Latest Posts

#ggatShopify – Aug 25, 2020

Dancing to @tameimpala. Trying not to cry over the covid concert postponement. Not as warm as yesterday, so I can do some layering today. These poor Kirkwood’s are getting little use #ggatshopify

Top – Philip Sparks, Shoes – Nickolas Kirkwood, Bottom – Topshop, Earring – Warren Steven Scott

#ggatShopify – Aug 24, 2020

Clashing #ggatshopify. Love this pink satin MM6 skirt but I forgot about all the things that go along with this ?? water stains, wrinkles, ?. I haven’t owned a satin skirt since the 90s. I grabbed this red tank top only because I need to do laundry and I didn’t want to resort to sleeves.

Skirt – MM6, Top – Artizia, Sandals – Halmanera, Earring – Warren Steven Scott

#ggatShopify – Aug 22, 2020

Special sunset #ootd. I meant to wear this dress during the week but just didn’t happen. Felt like a real shame not to grab some shots of it, even if it’s not a #ggatshopify day.

When I saw this dress on Ease’s Instagram I knew I was done for ?

Dress – Kowtow, Earrings – Warren Steven Scott

#ggatShopify – Aug 17, 2020

Who doesn’t love a great, detachable ruffle?! I know I do. I love that I can wear it in the front or back. It’s the little things

Yup, I’m wearing makeup and dressed to the nines so it must be a ShipIt! day. The 3rd Monday is now my event day . Remember when we went out to events and parties . #ggatshopify

#ggatShopify – Aug 11, 2020

Today, I felt like wearing vintage for #ggatshopify. It’s still kinda warm and this fabric is really light. I can’t remember where I got this dress but I’m pretty sure it was in Toronto. Enjoying a Pineapple Express all the way from BC @whistlerbrewing. Thx @mu_is_too_short

Dress – Vintage, Sandals – Kyma

#ggatShopify – Aug 10, 2020

It’s hot today, so it’s all about the shorts #ggatshopify. Bonus bts video of the sausage getting made. It was an accident. These shorts are perfect! So much so they made me want to wear heels.

I spend about 5 to 10 mins doing these #ggatshopify photos (10 mins if I’m dancing). I’m the opposite of a content creator looking over 200 selects of basically the same shot. I take probably less than 15 shots and choose from that.

Shorts – Caron Callahan, Top – Aritiza, Shoes – J. Crew

#ggatShopify – Jul 20, 2020

ShipIt! day is always fun because it’s an excuse for me to dress as if I was going somewhere (complete with makeup. I even put on eyeliner today folks).

I wanted to bring back memories of London, so I grabbed this vintage dress I picked up there from my closet this morning (I miss London ). I also haven’t worn my Ellery earrings much, so they also made an appearance. #ggatshopify

I’ll share the video of the event later. It was a good one.

Dress – Vintage, Shoes – Abel Munoz, Earring – Ellery

i got: Cucumber Smash Picnic Blanket by Calica Studios

I’m not going to lie, Instagram definitely influences my purchases. Case in point, the woven blanket. I discovered American companies like Slowdown Studio and BFGF. Slowdown Studios collaborates with artists to “create living, breathing works of art that are both functional and beautiful” while BFGF is the work of solo artist, Lilian Martinez. Both companies make beautiful woven throws and other textile based products. Out of the two, BFGF is my favourite as Lilian often features black and brown women in her designs. Money prevented me from purchasing anything. Shipping costs and the exchange rate would push these throws close to $300 CAD. Luckily, I discovered a beautiful Canadian alternative.

Calica is a collaborative textile studio based in Toronto and Halifax. They sell a small collections of throws and scarves. I can’t remember exactly what Instagram account introduced me to Calica, but I was now obsessed with their throws that are woven in North Carolina.

