Posts Tagged: H&M


24
Jul 10

Fresh Faced & Fancy Free

Spending Saturday morning tidying, running a few errands in a crop top and sans make up, which feels good. I’m not usually much of a crop top type, but I figured, with this heat, why the heck not? Although, this is probably the only time my belly button will feel so free, unless you catch me at the beach. 

Wearing: Vintage crop top, (a whopping $2 purchase), Sirens white denim, Zara flats, H&M sunnies.

And the latest home-decor addition to my little apartment:

A fierce feline! Rooowwwrr.

You may have noticed a new hot pink box to the right, I’m now on Formspring! The social media platform for asking bloggers all sorts of questions. So get to it, type into that little box and ask me something. Now I must go get fancied up for a wedding, it takes some time. 

Xo StyleStruck


18
Jul 10

Cruising in the Sun

This evening was spent biking along the beautiful sea wall around Stanley Park! Such a wonderful way to spend the evening!

Wearing: Silk Zara blouse, leather Zara belt, vintage cut offs, Zara flats, Guess back pack, H&M sunnies.

Tonight couldn’t have been more lovely, riding a cruiser with the wind in your hair, stopping for ice cream and photos, fun, fun, fun! 

Amazing!! In the distance, the North Shore, (West Vancouver).

Hope you had a lovely summery weekend!

Xo StyleStruck


17
Jul 10

Summer Fun!

Wearing: New Era hat, H&M vest, Dynamite tank, Trina Turk denim shorts, Vans California edition sneakers, Carrera sunnies and an orange band aid. (Marie scratched me this morning.)

Off to play now! Pitch and putt! Have some SUMMER FUUNN!! 

Xo SS


16
Jul 10

All Business: Perceived Value of Your Personal Brand

Blogger’s Disclaimer: These are my thoughts. I may be ridiculous, I may be brilliant, (it has yet to be determined), but I’m on the road to figuring it all out, and this post is part of that. So I ask that you read this post as though you and I were having a conversation, a casual discussion of a current topic. Thank you in advance. And please do leave your thoughts below in the comments section!

Sitting on a Yaletown patio, (Starbucks), thinking about biz. Notice, I’m wearing a collared shirt, which is obviously very professional and pretty much makes me a bonafide business woman, (insert touch of sarcasm). (A Tommy Hilfiger collared shirt. From Winners. Love Winners.)

Today I’m thinking about perceived value, and how you can create that in the way you establish your own personal brand. Recently BC Business published a blog post on their site about perceived value, from blogger Tommy Humphreys, author of The Shift Key, and it made me re-think my strategy in terms of how I position myself as I build my career. Being a blogger, or a “fashion blogger,” as I’m often introduced as, (I prefer: “fashion, lifestyle and PR blogger,” but no biggie ; )), it can be tricky deciding who and what I should and should not align myself with. This is true with every single brand, and I think every organization really has to think and do their homework to make sure that when they do choose to partner with another brand, that their ideals, goals and values line up. If they don’t, the brand value can be damaged. What I’m aiming for, in terms of brand perception, and this is a lofty goal here, so get ready, is to be perceived as a luxury brand, like a Chanel, or YSL blogger. I don’t say this because I literally have hopes to work with such luxury brands, (though, wouldn’t that be a fierce job!), but I mean it in the sense that I hope for my brand to hold serious cred in the minds of those in my industry. Take Chanel for instance, we all want a piece of it. We love Chanel for the craftsmanship, the quality, the sense that it is special and limited in quantity and of course the fact that it is indeed, very top shelf. (I’ve got Chanel on the brain as I am currently wearing the CC sandals.) The ideal situation for a blogger is to be taken seriously, to be understood and of course, to be wanted. What I’m trying to get at, is when you are building a brand, and trying to create a strong, positive perception around that brand, how do you know when an opportunity to work with a company is a good or bad choice for you? I’ve asked around and put together a short list of check points that should align when such a relationship is considered: 

1. Values: Is there a shared set of values? Think community involvement, philanthropy, treatment of employees, quality of life and quality of work.

