backstreet's back

Fall is here and I couldn't be happier!! The weather is finally starting to cool down, and I have never been happier to be able to wear jeans again without sweating a puddle. I spent, what I considered to be, the first day of autumn at my friend's house for yet another Board Game Day. Although lately, it's less board games, and more Cards Against Humanity. Who can complain though, the game is extremely fun and hilarious, and the hours flew by whilst we played it. Finally, when it seemed that it was getting later, I took some pics quickly, and then went to Neighbour's for an early dinner with my friends, Jessica and Marian. The vegetarian deluxe pizza was so bomb, oh god I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Before the night ended, I watched the first episode of Season 2 of Sherlock, as well as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for the second time. While both were extremely great to watch, I really should stop late-night binge eating/watching.

There's just something about double denim. Yes, there is a very fine line between trendy and looking like a Backstreet Boy, but I feel like how good well-done double denim is, is worth the risk. So, I thought, what better way to ring in the cold weather than with classic denim on denim? I wore my favourite jeans that go with absolutely everything (not to mention are comfy as heck). I paired it with a simple denim shirt that took me forever to find, since nowadays almost every single button down has some sort of design or stud added to it. For a pop of colour, I grabbed my bright red bag, and I wore my usual jewelry. Lastly, since I knew I wasn't going to be doing much that day, I wore my basic Vans, giving my feet a nice break from the heels I usually wear.

I love how bright this bag is. Usually, I'm a bit conscious and scared to wear such bold colours, but because of it's size and structure, I truly feel like this is such a perfect bag to add "oomph" to an otherwise plain outfit.

Just a quick picture I took while in the middle of our Cards Against Humanity game. Please don't mind the bad quality. Despite what it looks like, we actually had a lot of fun.

Fun fact: everytime Jessica (pictured here) types my name onto her phone, it autocorrects my name into all-caps. I feel like that is an extremely accurate depiction of our friendship.

 The pizza at Neighbour's with Jessica and Marian! Oh god I could really go for some pizza right now.

If you had a pizza but didn't take a picture with it, did you really have a pizza?

OUTFIT INFO: 

Shirt: Forever 21 (similar)
Necklace: Topshop
Watch: American Apparel 
Bracelet: Brandy Melville (similar)
Jeans: American Eagle 
Bag: Aldo (similar)
Shoes: Vans (similar in black)

nyu

Sometimes, life is great to you and it blesses you with great opportunities and cute boys and lots of money. Other times.. it just bites you in the ass and throws dirt in your face. Last night/this morning is a perfect example of that. Around midnight, I tried to upload some pics from that day's outfit, to find out that none of the files could be opened. This morning, I tried everything: restarting my computer, updating it, I even used my dad's laptop; nothing worked. That resulted in  me having to re-take shots this morning before I left to start my day. Anyways, in other news, I should probably quickly re-cap my day yesterday. One of my good friends, who I hadn't seen in forever (and by forever, I mean about a week), came by to just pig out, gossip, and watch stupid stuff on Netflix. My other close friend/neighbour came by, and while it was originally supposed to be just background noise, we ended up actually watching Snow White and the Huntsman. Later on in the evening, we meet up with my usual photographer (ha ha) and relaxed and walked her unbelievably adorable dog. I ended up having dinner at her house (her dad makes the best food) and then had a long overdue gossip session while Master Chef was playing in the background.

 Whenever I go to a different university, I always get some sort of clothing item as a memento (with the exception of Yale. Damn, I should have gotten sweats). These NYU track shorts are absolutely perfect for lazy days where I know I'm not gonna be doing much. They're so comfy and are great for concealing food babies. Win-win! To make the outfit look a bit more pulled together, I paired it with a loose, see-through button-down shirt that reminds me of water colour paintings (fun fact: I just found this shirt in the back of my closet and this was my first time wearing it!). It was a hot day, and I didn't want to carry a large bag, so I grabbed this small blue one. Lastly, I will wear anything that helps in making me look taller, so I wore my Madewell sandals that really do wonders to my legs and height.

Close-up of water painting shirt and jewel necklace, hollaaaa.

NYU is one of the  many universities that I dream of going to in the future. I have been in love with NYC ever since I was young, and to be able to go there for school would just be a dream come true. Also, yes it was slightly awkward getting one of my friends to take a close-up picture of my butt.

I finally broke them in!11!1!!!

OUTFIT INFO: 

Shirt: Urban Outfitters
Necklace: Topshop
Bag: Urban Outfitters (similar)
Shorts: New York University - NYU 
Watch: American Apparel
Shoes: Madewell

it's a metaphor

I have never been the type of person to dress well for the occasion. 99% of the time, I end up being waaay overdressed. That includes yesterday. One of my friends had (surprisingly) never been to Lynn Canyon before. As a kid who had spent numerous summer camp days there, I immediately made plans with her and a few others to go there as soon as we were all free (aka yesterday). We bought some Subway sandwiches, and one of my good friends, Elle, treated us to DQ smoothies (godbless having friends with good connections). The trip getting there is incredibly long (bus, seabus, then bus again) and tedious, but it is nothing compared to climbing over rocks and such just to get to a nice spot to eat lunch. After a (not-so) brief struggle across the rocks and water, we relaxed for a while in front of an amazing view, just eating and talking. Thankfully, taking pics on the rocks weren't as hard as getting there, and once we were done, it was almost the evening and we decided to take the trail back to the bridge. The view from the Suspension Bridge really is quite wondrous; it's not the best for those with a fear of heights, but if you can handle it, the view is worth it.

