petite fashion challenge #17: candy colourized

this month's petite fashion challenge is hosted by one of my favourite bloggers, sewpetitegal (see here for list of all participants)

The Challenge: Candy Colorized

Take a bowl full of colorful candies (M&Ms, Jolly Ranchers, jelly beans, etc.), close your eyes, and draw 2-3 pieces.  Now use those colors (+ a neutral of your choosing) to form the basis for your ensemble. **Extra brownie points if you post more than 1 colorful ensemble or if you add a DIY element (because I love DIYs so much!) :D**

because i'm an over-achieving geek, i had to try to get the brownie points. i got my favourite sour skittles (mostly because i wanted to eat the candy after... lol). i drew orange, yellow and purple. i confess trying to use my yellow blythe but then i got it dirty when i was putting it on *facepalm* left to my own devices, i used the t & j lemondrop twice. (hope i can still get brownie points. #i.am.a.dork.)

outfit #1 - diane von furstenberg bairly louche blouse, koto skirt; lemondrop necklace here get 15% off with code PHIPHI, christian louboutin nude yoyo

outfit #2 - diane von furstenberg cahil blouse; gap boyfriend jeans, here; lemondrop necklace, here (get 15% off with code PHIPHI); christian louboutin very prive

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man aboard! part 2

hi everyone! as promised, here are some pictures of one of mr. p's man-over outfits after he granted me carte blanche to style him. our shopping adventures were posted here.

as you know, i love me some gingham. my husband, however, is less of a fan. ok. he's not a fan at all. but he gave me carte blanche so he'll have to live with this shirt. ha. i think this print isn't too big and checkered, but still a good gingham. what i wanted to do with this outfit was get him some comfortable clothes that didn't have to be t-shirts. i think he looks polished and comfy. he did say he liked the shorts. a small victory! :)

would you like to see more instalments of "man aboard"?

top: joe fresh, similar here; shorts: zara, similar here; shoes: old, mr. p's, similar here and here 

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lucille white eyelet

happy monday! you'll notice in the upcoming few posts a new fashion accessory: the band-aid. i had an accident in the kitchen and burned myself, so you'll be seeing this band-aid for the next little while. 

i'm a bona fide klutz and guaranteed to either burn the same spot again, or scratch it up again. maybe i should do a DIY sparkles and glitter band-aid... it took a lot of will-power to leave the hello kitty ones at the drug store (i seriously need to grow up. lol!). i really wanted that hello kitty band-aid... 

this is the lucille scalloped eyelet dress and it screams summer. i took my regular j crew dress 0 - and it fits nicely just over the knees. *and it has pockets* whee!

(outfit - dress, j crew lucille dress in scalloped eyelet here; belt: tommy hilfiger, old, similar here or here; bangles: amrita singh; oval link bracelet here and chunky gold chain necklace here at christina M boutique; shoes: ralph lauren collection, old; cocktail ring: social experiment, here)

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a white sport coat

tgif everyone!! i have had a long long week and can't wait to sleep in this weekend! i love white in the summer in any shape or form. you'll be seeing alot of whites in future posts. it is just really an easy and classic colour (or is that non-colour) for the hot days of summer. 

those who know me know that i don't wear hats - i've bought them wishing and willing them to work on my head and never worn them. i always thought i didn't have a hat head, but turns out i was wrong. i was just looking for the wrong shapes for my face! this one was from zara men, when i went with mr. P on his man-makeover shopping trip. 

my bestie K who got a chic fedora at j crew factory for a steeeal and she rocks it like nobody's business.  her fedora profile pic makes me think i can work a hat. jessy at little dust princess styled hers wonderfully too. they inspired me to find one for my noggin'. 

do you wear hats - or avoid them?

