Today I went on an amazing adventure with one of my super awesome work BFF's Lea. This is what I wore. 

This Zara dress is a very recent addition to my spring/summer wardrobe. I love the loose, effortless look it gives off and the comfort factor is beyond amazing. Although it looks like a special occasion dress more suited for a summer wedding or garden party, I love wearing it on a day to day basis in super casual ways. Most of the time I wear it with my leather jacket from Topshop (seen here) that I've had for ages. But if I'm going for a more breezy summer look I'll also pair it with a denim jacket. The scarf I'm wearing is actually part of a gift from my great-grandmother, who at 106 years old is still alive and fiery. A few years back she allowed be to pillager her closet and jewelry box. This silk neck scarf was among the loot along with a few other scarves, some vintage brooches and a gold necklace which I wear almost every day.

I've recently developed a penchant for vintage, old world pieces and to know I have a unique collection of my own already, makes me very very happy. I also love that these items will allow me to remember and keep my great-grandma Bella close even when she's far away. For me fashion is more about a piece of clothing. It is a way to share, to remember and to honour someone or a certain time period. We show who we are through our clothes, and others show themselves to us the same way. I will forever cherish the moments, memories and clothing of my grandma and I thought it added the perfect touch of colour and whimsy to today's otherwise monochromatic outfit. 

Jacket Topshop (old, but similar here)
Dress Zara (here)
Scarf(vintage)from my great-grandmother
Boots The Wishbone Collective at Browns (B2) (here)
Socks H&M
Bag Forever 21 (super old)

Who goes to the greenhouse and doesn't photograph the succulents? Certainly not us.

We really had no fun at all today I swear....

Wow this modelling thing is really tiring...thank god there was another bench!

*All images taken by Lea Alinsod on my NIKON D3200 with the regular kit lens.

A photo diary of the adventure will be coming soon. :) 

Given that today was the first time in quite a while that I had the free time to go shopping at a leisurely pace (and actually enjoy it), I thought I would share what I got. I originally went in search of some other beauty products that I have been coveting for some time now, but given my luck they were all sold out...of both of them... I guess if I was to look on the bright side I could take that as a good thing, because wanting products that are sold out actually means I'm on track with wanting what everyone else is currently obsessing over. Secondly, I now have an excuse to online shop ;P!

REN Rosa Centifolia Purity Cleansing Balm was the first product I purchased today and I have wanted it for quite some time. I was first introduced to it by on of my favourite fashion/beauty YouTuber's heyclaire (or Claire Marschall) and have wanted to try it for myself ever since. I had refrained from buying it up until now because it was quite expensive ($52) but in light of my other two products being sold out I had to reward myself somehow. And so I splurged. My reasoning is this: as the summer weather is approaching I know I am going to want to start wearing less makeup. A) because it's a lot of work and the summer is about chilling out and reducing the effort put into certain things. B) Foundation and a full face of makeup is heavy during the summer heat and just becomes a smudgy oily mess (not ok). and C) in light of reducing the makeup use in the summer, the base must be flawless. So I thought this rose infused cleansing facial balm/scrub would be just the thing to nourish my skin and gently remove any and all makeup and traces of dirt my face encounters throughout the day.

BITE Beauty's New Butter Cream Lipstick in Rosewood is the second summer staple I will be adding to my lip collection this spring. The shade Rosewood is a near perfect match to my natural lip colour, which is exactly what I want in my lipstick - natural. The second reason is that this new Butter Cream lip colour line is infused with 5 (FIVE!) whole butters - almond, shea, pomegranate, lavender, and chamomile butters. I mean can you get any more buttery!? The other amazing thing is that with this line the lipsticks themselves are also hand cut straight across in order to expose the uber creamy core of the lipstick that contains all the nutrients and pigment we really want. And last but NOT least BITE is an all Canadian company based here in Toronto! They are 100% all natural, vegan and "edible". They use no artificial chemicals or dyes in their products, their packaging is recyclable and sustainable and they pride themselves on sourcing their raw materials and ingredients from local, Canadian and Ontario farmers. They are just cool to the core and on top of it all their products are such great quality and have such an amazing array of colours. If I was a "beauty guru" person I would be using the word's "saturation" and "highly pigmented" right now.... but I'm not, so...there.

