A Recreation of A Fellow Blogger’s Recreation

What started as a road-raging commute to work (and I ride my bike!) has become a really wonderful day. I spent most of my day listening to students share personal stories that connected what they had learned in class to their own experience. It was a powerful experience. I feel very blessed to have a career where I am paid to learn and to interact with amazing people who inspire me to keep getting better at what I do.

And now, on to the clothes…

Today’s outfit was inspired by a fellow blogger, whose outfit was actually a recreation of another look. So today’s outfit is a recreation of a recreation. I only discovered this funny fact as I traced back the original link to the photo that had inspired me on Pinterest. I encourage you to check out this woman’s blog as she has tons of great posts that fans of this blog might enjoy.

My look today is comprised almost entirely of items you’ve seen me wear before on the blog. With just some minor reworking I got a brand new look out of a bunch of old clothes. Just like yesterday, this outfit got me to dig into my goodie-drawer that has some of my grandma’s old jewelry, which is where I found this necklace. I’d been hanging on to it for a while, figuring I would eventually find an outfit that it would be suited for, and now I’m glad I did, as I think it adds the perfect touch to today’s look.

Here’s what I’m wearing:

And the outfit that inspired it:

Link to the above photo: http://twosixandcounting.blogspot.ca/2011/04/carbon-kendi.html

Here’s how today’s outfit breaks down:

-Shirt: Black and white striped three-quarter length sleeve t-shirt by Joe Fresh. About $20 from Superstore

-Skirt: Purple pencil skirt. $10 at Ricki’s

-Belt: Black skinny belt from Le Chateau. This belt is actually the one that came with the skirt I was wearing yesterday, so it didn’t cost me anything extra.

-Shoes: Shiny black pumps from the Comfort Plus line by Predictions. $25 from Payless Shoesource

-Tights: Black floral print pantyhose. About $10

-Necklace: Baby blue plastic beaded necklace. A hand-me-down from my grandma.

Thanks for dropping by and remember to share any feedback or suggestions that you have. I love hearing from you! I hope you are having a fabulous week and that you’ll check in again tomorrow.

Ciao for now.

An Early Copycat Creation Helps Unearth Sentimental Treasures

Today’s outfit was one of the first copycat looks I ever attempted. The inspiration for this look came from the cover photo for InStyle‘s book, The New Secret’s of Style. I loved this outfit right away, particularly because I already had all of the pieces I would need to recreate it. One of my favourite things about this outfit is the way it helped me to incorporate some of my grandma’s old costume jewelry into my everyday wardrobe. I had a few necklaces of hers that had lain unworn for years in my jewelry box, as I could never think of a way to match them with a modern look. My grandma even joked about how I might never wear them unless I went to some old-fashioned dress up event someday. I think she would be very happy to know that the pieces she gave to me, many of which had been gifts to her from my grandpa, are regularly being put to good use and have become some of my most treasured possessions.

Here’s today’s look:

And the one that inspired it:

Link to the above photo: http://pinterest.com/pin/74450200063469153/

Here’s how today’s look breaks down:

-Shirt: White cotton button up blouse. About $20

-Skirt: Black pencil skirt. About $70 from Le Chateau

-Belt: Thick woven red vintage belt. $10 from a used clothing store in downtown Toronto

-Shoes: Leopard-print, pointy-toed pumps. About $60 from Le Chateau

-Bracelet: Thick gold bangle. About $20 from Nordstrom

-Necklace: Vintage gold statement necklace with orange gems. A gift

That’s all for today. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check in again tomorrow.

Ciao for now.

Kicking off the Week in My Floral Print Pants

I’m baaaaaaaack! After a one week hiatus I’m very excited to be blogging again. Last week I was battling illness and numerous deadlines so I decided it would be better to take a few days off than to muddle through with half-hearted posts and thrown together outfits. I have a brand new look to share with you today that I hope will get this week off to a great start.

Today’s outfit features only one item that you’ve never seen before, and yet I think that one piece makes the entire look seem brand new. I’ve had my eye on some crazy printed pants for a while, but I was having difficulties finding a fit or a price that I liked. Then the other day I decided to stroll through the mall on my lunch break and I found these beauties on sale at Ricki’s. They fit great and I could immediately visualize multiple ways to wear them.

