Bridal Fashion Week

It’s been quite a few months since I shared the good news about our engagement, so I am excited to say that the big day is just over 2 weeks away and I finally have my first fitting tomorrow at White for my Reem Acra dress.

It was very tough choosing a dress because I was torn between two equally gorgeous and enticing styles, so I cannot wait until tomorrow when I finally get to see my final pick.

To help spread wedding fever, here are ten of my favourite dresses thus far from Bridal Fashion Week in NYC:

The lace overlay in this Ines De Santo is breathtaking- love the peekaboo effect on the décolletage- demure yet daring!

Sophisticated glamour - this Rivini dress still feels bridal and soft, despite it’s architectural layered skirt.

Reem Acra’s shimmering stunner is perfect for a retro Hollywood glamour fete – the beaded cap sleeve is so lovely.

Simple and elegant from Carolina Herrera- understated glamour at its best for a no-fuss look

This beauty by Claire Pettibone looks like a gem from another era- such gorgeous detailing on the neckline!

This Lazaro trumpet combines such marvellous textures – like walking down the aisle on a cloud!

In white it suits a high-fashion bride, but in black, this Vera Wang work of art would totally look at home on the red carpet

Be cuter Monique Lhuillier, I dare you - I want this dress in every colour…

For the high-glitz bride who can’t resist pretty shiny things- I love the unusual scale pattern on this Ines De Santo ballgown

This asymmetrical Amasale makes a statement with its beautiful pearly finish and dramatic lines

(all images from Martha Stewart Weddings)

Edie Vs. Edie

J. Crew is proudly declaring “Edie Ever After”…

 

and while I wholeheartedly agree that the Edie purse in Italian calf hair is beyond stunning at an achievable $448,

my heart only belongs to one Edie.

Missoni Madness in NYC

A pinch-me invite to the Manhattan launch of Missoni for Target was cause for a whirlwind trip to the Big Apple with my mother on Wednesday night.

Cancelled and delayed flights, plus uncooperative weather and a severe lack of taxi’s were not on our side, yet our crazy Missoni fandom prevailed and we managed to have a good time while amassing a large pile of shopping bags filled with fab scores. (In fact our pile was so large that a reporter from the Wall Street Journal took  notice and chatted with us… shame they didn’t list Style At Home in the article but still amusing nonetheless!)

I missed out on some choice items, such as the black and white laptop case as well as the embroidered pillows and the awesome shower curtain, but still walked away with a kick ass bag, stationary for my office, the metal martini shaker, a melamine tray, a sweet tie for Dave, and the awesome rainboots for Margot and more.  I didn’t see my top fashion picks from the lookbook, so I concentrated on scooping up the home buys rather than sift for sizes through the racks, and overall the quality was quite impressive!

Celebs and fashion insiders were out in full effect but the only one I approached was the gorgeous and sweet-as-pie Margherita. When I told her of my obsession with her namesake china she replied “Bravo” - Bravo indeed!

I’m Going Country

Well not really… I’m way too much of a city gal to ever leave my urban roots behind, but I am, however, in the process of decorating our first family cottage!  It’s too early to share pictures, considering we don’t even have possession yet, but because of the fab summer sales, we have dove right into sourcing and already snapped up some fabulous finds.

I’m very lucky that my parent’s are trusting my aesthetic vision of a relaxed coastal vibe, which is completely fuelled by the road trip through Nantucket, Provincetown and Newport that Dave and I took last summer… so while there are no visuals yet, think rubbed woods, blackened bronze, gorgeous blue and white textiles and a whole lot of white paint, and you will have my version of a New England getaway an hour outside Toronto!

Some of the pretty things we’ve snapped up so far:

This charming black painted vintage bench from Chatelet with a tufted linen seat cushion…

The nautical-feeling Chelsea sconce by Visual Comfort in the handsome Tudor Brown finish from ELTE…

Some hydrangea-blue and white jasperware boxes by Wedgewood from Around The Block…

Stay tuned for photos and updates as the project progresses!

Missoni For Target: Lookbook picks!

What is exciting enough to pull me out of a month-long blog hiatus? Why it’s the Missoni lookbook for Target of course! After getting only little sneak peaks over the past few months since the announcement of their collaboration was made, Racked finally posted the entire lookbook and I have been clicking away making a mental wishlist for my as of yet unconfirmed daytrip to Buffalo ever since. From home goods and stationary to their signature knits and even a bike - this is one comprehensive collection!

Here are some of my faves:

(images via racked)

Jessie’s Girls

My bridesmaids blew me away a couple of weeks ago by throwing me the most creative and original stagette ever! An homage to my early days as a rock’n’roll enthusiast, they planned an amazing night taking me on a crazy trip down memory lane.

Starting with a clever dinner with a menu named for some of my favourite bands over the years (awesome examples: “Linda’s Killers Caesar Salad” and “Macaroon5’s”), we gathered at my sister Marlie’s condo, which had been plastered with pictures of me in my band-crazed days for some fun and games.

No detail was spared with the presentation and decor - they even had special cupcakes made by the Duchess of Dough!

After dinner, donning t-shirts printed “Almost Married”and tattoo sleeves, we boarded my very own tour bus with and armfuls of inflatable guitars ready to visit special landmarks my maids chose to mark my indie rock days. Each one was a surprise and was preceded with a hysterical poem about its significance.

Once on the bus, they took it one step further by making me change into my super embarrassing token concert outfit that seemed cool to me in 2003. Yikes!

One of the stops was the Opera House, my most favourite venue ever,  and I don’t think I’ll ever live down wearing a veil and sash while watching thrash metal in the sound booth!

Another stop, Stone’s Place, was a festive dance party, where we boogied to an amazing playlist that had us working up quite the sweat! 

Thanks girls for an incredible bachelorette! I’m so lucky to have such an amazing crew who worked so hard to throw me such an unforgettable night!

Sweet on Sweet Tables

Inspired by the Amy Atlas interview in Style At Home’s July issue, I put together a sweet table for the latest SAH episode of CityLine. (If you haven’t yet, make sure you check out Amy’s site for amazing inspirational tablescapes and dessert styling- she is quite the talent!)

Our table for CityLine would of course not have been possible though, without the awesome companies who donated their sweets to our segment, including Cake Opera Co. (obvs they had to be included) and Oak Leaf Candy. Their to-die-for cake centrepiece and other decadent treats had everyone in the studio drooling over their beauty! Crate and Barrel and Shop Sweet LuLu were also kind enough to provide some killer containers for the table as well-  how awesome are the straws and little glass jars!

Watch the clip here for some tips on creating your own sweet table!