Cucumber Smash Picnic Throw by Calica Studios
Cucumber Smash Picnic Throw image: calicastudio.com

I didn’t order the throw online, I made a trip to the One of a Kind show last December. I was able to see the throw in person and saved on shipping. The quality of this blanket is fantastic. It’s heavyweight and incredibly detailed. The design isn’t a print, it’s woven and gorgeous! It felt luxurious. After a few months of owning this throw I can completely say I’m in love and it’s going to make such a great summertime blanket.

I was thinking about the imagery to go with this post and how I could make it more fun. Yes, I have a standard product shot that I’ve taken from the Calica site, but what could I take with my DLSR. How could I show the details that made me fall in love with this throw. So, what’s better than a blanket? My cat being cute on a blanket! Getting close to her would ultimately show off the blanket too.

You can get a good look at the weaving detail here
Cat and Calica

This is my first “i got“post in several years. The same rules apply, these are items I’ve purchased with my hard earned money and stand behind,

#ggatShopify – November 15, 2016: Classic Black & White

#ggatShopify – November 15, 2016

So, it’s my 2nd day at Shopify and I went with a classic black and white outfit. Actually, I really love this outfit and I feel good and put together every time I put it on. It’s a classic pairing in my wardrobe (tight top with a full skirt). It’s something I wore often when I wasn’t playing the #ggatShopify game. Art is a big part of Shopify offices, it’s everywhere and one of the wonderful things that make the place special. I lost my shit the first time I saw the cat wall. These are my people, I thought. It only made sense that I’d use the cat wall as the backdrop to my second #ggatShopify post.

Okay, let’s break down this outfit.

The skirt is is from Rebecca Taylor who isn’t Canadian unfortunately. I hosted a fashion show at The Hudson’s Bay at Yorkdale several years ago (before Shopify) and I received a gift certificate as payment. I purchased this skirt and a couple other things. It’s faux leather, which isn’t something I normally wear that often, but Rebecca Taylor does a good job. The turtleneck is from Suzy Shier. This was a purchase from my RBC days. There is a Suzy Shier in First Canadian Place that I would wander into on lunch hour. This was way before I cut my fast fashion consumption way down. It’s lasted a very long time considering. I can’t tell you where the earrings came from but I bought them from an independent designer years and year ago. The boot are from Poppy Barley, a Canadian shoe company from Alberta. They were just starting out and I received this boots at press preview in 2015. I’m still wearing them 4 years later and they are in great shape. I can’t recommend this company enough.

Everything in this photo won the #ggatShopify Battle Royal except the earrings. It wasn’t that they didn’t bring me joy anymore, I lost one of the pair and after that it was over. The shoes, skirt and turtleneck are still in my closet and bringing me much joy.

geekigirl 3 Kondo 0

#ggatShopify – November 14, 2016: Jumpsuits in Camo

It’s November 14, 2016 and my first day at Shopify. I was so excited and nervous. This wasn’t the Bank and I didn’t know what it would be like working at a company that wasn’t over 50,000 people anymore.  This is the date the #ggatShopify experiment began.  I spent a lot of time deciding what to wear on the first day. It was like it was Toronto Fashion Week. I can’t remember the reasons why I chose this particular outfit outside of jumpsuits being cool and that’s enough for me.

#ggatShopify - November 14, 2016. Anita wears Mercy, J. Crew, Maison Boinet and Brodawka and Friends.
#ggatShopify – November 14, 2016

This is Shopify’s rooftop and my favourite place in the office. There are a few #ggatShopify shots taken on this roof, especially in the summer. Thinking about it makes me smile.

Okay, let’s break down this outfit.

The jumpsuit is by Mercy, a Canadian womenswear brand from the owners of Gaspard in Toronto. I love camo and military inspired clothing. The fit of this jumpsuit is perfect, it’s more streamline than baggy. The belt is hard to see in the photo but it’s black cowhide and from the French brand, Maison Boinet. It was my first exposure to the brand and not the last. I got the belt when I bought the jumpsuit because I tried it on together and it was too perfect to say no. I love these Chelsea Boots from another Canadian brand, Brodawka and Friends (visit them at the Queen Street store). They are well made, thanks to a Goodyear welt! These are several years old and have held their streamlined shape perfectly. Finally, my neon yellow earring are from J. Crew who used to have fun statement earrings but I haven’t seen anything good lately.

