Friday, January 28, 2011

While reading Mimi Spencer's 101 Things to Do Before you DIET - a book that is great at making you feel wonderful in your own skin - I came across this little tidbit: "Fashion, if you're living and loving it, is an intimate and glorious thing. It thrives on personality and attitude, complexion and lifestyle; it is sparked by age, contained by budget, driven by dreams, and influenced by a whole lot of other things that have nothing to do with the size of your bottom in relation to the width of your hips." Mimi, you are a wise woman.

Nicolina Leone

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Finding colour.

After changing three times this morning I finally left the house feeling somewhat comfortable in what I was wearing. The problem? I'm PALE! And not the nice kind of pale that lovely red-headed girls can pull off. The kind of pale that washes you out no matter what you do. And I have dark, dark hair which I feel doesn't help my case either.

After the trial and error process, I realized the problem and the enemy - pastels. Unfortunately for me, and others like me, they just aren't our friends when we've lost the bronze luster of the summer months. But that's ok! There's so much else out there. Bold colours, vibrant colours, deeper colours, all that and more. Basically anything that doesn't blend with your skin colour. You can even start going for brighter colours if you're daring enough. Experiment and, like the last post said, start getting ready for Spring. Because it really is just around the corner.

Now that I know, next time I will be able to save myself wasted minutes of undressing and redressing in front of the mirror. Or, maybe I'll just go on vacation and get a tan.

Nicolina Leone

Friday, January 21, 2011

A trend to 'watch' for.

Shortly after Christmas, I met two of my close girlfriends, Cait and Mau, for a quick Starbucks catch up before Cait went back to Toronto. Hugs and pleasantries were exchanged, coffee’s purchased and a cozy table for three was found.

It didn’t take long for Mau to realize that Cait was wearing a new Michael Kors watch. As she grabbed Caitlin’s wrist she somehow simultaneously rolled back her own sleeve (I guess she had gotten a third arm for Christmas) to show off her similar new acquisition. The first thing I noticed? They were both big. Big faces, big straps – man watches.

But who was I to judge, they were two of the trendiest girls I knew and I had a feeling that this was a trend that had just begun. And then there it was. In a Tiffany’s ad in one of my magazines, another man watch. And then sprinkled throughout all my magazines. Different colours, materials, and styles but all big and mostly with round faces.

I don’t know where it came from but, ladies, prepare yourselves. The prices of these designer bad boys can run quite high. If you do shell out the money you may find that you are low on funds to accessorize that grand accessory. Fret not, at Hush we always have something for everything. Look for baggier fitting shirts and sweaters compliment your prized-time-piece without overpowering it. Keeping things neutral and solid will also give the watch more of a chance to pop.

Nicolina Leone

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Finding yourself matching the weather?!

Now that the glitz and glam of the holidays is over, its easy to find ourselves slipping into a wardrobe funk. With Ottawa's dark skies looming, its hard to feel inspired to wear anything other than all black outfits. We even start to convince ourselves that adding gray to an outfit is spicing it up!

For those of us who aren't vacationing in the Carribean this season, its tricky to know how to incorporate yellows and aquas into our wardrobes. Just because we spend so much time in colder climate doesn't mean there should be no warmth in our outfits.

Make your New Years Resolution to incorporate more colour!!

This can be done in many ways and to different degrees. Try opting for no black at all by combining bolder shades like Cobalt Blue or Crimson Red with a more neutral Brown, Rust or Cream.

If you're not able to give up your black all together, opt for accessories with colour or a coloured cami that will brighten up your outfit. Accessories don't have to just include jewellery, try accessorizing with a bold purse, a bright scarf or some fabulous pumps.

Even though we can't control the weather, we can choose brighter skies for our wardrobe by adding in touches of colour. Plus, starting this now will make the transition to spring that much easier!