Ruby Nite

Grey & Pink Leopard Print

nicole — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:33:26 +0000

Last weekend, my mother, sister and cousin came up to Toronto for a visit and to celebrate my cousin’s 19th birthday. We had a full day of shopping on Queen Street west, where I found the gorgeous scarf I posted about a few days ago. That night we decided we all wanted to go out. We thought we were going to go to a jazz club but once we realized how busy it was going to be, we ended up at a salsa lounge. The lounge ended up being the perfect choice. There was a live band, a lot of dancing, some fantastic drinks and a night filled with laughs. I did not have a lot of time to get ready, so I kept the outfit simple. I pulled out my sleeveless black dress from eShakti since I had ironed it a few days ago but never wore it and I paired it with a new grey and pink leopard print cardigan I just got in from Torrid.

I decided to play up the pink in the cardigan by layering a pair of fishnets over my “Scarlett” tights from We Love Colours. According to the site these tights are supposed to be red but they are most definitely fuchsia. I would still love to find a pair of nice red tights, but now I have no idea what colour I should try. For my shoes, I knew I wanted a pair of boots so the tights would not be too overwhelming. I opted for my Fluevog bondgirls which I knew would be comfortable all night long.

I ended up taking off the sweater half way through the night, which meant I just had on my dress for a while. I have to say, paying the extra $15 to make this dress sleeveless was one of the best decisions I made. I think it has made it really versatile when it comes to layering, and it also let’s me show off my tattoo. Now that I had my final tattoo session yesterday, I am certainly going to want to wear more sleeveless dress once the warmer weather hits.

Outfit Details
Dress: eShakti
Cardigan: Torrid
Tights: We Love Colours
Fishnets: The Bay
Boots: Fluevog
Necklace: Poe by Ghoulish Gary

Tags: boots, cardigan, dress, eshakti, fluevog, grey, leopard print, ootd, outfit of the day, Photography, red, torrid

Looking on the bright side 13/365

nicole — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:07:43 +0000

I am pretty stoked that I made it to number 13 in my bright side list. I just love the number 13
This Saturday is my 13th and final tattoo session for my half sleeve. I am so flippin’ excited to be able to wear sleeveless dresses this summer to show it off
I love colour, textures and patterns in outfits. In fact I’m loving the whole concept of challenging myself to look at my clothes in a new light now that I’ve been posting outfits online. It is a fun experiment.
My handsome and talented husband rocks. I am one very lucky lady.
I am currently watching and loving the horror movie “House“

Tags: gary, house, movies, tattoo

Working a scarf

nicole — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:19:57 +0000

I have worn this eShakti dress in the past, but I always thought it was a little boring. I liked how the maroon in the top was echoed as a wide stripe on the bottom, but that was really the only interesting thing about the dress. That’s when I decided to try and find a scarf to spice it up a bit. It took a few months, but this last weekend, on a shopping trip with my Mom, sisters and cousin I found this gorgeous paisley scarf. It’s dominant colour is a beautiful green I like to call “monster” green but it has purple/maroon shade through it that matches the dress perfectly.

I plaid with different placements of the scarf through the day. At first I had it on the outside with it hanging really long down the front, but then half way through the day I decided to tuck it in and really liked how it looked. I think I would wear it outside again, but I would try to pair the dress with a long vest that flares out near the bottom to mimic the dress. If anyone happens to know where to find something like that, please drop me a line.

Oh you may notice that the second picture is a bit blurry. I decided to try out Picnic on Flickr, and I created a scarf detail photo using their software. It’s not great, but good enough for the purposes of this post.

Outfit Details
Dress: eShakti
Scarf: Spoof (I think) on Queen Street West
Earrings: H&M
Boots: Fluevog
Belt: From a top from Torrid

Tags: black, clothes, dress, eshakti, fatshion, fatshonista, fluevog, green, H&M, ootd, outfit of the day, purple, scarf, torrid

Breathe Me by Sia

nicole — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:31:53 +0000

Here is another artist that I discovered through Last.fm. After doing some research I discovered that “Breathe Me” song was also featured in the Finale of Six Feet Under (a series I have yet to finish) and it is also being used in advertisements for the movie Remember Me. For me, however, this song will forever be associated in my mind with planning my wedding and how vulnerable I felt at times during that process.

So I decided to share the song on my site in case you were like me and have yet to discover Sia. I included videos of both the released version of “Breathe Me” and a live version from KCRW.

Breathe Me Lyrics by Sia

Help, I have done it again
I have been here many times before
I hurt myself again today
And, the worst part is there’s no-one else to blame

Be my friend
Hold me, wrap me up
Unfold me
I am small
and needy
Warm me up
And breathe me

Ouch

I have lost myself again
Lost myself and I am nowhere to be found,
Yeah I think that I might break
Lost myself again and I feel unsafe

Be my friend
Hold me, wrap me up
Unfold me
I am small
and needy
Warm me up
And breathe me

Tags: breathe me, lyrics, Music, Sia, Video

Looking on the bright side 12/365

nicole — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:58:17 +0000

I figure one day I’ll get to 365 and I am pretty that I am not stressing myself out for having missed a boatload of days in between.
I am pretty excited about going to Vegas in a couple of weeks for MIX Just the idea of geeking out at a conference full of other people that work with SharePoint makes me smile.
Learning to accept and love who I am, and look forward to all I may become in the future.
Making some interchangeable feather hair pieces with my cousin this weekend.
Spending a weekend filled with laughter and family

Tags: conference, Family, MIX, Trips, Work

Cinemacabre Movie Night

nicole — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:53:23 +0000

Every month, Rue Morgue, the magazine my husband Art Directs, has a movie night they they call “Cinemacabre“. This month, the movie was “Street Trash“. A pure B movie, with no character development, but some pretty gruesome gore scenes.