Everything in this photo won the #ggatShopify Battle Royal. They are still in my closet and bringing me much joy.

geekigirl 4 Kondo 0

ggatShopify — A Sartorial Battle Royale

#ggatShopify Logo

Leaving RBC and my 14-year Quality Assurance career for the possibilities that an Engineer Storyteller role at Shopify was a massive leap into the unknown. There was so much self-examination going on in my head. I was stepping away from the software pipeline and wouldn’t be part of software development leaving behind a whole pile of feelings: anxiety, the absolute joy of breakthroughs, pride of a job well done, the rush of adrenaline, and frustration (of course). I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it later (spoiler alert, no regrets).

Shopify doesn’t have a dress code so I could wear whatever I want. Thinking about the things I couldn’t wear at RBC that were now fair game made me take a good look at the enormity of my closet and how much of it wasn’t worn often. I decided I would wear something different from my closet every day I went into the to the office. There were some rules. I didn’t have enough foundational pieces like shoes, denim, jewellery, outerwear, cardigans, and handbags to keep up with the extent of the clothing in my possession so, they were exempt. I made sure each outfit contained at least one garment not worn to the office.

This was a snap decision but my crazy mind began to get excited about this little sartorial game I’d play with myself. The game is a self-examination of style with the intention of rediscovering and editing my extensive collection of clothing. I guess I was doing some “spark joy” Kondo crap before I heard I learned of her extreme minimalism. I needed to examine everything and decide what I wanted to keep. The only way to be sure of a garment’s value is to wear it. I only wanted the best of my closet left when the dust settled— but with multiple winners. That’s how #ggatShopify was born.

I used Instagram to document my wardrobe with the hashtag #ggatshopify. I speculated it would me take six months to run out of things to wear. How silly and naive I was, it’s fucking laughable to think about it now in hindsight. The reality was about a year, and honestly, there are still some pieces I haven’t documented. After that year, I stopped posting, I pretty much wore everything.

#I decided to document #ggatShopify here on the blog, a platform I have complete control over. Initially, I was going to post the whole series in order, but I told myself that a year ago. I was seriously dragging my feet about it. I started contributing to the project again recently so, I’m finally sharing this random project of my clothing obsession on I want – I got. I’ll post my current looks and post the historical stuff over the coming months. I’ll let you know what pieces made the cut something won’t find out on Instagram

geekigirl’s gallimaurfy: The Sari Series

The Sari Series
image: http://thesariseries.com

The Sari Series is a beautiful digital anthology documenting India’s regional sari drapes. There are 83 different sari drapes in the anthology plus some additional videos providing sari folding basics so you can have the foundation to try out these beautiful styles.

After discovering this site, I was very angry with myself for not purchasing a sari when I was in India. I see a trip to Little India in my future (after I do a little more research on what to look for).

There is something magical about how you can take several meters of fabric and wrap it around your body in a way that is practical, functional and beautiful. I’m amazed that a combination of knotting, pleating, folding and draping keeps everything in place. It’s not unusual that I’d feel a love for the sari, after all my motto is the higher the yardage numbers, the closer to god.

There are 83 beautiful sari drapes in the Sari Series anthology and I’m still working through watching all of them. However, I’ve seen a few that I’d love to try myself.

Bastar Drape

The Bastar Drape is from Chhattigarh and is worn for forest travelling and agriculture. You’ll need 4.5 meters for this drape.



Dhokna Jalpaiguri Drape

The Dhokna Jalpaiguri Drape is from West Bengal and actually looks like a drape I could pull off with practice. Its classic silhouette would be perfect for everyday wear. You’ll need 4.5-meters for this drape.



Meher Drape

The Meher Drape is from Orissa, India that’s traditionally worn by members of the weaving community. This is another drape that looks fairly easy to straightforward to fold. The styling in the video is perfect and the button-up shirt flawlessly matches the sari. You’ll need 5.5-meters for this drape.



