Aeryn Lynne’s Blog
William Rast and Other Exciting News for Fall 2013 at Addition Elle
Very recently I got a chance to check out what we’ll be looking forward to for Fall 2013 at Addition Elle. I gotta tell you, I can’t wait for fall! I know. Summer hasn’t even stepped at our front door yet, and I’m already looking forward to orange leaves in the trees.
But I’m also looking forward to these….
Look how epically wide-calf these boots are! And they’re not black, which is awesome, ’cause that was the only colour choice we were given last year through Addition Elle.
What I’m really excited about is the fact that the William Rast designer label (named after co-founder Justin Timberlake’s grandfather,) is going plus size!! Booyah! I really admire the style behind this label, as its a little bit country and a little bit rock n’ roll, which is my life. I’ll finally, well and truly, be able to show off a little bit of “me” through the clothes I wear.
For instance, this baby? It will so be mine!
I have so much love for every single stitch in this jacket, I just cannot wait to have it. Imaging pairing this dream up with either a pair of William Rast jeans, or even another label, like: Suko, Silver, Foxy Jeans, DKNY, or even Levi’s or Buffalo is no longer a distant, years-in-the-future dream. It’s only months away. Canadian plus size/curvy fashionistas, we can rejoice in designer label choice! 
And how about this cute shirt, also from the William Rast label? The way the fabric on this shirt flows will make this one of my comfy go-to’s.
Also the print is kinda edgy with the who skull made of flowers thing, so it will a nice change from pastels, animal prints and nautical wear of Spring/Summer 2013.
Another style to look forward to is fabric blocking/fusion. You can see the skirt in the background of the above picture having a cotton/faux leather block which is all kinds of awesome. And I have to say, this shirt is just perfect.
This mix of fabrics will be huge come fall, and Addition Elle is ready to give us the trends we want!
If you haven’t figured out I am SO excited over this! But if you haven’t seen enough yet, here are some more samples to look forward to!
Have you been following fall fashion trends? What are you looking forward to the most?
The Roaring Twenties, Gatsby Inspired Fashion for Sunglasses
You know, I have to admit, as much as I’m looking forward to watching The Great Gatsby in theatre, I am even more interested in the 1920s-inspired fashion that will come from it. I’ve seen a bit of celebrity fashion that has well and truly brought the 1920′s back; the most recent being Chris Pine on CONAN. You’d think I’d be able to find a pic, right? Maybe I’ll find it again on Rogers on Demand, ’cause he had a serious suit on.
I love Chris Pine.
ANYWAY, so there are some fabulously inspired dresses and head gear, and shoes, OH THE SHOES! If Gatsby fashion really kick-offs, prepping my closet is going to be extra fun this season. Have you seen any roaring twenties vintage shoes lately? TheHubs is in so much trouble in that area alone. I might need a new closet if I pick up all the vintage-y shoes that I’ve found and love recently!
(image by thegreatgatsby.warnerbros.com)
One thing you don’t get to see too much of though is sunglasses. In fact, my best source of inspiration was actually from Leonard Di Caprio’s two pairs of sunglasses in the movie. Yeah, that’s about it (without actually seeing the movie yet.) But with sunny days ahead, I am going to need some fabulous shades to go with shiny vintage looks that I now want to pull together.
It seems like the one key ingredient to 1920′s vintage looking sunglasses is the roundness factor. So I went to the Smart Buy Glasses website and went searching for Round. One thing I love about this site: you can be really specific for what you’re looking for (shape, colour, tint, material, price) among their 150+ designer labels, like Prada, Bvlgari, Gucci, etc.
So here’s my list for some great eye-wear to complement your flapper dress (or something more modern if you wish):
- Quite possibly the pair that I covet most, Tom Ford’s Carrie sunglasses in Grey Brown Horn, and Brown tinted shades. *so much love* It has a beautifully rounded frame, with quite a bit of dramatic flare for any occasion.
