Santa's Helpers: Your Under-$40 Gift Guide

Supermodel Eva Herzigova poses with her Secret Santas for the Printemps Holiday 2013 Ad Campaign. Photo courtesy Printemps. 

Originally posted in The CLOSET

This happens every single year. You've figured out your big gifts (or at least a few of them - just me?) and feel like you can sit back and actually start to enjoy the peace, the merry, the joy of this wonderful season. Then a few weeks before the big day, it hits you: you still have about 90 gifts to buy. Between teachers, Secret Santas, neighbours, co-workers and random second cousins, it all adds up pretty fast. And forget about budget - it's more about figuring out what on earth to buy people you don't really know all that well.

This year, make a list, check it twice, then get it done. I've rounded up the greatest gifts for under $40, perfect for anyone (and everyone) on your list. And when it all just feels like too much, there's always a comfy chair at Starbucks and a perfect Peppermint Mocha with your name on it. Happy shopping! And seriously, you don't have to get me a thing... 

SEE THE GIFT GUIDE HERE...

The Season's Must-Have Moto

Bright Wool Moto Jacket, $128, GAP

Everyone is going mental over this bright wool moto and for good reason(s):

1) It's wool, not leather, so it's actually affordable.

2) It comes in this amazing shade of pink - THE colour of the season.

3) The Gap Make Merry Sale is on, so it's 35% off if you buy it by tonight. No pressure.

You've been doing a lot of shopping for everyone else these days. Time to give yourself a little pat on the back. Or in this case, an AMAZING new jacket on your back. Am I right?

xx

Krystin Lee of Suburban Faux-Pas fame rocking her Gap Wool Moto Jacket.

Jenny Jovanovic of Crazy Style Love pairs her moto w windowpane pants, also from Gap.

15 Wardrobe Essentials Every Woman Should Own

Originally posted in The LOOK

Happy (?) Monday! How is this day always so punctual? Be late for once, take your time getting here, just...chill, would you? One thing that always makes Mondays especially tough is figuring out what to wear after a long lazy weekend. Luckily, getting dressed in the morning can be pretty easy; if you have the right things in your closet, that is. These 15 new wardrobe essentials will always keep you chic, even on those days like today when you think you have absolutely nothing to wear. 

READ MORE...

(and while you're at it, be sure to check out the new, very festive 'me' on the Intercity blog. Only in cartoon do I ever get to wear Celine. Thanks Korkola Design! xx)

SAMCRO Chic: Biker Babe Essentials

Every woman should own a moto jacket, whether you ride or not. Sears Fall Look! Report

Originally posted in The Fashion Scoop

I could not possibly have less in common with biker gangs; I have two young kids, spend my days blogging about pretty shoes, and my current idea of a wild night involves a bottle of Pinot and possibly going to bed after midnight. If I'm lucky. I had a few bad girl moments in University - all-nighters fueled by Killer Kool-Aid, dates with a few bad boys, and one run-in with the law (speeding ticket), but other than that, my life has for the most part been happy, fulfilling and legal. Zzzz....

And so, I live my vicarious bad girl life through shows like Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy. Criminals, hard-core drugs, biker gangs, and the DEA - this is my life after 9 pm. Call it the SAMCRO effect or our inexplicable obsession with bad boys, but biker gear has never looked more appealing. From the essential moto bomber that started it all, to all of the biker babe spin-offs that now fill the racks, a little biker gear goes a long way to add some edge to your play-it-safe life - no run-ins with the law or bugs in the teeth required. Vroom, VROOM!

Read on to see my fav biker babe essentials...

The Best New Places to Shop Online

Photo courtesy the store that will ruin my budget: Massimo Dutti

It's nice to be able to shop from the comfort of our couches, especially once the snow starts to fly, and it just so happens that online shopping got 100 times better for Canadians this year. This year’s crop of new online shops makes pointing, clicking and buying waaay too easy - not that I'm complaining....

Read on for 16 of my favourite new online shops...

xx