Winter repeats.

Vero Moda top (via The Bay); American Apparel leggings; Forever 21 shoes; Aldo scarf

This is pretty much a repeat outfit from last year with different shoes and a different scarf.
What can I say, it's a favourite. It's simple. It's cozy with a bit of cute. It's the perfect way to keep warm.

The classic trench.

GAP trench; ALDO oxfords; Tommy Hilfiger top; AE jeans

Can you believe I'd wanted a trench for four years and never bit the bullet?
I've decided I need to start investing in key pieces for my wardrobe. Staples. Things I hope to have around for a while.

This Gap trench is my first investment purchase. It wasn't even that expensive, but for someone who refuses to spend more than $50 on a coat, it was out of my comfort zone.

Either way, I am in love with it, and it loves me back. We've got a great relationship and I can't wait to start adding other wonderful key pieces to my wardrobe. Next up: leather tote bag and a good quality pair of sunglasses.

Winter knits in Spring.

Sweater: Forever 21; Pants: American Eagle; Shoes: Aldo; Sunnies: Dynamite

I was on Twitter and someone asked if it was possible to transition winter knits into spring. My thought? Of course! I've stocked up on knits this winter, and although I don't want more snow, I'm not ready to give them up yet. They're perfect for those warm days with a cool breeze.

So how do I work this transition item? I pair it with spring-y pieces of course! Boyfriend or distressed jeans are great to keep the outfit casual. I wore oxfords here, but you could throw in a pair of heels of you want to spice things up a bit. Lastly, put on your fav sunnies and you're good to go. I also rolled up the sleeves on the knit, mostly because I like to cuff everything I wear (see jeans also).

Will you be transitioning your knits into spring?

Professional.

Old Navy turtleneck; Forever 21 pencil skirt and belt; Dynamite scarf; H&M tights; ALDO oxfords

This outfit was a winner at the office. It's so funny how a skirt can transform your look. So many people commented on how "professional" I looked. Funny how that wasn't exactly the look I was going for, but I guess it worked its way in.  I'll take "professional" any day at the office!

Also I'm wearing a turtleneck! I can't believe it's getting cold enough to wear these kinds of things... And tights with skirts? They're a must now. Probably for the next 7 months. Awesome, now I'm depressed. Us bloggers wish and hope for fall during the warm months, but once it comes and the prettiness goes away (yeah, pretty leaves are mostly on the ground now), I wish for summer. And I'll be wishing for summer until it comes again. In another 8 months. Great, I have depressed myself once more.

Happy Monday!

Flowers, leaves and a review.

Forever 21 poncho, scarf, button-down; American Eagle printed pants; ALDO oxfords; 

Firmoo glasses

Not sure if you noticed yet, but I have another new pair of glasses. After writing about wanting to update mine forever, I came across Firmoo, an online glasses retailer. They provided me with a pair of glasses to review, and lemme tell ya, I'm in loooooove.

The frames are super comfortable, and my prescription came in perfectly. The transaction was stress-free and easy. They have a virtual try-on system, which means before buying the frames, I could upload a picture of myself to see how they looked. This took out a lot of the anxiety of not being sure if the frame shape was right for me.

But since this is a review, I need to share both the good and the bad. Don't get me wrong, the good definitely outweighs the bad, but there are a few things that I wasn't super thrilled with. Firstly, they don't offer prism lenses. I know a couple other online glasses retailers that don't as well, so it's not uncommon, but I am supposed to have prism lenses (because my eyes are cray-cray). So for people like me, it poses a challenge buying glasses from Firmoo. Also, the quality of the frames isn't great, but I can't really complain much because the ones I chose were literally $8.00. Can't really blame them for that...

All in all, I love my new glasses! For new customers, they've got a First Pair Free program, where you only pay the shipping. Not a bad deal! Even without this program, they still have such low prices that a backup pair of glasses won't break the bank.

