Wilfred Serment Sweater | Citizens of Humanity Jeans | Urban Outfitters Hat | Blundstone Australia Boots | Community Parka (similar here as well) | Mejuri Necklace

So, I'm gonna be real here. These photos are a perfect example of how I actually dress for the winter in Toronto.

It's cold. It's wet. It's slippery.  It's salty. When it's -14C outside with the windchill, there's no room for heels of any kind, a barely there pea coat, or, at the risk of dry skin and frostbite, any amount of skin showing. Winter is hard to stay sleek & stylish, so I thought I would keep it a little more real for you guys by blogging this look. 

In the winter, I'm usually stuffed into my bulky parka, wrapped in a giant scarf, my hair is running static in my toque, I'm in some type of sweater, and I'm always in my Blundstones. 

If you're Canadian, you've probably seen everyone and their grandmother in these boots. If you walk in the street with your head down (probably to protect yourself from the winter wind), you'll notice these boots on every other  pair of feet. They're an Australian company with origins in Tasmania, but have somehow become a cult Canadian classic for the farm, the trail and the street. If you go to a party in your Blunnies, I've been told you should think about labelling them with your name Elementary School styles, or you run the risk of someone else accidentally walking away wearing your shoes. That's how popular they are. 

I always feel a little more casual when I'm wearing my Blunnies, so I tend to pair them with blue or black jeans and some fat, wool socks. Despite dressing my Blunnies more casually, I have seen women wearing these with the daintiest skirts or dresses possible and they still look awesome, in a rugged, Bohemian kind of way. I have the Chisel Toe style in Rustic Brown, but these come in all types of colours. Blundstones are actually the perfect Chelsea Boot, so you can really dress them up or down, depending on the colour you choose. If you take care of your Blundstones by conditioning them once a season (The Australian Boot Company will do this for free!)  and treating them nicely, these boots will last you a lifetime. If they don't, just contact Blundstone or the Australian Boot Company, and they will work with you to replace them (a process I've personally experienced...better customer service than Apple!). 

Winter to me is about two things: 1) being warm and 2) standing solid. I want to be warm from head to toe, and I don't want to slip and fall on my butt. That means I'm usually in these Blundstone boots, a sweater and my parka.

Sometimes you've gotta get outside in the cold for that perfect #OOTD, but just know that is not the reality all the time. Things become a little less curated and little more practical in "real life" This is one of those "real life" looks...a little more me. 

Photos: Bianca Zanotti of Bits of Bianca

Edits: Me, @styleapotheca

FTC: This post is NOT sponsored. I just really love my Blunnies.