Closet Couture!

So you would guess I have tons of Clothes, Accessories and Shoes! Saying this I'm tired of buying something I already have or discovering a forgotten item that I could have been wearing all season!

Finding this site was a heaven sent! So what this website does is it allows you to catalog your Wardrobe (Remember like in the Clueless Movie!) It is tedious to set up but once you're up it's quite amazing! Also while setting up it gets you filtering and purging the clothes you don't need or wear anymore!

So here's the run down...

You take a picture of all your things, I started one category at a time! My first category was Bags/Purses. You need to set up a white sheet or hang on an all white wall and take a picture of each item. (make sure there are no wrinkles in the sheet and minimize shadows as much as you can, being a perfectionist I cropped each item to ensure there were no shadows)

There is a background remover on this site, I Suggest not removing the background when Uploading but do it after and edit each item.

Another tip is try searching the item if it's a common brand and lots of times it will come up. No picture taking needed. Also for example if it's just a white oxford shirt instead of taking a picture try goggling a picture of "white oxford". I personally don't mind if it's identical just similar.

Now I'm in no way done yet but slowly working at it. And when you have enough categories you can start making Outfits!!!

When you make outfits you can save them and others can view and rate them! Also there is an Editor who chooses outfits they feature! Not to toot my own horn but almost all my outfits have been Editor's picks! You can Rate other User's outfits and Comment whether a piece looks good in the outfit and if your friends are on it you can make outfits for them too!

So for all my Fashionista's check out this site: closetcouture.com

My Username is "Shopsterista" Of Course!

Christmas Haul

Christmas in my family is usually reserved for kids. I love seeing them open their gifts with wide eyes and excitement!

One reaction that was quite humorous was my little niece `s reaction. You see she just turned three and is quite different from every little girl I know! One of her favourite toys is a dinosaur she bought at the dollar store that "bites" at people. Recently it was broken so I bought a new one for her and put it on a box of candy to throw her off and scare the hell out of her mother. (LOL! She`s quite the candy monster!)

 So when she opened it her mother filled with disappointment and a horrified look turned to me with with disbelief "Really?!" ... priceless! I signal for her to let her open the box and when the box was opened Tay squeaks "Monster!".

Renews the faith for mothers that a dollar store toy would bring such joy!

But aside from this funny story I would have to say this Santa was good to me this year!

 From a favourite cousin-in-law who never forgets me every year! I got a pretty Pandora-style  bracelet.

From my aunt/godmother I got a a simple and classic bone bangle (LOVE) and a pair of dangle earrings from Ten Thousand Villages with a special piece of valuable paper inside (*wink*). After looking up this company I realized this awesome company with unique products.

"Ten Thousand Villages is the oldest and largest Fair Trade organization in North America, selling artisan-crafted personal accessories, home decor and gift items from around the globe. 

Ten Thousand Villages creates opportunities for artisans in developing countries to earn income by bringing their products and stories to our markets through long-term, fair trading relationships."

So check out their website and support socially responsible merchants: http://www.tenthousandvillages.ca

From my other aunt another delicately wrapped special piece of valuable paper made out in my name (*wink*). Which was very much appreciated.


From a bud of mine I got an at home Shellac Kit! Which I LOVE ... Seeing as my nails are thin and never grow long before breaking.
She bought me this set and also bought the LED Light just like in the salon! This kit is amazing mainly for the fact there is no drying time once your done!

Already ran out and got a sparkly rose gold, a dark wine purple, and a pale pink.

  LOVE IT!

From my Boyfriend's family I got a gorgeous pair of Leaf inspired earrings and a really cool Gold Art Deco cuff with black stones.

They tricked me by strategically putting them in a Men's Back Waxing kit. Which was quite Hilarious!

Thanks Girls! Hope you liked your gifts as much as I did!

My Father and Uncle as the amazing gift givers they are also contributed to the much needed Boxing Day Shopping Fund!

Also got a TopShop Gift Card from a Gift Exchange to add to my other Topshop Gift Card from CityLine.

A Tim Horton's Gift Card From my oldest sister and her 2 boys.

