{ Wearing: Brooks Brothers chambray shirt, Icone gingham shirt c/o Simons.ca, BCBG military pants, Marc by Marc Jacobs shoes (last seen here), Guess baguette (my first branded bag, purchased at 13), The Cross Decor [...]]]>

{ Wearing: Brooks Brothers chambray shirt, Icone gingham shirt c/o Simons.ca, BCBG military pants, Marc by Marc Jacobs shoes (last seen here), Guess baguette (my first branded bag, purchased at 13), The Cross Decor & Design gifted tote, Poshlocket rose gold bangles c/o, Stella & Dot gold link & spiky bracelets, Stella & Dot snake ring c/o, H&M sunnies }

These photos were taken Friday morning just before I went to meet Rae for a LOVE + MARK’D meeting at Starbucks. Which by the way, I am largely over. Starbucks serves average coffee at outrageous prices in a could-be-described-as blah environment. There is nothing special about it at all, very much unlike my preferred spots Giovane Cafe at the Fairmont Pacific Rim and Bel Cafe at the Hotel Georgia. We met purposely to discuss a marketing campaign for the card brand and were thinking of creating one with an anti-social media element to it, being that aside from a few well-intended instagram photos, our product is meant for the traditional mail system and has nothing to do with communication 2.0. I am very proud of what we came up with after spending two plus hours sitting in the Robson at Thurlow Starbucks. I must give props to Rae for being such a major part of the creative process, it’s amazing how much more innovative you can be when it is not just you circling ideas around in your own head. We are just in the beginning stages of creating the imagery to support the campaign and we hope to launch in early June. I hope you’ll support us!

Lately I’ve been playing around with my new-ish short hair, this weekend with a small-barrel curling iron. I helped a man at Starbucks who couldn’t find the right size of lid for his tall cup and afterwards he said, “thanks Marilyn.” It kinda made my day.

{ Stella [...]]]> That put a hop in your step and make you smile. We love those things. You’ll see some of mine below. Not included, but certainly owed a mention is one of the things that makes me smile the most: this little treat.

{ Stella & Dot Renegade bracelets c/o (available here) }

{ Stella & Dot Luxor Link bracelet (available here) and Sidewinder snake ring (available here) c/o }

{ Stella & Dot Rebel Pendant Necklace (available here) c/o. Does this remind you of anything?? Well I’m a total Mad Men fan and this looks to me a lot like Joan’s pen necklace, worn in what seems like every episode. }

Yesterday I received a big box all the way from New York City. When I opened it, I couldn’t believe it. It was Christmas in May. I have been on somewhat of a shopping ban lately and these treats were just what the doctor ordered! I had been feeling like I needed to spruce up my bauble collection and these pieces are just the trick. I am so in love with the luxor link bracelet, I can’t wait to pile it on with my watch and an assortment bangles. I think I’ll do that today. I must say a major, major thank you to Stella & Dot, you made my week!

{ More custom LOVE + MARK’D work! These are due for NYC and Australia! We’re goin global! I so love creating personalized cards, and we can do anything at all. Just ask! (email: loveandmarkd@gmail.com) }

And the last thing that made me smile? Seeing this picture included as part of Fashion Magazine’s coverage of the Mary Katrantzou event at The Room. It was the first event I had brought Rae to and I’m glad it bore some results for my new party guest!

(Note: I started writing this last night, got distracted cooking dinner and finished it this morning.) Let’s start this Thursday night off with a song, shall we? It’s rather fitting. Sometimes life has a will of its own, one that can go very much against yours no matter how much you plan. Case in [...]]]>

(Note: I started writing this last night, got distracted cooking dinner and finished it this morning.) Let’s start this Thursday night off with a song, shall we? It’s rather fitting. Sometimes life has a will of its own, one that can go very much against yours no matter how much you plan. Case in point was Tuesday morning’s planned Breakfast Television segment. In case any of you readers were watching and thinking, “hey, I thought she said she was going to be on this?” well I certainly did. But Monday morning the news broke that the show was overbooked and our fashion segment got bumped. So goes the media world. Not uncommon but definitely crushing. You shoulda seen what I had planned! Nothing particularly groundbreaking (jeans are jeans are jeans), but I did have 8 models, lots of hot denim and cute looks from Joe Fresh. But that’s life.

