City Girls - Published Editorial

Did this editorial shoot last summer...

...published in Solis Magazine, Oct 2014 issue 

FASHION CREDITS:
Photographer: Mark Wong
Model: Erin Elliott
Hair & Makeup: Sarah Ve
Wardrobe Stylist & Designer: Tanushree Pande
Clothing: House of Poplyn

We wanted to create an editorial bringing to light different kinds of looks and roles young women in the city play on a daily basis.

Clothing for this shoot is from the latest collection by Toronto based label Poplyn. This collection was inspired by the TTC and the pieces reflect the colours, patterns and shapes found at or around the rails and subway platforms of Toronto. Hence, the theme ‘City Girls’ celebrates the modern day women living in the city, going about their day to day life with a confident and independent style.

Each look featured here with model, Erin Elliott, identifies with a woman on the go, be it at work, casual day attire or a night out. The clothes and styling by Tanushree Pande reflect a strong female who isn’t shy but embraces her individual style. The outfits go from day to evening, to night highlighting a different look in each surrounding. Makeup by Sarah Ve and accessories for each look match the mood, getting bolder as we head from morning to night. A sleek pony with cat eyes, roughly set bun with neutral lips or a bold night look with strong lips and eyes, all part of the ‘City Girls’ in different roles.

The shoot was done in downtown Toronto with all the hustle and mayhem of the city adding to the theme and creating a unique backdrop for each look. Photographer, Mark Wong, got some fabulous shots with daylight, capturing each look and used the dusk sky and twilight beautifully to get the evening shots.  The first look with the girl in the red dress, running around the city, hailing a cab projects a strong independent city girl, who is confident and not scared to take risks. For this look, we kept her makeup minimalism with bold red lips to match the dress and a nice clean ponytail for a professional on the go individual.

The second look features a young girl dressed casually, maybe going to college. With a bare midriff, a denim jacket and a leather skirt with cut out details and handy cross body bag for the daily essentials, this is a street savvy girl next door with a confident style. Hair tied in a rough bun and a chic pair of boots she is a city girl with a charm.

The next look with the metallic leather skirt, halter top with geometric details, bright red heels and chunky accessories makes a strong statement for an evening out clubbing or a chic soiree with friends. This look along with the dramatic chandelier earrings and metallic head pieces is not your average cookie cutter style but a free spirited woman with her own sense of fashion and art.

The last look of the series features a sheer maxi dress with leather bustier and peek-a-boo canary yellow panels along with zipper details reminiscent of the railroad tracks of street cars, we find around Toronto. The strong smokey eyes, bold accessories and sleek hair all make up for a sexy night out.

Arts & Fashion Week 2013, FAT

Last week saw the much awaited yearly 'Arts and Fashion Week' by FAT, where almost 500 national and international artists, designers and photographers take part.

Here are a few behind the scene and event images captured by a very talented Toronto based freelance photographer, Ana Franco

 

 

All photos courtesy of Ana Franco.

Visit her facebook page here: http://facebook.com/mileniana

To know more about the Art and Fashion Week visit: http://fashionarttoronto.ca/

 



DIY weekend: Ikea Rast and more

Last weekend we decided we wanted bedside stools to complete the look of our bedroom. Finally after major discussion revolving around budget and choices we ended up buying the Ikea Rast 3-drawer dresser, shown below.

We painted them green tea and ocean blue, with stains we had left over from previous crafty adventure, around the outside base and gave the drawers an awesome antique/ distressed look with antique stain we bought off the counter from Ikea store.

Here are the pics of at least a $1000 project we achieved in just $90. Any one from pottery barn or restoration hardware checking these out? I find they fit pretty well in out eclectic home and are comfortable plus the added bonus of extra drawer space.

Also I made this pretty little thing with some old left over piece of plywood and simple jute twite. The jewelry hanger is on sale. You can also purchase it at Etsy here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/124297844/hanging-jewelry-organizer-with-cork

Also if you are interested the Rast Ikea chest finished in green tea or ocean blue is on sale for Toronto locals only at $250, that counting the effort and talent that went in making it from plain jane Ikea to a rustic looking home decor piece.

Cottage chic with a rustic feel to it, distressed look achieved using antique glazing paint and green/ blue stain. Took us a total of 2 days to get the look, dry it perfectly and enjoy our latest creation.



Creative juices flowing with old wine corks and jute twine



The original Ikea Rast when purchased from the store

Visit our Etsy store here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/StyleScribbles

The Best Things in Life are Not THIN

Ever heard of a thin paycheck? A tiny vacation? A small donation? A slim welcome? A small surprise? OR a thin smile? any of these sound good? NO? ....WHY? ...because DUDE!! The Best Things in Life are Not THIN. Healthy maybe! but thin?


