Bag Lady: Summer's best totes and carry-alls

Whether you are headed to the beach or the office we love the low maintenance and high style of these bags.

TOMS Tote - Island Chevron Straw $98 Bloomingdales.com

The Textured Tote. Full of texture and print this bag adds interest to a simple ensemble and pairs perfectly with bright summer shades.  Add a maxi or swimsuit and you are set.

Buxton Simplicity Shopper Tote - Natural, $24.99, www.buxton.co

The Workhorse Tote. True to it's name this tote is the perfect understated accessory that you will be reaching for on your way out the door.  It also comes in a mix of fun bright shades and black, at this price you might want pick up a few.

Botkier Tote - Soho Metallic, $298, Bloomingdales.com

The Chic and Glam Tote. Adding a metallic accessory to our look is an instant pop and we love the white glossy sheen of this gold. Perfect to add a little youthful edge or elevate basics.

Poverty Flats By rian, $54.97, Nordstrom Rack

The Modern Feminine. This softer shade tote is balanced out by modern perforated side panels.  A perfect accent to summer whites.

Future Glory WALKING ROCK TOTE, $225. FutureGlory.co

The Transitional Tote. Perfect for now and later. Keep this carryall on hand for summer getaways. It will also be an excellent accompaniment come autumn as a neutral standout.

Days 2-6: Lessons in Outfitting

Day 6

Day 5

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

We are six days into our experiment and things have been pretty easy so far.  Although, yesterday I got a glimpse into the future and there may be some odd ensembles coming my way. Right now I am loving the simplicity of my choices.  Getting dressed in the morning is fairly straightforward, my only consideration is leaving enough interesting combinations for the future for what is on my calendar.

At almost a week, here are my top three takeaways:

1-Be creative with what you have and how you wear your jewelry.  Its not just about the statement jewelry everyday, sometimes a fun mash up of layering strands is enough.

2-Embrace what is unnatural, fight your own norms. A good portion of my "core" wardrobe for my 31 days are basics.  It was a natural choice to get the most milage out of these pieces, but pairing them together has left me some what uninspired. While I'm craving a little more print or color what I am learning is to embrace contrast more. Wearing the white jeans with the black tee -- normally unnatural for me personally.  I would normally opt for the inverse to keep the focus toward my face...but paired with wedges and an eye catching necklace it can work.

3-Roll with it.  Weather can change and outfits can evolve. 4th of July was a good lesson for me in the evolution of an outfit. By 5pm the fog had blown into the city and wearing a dress to a rooftop party was not practical.  Instead of defaulting to a complete wardrobe change I threw on my boyfriend jeans under my dress. Voila my dress became a tunic and I really liked the look and will be using it as an outfit in the coming days.

P.S. I've pledged to take more selfies each week.

Stay Stylish,

Kimberly

Days 4-6: Red, White, Blue... and Black

Happy Monday! After a fun-filled holiday weekend it was definitely hard to pull myself out of bed this morning. Short on time to get to the Canvas Monday meeting, it was actually nice to have a small clothing selection to pull from. I went with a long black maxi dress and amped it up with lots of accessories, including my favorite vintage studded belt that used to belong to my Nana, a Goorin Bros fedora, a bright scarf (it's really a sarong) and comfy Calvin Klein flats. 

So it's been almost a full week and here are my top 3 take-aways from the challenge. 

1. Too many neutrals. I thought I was doing myself a favor by picking a lot of black and white pieces, but I am missing color and prints! It's summer and I want to feel fun and airy. Instead all of this black is weighing me down. 

2. You always want what you can't have. Knowing a certain pieces isn't part of my 31 items only makes me want to wear it more. When choosing, I went with things I wear most often that I thought I could mix and match easily. What I didn't take into account were those off-beat pieces that I don't wear often (have you seen my kimono), but have fun with every so often. Guess they will have to wait until August.

3. The selfie struggle is real. One of the hardest parts of this challenge has been capturing the outfits in a photo everyday. There's a reason I like being "behind the scenes" in fashion. I have definitely had to push myself out of my comfort zone with taking my daily pictures.

And now... a recap of my outfits from days 4-6

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Head over to Chanel Files to see how our fav style blogger Chanel is doing with the 31 Days of Style Challenge.

Stay Stylish,
Megan

Days 2 & 3- Mixing and Matching

Ok, I'll admit it. It's only day 3 and I've had to refer to my list to remember what 31 items I am allowed to wear. Suddenly I have a desire to wear that dress that's been in the back of my closet for the past year, but it's not on my list. Gah! Something tells me that this is going to be tougher than I thought... but so far so good!

Day 2: I had a new client meeting and outfitting session, so I went for a high-low look with black rag n bone jeans, white James Perse tee and a sequin French Connection jacket for a little glam. I topped it off with my silver metallic flats (something tells me these will be getting a lot of wear this month!).

Day 3: I am kicking off the holiday weekend early with lunch with friends outside. But first, spending the morning catching up on some desk work. Feeling a little sassy, so I went with a fitted cotton Rachel Roy dress paired with a slouchy open sweater for a pop of color and my favorite statement necklace. 

Can't wait to show you my 4th of July look!

Stay stylish,
Megan

Day 1 - New Day, New Challenge!

It's a new month and a new way of dressing for the next 31 days.  I have been looking forward to today for the last week...it's a little like the first day of school. Who knows what we'll learn, but it will be a fun experiment in stretching ourselves beyond what is comfortable or easy.  First stretch for me is embracing the public selfie (yikes).  Here we go, and...posted!