This week has been a rager, of sorts. It week came off of a hectic Thursday/Friday of intense pulls at our favorite department stores for the last minute Monday photoshoot, and a weekend spent in Blaine, WA for a birthday over-nighter. (Hello homemade strawberry daiquiris!) Monday morning was mad. I had an early appointment for another pull (this one high end so it was rather lovely), then dashed back home to prep a few garments, ran to and fro from Robson St back to Pacific Centre to get a few last minute items from H&M (cat eye sunglasses, black heels, a somewhat nude bathing suit – just in case), and then finally got to the Hotel Georgia where our shoot was taking place just about 10 minutes before I was due. We spent from 1pm through about 8:30pm shooting, and I’m very proud of what we accomplished. Our model looked like a glamorous, feminine, modern day James Dean in one of the shots, that was my favourite look. I can’t wait to share the pictures with you. This would be my first official styling job as part of a photo shoot. I’ve done the morning TV show, the in-store displays and store windows, but not a photo shoot before. It was serious work, let me tell you. My feet have never been so sore. (That’ll teach me not to wear cute shoes on a shoot.) Take a look!:

{ Kate Spade blue and green stone necklace, H&M flowers, cuff from Holts }

{ Our model, F Cancer‘s Yael Cohen (instagramed being prepped here) in a perfect Party Skirt in a Hotel Georgia penthouse suite }

{ H&M sunnies and necklace, Ted Baket bow belt (mine), pearls from The Bay, Kenneth Jay Lane link bracelet from Holts }

{ Yael in Pucci (available at Holts) and Louboutins with me in… not Pucci… but I was wearing Manolos! }

The majority of Tuesday was spent returning all the clothes. Our apartment had come to look like an over-flowing closet. Wednesday brought a new custom LOVE + MARK’D order from a fabulous NYC based jewelry company! I had such a ball creating their cards. (The same company that sent me these!) Life has been a big bag of mixed tricks lately. On one hand, I am thoroughly frustrated with some of my fashion-related experiences, from the underlying cattiness that exists at fashion events and between bloggers when opportunities are far and few between to the amount of comparison you can start to feel in such a small community. That being said, life has been grand with the growth of the-little-card-biz-that-could and the strength in relationships I have created with various PR reps through Vancouver, across Canada and into the States. Business relationships mean everything to me and I’m finding great pride in those that are proving longevity and friendship. I bet you can relate.

Well, that’s enough “dear diary” for now. This post was due yesterday but it’s my blog so I’m posting it today. ;)

Recently I had the pleasure of enjoying tea at the lovely Bel Cafe with the two members of Ma-Luxe, a full service team that produces high-quality, luxurious photo shoots for brides-to-be as well as glamour sessions for women not counting down the days till the big white dress. I’ve been [...]]]>

Recently I had the pleasure of enjoying tea at the lovely Bel Cafe with the two members of Ma-Luxe, a full service team that produces high-quality, luxurious photo shoots for brides-to-be as well as glamour sessions for women not counting down the days till the big white dress. I’ve been given access to images from one of Ma-Luxe’s Victoria based glamour sessions, done at the Dunmora Estate on Saanich Inlet and I am so excited to share it with you. Marion and Lisa and their team are a creative force to be reckoned with and in their early days of business have already been flown across the continent (to NYC!!) to produce shoots. Their work is fabulous. Please enjoy images from the Dunmora Diaries glamour session!

{ Photography by Ophelia Photography }

Of course a photo shoot isn’t a photo shoot without all of the wonderful vendors who provide the necessary details, from the clothes to the location: Ophelia Photography, Carly Flint, The Magnolia Hotel, Adorn Atelier, Blush Bridal Boutique, Swasion Boutique in Victoria, BC, Ooh La La Cupcakes, Platinum Floral Designs, Stella Haute Coiffeurs and Dunmora Estate. A note about the beautiful estate: “Dunmora is a charming, classic English Tudor-revival home that was originally built in the 1920’s and designed by renowned Architect J. C. M. Keith. The historic Saanich Inlet house has recently been the subject of a very extensive restoration. The original charm and grandeur has been retained and the home now features beamed ceilings, French doors, panelled walls, high end fittings and equipment, four fireplaces, seven bedrooms and six bathrooms.” Wow. I’ll take two please!

What I love about the mission behind Ma-Luxe’s work is that they aim to empower women to discover their confidence by cultivating their own unique look. It’s not a dress-up-fits-all approach, but much more of a be your best self approach. I can’t wait to see more from this talented team!