- Roberto Cavalli’s Zinnia has a nice modern twist for a round-ish frame. What I like most is that while its almost over-the-top as what you’d find in 20′s era fashion, it has a sophistication about it too.
- Lacoste L112S 714′s again have that sophisticated pre-Hepburn vintage look about them.
- Jimmy Choo Mindy sunglasses are a fabulous pair that can go with any outfit, day or night.
- Miu Miu MU13NS are very close to a pair that DiCaprio wears if I remember correctly.
Do you have a favourite pair that totally speaks to the roaring twenties fashionista in you?? I would love to see your choices!
And guess what?!
Thanks to SmartBuyGlasses.ca, you have a chance to win a $150 gift card that is good towards any purchase you want on their site!! There are a TON of fabulous, designer sunglasses to choose from at up to 40% off, and all of which include free shipping and a $25 lens kit! WOOT!
I mentioned above one reason why I love this site, well here’s another: Their Buy One, Give One program. When you purchase a pair of glasses from their site, someone in need gets a pair too! SmartBuyGlasses.ca works with carefully selected charities to ensure the people who need glasses the most will get them. From their site: “In the villages, the local ophthalmic nurses and optometrists examine, diagnose, and provide quality treatment to patients. After the diagnosis, each patient is given a donated pair of personalized prescription frames. The final fitting is performed and we are one step closer to eliminating impaired vision.” So far SmartBuyGlasses.ca have donated $1,000,000 worth of glasses and I for one would love to help them give more!
Good luck!
Celebrate Mom with Cold Stone Creamery
Have you got everything prepared yet for Mother’s Day this Sunday, May 12th? Your Prepare for Mother’s Day checklist may include reservations made for a brunch, a bottle of her favourite perfume, and/or a lovely bouquet of flowers (or a bouquet of flours, if she LOVES to bake perhaps?), but have you figured out what that finishing touch is? The pièce de résistance? That grande finale to make your mother’s day particularly special this year?
To quote a Queen, Let them eat cake!
Seriously, what’s a celebration that doesn’t end with a sweetly layered treat that can be enjoyed by all?
If you’ve never been to a Cold Stone Creamery, you’re missing out! I’m lucky to have one just steps away from my front door, so every celebration ends with a plate of ice cream cake. Birthdays, Anniversaries, Laundry Day, it’s all a great reason to clink forks and dig into a big cold bite!
One of the best reasons to purchase your custom cake at Cold Stone Creamery is the turnaround time, which is usually 24 hours (based on demand.) And they don’t just customize a cake to add a name to a white slab, check out this Twitter Cake! (So much WANT!)
You can check out Cold Stone Creamery Toronto’s Facebook page for a slew of fabulous cakes, treats and generally fun pictures of the Avenue road location! (This page is specifically for the location found at 2005 Avenue Road, Toronto ON.)
A yummy frozen treat available for Mom! Order your cake by calling 647 330-TIMS
6 inch cake is $23.99
8 inch cake is $33.99
Want some exciting news? Thanks to the Cold Stone Creamery located at the 2005 Avenue Road location, we’re gonna have a flash giveaway here on Geek with Style! Prize is available at this location only. You’ve got 24 hours (until May 9th, 8AM EST) to enter the giveaway below for your chance to win you (or perhaps your MOM) a fabulous 6 inch cake from Cold Stone Creamery Toronto (specifically located at 2005 Avenue Road.)
Comment below with your entries (1 comment per entry PLEASE, and be sure to include your email address) for your chance to win NOW! Wishing all you mommies out there a wonderful, amazing day on May 12th, and as Marie Antoinette would perhaps say, “Bonne chance!”
Earn a chance to win by completing (any or all of the following):
Answer this question: What flavours would make the BEST ice cream cake for you? Select your flavour(s) and mix-in(s) here and cook up something awesome!Follow Cold Stone Creamery Toronto on TwitterFollow Geek with Style on TwitterFollow Cold Stone Creamery Toronto on FacebookFollow Geek with Style on FacebookFollow Aeryn Lynne on PinterestJoin Geek with Style’s NewsletterTweet: Tweet
Comment on any other blog post here on Geek with StyleShare this contest with your friends (Have them post an entry stating “YourUsername sent me”.
