ON THE RUN

On the night of Wednesday, July 9th many girls and guys could be seen walking the streets of downtown Toronto. The girls in shirts with phrases like "flawless" and "I woke up like this", headbands baring words "surfboard" and "bow down". The guys were seen in shirts saying "Tom Ford" and "99 Problems". So where were these people headed? They were making their way to the Rogers Center (formerly known as the Sky Dome) which is normally home to the Toronto Blue Jays. On July 9th, however, it was home to screaming fans bowing down to Queen Bey and Hova. Beyonce and Jay-Z have finally given the fans what they wanted and made Toronto the 6th stop on their 16 city, first-ever, tour together. 

The On The Run tour is a spin off of the song "Part II (On the Run)" by Jay-Z which features Beyonce. It also has origins from their first ever song together "03 Bonnie and Clyde". In May of this year the couple released a fake movie trailed titled "RUN" to give the fans a taste of what to expect for their concert. The trailer left fans dying to watch this movie, which starred several familiar faces. Fans even went to the extent of petitioning for it to be made into a movie. Even though this will not be happening, I must admit the concert was OUTSTANDING. Or should I say FLAWLESS. I was never a devoted fan to Beyonce, but I am a huge fan of Jay-Z. The couple did an amazing job, and I would go see it again and again. 

So here's a RUN-down. The couple finally came out on stage, about 45 mins late, to a stadium of anxious & screaming fans to the sound of Bonnie and Clyde. Behind them on the jumbo screen was a video compilation of clips filmed from their RUN trailer. In tune with the theme of their tour, there was a outlaw criminal aspect to the atmosphere and stage / lighting design.

The couple had a 42-song set list (for a full set list click here), with crowd favourites of each artist's solo songs, and collaborations they have made together. Both artists did a combination of both their older and newer hits; which didn't disappoint the fans. Beyonce with "Single Ladies" and "Partition" and Jay-Z with "Dirt Of Your Shoulder" and "Clique". Some of my favourite songs the two performed together were "Crazy In Love" and of course "Drunk In Love".

I loved the way they shared the stage, letting each have their turn in the center. Beyonce would sing a few of her songs with Jay-Z chiming in in the end, followed by the two singing a song together. Beyonce would exit and give the stage to her hubby where he would spit his rhymes that had me and my friends jamming out. This continued for the remainder of the 2 and a half hours, my only complaint being that there wasn't more. Queen Bey and Hova ended the concert singing Young Forever and Halo (with Jay mouthing the words). Mr & Mrs.Carter walked out center stage, hand in hand, all smiles with several video clips of the two and their beautiful daughter Blue Ivy. 

What I loved just as much as the music was the incredible wardrobe the two donned. Beyonce in several bodycons, leotards and even a beautiful ivory wedding dress! Like always- she showed us how flawless her body is. Jay-Z wore a number of T-shirts, gold chains, hats and a striking white suit in the end. 

So what did my friends & and I wear?

Left (Me, C)

Outfit: top- Forever 21, shorts- Forever 21, cardigan-express

Accessories: necklace- Forever 21, earrings- Heritage 1981, bracelets (not pictured)- various gold ones that I layered

Shoes (not pictured): black Michael Kors sandals

Center

Outfit: top-Urban Planet , shorts-Garage Clothing, cardigan- Aritzia

Accessories: silver hoop earrings, pandora bracelet (not pictured)

Shoes (not pictured): beige Archer sandals by Dolce Vita

Right

Outfit: navy blue and black leopard print romper from Top Shop

Accessories: earrings- tory burch, statement necklace, knuckle rings and black and gold clutch

Shoes (not pictured): orange/gold sandals- Spring

Beyonce may seem perfect ladies but just remember...

*we do not take credit for any of these photos

Sweater Weather

          No matter what state or province you live in, it's that time of year where looking fashionable and staying warm is sometimes a hard thing to pull off. The frigid winter temperatures can make even the most fashion forward thinker, think twice about changing out of sweatpants and that perfect oversized hoodie. Well have no fear! We're here with loads of sweaters that can keep you stylish and toasty; Just throw one of these lovelies over a pair of leggings, jeans, or printed tights and slip on some boots and you're winter ready.

          Whether you're into the oversized pullover look or printed open cardigans are more your forte, there are so many options on the market you can't go wrong. Nowadays when it comes to sweater trends- it's the bigger the better- but there are also classic styles with a twist (see the embellished shoulders and cool collars pictured). If you love any of the sweaters featured in this post, be sure to check out stores like Forever 21, Aritzia, H&M, TopShop, Brandy Melville, Garage, Cotton On, and Amazon.com to amp up your winter style.

*Photos courtesy of many lovely retailers. 

C's Holiday Outfits

Party 1:  Wine & cheese night at home

         Every year I have a themed Christmas party with some of my closest friends from highschool. The theme usually surrounds the food we're eating, and it's always a potluck. This year we (we as in me) decided to have a wine and cheese night because I LOVE WINE. So we had many different types of wine, crackers and cheese. It was great!

          My outfit: I wore the mint green lace collared top that I bought at Marshalls in the states a few months ago. For my hair I did a high ponytail and teased my hair a bit (unfortunately you can't really tell here because I'd already had a few glasses of wine...) and I paired it with a floral white headband I bought in Singapore. For my jewelry I stacked a combination of white and silver bracelets, wore my standard pair of pearl earrings and Tiffany necklace.

Party #2:  Hotel Christmas Party, Downtown Toronto

          Not only was this party cool because my sister's friends had it at a hotel but also because we were divided into 2 teams : Red vs. Green. And everyone had to dress in their colour. I was on team green and decided to wear a long sheer mint green skirt (which apparently wasn't green enough for people) and tucked in a purple top from Wilfred. My jewelry again was simple: stacked silver bracelets, Tiffany necklace, peace sign necklace and pearl earrings.

Party #3:  Christmas Eve

           For Christmas Eve I wore this maroon peplum top I bought from H&M a while back that I've been saving for Christmas. (J has the same top; It's that great.) I didn't really wear any bracelets, instead I wore a nice collar necklace that I bought from Forever21. I wore this top with a tight black skirt from H&M as well. But you could also wear this top with dark skinny jeans for a more casual look.

Party #4:  New Year's Eve

          For New Year's Eve my best friend and her boyfriend came over and we had a little party in my basement (see http://fashiontakemyheart.blogspot.ca/2012/12/last-minute-new-years-eve-ideas.html). I wore a black and cream chiffon dress from TopShop. I wore a lot of accessories/bling, consisting of a collar necklace (A Christmas gift from Forever 21) and various gold and pearl bracelets (From Forever21 and Juicy Couture) since New Year's style is all about shine.

Party #5:  New Year's Day

         On New Year's Day we went to my aunt's house for dinner, as tradition. I wore a blouse that I bought at Forever21 on sale (Boxing Day obviously) and I wore red lipstick and a red purse for a pop of colour!


What did you wear to ring in the holidays? Share your photos at our email fashiontakesmyheart@gmail.com.