Shoes

Summer Wedding Style & Beauty Tips

Posted on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013 at 10:41 am.

Written by Nicole

Categories: Beauty,Fashion

Summer wedding season is almost here, are you ready? I have an abundance of dresses in my wardrobe (my hubby would say too many) so for me, it’s just a matter of choosing the right one for the occasion. For others, a summer wedding might mean an expensive trip to the mall and a stressful styling situation. When Fashion Magazine asked the Style Panel experts for summer wedding style tips, I was ready to take on the challenge – dresses are kinda my thing!

Summer wedding season is upon us and while weddings can be fun to dress for, they can also be nerve-wracking in terms of dress-code, location, modesty, colour, etc. What are your tips?

Dress: Modcloth, Shoes: Nine West, Clutch: Danier, Bracelets: Vintage, Sunglasses: EDIT by Jeanne Beker, Ring: Rebekah Price

When dressing for a summer wedding, try to remember the three C’s…

Fresh Collective: Fresh10 Anniversary!

Posted on Tuesday, May 21st, 2013 at 9:50 am.

Written by Nicole

Categories: Fashion

This is a proud month to be a Brand Ambassador for Fresh Collective! For the entire month of May, my friends at Fresh Collective are celebrating their 10th year on Queen Street West and they want you to get in on the fun with the Fresh10 contest!

As a BIG thank you for 10 years of support, Fresh Collective is running a contest until May 29th giving one lucky entrant the chance to win a 10-piece wardrobe!

In honour of the Fresh10 contest, I put together my top 10 spring/summer items from Fresh Collective! Check out my faves, including clothing, shoes and jewellery:

With three stores in Toronto, Fresh Collective carries a unique variety of apparel and accessories from local designers who frequently work in-store! I love the selection of one of a kind and few of a kind pieces mixed in with staple Canadian brands like Soia & Kyo and Yoga Jeans. Everything at Fresh Collective is curated for quality and effortless style.

In addition to giving you the chance to win a 10-piece wardrobe in their own Fresh10 contest, my friends at Fresh Collective have offered an amazing prize for one lucky Dainty Girl reader!

WIN one of TEN Fresh Collective In-Store Mini-Makeover – $100 value!
Learn how to mix and match with confidence, get more mileage out of what you buy and the “rules” to use when looking for shapes, necklines and more (1 hour session with pre-interview).

That’s right, I’m giving this awesome prize to TEN lucky readers!

Enter using the Rafflecopter form below. At a minimum, you must leave me a blog post comment telling me why you’d like to win a wardrobe makeover session from Fresh Collective. You can gain additional entries through social media too! Contest closes on Tuesday May 28th at 11:59pm and the winners will be notified the following day.

Good luck and cheers to another decade of local fashion at Fresh Collective!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dainty Outfit: Ikat Print Harem Pants

Posted on Friday, May 17th, 2013 at 3:15 pm.

Written by Nicole

Categories: Fashion

One of my favourite spring trends has to be the printed pant. I have floral denim, paisley pedal pushers, geo-print trousers and this fun pair of Ikat print harem pants.

What’s IKAT? It’s a tribal print style that lends itself well to summer fashion – I always see lots of ikat print on summer bags, hair accessories and maxi dresses, but I decided to go for it with ikat pants! I’m a big fan of lightweight tapered (or elasticized ankle) trousers for spring, so when I saw this harem style at M for Mendocino I just had to try them on.

I usually shy away from harem pants or “drop-crotch” styles because they have a tendency to over emphasize my hips and bum (or garner strange looks at the office), but this particular pair is only slightly loose in the crotch with subtle pleats that make the harem style a little more dressy.

The black and white print makes it easy to style these ikat harem pants with pretty much anything! I chose to wear a sleeveless black hi-low blouse with metal toe-cap pumps, black and gold accessories and a neon yellow handbag for a pop of colour. Chic neon accessories for spring make it easy to add colour to monochromatic looks or play with colour blocking.

Pants: M for Mendocino, Blouse: Jacob, Shoes: Aldo, Purse: Target, Bracelets: Biko Jewellery, Sunglasses: Joe Fresh

What do you think of my ikat print harem pants? CLICK HERE to see how the other StyleList Canada Style Council members styled the trend! How would you wear it?

: Ikat can be incorporated into your spring/summer wardrobe so many ways! Click to see more!

See more of my Dainty Outfits HERE and follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for daily style inspiration!

Kate Hudson for Ann Taylor Collection

Posted on Tuesday, May 14th, 2013 at 8:58 am.

Written by Nicole

Categories: Fashion

My friends at Ann Taylor are thrilled to announce the debut of the Kate Hudson for Ann Taylor collection for summer 2013. This limited-edition collection of chic, white summer apparel and rose gold accessories was inspired by Hudson’s effortlessly chic red-carpet glamour and her love for classic yet playful fashion.

To celebrate Hudson’s first fashion collaboration, Ann Taylor will host a White Party at Ann Taylor stores nationwide (Canada too) on Wednesday, May 22 from 6-8 pm where guests will be invited to shop this exclusive collection.

“It was such an honor when they asked me to come back for the campaign and to work on a collection inspired by my personal style. I love how Lisa Axelson, Ann Taylor Creative Director, picked up on my style and turned it into a very chic, incredibly wearable collection!”
-Kate Hudson

I love Kate Hudson as the face of this classic yet playful brand! She’s the perfect fit…along with some lovely Canadian Brand Ambassadors

Enjoy this behind-the-scenes sneak peak with Kate:

This stunning capsule collection includes ready-to-wear dresses, skirts and tops as well as shoes and jewellery – everything will be available in-store and online starting on May 22.

SO SAVE THE DATE and join the White Party! I’ll be visiting the Toronto Eaton Centre location and I can’t wait to try on the Premiere Dress shown in the ad campaign above – so fresh and sexy for summer. Stay tuned for more great fashion from Ann Taylor coming soon!

UPDATE: Launched May 22nd – explore the collection online NOW!

Walmart Frugal Heroes Challenge

Posted on Monday, May 13th, 2013 at 9:13 am.

Written by Nicole

Categories: Fashion,Fashion,Shopping

Nationwide, Walmart is calling on Canadian shoppers to challenge themselves to make the most of their dollar by shopping the lowest prices and saving. This month, I had the pleasure of participating in the first ever Walmart Frugal Heroes Challenge.

Walmart Canada declared Thursday, May 2^nd its National Day of Savings and to kick off the campaign, they invited bloggers from coast-to-coast to find cost-effective solutions for every day budget challenges. I like to consider myself a savvy shopper but sometimes my credit card statement says otherwise – needless to say, I was thrilled to take the challenge to save money.

Walmart Canada provided me with a $100 gift card to shop and share the Frugal Heroes Challenge. How much did I get for $100 or less?