Creole Curves

Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of shopping with Daniella, the dynamic owner and chef of Creole Envie, an amazing young restaurant in Edmonton Highlands.  Daniella is one busy woman.  She hits the gym every morning then heads to the restaurant and does everything all day and all night.  She is sought after for menu consultations, private gatherings and all things Edmonton foodie!  She was awarded Vue Weekly's Best of Edmonton 2013 "Best Twitterer" and is getting rave reviews everywhere!  No wonder, because she is a warm, friendly, sincere, smart, savvy woman - and she met me with a hug which I always like!  Fast friends!  There was a problem though... Daniella was wearing her chef clogs and yoga pants as her work uniform.  Needless to say, this does not do her justice!  We made an appointment and hit VV Boutique as soon as possible to find Daniella some new threads that match her wonderful personality!

 We gathered not one but two carts full of options!

Daniella did her homework ahead of time and cleaned out her closet of everything that doesn't fit, is in ill repair or is not her current style.  She brought some donations and got a sticker card for 15% off her purchase!  She also created a style board on Pinterest that helped us identify style themes; Daniella is drawn to a vintage, feminine fifties silhouette and vibrant colours that reflect her love for New Orleans.  She also needed to find clothes that could transition from back to front of restaurant, are easy to care for and easy to wear for long busy days!  However, layers and sweaters are not options for her active hot job!

Almost immediately, we learned that this style formula of skirt + fitted top defined her curves and suited her style aesthetic!

All of these pieces can be mixed!  Notice the leather pumps and she-booties!

Daniella has black shrugs and cardis for when she wants to cover her tattoos.

Daniella has a - and I quote - "collection" of Swarovski crystal pieces so I needed to illustrate that you CAN wear a necklace with a cowl neckline.  In fact, she now knows she MUST wear her collection as often as possible!  Why not?!  Don't save your favourite things for special days; wear them every day to make that day special!

The polka dots in this pretty skirt looked great with purple, red, oxblood and fuchsia.

Remember, you don't have to "match" exactly!  Because that is too easy and kinda boring.

Not everyone is comfortable with this much colour, but I personally love mixing colour-neighbours on the colour wheel.

I thought the skirts were going well.  Then we started with dresses and they all looked incredible!

Va va va voom!  Daniella has a beautiful hourglass figure and embraces her curves!

 This pleated dress was so comfortable!  

The pattern and colours are pretty and interesting and the belt adds a touch of tough!

The gray polka dot dress has pockets and the black can be dressed up for a fancy event or down, like with this cardi, for everyday wear in the restaurant.

 This gorgeous vintage dress was the find of the day!

In the end, Daniella selected 1 pair of black pants, 2 pairs of leggings, 3 pairs of tights, boots, she-booties, wedges and flats, 2 cardis, 4 tops, 5 skirts and 7 dresses for a total of 28 pieces at an average cost per item of $9.31 or $12.89 including my fee.  Labels ranged from low- to mid- to high-end (Bandolino shoes anyone?!!) and everything worked well together for tons of mix and match possibilities! 

I'm willing to bet that these dresses and skirts are more comfortable than yoga pants and so much more polished and stylish!  Daniella, you look stunning!  I can't wait to come to Creole Envie for the fab food and fab style!