WORK IT | Spring's Most Stylish Workout Gear

Karlie Kloss via Nike

Originally posted in The LOOK

I don't know about you but it's really easy for me to get to the gym. It's the staying at the gym that's a problem. Every year around this time - you know the time where you see ads everywhere for beautiful girls in bikinis - I realize how badly I need to get my butt in gear. But this year, it feels different somehow. 

From Instagram to Snapchat, fitness fanatics are everywhere right now. And while getting fit is an especially huge trend at the moment, it feels less like a passing fad and more like a movement. Women I follow on social media not only look amazing in their bright workout gear but they look strong, powerful and crazy confident as they run marathons, hit the boxing ring and do mind-blowing yoga balances. Instead of models simply posing in pretty workout gear, you get the sense that they're actually doing the workouts in their daily downtime, too. Since having kids, I've never been so inspired to get fit.

While I think personal trainers are great, nothing motivates me to get my body moving more than cute workout gear. Luckily this season, the stores are loaded with the prettiest printed sports bras, bright tanks and sleek bottoms that will make you envy of any fitness class. As they say, looking good is half the battle ;)

Scroll through the slideshow for my top spring workout gear picks. You can do it!

 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
   
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
   
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
   
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
   
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
   
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
   
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
   
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
   

 

The Fashion Girl's Guide to Mother's Day

via The Body Shop

Originally posted in The LOOK

You really can't go wrong when it comes to Mother's Day gifts. Now that I'm a mom, I understand this all too well. My kids could give me the cheesiest, tackiest thing ever and as long as they took the time to pick it out, I'd think it was the best present anyone's ever gotten. I've never been given a handmade card, an at-home 'pedicure' or a homemade breakfast from my kids that I didn't totally love.

But let's be honest here. I'm a fashion girl. And fashion people have a tendency to dream. We dream of the gifts we'd like to receive and of course, the things we plan on buying for ourselves if nobody else does. As a fashion blogger, I come across cute things every day and they continually accumulate in my head - at a certain point it becomes too much for even the most disciplined shopper to bear. 

And so I've put some of my most-wanted finds together into this Mother's Day Gift Guide. They're things I've seen on other people's Instagram accounts, pieces I can't wait to put on, and a few things I'm hoping my husband might get me this Mother's Day since my kids are still too young to shop. If not, no big deal - I'll take my hard-earned paycheque and eventually buy a few of these gifts for myself. After all, this Mother's Day, I'm really most excited about that handmade card. 

Whether she's the sporty type or simply loves to shop, these fashionable Mother's Day gifts will help her live her life beautifully. Happy (almost) Mother's Day! Oh, and if you've ever wondered how the Royals celebrate Mom's Day, don't miss the hilarious home video below...

READ MORE...

LOUBOUTINS SUCK | Your Under-$150 Spring Shoe Guide

via Bionda Castana

Originally posted in The LOOK

I picked up my first (and only) pair of Louboutins on a whim. I'd been invited to meet the celebrity shoe designer when he was in Toronto for a Christian Louboutin Exhibition at the Design Exchange. For a fashion blogger, this was a major coup. I rifled through my entire shoe collection at home, freaking out because none of my shoes felt worthy of my shoe idol. And then I remembered a $300 gift card I'd been saving. This was happening. 

I left an hour early for Toronto and headed straight for one of my favourite places in the world - the designer shoe department at Holt Renfrew. Surrounded by ladies who lunch and all those gorgeous shoes, I couldn't help myself. I landed on a pair of stunning black and gold spikey-toe pumps and asked to see them in size 9. 'Well, Louboutin only goes up to 39, which is more like an 8, but they will be fine.' They weren't. I knew it. But I figured I'd work them in. Shoes this expensive must mold to your feet, non? Minutes later I'd blown $800 and was walking onto Bloor St. feeling like a boss. 

