I'm going to come out and say it -- spring is my least favourite season (that's as harsh as it gets, I'm Canadian and we're nice, sorry :P) Knowing my trip to China was going to cut March into a month even shorter than February, I was in full-blown panic mode the second I hit publish on the February post.
I really liked how last post's product and fashion shoots were related, so I kept going through my closet trying to find an item that would trigger the brain blast I needed to get the ball rolling. But for the first full 2 weeks of the month, I made absolutely zero progress - no ideas, no inspiration, nada. And suddenly I was a week out from my trip and guess what, I also didn't managed to pack anything for my trip! I looked up weather in the cities in China that we would be visiting, and they would have actual spring weather, with sunny rays, some rain (understandable), and lots of flower blossoms! Nothing like the second winter we get in Ottawa (I swear we got more snow in March than in February) -- which lead me to my first epiphany: I don't have proper spring clothes because Ottawa (or even Toronto really) doesn't have a proper spring! I mean, sure, I have clothing items of the correct warmth and thickness, but in greys and burgundys and other more autumnal hues and patterns.
Now I was faced with two problems: nothing to shoot and nothing to pack. I was complaining about this quite annoyingly to my super supportive girlfriends when one pointed out, why don't I do the blog post on how hard it is to dress for spring? And she's right, that was the whole point, wasn't it? Not to show easy outfit pairings, but to challenge myself and help me break through mental blocks.
Once the idea was in my mind, I had to write it down in my photography notebook, which led me to my product/lifestyle shoot:
I'm by no means a super detail-oriented person but I do find that after the initial inspiration strikes, rough planning -- especially physically putting pen to paper (I'm a little old-school like that) -- helps me hit the ground running to put my ideas into action. This specific notebook is actually my photography notebook, and I thought about sharing a literal page out of my book, but my handwriting is actually pretty atrocious, so I painstakingly took my first stab at some hand lettering instead.
For the outfits, I unwittingly ended up with another pants vs skirt combo again -- but I rather like both in their own ways! There are a number of similarities between the outfits which I'll get into below:
I really liked how last post's product and fashion shoots were related, so I kept going through my closet trying to find an item that would trigger the brain blast I needed to get the ball rolling. But for the first full 2 weeks of the month, I made absolutely zero progress - no ideas, no inspiration, nada. And suddenly I was a week out from my trip and guess what, I also didn't managed to pack anything for my trip! I looked up weather in the cities in China that we would be visiting, and they would have actual spring weather, with sunny rays, some rain (understandable), and lots of flower blossoms! Nothing like the second winter we get in Ottawa (I swear we got more snow in March than in February) -- which lead me to my first epiphany: I don't have proper spring clothes because Ottawa (or even Toronto really) doesn't have a proper spring! I mean, sure, I have clothing items of the correct warmth and thickness, but in greys and burgundys and other more autumnal hues and patterns.
Now I was faced with two problems: nothing to shoot and nothing to pack. I was complaining about this quite annoyingly to my super supportive girlfriends when one pointed out, why don't I do the blog post on how hard it is to dress for spring? And she's right, that was the whole point, wasn't it? Not to show easy outfit pairings, but to challenge myself and help me break through mental blocks.
Once the idea was in my mind, I had to write it down in my photography notebook, which led me to my product/lifestyle shoot:
I'm by no means a super detail-oriented person but I do find that after the initial inspiration strikes, rough planning -- especially physically putting pen to paper (I'm a little old-school like that) -- helps me hit the ground running to put my ideas into action. This specific notebook is actually my photography notebook, and I thought about sharing a literal page out of my book, but my handwriting is actually pretty atrocious, so I painstakingly took my first stab at some hand lettering instead.
For the outfits, I unwittingly ended up with another pants vs skirt combo again -- but I rather like both in their own ways! There are a number of similarities between the outfits which I'll get into below:
 |
| Outfit 1 (left): Floral grey sweatshirt from J Crew, (inner) button down shirt from Club Monaco, WHBM white ankle pants, thrifted vintage layered necklace, thrifted vintage navy Dior heels Outfit 2 (right): LOFT blouse, J Crew Factory floral skirt, vintage belt, Coach suede flats |
Outfit 1: The Floral Sweatshirt
This sweatshirt from J Crew is probably the most spring-appropriate item I own! The florals have fresh shades of green, blue, and splashes of yellow, and the roomier fit allows for layering. After the shoot, I packed the sweatshirt into my suitcase for the trip :)
I paired it layered over a button-down shirt, which would be the right thickness for Ottawa spring, and white bottoms to brighten up the whole outfit. Some vintage touches in the jewelry and shoes and this would be casual Friday at the office or a dressier Sunday brunch with girlfriends. I like this outfit because it highlights this preppier, almost country club type vibe that I don't showcase very often, but is still a very real part of my style.
Similar to the previous outfit, I went with simple, white/cream pairings to keep the focus on the florals. Relied on my trusty vintage belt to secure the loose waist. Shoes are these adorable little pointed-toe, berry coloured suede flats from Coach. I own a few pairs of Coach shoes and they've always been really good quality leather, super soft and luxurious. The Bay carries Coach shoes and I notice they regularly have sales, so it's an affordable investment, in my humble opinion.
You may or may not have noticed that I tend to look to my right in the photos. Is it a creative or artistic choice? Is my left side just my better side? Or is it neither and I look to the right because that's where my phone (which I use to remotely control my camera) is precariously placed on the table that's pushed just out of frame?
If you picked c) then congratulations, you win! Your prize is...the secret knowledge behind my poses :P Hope you enjoyed these photos and the story behind my very real struggle!
Thanks for reading :)
I paired it layered over a button-down shirt, which would be the right thickness for Ottawa spring, and white bottoms to brighten up the whole outfit. Some vintage touches in the jewelry and shoes and this would be casual Friday at the office or a dressier Sunday brunch with girlfriends. I like this outfit because it highlights this preppier, almost country club type vibe that I don't showcase very often, but is still a very real part of my style.
Outfit 2: The Floral Pencil Skirt
I fell in love with this skirt at first sight but hesitated on buying it right away due it it not fitting properly at the waist. However, I couldn't stop thinking about it so I went back to pick it up the weekend after! I normally wear it paired with tights but decided that the greens were a fresh enough aspect to the floral print that I could make it work for spring.
Similar to the previous outfit, I went with simple, white/cream pairings to keep the focus on the florals. Relied on my trusty vintage belt to secure the loose waist. Shoes are these adorable little pointed-toe, berry coloured suede flats from Coach. I own a few pairs of Coach shoes and they've always been really good quality leather, super soft and luxurious. The Bay carries Coach shoes and I notice they regularly have sales, so it's an affordable investment, in my humble opinion.
You may or may not have noticed that I tend to look to my right in the photos. Is it a creative or artistic choice? Is my left side just my better side? Or is it neither and I look to the right because that's where my phone (which I use to remotely control my camera) is precariously placed on the table that's pushed just out of frame?
If you picked c) then congratulations, you win! Your prize is...the secret knowledge behind my poses :P Hope you enjoyed these photos and the story behind my very real struggle!
Thanks for reading :)
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