PORTER Magazine was something I actually bought yesterday when I was out doing groceries with my mama, and it's been attached to me ever since. Honest to god I have never, and I mean NEVER read a magazine cover to cover the way I read PORTER last night. This publication is seriously the magazine to end all fashion magazines; for a few reasons. For starters, I'm a picture person, and when I read a magazine I obviously want to see a lot of pictures. But not be overwhelmed and not have it in a disorganized way. A lot of fashion magazines have very small spreads on their cover stars; which has always baffled me. Most people buy magazines FOR the cover star! So why is it that most magazines only give you two maybe three pages of images of the cover star and a super short ass writeup?! Karlie Kloss was the cover star for the PORTER summer issue and I swear to god her spread in the magazine was at least 8 pages long, full page images, multiple pages with collages of her friends and adventures in the Florida Keys and a wonderfully organized, and spaced writeup about who she is and where she is going. It was an absolute refreshment to actually have provided its readers with a glimpse into the lives of the people who front their cover. THANK YOU for that! Secondly, this magazine was more than just fashion. It had articles upon articles chronicling different artists, art eras/genres, architects, musicians, historical figures an amazing writeup on Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat (which I absolutely loved since I saw his exhibition at the AGO here in Toronto a few weeks ago). Writers, sculptors and cultural figures were all written about, and photographed and with every turn of a page and every word I was becoming more and more inspired, more and more creatively curious and I am now, as I write this, currently itching with so much creative inspiration and a drive to spend my summer learning everything there is to know about art and writing and sculptor and culture and music and science (I mean come on!). I just know this summer is going to be filled with so many wonderful cultural experiences and adventures and a great deal of that is because of PORTER Magazine. If you haven'd read PORTER ever (like me, until yesterday) or you need an excuse to purchase this issue, this is it. GO BUY THIS MAGAZINE IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE! At least it did for me.

So there are my ramblings on this month's (errr week's) obsessions. I just thought I would share the things that are starting off my summer break with a bang! I apologize that there aren't more photos but the ones I took just didn't turn out how I wanted and this shot (taken from my Instagram) is just awesome I kind of wanted to let it stand on its own.

*Photos are all taken and edited by me. :)

If there is one thing Canada is known for in the fashion world, it has got to be hands down our owness on the Canadian tuxedo. A.k.a denim on denim. Whenever anyone who's anyone leaves the house wearing a pair of jeans with a denim jacket the Great Canadian North gets a little nod. Denim on denim is one of the easiest summer trends to pull off. I mean jean jackets are the perfect mix of warmth and breathability and you can't get anymore beach day ready than by slipping on a pair of distressed denim cutoffs. So to see that the oh so Canadian tuxedo got a major attention in the May 2015 issue of Marie Claire Italia, a small portion of my patriotic heart fluttered. 

I've never seen a Canuck tux look so chic...have you? Take a peek below to see just how cool "Canadiana cool" really is. :)

*All images found via HonestlyWTF.

As I write this I am also drowning in paper as I prep for my last two exams. Eeeekkk I can't believe this time Thursday I will officially be done my first year of university! My oh my how the time has flown. I could not be more happy with how my first year of school has gone. I've made so many amazing friends and memories, I've learned so so much and I have even greater plans for the year to come. Considering my last few posts have been fairly text heavy I thought today I would keep it light. And let me tell you, I don't think it could get any lighter (or cooler) than the new capsule collection launched between the amazingly feminine European label & Other Stories and VANS. I mean hello girly ethereal design mixed with the sneaker company to end all sneaker companies??!! Make something heavenly why don't you...

Given the rad Dalmatian print, chic as can be sunglasses, and not to mention their use of a super cool 86 year old model, I think you'll be able to see in the images that follow why I am so stoked to add these chic sneaks to my summer wardrobe... I mean seriously I hope I am this cool when I'm in my eighties. 

Happy Tuesday!

All images found on the & Other Stories website via HonestlyWTF

I wouldn't necessarily consider myself or my style to be particularly bohemian, but there is something about the summer season that shifts my aesthetic preferences from crisp and clean, to more woodsy and ethereal. I spend my days leading up to summer dreaming of flowy dresses, bicycle rides to vintage markets, art collecting (and making) and most importantly frolicking through flower patches and being outdoors. Here in Toronto we are currently in an amazing spring period and I can tell you the excitement for summer grows with every day. I can't wait for my last two exams to be over with this week and then I can enjoy all the amazing things the summer season has to offer.

Now given my tendency towards all things folksy and flamboyant come the summer months, I took great enjoyment in discovering super cool designer and artist Justina Blakeney this afternoon on HonestyWTF. It has been made known to me that her long awaited book The New Bohemians is now officially released, and boy oh boy am I ever excited to get my hands on it. Her amazing interior/decor photography of bohemian spaces is just what I needed to bring my summer vibes up a notch. Chronicling the lives and spaces of creatives all across the United States, Blackeney's book is a composition of various spaces playing off of a traditional bohemian interior aesthetic. Divided into chapters such as Modern Bohemian, Folksy Bohemian, Romantic Bohemian and so on each space is categorized by its level of bohemian-ness. 

