Shopping Tips

Sometimes I hear people say tings like "I hate shopping!" This. Is. Unacceptable. I'm not saying everyone has to be like me, the die-hard shopper that lives, eats and sleeps it, but it should be a pretty enjoyable experience. After all, you're out there BUYING thins for YOURSELF. How do you not enjoy that? I'm sorry, we probably can't be friends.

I have some ideas that can make shopping a little easier on both the feet and the pocketbook. One day, you shall be a shopping lover, and I will you see you twirling your shopping bags in circles and throwing your hat up in the air Mary Tyler Moore style in the mall. We'll get there, I promise. This is on my mind especially because I am FINALLY going to buy some of those cute academy sweaters today. I can't believe I have put it off this long. Must have one! K, so here we go.

-SHOES! Put some thought into the shoes you wear shopping. I know you're automatically thinking comfort, but please! before you pull out your perfectly white Keds, remember the purpose of trying on these clothes is to make sure they look good. You will not be happy if you go to try on a cute skirt with clunky old running shoes. *shudder* My advice is to shop in flats. They look good with pretty much any type of clothing, and will give you a better idea of how the clothes will look and not leave you frustrated. Trying on jeans? Remember that there are different length inseams. I get longer jeans to wear with my heels and shorter jeans to wear wit flats. When trying on long jeans for heels, do a little tippy toe test (stand on your toes about three inches in the air) and make sure they'll fall correctly....and that your butt looks good. Go ahead, give it a little peek.

- Wear something presentable. Remember that there will be other people shopping, and you'll feel all frumpy and unrepresentable if you head out in sweats and mom jeans.

- Do not bring children if you are serious about shopping for yourself. Don't get me wrong, I nip into stores with my two year old all the time, but I don't do real shopping with her. You'll get too frustrated and then tell me you hate shopping. And that will make me cry.

- STAY OUT OF CHILDREN'S STORES. If you are going shopping for yourself, stay away from the dang Gymboree stuff. I know there might be a sale, but you'll go in, drop a small fortune on weirdly coordinated apple clothing, and then feel guilty when you walk into an adult store because all of your money is gone. This is for you.

- Set a spending limit. It'll stop that awful buyer's remorse I used to get all the time (now I have no remorse. HA! Yes, I'll be here all week. Tip your waitress.) If you only want to spend $20 on a top, weed them out accordingly. Trust me, there are many tops in the proverbial sea. That $35 one does not need to belong to you if it does not belong in the budget. Good deals are to be found!!

- Eat something!! If you're in a mall, grab a pretzel and something with a little bit of protein so you're not all rainy-day-susan. Alot of time we're just rushing around and forget about it. Grab a smoothie and you can sip and shop. You'll have a better time, trust me.

K, that should be it for now. I use shopping as my 'me' time. At least once a month, I pass the duties off to my husband, kiss him and the baby goodbye, and head out on my own for a few hours. Not only is it because I love shopping, but I also love ADULT time, when the old Jae shakes off the dust and comes out to play, umbrella stroller not included. Remember when YOU were an adult? That was fun, wasn't it? Doing big people things! So try it, for yourself, just once, and tell me I totally haven't changed your opinion on the big 'S'. (That's shopping, not smoothie, although I could use a Mango-a-go-go today...)

Sweater Weather!

YAY! So fall is officially here, and it's all crispy and and cool-y and I am deliriously happy right now. I am having a good month girls, I love October! Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on this coming Sunday, so I have alot to get done, as I always host a Canadian Thanksgiving at our house wit all of our friends that have Canadian ties. I'll tell you, it is really easy to find people with Canadian ties when you look. Maple leaf forever!

And what will I be wearing to Canadian Thanksgiving? Why, a sweater of course! I heart sweaters to ridiculous degree and I buy them up in huge quantities. You know Black Friday, when the world braves shopping at 3am for the best deals? While everyone else is snatching up Wii's and DVD's, I'm like, ooh! Cheap sweaters!

