LAURA KIDD: uk

14.9.15

Smiley 50s Housewife

My sister told me I looked like a 50s housewife in this outfit. As much as that can be a very classy look, I can't help but laugh! If you know me, you'd know I'm near opposite to wanting to be a house wife. Women have so many opportunities today than in the 50s when all they could amount to is cooking and cleaning for their husband and children. Not that those experiences aren't profound and life changing too, I just feel so lucky and blessed to be living in a free country with so many golden opportunities and I want to experience as much of that as I can. I just want to live a life true to myself, help others, and keep dreaming big.

This dress was the only thrifted piece of clothing I bought in England last summer. I didn't adore it at first but couldn't leave the country without something thrifted! While packing up my clothes this summer, I came across it and almost gave it away. I just couldn't. The granny inside of me needed it.

It's one of those pieces that doesn't look good on the hanger. You might even mistake it for a table cloth at a quick glance! Once I tried it on again, I remembered that I actually love the fit.

I wore this to meet up with Rosie and grab some bday balloons. I'm now a 24 year old!!! It feels weird to say but I do enjoy aging. I find it classy. Aging means that I've survived another year and I'm grateful to have had so many beautiful experiences. I'm reading Oprah Winfrey's book right now, yes me, I'm reading!! And in her gratitude chapter, she talks about aging and how it's actually such a wonderful thing. I completely agree. So many children and teenagers don't live to see 24 because of illnesses, accidents, and suicide. So who am I to moan and groan that I'm OLD?! I won't.

I've also been a follower of Advanced Style for some time now and that blog has truly changed what aging will look like for me. I WILL be an Advanced Style lady someday and I'm looking forward to it.

Dress: Thrift store in England, $10. Necklace & Earrings: Joe Fresh, $4-6 each. Backpack: Giant Tiger, $20. Similar here. Shoes: JuJu, Little Burgundy, $40. Similar here.

PHOTOS BY ROSIE.

Vintage Daisy

I've been wanting to show these docs in an outfit ever since I bought them last summer in Camden Market (London, UK). I literally wear them almost every day. I'm a huge Dr. Martens fan and up until now only had one black pair. I had been wanting a new, more unique pair for a while. My eyes had been set on the gold ones (and still are) but I was really open to anything. I knew I had to come home from England with a pair of these classic 90s grunge boots. Whilst in Camden Market I found these babies and couldn't believe how perfect they were. They have an amazing 60s psychedelic print, as you can see. These particular ones are called "Vintage Daisy" which is so funny because Daisy is my nickname and vintage is one of my favourite things in life. How perfect?!

There's almost nothing I wouldn't wear with them and they are so comfy. The first three or so days of breaking them in was pure agony (the price that comes with owning docs, besides the actual price of course). I would definitely suggest investing in a pair if you're able to. You can also find them in the thrift store or in vintage stores from anywhere between $15-90 which is much cheaper than the average $180 price tag.

How are you doing? Are you almost ready for the holidays? For the first time in ever, I am actually done shopping early this year.

Coat: Vintage, Kensington Market (Toronto), $10. Boots: Dr. Martens "Vintage Daisy" $186. Jeggings: H&M, $20. Sweater: Value Village, $10. Bag: H&M, $60.

England Part 6: Afternoon Tea & a Wedding

My last days in England were bitter sweet but full of excitement. They were spent shopping, eating carbs, having afternoon tea, and ended with one of the major reasons we traveled there in the first place: to see Jonathan's cousin Ben get married. I absolutely loved my outfit for the wedding. It was carefully crafted before I left and was pulled together with the help of friends. Rosie found me the skirt at The Bay and Aurelia let me borrow her sequin top. The two were a match made in heaven and I loved how everything looked together. The wedding itself was beautiful. The food was delicious and the live band rocked. I also got to meet a lot of Jonathan's relatives, who were super kind and welcoming. It's fun having conversations about the differences/similarities in our countries. The day after the wedding we all met up for lunch and then returned home to pack everything up. Getting all my purchases into my suitcase was challenging but I was pleasantly surprised when everything fit and was in the allotted weight. I already miss being there so much but am already planning (in my head) to go back.

How is September almost already done? The chilly air has arrived in Canada but only in the morning it seems. I keep reminding myself that this weather now is 100x better than Winter so I'm trying to be very grateful and soak up the sun before it's gonzo. How's your pre-fall?

CARBS.

CARBS FILLED WITH MORE CARBS. That meringue came home with me.

Proper afternoon tea. AH-MAZING.

Real scones, jam, and clotted cream. First time ever trying clotted cream, it was delish.

Because you needed a close up. You can blame me if you eat scones tonight.

Live band at tea. SO lovely.

Shirt: Borrowed from Aurelia (she got it at Urban Outfitters Renewal). Skirt: Lord & Taylor, The Bay, $29. Shoes: Spring: $22. Clutch: Primark, 8 pds. Headband/scrunchie: Ardene, $4.

Lovey.

This room was transformed two more times after the ceremony- so impressive! I love the look of it.

Pimms.

One happy lady. Pictures by Jonathan Lindsay and me.

