Celebrating Canada150 in Style with Upper Canada

Canada’s 150^th birthday is just around the corner!

I started my Canada150 celebrations a couple months ago with my trip to the Juno Awards in Ottawa. We are just a couple weeks shy now of July 1^st, so it’s a good time to continue the Canadian pride – this time, with a new style post and ode to some of my favourite Canadian retailers. I’ll also be celebrating Canada150 with a new food post coming up on the blog next week – so stay tuned!

It’s been a little while since my last style post, and since I decided to take a trip to Upper Canada this past weekend to do some shopping for Father’s Day, it dawned on me: why not showcase and celebrate some of the homegrown Canadian talent we have by wearing all Canadian for Canada150?

There is a long list of Canadian retailers at Upper Canada, including Aritzia, Le Château, Dynamite, Mendocino, Garage Clothing, Rudsak, Hudson’s Bay, Danier, Roots, and Lululemon, all of which you can regularly find in my closet. I didn’t realize just how many amazing Canadian brands there were until I took a minute to really think about it to write this blog post. I already wear all-Canadian without even being aware a lot of the time!

Since we did technically go to the mall to find gifts for our dads, Alex would have been annoyed if we spent the day shopping just for me. So, to be fair, I beelined straight for my absolute favourite Canadian retailer: Aritzia.

Aritzia is one of my favourite brands, in general, because it is totally in line with my aesthetic and style. I love beautiful basics, and that’s exactly what this brand is known for. All of their pieces are classic, minimal, and can be worn across seasons. You can dress most items up or down, which makes it the perfect place to shop for casual clothes or for clothes to wear to the office. It’s been so exciting to see how this Vancouver-based brand has grown – perfect success story for Canada150!

I’m always on the lookout for a good pair of trousers, so these light grey pants immediately caught my eye. And who doesn’t love a pair of pants with a belt that you can tie around your waist?! I decided to pair these pants with a cute, cotton off-the-shoulder top. I love that the OTS trend is still going strong this year! Since the trousers are high-waisted, the cropped length of this Bardot top paired perfectly. I could also see a high-waisted pencil skirt going really well with this top.

In terms of accessories, I decided to match my grey trousers with my light grey cross-body bag from Le Château, a Montreal-based brand that’s been around since the 50s (more love for Canadian brands!). I’m wearing the bag more like a clutch for this look, but it has a strap and can be worn on one shoulder or across the body.

I decided to add a pop of colour to this outfit by pairing with bright, floral block heel sandals from Aldo Shoes (yet another great Canadian brand). These sandals are just perfect for the summertime with their floral pattern. You could easily style these with a pair of denim shorts or boyfriend jeans, for a more relaxed look.

What do you guys think of this all-Canadian look for Canada150? What are some of your favourite Canadian retailers? Leave a comment below!