Introduction
I am by no means a fashion expert. Having gone to a school with a uniform until university, I am still slowly defining any "personal style," finding out what works for my body type/colouring, and building up a solid wardrobe. Lately, I noticed I had a significant lack of cozy clothes that are a) comfortable enough to lounge around in, b) appropriate enough to go out and look cute in, and c) warm enough for Montreal's below-freezing weather.
Unless you're living under a rock, you're aware that it was Black Friday and Cyber Monday last weekend, which has sort of extended into a whole cluster mess of sales, bundles and discounts leading into December's holiday shopping season. Although some of the individual sales were super duper tempting, the gross amount of discounts advertised sort of overwhelmed me away from the whole experience. However, I did somehow make my way into Ardene and Target over last week, and took advantage of their reduced prices (not that they were all that high to begin with). Over the past week, I've barely worn anything else besides these clothes as they make the perfect spend hours "studying" at a cafe while secretly trying to justify visiting the Bay later as a reward for all your "hard work."
1. Ardene
Knee-High Socks (L to R):
- winter midi sock
- midi sock in black
- argyle midi sock
Leggings:
- knit effects legging
- winter texture legging
- winter midi sock
- midi sock in black
- argyle midi sock
Leggings:
- knit effects legging
- winter texture legging
Ardene is a Canadian-only company, somewhat reminiscent of Claire's accessories and atmosphere. However, they have also recently increased their clothing selection significantly, with tons of low-priced sweaters, leggings, jeans, dresses, and even onesies! Based on its brand's image, most women above the age of fourteen tend to write-off Ardene as being cheap or tacky. While the clothing is definitely not high quality (they have more of the Forever21 vibe), at least the pricing reflects that! There's no worse feeling than actually spending significant amount of $$$, only to find out that the clothing purchased also breaks down after a couple of washes (aka they're made out of the same shitty material, and it's not like cashmere and silk are really in my current clothing budget).
My one gripe with Ardene is that shopping there is reminiscent of when my mom used to quiz us kids on our math skills on our way to/from school (this actually happened frequently in my childhood). When you walk into the stores, which at least aren't as large and disorganized as Forever21, you're swarmed by pink labels indicating the price bundles: "3 for $10," "3 for $15," "2 for $15," "2 for $20"...you get the idea. But I digress, because most of the bundles are pretty good deals.
See those fun festive "midi socks"? All three of those pairs cost me a combined total of $10 CAD (individually they're 5.50, so it's legitimately cheaper to buy three pairs instead of two...screw logic). When these pictures were taken, I had yet to wear the regular black pair, so you can see how they came packaged. Since I have gotten these, I have worn one of the pairs every single day. Not only do they keep my feet nice and warm by trapping them in with my pants, they're also adorable paired with any leggings, especially when you see them peeking out of boots. Also, I think these are wonderfully versatile since they can be worn with with skirts, shorts and dresses in the spring/summer for a little preppy vibe.
My one gripe with Ardene is that shopping there is reminiscent of when my mom used to quiz us kids on our math skills on our way to/from school (this actually happened frequently in my childhood). When you walk into the stores, which at least aren't as large and disorganized as Forever21, you're swarmed by pink labels indicating the price bundles: "3 for $10," "3 for $15," "2 for $15," "2 for $20"...you get the idea. But I digress, because most of the bundles are pretty good deals.
See those fun festive "midi socks"? All three of those pairs cost me a combined total of $10 CAD (individually they're 5.50, so it's legitimately cheaper to buy three pairs instead of two...screw logic). When these pictures were taken, I had yet to wear the regular black pair, so you can see how they came packaged. Since I have gotten these, I have worn one of the pairs every single day. Not only do they keep my feet nice and warm by trapping them in with my pants, they're also adorable paired with any leggings, especially when you see them peeking out of boots. Also, I think these are wonderfully versatile since they can be worn with with skirts, shorts and dresses in the spring/summer for a little preppy vibe.
