Author: admin

#Ima(side)hustler

Post author By admin
Post date February 7, 2019

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It’s no secret that I love my boyfriend, he’s perfect for me, but holy hell is he high maintenance!

Though Toronto is ranked one of the best boyfriend’s in the world, he’s also one of the most expensive, which is why if you wanna experience all that he and this world’s got to offer, you gotta hustle and that’s what I am doing! …cause Morocco is waiting for me and I ain’t gonna make it there with just my pretty face 😉

The side hustle is synonymous with Toronto living these days and so when I moved back to live with this boyfriend of mine, from my money sucking but oh so gratifying stint in Italy, I jumped on the side hustle bandwagon faster than you can say boo, cause I was fricking broke and a full time job alone wasn’t gonna cut it.

Which brings me to my side hustle of choice (a fashion endeavour of course) with a company called Stella & Dot. A fashion accessories company based in California where independent stylists like myself can run a small business with all the resources of a big company. It’s a win win business model. We the stylists replace the traditional retailers and earn great commissions on our sales, all while making amazing connections with our customers by giving them the personal shopping experience. We all know how much I love personal shopping! Oh, and did I mention that as stylists we also get a plethora of accessories for next to nothing… yeah, that’s right! Only downfall, choosing what to wear every morning – makes me late every time. Lol. #StylistProblems.

Gushing aside, this side hustle has been a lifesaver. Working this business has helped me get back on my feet; I furnished my entire apartment, paid for my trips to Turkey and New York, and many other little things that I wouldn’t have been able to indulge in if it wasn’t for this business. Hustle and Flow baby 😉

Ok back to gushing…

This summer’s collection has some of my favourite pieces and so I decided to pair them up with my top trends of the season to create a few fun and chic looks. I hope they inspire you to create your own too. Check out my website to see the entire collection of jewels. Go ahead, do it, you know you want to!

So, what are my fave trends of the season, you ask? Well, here are my top 6 in the 6:

1) The Blue Striped Shirt

With feminine frills or the classic mens style shirt – love it! Wear it over white jeans or boyfriend jeans, with a bright white sneaker (another of my fave current trends fyi) and voila, you’ve now got an uber cool outfit.

2) The Jumpsuit

Plain or printed, wear it anywhere. (Tip: for the ladies like me who don’t have a lot of junk in the trunk, find a jumpsuit that has a slightly lower waistline and that is a little more structured as to avoid having your backside look like a surfboard – (not a good look) otherwise you can always belt it (the wide belt is back) and create your own natural waistline.)

3) Floral / Tropical Prints

Head to toe print, tops, bottoms, shoes – wear what feels comfortable – push the boundaries a little – but don’t let it overwhelm you. Wear the prints, don’t let them wear you.

4) The Pleated Midi Skirt

Waistline and length are key. The higher waist will accentuate the smallest part of your torso (slightly higher than your natural waistline) and length is key depending on your height. If you’re average height and got not so skinny calves, like yours truly – just below the knee or just below the calf is best.

5) Tassels

They’re everywhere! Jewelry, shoes, hems of jeans, sleeves of tops…it’s a lovely little detail and not overwhelming, so go with it! Just don’t spend an arm and a leg on this trend as we don’t know how long the tassel will be hanging around.. Pun intended.

6) Off the Shoulder

It’s summer, show off those shoulders! Tops or dresses, striped, white, floral or denim – just wear it. Looks sexy and sophisticated. Wear your hair up and with tassel earrings (as mentioned above) and boom – helluva gorgeous!

Ok, so to conclude this post, I am gonna call out the elephant in the room ….it’s been 7 months since my last post. Shameful, I know! Full disclosure – sometimes life kicks your ass and you fall off the elephant (sticking with the elephant theme here) and even the most passionate of projects get lost in the madness, but luckily I have people around me who pushed me and gave me the tough love that I needed and I am pleased to say the pity party is over! Guinness world record for longest pity party… maybe? Hey, a girl can look for a silver lining can’t she? Lol.

For those of you who busted my chops, bugging me to get this post out, thank you! It means you give a shit about what I have to say, lol, and that makes me and the BF very very mucho happy!

