J'adore...

Photo courtesy of J at You Got Squared.

Oui, J'adore...

Mais, je ne parle pas du Christian Dior though I do love that perfume and its beautifully shot campaign. I'm talking about something that should come so naturally amongst us but sadly, it does not. I'm not sure when exactly I made a conscious declaration to pay more attention to this curious phenomena but I have noticed something more and more these days.

What is it you ask? Well, here's the deal: if you disagree with me, please feel free to put your hands up in the air and say it isn't so! But if you do agree with me, promise me you'll take the time to leave a comment here and then share this post to pass the word around, yes? Have we got ourselves a deal ma ladies and dapper gentlemen?

 I have keenly observed two very bizarre aberrations. A - Why is it so hard for people to accept compliments graciously? Time and again, I've noticed that there is an actual unease and instant awkwardness whenever someone is presented with praises and compliments. Most of the time, we (I admit I am guilty of this too), women especially, tend to either: downplay the admiration, brush off the adulation, change the subject, fire off an instant "you look great too" or thank the person so profusely, it almost sounds like an apology.

B - the second anomaly I've noted is something I can comprehend even less than Point A as this has nothing to do with the external world. It is not dependent on what others say and how they see you. This is all about you and how you view yourself and your qualities. Having taught fitness and yoga for almost 10 years and having been invited to judge numerous beauty pageants, it always sort of disappoint me whenever I see girls/women get hesitant over the question - what do you like most about yourself?

Let's think about that for a moment, shall we? Now, let me ask you - what do you like best about you? It may be your quick wit, your charming smile, your expressive eyes, your prominent nose, your adorable freckles, luscious hair, strong arms, infectious laughter, great body or unshakable sense of loyalty. If there is one thing I know for sure (now, even I sound like Oprah!) is that there is something so unique and fantastic about you and I want you to tell me and the world what that is!

For me, I love my legs! Surprising now, isn't it? I know, it was a tough choice but I thought it's a practical choice as these legs are pretty strong! They carried me through all the rigorous work-outs and trainings I had to pass thru the years, they walked me through all the trials and tribulations and they danced me through all the special and unforgettable moments of my life!

Tell me my darling, what do you like what about yourself?

The Comeback

Skirt as dress, courtesy of Kania.

Customized gold cuff, courtesy of frAsh.

Howdy!

I know... I know... what a pretty lame hello, isn't it? I could have started with the French Bonjour, the casual Hey or the ubiquitous Hi of course but for some reason, it is Howdy today! A short form of how I exactly feel after having been away for what seems like such a long time now!

As you are aware, I left for my much-awaited annual leave about 4 weeks ago and now, all that seemed just like yesterday! It is true what they say, time flies so fast when you are away travelling, you are completely immersed in what you are doing or you are simply having way too much fun!

All those and more are exactly how I felt when I went away to take a break from here. A break physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. I wanted to not only visit family and friends but to also rediscover myself, to find who I really am and what values and priorities are important for me.

Pretty tall order for a short but sweet pre-summer trip, isn't it? I truly believe so too but at the same time, I can tell you to say  that yes, I was able to achieve these goals that I've set and I'm happy to report that I've re-discovered me again!

Despite all the trials and tribulations that I am going through right now, at the end of the day, I am still very fortunate and truly loved. Yay! The last four weeks have been a great manifestation of that love and care from family, friends and you guys! For all of you who follows and say hello and for all of you my dears (Oh Ashley, how could I ever thank you?), who while I was away, painstakingly and amazingly ran the Twenty York Street blog.

Thank you for coming by and getting to know me and know one another, I am sincerely glad that you are with me on this journey!

So, all that to say that I'm back and I'm ready to rock 'n roll!

Are you?





Royal ParTea

On Thursday, April 21st, I attended a fundraiser for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, the St. Laurent Centre's Royal Partea.  The Royal ParTea had a special guest speaker, Jeanne Beker, who was amazing.  The best part of this spring afternoon was that over $20, 000 was raised for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation.  A special thanks to Stephanie from Knock on Wood for the invite & great opportunity to cover this event.

Besides the fierce fashionista that is Jeanne Beker, there was also some local Fashion Bloggers in attendance. The beautiful Erica Wark from Erica on Fashion was there in a stunning yellow dress.

{Love K, Pop Champagne, Demure & The Fashion Keeper}

{Ashelle & Love K}

The decor was beyond beautiful.  Classic white pieces with modern accessories and a hot pink accent, it was tea party chic.  This style is the perfect inspiration for any fashionista looking to redesign her dressing room or tea parlour...  A girl can dream, right?

