Styling Quintessential

     On Wednesday I had the pleasure of introducing you to an adorable boutique in downtown Nanaimo: Quintessential. I am so excited to be sharing this post with you where I will be showcasing three styles based around pieces from the boutique. I can't even express how much fun I had at Quintessential finding pieces to style! Let me just say the boutique is my dream closet.

Look 1: the Floral Jeans

      These jeans caught my attention as soon as I set my eyes on them! Not only is the print perfect, they fit like a dream, too. I decided to pair them with a simple tank and jean vest, while playing up the colours in the print with a fun pair of shoes and vibrant purse. These jeans are so versatile - all the colours in the print allow for endless combinations of things to wear with them! 

Details:

Jean Vest: Garage

Tank: RW & Co

Floral Jeans: Quintessential 

Purse: Quintessential 

Shoes: Quintessential

Look 2: the Basic Navy Dress 

     A basic solid dress is a staple in any girl's wardrobe, in my opinion, and this navy dress from Quintessential fits the bill perfectly! It's a great length for spring and summer, and would work great with tights in the fall and winter. You can't tell because of the scarf I'm wearing in these photos, but this dress has little brass buttons up the front of the bodice and a beautiful sweetheart neckline, which would work well with a necklace. I decided to pair this dress with fun colours, drawing from the palette in the scarf to tie it all together, but I can also see this dress paired with crisp white, and pops of red for a fun nautical look!

Details:

Scarf: Quintessential 

Dress: Quintessential 

Belt: Garage

Purse: Quintessential

Shoes: Quintessential

Look 3: the Printed Dress 

      I fell in love with this dress as soon as I came across it! My blog name may give it away, but I love birds, and any garment with a bird print draws my attention like a magpie to a shiny object. I wanted to let the print of the dress shine in this outfit, so I paired it with a simple cropped jean jacket and silver watch necklace. I played up some of the colours in the print with the purse and shoes (which are unbelievably soft and comfortable, by the way!)

     You may have noticed that the shoes and purse are the same for all three outfits - Quintessential has an incredible selection of bags and shoes alike, but I wanted to specifically showcase how versatile a bright shoe and purse can be. I know so many people who would look at a pair of bright pink flats and think "What on earth would I wear with those??" or "It's not worth buying shoes I can only wear with one outfit." Well, I'd like to vanquish those thoughts and prove to you that bright shoes and bags are indeed versatile and completely wearable with many outfits! 

Details: 

Jacket: Urban Planet

Dress: Quintessential 

Belt: Garage

Necklace: Quintessential 

Shoes: Quintessential 

Purse: Quintessential

     I hope you enjoyed this post on styling Quintessential! Be sure to check out the boutique, downtown on Commercial Street. Carla and the girls with find you whatever you're looking for and make you feel incredible. The selection of unique, beautiful clothing and accessories is amazing, and you'll be sure to find something that suits your style!

     Have a lovely day!

-Carley 

xx 

*Photos by Holly 

Meet the Boutique: Quintessential

     In anticipation of Fashion's Night Out Nanaimo, I have been meeting up with local boutique owners who will be providing looks from their stores for the runway show. I had the pleasure of spending some time with Carla from Quintessential and I'm so excited to share with you a little bit about Carla and her boutique! 

How long have you been in Nanaimo? 

I have been in Nanaimo for 22 years. I grew up in downtown Nanaimo and did my high schooling at Nanaimo District Secondary School. I've studies business with a major in marketing and interior design at Vancouver Island University. 

What inspired you to open Quintessential?

Having grown up in Nanaimo, I knew what the city had to offer in the way of shopping. I wanted to open a boutique that offered customers items they could not find anywhere else. I wanted to have an eclectic mix of jewelry, handbags, clothing, and shoes. Having a design background really helped with the merchandising and buying process. The most inspirational part was my 30th birthday...I was about to turn 30 and I thought "It's now or never!" so Quintessential was born!

How did you come up with the name?

I wanted a name that was different and unique but still said something about the store. Quintessential means "representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality of a product. Could also mean the best quality or most pure part of something, or the most demanded..." 

What kind of customers could be found shopping at Quintessential?

Quintessential's customer is your every day girl who is looking for something fun and stylish. Any age, any size, we have something for everyone! 

Tell us a little about your personal style. 

My personal style is playful and involves lots of colours and prints. Dresses are my favourite go-to. I love a great printed dress paired with lots of tri metallic accessories. 

Is your personal style reflected in the clothing you carry in the boutique? 

Definitely! We always have an amazing selection of dresses in every colour and lots of variation in prints. We also have a nice selection of basics and every day essentials that pair nicely with denim and casual pants and skirts.  

What is your favourite thing about owning and running a boutique?

The best thing is being able to see all the amazing clothing and accessories a season ahead of what we are currently in, and being able to trend set for our customers ahead of time! We love dressing customers and seeing every one of them leave stylish and looking fantastic! We like to make people feel good not only about the clothes but about themselves, too. 

What trend are you most excited about for this Spring/Summer season? 

The high-low dress and skirt is so great! People are a little wary but once they try it on they realize anyone can pull it off! The other trend I love right now is printed denim. So cute!  

     Thank you so much for sharing with us today, Carla! I hope Quintessential continues to thrive as one of Nanaimo's go-to fashion boutiques!  

     If you are in the Nanaimo area, be sure to check out Quintessential downtown on Commercial Street. The clothing, shoes, bags, and accessories are all swoon-worthy, and the customer service is unlike anything I have experienced.  It's true what Carla said about customers leaving feeling good about their clothing and themselves!

 

     Have a lovely day!
-Carley 

xx

P.S. 

Be sure to check back on Friday - I will be styling a few of my favourite pieces from Quintessential! 