Cheers! See you back here in soon for the next post. 🙂

Photo credit: Kareen Mallon @electrafire

Marketing images courtesy of Stella & Dot

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Toronto Diary

#EastSide

Post author By admin
Post date February 7, 2019

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Back in 1993, The Pet Shop Boys sang go west, life is peaceful there, great song, right?! I thought so too and 9 years later, I decided to take their “advice” and move west, 549 km west to be exact. Sure it took me almost a decade to take that advice, but in my defence, I’ve always been late bloomer. Better late than never…

Since moving west, I’ve actually mostly lived in the west end hoods of the city with a short stint in Markham; shoutout to Markham. Here is a timeline of the hoods – in this particular order: Bloordale Village, Yonge/Davisville, then back to Bloordale Village, Corso Italia, then the real Italia and now last but not least, the East End. I know what you’re thinking.. damn, this girl’s been around! But hey, when your boyfriend is this hot you gotta explore all his neighbourhoods 😉

Soooo… full disclosure, as much as I am now a lover of the East Side and consider myself an east end-er, I had never been this far east on the subway line before moving here. When I got to Main St. station for the first time just over 4 years ago to come see this apartment, I literally said to myself, where the hell am I?! It was so strange to feel out of sorts in the city I had called home now for over a decade, but I made my way over to my new apartment, using my GPS, (how embarrassing, I know) and have never looked back since and no longer need my GPS either. Lol.

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Strangely enough, I’ve felt a sense of comfort and nostalgia living here in the east end, a real feeling of home, more so than any other neighbourhood, I think mostly because I live within walking distance to the beach again. I say again, cause while in Italy, I lived in a cool little beach town called Ostia, about 30km outside of Rome. This town had everything I needed… amazing friends, great food, fabulous shopping and best of all, the sea and the beach, and since I wasn’t really working, I spent aaaaaa lot of time at the beach. It gave me solace and hope and lots of vitamin D; crucial ingredients to my happiness despite having some long unproductive days. So, living on the east side has given me a sense of continuation of the Italian life I once had, only better, cause I have a job now, 3 actually! But another surprising reason as to why it feels nostalgic is… get ready for it… it reminds me of the neighbourhood I grew up in, yup, the one in Montreal. I know!…it shocked me too. I still got some love for the ex and it’s true, we had some great times and made some great memories, but don’t get too excited Montreal peeps, cause in the words of Taylor Swift, we ain’t ever ever ever getting back together! It’s Toronto for LIFE! But cheers to all the hoods I’ve loved before!

Ok, back to business…

Since settling in the east end, I did what any self-respecting fashionista would do, find the best shopping spots of course! …and there’s so many independent boutiques worthy of leaving your hard earned dollars. I’ve definitely done some east end damage, that’s fo sho! But more than the shopping, there are so many hangouts worthy of your time and restaurants worthy of your cravings. #Truestory.

In the photo shoot we did below, with the uber talented photographer and rockstar friend, Kareen of Electrafire, we captured some my fave places, while wearing some of my fave new clothes from my fave boutiques in my fave hood. You get my drift…

Below, I list all the faves 🙂

6/12

Shopping (Items featured in shoot are mentioned beside the store name below)

Body Blue / 199 Danforth Avenue / IG: @bodyblue_toronto (Floral Bomber Jacket)

Good Neighbour / 935 Queen St. East / IG: @goodnbr (Home is Toronto Tee and Camo Joggers)

Somewhere in Between / 261 Danforth Avenue / IG: @somewherenbetween

Bergstrom Originals / 781 Queen St. East / IG: @bergstromoriginals

Beast York / beastyork.com / IG: @beast_york_inc (Beast York Tee)

Fiveoseven Clothing / 496 Danforth Ave / IG: @fiveosevenclothing

Food / Hangouts

The Broadview Hotel / 106 Broadview Ave / IG: @broadviewhotel

Nomads Restobar / 699 Danforth Ave / IG: @nomadsdanforth

Mezes Restaurant / 456 Danforth Ave / IG: @mezesdanforth

Goods & Provisions / 1124 Queen St E. / http://www.goodsandprovisionsrestaurant.com

