Shopping: Through the Eyes of Men at LURAP!

LURAP Dress & Online Shopping Experience Review

Do you love what you're wearing? More often than not, the honest answer is: not always. Not because you don't like what you're wearing, but the fit isn't just perfect. I, like thousands of other women, have come to terms that I will rarely find a piece of clothing that fits my body in all the right places perfectly.

So when I was contacted by LURAP, an online custom clothing company, to choose a fashion piece from their site and review it for free, I got extremely excited to say the least. I had such a great experience reviewing eShakti, another online custom clothing company, over a year ago, that I decided for this review to put the fashion power in someone else's hands. Instead of me choosing the dress I was to try on and review, I asked my close MALE friend James to pick one for me.

My Style: Casual Fringe!

Vero Moda Fringe Poncho Casual Outfit

Fringe has been a style trend since the beginning of this year and it doesn't seem to be going away any time soon. Same with distressed denim, every where I look I see jeans with holes and rips in them (much to the dismay of my father:). So I embraced both these trends and created a fun and comfortable look.

Most pieces in this outfit are not new and I have featured them in past My Style Posts. The only new piece is the fun fringe Vero Moda poncho I got on sale at Hudson's Bay.

My Style: Summer Eclectic Love!

424 Fifth Birdcage Skirt & Express Graphic T-Shirt Outfit

I love mixing up styles to create a unique and eclectic outfit. And the summertime is the perfect time to bring out the dressy skirts and pair them with a fun graphic tee.

I fell in love with This 424 birdcage skirt when it first arrived in Hudson's Bay stores back in February when I featured it in my Valentine's Day Inspiration Fashion post. And I finally bought it for 70% off the original price at the amazing clearance sale happening at The Bay right now!

My Style: Belt it Out!

Two Spring Transitional Outfits

Now that the weather has finally started to cooperate and the sun has come out of hiding, it's that time of year when it's hard to dress for the days that can go from hot and humid to suddenly very cool and chilly very quickly. During the transitional seasons like Spring, layering is the most easily and stylish way to look great, but still be able to stay warm or take off a layer if the warm sun makes an appearance.

Adding a cardigan or sweater is the most common layering technique, but a fabulous alternative to just throwing on a sweater is to turn that sweater into the top!

My Style: My Heart Beats T.O.!

HeartBeats T.O. T-shirt & Noisy May Distressed Jeans Outfit

Back in September, I enjoyed the annual Manifesto Festival at Yonge-Dundas Square downtown Toronto. As well as some amazing street art and concerts happening, there were also many local vendors selling some really cool fashions. I bought two different Toronto t-shirts, one from 1 Love T.O., which I featured in a past Style Post, and the other from HeartBeats T.O.

I love the print design of this T-shirt, such a cool idea!!! The Toronto skyline forms a heartbeat much like an EKG machine readout. "HeartBeats T.O. is a clothing line designed to express the love for the City of Toronto in a unique way."

My Style: Psychedelic Bright!

Summer Shift Dress from Old Navy

Heya! Even though the summer season started several weeks ago, I feel like the summer weather has finally arrived in Toronto! There have been some really gloomy days this season, but recently several days have been quite sunny and hot! Hopefully the heat wave continues (knock on wood), that's why this fabulous summer shift dress, I saw at Old Navy is perfect for this year's summer! Its bright paisley pattern is a perfect mood elevator on those grey days, and its thin material is perfect to keep me cool and fashionable on the hot days.

I styled this bright psychedelic dress with my favourite heels from Forever 21, but I can dress it up or down with flats or sandals, for a great day or casual look. Also if the day is cooler, revisit the 1970's fashion era and wear it with a pair of tight boots and a cute fitted cardigan in a bright colour.

Fashion Love: Gotta Wear Shades!

Style Obsession & Trend Alert: Sunglasses

One of my fashion loves (and vices) is sunglasses! I love them! Not only can they complete an outfit perfectly, but they are functional as well. I have extremely sensitive eyes and have to wear sunglasses practically every time I'm outside, which is why in most of My Style posts, I'm wearing sunglasses. And they also protect my eyes from the sun and are a fabulous solution to covering up tired looking eyes, making me look and feel more awake.

