Summer Sale Alert!

Shop my pics from the SHOPBOP mega summer sale! See what I've chosen to wear now and to transition into Fall...

Shopping Cities

Which is your shopping city?

Time To Stuff Your Stocking

Yes, I know how that sounds...

Why I’ll Never Wear Mom Jeans

Plus other comments & concerns…. 

Altuzarra For Target

The 5 items we think will sell out faster than you can get trampled by a swam of shoppers on September 14th. 

How To: Dress Like A Mean Girl

Happy 10th anniversary Mean Girls!

Town Shoes Spring Preview

Close your eyes and picture yourself strolling down the street, freshly pedicured and flaunting a new pair of sandals.

If this is your spring time dream, read on to see how Town Shoes and your local friendly nail salon can help you achieve this.

Classy Ladies Wear Stockings

If you were ever told as a young lady never to leave the house with bare legs this one's for you. 

Oh but also if you're anti-pantyhose maybe stick around a bit and check out what I have to say about the awesome tights that are available to us ladies these days. I promise, these are not your Grandma's pantyhose!

Also, I will discuss cats wearing tights. Why? Well I have no idea why.

Ready....Set...SALE!

 







Happy Thanksgiving! 

Now how do you burn off all that turkey? 

You get your shopping on thats how! Grey Thursday, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Holiday Season Sales can provide your cardio for the next week. 

To Buy Or Not To Buy

My search for a mature sequin skirt my finally be over. 

The $7,000 Shoe: A Yearning For Exclusive Fashion

Is the exclusivity of our favorite brands affecting our shopping habits more than we know?

Phillip Lim For Target: A Review

That time I lined up in front of Target....and why I would do it again

Back To Cool

Guys, I have a confession to make...I really miss school.

The Round Up: Friday August 16,2013

Happy Friday everyone! 

To Buy Or Not To Buy

For the past few months I have been obsessing over summer leather. It all started when I laid eyes on a blush colored perforated leather shirt from our friends at BCBG, then there was the stunning beige perforated skater skirt from Anthropologie.  If you haven’t already noticed this past season, leather is not going anywhere, be it faux, leatherette or the real stuff, the trend is going strong and is being carried over into the fall/winter collections.

Not just for keeping you toasty any more, leather is in my opinion, a really versatile addition to any outfit. My favorite is the contrast between a leather skirt and a flowy silk blouse, hello DVF fall collection anyone? Also, the new colored leathers are really wearable, if you want to avoid that “biker” look than stay away from black and pick up a piece in blush, gray or even a bright orange.

In my search for the perfect fall transition leather piece I have found so many sweet leather items, in many different price ranges.

This of course brings us to the age old dilemma; to buy or not to buy?

We kick off this edition with the SPLURGE item. The faux/vegan version by Anthropologie.  Maybe because it’s styled with that AWESOME necklace, or because the back is actually cotton so you don’t sweat your t*ts off, it seems to be the perfect top, I know I say this a lot but; I actually NEED this shirt in my life! 

Also, Anthro claims vegan leather is becoming one of their go-to fabrics, so I’m on board. I am a huge fan of anything Anthropologie has on its shelves, the quality is always great and the designs are unique and not over saturated in the market by other designers, so you don’t see that item you invest in on everyone else the next weekend. Sculpted Katia Top - Anthropologie

This top comes in at $98 US (before taxes)

VS the SALE item, this sexy perforated faux leather shirt from Zara. Currently on sale it comes in at $29.99 ( before taxes).  It is basically just a shell, it doesn’t have a zipper, its 100% polyester, but it is such a  cute perforated pattern and in an off white which can be worn so many different ways. 

 It has the same boxy cut as the Anthro version but with different details. Its the same, but different  figure that one out. Cut-out Faux Leather Top  - Zara

So what do you think? Would you SPLURGE or SAVE when looking for a cool new piece of summer leather? Let me know and please feel free to share any other great finds of yours in the leather category. 

Game Changers: At the Office

Have you ever gotten dressed on a Monday morning in a zombie state, into what you knew was a lame outfit, yet you had no ambition to dedicate any brain cells towards finding something creative to wear to your office job?