Like I mentioned, I hardly dress for the right occasion. Somehow, my mind convinces me that "Yes, Maika, you can hike just fine in Doc Martens boots!" or "No, the floppy hat is not gonna be that hard to hold on to at all while you climb rocks!" Every time, I realize how wrong I was, yet I still can't seem to dress right for a day out in nature. Anyways, I got this, what I like to call, ironic white t-shirt at Zara and just fell in love with the humour (that no one else seems to get and/or appreciate except for me. Go figure.). I paired it with my black shorts for, yet another, monochrome look, and added a pop of colour with my red flannel, which I wore once it got cold, but otherwise just tied around my waist. The floppy hat has now become a permanent part of my head it seems (it doesn't help that when I do take it off, I get the worst case of hat hair). Lastly, while my Doc Martens made the trudge through the rocks a million times more difficult, the tough edge it added to my look was so worth it.

I am actually so in love with this shirt. To me, it's kind of like an effortless irony. It's a step above the basic white tee, especially because it's somewhat mocking the tee! I swear, every friend that I have worn this t-shirt with has said the same thing: either a) "I don't get it." or b) "It's not funny." Oh well. I still laugh at it every time.

Remember when I mentioned that we got DQ smoothies for a good price? Yeah, well here's our little guardian angel, Ellenor Dolores Davie (I hope I spelled that right and I hope that she doesn't kill me for using her full name. I love you, Elle). While I was taking my hundreds of pictures on the rocks, Elle came by and took some pics of her own as well as delivered me my shoes. Here's us doing a "Squad" pic.

Here's a few pictures of our view whilst we ate. Definitely worth slipping on rocks and the freezing cold water.

Don't look down!

OUTFIT INFO: 

Hat: Brandy Melville
Plaid: TNA / Aritzia (similar)
Shirt: Zara
Necklace: Urban Outfitters
Shorts: Hot Topic (similar)
Watch: American Apparel
Shoes: Doc Martens

pastel dream

Even though the weather is still warm in Vancouver, the fact that it's September immediately puts my brain into "Fall-mode," leaving me stumped on what to wear on these hot-weather days. Yesterday it was cooler than the past week, but sadly still way too warm for jeans and basic layering. I started off the day by going with my friend to Metrotown so I could pick up an album I ordered (the Guardians of the Galaxy Deluxe Soundtrack. P.S. it's bomb as heck), and ended up accidentally getting a second album for free (I got the Black Keys album. My change was supposed to be $10, but I got $20. Score). We "celebrated" the good luck by going to Cafe Joie for a quick drink and snack before taking shots. After the pics, I went to go meet up with my parents downtown, where we tried to shop for cameras (and failed, we'll try again next week), and ended up at Faubourg Paris. Seriously, at this rate they should have my face somewhere in the cafe, I go there way too much. Anyways,, we went home, and ended up watching an excellent documentary called Terms and Conditions May Apply as well as we started the Sherlock series. I know, I'm a bit behind, but with a show where new episodes come out pretty much once a year, I don't think it's ever too late to start Sherlock (PS, I totally get the hype now, it's amazing).

Like I mentioned earlier, I was quite stumped yesterday morning when I realized it was too warm to layer. This meant I had to search through all my shorts and desperately come up with an idea for what to wear. Thankfully, these gems protruded from the depths of my closet and gave me a great idea for a pastel-based look. I usually pair these flower shorts with a black shirt and statement necklace, but this time I tried to find little elements that wouldn't toughen it up but instead match it's soft look. The pink blazer matched the flowers, as did the pastel bag, and the white just adds a light feel to the whole look. Of course, I had to go with heels since I'm weirdly obsessed with making myself look taller 24/7, and went with these sandals that I've thankfully broken into. No need for those band-aids anymore, yes!

I remember the day my mom and I found these necklaces at Topshop. We spent a few good minutes scouring the jewelry section, to finally find the pair that came with an "M." It was definitely worth the hunt.

Fun fact: I first laid my eyes on these shorts about 2 years ago, I think at Aritzia and they were waay overpriced. My heart broke as each time I would come into the store, they would just hang there, taunting me with it's cuteness and expensive price tag. Fortunately, that year at the Aritzia Warehouse Sale, I found these shorts for, I think about 1/4 of the original price and in my size! I think that was the day I learned that patience is a virtue.

P.S. I apologize for the blurriness. I just had to post this because I love these shoes so much.

 Here's a close-up of my jewelry! To be honest, what else is new.

Here's a quick pic of the outside of Cafe Joie. It's small but really cute and the food's pretty good. Plus it's actually not that far from where I live. Finally, a cafe I don't have to travel through the seven wonders for.

OUTFIT INFO: 

Blazer: Aritzia
Shirt: Topshop
Shorts: Aritzia
Necklace: Topshop
Belt: Forever 21
Bag: Kate Spade
Watch: American Apparel 
Sandals: Madewell (similar)