Inspiration

Aldona B, Street Style Huntress – Wedding Guest Outfit Inspiration

Today I’m so excited to welcome the most fashion forward lady in #yyc, Aldona B., to the Calgary Bride blog! You’re probably already a follower of Aldona B., who’s street style photos have been featured in Avenue, Swerve, GetDown.ca, and now, officially, on Calgary Bride!

I think one of the questions that I ask the most on any given week is “what am I going to wear,” and this becomes even more true as the spring and summer months approach, with events, festivals and a lot of weddings happening during this time.

What I ideally like to do, for myself and my styling clients, is purchase pieces that can be worn again and again, dresses that are versatile and can then be also worn to other events, and of course, my favourite option is grabbing a few things from one of my favourite local consignment shops – not only to continue supporting the sustainable style movement, but to also save a few bucks on pieces that are great additions to any closet.

So I did just that at two of my favourite Calgary shopping destinations – Bamboo Ballroom in Inglewood, and Curated Consignment, to inspire you for this upcoming wedding season. Just as I love photographing stylish people on the street, I captured my stunning model on the street in the looks that I put together, which also incorporate some Spring/Summer trends. These are perfect for any spring or summer wedding, and with a few minor changes and additions, can also be transformed into an event or summer festival outfit.

Look One – The Perfect Spring/Summer Floral Dress

Florals are classic for spring, and I couldn’t help but fall in love with this Yumi dress. It’s colourful and the shape is fantastic for most body shapes. Thanks to the multitude of colours throught the floral print, you can incorporate a lot of great accessories and shoe options, including sandals or wedges if you’re not into stilettos.

In the hopes that the weather is warm, I just added a simple pashmina, although you can also opt for a cardigan or a bolero jacket as a topper. My favourite part? You can rock this dress to any other garden party!

From: Bamboo Ballroom

Dress – Yumi (London) $129

Scarf – C’est Moi – (Toronto) $39

Shoes – Model’s own

Look Two – In Pieces

This look is very festival inspired, but also pretty and wedding guest appropriate. The jacket is a great piece that you can wear with virtually any other ensemble, and rock it out later in the summer at Calgary Folk Festival.

Complicated patterns were seen all over the runways, and I like the idea of incorporating a lot of colour and pattern into an outfit – this leaves you much room to play with the other pieces you put it together with.

The black top is adorned with gold straps that can certainly serve as the solitary piece of accessory that you wear, especially if you’re not into accessorizing or want to keep things simple and easy. In this case, I added a unique long gold necklace by Karma Victoria to complete the outfit.

Once again, a unique statement shoe finished off this festival inspired option!

What I love about Bamboo Ballroom is that the pieces you’ll find there you won’t see everywhere, with amazing price points and creative selections, which includes a lot of funky accessories as well. They now have a new location open at Southcentre Mall, so make sure you check it out, as it includes a Kate Hewko shop with a wonderful selection of her jewels – which are incredible, trust me!

From: Bamboo Ballroom

Trend: Fringe & Complicated Patterns

Fringe Jacket – Soia & Kyo (Montreal) $345

Skirt – Mink Pink (Australia) $79

Top with Gold Straps – DEX (Montreal) $49

Gold Necklace – Karma Victoria (Edmonton) $95

Shoes – MIA (USA) $95

Look Three – Statement Spring Jacket & Dress

I’ve been a consignment/vintage store aficionado since I can remember, and a spot definitely worth going back to again and again is Curated Consignment, who offer carefully selected, high quality, women’s garments. The first piece that I noticed – and rightfully so, considering the bright bold shade – was this stunning Kate Spade Jacket, perfect to be the statement piece for any wedding you might be attending over the next few months.

A trend that I can certainly get behind this season are the exposed shoulders, and I love the sexy simplify of this in the off-white BCBG dress, which includes a bit of black detailing.

From: Curated Consignment

Trend: Exposed Shoulders

Jacket – Kate Spade $350

Dress – BCBG

Shoes – Prada $98

Look Four – Micropleats

I’m a huge fan of maxi skirts
and pleats, so bringing these two together is what I call perfection. The colour is striking, and the flow of the skirt creates a romantic and pretty vibe. To really make the look pop, I added a funky body chain from Briwok, and a leopard print clutch to add some more distinct and fun elements into this look.

Once again, I like the idea of pieces versus a dress, as you can separate and make completely new outfits with each of these pieces – accessories included!

From: Curated Consignment

Trend: Micropeats and Maxi skirts

Skirt – La Filazzi $28

Top – Zara

Clutch – Ninewest $18

Bodychain – Briwok $140

Shoes – Model’s Own

ABOUT ALDONAB (www.aldonab.com & www.aldonabphotography.com)

My name is Aldona B and I’m Calgary’s Street Style Huntress. I’ve been photographing stylish friends and strangers on the streets of YYC for over six years, and you can see my contributions on getdown.ca and aldonab.com.

I’m also a photographer (Portraits, Weddings, Family, Events) and stylist outside of my street style assignments, and I work with a variety of clients on marketing and communications projects, branding, public relations, and social media.