Not Too Late for a Garden Party

With Canadian Thanksgiving past and Halloween—creepily shuffling its feet towards October in that dimly lit alley behind WalMart—around the corner, it’s safe to say Fall is upon us. Already, nary not a pumpkin-laced treat or scalding hot beverage, knitted-cabled sweater coziness, or flat-heeled ankle boot already in your weekend casual game’s rotation. Fall and all that comes along with it is great, I kid you not, but let’s face it folks, summer is just so much gosh-darn better: there’s more sunlight in the day to chase your dreams (with drinks on a patio); you’re free to bear your tri’s and bi’s in all their sleeveless glory; BBQ’d anything every night of the week; and the warmth, my god the warmth, of the sun on your sunglasses-framed face.

With that, allow me to take the time to look back on the sunshine of a couple of months earlier with these garden-party-worthy florals, a shift dress highly appropriate for the office and epic cap sleeves. #summerthrowback

It’s high time I embraced the current season—have you?

Things You’ll Miss When Summer Ends

Button-up, Zara / Shorts, Club Monaco

In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re in the throes of summer. The temperature, hemlines and number of mosquitoes whispering sweet nothings into my ears at night are on the rise. Oh and if you also weren’t aware, and pay very little attention to your iCalendar, summer’s almost over. That’s tough beans for us Northerners who waited for what seemed like 3 years to feel the sun on our faces and practice our right to bare arms in sleeveless shift dresses again when Polar Vortex happened. Knowing that summer’s end is imminent has my frown right-side up! Sun-kissed moments are fleeting and I, as well as you, won’t take them for granted. Here’s a list of things that will be missed once that apple-crisp Autumn air sends a shiver up your backside.

1. Driving with the windows down & hair fox-trotting in the wind
2. Al fresco dining…or drinking…or drinking while dining al fresco
3. Shirtless joggers…or dudes who believe it’s too hot to wear their shirts
4. Wandering aimlessly around your ‘hood just because it’s a nice day to be outside
5. Simply saying the words, “Holy sh*t, it’s a nice day to be outside”
6. Wearing less because feeling cool means more
7. SHORTS (see above)

Can’t Pull Off A Crop Top…Or Can You?

“I can’t pull that off” is not a phrase I utter often. But when it came to the latest 90’s redux, I threw my hands up in the air and exasperated loudly, “Now there’s a trend I could never try!”. Smash cut to me coming across this list of plus size bloggers who look staggering as they obliterate all the rules of fashion. All of them. Crop tops for days. Now this isn’t exactly a crop top, merely long-sleeved Under Armour tucked under my bosom—but I do see a real one on the horizon.

What can we learn from this? Never say never. Don’t be scurred (read: scared) to go against the grain, be it in fashion or another aspect of your life. If you feel good, you look damn good. Have you rocked a crop top this season?

Blue Is The Warmest Colour

A month of Men’s Spring/Summer 2015 fashions will be wrapping up next week. I used to get lady wood for the clothes that made their way down the runway or that stood still for a presentation when the both the Men’s and Women’s shows would roll around—but “ready-to-wear” was oh-so-very loosely defined and the luxury prices much too high for my overtly modest living. Now, it’s the fashion seen on da mean streets of Pitti, Milan, and London etc that gets me off. Yes, I know, people who attend the shows put a lot of effort into looking like they effortlessly put themselves together so uniquely and creatively. But you gotta love ’em for giving a damn. The same cannot be said for 78% of the people who work in my building…

Men wear blue all the time. But these men wear blue like they give a shit and don’t it look nice?

*Images via GQ and W