From my older niece this year she bought gifts with her own money. (so sweet!)

She got us sister this Cadbury Caramik Fondue set that my little sister whisked of into her room and I have yet to see it!

Her mother, my second oldest sister, got me a Night out to movies including popcorn and drinks.


My third oldest sister was on the same wave length and also got me a Night out to movies including popcorn and drinks and a book (seeing as she works at Indigo!).

Fitting as I'm a really shoe Fanatic so this was interesting.

My little sister cashed in her "I'm a Starving Student" Card in for the last time!

My other friend got me a Bon Appetite Gift Card.

My Boyfriend got the following leather Rabeano bags for me!

He also gave me a special gift I'm not gonna mention but I really appreciated him being there when I needed him!

Overall.... Great Christmas!

Zara Fall/Winter 2012

The last couple years Zara's previous lines have been dare I say disappointing. But went into Zara this week and I would have to say, I really liked the Fall/Winter 2012 line!

The typical fall line with it's knits, tweeds, and wool coats was sprinkled with leather, chains, skulls, sequence and studs. Now while these elements overdone might read a little young and rebellious Zara as it always does follows trends  while not losing any of it's sophistication.

As they always do, Zara had some great Shoes! The reason I love getting shoes here is because they are  made extremely well as most European shoes are, and the majority of them are usually made of gorgeous leathers and suede. Anyone who knows me knows I love them sky high heels. When you're vertically challenged like myself every inch helps!

Value Village (Wilson and Keele)

So today was the infamous 50% off sale in Value Village and I got a chance to hit up 3 of them but only picked up items at 2 of them. Value Village (Landsdowne and Bloor) was a bust due to it being really popular with all the hipsters in the neighbourhood.

The second one is:

Value Village (Wilson and Keele) 1030 Wilson Avenue




Mantles Trench
($12.99 - 50% - $6.50)

I hit this one up with Foxy after work and with an hour left to go we slide into this huge location and we are surprised at the lack of people. We walk around expecting things to be picked over but to our surprise it was filled with amazing things!! The purse and shoe department is not very impressive but it had some great jackets. 


H&M Back Anorak
$9.99 - 50% - $4.99)

They had some great vintage trench coats that were made in Canada for only $6.99! I pick up a grey one, Jones New York red one and a  and Mantles khaki  one with plaid on the inside a-la-Burberry. I also pick up a H&M Black anorak and spot a new red leather biker jacket with tags still on! To my disappointment it didn't fit! I ended up with the Mantles Khaki Trench and Black H&M anorak.

Going through the skirts we look out for a great leather skirt we've been hunting for. We come up with a Blue Danier pencil skirt ($12.99), a blue leather pencil skirt with almost an acid wash texture and Black snaps going down the front (looking back I should've picked this up for my sister! was definitely drool worthy and a steal at $13.99!) and Foxy pulls out of the rack triumphantly a beautiful black Danier Leather skirt ($19.99). 

Danier Leather Skirt
Danier.com ($279)
($19.99 - 50% - $9.99)

Excitedly she tried it on right there in the isle over her jeans and hops into it! Success!!! (By the way when we got back to her place we researched the skirt, it retails for $279 and currently on sale for $179 on the Danier website!)
 We Go over to the Blazers, excited with all the great finds make it hard to focus! But going through the racks there are LOTS of name brands like Gap, H&M, Tommy Hilifiger, etc. Foxy pulls out another great find! A Vintage Oversize Escada Cashmere Pastel Plaid Blazer ($14.99)!  She rolls up the sleeves to reveal the pale pink lining! So pretty!

We also picked up a couple more items but the announcement saying it's closing time we didn't get to try them on. We walk out with large grins on our faces and a sense of accomplishment! We are excited to go back to this location without the pressure of the clock to go through all the great racks of items!

 Overall Impression:
The best location so far. Not to close to downtown to warrant the crowd therefore there are many treasures! It's large and it seems that this location the pricing seems much lower than the others.
Ranked #1 for me right now but don't tell your friends, I don't want it to be picked through.

