Seventeen Ultimate Guide to Style: Book Review

This book showcases six different iconic styles: girly, edgy, boho, classic, glam, and indie. Each section features eight essential pieces and gives outfit ideas using them. In addition, there is advice from Seventeen models and their favourite looks, as well celebrity inspiration, styling tips, a "look book" (made up of runway, celebrity, and street style looks), and where to shop. The book also features an accessory guide, and fit guides for jeans, bathing suits, and undergarments. Written by Ann Shoket and the editors of Seventeen, this book not only gives a ton of fashion advice and ideas, it also showcases real people who have that style.

Overall, I thought this was a great book. It differs from Seventeen's other book, 500 Style Tips because it pays more attention to creating different styles, as opposed to a bunch of outfits for different places. The book was well-organized and had endless outfit ideas. The only critique I have for this book is even though it did mention that your style could be a combination of the styles presented, it did not provide any mix-and-match style ideas. Though thinking about it now, that was probably a good thing; I mean, they had to leave room for creativity, right? It's like what Miranda Cosgrove says on the back of the book: "I love to mix styles- some days I like to wear edgier things, some days I wear really girly stuff."
You probably already know what my style is: girly. As soon as I turned to the page and saw floral prints, ruffles, ballet flats, and cardigans, I was definitely in the right place. Reading through the rest of the book though, I concluded that my style is a mix of girly, classic, and bohemian.  What's yours?

Cozy Knits for Winter

I'm back!!! I originally typed this up a long time ago, but never added photos or posted it!

It's that time of year again: as the weather gets colder, we pack on layers of sweaters, a puffy coat, big boots, scarves, hats, and gloves to keep warm. During the winter it may be harder to keep up with the latest fashions because it's so cold- you just want to be warm! But I have a few ideas that will keep you warm and stylish all winter long. See the bottom of this post to see where everything is from. 

First of all, layering is actually the key to staying warm. Instead of wearing a t-shirt underneath a cardigan or hoodie, try a long-sleeved one. Thermal henleys can look a little like pajamas, so try letting a brightly coloured tank top peek through underneath. Aeropostale has a great selection of long sleeved and thermal tees. 

If layering isn't for you, try wearing a thicker sweater under your jacket. There are all sorts of styles of sweaters out there: cable knit, fair isle, chunky knits, cowl necks, turtlenecks, v-necks... in a variety of different colours. The only thing that I've noticed is that most of these sweaters contain some kind of wool or wool blend (like angora), which can be a little itchy. If it doesn't bother you though, it is a great alternative to layering. If it is itchy, you can also try wearing a long sleeved blouse underneath for a preppy look. American Eagle and Garage Clothing both have a variety of cozy sweaters in different colours and patterns.

Feel like dressing up? Sweater dresses are the key item to have. Pair it with patterned tights and knee-high boots and you'll be ready for any holiday party. Try these sweater dresses from Dynamite and Smart Set.

Don't forget about outerwear. I suggest a thick peacoat or jacket (mainly so you don't have to wear a million layers underneath). Depending on your lifestyle and how cold it gets, long or short jackets will equally keep you warm. For example, since I'm in University, I find that a shorter coat is easier to hang up on a chair or slip on at the start and end of class. Top it off with a matching hat, scarf, and glove set.

Photo credits:
Basic cami, $6, aeropostale.com
Long sleeve solid thermal henley, $9, aeropostale.com
Long sleeve aero city hearts baseball graphic t, $12, aeropostale.com
AE cabled sweater, $61.13, ae.com
AE long cabled sweater, $30.56, ae.com
Fairisle v-neck sweater, $20, garage.ca
Fairisle turtleneck sweater, $36.90, garage.ca
Bar stripe v-neck sweater, $10, aeropostale.com
AE dolman sweater, $40.25, ae.com
Cable print dress, $20, dynamite.ca
Split collar sweater dress, $55, smartset.ca
Fairisle sweater dress, $29.99, smartset.ca