Julianne Hough for Sole Society

A couple of months ago I saw Julianne Hough announce over Twitter that she would be collaborating with Sole Society to develop a line of shoes. Well, over the weekend I noticed that they have finally been unveiled. I've only recently been browsing Sole Society footwear and so far I think they have a lot of really great styles. This collaboration I feel is no different. I tend to really like Julianne's style so I'm not surprised that I like the shoes. I'm not crazy about her flats, but I wanted to share some of the heels that I liked! 

"Makenna" sandal | "Gianna" sandal | "Angela" bootie

First, there's the "Makenna" sandal. Very fashionable and fun. I like the zipper detailing and how bright they are. Next there's the "Gianna" sandal. I feel like this one is inspired by her dancing roots as it very much reminds me of the type of shoes they wear sometimes on Dancing with the Stars! I do however think that the style and the colour are pretty darn cute. Finally we've got the "Angela" bootie. I really liked this colour with spring around the corner, and we all know a peep-toe bootie is super trendy right now. 

What do you think of her collaboration?

Cute slogan too... 

2013 Grammy Looks

As I'm sure everyone is aware, last night was the Grammy Awards. I watched the red carpet special before the show then watched the first portion of the show itself. I must say, when it comes to red carpet awards shows, I think the Grammy's are the most fun. By most fun I mean that it is a formal event that brings out a lot of gowns, but usually with an edge. Perhaps though we would have seen more risk takers if CBS hadn't issued a memo telling attendees essentially to cover up! There definitely were some celebrities that tested the limits - Katy Perry with her "key hole", Jennifer Lopez with her hip high slit, and Kelly Rowland with all of those sheer cut-outs in her dress. Compared to some outfits in previous years, those are actually fairly modest violations of the dress code. Needless to say, I really enjoyed the fashion last night.

For the evening my top fashion prize goes to Rihanna in a custom Azzedine Alaia. I couldn't stop staring at it! The colour, the way it moved - I thought it was gorgeous. My next favourite would be Carrie Underwood in Roberto Cavalli. I knew she would make it to the top of my list the second I saw her. She also looked stunning!

Here are a few of my other favourite looks on the red carpet (apparently I was drawn to dark and red gowns!):

Allison Williams, Skylar Grey, Miranda Lambert, Natasha Beddingfeld

Who were your style winners of the night?

Are Girlfriends the New Husbands?

Seeing that article title in last month’s issue of Marie Claire caused me to be curious, but before reading it I also felt like I knew what the article was likely about. And I was right. In a time where there are more single women than ever (a record 46 percent of adults 25 to 34 are unmarried) and women are staying single longer (the average age of a bride has risen 3 years to 27), you’ve got to think how without the companionship of a spouse and everything that comes with it, what are women doing to fill that gap. Significant others definitely serve a purpose, but in the mean time, perhaps most of that purpose can be filled with the camaraderie of your best girl friend. I mean the definition of camaraderie is "a spirit of familiarity and trust existing between friends". The article says, "As we move away from early marriage, when a woman's life isn't all wrapped up by age 30, friends play a role somewhere between spouse and therapist." As a single girl I can definitely relate to this. I mean, you've been together for years, share the highs and lows, support each other, probably accompany each other as dates to various occasions - without a significant other we invest a lot of time in these friendships. We check up on each other. We take care of each other. I just thought it was super interesting to see it in print because until then, I'd not actually thought about it, and definitely wouldn't think of it as a trend.  

The article also provided examples of how society has ALWAYS been fascinated by the bond of best girlfriends: from Laverne and Shirley, Thelma and Louise, Romy and Michele, Rachel and Monica, to the most recent Hannah and Marnie (on Girls in case you’re not familiar). This transcends into real life too. Think about Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosting the Golden Globes. They are both strong and funny women where either one could have done the job on their own, but everyone was excited to see them, see their friendship and their ease in real life. It’s almost like the new power couple in way! One of my favourite lines from Sex and the City is from the second last episode where Mr. Big is in the coffee shop talking to Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte about Carrie and says, “You three know her better than anyone, you're the loves of her life. And a guy's just lucky to come in fourth.” We’ve always known that friendships are important and special, but this is also why I think it’s important to appreciate and nurture the few that make your life the best it can be. Life is not a popularity contest. It's not about how many friends you have, but (kind of like a significant other) about finding that special one, or two, or in the case of Sex and the City, three that emulate that of a companion. The ones you can’t live without! 