Anyhow, I set out to check for new trends that I love in sweaters this year and I had a little sweater-gasm and started writing down a SHOPPING LIST of sweaters and which stores they were at so that this weekend I could go partake. Nevermind that I'm pregnant. I WILL BUY THEM! And since I love them all, I'll be posting lots of pics. Ahhh heaven.

K, so doesn't this just look like the perfect fall sweater? I love the neckline and collar, and the big buttons are perrrrrfect. I want this. Forever 21.


This is the newest thing I have seen for the season, these awesome little drape-front cardigans. Perfect to throw over anything, and all of a sudden look put together. This one was at Bluefly for like $60, but I saw them at Charlotte Russe for $19. Just saying.


K, remember dusters??? I have a red one that I can't bear to throw out even though it is horribly dated and screams "2001!" Well, YAY, because dusters are back but new-school. See how they are shorter? Gone are the stumpifying calf-length ones, choose ones that go no lower than mid thigh. Papaya.



Every woman should have a classic, cable knit sweater. Love how they've pinned this one with a brooch, and I am seeing shawl collars everywhere.


Or do a simpler silhouette, love the scoop neck here, super super flattering. Remember that sweaters shouldn't be bulky. Streamlined is best. Metro Style.


Everyone knows my obsession with argyle, and luckily everyone has it now. So smart! Love layering that is built in, again, not bulky and you look like you actually know something about fashion. Forever 21



I LOVE THESE SWEATERS! They are these cute "academy" type ones, they are freaking adorable. Can't you see this, which a white, collared button up under, some skinnier jeans and flats? LOVE. I am definitely buying one this weekend because I can't even contain my excitement.

Sweaters are an awesome way to update or transition your wardrobe. Anyone up for a shopping trip?

Clutches! (Okay, and handbags in general)

K, so I wrote an entire blog dedicated to my hatred of diaper bags (You can read it here) Point is, I really, really hate them. Mom bags in general are pretty bad. But especially diaper bags. ANYWAYS, there are so many cute bags out there I don't know why you would have an ugly one. Especially with the reappearance of the satchel bag, which is perfect for the multi-function lover, you have NO EXCUSE to be carrying a bag with a teddy bear on it. K?

Let's familiarize ourselves with the different types of bags. Then, later when you're searching for yourself, you can look around using the style you like the best and which will suit your needs the most. All the bags I post will be from http://www.shopsueyboutique.com/ which allows me to have more handbags than I would ever need, in a million years. I'm not even kidding. I have an entire cupboard in our mudroom dedicated to handbags. My husband is disgusted.

THE SATCHEL

Satchel's are my personal favourite because they look very streamlined and a little more professional than your average bag. I like to at least maintain some semblance of being organized, even when I'm not. They are a medium-sized bag, usually with multiple pockets and goodness for better organization. I loved these when my daughter was still young enough to need all manner of snacks, drinks, and tiny board books. I really prefer satchels in grown-up textures, since they are grown up bag. Croc, python, etc. But as for colours, anything works, I especially love deep jewel tones, plums etc.

THE TOTE

The tote is the biggest of all the handbags, which makes it super functional and awesome. The best part about a huge bag is that it probably makes you look smaller in comparison (I hate seeing bigger girls with tiny little purses, it looks ridiculous). I recently started carrying a tote when my daughter starting wanting to bring colouring books everywhere. Also, I travel alot and they fit everything on the plane so I am not struggling with 8 bags. Love.

THE SHOULDER BAG

Also commonly known as an evening bag as well, it'll be the smallest of your typical handbags. That means that unlike the satchel, which is carried over the arm, or the tote, which is carried in the hand, it's carried (duh) over the shoulder. If you're choosing this, look for a drop (the word that describes the length of the handles) that is comfortable on you. Move around. Lean forward. Nothing is more ANNOYING than straps that are always sliding off your shoulders.