We have a winner! Congratulations go to Christella M! Hope you’ll enjoy this sweet frozen treat! 
Cold Stone Creamery Toronto – 2005 Avenue Road
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My First WordPress Plugin Found In the Directory
It’s not my very first WordPress plugin ever made (I’ve made four or five others over the past year,) but I’ve finally reached my goal for adding my first (and hopefully useful) plugin to WordPress.org’s repository, WOOT!
A fellow blogger was looking for a way to have Pinterest’s nopin=”nopin” code to work in her blog (to stop family photos from being pinned) and unfortunately WordPress does not recognize that particular code out of box. Everytime it was added to a blog post image, WordPress would delete it, thinking it was unnecessary junk code. I was asked to look into it, and happened to find a way to help by creating a plugin called Pinterest Repellent (I shouldn’t be left to name things, darn it!)
As far as plugins go, this one is extremely simple, but I was so happy to be able to contribute, even if it’ll only help one or two bloggers.
And while my other plugins were site-specific, this one could potentially help others in the WordPress community, so I applied to have it sit in the plugin database. So shiny….
So yeah, don’t mind me while I do a little dance for reaching this goal in my love and support for WordPress design, lol!
I’ve also heard recently that WordPress is turning 10 this month! WOW! Are you going to celebrate WordPress’ birthday on May 27th?
It’s a Stampin’ Up! Paper Crafting Kind of Day!
Okay, so this event isn’t in Toronto, but Guelph is kinda close! Do you enjoy crafting? I have this huge softspot for Stampin’ Up! crafting, ’cause thanks to joining their ranks as a Demonstrator a few years ago, I made a ton of friendships that will last a lifetime (even though I’m no longer demonstrating today.)
Two fabulous demonstrators, Samantha Forrest and Julie Leblanc, are running a day camp on Sunday June 2nd, and if you’re in the need to craft, it will be an amazing day to get your fix!
Here’s a sneak-peek of a card you’ll make…
That honey-comb texture is all kinds of awesome! I’ve been staring at this card for days and know that I’ll need to pick this embosser up for my Big Shot, lol! (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you should definitely attend Julie and Samantha’s fun day of card-making! It will be a great day for all levels of crafters.)
For $75, your day will be filled with a whopping 24 projects, including 3D, Scrapbook pages and cards! And not to worry, snacks, refreshments and lunch will also be provided so you can concentrate on just having fun all day long!
The event will be held at ARC Industries, within the cafeteria, which is a fabulous location filled with natural lighting.
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The last day to RSVP is coming up soon! Be sure to get in contact with Julie and Samantha before May 15th. There is a ton of info on how this dynamic-demonstrator-duo will simply wow you and help you create some gorgeous crafts for yourself and to share with your friends, so check out their site for more and details on how to RSVP!
Some of my fave fashion finds for April 2013
So April was a crazy month for my family! I have a new niece in the form of a French Mastiff/Chocolate Lab; at 9 weeks old now, she’s all kinds of adorable and a LOT of work! I’ve had to help family move, fix a couple computers and help babysit that new puppy-niece, as well as my human-nephew at different times all over April. So yeah, my blog has been a bit quiet while I’ve been lending a hand.
And because of all that work, I’ve been sitting on some fabulous black & white finds this month that I’ve been wanting to share with you!
The purse and sandals are both from JustFab.ca and I love them both to bits!
The Manhattan handbag is quite possibly one of my top five favourites of all time. It has so much room inside that I can carry my HP Envy X2 tablet/laptop within and still have a TON of room to spare! This means that this handbag is now my go-to bag for conferences and meetings that require my tech in hand. And the faux leather is just so soft, I could hug it all day, lol.
These Corfu sandals below are very comfortable. I usually have issues with footwear; no matter the brand/style I wind up with blisters, but not with these! I’ve worn them around whenever we haven’t had rain this month (like what, a total of four days maybe?) and they’ve fit and felt perfect each time!
