Head on over to the new adventure

To my most wonderful readership,

I'm moving on to a new chapter of my life and with that, a new blog. I invite you all to check out Third Kultuur where I will be blogging about my life as an expat in The Netherlands.

Follow along with my adventures!

xo

All Denim All Day

Sometimes the simplest outfits are the best. My style has evolved into something quite minimalistic. Some say style isn't about comfort, but I'm with Coco: overdoing it often looks forced. I like dressing in a way that puts me at ease, especially in the Summer Months when Toronto gets sticky and humid.

I'm a big fan of the Canadian Tuxedo -- all denim everything. Denim is a staple in my wardrobe. The shirt is an oldie from Mendocino and is in a boyfriend fit, as are the jeans from The Gap. Together they make for easy, on-trend look that's still casual, and it's is elevated by simple, minimalist accessories like this white fringed bag from Marshalls, and these slingback mules also from Marshalls.





Do you have any staples in your wardrobe? Let me know in the comments below!

Casual Fridays in Athleisure

My style has gone sporty, and I love it. I may not work out, but I can at least look like I do, right? Thanks Athleisure.



I picked up these amazing leggings at the Marshalls at Dufferin Mall. That Marshalls is just not so picked over, especially compared to the one on Queen and John. My white converse are perhaps, not in mint condition, but that well-worn and well-loved look suites them, I think.



What is your take on Athleisure? Check out a throwback to my first sporting look "Ice Queen" in collaboration with The Noteworthys from December:

Housewarming To Ensue

I have got to apologize for the delay. Things have been moving so quickly on my end I can hardly keep up. Plus I've been sick for what feels like two straight weeks. Today is the first day in a month where I feel like I have a spare moment!

I just moved into a brand new place, and I absolutely adore it. It's hard being a real #grownup and paying all the bills though. This is the first time I am all alone - no roommate, no nothing! Well, except Megara. But she's staying with my folks until everything it properly settled, meow!

My favourite furry girl, Megara

I had my first Ikea run yesterday and bought actual furniture. I mayyyyy have overestimated just how much space I have, however. There is gonna be a lot of reorganizing going on over here. As I'm writing this I'm already thinking about a third option as to where to put my couch.

But it's been great. And peaceful. I've never felt more independent. Of course, I haven't actually paid the rent yet. I'll get back to you next week when I'm in the hole.

Ajay brought the dog, and then we had a family nap

A Spring Palette #OOTD

On our way to Easter Dinner

Happy Easter!

It isn’t much of a sacred holiday for me, but my family celebrates. This year, though, I really pushed for a family get together. And that one little push somehow got 18 people together!

This weekend (and the weeks leading up to it) was very busy and very tiring. I moved, yay! I have a brand spanking new apartment in a lovely little quadruplex in downtown Toronto. I almost can’t believe my luck with this place and it’s all mineeeeeee. I even got new tableware to celebrate (which I had to fight over at Target)



We moved on Good Friday (sacrilegious I’m sure). Although I have apparently earned myself the gold standard of packing, moving was an all-day affair. Hilariously, Ajay couldn’t stand two hours without internet so he decided I needed a TV and went out and bought one in 5 minutes flat. No complaints there though I do wish the internet thing would hurry up.

We said we'd cook, but we ended up ordering in from a Middle Eastern place, forgoing the traditional Chinese eats of move-in days. What we got was a lot of food. A whole lot.

Yes hi we'd like to order two of everything. 

Our Easter Dinner was the following day and I wanted to embrace the season. Spring. It’s spring. Though the weather hasn’t figured that out yet.

   
  

I bought this very classic dress from M for Mendocino a few weeks back and haven’t had the chance to properly show it off. I love the high mock neck and the sleek lines of it. Plus the modest length really makes this piece a show-stopped. I find I’m really going for the more classic cuts and lengths now adays. There’s something so satisfying about dressing up like a lady… especially when one isn’t a lady.

The leather jacket by Vera Moda, also an M for Mendocino find creates a contrasting edge to the dress, bringing a more casual element in to the mix. The Nehru collar is a bit of a throw back and compliments the clean lines of the dress.

Finally a touch of gold jewelry with bangles by Banana Republic and Ann Taylor and periwinkle mules bring the outfit together. The shoes play off the colour of the dress, a lighter and more royal colour than the blue stripes but within the same family (cousins, maybe).