Goat Coffee Co. / 893 Pape Ave / IG: @goatcoffeeco

Zav Coffee Shop / 2048 Danforth Ave / IG: @zavcoffeeshop

Athens Bakery / 509 Danforth Ave / IG: @athenspastries

Breathtaking Views / Skyline

The Scarborough Bluffs

Riverdale Park

MY FAVE PLACE TO BE ANYTIME, ANYDAY, COLD, HOT, HAPPY, MAD ANGRY OR SAD

Woodbine Beach

The Beach almost always holds the answer 🙂

Well, we started off this post talking about going west and so now I’ll end this post about coming east and so I leave you with a fun song appropriately named East Side by Ellie. Enjoy! I would sing it for you myself but trust me, nobody wants that…

See y’all on the East Side 😉

Amalia xo

Gallery Photo Credit: @electrafire

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Toronto Diary

#babyitscoldoutside

Post author By admin
Post date December 14, 2016

Baby, it’s definitely cold outside, but that should come as no surprise seeing as we do live in the land of the true north strong and free(zing). Winter has never been my favorite season. It makes me grumpy, very grumpy – but this year I am challenging myself to get outdoors and enjoy it. If I am gonna discover all the winter wonderland activities my boyfriend has to offer, I’m gonna do it in style as opposed to looking like the Micheline man. Staying warm is key but so is looking cute, you never know who you’re gonna to run into 😉

So how do we achieve this magical combination? Scarves. The gorgeous and blanket-like enveloping you in warmth and style kinda’ scarves. Love my scarves, always have. I used to get throat infections all the time as a kid, ugh, so I grew very attached to wearing scarves which became somewhat of a security blanket. A modern day Linus Van Pelt.

Luckily, scarves have become a fashion staple so I have no reason to stop wearing them and every excuse to keep buying them. After all, old habits die hard.

Here are my current top 3:

1) The Maverick Shawl by Krista Norris – an Ottawa native, who’s scarves were actually gifted to the Obama daughters earlier this year by our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Not only am I in good company but I am supporting Canadian talent. Bonus.

2) A Clavin Klein Boucle Angled Stripe Scarf from the Hudson’s Bay Company and last but definitely not least;

3) A Houndstooth Jacquard Scarf from Zara. (confession: I am a Zara junkie)

Where to go and how to wear them?

I took all my scarves out on the town with my boyfriend in the last few weeks and I even paid a papparazzo to follow me around to show you all the looks. What can I say, I live to give.

First stop

A romantic afternoon walk or saunter through Taylor Creek Park

Nearby shopping: Gotamago (novelty boutique paying homage to my boo)

Nearby food: Maha’s (yummy Egyptian cuisine)

Photography by Electrafire

4/4

Second stop

A stylish stroll in Bloor-Yorkville

Nearby what to do: The Chihuly Exhibit – ROM (closes Jan 8, 2017)

Nearby shopping: Kit & Ace / Window shopping: The Holt Renfrew Holiday Windows

Nearby food: L’Espresso Bar Mercurio – great brunch & the best almond milk Cappuccino!

Calvin Klein Boucle Scarf

Oversized Cardigan Coat by Zara
Necklace by Stella & Dot
Photography by Electrafire

4/4

Third and last stop

Winter Market – Evergreen Brickworks

Street Food Market – Etsy Vendors – Live Music

Do it all while indulging in a hot chocolate from the Sipping Container

Fire pit – defrosting station
Evergreen Brickworks
Photography by Ana

4/4

In these bleak winter months, it’s easy to want to hide from the cold and hibernate. But on the not so dismal days, I say go forth, layer up, wear your winter whites, stack on the knits and thermal underwear (Uniqlo), finish it off with your new blanket scarf and take it outside! Try skating or hit an outdoor bonfire whilst sipping on a brandy spiked apple cider, both fun, your choice 😉

Stay warm and be cool my friends!

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Toronto Diary

#togetherforever

Post author By admin
Post date November 26, 2016

Toronto traffic in Queen Street West during night time long exposure. Toronto traffic has increased in recent years specially in the downtown area. John Tory the mayor slogan is Keep Toronto Moving.

It was exactly 14 years ago today that I made THE best decision of my life. I left my ex-boyfriend (a.k.a. Montreal) packed up my car and moved to what has been the longest standing relationship of my life; Toronto.

We met for the first time through my best friend’s brother in 1999 and we dated casually for a while; couple of dates a year, lots of daydreaming, flirting and wondering what it would be like to be together, but then on our date in late 2002 shit got real, and it went from casual to let’s move in together, so that’s what we did! Within the first two months he found me a great job, an amazing apartment and all the excitement of a new love.