You might remember from this post that I’ve been SO WANTING Addition Elle’s Polka Dot trench for those frequent days of rain, rain and more rain here in Toronto. Well I found it!! YAY!! This pic is the ONLY time I’ll be wearing it during a sunny day, ’cause as much as I love it, it keeps you warm. And while that’s truly handy during a cold wet day, its a bit too warm on a sunny gorgeous one.
Here’s a close-up of my fury friend Hazel(nut)! I just might have to teach my “niece” the fabulousness of puppy fashion! 
So what finds have you picked up recently?? Let me know!
la Vie en Rose: I’m Not Every Woman
I feel like I need to preface this with saying I’m not out to get every store that doesn’t cater to plus-sized fashion. I get that not every fashion institute would feel secure in their design talents to create stunning wear for 14+ figures. I also get that many designers and marketers are more comfortable believing people over 14+ simply don’t exist in the fashion world.
Through some email marketing efforts directed at me and my blog today, I was enlightened to la Vie en Rose’s unfortunate choice of wording within their elevator pitch: “La Vie en Rose is the leading Canadian specialty lingerie retailer. The brand caters to all women aged 25-45 delivering exceptional lingerie, sleepwear and swimwear collections while staying true to the company motto. La Vie en Rose offers an array of well-fitted bras and specialty lingerie selections designed for every silhouette, every look, and every woman.”
At first I rolled my eyes and just assumed that the affiliate account representative emailing me had made this bit of flare herself, and replied back with, “I was at the understanding that la Vie en Rose did not sell plus-sized wear. If they do, please let me know as I would love to discuss this with my readers! If its not the case though, this statement isn’t exactly accurate -> ‘designed for every silhouette, every look, and every woman.’”; and I was okay at leaving the issue right there. But one thing that has been my downfall on more than one occasion is the fact that I need to know. I need to check out facts (which is why I probably should have gone into journalism instead of website design for college, lol,) so I went online and googled, “la vie en rose designed for every silhouette, every look, and every woman.” And guess what, that tag line is everywhere, including on their site.
So does en Vie la Rose design for every silhouette, every look and every woman?
Sorry to disappoint you…
As much as I was hoping that en Vie la Rose had changed their business model to truly design for every woman (and explaining why Geek with Style might be interested in becoming an ad affiliate,) their largest size is still only X-Large/14.
So either they’re marketing falsely, or in their eyes, I can’t be defined as a woman.
Want a Faster Blog? Take Your Images to the Cloud!
There is one thing that every blogger fears: having an inaccessible blog. You may have heard of the recent brute force attacks on WordPress based blogs, and the steps you can take to help prevent your site from being broken into (ie. don’t have an account with the name Admin for login, create a really strong password based on upper/lowercase letters and numbers, etc.)
Just two days ago, the server hosting numerous sites that I’ve built, including Geek with Style, all went down. The best the hosting company could come up with is that the parent server overloaded, and took 20 minutes to restart. Can you imagine how much I was freaking out initially over what I might have possibly done to have a multitude of sites go down? Virtually all of the ones that are depending on me to be kept live? I freaked.
Another fear that must be in the top five for bloggers would be having a site that is reeaaallly slllloowwwwww in loading. Readers hate that, so we bloggers hate that too. It irks us to no end when our favourite page doesn’t load instantly, and we have no idea why. One of the main reasons for a slow loading page, that we can control (regardless if its for a blog, or just some random page on the web,) is the image size output. Whenever we post an image on the web, the file size determines how long it will take for our readers to see it in their browser. The larger the file size, the longer it will take to load on screen.
But what if you want big, gorgeously colourful images on your blog? Perhaps you’re a photographer and you really want your viewers to capture every detail, or you may be a foodie blogger and you want your next plate to look so irresistible that your viewers would practically lick their screens for a taste of that yumminess.
WordPress self-hosted sites have access to an amazing free tool that will let us have those larger images that we want to show off, without the risk of compromising load time….
