Today I went downtown for a lunch meeting with the organizing committee for a project I'm working on. We went to this place called Big Daddy's in hopes of getting to try alligator meat, but sadly it's not alligator season... so we had to settle. But their food was good and the conversation was good so it was still good even without the alligator meat. 

Afterwards I roamed around downtown with a couple of friends and my boyfriend. My boyfriend decided to try taking reign of the camera (yes!! finally mwahaha ) and so the pictures today are credited to him. 

One of the most fascinating finds of my day. The PETA condom mascot. The campaign is actually for animal neutering, but it was smart how they got condom costumes to attract more attention. 

Ack, is it weird that I find a giant pink condom to be so cute?

Mhmm.... 

White Sheer Blouse - Urban Outfitters

Polka Dot Shorts - Thrifted 

Boat Shoes - Bass 

Bag - Aldo 

The white sheer blouse was a gift from my boyfriend from a few months back and I've been keeping it in my closet because sometimes I'm too scared to wear the things he buys me, even though I love what he buys me (what if I ruin it? does he realize how clumsy I am?). 

I also just finished cutting and hemming a pair of thrifted capris into the shorts I'm wearing here. I should really do more DIY's. 

Anyways, I would write more but I must pack because I am going to OHIO tomorrow morninggg... why do I procrastinate so much I'm going to regret this so much in the morning. 

See you in a week blog & bloggers!

Love you all <3 

Last week I spent a day downtown with Joyce and it was like the most insane day of life. 

Joyce is probably the only person I know in real life who blogs. She's also one of the few who thrift. So very naturally our day revolved around snapping pictures for our blogs and thrifting. 

To get the full thrifting experience, Joyce tracked down three salvation armies (yes, three) downtown and convinced me to go on this big thrifting adventure with her. 

(Picture credit to Joyce) 

It was a very chaotic adventure... you'd be surprised what kind of trouble two teenage girls could run into just visiting thrift stores. 

It was also very exhausting. We ran from thrift store to thrift store and from store racks to crammed change rooms. Luckily we thought ahead and both opted for flat shoes. Heels and adventure do not mix. 

Sheer White Top - Thrifted 

Feather Necklace - Aldo 

High Waisted Denim Shorts - Thrifted 

Boat Shoes - Bass

It was a mild day with overcast skies and lots of warm wind, which is probably my favorite type of weather. I wanted to wear something light and comfortable so I settled for a loose top and comfy drawstring denim shorts. I also decided to keep accessories to a minimum and ditched my usual heels for some very needed foot comfort. 

Despite talking with my mom and boyfriend about bringing my thrifted clothing down to a minimum I still find myself wearing fully thrifted outfits. (except for shoes, I think I have intimacy issues. I can't stick my feet somewhere someone else stuck their feet. what if they walked around all day in them? in the sun? while their feet perspired? a lot? what if they had a foot disease? Oh God...) 

And seeing as how I've just visited three salvation armies I doubt I'll be giving up thrifting anytime soon... It's impossible I tell you, impossible! 

I have a couple of new hauls to show off though I'm not sure if I will photograph them (too much... too much...). Though my goal right now is definitely to post more, even if my posts aren't that lengthy. (do people really read content? or do they just look at pictures? mhm.. the mysteries of life) 

So many things to do, so little time. 

Today my mom and I decided to go 'window shopping', but as everybody knows... that never really works out. I've been shopping thrift clothes for months now and it's a habit that my mom hates. Apparently I dress way too old for my age? Pshft.. 

Maybe. 

So she was completely intent on me getting clothes that would make me look more 'my age'.  

I ended up getting three dresses and a floral dress shirt (as you can see in the picture above) at different boutiques in this mall known as Pacific Mall. 

If you don't live in Toronto or Canada you probably don't know what Pacific Mall is, but basically it's like a mini version of a Chinese shopping street, all condensed and stuffed into a warehouse. 

Okay.. I swear it's better than I'm making it sound. See it's not so bad right? 

It's really great because asian people still have access to things they would otherwise have to purchase from asia. There's everything you could possibly want; herbal medicine stores, bubble tea, cute clothing boutiques, really shady fake designer brand items, illegally reproduced dvd's, the list goes on and on... 

I love shopping at Pacific Malls because the styles are more unique than the styles you would find in a normal mall. There are a lot of one of a kind styles and lots of more asian styled clothing. Also if you're chinese you have this great thing, often know as bargaining, and if you're really good at it, life is awesome for you.

The only downside is probably that the quality can often be questionable.. at Pacific Mall, you usually get what you pay for. Also they don't have sizes, which sounds really terrible but it's not. Everything is one size fits all and somehow it kinda usually works. (I guess asian people aren't that various in size? I dunno...) 

I've been wanting a white crochet dress for a while now but I was holding back because they just seemed so common. But I finally gave in and got this one. I like the shape of the sleeves, makes the dress a little more special. I also like how it can be casual but also formal. 

This little black dress was from the same store as the white one, and with the help of bargaining I got both of them for only $35. I love Pacific Mall. 

It's hard to tell with the lighting, but the dress has two tiers and ruffle sleeves. Although it's simple it's also really cute and really comfortable. 

This was definitely my favorite purchase. I love the grungy feel of the acid washed denim against the girly lace and pearl beads. 

This is what I mean when I say there are more unique and one of a kind styles at Pacific Mall. It's like shopping at a real life Etsy marketplace. 

I honestly totally forgot how great shopping there could be, but I think I'll definitely be visiting more often now. I can't just live in thrift stores my whole life, right?  

Today it rained like it had never rained before. It came from no where and poured all day which was a little disappointing because I had been planning on doing an outdoor shoot. 

