No Grey area....

Late Sunday night I sat down with my iPad and notebook to work on my editorial calendar and flip through some photos of myself from the week prior (as one does!). It had been a whirlwind week for sure, fresh from my 5-day trip to Frankfurt and straight into my Birthday week. #LEOseason had begun.

 One thing, in particular, stood out, all week I'd only worn black and white. Now this may not seem unusual to the average human, but for me -the print and colour obsessed- it was quite strange. The #AllBlackEverything wardrobe switch up was not a conscious decision, I hadn't even realized it was happening until today. Maybe it was the fact that all my patterned pieces are still sitting waiting to be unpacked from my trip? Perhaps some of the no-nonsense German sartorial sensibility had rubbed off on me from the days prior? I did seem to be sporting more mesh, leather and looser than usual denim & trousers.  Or was it that I was getting older and more sensible in my wardrobe choices? 

Of course with B-day's come much personal reflection. While it wasn't a milestone birthday - it was particularly special as it was my first birthday away from my family and friends.  For comparison I spent August 3rd last year surrounded by 50 of my closest friends with a family party the days following - this year I had an intimate dinner with just one friend (and fellow Toronto expat) Serena. But it was just as special, and a quiet reminder of just how much has changed since moving to London. Different but Better. 

Sipping a mini Laurent Perrier champagne en route to dinner with Serena. 

The birthday celebrations lasted all week - from the minute I got off the plane from Germany, one of my best friends Chantel surprised me with a 10-hour London layover - we headed to Heaven for an all night dance party, where black mesh and ripped denim was the look du nuit. Wednesday (my actual birthday) I wore a leather tee to dinner over a marble print dress shirt, and Bottega Veneta printed trousers and pouch. Friday I opted for more white than black with a  look consisting of an Alexander McQueen tartan blazer, longline tee and ripped denim (pictured here)... I called it my accidental Fuccboi look. My coworkers couldn't get enough, and one of them Riham, (a budding photographer) snapped these pics after we left work. For Friday night drinks at Roof Gardens, I kept the black and white look going with a printed shirt from Agi & Sam and black Kimono jacket. 

 I think the idea of black and white, with no grey area, is an excellent metaphor for how I'd like to enter this next chapter of my life. Vapidness aside - my Sunday night reflections did extend to beyond outfits... I thought about how I could apply the  "black and white, yes or no" mentality to my relationships, friendships and work. First i'd have to define "Black & White", would it mean being more direct? would it mean blending in and fading to black? Or did it mean being on the cutting edge like the Japanese Avant garde? For my thesis work I'd researched and written extensively the colour Black's connotations - I shared a few of my findings here.

Whatever it means let's hope this new outlook lasts longer than my current penchant for wearing only black and white... 

Alexander McQueen Blazer // Elevate tee // Zara bag // Stampd LA denim // Gola shoes // Urban Outfitters sunglasses