Festive Wear….
For many Canadians July 1st is the start of summer. For those who are lucky enough to live in Ottawa, there are lots of things to do and celebrate Canada’s 149th Birthday. Downtown Ottawa is party central and the activities last all day ending with the fireworks at Parliament Hill but for some, partying to wee hours at some of the local bars and restaurants is on tap!
What to wear can be a challenge for this day especially if you are spending several hours in the downtown core not to mention what Mother Nature has in store for us that particular day. Many people like to show their pride and celebrate by wearing red and white. Sourcing red and white Canadian themed garments are not too difficult in Ottawa but it’s always best to purchase in advance. Hudson’s Bay is a great choice in-store or online. They have a great selection of themed garments for the entire family with some items on sale in addition to pieces in white and or red. Personally, I gravitated to the off shoulder white top with a back keyhole & tie closure. For infants, The Children’s place has some great options all at reduced prices. Gymboree is another source for some Canadian themed garments but also for anyone celebrating the 4th of July there are options as well online! Dollarama & Dollar type stores are also a great source for Canada T-shirts, ties, hats, glasses, rain ponchos and many other novelty items but the selection diminishes as the date approaches.
(Photo by Wayne Cuddington / Ottawa Citizen)
My preference is to wear white garments and use red as an accent. My reasoning is quite simple, I would rather purchase something that can be worn many times and plays a role in my wardrobe. As an Image consultant, I often speak to my clients about the Cost Per Wearing (CPW). Basically, you take the price of a garment and divide it by the number of times you think you will wear it. For example, the Off-shoulder white top that I referred to above at Hudson’s Bay is now reduced from $79.00 to $39.50 but I also have this app called honey that after downloading it to your operating system it automatically looks for further discounts (for many online sites), this past weekend, for this blouse there was an additional 20% off therefore before tax the top is $31.60. When speaking with a client prior to a purchase we discuss versatility of the garment in addition to price, style, and fit, this can be a deciding factor. Therefore, for this particular top, here are a few considerations, top is off shoulder, very current style, can be worn in the summer (warmer) months, can also be worn with shorts, skirts, trousers (therefore multiple looks) I would estimate it could be worn at least once a week approximately twelve times. Therefore $36.00 (with approx. tax)divided by 12(wearing’s) equals $3.00 (CPW) Finally, the last consideration will be how many years you will wear this item…is it so on trend that it will date itself and its wearability prematurely? Is this a style you think is classic and therefore look forward to many years of wearing etc. Of course, if worn more than one year you are reducing your CPW again. This is a great formula to consider when you are making impulse or investment purchases.
Generally, the CPW is high for novelty items and garments, however, this year there may be several opportunities to be sporting your patriotic ensembles, as we will be cheering on Team Canada in this year’s Summer Olympics in Brazil. Our house will be paying special attention to Beach Volleyball where fellow Canadian and family member Ben Saxton along with his partner,Chaim Schalk will be competing for Gold!
Canada Day is fast approaching and the sales are heating up online for many warm weather garments and accessories. For a list of upcoming online sales visit Racked .
As Canadians, we are so fortunate to live in this great country and to have the ability to fly our flag with a sense of pride. Happy Canada Day!