It is not always that you can easily find your favorite pair of pants in a size 32-34 or your latest obsession that is the favorite skirt of the season in the same 32-34 or 10-12-14 size bracket.
Worst is that when you finally get frustrated enough to go to a plus size store to maybe get a little something that might fit your body frame...nothing! nothing at all! All those humongous sizes there make you teary eyed as you try to fit into their smallest available sizes and then, suddenly it hits you! You are stuck in the middle! You can't find your size in the regular stores always and you are too skinny (all the pun in the world intended here) to fit into anything from a plus size store.

Story of my life! Yes I am a size 10-12 depending on different brands and I do sometimes fit into a size 14, again, even same store might carry so much difference in their sizes that at times I end up buying a size 10 dress, a size 12 blouse and a size 14 shirt all from a single store, all fitting me perfectly.

So, why is it that, and I am going to take names here, FCUK does not carry sizes beyond 8-10 and when asked for a size 12 in a skirt the sales girl rudely tells me, all the while eying me from top to bottom as if judging my emotional instability because of the size of the tyre around my waist, "Sorry, we don't carry larger sizes" Seriously B!tch! when the majority of the population in this continent is suffering from obesity, and the rest (read teenagers) are starving themselves to death, my perfectly healthy and gym regular happy body with a 'mid section tyre' to flaunt of all the happy times, is not your regular size for clothing?

Another store, H&M, that is basically my go to for cheap all day clothes, does not carry a waist size above 31 for all its denims and trousers? I was so disappointed when yesterday after almost 3-4 months of letting myself go (read: going out with friends a lot and enjoying a slice of cake here and there) I realised that  I will not fit into my 31 waist denims anymore without being constantly reminded of the pains of the long gone old golden days of wooden corsets, I finally went to buy a size 32-33! Not a single pair in my size, except for one very tacky looking style, I can swear I might have seen on a homeless. Really!

Do you ever feel (if you are in your late twenties, like me, and a size 12 or 32/33 in pants/ skirts, that you want to feel young and pretty inside, you are young and pretty inside, but this world will not let you be that way for long! these anorexia endorsing brands (and I will name another one here) like Abercrombie and Fitch, will not carry your sizes!

And these brands like H&M, A&F, FCUK and many more are making clothes that seriously, if they did come in my size, would flatten any body form and look good on a twenty something girl... It's not like I am trying to fit into a kids' wardrobe here...

Why? Why do you think these brands are such size-ists? If that's even a word...
Are they doing this on purpose? Projecting a model image that shouts THIN is BEAUTIFUL? Even in today's times when so many companies, designers and media people have accepted and respected women of all shapes and sizes?

...this post is still in progress, my rantings with more self suffered experience and society implied shame will continue! I had to get this message out for so many more beautiful ladies like me, here it is!
Be Yourself! Be Awesome!
much luv n luck!xx
 

weekend DIY

So the summers are at their peak and we were looking to do something new and fun for the weekend, now three months in Toronto and we are kind of still furnishing and decorating our new home. The dining area had been an empty space to play ball with the dogs for a while now and after much discussion we realized that we will never settle for the classic dining table and wanted something more sleek and simple yet different for our space. The final verdict was that we need a bar height table, that will more often be used as a bar than for dining ;), with stools facing the TV, right behind the leather couch.
We had been looking around online as well as local stores for something that matched our style, fit and budget. With not much success, we figured it was time that we dealt with a little DIY of our own. Now, having never built anything, let alone a whole table to be a place for conversations and fine dining, we wanted to keep it simple to make sure it turned our sturdy enough. Our basic design was a 40x16x75 inch plan that finally became a 41x16x78 inch bar.
We used pine, specifically knotty pine for the rustic, roughed up look we desired and select pine for the base, also we chose to stain it with a single layer of green tea color with a lot of rubbing it off and sanding involved after, so now the table looks like it was probably the pride of a road side pub for years before we rescued it (love that look).
Initially we were suppose to border it on all four sides, but considering we have no tools to cut/ chop wood/ planks at home and we got them all cut to size at the home depot, our borders for the length came our about 2-3mm longer than required and we just simply chose to avoid and put them only on the two shorter edges (sides) looks cool though (check out the pics at the end).
Also, the green color we chose, out of many reasons, one was the eclectic feel that our living room has till now and the fresh/stark contrast it will be to the rest of the stuff. We also used brass screws, angle joints and corners from the top, making them as visible as possible, as opposed to the normal thinking of hiding any nails. Also being first timers at it and crazy as we are, we let the glue stain our sides, the crooked edges go willy-nilly and we refused to fill any gaps created during gluing. All this turned out to give exactly the kind of feel we wanted for the table. It looks like it's right out of an old country hotel at Jaisalmer in India (those of you not familiar with this place, Google now), or from a crafty resort in some artsy town.
Okay, enough talk, check out our newest treasure (such tables if in the size we wanted were going for CAD500-600 +delivery and we made ours in just CAD150/- sweet I'd say!
P.S. We are yet to buy the bar stools, we were planning on white (it will seat three comfortably, so three stools). Also S has now gotten such a hang of it and it was so much fun and therapeutic that we have decided to build our own TV unit (in a turquoise/ sea blue) and coffee table (in chalk white stain) soon.
Oh and there was a piece of the wood left, we stained it to match the pub table and will make it into a tray with door handles on the side to grab it, soon. That chair with a green piece of wood sitting under the money plant- that's it, also the money plant has been planted in an empty coffee tin.