My Style: Aztec Embellishment from Express!

Midi Length Skirt Fashion Outfit

Heya! I have been obsessing over the fabulous selection of amazing skirts at Express lately. From zebra prints to high-waisted styles, there are so many different skirts to choose from! Including this beautiful Aztec embellished skirt, which I fell in love with!

My Style: Chic, Sexy, + Fun!

Summer Fashion Outfit

Heya! Crop tops and tees have been an ongoing fashion trend this season. They were quite popular last summer and can still be seen this year. And for those of us who don't have washboard abs or a flat tummy, trying to wear this trend can make us uncomfortable. But I've come up with two ways to rock the crop top without showing off the belly bump: over a long dress or with a high-waisted (or semi-high) skirt.

My Style: Two Faced Dress!

Express Reversible Dress Fashion Outfit

Heya! I have been in love with a lot of the fashions available at Express lately. I usually only find very few pieces that I really want among the basic jeans, shirts, and trendy tops, but lately I have been obsessed with a lot of really cool finds like their zebra print skirt. My latest Express obsession is this fabulous reversible dress!

Style: Forever 21 is Bringing Sexy Sophistication Back!

Summer Fashion Outfit

Heya! There are a lot of fashion trends for summer that I have been loving lately. Two trends that I am in love with are jumpsuits and anything backless. I love the long sexy and sophisticated silhouette that jumpsuits create and I have also been in love with anything backless for years. And this backless jumpsuit from Forever 21 incorporates both these lovely trends into one fabulous fashion piece!

Style: Travel Chic!

Heya! I recently visited the Toronto Premium Outlets just outside of Toronto, to check out some discount shopping. While there I found this fabulous Bench dress that will be perfect for the summer! And for 40% off the sale price, I couldn't believe my fashion luck!

Style: Spring Statement!

Heya! Spring is finally here! I just wish the weather would start warming up so I can't wait to start wearing more dresses. Like this fabulous dress I found at Marshalls for only $20! Marshalls has some great transition pieces that I can mix and match with items from my own wardrobe.

Style: Hippie Chic From Forever 21!

With the weather finally warming up and the days getting longer, I'm anxious to start wearing some of the beautiful Spring dresses that have been hitting retail stores for months. One of those dresses is this fabulous flowing dress, I picked up at Forever 21. 

My Style: Far East Versatility!

3 Looks Styled with 1 Forever 21 Kimono

I was shopping at Forever 21 recently and immediately fell in love with this kimono. The bright colours are fabulous and a great reprieve from this overcast grey winter weather that seems to never end. I also love the versatile of this piece. I styled it here 3 ways, but the options are endless by just adding different accessories. And being from from Forever 21, it was less than $40!

The my first look, I styled the kimono as a light cover up over a dress. I could really wear this kimono as a cover up over virtually anything, it would be a great way to add some colour to a basic black dress or dark denim. In the summer time, I could even wear it as a cover up for a swimsuit. I just have to use my imagination. I added s statement necklace to play up the whimsy of the kimono and wore basic pumps in a muted purple colour, to not make the outfit look too busy.

The Details!: Kimono from Forever 21 / Travis Taddeo Dress from Homegrown Boutique / Flower Necklace from Suzy Shier / Pumps from Nine West

Another way I styled the kimono was as a dress. Since the material is quite light and it's quite cold outside, I wore a tight basic dress underneath. But in the summer I can wear less garments underneath ( or nothing at all!), and still wear the kimono as a dress. The key to making a dress (or top) from this kimono is to add a fabulous wide belt. I opted for a wide corset type belt from Hot Topic. The belt reminds me of the wide sashes actual kimonos are tied with.

