An Outfit Story 4 – Stars & Flowers

There is that one day after winter, that suddenly announces the eminent arrival of spring. This was one such Saturday. A crisp coolness in the air, but bright skies, with the sun rays piercing warmth on us all. We were out and about, enjoying the newness of spring, cherry blossom loaded trees on the sidewalk, general bustle and weekend cheer of the city.

Before we left, it was that ‘standing in front of the closet, what should I wear today’ moment. Choosing an outfit with a option of a toasty layer in case it gets chilly later. Pants or skirts? Always the question…I love skirts and dresses, and today’s balmy 12 degrees said ‘go with skirt’ So I went with a shirt from my sale rack spree from Topshop and layered it with a pencil skirt and a tweed coat on standby.

When I pulled out this star infested shirt, I thought 80’s! So I painted my face in vibrant eyeshadow of hibiscus pink and chrome yellow from my Spectrum Pallette by Urban Decay. Never complete without a royal blue khol in the waterline and a modern neutral lip in Nudestix Once dressed and made up, a finish of accessories. A retro belt in yellow I picked up years ago from a vintage store on Queen Street in Toronto, and olive buckled mules, wait for it, with sheer polka dot neats.

                                                                     Time to step out
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Driving through the trendy shopping neighborhood of North Granville Street is a real treat.. There is a great choice of unique home decor and furniture retail, vintage fashion stores, design boutiques and fantastic art galleries. Not to forget the scrumptious and eclectic eateries and cafes. One of our favorite brunch places is The Omlettary serving up comfort food and eggs the best way you’ve had them in a laid back ambience, perfect for the weekend. 

One of my favorite vintage and resale stores, on this street is Turnabout. They also have a separate home decor store and we were lucky enough to have found a beautiful Drexel Heritage China Cabinet in the Provincial French style from the late 60’s. And just feast your eyes on that purple upholstered accent chair up there. I would totally have got it, except for the dwindling space of a city condo. There are some great boutiques, like Maska, Shoes To Go, Country Furniture and few more that I can cover in another post. The shop windows on this street are always an  interesting sight as is the scenery, like the shrinking snow caps of the mountains assuring us that spring is definitely here. 

Here are some of the goodies I picked up. 

We make a late afternoon stop at our local craft brewery Brassneck as my husband loves to sample fresh draft beer. I on the other hand was taking in the rustic interiors of natural wood, cool wall of typography and what appeared to be a wild wooden dog perched up on the ceiling. Chill ambience, bustling with young beer connoisseurs, who, as the afternoon progressed became audibly imaginative with their stories. You can’t help but eves drop when you are packed into close proximity with merrily intoxicated mellenials. Very entertaining indeed. 

Finally the view back home. It’s always enlightening to see the gregarious mountains in Vancouver, that not only beautify the horizon, but remind us urban dwellers that we still live in the luxurious lap of nature and that we are truly a lucky bunch! 

Oh and here are some other ways I have previously worn a star print shirt, the same skirt and olive shoes. With a rodeo belt and wooden bangles for a boho chic look, casual smart with black formal dungarees, patternplay with striped blazer and houndstooth pants. Skirt in spring and summer with silver flats and flip flops, and finally the olive mules accessorized with fashion socks, perfect for the early spring days.

If you are seeing stars, grab them and add them to your wardrobe because you never know when the fun vibes will strike you. Till the next time then, shine on!

Swarnima