The pictures above are to really give the leggings justice. From far away, both pairs appear almost identical. But as you can see, this is far from true. On the left, we have the knit effects leggings, which are definitely the thicker and tighter pair. Both of these leggings came in two sizes: XS/S (which I got) and M/L, which really isn't the most accommodating. I've a pretty small person, and the knit ones are rather snug, so I don't know how many full-grown people they'd actually fit. Personally, this level of thickness is just what I wanted, since they refuse to let any cold air in. On the other hand, the winter texture leggings on the right side, are much more stretchy and lounge-worthy. As a result, these aren't as protective against frigid temperatures as the knit leggings, but I have still been frequenting them more since they are just so darn cozy. I also got these in the XS/S size, but this pair are a lot stretchier and so they probably can fit regular-sized people.
Note: my boyfriend has also commented that the winter leggings are his favourite pair of mine (and he's not the type to really mention my clothing so that says something!)
Note: my boyfriend has also commented that the winter leggings are his favourite pair of mine (and he's not the type to really mention my clothing so that says something!)
2. Target
Long-Sleeves:
Mossimo Supply Co. Juniors Long Sleeve Thermal Tee - Verily Iris & Soft Aqua
Sweaters:
Xhilaration® Juniors Tribal Sweater - both colours
Mossimo Supply Co. Juniors Long Sleeve Thermal Tee - Verily Iris & Soft Aqua
Sweaters:
Xhilaration® Juniors Tribal Sweater - both colours
When I went to the Spanish Embassy to get my student Visa all sorted out, I decided to hit up my favourite pet store in the Alexis Nihon Shopping Mall, because that's just something I do. Little did I know, they had opened up a Target in the mall's basement! So what was a girl to do except for embrace the future jewish soccer mom in me, grab my cart and go walk through the entire bloody store? Although I spent a good forty-five minutes in cosmetics (not exaggerating), I was practical and went to the women's clothing clearance section instead for some much-needed winter layering pieces.
On the left, are two long-sleeve shirts by the Mossimo Supply Co. brand, and each cost me only $7.49 CAD at 50% off! These shirts are a waffle-type of fabric, which adds some great texture and dimension to any outfit. They came in a bunch of colours and still had plenty of sizes left, so I would check out your latest store before they run out (because these are still full-priced online). To the right, I found two tribal sweaters by the Xhiliration line, each only setting me back $17.49 CAD at 30% off (awkwardly $18.49 online). These sweaters are on the lighter side of thickness, so they're great to wear under a winter coat without turning into a human furnace. Note that these are on the slightly cropped size, which is perfect for my short torso, but may not be preferred for all. So far, I have worn all four of these tops, and have been extremely pleased with them! In fact, I happened to spill a full cup of coffee all over the light-blue one, and it did not shrink after extensive washing, so that's always good.
All in all, I'm very pleased with my low-priced purchases from Ardene and Target! Although these items may not be of amazing quality, they are perfect for my tastes and for the season. I can wear them through their shorter lifespan, and I won't have to feel guilty when they start to deteriorate. Remember that there are great sales to be had all time of the year, not just on Black Friday, you just might have to do a little hunting for them. After all, scoring a great deal after chasing it down is much more satisfying. Stay warm :)
On the left, are two long-sleeve shirts by the Mossimo Supply Co. brand, and each cost me only $7.49 CAD at 50% off! These shirts are a waffle-type of fabric, which adds some great texture and dimension to any outfit. They came in a bunch of colours and still had plenty of sizes left, so I would check out your latest store before they run out (because these are still full-priced online). To the right, I found two tribal sweaters by the Xhiliration line, each only setting me back $17.49 CAD at 30% off (awkwardly $18.49 online). These sweaters are on the lighter side of thickness, so they're great to wear under a winter coat without turning into a human furnace. Note that these are on the slightly cropped size, which is perfect for my short torso, but may not be preferred for all. So far, I have worn all four of these tops, and have been extremely pleased with them! In fact, I happened to spill a full cup of coffee all over the light-blue one, and it did not shrink after extensive washing, so that's always good.
All in all, I'm very pleased with my low-priced purchases from Ardene and Target! Although these items may not be of amazing quality, they are perfect for my tastes and for the season. I can wear them through their shorter lifespan, and I won't have to feel guilty when they start to deteriorate. Remember that there are great sales to be had all time of the year, not just on Black Friday, you just might have to do a little hunting for them. After all, scoring a great deal after chasing it down is much more satisfying. Stay warm :)
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