*Glasses were provided c/o Firmoo in exchange for a product review. All opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Denim jackets.

Suzy Shier denim jacket; Forever 21 top and necklace; Dynamite pants; ALDO shoes

Rewind four months when I thought denim jackets sucked. I told myself that I would never ever jump on that bandwagon. It reminded me too much of the '90s and would just be tacky.

Well... you guys all changed my mind. All the bloggers out there so stylishly wearing their denim jackets. I couldn't help but lust after one for a couple months before I took the plunge and bought one for myself. When I tried it on, I wondered how I was so quick to judge. I love the cut and how it falls, along its ability to make any outfit casually put-together.

I can see myself wearing this baby out over the fall season. Next up: pairing it with a nice, big cozy scarf as the weather cools down.

What do you think of denim jackets? 

If you really knew me...

I'm sure everyone has seen these floating around the blogsphere, but I figured I'd take part in this one. It's a little more fun than just talking about clothes all the time.

If you really knew me...

... You'd know that in the car I listen to my music REALLY loud (like max volume). I also tend to sing along to said music really REALLY loudly. And no, I cannot sing.

... You'd know I have a fear of stepping on frogs. I hate walking through long grass because I'm always worried I'll step on a frog or a snake. I've made people piggy-back me before because I almost lost it. Not exactly a proud moment.

Old Navy blouse; Gap cardigan; Winners pants; ALDO shoes

... You'd know I'm a crazy cat-lady. Sometimes my friend and I text pictures of our cats back and forth. I gush about how my cat tries to bite my bathroom wall and she shows me pictures of her cat sleeping in garbage cans. A video chat may be in the works so our cats can meet, too. We're very very cool.

... You'd know I always over-cook my meat. Food poisoning is the worst thing in the world, and after having it enough I have a fear of uncooked meat. I also try and avoid meat-based fast food meals as much as I can. I just don't trust it.


Whew - that was fun! I'd love to hear any "if you really knew me" posts from you guys - if you happen to write one, you should link it up in the comments so I can go read it. They're fun :)

A little darker.

Dynamite top; Forever 21 skirt; ALDO shoes; Fossil watch

I wore this outfit out over the weekend but didn't have a chance to snap pictures because we were in a rush. Thanks to vacations I have the ability to catch up on some of my outfit photos that I wasn't able to snap over the last few weeks. The trouble is trying to remember what I wore...

And here's the new hair colour! It's darker than I went last time, but it fades slightly with every wash so it will get lighter as time goes on. I like it though.

Beach day today! Off I go to not get a tan and to read a good book in the beautiful sunshine!

White and blue.

Tommy Hilfiger top; American Eagle pants; Aldo shoes; Joe Fresh belt

There's something so classic about pairing white pants with a blue button-up shirt. To add some more colour, I styled it with a pink belt. I think the look turned out a little nautical in the end, ant it was perfect for spring!

As I had mentioned before, our weather has been going through a warm spell. As much as I don't want to have to throw on another jacket, I really don't want to get rid of my pants just yet. I still have so many ways I'd like to style these white babies, along with my green and red ones. I'm not ready for shorts-weather... That can come next month :) 

From boot to skinny.

Smart set top, necklace and jacket; Old Navy pants; Aldo shoes

When I bought these pants they were boot-cut. Then I washed and dried them. They shrunk. They became these weird flood-type length and I didn't know what to do. Then I remembered Merrick (from Merrick's Art) and her brilliant refashioning tutorials.  She did this one where she re-fashioned wide-leg trousers into skinny pants.

I followed all her steps and it actually was super simple! I was able to turn these into skinnies without a problem (except if you look closely at the bottom hem, the length doesn't match.. but who will be looking at the inside of my pants hem?!). I'm pretty impressed with myself. Not going to lie. It's given a brand-new life to these pants. If you've got anything you want to turn from wide to skinny, I would advise you to follow this tutorial. It rocks.