Of course we had to have two seasons this weekend. The beautiful double digit weather was such a tease since the next day brought a nice white layer of snow. A girl can only dream for permanent sandal weather.

And as a sneak peek, here is how my apartment is coming along:

Dutch Houses for my nieuwe huis!

The Best Place for a Manicure in Toronto - Her Majesty's Pleasure

When my friend Aggie arranged for manicures at Her Majesty's Pleasure I was more than thrilled. It's not often that I pamper myself, but I should really make it a habit. Her Majesty's Pleasure has, by far, the best manicure in Toronto.

She gave our boyfriends the hard sell, explaining that there was a separate and extensive bar where they could catch up while we indulged. And there was a beautiful bar with great bartenders, but the view of all the girly things HMP held for Aggie and I was not persuasive for them. Needless to say, they ditched us to go to the nearest scotch bar. Their loss, I say!

My girlfriend, Sarah, of The Coffee Filter, convinced me I needed this bright blue Jelly bear purse pictured here with the bar selection at Her Majesty's Pleasure

The place is absolutely beautiful and pristine. It's like out of fashion heaven I swear to the gods above. Every detail is perfect with polished marble countertops, pictures and paintings of great Queens lining the walls and floor to ceiling windows overlooking King St. West. Aggie and I both just had a speedy mani, but HMP has a full suite of salon services worth considering 

The most beautiful polish selection at Her Majesty's Pleasure

If you haven't been keeping up with Britton Diaries, Periwinkle is my newest obsession. This colour just perfectly encapsulates spring for me, and I sprung to have a periwinkle manicure.

My manicure colour on the far left, "Boxer Shorts"

Aggie and I got to chatting over a pair of Pear Amaretto cocktails which went down far too quickly. Our boyfriends are best friends and so we can relate pretty perfectly with whatever relationship drama, ups and downs and funny anecdotes brought to the table. Talking with her was just so.. refreshing. I'm not sure if it's a Latin thing, but Aggie is such a great listener - when you speak to her, it's like she's really invested in what you have to say.

But best of all were the manicurists. Yes, they did an absolutely stellar job taking their time and correcting any blemishes, but they too were just such great conversation. It's kind of a silly, but whenever I get a manicure I think of Legally Blonde. You know, when Elle stumbles upon Paulette's salon and it's like a therapy and manicures session in one? Well I always want that and never find it, but the girls of Her Majesty's Pleasure are so warm and charming. It really makes the whole experience.



My manicure lasted about a week. I'm always sad when it starts to chip, but isn't that just a perfect excuse to go back to get the best manicure in Toronto?

Trend Report - Periwinkle, the Colour of S/S 15

I love how my M for Mendocino Stylist prepped my fitting room

I started my Spring shopping yesterday. I know we'll probably have at least another month of snow but I figure that if I shop for Spring, it'll come faster, right? I had a great time looking through the new arrivals at my local M for Mendocino and picked up a few key items including a mock-neck nautical dress and a great Vera Moda jacket. But what I really need to add to my wardrobe is periwinkle. My color for Spring/Summer '15 will be periwinkle. It's light, refreshing and flirty. And unfortunately I don't have anything of that colour in my wardrobe.

I canvassed Toronto's stores for the best picks in periwinkle and I have them here to share with you!

Manhattan lace bodycon dress from French Connection Canada, $158

Flight of fancy cotton skirt from French Connection Canada, $98

COPE Silky Circle Mini Skirt from Urban Outfitters, $69, Color Round Sunglasses from Urban Outfitters, $18

Floral scuba tank top from Smart Set, $29.90

Wide sweatshirt from H&M, $19.95

Piqué Bodycon Dress from Forever 21 Canada, $15.90

Be sure to check out the full suite of picks for SS 2015 all available in Toronto on Pinterest
What's your color of the season?

Living Winter to the Fullest at Blue Mountain

Becoming a #winterwarrior at Blue Mountain

If there is one thing Torontonians are good at doing it's commenting (and often complaining) about the weather. Ironically it seems like we've been pretty lucky snow-wise until Groundhog Day when Mother Nature decided to bless us with 6 more weeks of winter and a good few feet of the fluffy white stuff. But bemoaning winter is not going to make it go away and so I've decided the only way to get through it is to embrace it and become a #winterwarrior.

For a while now there have been plans laid to go to Blue Mountain in Collingwood. It's not such an awful drive up - you can probably make it there in under two hours from Toronto if the conditions/traffic aren't killer. I carpooled with Ajay and our friend Aaron to meet our giant group of 16 up at our chalet for the weekend. I'd like to think that I performed my duties as car DJ admirably. Especially since I got the guys to twerk (no really).