{ Wearing: Zara sweater, Fidelity pants, Ted Baker belt, Manolo Blahnik flats, H&M sunnies, Fossil watch, Poshlocket bangles (c/o) }

Some days you just want to say #$&% to the tight waist bands, fitted [...]]]>

{ Wearing: Zara sweater, Fidelity pants, Ted Baker belt, Manolo Blahnik flats, H&M sunnies, Fossil watch, Poshlocket bangles (c/o) }

Some days you just want to say #$&% to the tight waist bands, fitted jeans and high, high heels. Those days are often Sundays. Sundays bring no fashion events, no meetings, just coffee strolls and brunch dates. And I want to enjoy brunch with my comfortable pants on, like these Fidelity cargo pants. I know you hear me when I say there is nothing worse than digging into your delicious eggs benny and mimosa only to feel like you’re about to pop the button on your trousers. You know that post-brunch shift in your chair thing, when you’re trying to get comfortable but your constricting skirt won’t allow it? Yeah, that’s the worst. We’re spending Sunday morning in Blaine as a result of an over-nighter birthday party bash at a beach house. And these pants are coming with me!

Happy brunch-day Sunday!

P.S. Many thanks to Poshlocket for the bangles, I am absolutely in LOVE with them, as seen here and here on instagram. Get yours here!

Have you heard of Rush? Put on by the BC Lung Association, Rush is an annual race and urban scavenger hunt through the streets of Vancouver! Sounds fun right?? If I wasn’t one of your checkpoints I’d wanna be winning participating! – I can get a bit competitive. The event goes [...]]]>

Have you heard of Rush? Put on by the BC Lung Association, Rush is an annual race and urban scavenger hunt through the streets of Vancouver! Sounds fun right?? If I wasn’t one of your checkpoints I’d wanna be winning participating! – I can get a bit competitive. The event goes like this (official description here): teams of two run around Vancouver deciphering clues to get to their next checkpoint where they must complete a challenge. With all challenges completed, the team that crosses the finish line first wins a trip around the world! It’s ridiculously fun and for a very good cause. So what’s my part in it?? Well kids, you’re going to bump into me along the way, and I’m going to give RUSH a good dose of style in amongst those leggings and headbands! Ha. I’m SO into it!! You can read my interview on the Rush website here and more importantly, register here!

{ Wearing: Guess jacket, Diane Von Furstenburg dress, Zara shoes, Frances Cobiasia bag, Armani sunnies, rose gold bangle from Blue Ruby, the rest from a street vendor in NYC’s SoHo }

I picked this outfit for Friday’s errands: picking up denim for [...]]]>

{ Wearing: Guess jacket, Diane Von Furstenburg dress, Zara shoes, Frances Cobiasia bag, Armani sunnies, rose gold bangle from Blue Ruby, the rest from a street vendor in NYC’s SoHo }

I picked this outfit for Friday’s errands: picking up denim for Tuesday’s BT segment and pulling clothes and accessories at The Bay. Rae and I left feeling great about our outfit options for Monday’s Hotel Georgia photo shoot, amongst them this and this combo!

I tend to love all of my clothes equally. Some may be designer, some high street, some on trend and some very old, but they’re all special pieces to me. I picked up this jacket in Whistler during a spring trip up the mountain when the Balmain embellish military jacket was all the rage. I still enjoy the military look and love how I can belt this right at my waist, particularly when this DVF dress billows out, as seen here in January 2011.

Now, to tend to my apartment. Which currently looks more like a closet. SO MANY CLOTHES. That are not for me. Styling is bitter sweet.

You know I am a big, big fan of Clutches of Karma! I’m thrilled to share with you that for two days they are available as part of a pop-up shop at Jennyfleur Loves! So go visit and find yourself a gorgeous clutch! See my pick

You know I am a big, big fan of Clutches of Karma! I’m thrilled to share with you that for two days they are available as part of a pop-up shop at Jennyfleur Loves! So go visit and find yourself a gorgeous clutch! See my pick here!

Last evening saw England’s Mary Katrantzou at The Room at The Bay downtown Vancouver. The designer gathered a big crowd and a fabulous party including fashion bloggers, socialites, clientele [...]]]> { Wearing: Cynthia Rowley dress (as tunic), Twik denim (c/o Simons.ca), Marc by Marc Jacobs shoes, Zara belt, Franchi clutch }

Last evening saw England’s Mary Katrantzou at The Room at The Bay downtown Vancouver. The designer gathered a big crowd and a fabulous party including fashion bloggers, socialites, clientele of The Room, journalists and photographers. Also amongst the crowd was the new addition to my StyleStruck & LOVE + MARK’D team, Rae Stevenson. Rae is a Blanche MacDonald student studying fashion merchandising and now interning with me! Actually, for all official LOVE + MARK’D biz we’ve named her “Creative + Social Media” because she does indeed take care of a lot of creative things and our social media. What did I ever do without her??