(outfit - blazer: zara, old, similar here; shorts: madewell, here; blouse, zara, similar here; bracelet: silver cuff, here - get 15% off with code PHIPHI; shoes: dior, old, similar here; hat: zara, here; necklace: spike the punch rainey necklace, here; purse: chanel)

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red lace and peach

happy hump day! the weekend is around the corner!!

i saw this lace peplum top in the store and it was instant drooling. pavlovian if you must. paired with peach cropped pants, all i can say is "welcome to my closet". when i was trying this in the store, a woman who was there ended up buying the entire outfit i had on. it was really so cool and flattering that she did that... i've done it too though - seeing someone trying something in the change room area, and then i want to try it on as a result of spotting it on them. sometimes a piece does look better on a person than on a hanger.

do you get a lot of inspiration in the change rooms?

cropped pants = happiness for the petite shopper. these cropped pants ran true to my zara size in dresses. i got a small.

(outfit - top: zara, here; pants: zara, here; shoes: valentino; bracelets: chunky bracelet Christina M boutique here; beaded bracelet, pop of chic, here; clutch: coach, old; watch: michael kors; necklace: friedasophie, here)

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minty matchy

happy monday everyone! if you don't already know, j crew has another 30% off sale items promo going on right now. so far, it has only been in stores, but now you can use code SHOPNOW online (works at j crew factory site too).

this weekend we finally got bikes with gears for boys 1.0 and 2.0. our family does a lot of cycling in the summer and the boys are now ready to rock an roll on their new rides. i'd been loving mixing prints and solids, and thought it would be fun to do do a colour on colour outfit. this minty goodness came from j crew factory (belt is from asos).

have you given colour/colour styling a try yet? 

a different kind of shopping - i'm very frugal when it comes to spending and do a lot of research before committing to anything. i do have a hands down exception when it comes to my kids. i will not cheap out on them for things they need like running shoes, equipment like bikes, skates, lessons, summer camps, and healthy food (that is ironically more expensive than junk food). i don't blink when it comes to the boys. me, on the other hand.. please pass the sales codes. 

(outfit - j crew factory: top, here; shorts, here; necklace: christina M boutique here; shoes: tory burch thora sandals; bag marc by marc jacobs natasha petal to the metal cross-body)

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man aboard! part 1

happy father's day! on the occasion of the day that celebrates dads, this post is dedicated to my hubby, who as you know, is the photographer behind this blog... the guy who patiently takes pictures and tells me to stop slouching... we talked recently about doing things outside our comfort zones. he then said to me that it would be really cool if he "let" me style a few outfits for him. 

hubby has a very specific look - rugged, outdoorsy & athletic. he's handsome but of course he's a boy and doesn't pay a lot of attention to clothes (other than the ones he doesn't like) he suits up, as required. he's also very particular and picky. if i shop for him, and get something he doesn't like, back it goes.

in his uniform: fitted long sleeved t-shirt and cargo shorts (substitute with jeans) with sandals.

so when he said this, i was speechless. (ok.. i may have been a bit hung up on the terminology "letting me" style him.. but let's pick our battles, P...) then i thought "carte blanche, eh?" this could be interesting. well, he's in for his man-over. i'm accepting this challenge, mister. bring it!!

part 1 was taking him out shopping. part 2 which i will post later this week, will be the P-styled outfits. do you have input as to what your spouse wears? should i have taken this challenge on?

i'm still chuckling at his reaction when he was watching me edit and crop his head: "did you just crop my head?"

(clothing: striped sweater, here; shorts, here; jeans, here; shoes, here; linen jacket, here; gingham shorts, here; fedora, here - ironically, i ended up buying a hat there for me)

(clothes - zara man: blazer, similar here; khaki chino shorts here; linen shorts here; sandals here)

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zebra

this is one of my favourite jackets this season. i love blazers, as you know, but the devil is in the details, and this one has all the details i love. a bit of colour, a bit of pattern, and tweed? sold!

this is a knitted jacket and it is lined with a voile zebra print. it is fun and colourful - the lookbook and website show it as being red, but it is more orange/coral. i sized in a S, my regular zara blazer/dress size.  what i love about this jacket is its versatility, pair it with a LBD, and you're ready for a night out. switch it around with a fun top and jeans, and i have a mom-toting, lunching with friends or shopping outfit. 