Side note: Can you tell the weather affects what I wear?

There are many ways to rock the green jeans.

Dynamite jacket & shirt; Winners jeans; Aldo shoes

I actually wore this outfit way back on St. Patrick's day, but it wasn't very nice out, I was very sick and not in the mood for taking photos. I really loved how the blue and green went together, so I couldn't forget about this outfit!

I had someone point out to me "when are you going to wear those pants other than St. Patrick's day?"... I thought to myself, did you really just ask me that question? My response: "All the time. There are many ways to rock the green jeans".  Next time I see them, I'm wearing these green pants again JUST to show them that it's possible. People of the world, coloured pants are not exclusively holiday-themed. 

Hipster flare.

Gap cardigan; AE jeans; H&M top; Aldo shoes

The style of these jeans are "hipster flare".... Whatever that's supposed to mean. To be honest, I don't really equate hipsters with flared jeans. I found the name quite amusing, especially since these are turning out to be a wonderful pants choice for work! They fit into our business-really-casual environment and still look nicely tailored. Hipster? Not so much.

In other news, I have had this never-ending cold for almost two weeks now. Went to the doctor today because I've been practically falling asleep with sinus pressure and what do you know... I've got a sinus infection. Yahooooooo. That being said, I have three posts left in the queue because I've been really lazy about taking outfit photos, and since I've been sick, I've been putting it off until I "feel better".  Now that I'm starting antibiotics there shouldn't be an issue, but in case I go off the radar for a few days, it's because I've probably fallen asleep due to sinus congestion and haven't woken up yet. Seriously, I feel like I could sleep for a week.

Happy Wednesday to you all!

Trend of the Month: Neon

F21 shirt; Dynamite blazer; American Eagle pants; Aldo shoes; Smart Set necklace

Today I'm linking up with Marion at Marionberry's Trend of the Month challenge - Neon! I always love participating in these things. I get to discover so many new awesome blogs and see how everyone else styles their neon pieces :)

So there you have it: spring is officially here. See the tiny bits of snow left behind? Crazy that in literally 3 days we went from having a foot of snow to nothing at all. And this week we've got June weather. It's kind of fabulous.

Anyways, go check out the others rocking their neon! I know I will be ;)

Surviving Canadian Winters: Accessories.

Welcome to the second part of "Surviving Canadian Winters". Previously I've shown you about how I survive in terms of jackets, and now I'm introducing you to my choice in accessories.  I don't really wear hats...? Call me crazy but hoods are wonderful and do just fine for me :)

1. The Leather Gloves & Printed Scarf.

Costco gloves & eBay scarf

I wear the leather pair of gloves more than any of the others. They're great for running errands because they keep your hands warm from the car to the store, and back.  They also give great grip when you're driving - super important. If I want to look dressy, I will wear them as well. Usually for that purpose I'll pair them with a light-weight scarf like this one :)

2. The Knits & Flannel.

Garage mitts & Old Navy scarf

When I'm looking for a bit of warmth, I turn to these mitts and this scarf.  I've also got a few knit cowls I will throw on as well, but I didn't photograph them to keep this post a little more simple. Though these are warm, if I was to be outside for a long period of time I would choose accessory set #3.

3. The Insulated Mitts & Eat-Your-Face Scarf.

?? gloves & ALDO scarf

These guys go on my hands when I'm planning on being outside for a long while.  They're insulated, warm, and waterproof. Sometimes I'll throw these on when I'm letting the puppy out for a bit so that my hands don't even feel the cold. They're wonderful inventions. Now, someone just has to make a fashionable pair! New business idea? ;) I pair these with my Eat-Your-Face scarf, because that's exactly what it does. And I don't mind, because it keeps me warm even in the most frigid of temperatures!

There you have it! The inside scoop on how Kelly survives Canadian winters with accessories. Stay tuned for the third and final instalment: boots.

Are you guys fans of winter hats? What do you wear to keep your ears warm?