Kuncha Drape

The Kuncha Drape is another one from Orissa and it also looks pretty manageable in terms of difficulty. You’ll need 5.5-meters for this drape.



This is just a few of my favourites. Which ones are yours?

2016 – A year in review at I want – I got

2016 *shakes fist*. What a strangely wonderful and horrible year. This year took several of my important cultural idols: Bowie, Prince, Phife Dawg. It hit hard and deep. On a personal level, I didn’t do much with this space here, my blog. I spent a lot of the year pretty miserable with my professional IT life. I lost interest in the celebrity/influencer obsessed version of fashion that was being put out there. I couldn’t take another thing about the spawn of billionaires and celebrities. The lack of diversity irritated the fuck out me and I took steps to cut that media out of my regular routine. I wasn’t bored of clothing but I was definitely bored with the industry. I didn’t feel the need to talk to the world via this blog as much this year even though there were things to celebrate. I’m going to change that in 2017 but first, here are my biggest moments of 2016. Some are lovely and some hurt till this day.

Skating on the top of 120 Adelaide Street


Molson Canadian invited me skate on the ice rink they built on top of 120 Adelaide Street in the Financial District. You don’t say no to bucketlist worthy times like this.

A photo posted by Anita (@geekigirl) on

Outsiders: American Photography and Film, 1950s–1980s Ad Campaign

Outsiders: American Photography and Film
Fun things via random emails still are happening to me, yay. This year I was part of an ad campaign for the Art Gallery of Ontario. This was a super fun gig and I love the AGO so I was happy to participate.

AGO Outsiders On The Street
The campaign was plastered all over the city so you could see my mug on hoarding or bus shelters. I’m amazed that this has happened to me again. I’m one lucky mofo. What are the odds after the Mastercard Stylicity gig.

There was a video component to the campaign. Everyone selected talked about how they felt about Outsiders and Insiders.

Sagan

I had to say goodbye to my beloved cat Sagan. It hurts.

It kills me that this doesn’t happen anymore. I feel terrible that Sally Sally’s sister isn’t with us anymore.

Loafing #catsofinstagram

A photo posted by Anita (@geekigirl) on

Whistler – Winter and Summer

My winter trip to Whistler had unfortunate timing. Sagan passed two days before I got on the plane. I felt like a terrible cat mom leaving poor Sally Sally at that time. I really needed the time away, my head was a mess. The conditions out there were incredible and Whistler was having a record snowfall year.


It was my best winter trip out there. The skiing was excellent and it was warm enough I got a bit of hiking done in the valley.

I spent my summer vacation in Whistler too. My friends have badgered me about how beautiful and incredible Whistler is in the summer. These are people who take full advantage of winter sports telling me that Whistler is better in the summer. I had to check it out and the verdict is that they are completely right. Whistler in the summer is better.


I had fantastic weather because I brought a heat wave to Whistler with me. It was 30 degrees for the week I was there and no rain! I hiked mountains and went trail mountain bike riding for the first time. The feeling when riding a full suspension bike through the forest with a mountain to your left and a lake to your right is something I’m never going to forget.


Hoary Marmot dreams came true in Whistler.

My Bespoke Coat by Philip Sparks


I have two major fashion joys from 2016. The first one is my bespoke winter coat from Philip Sparks. The bespoke experience is out of this world and I’m now forever spoiled. Philip and I brainstormed the whole jacket together. It started when he found the vintage fabric when he was antique shopping. I fell in the love with the fabric and the plan to make something out of it came naturally. I love coats, it’s one of my now controlled fashion obsessions. Working with Philip on the coat of my dreams was magical. There were so many options but Philip’s knowledge of tailoring and my style made the process much easier. I spent a lot of money on this coat. The bespoke experience isn’t cheap but this is coat brings me such joy. How many people can say they have vintage crystal buttons from Czechoslovakia on their black, boring parkas? My coat brightens up shitty days and turns heads. I feel like a million bucks in my Philip Sparks coat. My coat is the only one on the planet and that is worth everything.

