Pix-Elated

Most of my Banff dressing was super casual. But I did have several big "occasions."

For our opening reception, I did indeed wear the boyfriend jeans, black jacket, sequin top that I had modelled for you before leaving. I know that combo was not to everyone's taste for an opening arts event, but honestly, it was the PERFECT outfit. The "reception" was really a reading followed by drinks in the lounge. So the outfit really worked and I actually wore the exact same thing a couple of times to similar evening dos. Here's the link:
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....o-cocolion

My "surprise" event was the midsummer ball! A friend of mine came up from Calgary for this fundraiser event and a friend of hers got me a seat. The trouble? What to wear? Although I had brought my simple black jersey dress and had a few items to dress it up a bit, I didn't have super formal accessories.

Friends to the rescue! My friend loaned me (and in the end, generously GAVE me) some lovely black suede wedges with pale neutral criss-cross tops. Her friend loaned me a gorgeous Debbie Suchat jacket (oh, how I wanted to keep that jacket!) some gold-toned pearls, and a dinner ring. My clutch was silver (only one I had with me) but the textures worked, and I told myself I was good to go. Sorry for the iphone pics - only ones I could get.

For my own public reading, I went out and splurged on this fun cut-out shoulder, asymmetrical hemmed top and midi skirt. You can't really see details in the pic, unfortunately, but I'm sure I'll show you the outfit again later this fall; I figured it would be excellent for the WritersFest events I'm involved in and will carry me into fall.

Hey, all - I missed you!

My trip was fun and productive, and I enjoyed some amazing hiking in the mountains. But most of the time I worked, and it was important to have a wardrobe that allowed me to be comfortable and casual without being unprofessional. YLF to the rescue! With your advice, I nailed it.

THANK YOU to all who helped me plan my trip capsule. I ended up wearing almost everything at least once, and the apart from my denim skirt the only things I didn't wear were the cold-weather items we were instructed to bring in case of cooler temperatures. It turned out to be quite hot, so I was grateful for my extra bag of Niagara style summer clothes -- the sleeveless tops and dresses. My wool sweater, my fleece, my down vest all sat in my closet unused. However, you can never tell about the weather and it was good to be prepared.

I'm not sure why I didn't wear the denim skirt; I had thought it would be really useful. But it turned out I was more comfortable in shorts. I worked quite often curled up on the couch in my cabin, so maybe that explains it. A narrow skirt, even one with stretch, doesn't accommodate that kind of sitting.

Trip workhorses included: my black wool jacket - thank you, CocoLion!! Wore this to several evening events and it definitely finished my look. Also, being crepe, this jacket doesn't wrinkle, so it looked great straight out of the suitcase.

Jeans -- I brought 3 styles and wore all 3: distressed boyfriends (thanks, again, Denise!). Skinnies (wore them all the time rolled up as crops/clams). Straight legs.

Denim bermudas: my everyday shorts. Wore them TONS.

Bright cotton full skirt, the one I bought on consignment: my semi-dressup look. That skirt gets compliments everywhere I go.

My striped French sailor sweater: Wore with EVERYTHING.

Casual wedge sandals.

I also BOUGHT a couple of things: a new pair of cross-trainers for hiking and a new outfit (which I will post separately).

In the meantime, a few pics!