Wednesday, July 31, 2013

double dot





{tee (also here), sunglasses, watch (gift, can buy here, also love this one): Marc by Marc Jacobs; 
shorts: GAP (sold out online, love these 7s); shoes: Guess; bracelet: Coach (similar)}

I can't believe it's already August tomorrow!  Summer always goes by too quickly.  I return to work in September and I'm looking forward to being around humans again (children are not human! jk! but not really...), but I'm not looking forward to being forced to dress up.  If I had the option, I would most of the time choose to dress up, but I'd like the option of throwing on jeans if I wanted to.  Yes, we have casual Fridays, but sometimes it's Fridays that I feel like dressing up.  Being off on maternity leave, I love that I've been able to wear what I feel like wearing that day.  If it happens to be my PJs all day, so be it.  And it was... way too many times.  I don't think the Fedex/UPS/DHL delivery man thinks I own anything but PJs.  Anyways, as I've said before, I do love fall fashion so it's a good thing I'm going back in September because I am excited to shop for new fall work clothes.  I bought this tee with work in mind, which is now what I seem to be doing with my purchases lately.

Monday, July 29, 2013

relaxed





{tee: J.Crew; pants: Marciano (old, similar here); sandals: BCBG
bracelets: H&M (in-store); sunglasses: Juicy Couture (old)}

I love putting together an outfit, especially figuring out a new way to wear an old item.  I've had these Marciano wide leg linen pants for years and they're definitely a favourite in my closet.  They're super comfortable and great to wear on cool summer days.  (Yes, I'm short and not supposed to wear wide leg pants, but I don't follow those rules.)  Sometimes, I find the best outfits are the ones you don't put too much thought into.

Hope everyone had a relaxing weekend!

Thursday, July 25, 2013

stripes & florals (again)

 
{top: Tibi; shorts: GAP (sold out online, bought in-store); sunglasses: MBMJ;
espadrilles: MICHAEL Michael Kors (sold out online, orange version here); 
bracelet: J.Crew (similar), H&M (bought in-store); hat: Roxy (similar)}

I love a great sale.  I used to be a bargain shopper in college.  My friends were always so impressed with my skills.  My closet consisted of items ranging from $5 to $25.  I would basically only shop at outlets in Toronto.  Oh, how things have changed.  Now, I hardly buy anything on sale.  My problem used to be that I would buy things just because they were on sale.  Now I'm more cautious.  (I'm also usually too excited for the brand spanking new items that come out.  I've already been looking at fall pieces.  I love fall fashion so much.  I'm anxiously awaiting my September issues (InStyle, Glamour...) and, of course, Vogue.)  Anyway, my process now when it comes to sales is to only buy items I was previously eyeing at regular price.  Or if I come across a pair of Valentino shoes at 50% off.  Usually anything Marc by Marc Jacobs on sale I scoop up, no question.  My recent score was a beautiful MBMJ sweater, an MBMJ tee and this Tibi top.  With the price I paid, I basically got the tee and this top for free.  That, my fashion friends, never gets old.

A couple snaps from my Instagram today... follow me @marikachi!


Tuesday, July 23, 2013

white, red & gold



{top: Forever 21 (love this one); skort: Zara; shoes: Guess; sunglasses: Juicy Couture;
bag: MICHAEL Michael Kors (bought in-store, recent); bracelet: BCBG (silver version)}

I was on the hunt for the perfect red bag for fall.  I normally wear colours in the pink family so I didn't want to invest too much in a red bag since I probably wouldn't find much in my closet to go with it, although I do like red mixed with fuchsia.  Or I'd end up wearing all black all the time, which is not my style.  (I was thinking about splurging on this gorgeous Prada bag.  Maybe in black then.)  I'm petite so I don't like carrying large bags - I end up carrying way more than I need to and they become way too heavy.  Plus, I can never find what I'm looking for in my bags, let alone a huge bag.  So when I walked into Michael Kors, I spotted this adorable bag and bought it immediately.  It's red, mini and the price was just right.

Monday, July 22, 2013

vixen




{Naven Two-Tone Criss Cross Vixen Dress: revolveclothing.com
shoes: Guess by Marciano (love these); bracelets: J.Crew (in black), H&M (in-store)}

This dress is called 'Vixen', which is not really the look I was going for since I was wearing this dress to a baby shower.  So I toned it down with wedge sandals.  I have always loved orange and pink together so when I saw this dress I immediately fell in love with it.  I bought it with no real place to wear it so I thought, why not a baby shower?  Yes, it's a little revealing, but where better than a room full of women would I chance a nip slip?  I played hot potato with a diaper and there may have been some inner side boob action, but I'm happy to say there was no nip slip.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

head-to-toe marc






sunglasses (old), head wrap: Marc by Marc Jacobs; t-shirt: TNA (old)}

The last few days have been extremely humid.  I've been spending my days either by my aunt's pool, or at the mall.  (Living the life on maternity leave!)  Man, there are amazing deals out there right now.  I was so disappointed because I found a Marc by Marc Jacobs dress at Holt Renfrew for less than $200 (originally over $400), but it just didn't fit right.  That never happens with MBMJ.  I even tried going up a size.  So I ended up only walking away with a pair of shoes (a great pair of BCBG gladiator sandals I've been eyeing that just happened to go on sale).  But I realized how much I love shopping in person.  Basically, everything you see here I bought online (except for the tee and sunglasses), including this super cute polka dot denim skirt I just bought recently, and basically everything is Marc by Marc Jacobs.  Some days you just want to wear Marc from head to toe.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

perfect maxi dress

for a perfect morning/afternoon...


followed by a perfect evening...