Nobody wants to admit it. In fact, in certain circles, saying so would be sacrilege. But if you've ever owned a pair of Louboutins, I'm sure you'll agree - they're uncomfortable. No, wait, that's being nice. They're torture chambers. I've talked to dozens of other Louboutin victims who secretly agree.  They might look pretty and you might get some small satisfaction from prancing around the room in your red soles, but after about 6 minutes, the pain sets in. The searing, burning, want-to-rip-your-feet-off pain that makes you leave the party early and never want to wear heels again. And I'm the kind of person who lives in heels. Unless you have abnormally tiny toes, there just isn't enough room at the inn. So, not only does the sky-high pin-sized heel make you feel like you're a giant baby tottering around in your mom's heels, but your feet are simultaneously being suffocated which turns your feet as red as that iconic sole. And then there are the long-lasting effects. No matter how much they hurt, you continue to wear them anyway because of the mountains of guilt - after all, you dropped a whole mortgage payment on them. Okay, let me just come right out and say it - Louboutins suck. 

I love heels. I adore the Holts shoe department and am still willing to spend the occasional paycheque on the perfect designer shoe (Choo > Louboutin all the way). But clearly, I will never buy Louboutins again. And if you suffer shoe envy every time you see those painted red soles - believe me, you are not missing out. 

Now, I get most of my shoe kicks for under-$150 - a great pointy-toe flat at ALDO, a made-in-Brazil beauty at Le Château, or a pair of sporty white tennis kicks from Sportchek or Soft Moc let me stay on trend without destroying my feet or my spring shopping budget. 

Want to step up your shoe game this spring? Check out our guilt-free spring shoe guide, with the coolest little flats and prettiest printed heels for under $150, not a single red sole in sight. Phew. Happy Friday!

SEE OUR SPRING SHOE GUIDE HERE...

SPRING STYLE HACK | Dress Luxe for Less

via RW&CO.

Originally posted in The LOOK

You know where she works. You know she didn't just win the lottery. And yet somehow, she manages to look like she's sponsored by a designer every. single. day. Super stylish women are no different than the rest of us - they just have a few style secrets tucked away that they employ every day. And more often than not, they don't have more clothes (or even more expensive clothes) than we do. They just know how to choose them better. Hate them? Don't. You can look like a lady of luxury, too. 

I've handpicked 15 key pieces that will give you that just-rolled-out-of-my-mansion look. The best part? Each piece checks out for under-$100 and nobody will ever know. Unless they read this blog. Then they'll know, too. And then you'll both look like you just rolled out of your mansions. Win. Win.

Happy Easter weekend, bunnies! Hope your immediate future is filled with chocolate. Excuse me while I test out my kids' treats. I mean, it is my motherly duty after all. Nom, nom, nom....

READ MORE...

THE SOFTER SIDE | The Cool New Way to Wear Spring Pastels

via J.Crew

Originally posted in The LOOK

It's the last day of winter. Let me repeat that - the LAST day of winter! This is no joke. Hard to believe that the spring we've been waiting for has finally arrived, and with it, a new crop of pretty spring colours in stores. While I'll always rely on black and white, and do love my brights, there's something irresistible about soft pastels, especially this season. 

While pastels can be sweet and pretty and mega girly-girly, you might not think of them as cool. I mean, black is cool and metallics are cool but pink? Cool? You might be surprised. From the always on point J.Crew runway to the most-copied street stylers, fashion know-it-alls are already tossing off their blacks and switching them up for powdery blues, ballet pinks and vibrant yellows. 

So, how do you make pastels look edgy? Here are 3 easy ways:

1) ADD BLACK | It never fails to pair your pastels with black to add depth to a super-sweet shade. Bonus points if you can add some leather (faux or real) and either a leopard or snake print to the mix.

2) MIX IT UP | Instead of sticking to one pastel shade, why not mix them up? Shades of blues and pinks mixed up look amazing worn head to toe, especially when you add some distressed denim to the mix. 

3) COMBINE SOFT & BRIGHT PASTELS | Soft pink with white and a khaki trench is pretty but, let's face it, predictable. The addition of one super bright pastel (think a bright yellow like in the J.Crew pic above and the outfit below) totally takes your spring outfit to the next level. Neon orange looks amazing with soft pink, too. 

Looking for some spring outfit inspo? I've put together 3 cool pastel looks to try out now. Happy Spring!

SEE THE LOOKS HERE...