2. Goals: Are you working towards common goals? When thinking about a brand partnership, consider what kind of relationship you’d like to create with the potential partner, is it short-term or long-term? And does the potential partner want to create short or long-term relationships with their clients? (The obvious answer is of course long-term, but many companies do not operate this way. As I’m sure you’ve noticed when you didn’t receive good customer service at that restaurant you visited recently when they forgot your food and then it was cold. Just an example.) Do their financial goals match with yours in terms of budgets and what kind of money each part of the budget is worth. Example: Is having an influential host at your event worth paying for? (Answer: Probably. It pays, literally, to have a job well done.)

3. Mission: What are you working towards? Does this potential partnership aid in growing your biz/brand? Do both brands hope to make a difference in society through their work?

4. Target Market: So important! Are you and your potential partner selling to the same market? This is an easy one to figure out, and it’s a deal breaker. If your markets align, then fabulous, if not, what is the point of such a relationship? If you want to be the Chanel of your industry, align with companies who also strive to be at the very top of their game, with brands of value. 

I shall now take my own advice and (try to) apply it to my own decisions. Tell me what you think.

- SS

And what I wore while I wrote this business-themed post: Tommy Hilfiger striped collared short, white denim Trina Turk shorts, Chanel platform sandals, rose gold fossil watch, vintage bling, H&M sunnies and a tan leather Makowsky bag. Laptop by Apple. Just another day at the office!


2
Jul 10

My Canada Day Patriotism

I spent my Canada Day with my Mum. It was a glamorous day of shopping for a cat carrier, (pink), a watering can, (pink) and a frying pan. Though I did add the pink Kate Spade to this outfit and that made everything feel a little bit more fabulous. And of course I showed my patriotism with this ruffled red and white striped cardigan from H&M! 

Wearing H&M striped cardi, white H&M tank, vintage denim cut offs, white leather Zara flats and Aldo elephant ring. Red nails by Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics.

Did you dress for Canada Day??

Xo StyleStruck


7
Jun 10

StyleStruck is LoveStruck by Those Linked C’s

Recently I did a blog post on a certain new pair of summer sandals, well, here are said sandals!! (Whoever said money can’t buy you happiness, I beg to differ with them. There are times when money can buy you a little happiness, and one of those times involves Chanel.)

Wearing a vintage silk top, Sirens jeans, Chanel shoes. Bracelet brand unknown, from Macy’s, H&M headband.

It’s been ages since I’ve done one of these types of outfit posts, it felt good today to get the camera out and snap some photos. I mean, get the Nikon out, stacking it on top of a huuuge pile of books that balanced on top of my stool, then setting the camera to a 10 second automatic timer, getting a shot, then running back and forth from pose to camera to check each shot. Oh, the life of a fashion blogger without her own personal photographer. Fun. : )

Xo StyleStruck


20
May 10

An Adventure Weekend

Saturday morning brings travel! Yayy! I LOVE to travel, whether it is to a far flung location or just a nearby city, hotels, transportation, cute totes to hold your camera, passport and many, many lip glosses make me so excited! ADVENTURE! Saturday morning we are leaving Vancouver for a couple nights away. Here are a few things I intend on bringing with me this weekend…

I always lay clothes out on my bed before I pack, helps me visualize outfits, I’m thinking the H&M denim vest would be really cute over the silk leopard Cynthia Rowley dress, perhaps with a belt to give me a waist, and my red buckle boots! Even packing gets me excited! (Clothes from left: H&M denim vest, Guess military jacket, Cynthia Rowley silk dress, H&M metallic dress).

My passport… This will be my second stamp this year, the poor thing really needs more attention. Specifically some Parisian stamp-love. (Leather passport cover from Danier).

Clothing-wise, I would describe this location as urban, cool, a great place to wear contemporary edgy clothes that are casual. Of course, this won’t stop me from having a “Ladies-who-lunch” moment in this pale pink Danier leather jacket and obnoxiously bling scarf. 1 part leather jacket, 1 part neck scarf and 1 part ballet flats = well coiffed 60-something classy woman in my mind, I get quite a kick out of creating different personas with outfits. To complete the look I really must have a giant Hermes tote! Who’s got an in at Hermes and $25 000 lying around?? ; )

It’s fairly close by… can you guess where I’m off to??

Xo StyleStruck


18
May 10

The Latest in Body Care

Well, it’s that time of year again! Time to bring out the short shorts, bikinis and minis! (I’m having a bit of a light-denim shorts moment right now, kinda over minis, but then again ask me in a week and I may have a different opinion.)

