swedish kittens + danny roberts

I was always one to like Stockholm Magazine's Swedish Kittens editorial featuring Mona Johannesson and Bo Develius so I was more than happy to see that Danny Roberts had picked one of the images to do an oil painting of. Danny Roberts is easily one of my favourite artists. I'm really in love with his unique style of fashion illustration.

Last month he hosted a live stream painting and I tuned in every so often to see how it was coming along. It was really great opportunity to see his process. If any of you are still interested in seeing it, the last half is available for viewing here. Or if you're looking to peruse his work, which I highly recommend, visit www.igorandandre.blogspot.com.

Below is a rough sketch and a snippet of the finish painting! Mona and Bo are darn adorable.

city girl

Since starting at university downtown, I can't help but feel of more of city girl nowadays. This includes taking the subway, dodging pedestrians and cars alike on the street, tracking down my food craving of the day, and trekking across town to see if I can squeeze in a shopping trip before and between classes. In any case, there's a sure sense of hustle and bustle. Though I'm becoming quite accustomed to the lifestyle, my wardrobe is having a harder time coping. Whether the ground is covered in snow or I've stumbled out of bed far later than my alarm, I often opt for more comfortable and practical clothing choices which may not be the most stylish.

Free People's January 2012 lookbook featuring Karlie Kloss has a perfect balance of comfort and style. Any of these looks are easy to throw on but without the sloppy appearance. I look to this for a little inspiration though the weather would have to warm up before I could wear any outfits like these.

Here are my favourite looks of the bunch!

boxing week haul

In the past few years I've created a tradition of going boxing day shopping. I awaken at 7AM after three hours of precious sleep from Christmas day partying, drag myself to the busiest mall in Toronto, and go elbow-to-elbow in a sea of people for a sale. I'm beginning to realize I may not have to put myself through so much trouble anymore though since most sales carry out for the entire week. In fact, most of what I've snagged were from days past boxing day. Anyhow, I'm here to show you some of the deals I snapped up!

The first were these pair of Wilfred drapey lyocell pants in the colour tourbe. I actually didn't have these pants in mind too much before. However, Christmas day I discovered I had ruined one of my few and favourite pairs of pants by sitting in what looks like black ink. They were completely unsalvageable and therefore, new pants were now priority. I bought these pants for about 30% the original price, which I find pretty reasonable for Aritzia. A little tip though, Aritzia's winter sale actually starts on Christmas eve and everything stays marked down for as long as everything is in stock. I've learned that their sale isn't any different on boxing day, so if you want to skip the crowd I suggest going on any other day throughout the holidays.

The next two things I picked up were essie nail polish from Trade Secrets. They, too, were having a winter sale (not a boxing day sale) and offering a buy one, get one half off sale for their essie nail polish. The colours I chose were Steel-ing the scene and Cocktail Bling.

Something else I was happy to find were these Dolce Vita Monz boots from Little Burgundy. They were marked down and also given an additional 30% off at the cash. I had to order in my size to the store but I was more than happy to wait, plus shipping is free when you order through the store! They came within four days, shipped from Calgary.

My last and most lavish purchase was this Wilfred Marquis jacket in the colour marais. I was already planning to buy it at the original price because I've needed a new fall/spring jacket. For their winter sale, it's been marked down to around 40% off. It was a little hard to find but I'm really glad I was able to.

What I really love about this jacket is that it's quilted, and therefore incredibly comfortable, but also the subtle details. It has great sewing details around the elbows and shoulders, a cinched waist, and when you open it up, it's lined with this unique leopard print that peeks out if you roll up the sleeves. I'm absolutely in love with it and I can't wait until winter passes so I can wear it.

Besides the things were, I also purchased an XBOX and a few games to go with it on boxing day. I'm really pleased with what I've found this year. They were collectively paid for in Christmas money and giftcards. I'm still eyeing a few things here and there, like a blouse or a hat. I may do one last look-around before I have to get back into "school mode" and won't have much time to shop for a few months. I'm basking in these last few days of a vacation I have. Hope everyone is having or has had a great holiday!