Woman to Woman at the Toronto Botanical Garden

Way back in the depths of winter I received a save the date for "Woman to Woman - a Lunch in the Garden" at the Toronto Botanical Garden. This was appealing to me for three reasons:

1. I didn't know that the Toronto Botancial Garden existed
2. I love any opportunity that calls for pretty dresses, hats, flowers and fascinators
3. It gave me hope that summer was coming!

I asked Lindsay to be my date and the two of us patiently waited for late May to arrive. We chatted about wardrobe and hats and were delighted when it was finally time for our fancy garden lunch!

As soon as we arrived I was taken aback by how gorgeous the Toronto Botanical Gardens is. How did I not know about this place?? They're tucked away at Lawrence and Leslie and upon entry I felt like I was discovering a magical Toronto secret. 

With 17 gardens over 4 acres, it is a truly magnificent space that Linz and I had the chance to explore. It was an incredibly sunny, warm day which made it perfect for a garden lunch in support of the programming the TBG offers to children and adults and the maintenance of the gardens.

Amid the gardens there were lovely fashions from vendors at Bayview Village and a silent auction among other festivities throughout the afternoon.

We were pleased that there was a scrumptious vegetarian option of mini Swiss chard souffles with leeks and tofu from Daniel et Daniel for lunch. We both raved about how spectacular it was and definitely went back for seconds...

There was also a beautiful dessert tent filled with stunning and delicious treats.

Mini-desserts on spoons are all kinds of awesome. Big win.


It was awesome to dash away from work for an extra special lunch with one of my very favourite people in such a beautiful setting! So glad that I discovered the Toronto Botanical Garden and can't wait to go back to do some more exploring. Thanks to the lovely folks at TBG for the invite!

Did you see My Party Dress?

Did you see my party dress?

 

If you're a friend or reader of this a blog, or follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you've probably already figured out that I'm rather notorious for being in a dress or a skirt pretty much all the time. I've always been girly, but in the last 3 or so years my style has been punctuated with a whole lot of femininity and not many pairs of pants. For me dresses are an everyday thing, but I do still have a lot of fun daydreaming about ball gowns or just getting dressed up for special occasions.

With December being the crazy social month that it is, I've happily had quite a few opportunities to throw on some of my favourite party dresses, beginning with last weekend's show at Buddies. The grey dress with the sparkled sash was a purchase from Banana Republic last year. It's one of my favourite winter dresses, but this year I managed to forget how itchy it is on the inside!! By the end of the night I was pouting and couldn't wait to get it off - this is a personal reminder to wear a camisole underneath the dress to avoid being so uncomfortable next time!

This past weekend involved 4 parties over the course of two days. With a whole lot of rest in the middle, I felt up for the challenge! On Friday night I decided to go really retro with one of my favourite dresses from Damzels. 

Whenever anyone asks me where I like to shop in Toronto, I point them towards Damzels. Kelly and Rory are two amazing women, who have this gorgeous shop filled with amazing dresses, skirts, shoes, accessories and other fun items. I always leave their store feeling joyous and always receive incredible customer service whenever I visit. They carry some awesome lines as well as creating their own line seasonally. I bought this dress a couple years ago for my birthday and it has been getting great wear ever since! On Friday I paired it with some 40's inspired Isaac Mizrahi from Target heels and a red belt for a pop of colour for a delightful tree trimming party, complete with some incredible mulled wine.

Up until about 6:07pm on Saturday night, I was convinced that I was going to wear another Damzels dress, but had a last minute change of heart and wanted to wear something a bit more sparkly

I opted for this BB Dakota dress that I picked up last year after falling in love with it on Elsie's blog. I happened upon it one day at Tabula Rasa and had to have it! I kept it simple with some nude fishnets, nude heels and a couple of sparkly jewelry pieces before dashing off to 3 parties that night. By the end of the evening I was completely wiped, but had a lot of fun with friends and coworkers celebrating the holiday season!

And even did my worst best dinosaur impression

Maybe I'll just stick to singing. 

With a couple more weeks of December still to come, I'm looking forward to a few more opportunities to pull out my party dresses and enjoy some festive cheer! 

How do you feel about dressing up? Do you have any favourite shops?

The video of My Party Dress was shot at the very first Ashleyx2 cabaret way back in September 2010, but I've only just added the video! The song is by Kerrigan and Lowdermilk and I'm sure that less than 10 people on the planet have actually seen me in pants on a regular basis. Hope you liked the video!

UberSwap = All kinds of awesome

Nathalie-Roze and Co. is definitely one of my favourite shops to visit in Leslieville. Nathalie-Roze has created an amazing mix of old and new fashion with stellar accessories and gift items. We chat regularly on the Twitter and a few months ago I was excited that I was finally able to attend my first über-SWAP on a rainy Saturday morning. 

The premise of über-swap is simple. It's a clothing swap, where participants drop off clothes they no longer want/need/wear. The gals of NR&co organize them and for $6 (in advance) or $10 (at the door) you're able to leave with a bag of goodies. It's like getting together with a group of friends for a clothing swap, except on a much larger scale (75+ participants?) with everything that is left over being donated. It's a great way to clean out your closet and find some awesome new pieces, while being eco-friendly and hanging with other awesome gals in the heart of Leslieville. 

Not gonna lie, I was kinda overwhelmed at the event I attended. I love vintage and finding great pieces to add to my wardrobe, but tend to like smaller, more curated shops rather than trying to fight through the masses at Value Village. über-swap is not for the faint at heart, but I braved it. I wish I had photos of the event, but I was too busy sorting through piles upon piles of clothing to even try. I brought two large bags of clothes from my closet that I no longer wear and left with 4 dresses. Now, that might not seem like much, but part of the reason I attended über-swap was to get rid of clothes, not necessarily come home with just as much. I have a pretty large wardrobe (with a whole lot of dresses) so my haul was the right amount for me and I'm absolutely loving what I found, especially since it was all for just $10! 

 

I wore one of the dresses I got for the first time yesterday. I got rid of the straps, added a belt and it was the perfect summer outfit. Pretty sweet. 

Nathalie-Roze is hosting their next über-swap on Thursday July 19. Advance tickets are no longer on sale, but you're able to arrive at the event with your bag of castaways and pay $10 at the door. I've been told that the summer swap is a little less crazy since it is outdoors and they're also offering refreshments to those who attend. Who doesn't love an evening of awesome ladies, cleaning out your closet whilst scoring fab new clothes with some yummy treats? Nathalie-Roze has also been known to throw some great pieces from the shop into the mix, so keep your eyes peeled! Check out the event page for some rules, tips and details on the location and timing and be sure to let me know if you find anything awesome!