Since then, there’s been many highs and lows. Like any normal relationship, you’ll hit a few bumps in the road now and then – I started to wonder if maybe I needed a break, a change to see what else was out there (this thought usually came to me after every long winter and every aggravating subway ride, oy). So, what did I do? I took on a lover, obviously, the first of 2 actually (don’t judge me!). The first lover was Firenze. A gorgeous and romantic man with incredible depth. I fell in love with the idea of him many years ago but in 2009 I moved there for a 6 month stint to meet him in the hopes of falling in love. He also promised to kickstart my fashion career and so I took a leap of faith. Oh, it was an amazing and life changing experience, but at the end of 6 months he dropped me like a hot potato. Ugh! I realized I was just another foreign lover notch in his Italian made leather belt. So, I packed my bags and moved back to the one I knew would always take me back. I offered a heartfelt apology and boom, I was back in his good books.

Toronto and I are great together and we picked up where we left off but I clearly didn’t appreciate all he had to offer. I totally took him for granted ’cause 3 years later, in 2012, I decided to leave again, this time it was for good…or so I thought.

I always felt like there was something missing between us, and on top of that, I always had a weakness for Italians. There was a magnetic pull I couldn’t deny any longer. This is where my second lover comes in. Roma was different

from Firenze. He was bolder, wiser, incredibly charming and he made my heart flutter. I decided I needed to make a drastic move to shake things up. I quit my job, sold my car, gave up my apartment AND crated up my Coco le chat and bought a one way ticket. This was it, the beginning of the future I had always dreamed of!

Boy was I wrong! After a year of trying and pleading to make things work and after many fruitless attempts, I realized Roma was never going to be what I wanted him to be. I wasn’t just his party girl, his arm candy for his exciting social life. Don’t get me wrong, it was a helluva social life; fashion shows, music festivals, dinner at the coolest restaurants, parties on the beach… I met Sylvia Venturini Fendi for god’s sake! Yes, he was the real deal. He also introduced me to some of the coolest and most incredible people who are, to date, some of my best friends. But the truth of the matter was that he couldn’t commit. I needed more, and he just couldn’t give it to me.

I made the heartbreaking decision to end it. The choice to leave was bittersweet. I didn’t want to leave what I thought would be the backdrop of my entire future, but I was missing Toronto so bad by that point that it was the obvious decision. So Coco and I packed up and came back, again, to the one and only. As happy as I was to come home, I sadly realized the Italian dream was over. Luckily, Toronto was waiting for me with open arms. What can I say, he’s a fool for me 😉

On the plane ride back I wondered if I fought hard enough. Just as that doubt was going through my head, I realized we were about to land. I looked through the window, saw the beautiful skyline and an overwhelming sense of peace came over me. That’s when I knew Toronto and I were meant to be together forever!

Toronto Diary

#obsession

Post author By admin
Post date November 21, 2016

I have always been obsessed with clothes for as long as I can remember. When I loved something, I really loved it! A real passion for fashion – pardon the cliche – but the shoe fits. One of my first obsessive fashion episodes was around the age of 7. My parents bought me a pair of Lilac suede t-strap shoes and I flipped when I saw them – but there was a catch, I couldn’t wear them out until Easter Sunday, the longest 2 weeks of my life! So I wore them around the house every chance I got to “break them in”. I was so in love with these shoes, I never wanted to take them off, not even at bedtime. My mother wasn’t having it and convinced me otherwise, a.k.a take them off now or else…so off they came 🙁

Fast forward to my latest obsession; women’s ties. Particularly those made by Mélodie Pilon, the founder and designer of Melodie Ties for Her. Coincidentally, she is an ex-Montrealer turned Torontonian like moi (she too saw the light!). A former Product Marketing Manager for Chanel, and my 6 degrees of separation to Monsieur Lagerfeld, Mélodie decided to take her love of fashion in a new direction and created this beautiful accessory.

The ties are made of Italian silk and the designs are gorgeous. I love how she took something traditionally masculine and transformed it into a sexy and feminine accessory. A look that’s right up my alley, tailored and très très chic.

How would you wear these lovely ties? Check out the pictures below. I put together a few looks for ya. Hope they inspire you!