Tim Hortons coffee is such a typical Canadian road trip companion

Since we arrived way before check in time we quickly changed into our gear in the car. I don't really come from a winter sporting kind of family so, being completely gearless I head on over to rentals. It never ceases to amaze me how cordial people just outside of Toronto are (not that we Torontonians are terrible people but I guess city life does have its stresses). Indecisive as always I had to be coached through what I ought to get. There's a lot to do at Blue, from skating to snowboarding. I don't have much to compare it with price-wise but if you buy on the spot heading up the mountain will run you about $100 a day (inlcuding rentals).

The (easy) slopes at Blue Mountain

Let me start off by saying, full disclosure, I am a complete newb when it comes to skiing. But I really feel as though I took to it like a fish to water. I've tried snowboarding a handful of times and have never been really won over but skiing just felt natural! I've been having dreams of parelleling ever since and I just can't wait to head back.


After getting my butt kicked we headed to our chalet to unwind. With such a big group and with everyone at different levels of skill the chalet was really the only touchstone for socializing. And most of that took place in the hot tub! That first night somehow nearly all of us managed to fit inside and enjoy the hot water and cool breeze. Then someone had the brilliant idea of making snow angels. We Canadians are naturally fearless when it comes to the freezing cold... Or so we like to think. I'm sure we all looked ridiculous running in our skivvies through the frozen terrain and making quick little snow angels before dashing back into the warm water.

Our Chalet at Collingwood

Ajay and I adventured out on our own one afternoon and rented snowshoes. It was a hard treck through the snow but bundled up we hardly felt the chill. We ventured off the beaten path - the 1.5km and 4km trails that we were prompted to take just took us around the golf course and were not the experience I was after. I wanted to see the Great Outdoors and so we dipped into the tree line when, exhausted, we lay down and looked at the canopy.

Ajay looks very Walter Mitty here

My Sorel Caribous came in handy as we went snowshoeing

One of the real big wins of Blue Mountain is the village. Walking through Blue Mountain Village the mix of German and Victorian architecture makes you feel like you've been transported to Austria. Though relatively small there is so much to do there and I don't think I got to experience it all properly. One of the places I really wish I'd had a chance to peek into is Georgian Christmas.

Beautiful horses carting skiiers and snowboarders from slopes to resorts at Blue Mountain

Ajay and I had a great night out in the village with some of this friends from work who happened to also be up for the weekend. We met them at Twist Martini & Wine Lounge where the crowd was a mix of Après-ski and dressed-to-the-nines. Great music, great drinks and full of people in the party spirit Twist proved to be the best decision we'd made all weekend.



We had a bit of a Home Alone moment the next morning when we woke up 15 minutes before check out. All 16 of us rushed to get everything together and packed. But somehow we made it out in time and back to the city.

I wish I could make Blue Mountain a regular stop during the winter months. It's the perfect weekend away. What keeps you busy during the long winter months? Let me know in the comments!

Retiring a Cooler Closet

Canadian winter is really the bane of fashion, isn't it? I feel for our neighbors in the south who are getting a taste of the Great White North. When the snow begins to pile up I sadly have to pack up my cute and trendy boots and opt for my very chic Sorels. But I don't really mind these big monsters - even when I had to show up to an interview in them! If you can sit back and really take it in a Canadian winter is a beautiful thing and I'm not going to pretend it isn't here by wearing my skyhigh stilettos.

Check out Sorel's newest video series SORELstyle by Jenn Rogien:

Time to retire these babies by Ralph Lauren Denim & Supply

Busting out my Sorel Caribous! Purchase your own here.

Work With Britton Diaries

How can you best reach your audience? People do business with people, and word of mouth marketing provides a human touch to any campaign. In fact, 80% of people are more likely to try a product based on a recommendation from a trusted source (via Social HP). Brand ambassadors are a trusted + cost efficient way of growing your brand!

Britton Diaries is seeking new partners in Toronto's fashion and lifestyle sectors. Think we'd be a good match? Email me! Brittondiaries@gmail.com

Embracing the Season with iYellow's 2015 Icewine Tour

The lovely folks at the iYellow Wine Club were kind enough to extend to me an invitation for their 2015 Icewine Tour. I was introduced to iYellow by their wine blogger and icewine man Tran Bronstein who I met rather serendipitously.