  

The Details!:  Kimono From Forever 21 / Belt from Hot Topic / Vintage Clutch / Flower Necklace from Suzy Shier / Pumps from Nine West

And for the third look I created, I styled the kimono as a chic top and wore it over my tight black coated denim pants. I added a different wide belt from Hot Topic and my "go to" black booties. I love how this look turned out! And again the options are endless! Wear it over jeans, coloured slim trousers, or a short skirt. Add different shoes and accessories and suddenly the look has a completely different feel.

The Details!: Kimono from Forever 21 / Pants from H&M / Vintage Clutch / Expression Boots from Hudson's Bay

All 3 of these looks are great to wear to any event: dinner, drinks, or a gallery opening! I have to admit I felt very a la Carrie Bradshaw while styling this kimono. Hers' on Sex and The City was amazing!

P.s!: This is a great piece to add to any wardrobe and the versatility of this kimono makes it a great investment piece. Except I got it from Forever 21, so it wasn't a very huge investment!

P.s,

Melanie!

Style: Aztec Print From Forever 21!

Heya! The cold and snow is making me yearn for the warm sunny days of summer. I wish I could afford to take time off and go on vacation to someplace warm like Mexico. I saw this Aztec print dress at +Forever 21 last week, and decided if I can't go to Mexico I would bring Mexico to me! 

Style: Deep Blue Fringe!

Heya! Several weeks ago I went Shopping at Forever 21 and bought some amazing pieces at some fabulous prices! Not only was there a great sale on but there was an extra 50% off their clearance section. I couldn't resist some of the deals and bought a few funky fashion pieces to add some unique style to what was already in my closet. I picked up a chic striped faux fur coat, that I recently featured in a post: Grande Style: Coffee + (Faux Fur)!, and the fabulous faux fur collar featured in my last post of 2013: Retro Purple Haze!

Style: Spanish Style!

H+M and Forever 21 Outfit

I love the new fall trends I've been seeing over the past few weeks. There is a lot of Spanish influence in some of the new collections I see in stores. I love the burgundy colours, large hats, and fringe trimmed clothing! I decided to bring all these fashion elements together and create one fabulous look.

Style: Styling The Little Out Of The LBD!: Part.3

Heya! I have loved styling my +Forever 21 Long Black Dress, the new LBD, and showing off how versatile it is! As I have said, everyone should not only have a Little Black Dress, but the cooler weather version as well: the Long Black Dress. And just with some styling and accessorizing tricks, you suddenly have so many outfit options from just one dress!

This is the last post of a 3 post series. The first 2 posts I went casual. You can read them here and here. So, without further ado, here are my last 3 looks that I styled from the same Forever 21 dress. I went elegant and dressy for the last 3, so enjoy:


Look 8: Cocktail Hour!:
This outfit is so chic! I love how the animal print and feathers add a little "downtown" flare to the LBD. Also, I tied a wrap belt from Dynamite, around the waist just to give the outfit more shape and added long leather gloves, to amp up the the cool vibe of this look. Adding too many colours would make this outfit look to busy, so I kept the belt and gloves chic black. I added just a little colour, by wearing a vintage necklace, I got from an antique store, and my favourite feather clutch from Aldo. And of course some chic sunglasses I picked up at Shoppers Drugmart!

Style: Styling The Little Out Of The LBD!: Part 2

Heya! With the weather cooling, hemlines are lengthening. And the old LBD (little Black Dress) is now the new LBD (the Long Black Dress)! The long black dress is so versatile, I own 3 different styles! This one from Forever 21 is my favourite!

I styled 10 unique looks from this dress, and this is the second post in a 3 part series. (Go here to read the first post). So as promised, here are 4 more casual looks I styled from the same new LBD from +Forever 21:


Look 4: Office Cool!:
This outfit is a perfect seasonal transition outfit! I layered a scarf and sweater, that can easily come off if the day gets hot, or if you go out for after work cocktails. It shows off how versatile the new LBD really is! And I love the colour and print of the David Jones bag. This bag is big enough to hold everything you need for a day at the office that turns into a night out. And to make sure all the layers don't look like I gained 5 pounds, I added a fun whimsical belt from Aldo, that will show off any figure.