I know all you ladies are very diligent in your skin care routine, shaving those lovely legs and keeping your hair smooth and voluminous, but there is a new product out there, for an area you may have been neglecting… 

Muff stuff” is brought to you by Ritz Clinging, a fabulous Vancouver entrepreneur. Clinging says, “I created I Love My Muff to provide women with eco chic and effective products for daily love and care down there. It’s a muff movement!”

A little info from ilovemymuff.com: My goal was to create fabulously effective feminine care products that cater to the modern lifestyles of savvy, empowered and informed women of today.

I have achieved this goal in the creation of i love my muff premium feminine care products.

With the promise to provide daily love and care for down there, i love my muff products have been developed with an uncompromising commitment to mildness, biodegradability, non-toxicity, cleansing ability, moisturizing ability and luxurious feel.

i love my muff products are vegan, free of any parabens, SLS, synthetic colors and fragrances. They have been handmade (with love) in Canada using the finest natural ingredients like pure beneficial essential oils to create a perfect balance that’s suitable for all skin types.

It’s no longer taboo and with it’s clean packaging and bold message these products are a statement of confidence and a must have for every woman.

Looking to purchase Muff stuff? It’s available at Beauty Mark in Yaletown, and Clinging has gone global with it! Muff stuff is now available in NYC, as well as major Canadian cities like Toronto. 

I’m a fan!

Wearing: H&M rhinestone tee, Urban Behaviour denim shorts, Zara wedges and vintage Raybans.

(Dontcha just love how eclectic this blog is? From tips on business to feminine hygiene, I’ve got ya covered! ; ))

Xo SS


12
May 10

“Fierce!”

That’s what a young woman said to me as I marched down the street in my red suede buckled ankle boots. Why thank you stranger on the side walk, I did feel very fierce! Sadly I had to leave my DSLR at home last night, it might’ve been a bit creepy to take that big hunker of a camera on a date, so my little point-and-shoot had to do. (Hence why the photo isn’t so sharp). My date outfit last night:

Top: Outside of the fabulous Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel, Bottom: Standing between the two convention centres, but more important than the view is my snakeskin Pierre Cardin purse, obviously. Wearing: White blouse from I don’t know where, I got it years ago, H&M leather skirt, vintage purse and red suede boots found at Winners. 

My first time dining at the posh new hotel! We had a drink in the Lobby Lounge, I had a cosmo and it was seriously the best cosmo I’ve ever had, and then went upstairs to Oru for dinner. Mmm the Korean short rib dish, just delicious. (T Hump: you get serious date cred). Then off for a walk through Gastown over to Chinatown to visit the Keefer. I’ve heard so much about it but hadn’t been yet. And yep, I walked the whole way in those boots! A note about the Keefer, great drinks and great atmosphere, but don’t go on a Tuesday night, we were the only people in the place. I suspect they are very busy on the weekends though. 

That’s it for now dear readers, til later today when I come up with more thoughts for you!

Xo StyleStruck

P.S. And I’ll be seeing some of you at Leone tonight! Can’t wait to see all the ladies lookin fiiieerce!


20
Apr 10

Blonde Ambition

So there’s a new movement upon us, it’s a T-shirt movement that is spreading two words; “Fuck Cancer,” in order to stop the spread of this deadly disease. The “Fuck Cancer” campaign was started by Yael Cohen, a young woman from Vancouver who has a loved one fighting the disease. Fuck Cancer has an amazing website where you can share your story with cancer and read other’s stories. Upload a picture, share some love or share some cash. Either way, let’s Fuck Cancer! I did, click here to see my entry.


So have you joined the movement yet?? T shirts are available at Moulé. And of course, because this is a fashion-ish blog, I had to wear mine with something fabulous… the BOOTS! I am in LOVE with these boots! Mmmm red suede and buckles! (I’m wearing the Fuck Cancer T shirt, skirt from H&M and boots found a rack at Winners, unknown brand).

You may have also noticed that my hair is looking a little different, it’s BLONDE now!! And I finally got a cut to give it some much needed shape. Big thank you to my wonderful hair stylist, Vanessa.

That’s it for now, share your story on FuckCancer and then share it with me!! Leave me a comment with the link to your picture!

Xo StyleStruck

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