This post is a bit late. I know, I know. But a little four-legged friend has kept me on my toes lately this making my February Highlights post a tad tardy.

February, while the shortest month of the year, most certainly felt like the longest. There wasn’t too much happening on the blogging front due to a lull in events and me undertaking some major improvements to my website on the back end. Thanks for helping a girl out, Rebel.com! As I look back at my agenda though, there were some major things I accomplished that I’m super proud of and deserve a mention here on ol’ www.styledomination.com.


In addition, I pretty much put my head down and finished up a lot of things on my To Do List that I had been long neglecting. I bought a bunch of great home decor to spruce up the house, but it had been sitting in bags for weeks. I also wanted to get a jump on my spring cleaning (exciting! lol), so I invested in some great all-natural cleaning products and got a steam mop. This is what happens when you watch hours of Rachel Talbott’s YouTube channel.
A post like this one is reason #1,000,000 why I love blogging. Taking the time to reflect and take stock makes you pause and recognize your achievements. It gives you the strength, motivation and momentum to keep going. I LOVE THAT.
Well, without further ado…on to my February highlights.
I present to you: Dominique Baker: Professional Attire Stylist”!

OUTFIT DETAILS
Grey Lapel Coat – Zaful (similar here) | Tissue Turtleneck – J.Crew | Jeans – TopShop | Strass Shoes – L’Intervalle (similar here) | Bag – Ted Baker (similar here) | Sunnies – Forever 21 (similar here) | Earrings – Jenny Bird (no longer available)
On February 6th, I gave a presentation during a Carleton University Women in Business Workshop geared towards helping graduating students enter the workforce.
I was honoured to give this presentation, especially since I remember wearing Bermuda shorts to one of my first government jobs ever. WOW. That came to a quick end after one of the executive assistants loudly pointed out that the “Economics Department was not a golf course.” *hangs head in shame*
It was thrilling to give the presentation to these eager students and I was amazed at how many questions I receive both about career dressing and fashion blogging. I have kept in touch with several of the students and I’m really looking forward to finding out where they end up in the workforce after they graduate.
Learning About The Sustainable Fur Industry

Pat Flesher Furs, a storied fur boutique here in Ottawa invited me to their luxe establishment to learn about the world’s sustainable fur trade. I was treated to an interesting tour of their facility and given an in-depth presentation on how they repair and repurpose vintage furs.
Canada’s own history is steeped in the fur trade, so it was particularly interesting to learn about which direction the fur trade is going in the future and the pros and cons of faux fur.
Valentine’s Day

For the first time in years, Ryan and I didn’t spend Valentine’s Day eating dinner in front of the tv watching the Office. Don’t get me wrong. I am married to one of the most romantic men in the world. One Valentine’s Day, Ryan rented out a room at the National Arts Centre, had it decorated and set up a picnic for us. It was beautiful and so, so memorable.
So this year, I kicked Michael Scott to the curb and booked us a reservation at one of our favourite restaurants, Das Lokal. We wined, we dined, we laughed. We then berated ourselves for not doing this yearly. A new tradition was born.
Meeting Reese

On February 16th, we drove out to Cobden, ON to Mohr-Over Kennels to meet our dog son, Reese. At that point, we were scheduled to visit the kennel and choose a puppy from one of two litters. We walked in and a little black and tan puppy ran over to us and immediately wanted to be picked up.
I picked him up, he licked my face and I refused to let go. The Little One chose us and we were thrilled.
At that point, we hadn’t named him yet, but Ryan pointed out that the little guy had “peanut butter paws and sort of looked like a Reese Peanut Butter Cup”. The name was so obvious, it stuck.
I’ll be doing a full blog post on my fur baby, so stay tuned!
Putting Down the Phone and Picking Up A Book – Recommendations?


I am actively undertaking a tech detox. I’ll be offering up a fulsome rundown of how I’m doing that in an upcoming blog post. Basically, I was sick of feeling like I was surgically attached to my phone. Constantly checking Instagram was wearing on me and frankly, I really wanted to be present and live in the moment once we got Reese. So far, so good. I have my weak moments though, but so do all addicts!
Anyway, I’ve made shortlist of books I wanted to read asap starting with Ruth Ware’s The Lying Game, followed by Joan Juliet Bucks’s The Price of Illusion and Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give. Got any more recommendations? I’m all ears!
I’ve been doing a lot of home decor improvements this month. And this coat is from Zaful? Girl, it looks like a million bucks. Also, I’ve said it before but I’ll continue saying it: your new pup is adorbs!
Author
Thank you! Everything I’ve received from Zaful has been amazing. This coat was soooo inexpensive, but looks so great. So happy with it! Oooh! You going to feature your latest home stylings??
Love the outfits Dominique, can’t believe that grey coat is from Zaful, you look amazing in those winter coats.
Author
Haha! I got lucky with Zaful! LOL! Thank you so much! Check out Zara online right now. Great spring coats!