STYLE SUNDAY: FASHION INSPIRED BY FRIENDS

Happy Style Sunday,

This is the first official beautiful day in Toronto (at over 28 degree weather with humidity) I feel my bright summer wardrobe itching to come out!

As I was thinking about why fashion/style is so important in many individuals lives (including myself) I wondered who do we dress for? is it ourselves? or our significant others? our family/friends?

If you ask me I think most people dress up for themselves as it can really make you feel confident. I know when I wear my 4 inch heels I feel very powerful. I mean let's be serious I stopped dressing up for my husband a long time ago, not in the sense that I no longer dress up with him ('cos come on guys when do I not make the most of any occassion?). But in the fact that as much as I would like to think my husband can differ a skirt from a dress from a jump suit, he really can't. Lucky for me he always thinks I look great ( which I guess works out because I can guarantee I don't always lol).

So really who do we all dress for? I think most of us dress up for ourselves to feel great and express our unique personality through our fashion choices. But I have heard many times over from so-called Psychologists that women dress-up for other women, which I think is so true in so many ways. I love dressing up with my girls, not only are you inspired by their style and fashion sense, but you get to inspire them with your own.

On Friday night I went to dinner at Scarpetta which resides in the Thompson Hotel on Wellington in Toronto. As I was having dinner with 8 ladies it hit me what my Style Sunday post would be about. Instead of searching online for trends and outfits to inspire my readers, I would post about what each of the ladies wore. I know I get inspired by individuals at work, on the street, at the mall, at dinner, everyday, and today's post I'll inspire you with the Friday Night look of 9 women (including myself).

Outfit 1: Seventy's Senorita - ME!
One of my absolute favourite stores this spring is Zara right now. When it comes to late 60s/70s inspired looks this store is full of it. If you liked what Gucci, Marc Jacobs, and Jason Wu had on the runways for Spring 2011 you'll appreciate what Zara has to offer. Hence where my outfit is inspired. The bright blue/cream cotton silk top I am wearing is Spring 2011 Zara, and the red skirt is Spring 2010 Jacob. The red skirt I was super excited to bring back this season, it adds a punch to the outfit. The cream snakeskin shoes are from a random boutique in New Orlean's, I think this look could have been pulled off with cute purple or gold pumps as well.

Outfit 2: Sheer Sweetheart - I love the creativity gone into this outfit. Sheer sweetheart below is wearing a black sheer dress from Mendochino (that she felt was too tight to be worn as is), instead she topped it with a red skirt from Jacob Spring 2010, giving the illusion she was wearing a top. This is a fabulous idea, I mean how many of us have dresses that are only meant for clubbing. Now take that tight club dress and pair a cute A line skirt and you can go from too sexy to sophisticated in one go!




Outfit 3: Power Princess - I truly appreciate the blazer and what it has done for woman's fashion the last 3 years. It has become a must have accessory, its replaced the spring/fall jacket in some forms, and it has allowed woman to rock a signature male staple in a sexy and fun way. Below is Power Princess she is wearing a grey blazer from Winners, white sequin tank top from Urban Outfitters, pants from H&M, and coral sandals from Aldo (she took my last post seriously). I mean can a guy rock a blazer with sequins and bright coral shoes? No way! I love this look as it adds a girlie touch (with the sequin neutral and coral pumps) yet still demands authority and power.



Outfit 4: Golden Girl - What I like about this look is it feels effortless, looks like you just threw something together and it turned out super cute. Golden girl is wearing a gold and black off the shoulder top from Urban Planet, skinny black denim jeans from Century 21 NYC, and shoes from Payless Shoe Source. Wouldn't you feel golden if you were able to pull off a great look like this from discounted fashion retailers. I love a good deal, and Golden Girl is the real deal.




Outfit 5: Ruffle Raven- Another effortlessly chic outfit, that looks great but feels like she just wakes up looking this great. Ruffles are all the rave, if you don't believe me check out Christian Dior Spring 2011 runway collection. Ruffle Raven below is wearing a great pair of pants from Jacob, with a beautiful vibrant ruffle turquoise top from Forever 21, and white sandals from Aldo. It really feels like summer when you see people in anything white, a great pair of white sandals can end up a staple in your wardrobe for years to come!




Outfit 6: Convertible Charlotte- Anytime a look feels sophisticated/pretty I think of Charlotte from Sex and the city. The greyish belted dress is from H&M and the chic cream/yellow sandals are from Aldo.  This dress is super versatile and can convert into many looks from day to night - just add extra accessories and it can be worn to a spring wedding, add a blazer or knit sweater on top and its a cute office look, or add a more casual belt and flats and its a great day look for shopping or site seeing while traveling.



Outfit 7: Happy Housewife - This cute A-line polka dot dress feels very Bree Vandercamp. It is fun and flowy with its beautiful ruffle detail. This dress would look great on any figure, as it tightens at the waist and spreads at the hips. So if you have too much hip it doesn't accentuate it, and if you don't have any hip it gives the illusion of you do. Great for many occassions - be it a dinner night out, or hostess to your own house dinner party. What I love the most about this look it is truly a diva on a dime - the dress is from Alfred Sung available at Zellers and the cute camel shoes are from Aldo!



Outfit 8: Blushing Barbie - My two favourite essentials for the summer, a blush pink top and a neutral skirt and shoes. The skirt is from Bedo, I love the stitching at the waist, it takes a sleek skirt and adds some funk to it. A high waisted mini like this one accentuates the chest and lengthens the legs like any barbie, and for this petite blushing barbie this is the perfect look. With both her bottom and her shoes neutrals it really draws attention to the blush pink top, which is simplistic but stands out against the rest.



Outfit 9: Comfortably Chic - I really really like this look and its not because it is mainly from Zara's Spring 2011 collection, but it just feels uber chic yet super comfortable. The pants are downplayed harem style in navy, and the top is a bright orange red with interesting cut-outs around the neckline. The shoes are Aldo, and the purse that adds the perfect evening touch is from a boutique in New Orleans. Also another great versatile look to switch to a more casual look - try a more casual belt, add flip flops or flatforms, and lose the clutch.


I think I will have more of these FASHION INSPIRED BY FRIENDS posts.

Toodles,
9to5travel girl