Luckily the rain stopped just in time for me to get a few shots at the park before the sun went down. 

Pink Kimono - Thrifted

Black Tank Top Dress - 3f Fashions 

Feather Necklace - Aldo 

Heeled Sandals - Hand Me Down 

The occasion was the usual church service but today we also had a baby dedication for one of our youth group leaders. I forgot to bring my camera for the event but it was really nice event, despite the rain and intense humidity. I don't think any event with babies can go wrong... they're just so cute. 

Notice how the pictures are getting progressively darker? That is the setting sun that I was fighting against time for. 

It's actually really hard doing shoots by yourself! It sounds simple setting up a tripod but checking and rechecking angles and whatnot takes up so much time. I narrow things down to only a few pictures but when I first import from my camera I usually have about 100 pictures... it's crazy. 

Also, dear fashion bloggers all over the world. How do you get pictures? 

It seems like famous bloggers have nice photos all the time, do you have a little photographer elves living in your closets?! Share the wealth, guys...

I know some bloggers have talented photographer boyfriends or siblings who take pictures for them. If you are one of these, consider yourself lucky. Very lucky.

If you are a tripod user like myself, I really feel your pain. Also, do you ever feel like a complete douche when you take pictures for yourself? 

I just feel so awkward posing in front of a tripod while people walk on by and stare. I know I'll never see them again but it's just so uncomfortable. 

Anyways, one day I will get over my photography issues and I will stop complaining about it all over my blog. I promise. 

Love,

Lydia Lemieux 

Today I went thrifting and picked up a haul of new clothes and I thought to myself, what better way to make a return to blogging? 

More bottoms even though I told myself I would stop buying them...

Got a pink floral kimono and a cute bustier/corset top that I love but my boyfriend will probably really hate. 

 So I lugged out my tripod, dusted it off and set it up for the first time in a long time. I even put away my hatred for using tripods and finally got some pictures. Please ignore the crappy quality though... they were taken inside where the lighting isn't that great. (I will not change into like six different outfits outside, in the public, behind a bush. Nor will I run in and out of the building six times to change. No.. I refuse to. ): ) 

Navy blue dress with embroidered patterns. To keep or not to keep? I'm so fussy with my purchases, but if you don't really love it I guess it's not really worth it right? 

But it's SO cute and makes my boobs look fantastic... mhm... girl problems. 

(oops forgot my mom reads this sometimes... awks) 

Thrifted - Black Bustier Top 

Thrifted - Mint skirt

Why is it blurry, you may ask? 

NO, it's not because of my inferior photography skills or lack of common sense.

It's the tripod, I tell you. All the tripod. 

Black bustier top once again & thrifted pants. 

Thinking about whether or not I should keep them the way they are or tailor them. They're a little baggy? But tailoring is a lot of work. Maybe I should just cut them into shorts? 

I love the possibilities of summer. I can just do things. 

I didn't think too much of this pink kimono in the store but after I tried it on at home I fell in love with it. 

You know that thing they say about how it looks best in the store?

It is a LIE. 

Or maybe things just don't look that good in the Salvation Army mirror. Humm... 

I found my new favourite pair of shorts for $2 today. They need a bit of tailoring but otherwise they're honestly like comfy high-waisted denimy perfection. 

Also got this cute little polka dot dress but I think it's going back to the store. 

Not really my style? Makes me feel so young... 

And finally, I picked up these cargo pants which you cannot see the details of cause of my crappy hallway lighting but I swear they're actually really nice. 

They're the only thing from my haul that is not thrifted. I got these last week from a store called 3f Fashions. A couple months ago I won this competition for a university fashion show called Mass Exodus (have I blogged about this? No? What have I been doing with my life?) and I got this gift bag filled with really awesome stuff and one of the things in the bag was a 50$ gift card for this store. 

So I finally checked it out last minute (like a week before it expires) and thank God I did because when I did everything was 50% off so it was like having a 100$ gift card, who says the life of a procrastinator does not pay off? 

Anyways, the cool thing about the store is that it was started up by a graduate of Ryerson University which is in downtown Toronto, and she designs everything in the store. I think it's just cool because it gives hope to all of us students who are like BUT SUCCESS IS SO HARD AND IMPOSSIBLE. But it's really not, it's completely achievable. 

It was interesting checking out the store and I also got these pants for 50% off, YES cheap nice stuff is the best nice stuff. I plan to go back tomorrow because like my gift card expires the day after... (ahah, can you believe some people actually think I've got it all together all the time?) 

I also reorganized and cleaned up my work table so I can do lots in the summer and next year. It is the crunch time of my life... University applications coming soon and portfolios need to be completed. 

I know it's been forever since I've blogged about anything and I've actually been meaning to return to it for a long time but the busyness of life just kept me from it. But I'm totally back now.. after a 3 month hiatus? Damn... 

Anyways, now that I'm done school I'm ready to blog again at full force. I also have many personal projects that I'll be working on and blogging about. It feels so nice to be able to just do my own things again, I've been wanting this all school year. 

DAYUM. LOOK AT ALL THOSE PICTURES. I have not only conquered my fear of tripods, but also my laziness. 

PSH, that wasn't as hard as I remembered. 

Okay no honestly though, any Toronto bloggers out there? I'm not desperate or anything, I just think it would be totally amazing to do photoshoots with you, instead of with my sad abused tripod. 

On a last and final note. Deepest apologies to my followers & people I follow. 

I've still been reading blogs, just been too busy to keep in the community and blog myself. 

But I'm back now and I'll be posting more frequently. 

xo 

Lydia Lemieux