The book also includes 12 amazing DIY projects and a Plant Encyclopedia containing all plant life featured in the book and pointers on how too care for them. Given that the summer also reignites my green thumb, I am sure that my summer will be filled with many plant related excursions and projects.

Take a look below at some of the amazing spaces featured in The New Bohemians: Cool and Collected Homes and get your hands on it ASAP via Amazon.com :)

All images found via HonestlyWTF.

So yesterday it got pretty real here on stylewithoutacause but I thought it was about time. If I'm going to make a real go at this blogging thing I thought it was due time for me to share my real opinions on real things. This is one of the amazing things that I have learned this past year in university. Just finishing my first semester I am now looking back at the person I was in September and the person I am today. She is a lot different...or maybe not. I always new I was opinionated and passionate. I'm extremely passionate when I get into something, and my classes this year have really helped me with that. I now have a deeper and broader bank of knowledge to use when talking about issues I care about, I am more aware of the world around me, and the problems within it. But I've also noticed how influential we can be as young people and that we truly do hold the keys to the future. My fashion classes in particular have opened my eyes to a world of new things and I now have a better sense of the industry I hope to spend my life in. I am aware of fashion's flaws and downfalls. But I am now also aware of the power I and my fellow peers have to make a difference. 

To rebound from our 'real talk' yesterday I thought I would show you the sartorial reasons as to why I love the Reformation. My cart on their website is currently sitting at $1,740 hence the title of this blog post. I thought I would share the gems I have squandered away in my shopping bag over on the reformation.com to provide a glimpse of some of the things I hope to be wearing this summer!

Here we go!

(And for those of you who caught it...yes I did just reference SchoolBoyQ in my blog title :P)

CROPPED Slim Jean in "Worn Vintage" | $138

ALYSSA Skirt in "Malt" | $138

*All Images are found via the Reformation website.

Fair warning: today's blog post is going to be extensive. I am going to talk about a topic that is very very important to me. Sustainability. As a lover of all things fashion (and like with anything else) there are amazing things about my hobby and then there are not so amazing things. Everyone knows about the good stuff. The glamour, the prestige, the high-flying, jet-setting lifestyle; and duh the amazing clothes. 

But up until recently, no one really talked about the bad stuff about fashion, and trust me there's quite a bit (don't worry fashion I still love you).One of the most major issues at the centre of the fashion industry is environmental sustainability - or better yet the lack there of. The fashion industry is the third most environmentally polluting industry in the world and is the second largest consumer and polluter of water. Every year roughly 80 billion apparel items are produced - thus leaving an atrociously large environmental footprint behind. The overall global production of textiles consumes on average 1 trillion gallons of water a year, 33 trillion gallons of oil and 20 billion pounds of chemicals. Now I don't know about you, but that's kind of a lot, and it's kind of concerning. We can surely do better can't we? 

GIF found on the Reformation website :)

To give a slightly better context of what some of these numbers mean, let's break it down. To produce one pair of denim jeans, it requires over 900 gallons of water, not to mention that most denim is derived from cotton. Cotton production is also one of the most environmentally draining raw materials used by the fashion industry. It requires immensely large pieces of land to be grown, the land and soil must be of extremely high quality and are often regulated/cared for with harmful chemicals and pesticides. These chemicals seep into the soil killing surrounding plant life and thus harming various ecosystems. Cotton also requires intense irrigation and water use. Conventional cotton consumes about 10% of the worlds pesticides and about 25% of the world's insecticides, when it only uses 2.4% of the world's arable land. Irrigation systems circulate chemical inputs into the groundwater making cotton the largest textile contributor to freshwater contamination and soil toxicity. Dyeing of denim is also hazardous to both people and the environment as the chemicals themselves are harmful to deal with as well as the run off that makes its way into nearby bodies of water pollutes and kills aquatic landscapes.

Now I know we are not off to a positive start here and you are probably wondering who is this girl talking to me about how my clothes are killing the environment. Where is she getting all her facts? Is this even true? I totally get that and this is why I'm talking to you today about REFORMATION. All my information and sources will be linked throughout this post in order to give you a better understanding of where I am coming from and why I love this company so much.

