As a fashion blogger living through my coldest winter yet, I am still stubbornly refusing to let the subzero temperatures affect my sartorial choices…well, not too much anyway. I have not invested in a unflattering puffer jacket nor will I be donning my feet with ugly snow boots any time soon and guess what? I am surviving. So with this thought constantly on my mind, I thought I would create a little series with tips on how I am staying warm in style this winter in Montreal.
There is no doubt about it that dresses and skirts are out of the question for the next few months – even I am not committed enough to having dangerously numb legs and a draft wooshing up between my thighs – so jeans and wool tailored trousers are my winter uniform, with tights or leggings underneath, of course. These jeans have a rather large knee rip, which, if left unattended, would allow for more wooshing so I added some fishnets tights for a little warmth and an extra detail.
See, today’s outfit – even though it is quite simply a jeans and jumper combo – is all about the details. These days I am living in turtlenecks and layering this stripy one underneath my new beloved &Other Stories jumper adds that bit of interest while keeping my neck warm.
Accessories are a great way to spice up any look and during colder months we have even more options, with all the scarves, gloves and hats that are unavoidable in a Canadian winter. I have had this incredible leopard print faux fur bucket-style hat for a few years now and it is the softest and cosiest hat ever. Plus I am hitting two keys winter trends and feeling super sassy while doing so – win win. Finally, if all else fails, a statement lip can bring any winter outfit from boring to striking and it’s pretty effortless too. Luckily MAC’s Diva shade perfectly matches my cherry red Dr Martens boots, which are currently the only suitable thing I own for foot-deep snow.
I know this is such a cliché thing to say but I cannot believe it is already 2017 – I am not ready for a new year yet, to be honest. That is not because I haven’t achieved all of my 2016 GOALS but because there is a lot of pressure at this time year – especially online – to appear like you are turning over a new leaf and are feeling “super motivated” for the new year ahead. This is not exactly how I feel and I want you to know, if you are also feeling a little left behind with the whole new year hype, that it is ok to take a bit more time. Ultimately, today is just another day and just because it is a new year does not mean everything is going to miraculously change.
That said I do think it is a good time to set some goals to work towards during the coming year, whether they be goals that you start straight away or you wait for the right moment.
Last year I wrote a similar post but I am not going to obsessively go through the goals I set myself and analyse whether I achieved them or not because a) that could be extremely demotivating, which is not the attitude I want to have going into a new year and b) although they may have been my goals at the beginning of 2016, my mindset has changed a lot in a year and some of the goals have either changed slightly or become less important entirely – and that is also ok.
My first set of goals are to do with this blog. Similarly to my 2016 goal – I want to continue to work hard on my blog content and social media channels. I know that I need to adapt how I produce content, especially during the next few months because shooting outfit photos in Montreal’s subzero snowy climate is not always a laugh and all you’ll be seeing is different variations of jumpers, jeans and Dr Martens. I also want to up to Youtube game – starting a YouTube channel is one of the 2016 goals that I achieved and am most proud of so I am going to continue to work hard on that too. A second goal, that I want to work on as soon as possible, is updating my blog design and maybe switching to WordPress. I feel that in 2016 the blogging world took design a lot more seriously and as a result many blogs no longer have that “blog look” but are more like professional websites. I want to keep a simple design for Fashion Et Moi but I think we need a little makeover, don’tcha think?
My second lot of goals are career orientated. If you have been reading this blog for a while, you will know that over the past few years I have lived in Paris, then Barcelona and now I am in Montreal. While travel is one of the things I enjoy most in life – and one of my 2016 goals was to move to a new city (done!) – living abroad can mean that your job prospects are limited. I am extremely grateful that I have been able to experience a winter without a coat in Barcelona and a white Christmas in Montreal and accepting jobs in retail or customer service have allowed me to do that. However, in 2017, I really want to get a job that I enjoy (and preferably pays well too). This is probably the most important goal for me and I feel that I am already on the right track – I am currently doing a part time digital marketing internship while working in a vintage shop where I run their newly established online shop. A lot can happen in a year so here’s to finding my pathway in 2017.
Finally, I find that I am at my most productive and most motivated when I am happy so my last set of goals are about working on myself. I truly believe that nobody is perfect and while that is totally ok, if your imperfections are making you unhappy or hurting others – make a change. I have been able to recognise for a while now that I need to work on my outlook on life, anxiety and indecisiveness and will continue to do so in 2017. Due to my indecisiveness, I can leave a lot of things to the last minute – including writing blog posts late on a Sunday night – which results in higher stress levels. So getting shit done within good time is another big goal for me this year – it will not only improve my wellbeing but also how I work and what I produce. I also want to get back into yoga and mindfulness, which have been rather neglected of late.
So here’s to 2017! Who knows what the new year holds for each of us but I hope that you achieve what you want to – whether you start working towards your goals right away or take your time, that is ok!
Hello strangers! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas – mine was the first spent away from my family but it was also that first time Lewis and I had had Christmas just us (despite having been together for nine years!) and it was delightful. So now that Christmas is over, the blogging world goes into reflection overdrive and today I am sharing with you my blogging outtakes 2016….
The trick to fashion blogging is to not take yourself too seriously. There are many factors at play when shooting outfit photos – wind can play havoc with your hair (hello #fringeproblems), people might be staring at you or sometimes, quite simply, your face just does not look right. All of these have happened to me and I am sure will continue to happen because, let’s face it, I am not a professional model. So here are my best blogging outtakes of 2016 – from pulling cba faces, doing funny poses and a cute photo bomb to that sneaky shutter capturing just the most unflattering moment – so have a laugh at my expense and enjoy!
