Written by Sasha


Hi Sasha,
Okay, so my friends and I are all over the upcoming Royal wedding and gossip that comes along with it. We are thinking about planning a British-style party for watching the wedding, you know, crumpets and tea, that kind of thing. I am really wanting to buy myself a hat like they wear for weddings in the U.K. but I can't find any here in Canada. Do you have any ideas for where to shop? I don't want to go too high end as it's just for fun, but I don't want it to be a glue gun craft project either. Thanks for your help!Ang

So I guess I’m the only one who doesn’t really care about the royal wedding, right? I mean, unless we uncover some secret gay scandal about William, I’m kind of not interested. See what this industry has done to me? I’m a jaded cow. But Ang, I’m always up for a party and I love that you’re going all out with it! (Lainey: Sasha doesn’t care about the royal wedding but she watches The Bachelor. So there’s that.)

Now, is it just me or are more women working the fascinator? It seems like every wedding I go to there some cool chick rocking one. If I tried it, I’d look like someone took a dump on my head but if you’ve got the right look and attitude, it really does look pretty great. I know this is just for fun times with your ladies but if you’re going to spend money on it anyway, I say you should at least buy something you might possibly wear again. Click here and here and here and here and here and oh and this one for some fun fascinators I found.

Now if you really want to go all out and channel inbred royalty at their best, check out this hat on eBay and this mini hat on etsy. I also found that searching "Kentucky Derby hats" on etsy brought up some seriously funny but rad-looking hats so check here, here,here, here and finally here for some perfect par-tay options.

Also Ang, if I were you I’d definitely hit up some vintage stores. In Toronto I’ve seen some amazing hats at Gadabout in Leslieville and Cabaret on Queen West. So heel-toe it around your hood and you’ll totally scope out some good finds.

And if you want to peep a few Canadian hat makers for some inspiration check out the links below. Have a great time at your party.
http://www.beauchapeau.com/
http://www.kcshats.com/
www.lilliputhats.com

PS. if you do a party when that little ginge brother gets married, then send on an invite –I’ll throw down in his honor, he’s the fun one!


I'm a mom of 2 kids, a boy and a girl. For years now I've been on the hunt for a cute necklace that symbolizes them to me but doesn't scream out typical "Mommy" necklace. No baby booties or anything obvious like that. I used to wear 2 silver discs that I had engraved with their names but all of a sudden those became really trendy in my nabe since they are all over websites like ETSY and Red Envelope. So now I don't really want to wear them anymore. I'd really love to find something that is not too estate jewelry looking that is made out of pearl and amethyst since that is their birthstones, but I haven't found much out there. Can you help??? Thanks! Cathy
Cathy you’re right, this is a toughie because while amethysts and pearls are beautiful on their own, they're not super amazing together in a piece of jewellery. Usually, you either get something seriously tack-city or supremely over the top. I’ve strayed a little bit from what you want, hope you don’t mind….

So this is my first pick and my favourite out of the bunch. This necklace is so damn cute - I want one for myself. It’s a calendar necklace that honours the birthday of your kiddies (well it doesn’t have to but it will still work). Although it might not have the actual birthstones you’re looking for, I think the sentiment is still there. Now, if they were born in different months then you can get two calendar pendants and stack them on to the one chain or buy two separate necklaces and have them overlap.

A close second are necklaces from Gara Danielle. They have a very cool vintage vibe to them and although you’d have to buy two of them, I think they’d look great with whatever you’re wearing. They have this option as well as this option to celebrate the month your child was born as well as with the corresponding stone.

In keeping with the birthstone trend I’m digging this necklace on etsy. You can pick whatever birthstone you want with the first initial of your child’s name. Really delicate and simple looking, not to mention affordable.

And lastly this is bit cutesy for my liking but if you lean towards ‘pretty’ things this necklace might just be a winner. The flower petals are made of amethyst and in the middle, little pearl buds. Actually, I take my cutesy comment back; it’s actually quite lovely.

So there you have it Cathy! Hope one of these options has hit the jackpot mamma! xx

Hi Sasha, I am seeking some fashion advice for a not so glamorous issue I'm having. I'm 24 years old and I've started to get a lot of very visible varicose veins on my legs the last few months. I've been told by my doctor that they will only continue to worsen (and it seems very quickly too). Since they've gotten worse, I've started to get really self-conscious about baring my legs. This hasn't been such a problem the last few months since I've been dressing for winter weather - but I'm starting to get a little worried about what my wardrobe is going to look like once the weather gets warmer. While I have no problem wearing pants in the summer, I really don't want that to be my only clothing option. I love wearing dresses and skirts but I also have to wear really hideous compression stockings that go up to my knees most of the time. So...I'm wondering what you think about boots in the summer months? I would describe my personal style as classic & simple (so I'm not sure I could rock cowboy boots) - but I'm also a librarian, so any suggestions you have for some cute/stylish outfits that won't make me look like a dowdy old lady is much appreciated (even if you think 'summer boots' are a terrible idea)! Signed, Covered Up.

Covered Up – I’m not going to pretend this varicose situation of yours is amazing, but fu-k shorts, they suck anyway. Even in the midst of a heat wave I’ll still wear jeans, so it’s you and me girl…

But having said that, good ventilation is necessary and as you may know by now, I’m a fan of the maxi and caftan dress. So if I were you I’d stock up on a bunch of them and rotate those suckers through the warmer months. They’re really great for any occasion and are perfect for work with a cardigan tossed over. Also invest in some long skirts – a cute dark denim or a fun color cotton one will look great if you tuck in a printed blouse or a even a plain scoop necked t-shirt. And if you’re looking for inspiration I’m in love with these two Michael Kors looks - neither of them show any bare leg, but both are super easy breezy. Click here and here.

Now listen, I’ve gotta say I don’t really the dig the combo of boots and bare leg in the summer. Sometimes it can be pulled off if you’re working a really cute short floral dress but seeing as you mentioned you’re not down with the whole cowboy thing then this might not cut it. But you’re 24 and young enough to pull anything off really, so before you axe the idea completely, give it a try. If you are set on wearing boots then I’d go with a calf height boot instead. I know it won’t totally cover up the compression stockings but they’ll still provide a bit of a distraction. There is this brand called Pom D'Api that are (yes) kids shoes, but they make sizes for grownups as well (start looking through the catalogue at around page 17). They’re similar to a Frye boot but more feminine. Also, check out these utilitarian style boots here and here.

So Covered Up – does this help? As with anything new in life there’s always an adjustment period, but I hope that by the time summer rolls around you’ll just end up wearing whatever makes you feel the most comfortable. So hell, if you want to leave me solo on the ‘f-ck shorts’ train then more power to you.