The Closet Project - Tea Time with Lesley

     Last week I spent some time with my friend Lesley to film this installment of the Closet Project! Our inspiration was the beautiful sunshine so we decided to have a tea party theme. 
     Together we went through Lesley's closet and put together three new outfits. Lesley is an incredible hair stylist and has great style to go with her amazing talent. 



Outfit 1 (00:50)
     This outfit was inspired by a gorgeous structured blazer. We paired it with an adorable red cotton dress, a braided leather belt, and navy blue scarf for a fun, nautical-inspired look that would be appropriate for work. 

Outfit 2 (1:10) / Outfit 3 (1:29)
     Lesley loves the peplum trend that is so popular right now, so we decided to build two outfits around that shape, which works really well with Lesley's figure. Outfit 2 was inspired by a knit peplum that Lesley wanted to wear for Spring. We paired it with white pants and a gold belt for a season appropriate look. Outfit 3 was initially inspired by a soft pink pleated skirt, which worked well with a structured peplum in taupe. Paired with a dark belt and rich silk scarf, this look is perfect for Spring tea parties. 


     I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Closet Project (you can watch the first installment here).
     Be sure to check out Lesley's hair portfolio on Facebook - she has some serious talent!

     Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day!
-Carley 
xx

Styling NYLA

      In my last post, I introduced you to NYLA Boutique on Commercial Street, downtown Nanaimo. Today I'm excited to be bringing you a few looks I styled around pieces from the boutique!

 

 Look 1: the Jacket

      This jacket is probably one of the most beautiful spring pieces I have seen! The print is stunning, and the fit of the jacket is perfect! It's extremely comfortable, soft, and works well dressed up or down. All the beautiful colours make it easy to match for endless style possibilities. 

Details

Jacket: NYLA Boutique 

T-Shirt: Smart Set

Jeggings: Gap

Heels: borrowed from my sister

Hair Bow: Emma-Bug Bowtique

Look 2: the Blouse 

      The first thing that caught my eye about this blouse is obviously the colour - it's so vibrant and fun, but easy to wear. The details on the front and back of the blouse are subtle and tasteful, making this shirt stand out. 

Details: 

Blouse: NYLA Boutique 

Necklace: c/o Sartorial Boutique 

Belt: Joe Fresh

Pants: H&M

Shoes: Ardene

Look 3: the Skirt 

      The tulip shape of this skirt is so feminine and graceful, and the colour is so rich! I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. It fits high on the waist, and would work well with a shirt tucked in, but to try something different, I decided to pair it with a peplum top instead. 

Details: 

Skirt: NYLA Boutique

Top: Urban Planet

Belt: Joe Fresh 

Heels: Aldo

     Thank you for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed the way I styled these three pieces. Don't forget to check out NYLA Boutique and all the gorgeous pieces Jenn has brought in for spring - these pieces are still available! 

     Which is your favourite?

     Have a lovely day!

-Carley 

xx

*Photos by Holly 

Meet the Boutique: NYLA

     In preparation for Fashion's Night Out Nanaimo, I've been catching up with some of the boutique owners who will be providing looks for the runway show to get a little behind the scenes look at who they are and what they do. Today's feature is on NYLA Boutique and Jenn, the beautiful owner.

Tell us a little bit about how you came to be in Nanaimo 

After having a long distance relationship here in Nanaimo, I decided to take the leap and relocate here. 

 What inspired you to open NYLA?

Growing up as a teenager in Port Alberini, my family owned a clothing store. I worked there and was involved in all the buying until I graduated so it was something that I always enjoyed being involved in. When I moved to Nanaimo from Victoria 4 years ago I saw the market for a clothing store because I couldn't find anywhere to shop! There were a lot of generic clothing stores here in Nanaimo, and a lack of quality brand name pieces.

Why downtown Nanaimo? 

I wanted a boutique-style clothing store and didn't see it fitting into the mall, so it was a no-brainer to open downtown with other boutiques. 

Where did the name NYLA come from? 

NYLA of course stands for New York and Los Angeles, and it's by pug's name - so it seemed very fitting. 

Who or what inspires your style? 

I love casual chic - dressing up casual outfits with chunky accessories and fancy shoes. It's all about versatile pieces that can go from day to night, especially living in a smaller town. I love Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Aniston's style... must be a Jennifer thing!

Is your style reflected in the pieces you have in the boutique?

Everything I buy I would (or do) wear. I find that I'm a little more casual than a lot of the clothing I might bring in but I bring in dressier pieces and cocktail dresses because I find there is a void in the market here for those types of pieces. 

 You carry men's clothes as well - how do you choose what menswear to bring in?

I pick whatever I would choose for my boyfriend to wear. I, of course, buy all of his clothing.  

 If you could bring back one trend from the past, what would it be?

I can honestly say all the trends from the past that I love have made their way back around! Neon, high-waisted flares, pointed shoes, vintage rocker tees...it always makes its way back into fashion at some point.

What is your future vision for NYLA?

I would love to open a NYLA in the North End to accommodate the locals who live at that end of town. I also, in the next year, will be developing a website so customers can order online. I want NYLA Boutique to be Nanaimo's "go-to" boutique. I want it to be the first place you go when you are looking for something for every day or something dressy for a special occasion. 

 What is your favourite thing about owning and running a boutique? 

I love that I get so many different aspects of my job, from customer service and meeting great people that come in, to attending buying shows in Vancouver and Las Vegas to see future fashion up front and personal. What girl doesn't want to buy and then sell their dream closet on a daily basis?  

     Thank you so much Jenn for giving us a peek inside your life, and your boutique! 

     If you are in the Nanaimo area, be sure to check out NYLA Boutique - and don't forget to stop by the FNO Nanaimo Facebook page for more details on the event! Tickets are going fast...

     Have a lovely day!

-Carley 

xx