England - Part 3: London Day 1-2

London was definitely one of the highlights of my whole trip. It's been a dream of mine to visit London and especially shop in Camden Town. We spent two nights and three days just Jonathan and I. Day one consisted of a train ride into the city, relaxing in our hotel room, and visiting the Camden Lock market (not sure if that's what it's called). The view from our terrace was beautiful. You could see the canal, all the little food market stations, and Camden high street. At night, we'd hear live music coming from the 'night market'.

I absolutely loved the entire area of Camden. It was lively, eclectic, and grungy in a really good way. I felt as though I could go there everyday and still see something new each time. The next day was dedicated to shopping and exploring. We started with the markets, went back to our hotel to drop off all our purchases, then headed back out to Camden high street for more shopping. We visited the famous Camden Market and then the shops along the street. I had to visit the Dr. Martens store. I've been wanting new boots for over a year now and was hoping to find a really unique pair that suited me. I ended up finding the PERFECT pair. They're called "vintage daisy" (VINTAGE + DAISY = ME!). I love the psychedelic flowers. I had never seen this pattern before and the salesperson said they were new.

Our last day in London was spent at Vivienne Westwood and going on the Eye, visiting Big Ben and going over Tower Bridge, stay tuned for pics in my next post. Hope you're all enjoying the end of summer!

Heading out to the train!

Arrived at our hotel in Camden!

View from our terrace.

Dinner!

Bath time!

We had beautiful weather.

A vintage store in Camden.

Stores and markets.

In Camden Lock, there were tonnes of food stations. Sipping some fresh watermelon juice!

A glimpse into the markets. I loved it here!

Indian fooood!

THE. MARKET.

One of the jewellery stands.

My new docs.

Camden Lock at night. HOW PRETTY!

England - Part 2: Advanced Style

I've been following the Advanced Style blog for some time now. It mixes my admiration for seniors and fashion. It has helped me feel more confident about aging and I've whole heartedly taken the pledge to remain stylish and creative well into my 90s. What started as a hobby for Ari Seth Cohen, Advanced Style went from being a blog to becoming a movement. The fashion industry has now taken note of one of their most important and long ignored demographic- seniors. Designer labels such as Lanvin and Chanel have even photographed some of the Advanced Style ladies for their advertising campaigns.

The blog has gotten so large that Ari embarked on creating a documentary on these amazing ladies. The documentary took a few years to make and required donations so I was constantly on my toes about when it would finally come out. I'd watch teasers of what was made of the film and just couldn't wait for the day I get to see it. Well that day came! It premiered in Toronto May 3 but I wasn't able to make the 5 hour drive down to see it. Knowing my trip to England was soon, I was on the Advanced Style website looking at show times. To my surprise, it was coincidentally playing at the Little Theatre in Bath on August 19 (5 min walk from where I am staying). I bought tickets the second they went on sale and after a recent thrifting trip, I knew exactly what my outfit would be.

I've wanted a bright coloured suit for ages. Orange would be ideal however I was willing to settle for any bright colour. I found this beauty at Value Village a few weeks ago and had to buy it. It's linen so it does wrinkle easily but on the plus side, it's super light and very comfortable.

The film was everything I'd hoped it would be. I got to learn even more about the ladies I had been following on his blog all this time. It's such a positive message and I know it will help many women to feel hopeful and excited even about aging.

"I don't want to look young, I just want to look great!" - Joyce

Suit: Value Village, $13. Purse: Sally Beauty Supply, free. Shoes: JuJu, Little Burgundy, $40. Socks: Primark, $3.

Photos by Jonathan Lindsay.

England - Part 1: Arriving in Bath/Fashion Museum

Ouff it feels like I haven't posted in forever! I was out of town last-last weekend and then was scrambling to get everything ready for my trip over the pond. Here's an update (and lots of pictures, sorry) on my adventures so far:

My travel dreams have come true and I'm finally in England! I'm staying here with Jonathan's family for two weeks in his mum's hometown of Bath. It's breathtakingly beautiful. Every building is gorgeous and I just love how there are flowers everywhere. We arrived last Saturday around 10:30 am UK time. Bath is about 2 hours from London so his family kindly picked us up at the airport. I fell asleep in the car and woke up to seeing the country side of Bath at the top of the hill, looking into the city. As we went downhill into the city, I was so amazed by how adorable and beautiful it was. It was like a fairytale for me!

So far, I've done a bit of shopping, had a taste of the food, drank many teas, visited the fashion museum and Victoria park as well as done a lot of exploring the city! Another one of the highlights has been seeing the Advanced Style documentary which was coincidentally playing at the Little Theatre. My next post will go deep into that plus include pictures of what I wore.

I've only been to one vintage store so far but plan on visiting the rest when we get back from London. We just arrived today to our hotel in Camden Town. We're literally overlooking Camden Lock and it's amazing. We took a quick gander into the markets and I'm completely blown away. It's better than I could've ever imagined and we haven't even really dug in yet. Everything is just so me here - does that make sense? It's filled with everything I love. The people dress eclectically and inspired, the markets have such cool things, and the street food looks delish. I think I've found my happy place. Stay tuned for more on our mini London trip!