The iYellow Wine Club, founded by Angela Aiello (ha, get it?) has a mission to tear away the stuffy facade of wine culture and foster a community of young and eager to learn vinophiles. iYellow is about making wine education accessible to a new generation. Wine with iYellow is social and fun. The iYellow Wine Club is a place where you can taste wines from all over the world, learn about the wines you love and meet other wine lovers! The wine club plans regular events, tours and wine school classes for you to attend a la carte. Last weekend iYellow took me and a friend under their wing and gave us an education in wine that we are sure not to forget.

Check out my last tour with iYellow here

Did you know that Canada is the biggest icewine maker in the world? But you'd be wrong to think we were the first. Whether you believe it was first created by the Germans in the 1800's, or the ancient Romans in the Valle Di Dusa icewine has a long history. However, it isn't the first known fermented beverage in the world. That title belongs to mead.

Overlooking Rosewood Estates. Coat by Calvin Klein, sweater by Vera Moda, dress by Forever 21, necklace by J.Crew. 

Hellen strikes a pose! 

Rosewood Estates Winery is Niagara's first winery-meadery. The winery, founded by Eugene & Renata Roman in 2000, begun out of a passion and respect for locally produced wines. Rosewood vineyards are sustainably farmed and together the team has over 75 years of beekeeping experience.



At Rosewood we played a little game called "guess the mead". Mead is created from fermented honey, yeast and water. It was used in sacramental ceremonies and given to newlyweds by the Celts as a sign of good luck. The couple was meant to keep the gifted bottle of mead for a lunar month (remember, this way predates the Gregorian calendar) before they could taste its sweetness. Our term "Honeymoon" dates back to this practice.

We tasted three wines, two strikingly different rieslings and an unmistakable mead with flowery undertones which was surprisingly refreshing (I guess I expected it to be a little more syrupy). Mead, I was informed, can be anywhere from very dry to very sweet, and you can create what's called a pyment if you ferment your mead with grapes.

Tran Bronstein of iYellow Wine Club and L.K. Britton at Rosewood Estates Winery

Rosewood is a stop you have to make in Niagara. It's a one-of-a-kind experience and they winery takes you on a trip back in time with their old-school practices.

Our next stop took us to Pillitteri Estates Winery. Pillitteri is unique in that the vineyard is family owned but with the means to take the adventurous route with their wines. It seems that Gary Pillitteri has a strong moral obligation to being told he can't do something. It's a challenge - say it can't be done and he will do it.

As Niagara wines began to kick off Pillitteri planted his first vineyard - an offshoot of an already bustling fruit farm. in 1988 he decided to experiment by making a batch of Vidal icewine. His family pushed him to sell his product but it wasn't until his kids stole a bottle and entered it into a wine competition where it won the gold medal that the idea to open a winery solidified for Pillitteri.

Award winning 1988 Vidal Icewine

We toured their cellar and were given an insight into the Pillitteri's lucky number 23. 23 stairs led down to the cellar, 23 settings at the long harvest table and 23 industrial-looking chairs hung from the walls made from the same steel as their wine barrels.  We tasted a delicious flight of icewines. From light and lemony to full and spicy. My favourite by far was their 2007 Sticky Beek, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz and Sangiovese. I had to pull myself away from buying the last bottle!



We had lunch in the beautiful cellar of Inniskillin, the grandfather of Niagara vineyards. Their cellar is dimly lit and atmospheric with a hint of Winterfell. They are pioneers in the wine industry. Inniskillin was the first winery to make icewine from Niagara grapes and there is nothing quite like their Cabernet Franc 2008 Icewine, though they are perhaps best known for their Vidal series.




As can be expected, iYellow had one more surprise up their sleeve, but rather than continue our education in icewine we got a first rate degree in beer! We rolled up to Oast House Brewers, a brand new brewery in Niagara and their drafts were a welcome departure from our sweet treats. After indulging in a couple tasty beers from their Farmhouse Ale Collection we took to the ping pong table and had a doubles match! A great ending to a really lovely trip.

Oast House Brewers Farmhouse Ale Collection

With Valentines around the corner iYellow is hosting a special V-day wine tasting. If you're still undecided about what to do I highly recommend you check out iYellow's I Love South Africa tasting Saturday the 14th where you can enjoy 15+ South African wines. Plus there's a chance to win a trip for two to South Africa! Tickets are limited so grab them while you can.

xo L.K.