Here’s today’s look:

And the one that inspired it:

Link to the above photo: http://pinterest.com/pin/74450200062791276/

Here’s how today’s look breaks down:

-Pants: Black cropped pants with red and purple floral print. $20 from Ricki’s

-Shirt: Grey V-neck t-shirt. $5 from Target

-Blazer: Black cotton blazer by Suzy Shier. About $20 from Value Village

-Bracelet: Thick gold bangle. About $20 from Norstrom

-Necklace: Long gold chain (about $5) with antique gold heart pendant (a gift)

-Shoes: Shiny black pumps from the Comfort Plus line by Predictions. $25 from Payless Shoesource

-Purse: Silver clutch. About $20 from Bentley

I appreciate you stopping by. Last week I was reminded of the importance of taking care of myself. After spending one whole day in bed I felt much better than I would have had I been stubborn and tried to suffer it out at work. Sometimes we need to rest and recharge our batteries so that we can be our best selves in the various roles we play. So my tip of the week is to take care of yourself and to keep your germs at home 🙂

Ciao for now.

Testing My Memory

I was excited when today’s outfit finally came together. I have had most of the pieces for quite some time, but until recently, I was still missing the skirt. Finally, a few weeks ago I found a great sale at American Apparel (which I have mentioned in a previous post) and they had the perfect skirt to complete this outfit. At the time, the weather was very warm, so I decided that on the first day it was cool enough outside to wear a sweater that I would debut this new outfit.

Yesterday ended up being that day.

The only problem?

Somehow, the inspiration photo for my outfit had completely disappeared! And because I am not used to relying on my memory to get dressed in the morning, I panicked a little; however, after a few sips of coffee I decided to try to find the photo again. Surely someone else on Pinterest would have my picture on one of their boards and everything would be alright!

As it turns out, I would have no such luck.

I tried every search term I could think of that might bring back my photo, but nada! In the end I was able to find another photo that is very similar, so you’ll get the general idea of what I was going for. The most frustrating part of all of this is that I can clearly see the picture in my mind but I have no way of sharing that with you, so the replacement photo below will just have to suffice.

Here’s today’s look:

And my replacement inspiration photo (seriously how the heck could the other one have just disappeared?!?):

Link to the above photo: http://pinterest.com/pin/74450200063422429/

Here’s how today’s look breaks down:

Sweater: White three-quarter length sleeve cardigan sweater. About $30 from Smart Set

Camisole: White camisole with white lace trim. $3

Skirt: Brown pleated skirt. $21 from American Apparel

Belt: Brown woven leather belt with floral etching and silver studs. About $20

Shoes: Shiny nude pumps from the Comfort Plus line by Predictions. $25 from Payless Shoesource

Bracelet: Metallic beaded bracelet by Michael Kors. A gift.

Necklace: Long gold necklace with faded gold pendant. About $5

Lipstick: Lickable by MAC

And that concludes another week here at the Copycat Fashionista. I hope you were able to find something that will inspire you to experiment with some of the buried treasures in your own closet. Remember to check back on Monday for another week of fun and fashion. Have a terrific weekend!

Ciao for now.

Sometimes I Dress Myself

The inspiration for today’s outfit came from my own brain. Shocking! The name of the blog is Copycat Fashionista for a reason–I seldom come up with outfits that are creative and nice on my own. I suppose that today’s look was probably subliminally influenced by something I’ve seen before, but it wasn’t deliberate, therefore I am taking all the credit. Nevertheless, after throwing this one together I thought it would be good to find a similar look elsewhere to see if it needed a completer piece to really tie everything together. After a brief search, I found one outfit that looked similar, but it didn’t really add much to what I had already assembled so I decided to stick with my instincts.

Here’s what I dreamed up:

And the similar look that I found:

Link to the above photo: http://pinterest.com/pin/74450200063148646/

Here’s how today’s look breaks down:

Blazer: Dark rose-coloured blazer. About $70 from Le Chateau

Shirt: Loose white tank top. $10 from Lucky Brand

Camisole: White camisole by Kirkland. $10 from Costco

Pants: Black skinny pants. About $30 from Winners

Shoes: Ivory pumps with purple and turquoise peacock feather print and turquoise heels by T.U.K. About $50 from Head Over Heels SK

Necklace: Black, brown, blue, and purple beaded necklace. $3 from Costa Blanca

Bracelet: Thick gold bangle. About $20 from Nordstrom

Earrings: Cultured pearl studs. A gift

I’ve got a brand new outfit planned to share with you tomorrow, so be sure to come back for some fabulous Friday inspiration. Have a lovely day and thank you for dropping by!

Ciao for now.