The Walk About Fashion Show, showcased clothes from the St. Laurent Centre and fashion inspired by Kate Middleton.  The show displayed beautiful pieces perfect for any spring day.  The clothing tended to be light neutral colours with bright accents but there was the occasional fun, bright and bold patterned dress.  And the hats!  An English tea party isn't complete without a few fabulous hats in the mix.  

For more pictures and reviews on the event.  Here are some local fashion bloggers who did some great coverage:

Love K post "Tea, Fashion, Friends and Jeanne Beker..."

Pop Champagne post "Royal Tea Party with Jeanne Beker"

Demure post "Pinkies Up"

The Fashion Keeper post "A Royal Partea with Jeanne Beker"

The talk by Jeanne was entertaining and fun, she opened with all the details of the wedding for fans to follow the action.  Jeanne shared her story on how she got started in the fashion industry.  It was amazing to hear all of the hard work and dedication she did in order to get where she is today.  Before fashion, Jeanne had a diverse resume which included; working as a mime artist in Paris, to CBC Radio as an arts and entertainment reporter, to City TV as a launching host for "The NewMusic". In 1985 ,  Jeanne found fashion, becoming the host of FashionTelevision. Jeanne has experienced hardship throughout the years but has beat it all, coming out stronger and wiser for having the battle. 

With her experience in the fashion world, it comes as no surprise that in 2010, Jeanne launched a fashion line called "Edit".  In one year, the line has expanded to 85 stores across Canada and introduced plus sizes, with the sales going through the roof.  Jeanne's involvement with the line is very much like an editor.  She'll consult with the designers on materials and changes to clothing so that they can be worn season to season and mixed up.  The goal of the line is to make clothes for the busy working woman who might not have the time to shop for a great wardrobe but still want to look fabulous.  With this in mind, one charity that Jeanne mentioned as being important is "Dress for Success", which is a non-profit-organization that provides people the tools and resources to obtain and retain a profession.  

Jeanne really is a fashion and personal inspiration as she is proof that if you work hard, any goal can be obtained. Throughout her talk she would offer words of encouragement to the audience.  One of the my favourites is that the older you get, the better you get; not only will you have accomplished more, but you'll be more comfortable with yourself.  However, comfort doesn't mean lazy as it is important to continue to "reinvent yourself" and make things new.

To keep up on the fashion scene and current events, Jeanne is always reading the news whether it's printed or electronic.  Whenever there's time, she has admitted to browsing fashion blogs.  In the question and answer section, Jeanne says that blogs are great in that they have democratized fashion.  

From all of the many beautiful words of Jeanne Beker, what I will remember most is her strong encouragement to continue writing.  Whether the writing is for the public or personal, it can be a therapeutic activity.  As someone who is just starting to write again after about an eight year break, these words will be my drive to continue, to improve and not to give up.

Overall the Royal ParTea charity event was a great success that I hope becomes an annual occurrence. The money raised for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation will go to great use.   One of the amazing things being done by this foundation is the Maplesoft Centre, which will be the region's first cancer survivorship centre.  The centre will be a place for refuge, reflection, support and empowerment for survivors and family of cancer.  It's still not to late to give to this amazing foundation, just click here to donate.

Pictures taken by Amy Symes
Guest post by Ashelle of Pink Beautiful Love

My Blogging Journey

Hello Twenty York Street readers!  My name is Elaine of www.torontobeautyreviews.com and I am so honoured that the fabulous ML asked me to be a guest blogger on her site while she is away.  I really didn’t know what to write about as I really don’t consider myself very interesting!

However I’ve recently been going through a slight dilemma that ML suggested I write about. (I think she was tired of me direct messaging her on twitter and emailing her with my freak outs – so now all of you have to suffer hahaha!)  Perhaps some of you fellow bloggers out there can relate and she also mentioned that she has possibly the most intelligent readers in the world and that all of you would be able to provide great suggestions for me. 

My blogging journey started off as an accident.  I had heard of the concept of blogging but honestly did not understand why anyone would read anything that a normal person had to say.  I mean really, what could be so interesting?  I stumbled upon a few style blogs that struck a chord with me – turns out that all the issues I encountered while shopping weren’t just MY issue – there were others out there just like me!  It kind of all snowballed from there.  As a reader I felt like I was an outsider looking in on this fascinating blogging community.  I wanted a piece of the action! I made contact with a couple of the bloggers I regularly read and they were so welcoming and encouraged me to start a blog of my own.  Long story short, I jumped on the blogging bandwagon this past summer and have NOT looked back since.

