Power Pastels by Jessica McLeod

Well summer is here and I am happy to be enjoying it on Vancouver Island, close to the ocean and the mountains. You can’t help but be inspired by the beauty that surrounds you! I just returned home from a two month stint in The Queen City. It was full of hard work and great hang outs with new friends. I also attended Saskatchewan Fashion Week (my first), which has ultimately led me here, to this post, on this blog. I’m excited I’ll be writing here, contributing my bit every couple weeks to what I think is a great message: Life is beautiful, and you should dress accordingly. Fashion is a fantastic way to express yourself and your creativity, and to feel your best. Which brings me to power pastels…

I love blazers and a good pair of trousers, but I’d never found the suit that fit both me and my budget. That is until I stumbled across these separate pieces that make up my perfect power suit. This mint suit has been a mainstay of my spring and summer wardrobe, surprisingly versatile. Mint is one of my favourite colours – I’ve got nail polish and high heels, and I’ve coveted leather jackets, and even one time a Volkswagon Beetle. The mint is picked right out of the blue greens of the beach, and I am happy to see it popping up in many new forms this season. To me, the structure of a suit makes pastels very easy to wear. It’s a great juxtaposition between the soft femininity of the colour and the more masculine sharp lines of a suit. Pairing the mint with nude keeps it soft and still makes a statement, working with the monochrome theme. It’s also easy to dress up with heels and jewellery, or down – as in Gatsby by the sea in a pink suit “dressed down”. Here I’ve taken the latter route with a silk blouse and tan leather sneakers that are just as good for scurrying over ocean boulders as they are for navigating the concrete jungle. The overall look feels both nostalgic and modern, which hearkens back to a time when a suit was casual wear. I have finally found my perfect power suit and it is pastel. What’s yours?