There’s this internet technology known as the “Cloud”. You may have heard of it. If I understand correctly, a lot of what Apple does is all on this invisible Cloud. Well, with a plugin known as “Cloudinary“, your blog photos can be on that cloud and be accessed by your readers instantly. Even if you still have room in your website’s virtual space, images stored in cloud-space will load much faster than those that are not.
There’s a free plan on Cloudinary that’s not too shabby:
- 500 MB Storage
- 50,000 Images
- 1 GB Monthly Bandwidth
and it looks easy to upgrade if ever needed.
Currently, I’ve changed the image location of my site’s logo to sit on the cloud. It’s a big image and its always worried me that just the header was taking too long to load. Is there a difference now though? I feel like my pages are loading a few seconds faster, but I haven’t truly tested it yet.
There are also some cool options provided by Cloudinary that you don’t get with the standard WP media library. For instance, there is a option to add a watermark right from this program, or add a few image effects to improve lighting or just for plain fun.
Are you in need for a faster blog? Have you run out of space to upload more images? What tips do you have to improve the quality of a blog?
Celebrate Spring with Little Black Bag
It’s the end of the Celebrate Spring: Fashion & Giveaway Series, and I’m really happy to say that the sun is out right this minute and being all shiny, which is awesome! Tonight 3 out of the 4 contests in this series will end, so get your entries in right now if you want to win with eLUXE, Addition Elle, and Just Fab!
We still have the better part of a week left with the Softsoap Skin is In™ giveaway, and I’m loving how the Battle of the Body Wash is going down, so don’t forget to VOTE & WIN! Also remember, if you’re wanting to pick up something pretty, the eShakti promo code is good until the 30th of April!
For our final celebration post, I’m going to introduce another little shopping secret of mine: Little Black Bag.
I love them for statement pieces. Like a fab ring that is sure to be one of a kind at your next garden party…
Or a pair of Betsey Johnson sunglasses for your next trip downtown:
Or that everyday bit of flare with a ViaNova Bangle Cuff Watch:
(That is, if your sister doesn’t steal it from ya first! Hmph…)
The really cool bit is that when I had purchased each of these items, I was given a few extras. Sometimes it was makeup, other times other pieces of jewellery, but they’re all valuable pieces that have found their way into rotation.
Here’s a cute video on how it all works!
I have to admit, I’m kinda addicted to the trading! I’m not always 100% satisfied in what I receive in my initial stylist pics, but that’s actually the way I like it, lol. It means that I can go into the swap room and find stuff that I do like. There is always someone there that is ready to trade with you, until you have an entirely awesome package.
Like JustFab.ca, LittleBlackBag.com is based on a monthly membership, but since I’ve last made a purchase just a week ago they’ve changed the rules a bit. I still think they’re a worthy place to shop for those pieces that make an entire ensemble fit, but I can no longer say with 100% certainty of how awesome the VIP membership service is. It’s at least 80% with chances of still being 100%, but I haven’t tried it with the new set of rules. Go check it out for yourself though!
Here are my picks of what you can find today! These shoes? There’s only five pairs remaining as of this post!
Celebrate Spring
Whew! Well that’s it for the Celebrate Spring Series for 2013! Just want to quickly thank the sponsors eLUXE.ca, Addition Elle, JustFab.ca, Softsoap, and eShakti.com again for joining us in this celebration!
I would LOVE to hear you feedback from this celebration. Was it fun? Was something missing? Don’t be shy!
Good luck to everyone entering the giveaways! I’ll have three names to draw tonight, and one more to draw later this week. So keep an eye out in your inbox from me!
*Hearts and hugs* to you all!
No Skinny Chicks Allowed
I wanted to thank Aeryn for giving this non-full figured girl a chance to share my story. We were discussing plus sized stores, and I shared this story, and she wanted me to share with you all.
I was glad to share because I feel like sometimes full figured ladies feel they are the only ones who get mistreated because of their size. Believe me, I know it happens more often to you, but it does happen to us too.