THE HOBO

The Hobo is by far the most relaxed of all the bags, and I carried one before I needed to be more organized. They are floppy and soft, and typically only have one or two compartments. This would be ideal if you didn't have as much gear (read: older kids) and just needed to chuck in a few things. Also great for those who demand comfort. They are going to be very slouchy and unstructured, usually in a 'u' type shape. Love it in a serious colour because its a fun bag.

THE CLUTCH

My very favourite of all bags because it goes with them all. My secret is to get an adorable clutch. Make sure it has a) pockets and organizers for your cards etc, to replace your mom-wallet and b) a wrist strap. Then, pop it into your giant bag when you're lugging it around with your kids. Later, when you have a date or are just running out on your own, you can just pull your clutch out and have all of your important stuff, and not look totally frumpalicious when you don't have to.

Accesorize...please?

K, so I have been meaning to write about accessories for a little while now, but it's just kind of weird territory because I feel like accessories are pretty personal as far as people's tastes go. I don't expect someone to have the same tastes as me, but I'll just kind of let you know what I'm into now. If you love it, great. If you don't, that's cool too.

The best part about accessories is that there are more "right" ways to do them than wrong. So really, you shouldn't be too afraid. I am telling you, before I got married I NEVER wore any type of jewelry. Through high school, I was mostly a tomboy, and owned a pair of DONKEY MITTENS. That's right. Mittens that looked like donkey puppets. And of course, I thought that was pretty much the height of fashion. When I met and was dating my future husband, he introduced me to very sparkly things and I became addicted. In fact, I got my ears pierced on my 21st birthday.

I know you're all GASPING in astonishment. For as girly as I am now, it took a long time to get there. Now I love messing around with adding things to an outfit. Here are my tried and true rules for jewelry and accessorizing.

-Pick out your jewelry after you've been fully dressed. I know the feeling when you really want to wear a piece, and load it on and it's just too much. Don't plan it, play by ear.

-Don't spend much on accessories. The point of accessories is to change an outfit. So spend more on a classic outfit, and change it up by adding a necklace or a scarf or something to make it trendier. I hardly ever spend more than $15 on one.

-Don't over do it. My personal rule is to place jewelry away from each other. For instance, I'll never do earrings and a necklace together, it's too much for me. But I'll do earrings and a bold bracelet, or a necklace and a few rings.

K, I'll show you some pieces that are out right now that I am loving. Some stuff I am in love with now: Bold cocktail rings, layered necklaces, chain link bracelets, etc. And I usually wear silver, I just don't have a good skin tone for gold. So, sorry gold lovers.

I would totally buy this bracelet because it's versatile. And I love it's not super chunky and heavy like the cuffs we've been seeing as of late.





Earrings. Now, my personal rule is to choose and earring shape opposite to your face shape to balance it out. For instance, if you have a longer more oblong face shape, don't choose long drop-type earrings, pick a rounder shape. My face is round and slightly heart shaped, so I choose longer earrings. I am SO over chandaleir earrings, after everybody and their mother snapped them up. But I love the ones above and these ones:








I love stuff that has a bit of interest to it. The charms on these earrings are awesome, and will have nice movement in the ear.

Necklaces are probably what I buy most often when I'm out shopping. I just love that you can wear a white tee and some jeans, and then pick the right necklace and BAM it's something special all of a sudden. This was my latest purchase:








It's totally layered and weighs like ten pounds, but when I don't feel like dressing up, I wear something normal and put this on. Love. Plus my daughter loves playing with it.

If you're not feeling the charms but like the idea of layering, go with something a little more simple.





I love the idea of this with a black tank, little blazer combo. It's a little rock and roll-ish, which would be awesome if you're feeling like your outfit is just a little too sweet.





And again, I love interesting details like this little pocket watch. I'd wear this with a deep v-neck. Remember, the point of accessories is to add interest to an outfit. If it doesn't do that, don't wear it.


Rings - I don't wear them a ton because I usually just wear my wedding set, but if I do wear a ring, I like it to be big. And I love to juxtapose something really cutesy with something not. Like this adorable bow ring with a harder edged outfit.