I thought this article was a nice reminder, that just because we might be single, we are never alone. I will end with another favourite quote from Sex and the City said by Charlotte to the other girls, ''Maybe we can be each other's soul mates, and then we can let men be just these great, nice guys to have fun with.''

Having it all

A little bit of Wednesday wisdom for you. Remember the ingredients to a happy life are not "things". :)

Stunning Skeletons

I never used to be much of a watch person. I have always loved watches and wanted to wear one, but never really got in the habit of wearing one consistently. I think that was mainly to do with the fact that I never found one I loved enough to wear all the time. That is until 2 Christmases ago. I got from my parents the wonderful gold Michael Kors Mid-sized Runway watch. I love it because it's not too big, it's not small but a more classic size, and goes with just about everything! Last year I got another one - the Michael Kors white ceramic glitz version. I love LOVE that one. Between the two I'm now wearing a watch almost everyday, and I don't know how I didn't before!

My preferred style of watches has stayed the same (not into the tiny ones or the oversized ones) and I recently stumbled upon some watches that not only fit the bill, but are stunning and unique! They are the brand new Marc by Marc Jacobs Henry Skeleton Leather watches. I am pretty crazy about them... don't be surprised if you see me walking around with that yellow one around my wrist before summer hits! :)

 

Designer iCouture...

My iPhone has better outfits then I do. I'm only kidding... a little bit. But really, who gets their iPhone several designer options to choose from? Me. I do. 

I've always been a fan of having some sort of cover or skin on my phones, but two things changed when I got an iPhone:

1. I fell in love with it more than any other phone I'd experienced
2. I discovered that fashion designers must feel the same way because there is a slew of amazing high-end designer options available for it

I think the second I got my iPhone (or at least within about 24 hours) I was online looking for the prefect cover to accessorize my phone with. I found it fairly quickly. The deep emerald Marc By Marc Jacobs Metallic Stardust Logo cover. I got my phone last fall and it was perfect. As spring was approaching, I found myself wanting a lighter option. I found the pefect one in my Diane Von Furstenberg New Lips Case. This past summer while shopping in Montreal I stumbled upon my Victoria's Secret Neon Pink Rubber Case. The least expensive of all my cases, it was the one that got the most comments and compliments! Next, this Christmas in my stocking I got a Boo ("The World's Cutest Dog") Case. I am a big fan of Boo and this case is just the cutest case imaginable!

Marc by Marc Jacobs, Diane Von Furstenberg, Victoria's Secret, Boo

My latest Kate Spade case

Just last week for my birthday, I was lucky enough to get a case I had been coveting for a long while. That cover is by Kate Spade New York cover the Audrey Hepburn eye detail. Not only is this cover perfect for me (white edging to match my phone, pink sides, and HELLO, Audrey!) but it also has a feature none of my other covers has: a flash diffuser. That's right! Basically it helps prevent the flash of your phone from picking up the colour of your case when you take pictures! It can really be a hassle to take the case off every time you want to take a picture, so this case might just be the case for me for the foreseeable future since I love taking iPhone pics! Love love love it! 

So although I have a latest and favourite case for my phone, the fact still stands that I have some awesome iCouture to choose from! What do you do with your phone? One case, a few? 

February Resolution: Constant Manicure

How is it February already? Can you believe we are already one month into the New Year? Anyways, moving on...

No shortage of colours to play with!

As I was doing a little self-pampering last weekend, I thought up a mini-resolution for myself to try out this February: to constantly have a fresh manicure. Now when I say that I should specify that what I am actually referring to is specifically the polish. Fresh, perfect polish. My nails are always cut and filed - I'm kind of obsessive about that - so in a sense they are always manicured. BUT, I don't always have polish on them. If I do have polish on them and they start to chip, I will remove the polish at my earliest convenience but will almost never repaint right away. THIS is what I'd like to try to do. I really love having freshly painted nails, and I definitely notice and appreciate it when someone else always has them done. Now that I've blogged about it, and am somewhat accountable, I hope to be one of those people! :)

First selection: OPI "Red Lights Ahead... Where?"
(this colour is WAY more orange-y than it appears)

To be clear with another thing, this resolution of course involve self-polishing. I think the key to my success here might simply be to really take the time to ensure that my base coat and top coat get on, and that the final manicure has the appropriate amount of drying time. Often times when I do paint my nails it's usually for something and I end up rushing through it and skip the top coat. My life (and chances of success) will be made easier if my manicure lasts longer.

So I realize it's a bit of a fluffy resolution, but I'm pretty excited to look down at my hands and see perfect polish all February long! Wish me luck!