Value Village (Landsdowne and Bloor)

Value Village (Landsdowne and Bloor) 1319 Bloor Street West
 

So at this point we're starting to tire out but coming into this Value Village left us stunned! I've been here once before with another friend but don't remember buying anything nor was I as interested. This location is HUGE! Rows and Rows of racks of clothes and a large seasonal section filled with Christmas Decor. 

We head over to the purses but before we get there we check out the glass display case. We notice purses behind the glass case and I ask to take a look at the small Patent Gucci Purple-Black Ombre handbag ($59.99) in the display case. I'm very well trained to spot fakes and as soon as she places the purse in my hand I automatically know this one is a fake. My friend asked to see a Multi-Colored Coach Tote ($39.99) and another Brown Leather Coach Hobo ($59.99). Upon receiving them I confirm for my friend they are real Coach. Amused by my knowledge the lady behind the glass brings some more purses and I confirm they are all real Coach. They seem to be all from the same collection so I assume some rich lady decided to clean out her closet. While I was walking away my friend asks me if I saw the Green Prada ($39.99). Curious I walk back and ask for it. Instantly my heat jumps as I recognize the great quality that is Prada. I check the inside pocket and low and behold I find the Authenticity cards! SCORE! I instantly want it! So I tell the lady that I want it and she holds it for me while we walk around.

Feeling amped we scour the store looking for more treasures! I check the regular racks of purses and find this bag I had wanted a while back but didn't want to spend the $200, a Snakeskin Banana Republic Leather Purse ($5.99). Amazing! Now we're Super Pumped!

Because of the size of this location it has large departments! We stroll the around and end up by the blazers. I find an awesome Tiger Print Satin Blazer ($7.99). I was initially scared it might be gaudy but thought it would be so cute over solid colored dresses or a white t-shirt and jeans accessorized with some chunky colorful jewellery. I guess the tiger in me (my Chinese Horoscope Sign) couldn't resist!

I found Foxy a beautiful Chiffon Pink Blouse ($7.99) and she decides to get the Brown Coach Leather Purse as well.

We both walk out excited and thrilled about our great finds!

Overall Impression:
Large Location with lots of Clothing, Housewares and Furniture. Although we got great finds it had quite a few customers and I can see this place getting picked over often. Overall great location, will definitely come back!

Goodwill (Bathurst and St. Clair)

Our first day of our Thrifting Spree and me and my buddy Foxy are pumped to find treasures! Our planned first stop was the Goodwill on Jane and Runnymede. But due to my great navigation skills (reminding Foxy why she doesn't trust me to make plans as I'm somewhat directionally challenged!) we ended up near Bathurst and St. Clair.

Goodwill Toronto (Bathurst and St. Clair) 585 St Clair Ave W



Foxey black quilted leather bag. Made in Italy

Now I'm not saying we're princesses but sometimes the thought of the Thrift store makes our skin crawl! So we stick to basics: Outerwear, Jewellery and Handbag. This location was a decent sized store but wasn't very organised and tidy. As soon as we came in there was a glass display case. The only thing that caught my attention was a gold necklace with a round green pendent wrapped with a gold filigree design. It was very beautiful but for $15.99 I think I'll pass.We turned our attention to a lady digging into 2 carts we walked over and realized they were filled with purses and after looking around to see if they belonged to anyone we dig in with her. Now this will sound like a "princess" statement, but I hate faux leather bags! The plastic just turns me off and too many times I've purchased beautiful and expensive bags only for they to start peeling and cracking! So I stick to leather! Immediately I find this Chanel-like treasure! An Italian, black leather quilted bag with a cute tassel and a long and short handle ($10.00). I love it! Foxy found an equally beautiful bucket style leather bag with multicolored suede patches ($12.00).

Overall Impression:
and cluttered location. Contains items you would think of when you think thrift store: outdated polyester suits, moldy looking sweaters and yellowing appliances. Definitely found the only gems at this location.

Don't think I'll be returning. 

On to the next one down the road...Salvation Army (Bathurst and St. Clair)