Reformation is an apparel production company based and online e-retailer out of Los Angeles created in 2009 by Yael Aflalo where in their words "fashion and sustainability coexist". Their goal is to raise awareness around the impact that fashion has on the environment yet at the same time offering sustainable and fashionable solutions. They attempt to lead and inspire a sustainable and non-harmful way of being fashion forward. This is what I love about them. As a fashion consumer there are many issues/challenges I consider when I buy something. I don't want to break the bank when I buy a new pair of shoes or a new dress. I want to look fabulous and have clothes that represent who I am and what I stand for. I need to save money in order to pay for university. I want to be comfortable. But most importantly I can't waste money. I want whatever I buy to be a long term investment in where I want to see myself down the road. I want to know where my clothes came from, what they are made from and I want to know just how much of an impact to the world I am making. Reformation gives me all these things and to boot fills my love of vintage clothing along the way. On their website they state "we source sustainable fabrics and vintage garments, and incorporate sustainable practices throughout all supply chain phases. The majority of their clothing is either reworked vintage garments that other companies have thrown away, rescued deadstock textiles from larger fashion houses/brands that have over-ordered product and then a third portion of their material is new, innovative 100% sustainable, biodegradable fabrics such as Viscose, Tencel, and Modal. If you want to learn more about these super cool textiles and how they create their garments head to the Reformation website where they discuss all their production processes and environmental impact in depth.

Image found on Reformation website.

One of the other things I love so much about Reformation is their level of disclosure. On their website you can find everything about who they are, what they do, what they stand for and why they stand for it. I love that I can stand behind a company for real reasons beyond that they make pretty clothes. I love that I can tell people about this amazing brand and there is more to the story. More to the discussion. A discussion I hope we can have here. A big wave in fashion right now is a growing consumer demand for disclosure from their favourite fashion houses. Just this morning I found an article on the Business of Fashion that I think is a useful read for anyone interested in how and why the fashion industry is becoming and should become for environmentally conscious. 

I love the fact that Reformation makes generally all their product in-house, in LA. Their production space uses the most eco-friendly, efficient and pro-social technology practices available.They've invested in green infrastructure to reduce their waste and energy footprints, All stores and their HQ in LA source electricity from 100% renewable power sources. They use LED lighting and Energy-Star appliances. They installed a cool roof that reflects heat and light - offsetting about 200 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions a year. The alley behind their HQ was revitalized to be a calming, open green space that employees can use in their down time. There is growing space for a team veggie garden, and they can use the space for meeting, parties and industry events. One of the other things I think is super cool about their operation is that they have set up this greywater laundry-to-irrigation system where the water they use for washing garments is filtered and then irrigates their backyard garden. I mean come on how cool is that?!

They operate out of one factory, distribute to a few selective retailers within blocks of the factory to reduce emission impacts from transportation. The majority of their business occurs online, which is essentially non-environmentally hindering. Yes product must be shipped but all packaging is composed of natural, recycled and biodegradable paper products (see website for a more technical breakdown).

Everything happens in one location at their HQ in order to maintain quality control, maintain fair and honourable working standards for all employees from the creative team to the models to the employees actually producing, altering and packaging garments. All factory employees are paid fair wages above minimum wage and over half are paid above the average LA living wage. 3/4 of their staff are also women!

So I know I've talked about a lot just now. And to be honest as in depth as this may seem I've barely scratched the surface of the sustainability conversation I hope to have here. I've also barely scratched the surface on the amazing work Reformation is currently doing. I strongly urge anyone who is reading this right now to go to their website and just play around and read all the stuff they've got there. It really gives an amazing picture as to what they are doing and their information is a lot more concise and in depth than mine was here today.

I know it's just one, but a lot of fashion firms are noticing the impact they are making, and are recognizing that their customers are noticing too. People are now more than ever demanding full disclosure on where their clothes are coming from and it severely impacts their decision to buy. Now is the time that fashion as a whole should be jumping on the sustainability bandwagon because we've only got one earth. It is a pretty fantastic one at that as well so to not protect it is to not protect ourselves and our futures. To me, not caring about the environment and the impact our purchases make seems absurd.

So I know that was a load, but this is one of the biggest issues in fashion right now and one that resonates with me a lot. Let me know in the comments if discussions like this are something you'd like to see continue on here. I think I'll do them anyways but I'd love the feedback. Stay tuned tomorrow for a post of Reformations clothing that I am dying to have in my closet this summer. I know I know, the fun stuff will have to wait. :)But Please stay tuned cuz it's gonna be good.

Check out the REFORMATION BLOG too they've got some awesome stuff! (noticing a pattern? I think I need more synonyms for awesome, so please help a girl out if you can) They just announced the first harvest they got from their greywater irrigation garden with a cute video containing a super cute puppy!! (how could you resist?!)