And finally, my favourite accessory of all, the clutch. I will have to take some time and write a whole post on clutches. I'll also have to do sunglasses, but they both need a whole day to themselves. But can I just say PLEASE look into a clutch? As a mom, nothing makes me happier when i can go out with just myself and not lug around a whole diaper bag full of gear? Instead I grab my sleek little clutch and instantly look awesome. I love this one:

It even has pockets for everything, and a tiny little mirror. And I promise you, you will feel insta-glam. BUY ONE. You know what? Next week we'll focus on them and by next weekend you'll all have your little clutches and be thanking me ceaselessly.

So yeah, have fun with accessories. Don't spend alot, but choose pieces with alot of impact. If you pick up a piece, ask "K, will someone even notice if I have this on?" If the answer is NO, put the thing down. Life is too short.

Oh, and stay away from stuff like this. You have way too much self respect.

Brrrrr: Winter Shoes

K, so as fall as upon us IN EVERY FRICKIN' PLACE BUT UTAH which for reasons unbeknownst to me insists on being a scorching 85 degrees day after day, even after it is CLEARLY October and I should be pulling out fall sweaters and wearing my cool new jacket and I CAN'T because it's too hot.

But in NORMAL places, the weather as started to cool off. Fall is my favourite, favourite, favourite season, followed by a close second of winter. Sorry, I'm Canadian, it's in my blood. I'd rather be cold any day. Heat makes me very cranky (Gee, let's move to the desert! Neato idea!) and so I get very excited when the seasons start to change. Fall clothing is by far my favourite, as shown by my overstuffed closet, arranged by sleeve length. Yes, I do that. Long sleeved stuff takes up 3/4 of my closet. I just feel like summer clothes look generally pretty sloppy, all the capris and flowiness, and I love the structure of a fall wardrobe.

But, with the colder weather comes a new set of mom-problems. My most oft-asked question (asked most recently by Beth) is "What shoes do I wear in the winter?" You all know I wax poetic upon the merits of a flat or a 4" pump, but these are not viable options for when there is snow on the ground. I know, one day I was stupidly wearing flats to a doctor's appointment which I was LATE for and I wasn't paying attention and didn't realize my lovely husband had not shoveled the front porch, and I stepped right into three feet of snow with no socks on, and I was in a FOUL mood for the rest of the day. I learned my lesson.

So, not I am converted. I literally ONLY wear boots during the cold months. I am not even joking. I live on a mountain for goodness sakes. So, here are my picks for winter boots that aren't moonboots, nor do they feature Dora the Explorer.

K, right off the bat, I am going to endorse the riding boot. The prob with the boots you probably own now is that they have heels. Heels + Ice = Sore bums. The riding boot is the new-school knee high that is actually really friendly to the regular person. Buy some. My inspiration was actually Isla Fisher who plays Denise in Hot Rod. K, HOT ROD IS MY FAVOURITE MOVIE. DEAL WITH IT. Anyways, the whole movie she looks pretty adorable, but especially so in the wHiskey scene. Check it out:




Cuteness to the enth degree, right? And I was like heeeeeey, boots don';t have to be all formal like? Here she is wearing them with jeans and a tee and they still look awesome. I actually looked up the exact pair she's wearing, because I abuse my Google, and came up with these:


They are by Frye Harness and they are ADORABLE but pricey at $198. But still, I covet. I think I might ask for some for Christmas.

Now that is pretty much the real deal riding boot. But there are tons of styles and options for a flat boot that you can wear PULLED OVER jeans. Check out these Maddens:



Love how sleek these are. I would pair them with a dark wash denim, and a flowy shirt topped with a structured jacket. Voila, instantly put together, and no snow in your shoes.

I also love these slouchy ones from Wet Seal. You could get away with being more casual with these, I would totally wear these shopping with jeans and a comfy sweater. I actually might buy them, they're cheap.

And finally, I own these.



