Five years ago today my husband and I were married in Bora Bora, surrounded by a group of our closest family and friends. I had always thought I would have one of those over the top weddings, two hundred guests, a year of planning, fussing over the smallest of details. So I surprised even myself when we took twenty of our nearest and dearest and headed to the remote island of Bora Bora. The day and the week following were a bit of a dream, getting to spend that time in paradise will never be forgotten. When I got married I didn’t fully grasp the reality of marriage, and only now, five years later do I feel like we’ve found our stride. The two of us have come back to the scene of the crime, to honor the five years that have gone by. The amazing moments and memories, the not so amazing moments, and the downright ugly ones. We’re excited to continue on this journey together, armed with knowledge and experience that we’ve gained along the way, to create a life rich with history, love and experiences, both momentous and mundane.
Photos by Rene Michaud
Aritzia Blouse, Alice + Olivia Skirt (other colors here and here), Miu Miu Pumps (similar here and here), Yves Saint Laurent Clutch, Michael Kors Watch, Stella & Dot Bracelet
It’s funny how things come back in vogue, and when they do I’m often left eating my own words. Such is the case with gold. I remember yellow gold being hugely popular while I was growing up. As I approached the end of my teen years I distinctly remember swearing off the precious metal altogether, firmly declaring it an ‘old lady’ color. So I’m officially old and eating my words because I can’t get enough these days. As a clutch or a fabulous pair of pumps, I love a touch of it on my blouse and a sparkle of it in my makeup. I just know that a hint of gold accent against my bright neon threads will be on constant rotation all summer long.
There’s nothing I love more than contributing baked goods to others. Especially when those others are near and dear to me. So I searched high and low for a recipe that would be fitting for a very special gal on her birthday. I found a recipe for Chocolate Milk Cupcakes in the Making Cupcakes for Lola cookbook. The cupcakes have a decadent chocolate base, with a creamy vanilla frosting, making them the perfect cupcake for chocolate lovers everywhere. Luckily the birthday girl completely understood why I didn’t show up with a full dozen to the party…I would never serve anything that wasn’t deemed delicious. Therefore, one of those cupcakes just had to be sacrificed, and it passed the test with flying colors.
Rag & Bone Shorts (different color here), Club Monaco Blouse, Rebecca Taylor Jacket (similar here or here), Valentino Espadrilles, Alexander Wang Handbag, Equipment Blouse, Helmut Lang Blazer, Manolo Blahnik Pumps, YSL Clutch, Rag & Bone Sweater, TNA Tank, Valentino Espadrilles, Tiffany Necklace
I’ve always been a huge fan of shorts and their versatility. You can dress them up, wear them casual, and you have the added bonus of never worrying about them flying up over your bits during a wind storm. I usually have a hard time fitting into anything other than a jean short, but these shorts are absolutely the exception. The drawstring waist allows me to cinch up the smallest area while still maintaining a dressed up look. It’s absolutely decided that these will be my go-to this spring and summer, which has finally decided to show up in Calgary.
Look 1 – Sunday Brunch
Look 2 – Tailored Affair
Look 3 – Casual Concert
Spring has finally arrived here in Calgary, and with it the urge to clean out every corner of my home. I thought I would provide you with my own personal Spring Closet Clean Out Checklist. My motto is basically this…help future Mikki in every way possible.
- Before unpacking a stitch of spring or summer clothing I sort through my winter clothing. Go through your sweaters, shirts, pants, blouses and dresses. Determine what is absolutely winter wear only and make a pile.
- While going through the winter-only pile look for items that need to be washed, mended or tailored and put them to the side.
- Now is an excellent time to see what you’ve gotten use out of and what sat the entire winter without wear. If you kept it around at the beginning of winter to ‘give it one last chance’, now is the time to donate, sell or store the item.
- On items that need to be washed, determine whether you are able to do it yourself or need to take it to a drycleaner.
- Neatly fold all items in a way to minimize creases. If there’s an item that tends to badly crease you can fold it with a piece of tissue on the inside to help ward off unwanted wrinkles.
- Purchase or pull out mothballs and/or cedars balls to store in the sealed Tupperware where your clothing will be stored. Make sure the smell of cedar is evident, as this is what repels moths from clothing.
- For winter coats and parkas, I personally like to invest in getting my outerwear dry-cleaned. When you bring coats home from the cleaners, store in a cotton garment bag and hang. (You have no idea how fulfilling this step is come winter. Pulling out my garment bags filled with fresh wool coats and perfectly pressed parkas is the most amazing feeling ever. It’s like shopping without spending any money). Taking care of your garments also increases their longevity.
- Lastly before pulling out and organizing the spring goods I like to go through my boots in the same manner. In Calgary we deal with salt everywhere, so for any boots that haven’t been hit too hard I make sure they don’t have any salt sitting on them from the winter. If there is salt residue I take a damp rag and wipe it off. For footwear like my motorcycle boots that bore the brunt of the winter weather, I take them to the professionals. At a shoe cobbler you can have soles replace, leather buffed up and protectant spray added to reinforce them for another long winter. This again has increased the longevity of my footwear, and come fall I feel like I’m shopping in a department store, not like I need a new pair of boots because the winter destroyed my last pair.
While this seems like a lot of work, the extra years and life you will get out of your wardrobe is well worth the hassle of visiting the dry cleaner and shoe cobbler. You don’t understand how satisfying it is come fall to open your closet to a fresh, clean wardrobe. Your future self thanks you in advance.
