HR2 love

was both excited and apprehensive about the HR2 opening in my city. HR2 is the new discount store to its big sister, Holt Renfrew- a luxury department store here in Canada. You see, I was excited that the store would be redesigned and feature many designers at discounted prices, but I was going to miss the previous Holt Renfrew Last Call that was the store before this new concept. Holt Renfrew Last Call was only at one location whereas HR2 will be rolled across the country. I knew the price point of HR2 was not going to be like Last Call. I didn't see anything marked down 80% like in the previous store. Still, the prices were fair considering every single item were designer items. The store was also very nicely designed and organized, not like Last Call where it was racks and racks of clothes that you had to go through with a fine tooth comb to find that one special gem. 

These Hermes Birkin-style bags caught my eye. They are made of neoprene and even
came with a Twilly-style scarf wrapped around one of the handles. It came in such fun
colours. It's by the brand "Her-ism".

Modeling shot.
Sorry for my super casual outfit. It was so hot that day and I didn't want
anything fussy and uncomfortable. Plus, I had my daughter with me.

Close-up shot. 

Summer scarves. I loved the pink and cream coloured one. They were by the brand
Echo. The patterned ones at the bottom were by Sir Alistair Rai. I remember I wanted
one of his scarves way back when…

It is 57% wool and 43% cashmere. It was $98CAD, down from $250CAD.

Modeling shot.
This scarf is long and I can imagine wearing it in many different styles. It's super soft and
I'm really loving how light-weight it is. I'm getting sick of everyone sporting the
Alexander McQueen skull scarf so this is something that I would be interested in.

Trying on shoes. This is a pair of Marc by Marc Jacobs wedge sandals.

Super comfortable and I love the two-tone.

There were so many beautiful clothes (i.e., Alice & Olivia) I wanted to try on, but my daughter was fussy so I didn't want to deal with trying on clothes. Maybe next time. I was hoping the bag section was a bit better, but I didn't see anything. It could be that I went after the big launch opening. I was hoping to see Mulberry and Alexander Wang. 

And now onto my purchases (I only got 2 things):

I ended up getting the sandals. I was in need of nice summer sandals that were not
too casual. Since I go back to work in August I wanted something dressy I could wear
to work that wasn't too high.

This was $134CAD, down from $268CAD.

It came with a dust bag which was nice. 

The leather is so soft on these shoes. I literally feel like I'm walking on a cloud. 

The soles are also leather-lined.

There is a little wedge heel so it's not completely flat. 

Modeling shot. 

Close-up on the shoes.

:-)

You guessed it, I got the Hermes Birkin-style bag. It came with a huge dust bag.

Isn't she so cute? Out of all the colours I liked this gray and neon orange combo the best.

Here's the back.

This was $98CAD, down from $150CAD.

Close-up of the tag.

I love how the hardware is actual metal.
There's also a zip detail at the top that allows you to get into the contents of the bag
without having to open the flat. It's a great feature since the neoprene is very floppy.

You can also wear the bag in different ways. You can have the flap open and tucked in.

The inside is a giant black hole, but it does have a zip pocket.
I plan on using this bag on days where I have to carry my laptop into the office. 

Modeling shot.

Totally random, but here are my nails. I thought I would share since I loved the colour combo.
I'm wearing a YSL polish (super old so I don't know the name, but it's a shimmery purple
with silver micro glitters) and Deborah Lippmann's Today Was a Fairytale on the tips.

Close-up.

It's all about purple

urple is one of my favourite colours. It's so feminine without being so overly girly like pink. I find that a lot of people don't know how to wear pink in a classy way. It can look too princess-y or tacky. What do you guys think? Whenever I do incorporate pink in my outfit I try to only wear one thing that is pink. And it's always a coral pink or a more saturated pink- never baby pink!

I find purple looks great with neutrals. I do love my dark purples, but since it's Spring I've been wearing a lot of lighter purples.

I'm wearing Essie's To Buy Or Not To Buy and Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday
on my ring and middle finger.

I love how this combination looks on my fingers.

Gotta love my Balenciaga City in Jacinthe with regular hardware. Yes, it's a purple bag, but I
find it goes so well with a lot neutral items in my wardrobe. Sorry about the plain outfit
here. I was out shopping and I always try to wear comfy outfits that I can get in/out of easily.

I picked up a beautiful light lavender top from Forever 21. It was $21.80CAD.

Here is a change room OOTD of myself wearing the top. I absolutely love this top. It's
semi-sheer so I have to wear something under it. It looks more expensive than it really is.
I tried it on with a pair of cobalt blue skinny jeans from Forever 21, but I didn't end up
getting it. I wish I did though… 

Mini haul & Spring nails

picked up 2 things at Forever 21 this past weekend.

I was there for only a quick little while so I didn't get a chance to browse for too long. However, I love the 2 tops that I picked up. I feel that they are classic pieces that I can get a lot of wear out of this Spring/Summer.

Here's the first top.
It's a coral tank top that I think will look so pretty with jeans or even a pair of white jeans.

Here's a close-up.
It's a 100% polyester blend, but I think it still looks nice. I normally love silk tops, but
I know silk is extremely delicate and shows marks easily.

The best part was that it was only $12.80CAD.

Here's how it looks on.
The top had a lot of crease marks, but I think a good steam will get rid of the marks.

The back is longer than the front so I love that it hides the bum area :-)

I know this doesn't look like much on the hanger, but I absolutely love this top.
It was a burnout effect so it is semi-sheer. The neckline at the top is higher than the
neckline at the back. I love that because I think a cute bib necklace will look great
with this top.

Here is the back. You can see that it has a scoop neckline.

And here's how it looks on.

And the back.
I threw out the receipt, but I think this was a little over $15CAD. It is 100% linen.

Here's my outfit of the day. I'm wearing an oversized H&M sweater and black leggings.
It's been raining almost every single day here so I've been wearing my Hunters almost
daily. I'm tired of this drab weather!

I thought I would show you guys my nails. I am wearing several different shades of
pink and glitter polish on 2 fingers. I love this look!

Have an open mind

o sane fashionista would ever step foot in the Crocs store. My co-worker and I would always joke that we would never buy anything from there. Well, never say never, because guess who bought something at the Crocs store? None other than me, myself and I. I actually went in to buy my mom a pair of Crocs. While I was browsing I came across these Wellies and I couldn't believe how cute they were and how cheap they were! I ended up leaving the store with a pair of Crocs sandals for my mom and a pair of Wellies for me.

My whole family is obsessed with Crocs. My younger sister works at a hospital and she swears by them because they are so comfortable. I guess she doesn't mind because she is in scrubs all day. This is actually my 2nd pair of Crocs. I bought my first pair back in 2011 because I was suffering from Plantar Fasciitis. So even though this is technically my 2nd pair I don't count the first one because it was purely for health reasons.

The store had a army green pair (the one I got) and a black pair. I got these last week
so you may still be able to get it on sale like me. I also see that they are on sale online.

I got it on sale for $39.99 + $5 off (because I spent more than $50).
I normally wear a size 6 in shoes, but they didn't have a 6 so I got a size 7. It is a little
big on me, but once I wear thick socks I think it should be ok.

I love how light-weight they are and that they have a rubber grip at the bottom.
The fabric detail up top can also be removed and washed, I think.

Here's how it looks on.
I have Hunters Wellies and these are much more light-weight. I also love how they don't
look like your typical Crocs.

The side view.

So my lesson for you all? Don't judge a book by its cover. I'm now going to keep an
open mind before banning a brand altogether.