I know they're *technically* Uggs and they are supposed to be well, ugly, but these are super adorable on, and I wore them with EVERYTHING last winter. And I loved the lace ups AND they were wide enough to literally fit over ALL of my jeans. They were my favourite to run errands in because they kept my feet warm but weren't nasty ski boots.

If you're thinking these boots would look funny with your puffy ski jacket, you're right. Go back to the winter jacket post from a few weeks ago. These need to be paired with shorter, more structured jackets in neutral colours. Because these are knee-highs, you want the space from your hop bone to your knee to be visible and not covered by your jacket, otherwise you'll look stumpy. Remember the jacket I bought from Charlotte Russe? That and those Madden boots would be faaaantastic. See what I mean?

I'm good.

Splurge or Steal?

So I read alot of magazines, my favourite being Glamour and Marie Claire, and my most hated being Cosmopolitan. Don't get me wrong, I still buy it, I just get annoying easily. K WE GET IT, YOU LIKE SEX. But really, how many times can you read an article about "New Tricks He'll CRAVE" without it getting a little redundant? Do you hear me Cosmo??? I think you're redundant!! As if they don't already know.

Anyhow, they all in some way or another do the splurge vs. steal articles where they feature a "must have" item and then show it in some ridiculously expensive designer version, and then the lowly budget version for the masses. K, can I first go off on a total tangent about "Must haves"? I don't believe in them. I don't believe in thinking "omg, that's going to be so HOT right now" and running out and buying it. Yes, I take a look at collections for each season, but the thing is, there are only two types of clothes: Those that look good on you, and those that don't. This is completely regardless of the season, or what the celebs are wearing, etc, etc. Because it is just you and the mirror. So if someone tells you that something is so "in style" right now, ask them first "Have you actually tried it on??" Because anyone can look in a magazine and quote it back to you.

K, Rant over. ANYWAYS. Splurge vs Steal. Let's take a look at some essential wardrobe pieces, and I'll let you know if this is something you can skimp on, or something you should spend some cash on. Don't tell my husband, he thinks everything in my closet was a steal. Ha!

Pants/Trousers: You need one pair of tailored trousers that first and foremost, make your derriere look fantastic. They should be long enough to wear with heels, in a neutral (Black, brown, navy etc). Other than that, you can be frugal with your other pants.

Jeans: Steal. I have very expensive Seven jeans and very cheap no-name jeans, and I pretty much wear them all the same. Just try alot on, buy whichever makes you look the best. I don't think you need to spend that much. One of my favourite pairs I literally got for $10 at Macy's while shopping with some friends.

Tops: Steal, steal, steal. Don't spend alot of money on tops. Especially trendy ones, Try Forever 21 or something first, they probably have whatever you was for like $12, and then if you didn't listen to me about the "so hot right now" stuff, you won't feel like an idiot when no one is wearing neon studded tees anymore and can rest easy knowing you didn't pay that much for it. Spend only if it is a special occasion.

Shoes: Splurge. Just on two very good pairs. 1) A GOOD pair of boots. I bought my favourite pair FOUR years ago and they are just classic and perfect season after season. I then found good deals on trendier boots, slouchy ones or python ones that won't be appropriate forever and ever. Then, splurge on one amazing -and I mean amazing- pair of heels. I splurged a while back on these Michael Kors pumps.

They will last forever because of their classic styling and always look good. ANd they are COMFY. Then save when you buy every other little shoe your heart desires. I like http://www.shoeocean.com/ and http://www.gojane.com/ for cute shoes that won't break the bank.

Jackets: Steal. I am easily the worst jacket-addict ever. I have SO many because they are such a good way to finish an outfit. Like, you know when you're standing there in front of the mirror wondering what to do because your outfit isn't quite "there" yet? Add a jacket. I find them all over, you shouldn't have to pay more than say, $40 for a fun one. I got an amazing corduroy bomber from Steve & Barry's for $8. And Ross always has cute ones. I just bought this one over the weekend. $34 for a biker jacket? LOVE. Buy alot.