My first week in Toronto

The Initial touchdown

So we had a flight from Johannesburg to Dubai (8hr long emirates economy) not a bad way to travel but more leg space is always welcomeJ. After a 5 hour layover at Dubai, we headed towards the check-in counter for our very long and hopefully very sleepy 14hr long flight for Toronto. Just trying our luck, we asked the man behind the desk, if it was a possibility for us to get the emergency exit seats, a little more leg room, if you know what I mean and as if good karma had been waiting to shower us with gifts, we got upgraded to the business class of the A380, that we were in, just like that. Yup! It was a blissfully pleasant and the most comfortable flight I ever had, never wanted it to end, felt even like in a bond movie at one point, but yeah, all good things and especially the free ones end soonJ.
P.S. I and S both got these lovely little welcome kits with Bvlgari goodies inside, will post pics of them soon! How happy we were with all the bubbly flowing and the muffins circulating and the massages and all…

Oh and special mention, and pics coming soon of how we traveled and touched equator and North Pole at the same day!

So the landing was perfect, the luggage collected and we got to our hotel by evening. As much as we wanted to explore the city, the jet lag set in and within seconds of lying down on the bed I was fast asleep. Don’t know when exactly S fell asleep too but the next thing I know, I woke up at 2 in the middle of the night feeling fresh as a daisy, again the time difference meant it was actually 8 am in South Africa, so I actually brushed my teeth, had breakfast and slept again…hehehee!

The New*BEE* in the beehive

It has been just about 4 days for us here in Toronto, and our baby bums *puppies* have also arrived safely. A special mention for Global Paws, South Africa for the pleasant flight and all the arrangements they made to make sure my little hearts don’t panic much and get a safe transit. We are all adjusting, mah-jor-ly to the cold weather.
P.S. All your fashion sense runs out of the freaking chimney when it’s as cold as it is here, for spring! All I have been wearing is a black woolen pair of tights/ skinny trousers, random racer back and halter neck tees layered inside and an Abercrombie and Fitch navy hoodie, that was my first purchase here, along with it extremely thick socks and flat soled iron fist shoes that are my favorite to run around in, as people in Toronto, unlike South Africa WALK! Yup guys, we *yes, it’s WE now*winks* walk to places, there’s a crowd on the streets, it’s lovely; it’s lively and so very friendly. We totally love it here, even though sometimes my legs hurt ;-).
We are house hunting these days and as it progresses there will be lots of pics of the new place, in the meantime I do apologize for back benching my blog, it’s not every day we move a continent now, is it?

Oh and I haven’t been gyming or exercising of any sort, just a hell of a lot of walking, hopefully the calories I gulp down in excitement will not be that mean to me :). Have a lovely weekend everyone and please spare my lack of presence as an exciting adventure is ahead. Will totally keep you all posted on how the changes feel after moving three continents in three years *some stats* love and luck to all. xx

NOTE: Yesterday, after about 2 hours of writing this post, we found the perfect apartment on the 14th floor with huge rooms and a walk in closet ~this girl is set!!! pics coming soon :)

So, here are a few pics, as I promised...

yup tht's it! got an upgrade to business class, just lyk tht,...see we are such people, everyone whats to please.. LOL 

that was my nirvana for the next 14 hours

tht's S enjoying a movie while relaxing in his massage bed, sipping some bubbly ;)

Olive after arriving to Toronto, slept lyk a baby as soon as he sat down besides me on the hotel bed

Phoebe wasn't that far behind, slept like a log for hours and was probably the most jet lagged out of us 4

the view of lake Ontario from our new home (balcony)

Another one from the balcony

the day we moved in...

view of downtown from the guest bedroom in the night (could not get a better picture, it was so mighty cold that I refused to open the window to take a snap. period! ;)

another one from the study/guest bedroom..