Have you also ever noticed how sometimes my intro’s sound a bit, or a lot, like a cheesy infomercial?

Well, look no further! Because today we are going to discuss how to get out of your office wardrobe funk! No gimmicks or easy payment of $9.99 necessary, just my suggestion to incorporate a few GAME CHANGERS into your daily wardrobe.

I know working in an office can mean day after day of boring outfits. But I believe that’s only if you allow that to happen. I get it, we can’t exactly change up our work attire too drastically, and some of us office dwellers can’t even wear carpi’s or expose our forearms in our office. So, without breaking any of these corporate rules I like to style my work outfits in a way that still expresses my love for fashion but doesn’t get me fired. This doesn’t mean wearing shorts to work (although I wish I could). It means incorporating a few game changers into the mix.

What is a game changer you ask? It could mean something different to everyone, depending on your style. If you dress to the nines every single day a game changer for you will be a whole lot more drastic than someone whose staples include Brooks Brothers khaki’s and no-iron button downs.

Here are some examples of what I believe are true GAME CHANGERS for any office wardrobe.

These Michael Kors suede pumps are gorgeous. I spotted them in person yesterday and fell instantly in love (we are getting into pre-fall here people, and I have been scoping out the goods so be prepared to hear a lot more about this season in the upcoming weeks). Michael Kors Delphine SuedePumps

The small detail of the gold buckle and the bow can do wonders for your black skirt + sensible dress shirt combo. A true game changer would be to skip black and try the beige or the pink pair, are you brave enough? You can also try something like THIS…

But why not take it a lil further?

Instead of a white button down (don’t get me wrong a nice crisp white dress shirt can be super sexy) substitute for a patterned silk blouse. My roomie from law school, who is now a practicing lawyer, told me she wears a sheer top sometimes to work. Under a jacket and with a camisole underneath no doubt, but regardless, even she doesn't restrict herself to boring-ass office attire.     Rachel Zoe sheer blouse

I LOVE my classic black blazer. I love it so much in fact “it” doesn't really apply, it’s more like “them”, I have an intimidating army of black drone blazers that all look the same, and I wear then constantly. A week does not go by in which I don't wear a black blazer at least 3 times, and admitting that makes me sad. There is actually no rule that says you must wear a boring black jacket every day of your life if you work in an office. Now that you know that, let’s explore your options. Starting with this navy stitched lapel jacket by Band of Outsiders. 

See now refreshing that is? The ultimate summer jacket is of course the white structured blazer, have you thought to wear yours to work? Lis Jacket by Robert Rodriguez. 

OK, so now that you get the point, I would love for you to participate in my lil Instagram experiment. If you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed yesterday I posted a pic of MY game changers at the office, my leopard print pony hair Louboutin espadrilles. I encourage you to do the same, just add the hashtags #gamechanger and #nothingtowearblog so I can check out what you've posted. Follow me on Instagram @jennynov23 

A Public Service Announcement...

on buyers remorse.....

Are you a chronic impulse shopper? The sad reality is that most of us who give in to the thrill and excitement of the impulse buy usually experience something less thrilling several hours later. That "something", is buyers remorse. 

While I have experienced other types of fashion related grievances such as "cut too much of my hair off remorse", and the always painful, "wish I had bought those pumps before they sold out of my size remorse", I rarely suffer from buyers remorse.

This is mainly because I carefully choose which big ticket items I am going to purchase, and I  budget for them or wait for the BIG sales to begin. I have learned that designer shoes at 80% off are MUCH more spectacular then at regular price, and trust me they are always worth the wait and unless you're attending Paris fashion week, nobody is going to notice your shoes are last season. 

But every few years I do end up with something in my closet that makes me cringe every time I  lay eyes on it. hey, nobody's perfect. Last year it was a Marni bathing suit with NO LINING! What is the point of this? Who lounges by a pool or seaside and resists the urge to take a plunge? What sort of cruel joke is that? REGRET!

I also have a few pairs of shoes that fall into this category. Mainly Tory Burch logo flats and a pair of raffia Pucci pumps that are so painful they are impossible to wear for under five minutes. REGRET!

