, it's Olivia Wilde, she could have a Lloyd Christmas haircut and still be hot." I'll take that as a vote of confidence!

The Stylist:

I only trust the best, and I'm lucky because I happen to be related to her. My cousin Stacy works at Synergy Spa in Orleans, which you should totes check out. It's a really great spa, totally worth the trip to Orleans!

Before:

I used to have this free for all spirit about my hair. "It's just hair!" I would say, "It'll grow back!" But after growing it for a few years and having it to shield me when I was at my most self conscious, the thought of chopping it all off is not only scary, it's actually anxiety-inducing

After:

So it's been about a week since I had it all cut off, and what a week it's been. Literally a roller-coaster, I went from loving it, to hating it, and thinking I looked like an ugly boy. Don't get me wrong, the cut is fantastic, it was my face that seemed to be the problem. It was mostly when I was around pretty girls with long hair that I felt left out. I can't be in the pony tail club anymore. Unless they're accepting girls with David Beckham-esque teeny half buns. But once I've got my outfit on, and my makeup did, I decided that I really like it. Like REALLY like it. In fact as I'm writing this out, I'm even thinking about going shorter...

Success!