Yoga and Union Yoga Studio


In April I took up Yoga. I wasn’t looking to have a casual relationship with Yoga, I wanted to go all in. It was the first time several years that I looked to take up an athletic activity seriously. I fell in love with Yoga and my studio Union Yoga. I loved the jounrey this practice was taking me. Things were going great until I got De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis in August and it has sidelined my pratice. I’m at a point in my physiotherapy regime where I can start again but it’s defintely back to the drawing board with yoga. I look forward to the challenge and can’t wait to get back on the mat.

Michael Fassbender


I met Michael Fassbender at TIFF. The meeting was a product of luck, timing and some good old fashion stalking. Yes, he’s extermely, extermely attractive. I’m not one to be star struck but man, he’s got it.

Shopify


So, I mentioned how I was hating my job. I was pretty miserable as I felt my career and options were about to pass me by. After I reached 10 years and recieved a performance reward I felt my time at the bank and in QA was done. Things were feeling really bleak to me when the opporunity at Shopify came up. This was dream job stuff and I grabbed it with everything I had. In November, I left my job of a decade and made the massive career shift to Shopify. It was scary but I haven’t looked back since and I have no regrets. I feel really happy to be part of a great company.

The Office of Angela Scott Shoes

My second fashion joy this year was when I opened the box to the Mr. Misfitz Wedge Derby shoes I ordered from The Office of Angela Scott. I finally pulled the plug during a 50% sale after years of wishful thinking. They are more glorious in person and I can’t even believe it. Don’t be suprised if I don’t wear any other shoes in 2017.

Moving this @officeofangelascott unboxing out of stories because well, this was epic! #myscotts

A video posted by Anita (@geekigirl) on

Happy New Year!

I want – I got x Best Buy 2016 Holiday Gift Guide

Creating gift guides are a hell of a ton of work. Even though I’m finally completed the I want – I got Holiday Gift Guides for 2016, Best Buy managed to convince me to partner up and show you some I want – I got approved options for gifting this season. Best Buy is the place where all my electronic gear dreams come true.

I want - I got x Best Buy Gift Guide - GoPro HERO5 Black Waterproof 4K Sports Helmet Camera
GoPro HERO5 Black Waterproof 4K Sports & Helmet Camera
I’m obsessed with GoPros. Every time I’m in Whistler, I wish I had one strapped to me. I’m not doing anything really worth watching again but I’d really love the chance to share my adventures from my perspective. This one is 4K capable and waterproof. Perfect for Whistler and Barbados.

I want - I got x Best Buy Gift Guide - Motorola 360
Motorola Moto 360 42mm Women’s Smartwatch with Heart Rate Monitor
I love, love, love my Motorola 360. It looks like a regular watch but does all the cool shit you want from a wearable device!

I want - I got x Best Buy Gift Guide - DJI Phantom 4 Quadcopter Drone with Camera Controller
DJI Phantom 4 Quadcopter Drone with Camera & Controller
My obsession with drones outpaces GoPros. Again, I’m not really sure what I’d do with the damn thing but I have crazy thoughts about mountain vistas taken from a drone.

I want - I got x Best Buy Gift Guide - Bose SoundSport In-Ear Wireless Headphones
Bose SoundSport In-Ear Wireless Headphones
I purchased these Bose wireless In-ear headphones a month ago and I’m so pleased. They have great sound and no parts that have to hang off your neck anywhere.

As part of this post, Best Buy sent me a gift and a gift for someone on my nice list. Being a nerd, I got a robot. The Sphero SPRK+ Robotic Ball is a programmable device that can move and light up in numerous ways. I have so much programming fun in store over the holidays. On my nice list is my barber at Hollow Ground Barber Shop, BeeJay. He received the Nest Protect Wi-Fi Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm which was a perfect addition to his Nest thermostat. Thanks for the gifts Best Buy.

This post was sponsored by Best Buy Canada. The views and opinions expressed on this blog, however, are purely our own.