But, all in all I have noticed over the past few years that I have matured in such a way that has allowed me to almost never feel those tinges of buyer’s remorse, and I am quite proud of myself.

Last week while I was purchasing a new dress at BCBG I overheard a young lady at the cashier returning a stunning gown. “I brought it home and felt sooo guilty spending $400 on a dress”. She returned the gorgeous frock for a full refund and then left the store with her head held high and $400 in her pocket. What this lady did was quite brave, not only did she have the self-control, and enough sense to part with the stunning dress, but she was honest with the sales girl. I can only imagine the list of excuses I would have made if that were me, “I ended up finding something I liked better the next day at a diff store, sorry”, “When I tried it on at home I realized that I didn't like the way it makes my backside look”, etc, etc.  

How many of us would have been honest and revealed that the dress was out of our budget? 

Funny enough, while I was writing this post a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to buy a SPECTACULAR pair of Pre-Fall' 13 Gucci pumps off of her, sadly they are not my size, but kudos to my fashionable friend who just told me "I am suffering from buyers remorse!". 

This had me thinking; what leads to impulse purchases?

I believe it may stem from how we feel when we are about to purchase an item, a shopper often feels positive emotions associated with a purchase  and an anticipation of the enjoyment that will accompany using the product. Afterwards, having made the purchase, that is only when we are able to experience any negative aspects associated with the purchase, such as having to pay off the credit card you used, and even realizing once you cut the tags off that it is not as amazing as you thought it was when you spotted it in the store. 

We have a "proper" term for this now - "post-purchase rationalization"; which is when someone purchases an expensive product or service and overlooks any faults or defects in order to justify their purchase.  

Expensive purchases often involve a lot of careful research and deliberation, and many consumers will often refuse to admit that their decision was made in poor judgment. Many bit ticket purchases are made emotionally, based on factors such as brand-loyalty and advertising. Have you ever purchased something  solely because you were loyal to the brand?

Such as my BCBG experience  my loyalty to the brand is what lands me in the store time after time, have I purchased items from that store that were not necessarily what I was looking for or within my price range? I will admit, yes! 

OK, enough with the smarty pants talk...my brain hurts.

So what can we do to prevent buyers remorse? 

"How to prevent buyers remorse and impulse buys from occurring". I found this interesting "worksheet" which claims to help prevent buyers remorse, sounds a bit hardcore, but I chalked it up to personal development and gave it a try. 

Check it out for yourself, the first step is to identify 5 items in your closet that you LOVE, and ask yourself why? Logically, the next step is to identify 5 items you wish you never bought, this is hard to admit, so try your best to be honest with yourself. The last step is to make a list of items you believe are MISSING from your wardrobe, there is even a list of "wardrobe-essentials" to guide you. 

So, I'm going to open up the floor now and let you share your regretful fashion purchases, cmon, I know you can do it. Look at it as an exercise towards rehabilitation. Acceptance is the first step you know. 

Eye Spy

As an attempt to curb an over-indulgent and expensive habit I live by one simple rule; I am only allowed to buy sunglasses every OTHER year!

And as it appears, THIS is my year, woohoo!

Usually I jump on this opportunity, but sadly, this year, I have been struggling to find that “perfect pair”.

It started in Italy, where hubby was practically begging me to choose a pair. Even though the Prada sunnies I had coveted for the past 10 months were within my grasp I said no, multiple times, and walked away sans new sun glasses. (IDIOT!) I then spotted them at the duty-free in the Toronto airport and once again passed them up.

Why was I having such a hard time committing to a new pair?

I realized this past weekend my hesitation was due in part to the fact that there are waaaay too many options out there. I’m not talking color, or designer, or even price range, but just style alone can paralyze the indecisive shopper.

Which style is trendy this year? Good question, personally I believe the answer to that is cat eye!  Or maybe aviator… no it could be round, or vintage, maybe its wire…oh who the hell knows? All I know is that if you’re like me and already have 1. a classic brown light frame 2. an aviator and 3. a “movie star” pair of big black framed sunnies, you are basically set for life.So now you’re asking why I would want another pair if I already have those three “classics”; you do know I’m a hoarder, right? 