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The Look: Summer Casual Office Day 

• BCBG Top
• Anthropologie Scarf
• J.Crew Matchstick Jeans
• Jigsaw Wedge Sandals
• Pilcro Denim Jacket

Day 1 - Let the Challenge Begin!

Ok so today is Day 1 of our 31 Days of Style Challenge. Even though I am not seeing clients today, so I can dress more on the casual side, I still felt a bit of pressure when I was choosing my outfit. It can almost be compared to going on vacation and you don't want to wear your best outfit too early or waste on a "whatever" day. 

After some coffee and deliberation, I landed on this:

The Look:
*All Saints t-shirt
*DL cropped jeans
*Metallic silver flats
*Bright pink lipstick for a pop of color

I wonder how Chanel and Kimberly are doing?

xox,
Megan

Announcing the 31 Days of Style Challenge

With the warmer months finally here, we thought it would be fun to push ourselves out of our style comfort zone and try something new.  So starting this Wednesday, July 1st, we will be kicking off a 31 Day Style Challenge where we are only allowed to wear 31 pre-selected pieces from our wardrobe for the entire month of July! To up the ante, we’ve partnered with local Bay Area style blogger Chanel Butler, who is joining us on the journey to enlightened minimalist dressing via her awesome blog The Chanel Files.

The RULES for 31 Days of Style
*31 Total Items (includes clothing, shoes, handbags, and scarves)
*Jewelry, Undergarments and Workout Gear are excluded
*Two WILD CARDS can used toward adding one item to the mix and can be used at any time but only for one day

Megan's 31 Items:
"Have you ever thought about the number of items you wear in a month? I hadn’t either until Kimberly came to me with the idea that we challenge ourselves to try minimalist dressing for the month of July. 31 pieces of clothing for 31 days. My thought process went from “This could be fun,” to “Wait, seriously only 31 items,” to “Bring it… I am ready.” 

Kimberly's 31 Items:
"If anyone really knows me, they know that while I am a creative type I also have a seriously analytical side. I love always pushing the numbers in fashion and trying to develop different models of what makes a strong outfit and how flexible pieces can be in creating alternative looks. Summer is a perfect time to scale back, recharge and experiment with capsule wardrobes. San Francisco presents a summer climate challenge of its own…so this challenge should be a unique one for Megan and I."

None of us are sure what we are getting into, but you will be able to follow our ups, downs and creative outfit choices here on our blog, on Instagram (@CanvasStyling) and on our Facebook page. Stay tuned each day as we post our outfits and keep you updated on how we are doing with the challenge. Let' do this! 

Fourth of July: DIY Sparklers

Okay, slightly misleading but maybe we are a little punchy this year as we prepare to celebrate our nation's birthday next week. We have complete confidence in your ability to find your best red, white and blue number and look smashing. In lieu of outfit making we decided to mix it up a bit with a few DIY cocktails that won't stain your whites or at the least complement your look. Any of these refreshers are equally delightful with or without alcohol. 

The Star Spangler (aka White Peach Sangria)-

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

Fruit: 

• 1 white peach, halved, pitted, and sliced into 1/2-inch wedges
• 2 nectarines, halved, pitted, and sliced into 1/2-inch wedges
• 1 plum, halved, pitted, and sliced into 1/2-inch wedges
• 16 bing cherries, pitted
• 1/4 cup frozen blue berries (reserve for garnish and chill)

Liquids:

• 3 tablespoons peach liqueur 
• 1 tablespoon Triple Sec
• 1 bottle (750 ml) dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
• 1 bottle (750 ml) ginger ale
• Ice

DIRECTIONS

1. In a pitcher or large bowl, combine peach, nectarine, plum, cherries, peach liqueur, and white wine. Stir to combine and refrigerate 1 hour (or up to overnight). To serve with blue berries, add ginger ale to taste and ice.

 

Watermelon-Mint Cocktail 

Makes 1 cocktail

INGREDIENTS

Ice
1 1/2 ounces vodka
1 ounce St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
2 ounces watermelon juice (purée a few slices of watermelon, rind removed, in a blender)
5 mint leaves
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce agave nectar
1 watermelon ball or slice, for garnish
1 mint leaf, for garnish

 

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and the ingredients, cover, and shake well for 10 seconds. Pour into a tall glass.
2. Garnish with watermelon and mint.

For a non-alcoholic version, double the watermelon juice and agave and add soda water.

Blackberry Lemonade

Makes 2 quarts

INGREDIENTS

6 cups water, divided
1 cup sugar
4 lemons
2 cups (1 pint) fresh blackberries         3 tablespoons of Whiskey or Bourbon

DIRECTIONS

In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil with the sugar. Once completely dissolved, remove from heat and allow to cool.

Juice the lemons; this will yield about 1 cup of freshly squeezed juice. In a blender, combine lemon juice and blackberries and blend until pureed. Strain mixture and discard seeds.

In a pitcher, stir together sugar water, blackberry puree, alcohol and add 4 additional cups water. Refrigerate until cool or add ice cubes to individual glasses to drink sooner. Serve with a wedge of lemon or sprig of rosemary.

Easy Summer Braid Tutorial

Looking for a quick way to pull your hair back this summer that's more stylish than a ponytail? We love this easy swept braid tutorial by The Small Things Blog on YouTube.

10 Men's Summer Style Essentials

Hey gents, we stripped down your summer wardrobe to the 10 key items you need to look great and stay cool as the temps rise. Head over to our Men's Summer Style Essentials Pinterest Board to see our top picks, ranging from linen shirts to knit polos and aviator sunnies.