*All images and GIFs are from the Reformation website.

Thought I'd wait a little while between posts about fashion week. You know, to draw out the suspense and all. My second day at Toronto Fashion Week was just as awesome as my first. I attended The Wild North show with my lovely ladies from school Meg, Heather and Sonia. Luckily enough because it was an early show, a lot of industry people didn't show up, so Heather and I got to steal the second row seats previously reserved for HELLO! Magazine journalists. Snooze ya loose eh?! So suffice to say I got some pretty good photos being so close to the runway and all, and was able to see all the action. :)

To summarize:
The clothes: lots of fur and outerwear... kind of makes me want to go and live in the woods next winter (not).
The hair: very Daenerys Targaryen
The makeup: primp and polished and slightly dusted with snow
The vibe: Game of Thrones takes on the Great White North 

Take a peek below to see the snaps I grabbed!

So leggings are coming back....

So I decided to go for the all black thing (insert Anna Wintour cringing) cuz I knew the backdrop colour ahead of time (LOL not). Leather Jacket TOPSHOP Top Forever21 (its actually a dress tucked in) Pants Zara Shoes The Wishbone Collective (at B2) Coat Wilfred by Aritzia

Guacamole and tarro root chips at El Caballito restaurant. 
We got tacos and margaritas too but they were so delicious I forgot to take a photo. :P

As I type this I hope you know that it is blustering rain and plus 4 degrees here in Toronto. Now just imagine how happy I must have been this morning when I stumbled upon this perfect summer LA lookbook on WhoWhatWear. The lovely ladies over at WWW always know how to find the perfect beauty hacks for already busy lifestyles, apartment decor for under $200 and can essentially tell you anywhere, anytime where to shop to get the most recent Kendall Jenner style masterpiece (without breaking the bank). I mean can we say Holy Grail?! But today, they outdid themselves in my mind because not only did they find the most whimsical, awe-inspiring lookbook for summer, but they timed it perfectly to distract from the abysmal weather that is currently taking place outside my window.

Now, I hadn't heard of the brand BB Dakota until this morning. Even better I had no idea who Alexandra Spencer was either. But the minute I laid eyes on this spread, I knew that this Aussie blogger and this California cool brand were a match made in heaven. The soft flowing fabrics, pastel colours, vibrant floral prints and can we talk about those effortlessly beachy mermaid waves??!!! I mean #hairenvy all up in the building right now.

What's even better is that for those of whom are capable of attending (I am not one of these people :( ), this gallery came just in time for the much anticipated Coachella season. I mean I could see any top blogger or music celeb romping around Indio in these colourful confections, and I'm sure we just might. If not, what they will be wearing is gonna be darn similar and that also makes me very excited!

So I suppose now is about time for me to halt my ramblings, but once you see these pics I think you'll understand.  

*All pictures taken by Zoey Grossman found via WhoWhatWear.

Alas! My first post about food. Quite ironic that it's taken me this long to talk about food on here considering I eat everyday. Food blogs are also just as important to me as fashion/beauty blogs or interior design blogs. I love food, and take great enjoyment in cooking and eating. I absolutely love finding new and fun ways to do both of these things. Hence why this recipe for a super cool quinoa brunch bowl courtesy of I Am A Food Blog warranted a little discussion on the site today.

This brunch bowl contains many of my most favourite things. For 1: AVOCADOS! I cannot stress enough how much I love avocados. I get so incredibly excited when I find new ways to eat them, serve them (or uhhh style them for Instagram - don't judge). So when I saw that this bowl had the lovely food item I knew I had to find out more. 2: Quinoa. I must admit I have a very wishy-washy relationship with quinoa as it is a relatively new addition to my diet and I don't always know how to make it not taste like dirt. But here with all the other awesome stuff in this bowl I feel like I could do it and actually enjoy it. 3: Eggs. I love me a good soft boiled egg. The best part of eating eggs like this is the minute opportunity to return to childhood excitement when you break open the soft white outer flesh of the egg and release a deliciously rich pocket of yellow yolk. MMMMMMMMM. 4: Tofu. I don't eat tofu very often, but when I do you can bet it'll be deep fried. I love how frying it gives the outer edge an amazing crispy crunch. So much so that it actually makes the rubbery texture, more enjoyable than bearable.

So, feast your eyes below (see what I did there ;))!

Recipe: Quinoa Brunch Bowl w/ Six Minute Soft Boiled Eggs, Creamy Avocado, Tofu Puffs & Miso Mustard Dressing.

*All images found on I AM A FOOD BLOG via BecauseI'mAddicted.