(outfit - dress: zara, here; jacket: zara, here; clutch: zara, here; shoes: christian louboutin burlina; bracelets: christina M oval link bracelet, here and chunky gold bracelet, here; spiked bracelets: asos)

(head to toe zara outfit - jacket: zara, here; studded tank: zara, here; jeans: zara, similar here; wedges: zara, here; tote: zara, here; bracelets: t+ j hammered bangle bracelets - get 15% off at t+j with code PHIPHI)

i'm thrilled to announce the winner of the orchid necklace giveaway! 

congratulations to Marie-Elaine Leger!

please email me your address at phiphisblog@gmail.com 

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sales goggles

it's sale season in the US, and i discovered a few years ago how much better the markdowns are there compared to canada both in quality and quantity of selection and price points. i learned what first, second, and final cut meant - my frugalista self rejoiced. year one i went bananacrackers. even with the additional taxes and duties, i was getting better prices than if i got them here. i also developped what i call "sales goggles". this affliction causes the victim to love things she never did before due to crazy-reduced price points, buy them likely only because they're on sale, and accumulate things she had not anticipated. 

i've now developped a strategy for sales season (sometimes sticks, sometimes doesn't) which is to make a list before the sale lists go live. that way if an item makes it to sale, it was meant to be. i sometimes have difficulty because when you don't remember everything, and then go to the websites with all these awesome markdowns, faster than you can press on the checkout button, you've caught sales goggles. 

do you have sales goggles, too? what do you do to try to control them?

(outfit: dress - diane von furstenberg leron; shoes: christian louboutin burlina; bracelets: Christina M boutique  chunky bracelet, here; Christina M boutique oval link bracelet here; t+j designs hammered bangles, here (get 15% off with code PHIPHI)

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peplum and the blues

in a galaxy far far away, there used to be a girl called P who wore solids in gray, white, black and navy on heavy rotation. black and gray were exceptional favourites. this girl also hoarded black shoes. she then met another girl who became one of her best friends. this bff showed her the ways of the jedi and introduced her to colour and print (actually P taught her about what a jedi was and all things geeky.. but i digress..)

i have to say, looking at pictures of me about 5 years ago compared to now, it's astonishing what kind of evolution my closet has had. colours, ruffles, lace, prints galore. and sparkles. my goodness, if there are sparkles, sign me up. while i still love my neutrals and solids, i'm grateful that i have tried new things. we've gone through a lot together with our work, relationships, family, health, and i'm lucky she's a part of my life. 

if i'm being a bit sentimental, i sometimes think we forget to thank those who are closest to us. i am blessed to have many wonderful friends and especially I and K who are always with me each day and put up with me in every way.

(outfit: top: zara, here, also wore it here; skirt: j crew double serge no. 2 pencil skirt, here, also reviewed it here; shoes: zara, here; necklace: j crew, old)

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midi skirt

a few years ago, i watched "the proposal" with sandra bullock and ryan reynolds. the movie was ehhh... there were a few exceptions that made the movie bearable. mr. reynolds.. well le sigh. that goes without saying! another exception was sandra bullock's entire wardrobe. the clothes. the accessories. the bags. the shoes. everything she wore was so chic and elegant. that power suit and black heels (louboutin's minibout, which i'm wearing. it isn't made anymore, but the minibout is an open toed version of louboutin's declic) she wore on the movie poster was one of the most classy outfits. ever. 

that esthetic has stuck to me. timeless. some trendiness, but classic and clean lines. has a movie's wardrobe inspired your outfits or style? 

(outfit - top: zara, here or similar here; skirt: club monaco; belt: club monaco; layered statement necklace: t+j designs, here, and 15% off your purchase with code PHIPHI; shoes: christian louboutin minibout - one size up from your US size)

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