A little background on me. I am the “skinny” girl in my family. The one that can walk into just about any store and find something that fits. It really irks my family, I get it. I’ve been with them through their shopping troubles, and feel bad that I can just walk in and pick anything I like off the rack. And plus sized clothes seems to be an arm and a leg for anything that is fashionable and cute. So I like to give my sister some money for shopping, or gift cards to her favourite plus sized stores.
The following has happened to me on numerous occasions, on different scales but this is the one that has stuck with me the most:
So coming up to her birthday, which is Christmas Day no less, I went into a certain plus-sized store with my friend; yes, we were both very thin back then size 3 and 0. We felt out of place, but wanted to get a great gift for my sister.
This sales lady comes up to us and says “You two should not be in here, you make me and our customers feel uncomfortable. We want to have a place where people like YOU don’t shop. You really have enough places to shop you don’t need to invade our space”. I knew where she was coming from having been shopping with my family and seen it directed at them, but I was taken aback. Plus I was quite angry. We had a store full of people looking at us.
My response was “Fine. Clearly my money isn’t good enough for your store.”
She responded with: We don’t have anything for your type here.
My type? That irritated me. It felt very prejudiced. I don’t believe in judging a person by their looks, I decide who they are by their attitude and the way they treat others.
So I was less than polite at this point (clearly not at my best ): hmmmm good to know that you don’t sell gift certificates to non-plus sized people, because clearly we don’t know any plus sized people.
I think at this point she may have realized that she was about to lose a very easy sale, and that I was pretty angry. She really was stammering and trying to smooth it over. The manager came over at this point and tried to smooth it over as well. But I kindly pointed out that I clearly felt unwelcomed and didn’t want to shop there. I also pointed out that I take my sister shopping with the gift card I give her, and she uses this money and the money family give her to purchase clothes. I wouldn’t be taking her to this store after Christmas for a shopping spree as I clearly wasn’t welcomed.
We did go to another store, and was treated nicely, although some of the other customers did give us looks like we were clearly in the wrong place.
I think it is important to remember that no matter what size you are, what colour your hair/skin/eyes, your religious beliefs or whatever – we are all people, with opinions, feelings and struggles. We need to support each other, not try to tear the other down a peg.
A note from Aeryn:
When Shair, myself and a few of our friends were discussing this issue just this morning, I really couldn’t believe it.
I would dare to say that there is perhaps one thing that every plus-sized person has in common, and that would be knowing what its like to be hated for being fat. Whether someone sneered in your face while calling you “disgusting,” or you’ve read a ton of “acceptable” comments on other sites along the lines of “Why aren’t they concentrating on losing weight instead of what’s available for them to wear,” or another comic is talking about fat people with apples in their mouths; we know what hate is. We know how this feels, and perhaps in our fight for equal consideration, some of us are shooting down friends and loved ones, and generally some really nice straight-sized/thin people who want the same as we do. Believe it or not, there are thin people who want plus sized people to have the fashionable clothing they want. Both Shair and Jeanne Beker are two women right off the top of my head that want better for us “above average” people.
Yes, we’ve been mocked in the past by those with weight issues (that have projected those issues on us,) but could we not shoot first and ask questions later? Could we maybe also work towards not projecting our own personal issues on others. Please? I know its a lot to ask, but if you could think of Shair’s story next time you see someone under 14+ perusing our stores, we could maybe take one more step towards that brighter, more fashionably equal future!
(Especially now that a lot of plus-size stores are carrying wide-calf boots! This is an issue for many women of all sizes, and we just might find more smaller women trying to find a pair of boots that will actually fit them for once.)
Thanks for reading folks.
Aeryn Lynne is a total Geek (yes with a capital G) for technology, and has been an avid user and supporter of online tech since 1998. She also has a penchant for pretty clothes, and is living the curvy fashion liberation! This Geek with Style writes about her fabulous finds in tech, fashion and beauty, 'cause she couldn't get enough of show and tell as a kid.
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