As I realized through the power of maintaining a blog I began to realize that I really DID have things to say!  The blog that I started out with was a style blog and was kind of anonymous.  Most of my readers I had never met in real life and there was NO WAY I was telling my real life friends about it either – so embarrassing!  I decided that starting another blog was the answer – blogging about my love of beauty products and helping my real life friends and family with product tips and sharing my passion with them through a new medium.  I thought to keep the two blogs completely separate – one for my “virtual” friends and one for my “real” friends.  

Turns out, the lines blurred and the blurred rather quickly!  I was getting overwhelmed with maintaining both blogs and I also had two twitter accounts on top of that! I felt like I was being split in half and trying to maintain my so called two identities was proving to be too much for me (guess I’ll never make it as a superhero!).  So just recently I decided to merge the blogs together.  Some of you might be thinking “what’s the big deal – so what?”  But for someone who is generally quite private it was a HUGE deal!  I have met some of the most amazing people through blogging, but lets face it – only a blogger and regular blog readers would understand the concept of photographing yourself, writing about yourself and assuming people will actually visit your site – am I right?  My anxiety grew over the thought “what will my real life friends and family think?”  

Well the other day I made the leap and merged the two – and let me tell you once all the posts I had ever written were all in one space it was literally like a weight lift off me.  I’m no longer in hiding and I feel like the two parts of me that I share with my readers can now be at peace together.  I definitely made the right decision.

My blog may look like a mess right now and it will definitely be confusing to the followers of the blog I left behind, but now I can go back to enjoying blogging instead of stressing over it.  After all that’s really what it’s all about isn’t it?

I hope there are some of you out there that can relate to my story and would love to hear your thoughts and your experiences with this crazy world of blogging.

My sincere thanks to ML for being an amazing friend – she is one of the reasons I continue to blog – a connection started through blogging and maintained through social media but hopefully a friend for life 

Twenty York Street Loves Really Petite

Interview with Really Petite 

On Style and Fashion...

What and who influences your style? 

My fellow petite bloggers and fashion bloggers influence my style the most.  I also look for things around me (colours, flowers, objects) to help inspire my outfits. 

We know (and LOVE) your Really Petite Shop but how can you part ways with all your treasured clothes and accessories? Can you tell us how you determine which ones goes and which ones stay?

My rule of thumb is if I haven't worn it in over a year, it's time to say goodbye.  I try to clean out my closet 4 times a year.  And if it doesn't fit, I get rid of it.

Gotta ask this just for fun, fashion pet peeves?

Clothes that don't fit properly.

On Blogging...

Why and When did you start Blogging?

I started blogging back in March 2010 and started because I was sick of wearing the wrong size and spending way too much money on unnecessary alterations.  I wanted not only to inspire others but to help myself be more conscious of the items I buy and tailor.

What do you hope to achieve through blogging?

I hope to help other petite and non-petite women dress better and at the same time, help myself build a better wardrobe.  It's amazing when you really stop to think about what you are wearing or buying, you tend to make better decisions.  And the camera never lies so if I'm unsure about an outfit, I snap off a picture and that will determine whether or not it's going to be worn. 

What makes you come back to visit a blog? 

I visit blogs who have similar body types - mainly petite fashion blogs because then I get to see how things will fit on them and then determine if it will work for my frame.  I also love beauty blogs since I am a makeup novice. 

I'm nosy, what do you really do for a living? Would you blog full-time?

I own my own business and have no desire to blog full-time.  It's just a hobby and is an outlet to de-stress from my day to day business.  Once it becomes an obligation or a "job", I probably won't enjoy it as much. 

On Love and Life...

What's the boldest or craziest thing you've done for love?

Got engages after only 6 months of dating :) I knew my husband was "THE ONE" after only one date.  Obviously the feeling was mutual since he proposed so quickly after :)

Describe your perfect day/perfect vacation? 

My perfect day is a day of shopping and good food.  My perfect vacation is an over-the-water villa in Bora Bora which I was fortunate enough to experience last year.  It was pure bliss.

3 Things you can't live without:

1) Laughter

2) Husband/Family

3) Chapstick

Fill in the blanks...

Whenever I'm bored I usually... blog and online shop

Don't tell my husband but I love... watching him sleep

This year, I want... to laugh/smile as much as possible

If I had superpowers, it would be... to make my parents live forever

I wished Twenty York Street asked me about... if I would rather be petite or taller?