Because I was meeting Gary directly after work, I had to make sure my outfit could go from a day of client meetings to an evening that included dinner, the role of ticket taker and a movie. I knew that I wanted to wear my new red boots from Fluevog that I recently snagged on a 50% off sale. I love these boots and am trying to wear them in enough for me to bring them along to a conference in Vegas in a couple of weeks. With these as the starting point, I decided to pair it with black tights, and layered my customized black surplice shirtdress from eShakti over a very old stripped top from MXM and I threw my hair in a black beret from H&M. In order to tie the red from the boots into the top half of the outfit, I added the red sparrow earrings, and a black PVC rose with a red feather that my good friend made me for a birthday gift. The belt was added as the finishing touch, and I liked how the patent leather echoes the black PVC rose.

I thought I would mention that I have quite a few dresses from eShakti, and this is by far my favourite dress. I decided to customize the dress and it sleeveless because I felt it would give me the greatest versatility. I could easily pair it with long sleeve shirts, cardigans, or just wear it sleeveless. I love this dress so much I actually just ordered it in purple with the same customization. I can not wait to receive it.

Outfit Details:
Hat: H&M
Stripped Shirt: MXM a few years ago
Black dress: eShakti
Boots: Fluevog
Earrings: Frilly Lizard in London ON
Belt: Addition-Elle
PVC Rose: Gift
Bracelet: Vendor in the Eaton’s Centre
Glasses: Zenni Optical

Tags: black, cinemacabre, dress, eshakti, fatshion, fluevog, glasses, ootd, outfit of the day, red, review, Rue Morgue, stripes, white, zenni optical

Loving Canada

nicole — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:24:48 +0000

Thanks to Joey deVilla’s blog “The Accordion Guy” for bringing this video to my attention. I even had a lump in my throat when it was done. I admit it, I love Canada.

“Tom Brokaw explains the relationship between Canada and The United States, in a pre-recorded short film that aired on NBC, prior to the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on Feb. 12th, 2010.”

Tags: canada, love, olympics 2010, Tom Brokaw, Video

A song that touches heart strings

nicole — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:02:56 +0000

One of my favourite things is when I am listening to Last.fm and suddenly a song comes on that makes me stop what I am doing and listen. I listen with every inch of my being, moved by the words and drifting on the music the artist has created. If I do not have the song on my iPod I start searching for it on YouTube because I have this compulsion to listen to it over and over.

This is what happens to me every single time “Suspended” by Matt Nathanson surfaces up on my Last.fm stream. So, I thought I would share one of my favourite songs with you so you too can enjoy the beauty that is “Suspended” and I have also included the lyrics, because if you are like me you like to follow along every now and then.

Suspended Lyrics by Matt Nathanson

You lead me, fit around my tongue
It’s so easy, to forget that I’m lost
Spent all of my life, waiting for answers
To lift me, to numb me, to define it all

Sunshine, I’m beginning to like this

‘Cause all I wanna be is the minute that you hold me in
When you pretend that I’m all that you waited for
Time slips to nothin’ and I’m better than I’ve ever been
i’m suspended

You’re breathing, filling up my lungs
I can almost believe that I’m almost enough
Spent all of my life empty of anthems
Bracing for something that never did come

Sunshine, I’m beginning to like this
Sunshine, I’m beginning to like it

‘Cause all I wanna be is the minute that you hold me in
When you pretend that I’m all that you waited for
Time slips to nothin’ and I’m better than I’ve ever been
I’m suspended

It’s not enough to stay surrounded
It’s not enough to stay awake,
Torn, and braced, cornered
And not feel alive

Photo Credit: Deborah Lopez

Tags: lyrics, Matt Nathanson, Music, suspended, Video

Working the stripes

nicole — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:59:55 +0000

One of the online boutiques I discovered through the Fatshonista livejournal community was eShakti and I must admit that when I found them I became a little bit obsessed for their dresses. They keep sending me coupons and I keep using them…so at least it makes the addiction a bit easier on the pocket book.

A while ago I ordered this stripey little number from them and was pretty happy with it when it arrived. It was a little bit baggy around the chest, but I can get a tailor to take that in for me and really it is not that noticeable. Especially when I paired it with a bolero jacket and scarf for winter along with some low heeled boots and tights.

I also took a picture of it without the jacket, so that you can see what the top of the dress looks like. The stripes look a bit more orange in person and overall I really love the colours. I like that it is darker up near my face, and I love the pattern the stripes make. When I wear this in the summer, without the scarf and jacket, I would definitely wear a camisole and chunky necklace to fill in the chest a bit more.

Outfit Details

Bolero: Torrid
Dress: eShakti
Boots: Fluevog
Scarf: Some shop under Metro Hall

Tags: bolero, boots, clothes, eshakti, fatshonista, ootd, outfit of the day, review, scarf, stripes

Looking on the bright side 11/365

nicole — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 02:37:32 +0000

Mpix has provided a wonderful background noise in the form of The Breakfast Club, Get Shorty, Sixteen Candles and Be Cool this weekend. It’s been great.
I love my little MacBook Pro. It really is the perfect size laptop for me.
Having sometime to work on fixing some broken pieces on my website (now the tabbed sections in the sidebar work.
Starting a new “Wardrobe Diary” section of the website that I am pretty excited about.
I have finally jumped on the Flickr bandwagon a few years late but now I finally get why so many people like it.

Tags: be cool, get shorty, macbook, movies, sixteen candles, the breakfast club, Wardrobe Diary, webdesign