{dress: Dolce Vita; wedge sandals: Guess by Marciano; fedora: BCBG;
sunglasses: Juicy Couture (old, but love these Marc by Marc Jacobs ones}

What a perfect summer day yesterday.  I took my son for a playdate/pool party to my friend's house in the early afternoon.  The kids played in the pool, while the girls gabbed in the shade.  A yummy cocktail and munchies in hand.  We joined the kids in the pool and it was heaven.  At home, joining my hubby and baby girl, we had a lovely bbq in our backyard.  And what a perfect dress to wear for the occasion.  The slits on the side of this beautiful Dolce Vita maxi dress helped cool me down in the heat in the daytime, yet it being a maxi dress helped keep me warm when it became cooler in the evening.  I never want summer to end.

Friday, July 12, 2013

up in the clouds



{jeans: Paige Denim (also here); blouse: Splendid; shoes: Guess; 
sunglasses: Juicy Couture; bracelets: H&M (in-store); nails: Essie 'Blanc'}

This is actually, surprisingly, not another polka dot top - they're tiny little flowers.  And I actually ordered the dress version, but was sent this top instead by mistake.  I was going to return it, but thought it was really cute so I kept it (and the dress at the time was no longer available).  It goes great with these Paige Denim jeans I bought a while ago, but have not been able to wear because it's been too hot lately.  I love that these jeans look white, but are actually two-tone.  Anything that's different from the usual is always interesting to me.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

brunettes are the best





{tee: Rebel Yell; shorts: AG Adriano Goldschmied; shoes: Steve Madden;
necklace: Juicy Couture; bracelet: BCBG; sunglasses: Aldo; lips: Smashbox 'Fuchsia Flash'}

The big debate: blondes v. brunettes.  To be honest, I think redheads win hands down... and if the dye didn't wash out so quickly, I would 99% of the time be a redhead.  But for the most part, I love being a brunette and couldn't resist getting this cute tee.

Monday, July 8, 2013

anchor



{tee: J.Crew; skort: Zara; wedge booties: MICHAEL Michael Kors;
bracelets: J.Crew, H&M (in-store); sunglasses: Marc by Marc Jacobs}

I love this cute J.Crew anchor tee.  The floral touch is what makes it so special.  I feel like I'm ready to set sail in this outfit, minus the booties - I would obviously trade those in for sandals to wear on a yacht.  Sigh, now I'm daydreaming of owning a boat and sailing off into the sunset.  Or trade the booties in for some sneakers and I'm ready to play tennis.  Well, let's face it, I'm doing neither of those things so, in my case, the booties work.  

Sunday, July 7, 2013

high on life






{shorts w/ belt: via Mendocino (old); tank: Wilfred Free (similar here); 
wedges: Guess by Marciano (old, but love these); sunglasses: Aldo (similar here)
'LOVE' bracelet: BCBGeneration (here and here); nails: Essie 'Blanc'}

I live for this weather!  I love when it's humid.  I went to Las Vegas on a July long weekend years ago and that wasn't even too hot for me.  Only a few things you can wear on days like these.  I almost ordered these Cameo high waisted shorts, until I remembered about a pair I bought a few years ago in a similar colour.  I read that if you're short, you should wear high waisted shorts/pants/skirts to give the illusion of long legs.  Is it working?  I'm not sure, but I love these shorts nonetheless.  They're perfect to wear casually, but you can also add a blazer and wear them on a night out.  Maybe not so much on these humid nights.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

mixing patterns: stripes & polka dots




{top: Wilfred (old); shorts: J.Crew (also here); shoes: Guess (old, but love these);
sunglasses: Juicy Couture; bracelets: BCBG, H&M (in-store); nails: Essie 'Blanc'}

Of course when I saw these J.Crew polka dot shorts, I was all over them.  (I also love these.)  It's safe to say my polka dot obsession is getting out of hand.  It's taking everything in me not to buy the other pair.  But they're so cute!  I know, I have a problem.  Well, my friends do call me a shopaholic, so it's safe to say that I'm also a polkadotaholic.  Speaking of which, I wore my Marc by Marc Jacobs polka dot jeans yesterday with a simple white tee and it reminded me that sometimes something so simple is so perfect.  But, for the most part lately, I have a hard time not mixing patterns.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

florals & (faux) leather




{skirt: Wilfred Free; blouse: Zara; booties: MICHAEL Michael Kors;
bracelets: J.Crew (here and similar here), H&M (in-store); sunglasses: MBMJ}

I'm not all that excited about returning to work in September, but starting to shop for my return to work is making it a little less painful.  I used to have a faux leather skirt I was obsessed with, but it sadly no longer fit after having a baby.  So I had to snatch this one up at Aritzia, even though I wasn't planning on shopping for work clothes already.  It's so soft and comfortable to wear.  I also love that it has pockets, making it a skirt you can dress up or down.