{ With Lisa Kwong and Niki Blasina (of A Haute Mess) }

Many thanks to The Bay for having us at the lovely fête, it was very much enjoyed! Now on to the rest of today:

12:30 – Pulling clothing options at The Bay with Rae for Monday’s hotel shoot.

2:30 – Male model fitting (don’t tell George… haha. I kid, I kid. Rae will be there too.)

3:00 – Creative work for LOVE + MARK’D, we’re working on an email campaign right now and I am quite excited to show you what we’ve come up with!

5:00 – I won’t want to work anymore. I will want to go play outside. Maybe I’ll go to yoga.

Today marks the launch of the FEED x Tory Burch bags at Holt Renfrew! See Lauren Bush Lauren, CEO and founder of FEED, chatting about the bags on Canada AM this morning below.

You may have seen me post a pic or two (or three, or four) of my [...]]]>

Today marks the launch of the FEED x Tory Burch bags at Holt Renfrew! See Lauren Bush Lauren, CEO and founder of FEED, chatting about the bags on Canada AM this morning below.

You may have seen me post a pic or two (or three, or four) of my pink FEED bag (c/o of Holt Renfrew). I just love it. Last week I used it as a chic mail bag en route to the Post Office with an abundance of LOVE + MARK’D treats:

Me and my bag also seen here on Robson St! Which colour are you going to choose??

{ Wearing: H&M Conscious Collection blouse (c/o), Zara skirt, [...]]]> The other day I was browsing my closet options for last night’s The Art of Romance Jason Matlo bridal show at The Hotel Georgia. George (boyfriend) took a couple snaps as I toyed with a sequined option:

{ Wearing: H&M Conscious Collection blouse (c/o), Zara skirt, Ballin shoes, Fossil watch }

Here’s what I ended up wearing:

{ Wearing: Vintage sequin jacket, Joe Fresh silk blouse (details instagramed here), Zara trousers, Elie Tahari shoes, Franchi clutch, Fossil watch, Poshlocket bangles (c/o – also seen here) }

The event was beautiful, from the spectacular room with it’s decadent wall paper and crown moldings to the weddings dresses Jason Matlo showed. I did tote along my camera, but when I saw the talented Georgia Esporlas snapping shots, I thought, I’ll wait. No point trying to reinvent the wheel, especially when Georgia does it so well.

 And also, this:

I’ve mentioned before that at LOVE + MARK’D we do a lot of custom work. We’ve (there are two of us now! Not including our creative consultant, the cat), just finished a good number of custom “From the desk of…” sets and since we keep (some of) our clients cards private, I thought I’d show you our work via StyleStruck. See them in-store here!

Also new!: LOVE + MARK’D moves on from the [...]]]> Today the collection grows! Two designs have been added to the LOVE + MARK’D card offering: the neon eiffel towers and the neon lady bags! Both make a wonderful mail box surprise for your gals, they’d love you for it! Buy them here.

Also new!: LOVE + MARK’D moves on from the days of existing as a blog tab into a full grown website!

**Now available for downtown Vancouver residents only: need a last minute special occasion card? LOVE + MARK’D will deliver downtown with a minimum purchase of one set of cards (4).

Just imagine how much your pals would love to get a pretty card in the mail from you! What a friend you’d be! And we can do ‘em custom too! Whatever you want, just ask: loveandmarkd@gmail.com

{ Twik anorak (c/o Simons.ca – can you tell I’ve been quite into this coat as of late?), JNBY blouse (c/o), Mavi denim (c/o), Aldo sandals, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag, Fossil watch, H&M sunnies }

On Wednesday evening I [...]]]>

{ Twik anorak (c/o Simons.ca – can you tell I’ve been quite into this coat as of late?), JNBY blouse (c/o), Mavi denim (c/o), Aldo sandals, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag, Fossil watch, H&M sunnies }

On Wednesday evening I met up with Eryne Ordel (Mavi Canada’s PR & Marketing Manager), for a drink at the fabulous Hotel Georgia‘s outdoor, fourth floor lounge Reflections. Just being there is a treat. I ordered a Cosmopolitan Daisy martini – a cosmo made with gin instead of vodka and oh my, was it ever good. I’ll definitely be going back for another one of those! I walked the few blocks home afterwards to co-host a couple friends for a movie night which meant popcorn, m&m’s, red wine and spring rolls… so much for my diet. Our movie of choice: The Count of Monte Cristo – sooo good! Do you host friends over very often? We’ve just started having people over to our new place and are really enjoying it! My key host necessities: a couple scented candles lit, one on the coffee table and one near the door to create ambiance, a great bottle of wine, blankets draped over the couch for easy access during the movie and fancy wine glasses – you know the ones.