Accessories: This can be tricky. I love me some expensive jewelry. However, I think it's best to buy up fun pieces for cheap, and then get your most serious pieces as splurges. I am SUPER fickle with jewelry. I have three pieces that I wear constantly, and then my other stuff I tend to forget I have and leave it to get dusty in y jewelry box. I forget my ears are pierced ALLL the time. So I buy stuff for cheap, knowing full well I'll probably lose it. However, I have this watch:

It's a serious piece. My husband bought it for me after secretly working on some overtime stuff. Honestly, if the house was burning down, screw the family albums, I am grabbing my watch. I wanted it for MONTHS before I got it. That's when it's totally okay to splurge. That, and my wedding set, plus my grandmother's wedding set that I had redone, and that is the extent of my expensive jewelry. Anything else was probably under $15.

K, so hopefully that will help you sleep at night. Truth is, you never ever have to spend alot of money to look good. I kid you not, when we were newlyweds, I was restricted to a $22 a month shopping budget. $22!!!!! But I made it work and usually had new clothes. No one will ever know, except you, and then you can just feels smug against all of the fashionista's out there who didn't even have to WORK to get that stuff. Anyone can walk into Saks and buy something that they saw in a magazine, but being creative and doing your homework to find a better deal is so much more satisfying.... in your FACE, 5th Ave!

Apologies, Apologies: Kickin' it Casual

So you might have noticed the insane lack of post-age around here. This week has been crazy busy and I don't get enough sleep as it is. But my daughter has given me the sweet, sweet gift of her sleeping in late, so I have a spare second to write. But I am sorry for not getting around sooner!


K, so today I want to talk about everyday. I know I post some things on here like the LBD and you're like k, that's great Jae, it really is, but I'm not going to get all dolled up to go to the post office. I'll just wear a t-shirt.


NOOOOOOOO. I know you're not going to wear your cocktail dress to the grocery store, but please, STEP AWAY FROM THE T-SHIRT. I have this vendetta against the tee. Yes, I can understand it's value on say, a Saturday while raking leaves, or even to wear to bed! But too many moms (and women for that matter) totally adopt it as their uniform, and end up looking uninteresting and dowdy.


Now, when I say "t-shirt", I am thinking of this:





BOOOOO. So boring.


So why do you wear a t-shirt? Because it's easy! You don't have to think about it! It matches your mom jeans!


And to that I say shame on you. For one, if you still have mom jeans by now, you should leave this blog immediately. And another thing, their are tons of tops out there that are easy, match NICE jeans and you don't have to think about.


Next time you go shopping, I want you to examine the top you are looking at. THink "why am I buying this? Is there something special about this top that makes me want to buy it? IS it different than the tops I already own?" If the answer is no to these, put it back down and step away. Don't buy a shirt just because you need something to cover up your ta-tas. Buy it because you LOVE it and it makes you feel awesome.


K, so here are some JUST AS EASY alternatives to the nasty old t-shirt. They are just as easy to throw on, but you'll feel a whole lot less shlumpy (All from Venus or Body Central, which is my go-to place for interesting tops)



Check the embellishment, plus the empire seam on this baby.



So ridiculously flattering. Wear it with some worn-in jeans and some comfy flats. You look put together without looking like you've tried too hard.



Love the keyhole on this top. It's super subtle, but still different enough for people to go "OMG< class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">you're like "Oh, I have this awesome friend named Jae..."



We're into fall, and I'll focus on sweaters later, but don't you love this one? Love that shawl neckline that wraps.




EVERY mom should own a faux layered sweater. You chuck it on, and instantly look like you mean business. I would do this with dark jeans and a pointier shoe. It is SO put together, and you didn't even do the work.



Vampy, vampy! I loooove this top. The rivets up the side give it some interest, while the ruching hides any flaws (not that you have any) and it is just hotness.


So please, retire your Hanes and try something new. In the words of my daughter's favourite show, Yo Gabba Gabba "Try it! You might like it!"