Madewell Archives - House of Illusions

March 8, 2017April 18, 2018

The Cutest Nude Clutch I Ever Did See

cardigan with minidress and nude clutch

cardigan with minidress and nude clutch Dress, Doe & Rae. Cardigan, Madewell c/o Nordstrom. Shoes, Zara. Clutch c/o Poppy & Peonies. Ring, Samantha Wills.

Our weather has been so up and down lately. One minute we’re in double-digit Springlike temperature and the next day it’s snowing. While it does make outfit planning a little challenging, one thing I can rely on is my Madewell cardigan keeping me warm. I picked this one up from the Nordstrom x Style Democracy sale a while back and it’s quickly become my go-to staple. I’ve combined chunky cardigans with delicate fabrics before and am really enjoying the effect of the cardigan paired with a dainty dress. I’m always such a sucker for mixing different textures, especially ones that contrast each other.

Now technically I could have worn this look with OTK boots but was going for a Spring vibe hence the white flats. And speaking of Spring, now we must talk about this nude clutch. This googly-eyed cutie stole my heart the minute I laid eyes on it during the Poppy & Peonies SS17 preview. It’s simple and so fun – and that tassle detail!! (Which is also removable in case you’re not a fan).

That’s actually one of the things I was impressed about when learning about the Poppy & Peonies line during the preview; all of the bags are so versatile! The line comes in a variety of the cutest pastel colours and offer many styling options. Such as interchangeable straps, front flaps and fringes. Poppy & Peonies bags are made to help you with life. Think having a cooler section at the bottom of your bag for your lunch – oh yes it’s true! There were many other gorgeous bags in the line as well, with this clutch lineup being available in a lovely range of pastels. Having said that, this nude clutch really stood out though…maybe it’s because it was looking at me the whole time ;o)

January 30, 2017April 12, 2018

Making Winter Cuter with Pom Beanies

cardigan with free people tunic and pom beanie

cardigan with free people tunic and pom beanie Pom beanie, Free People. Cardigan (Madewell) c/o Nordstrom. Dress c/o Free People. Boots, Aldo. Ring, Samantha Wills. Choker, bebe.

Winter is not a fashion show. Words that haunted me growing up and wisdom that I chose to ignore much to my dear mother’s dismay. But tell that to a girl who lives and breathes Vogue magazines, worships Jeanne Beker and watches Fashion Television religiously. Like every time it aired on City TV. (Prior to the emergence of the Fashion Television Channel for all my non millennial readers). Dressing cute and fashionable always seemed like a better trade-off than staying warm and I must admit I’ve endured my fair share of ass-freezings over the years in an attempt to do so.

Luckily with age comes wisdom and I’ve accepted that winter can be a fashion show – when done properly. Which leads me to talk about winter hats. Not really something that I’ve been into, but my boyfriend’s nagging over the years finally convinced me to start wearing them. So over the last two years as I’ve attempted to embrace winter hats I’ve actually become addicted to them. Not sure why I was so against them, as I used to rock baseball hats all the time back in the day. But maybe it was because they just weren’t as cute as they are now.

Enter the pom beanie, or even this beret style pom pom hat from Free People – over the top cuteness meant to keep one warm. For this reason (and of course because of our frigid winters), I’m expanding my collection one pom beanie at a time. With that being said, winter fashion doesn’t have to be dull or boring. Simply making weather appropriate choices while staying on trend is a great way to turn winter into a fashion show.

November 24, 2016April 12, 2018

The Nordstrom Warehouse Sale

How to shop a warehouse sale - Nordstrom warehouse sale

Cardigan (Madewell), Dress (Free People), Skirt (Halogen), Scarf (rag & bone), Bag (Steven), Boots (BP) c/o Nordstrom.
Ring, Samantha Wills.

‘Tis the season for warehouse sales to start popping up. I’ve always been a bit intrigued whether or not the sales they boast are legit. Well this year I got to see what these warehouse sales are all about first hand after being invited to attend a VIP shopping night for the Nordstrom warehouse sale. And I must say I was impressed.

If you follow me on Insta you would have seen some of the endless shoe tables, racks with flowly floral prints and other designer goodness that spread the sales floor on my IG stories. With so many different pieces to choose from, I decided to focus on creating just one fall/winter outfit.

I started the look off with a chunky knit Madewell cardigan and Free People tunic/dress. I realize that a no-brainer with those two pieces would have been leggings as bottoms. But I wanted to do something different. While walking around looking for tights I came across this Halogen knit maxi skirt. Right away I knew it was perfect for my look. In addition, it would serve well as a staple in my closet for the rest of this Fall/Winter season. I feel I should also mention that I found a light grey biker jacket. Although it didn’t make this post it will be a great substitute for the cardigan in this look on a colder day.

Happy with these items I headed towards the checkout. Being a total newbie to the warehouse sales I was content with the handwritten prices overtop the crossed out printed ticket prices. Only to find out that there was categorized pricing which overrode all the handwritten prices when I got to the checkout! Wait a minute…you mean to tell me that the $420 retail rag & bone scarf I’m holding, that has $56 handwritten on it, is really $15? Seriously? Someone pinch me, I must be dreaming. But no, I wasn’t dreaming. I was standing in the middle of the Nordstrom warehouse sale and just when I thought things couldn’t get any better they did. This applied to all my merchandise which suddenly extended my budget allowing me to complete the look with boots and a bag.

So to recap…there is a massive selection of garments. Not just women’s but men’s and kid’s too, with sales ranging from 80% upwards to 95% off retail prices.

And if this is your first time, I’ve put together a few tips to help you along the way.

Tips for Shopping a Warehouse Sale

?Get there early. Not only will you avoid those long line ups, but chances are you’ll get first dibs on some real goodies.

? If you see something you like, grab it. Even if you’re not sure you want it. Because chances are, if you leave it, it will be gone by the time you come back for it.

? Be mindful of your space and stay focused. By that I mean you want to avoid the Sex and the City fight over a pair of boots scene. So keep your eye on the target and be aware of people that may get in front of you to snatch what you’re going for…because sadly, these things can happen in real life.

? Wear comfortable shoes. You could potentially end up doing a lot of running up and down the sale floor and be prepared to stay for a while as you will have to go through every rack to find those hidden gems.

? If you don’t see something in your size, don’t get discouraged. The size you want may be sitting in a different area/rack marked a different size. So do a quick skim through other sized racks before giving up.

? And yes, the rumours about the fitting rooms are true – there are no fitting rooms. It’s just one big room with mirrors throughout, separate areas for women’s and men’s. No privacy here, but hey I’m not complaining as I’m slipping into a $30 Free People dress that retails for $180.

? And most important of all – have fun!

So if you are in the Toronto or GTA/Mississauga area, I urge you to check out the Nordstrom warehouse sale. Even if you’re not looking for anything for yourself, this would be a great place to pick up gifts for the holidays.

The Nordstrom warehouse sale through Style Democracy is on now and runs until Nov 27th at the International Centre.

Let me know what you buy if you end up going! xo

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