Hi there,
In case you didn’t read my post from Friday morning, I got an amazing surprise in my Instagram Direct Message Inbox from Sherway Gardens Mall (the best mall close to me, without question) that said that they loved my Instagram feed and were gifting me a $100 gift card! It was an absolutely amazing surprise and, of course, meant that a shopping excursion was in my near future (aka this weekend)!
Firstly, I want to mention something so we’re all on the same page. I often get compliments on certain outfits, or certain pieces or accessories, or even certain perfumes I am wearing, and it’s totally flattering and it’s really an honour to hear. I have never been considered to be “stylish” before, but it’s my love of Paris that put fashion in my brain, and I dress nice or make myself look nice not for anyone other than myself. I feel more confident when I feel good in what I’m wearing.
That being said… recently, my partner J has been saying that I “look rich” and I also noticed I will be treated differently (ie. with more respect) and will be shown different merchandise (ie. more expensive merchandise) when this is the case. I want to mention a few things about this:
Number one: it is not the case. I am not by any means wealthy. At all. I’m an educator (whomp whomp salary) with a solo mortgage (monthly yikes) and a car that’s over four years old (needs random repairs all the time) who has four animals (re: four monthly vet bills). I do not have money. But I am a savvy shopper, and I’m never opposed to used merchandise.
I only ever buy clothes if they’re truly worth the cost (rarely will I spend over $40 on a piece of clothing) or on sale (I LOVE SALES!), and I’m always in thrift shops. I love used clothing and accessories and think vintage wares make amazing statement pieces in an outfit. Brand name vintage? Even better! And not to mention hand-me-down jewelry or shoes from family members is always welcome (as are random travel souvenirs or “thought of you” gifts!). I’m as thrifty as they come and mix and match what I have to create something new, chic, and “wealthy looking”.
Secondly: I don’t like the idea that rich people get treated differently than others. Just as I can fool someone with my clothing into thinking I have money, another person can fool the same individual into thinking they have none. You never know who you’re interacting with, and a person with a $20 bill in their pocket should be treated the same way as someone with $100 in their pocket. That’s not to say that I don’t like the extra attention (I play it up and act like I can afford everything I’m being shown — today I was shown $399.99 perfume, as if I can just whip out my Visa and make that purchase, no problem), but it doesn’t mean it’s right.
Hence why $100 from Sherway was so absolutely and positively exciting; it’s not every day that I have $100 to spoil myself with (although when it comes to books, it’s as if I have an endless supply of money… a strange thing…)!
Perfumes were my focus going in and I checked out a lot of different kinds. By the end of the day, I smelled overwhelming and it was giving me a headache!
Initially, I had my heart set on a Chanel perfume, because I love Chanel and it’s classic scents, but they simply didn’t jive with J. They didn’t feel authentic or sophisticated to him, which blew my mind considering they’re CHANEL! But since he’ll be spending a lot of time next to me, smelling the scent, I figured he should have at least a little say into what lingers in our home.
We got a little sidetracked along the way and were distracted by watches. I love watches. As a teenager, I used to collect Fossil watches in particular, and my parents would gift me one on every trip we went together. After a while, wearing watches became a tedious task for me and I put away my collection. After a trip to Switzerland, I gifted myself a limited edition Swatch watch, after years without anything on my wrist. And last Christmas, I was gifted a limited edition Swatch watch again! Only recently did I buy myself my first watch in years; a cheap but classy watch from ASOS. I love it. And now I’m back into the watch swing of things! I love minimalist watches, but I can’t help but admire the kitschy watches of Kate Spade with as much love. It’s an expensive item to collect, but it can really add something amazing and unique to an outfit.
Of all shopping days, we were lucky enough to see a Cirque event happening at Saks Fifth Avenue (my dream store, where I just shop with my eyeballs and cry when I’m told the price of items). Food and drink were out for the taking, and shop floor sales men and women were on and ready to go! (That’s where I was shown and told to try numerous $399.99 perfumes and to look for a lovely woman named Zara if I was interested.)
The displays were amazing pieces of art, and my time spent there reminded me of being back in my favourite mall in the entire world, Galleries Lafayette (Paris, France). I could have spent hours there, just browsing each floor and taking my time through beauty and the perfumes, but the J seemed to be getting restless and I still needed to decide what I was spending my gift card on!
Finally, I landed at Sephora and I settled upon a scent that I have been eyeing for a few months, now: Replica’s Paris Flower Market perfume by Maison Margiela. It is truly a most Parisian scent, and what, for me, could be more fitting? It was slightly beyond my gift card amount, but it will be one of those perfumes I cherish and use sparingly.
It really was an exciting day! It was very much like winning the lottery and I’m so grateful to Cadillac Fairview Sherway for gifting me this opportunity to spend with some carefree whimsy!
But I think my favourite part of the day was when I was at the Dior perfume counter at The Bay and the woman was talking to me about the new Dior perfume having been made in Grasse, France and I said, “Ah yes, the scent capital of the world. Are the flowers pressed with alcohol or through a natural extraction process?” and she looked at me (and the Sephora bag I was carrying) and said, “Do you work at Sephora in perfume or something? Because you’re really knowledgeable…” hahaha #IwishIwasAperfumer I just read a lot and people think I know what I’m talking about… I’m really good at faking it if I’m passionate about it!
And, to end the post, here was my outfit of the day…
It got a handful of compliments and there was really nothing to it:
Top – plain white, basic t-shirt
Bottoms – vintage Levi’s that cost me $3.99 (can you believe that?)
Shoes – GAP loafers (what?!) that were on sale from $50 to $13 dollars (WHAT?!)
Jacket – A thrift store find with the tags still on – some Polish brand ($10)
Hand-Me-Down Jewelry and a wicked hair style I’ll be doing more often, from now on!
xo
C
lifeofcloud 
