Category Archives: Personal Style

Learning to be Myself

Posted on June 12, 2019February 7, 2020 by Melissa Harrison

I can’t believe it took me 31 years to realize I should just wear what I like. I shouldn’t be worried about showing too much; if someone has a problem with my cute crop top or unlined bra, that’s about them, not about me. I shouldn’t ask myself if my love for campy fringe is too much… too much for whom? and of course it is, that’s what makes it camp! This outfit might not seem like much of a statement, but stepping out in it, and feeling more confident than ever, was a big step for me and symbolic of the changes I’ve been trying to make for myself.

Maybe it’s the roller derby – and spending the last six months feeling my body become stronger and faster – but I felt great in this: the first crop top I have ever purchased. I wore it to a barbecue and didn’t feel the usual need to cover up or apologize for my female figure, like I’ve been trained to do since that summer my legs grew several inches and the boys noticed before I did.

I fell in love with the perfect black fringe and brightly coloured pom pom trim of these sandals the second I saw them last summer, but didn’t buy them because I was worried they would be too bold to fit in with my current wardrobe. When I saw that they were on clearance this spring, and about to slip through my fingers, I realized that I was being silly and if I loved something that much, it was obviously part of my core style. I have since worn them so often, they have found a permanent position on the little mat by my front door because of course they suit me.

I’ve had to learn, over the past two decades, to trust my taste, learn to stop fretting over other people’s expectations and opinions about my body and the way I choose to decorate it (because it’s super weird that they feel the need to tell me, anyway) and, really, learn how to be myself.

TopAmerican Apparel
SkirtSteady Clothing

All photos by me.

Party Planner Skirt

Posted on May 7, 2019February 7, 2020 by Melissa Harrison

I am so in love with this new skirt from my new summer collection. Of all the new pieces I have planned, this one held the weakest picture in my mind. Once all the components arrived and I sat down to work on a sample, I had to go dog through my stack of notes to find my written plans because I couldn’t remember what it was supposed to look like. Even while making it, my vision of the final product was blurry. The organic cotton felt so soft and the colours popped so beautifully, but it wasn’t until I stood up from my sewing machine, after having just sewn the full and fluffy voile lining in, and pulled everything around to sew the back seams together that I knew I was onto something. I had the weakest vision of this skirt, other than I knew I wanted to work with the subtle diagonal lines of the print, and it turned out to be one of my favourites: love at first sight.

Skirt Sophster-Toaster
Glasses Warby Parker
Necklace Emery & Opal

All photos by me.

Late Bloomer

Posted on April 16, 2019April 15, 2019 by Melissa Harrison

Being in Canada, it seems like I’m always the last girl in the world to get my spring flowers. My Instagram feed is flooded with beautiful new pictures of trees, meadows and gardens teeming with blooms, meanwhile, I’m staring at bare trees and brown gardens. By the time my spring flowers finally arrive, everyone else is moving on to summer. I feel like I’m always one step behind; I’m a slow starter and a late bloomer.

I was digging through some older pictures I took for my shop over the weekend and I was stunned by how much my style and photography aesthetics have evolved and aligned over time. I’ve noticed the same thing happening in my life since turning 30. I feel so much more sure of myself, my style and my creative pursuits; I know what I want and I’m confident in my choices. It’s like my life, until now, has been spent germinating beneath the snow and now I’m finally ready to bloom.

Umbrella Pearls and Pockets
Glasses Warby Parker
Skirt Steady Clothing

Photos by me and Matt.

Strawberry Jammer Skater Skirt

Posted on April 2, 2019April 1, 2019 by Melissa Harrison

I’ve been learning to skate with Niagara Roller Derby all winter and this skirt, with its sweet strawberry print on lightweight cotton, bias cut in a full circle, was decidedly inspired by my new obsession. It’s all I think about and, I’ve been told, all I talk about, so I’m not surprised the first piece I turned out for the warmer weather would look great on skates.

I can’t wait to wear this skirt as I skate downtown to grab a strawberry radler on a hazy summer evening. When working on and wearing this skirt, I couldn’t help but think about the summer sun casting bold shadows on tree-lined streets, the sound of cicadas, and the feeling of that first cooler breeze after the sun finally sets rustling in the light fabric of this full skirt and the soft pink lining underneath.

Sweater Bluenotes
Skirt Sophster-Toaster
Shoes ModCloth
Glasses Warby Parker
Earrings old

All photos by me.