Just in case anyone else is experiencing the same anguish over such a big commitment, I have put together a list of potential suitors.  From an array of styles and in different price ranges, here is your summer sunnies shopping guide! 

1. Aviator: When you hear the word aviator do you not automatically think RAYBANS? That is why I refuse to wear Rayban aviators. There are so many other possibilities out there, and many in the same price range.

These Marc by Marc aviators are a perfect example. I like the gold version best. They are as light weight as you can possibly find. Available from Shopbop. If you're looking for an aviator that will stand out from the crowd and not just your basic wire frame pair, check out these House of Harlow "Lynn" sunnies. 

2. Cat Eye: Definitely my favorite style this year. I think these Stella McCartney's from Shopbop are gorgeous. 

I know this shape of frame is not for everyone. But surprisingly its more flattering than you think.  It suits many different face shapes so I suggest trying on a pair, you may be pleasantly surprised. 

3. Oversized: I absolutely love oversized sunglasses for the exact same reason I suspect celebrities love them, they hide most of your face and make you feel extra glamorous. 
These Ombre Oversidzed Glasses from Anthropologie hit all those marks but are trendy enough to not be stuffy or too old fashioned.

4.Statement: I have several pairs of statement sunglasses and they are all "cheap", like I'm talking under $20. The only exception is a pair I picked up with one of my best friend's back in 2008 from Topshop in the UK. We were travelling to Paris later on that week and thought a pair of trendy, Euro style glasses would be a smart accessory. That's one purchase I do not regret  I still have those glasses and I love them just as much 5 years later. That lead me to believe that I should invest in a designer pair.

Sheriff&Cherry makes these fun statement glasses, they are fairly reasonably priced as well, so if you want to try out something "different" but still want something more practical as a backup, you wont break the bank. 

EDITORS NOTE: Haha I always wanted to write that. Anyways, at the time of posting I have FINALLY purchased a new pair of sunglasses. I also decided calling them “sunnies” is stupid. My new babies are Stella McCartney, found on super sale at the new hr2 in Vaughn Mills Mall. 

The Round Up: June 28, 2013

I have always been a fan of patterns, prints, and stripes. The less conventional the pattern the happier I am. Give me birds, lil horsey’s, frogs, you name it and I will wear it with pride.

Imagine my excitement with the arrival of all these new citrus print patterns that have been sprouting up over the past few seasons.

It all started with the Stella McCartney lemon lime and grapefruit patterned skirt pictured above that sparked my love for citrus print clothing and accessories. Since I didn't win the lottery last summer I never had the chance to own that "sweet" skirt. I truly longed for the day when a more affordable line produced a similar pattern.

Luckily this summer the pattern is still quite popular and very wearable. Today's round up lists three designers who have embraced the trend, in three different price ranges.

Enjoy, and happy Canada Day to all you crazy Canadians ;)

1.Treat Yourself: Pineapple Mini from J.Crew

You guys, how cute is this skirt? And the good thing is its not TOO cute, its just the right amount of fun, it tells the world you don't take life too serious but you can make serious fashion choices (and that's good right?) I love it paired exactly as is, with a basic stripped t-shirt. 

2. The Investment Piece: Moschino Knee Length Skirt

Moschino is having a sale, a big one! This skirt is now 50% off, its still a slight investment and heck its not super practical but its Moschino, so its special, and its made in Italy, and its got pineapples on it, can you really go wrong?

This Pineapple print shirt is also on sale

I have one issue with this amazing online sale, they don't shop to Canada :( As a side note can someone please help me petition for shipping to Canada!!! My favorite brand doesn't ship to my country. This is really distressing. 

3. Break the Bank: And now, in things I will never own unless they go on super sale, the Charlotte Olympia Fruit Clutch.

Its really not fair that these babies are so expensive, but I get it, they are limited edition and highly coveted.  Check out the watermelon counterpart (I'm thirsty for some sangria right now by the way)

Sure, its the same amount as a mortgage payment, but I am pretty sure with purchase you also inherit a watermelon farm, right? Either way i still think its super cute, hey if someone can find me a cheaper version I would be all over that. Lemme know in the comments below if you have any shopping tips :)