Details: Emma James turtleneck, Gap jacket, unlabeled skirt, Dr. Martens shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I fell in love with this shade of green as soon as I spotted this sleeveless turtleneck at the thrifts, and I feel vindicated because, look how nice it is! And paired with brown? Chef’s kiss. I knew the colours would work together, because the pattern of the skirt features both of them. I hadn’t worn this skirt in a while, but found it while going through my overflow closet, and decided it needed to come live in my current closet again. Or, as it turned out later, my daughter’s closet. Yes, she immediately snagged it. It seems a love of voluminous, twirly skirts is genetic. Who knew?

Details: Ricki’s turtleneck, Benetton sweater, Jil Sander jacket, Frank & Oak pants, Aldo shoes, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: A little academichic moment, because classics never die. These pants are a little loose, but I dig that. Plus, they’re wool and lined, and I simply can’t pass that up. What do we think about these shoes? The 90s called, but they’re not getting their square-toed boots back, sorrynotsorry. This, by the way, is the colour of cowboy boots I’ve been looking for. Still haven’t found a pair, YET, but these just-above-the-ankle pair might fill the gap for now. I do think it’s a versatile alternative for a brown boot (next to chocolate and other medium and darker browns).

Details: Ralph Lauren sweater, LL Bean jacket, vintage skirt, Coach bag (all secondhand), Mia shoes (retail, old)

Thoughts: I’m about to put all my heavy sweaters back into storage, but had to give this one another whirl before the season is over. Especially since I recently thrifted this vintage(ish?) dark red corduroy LL Bean jacket, which is a perfect pairing, both colour- and texture-wise. Decided to go for the less expected option, and added a short skirt instead of one of my usual standbys. This pleated, navy number has proven the most versatile of all the mini-skirts I’ve added to my closet recently. And it’s a great length on me — not too long, not too short.

Details: Club Monaco turtleneck (retail, old), Gap vest, Ralph Lauren skirt, Pedro Mirailles shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: It was fated that I should wear these two pieces together. I mean, JUST LOOK. And don’t miss the shoes, either, because they’re not merely a third wheel. More like a power throuple over here, amirite? Sorry, I’ll see myself out.

Details: vintage turtleneck, Denim & Supply jacket, Gap jeans, Brave belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: But first! A little Papa Ralph-inspired action and, to be very very clear, I am making ZERO innuendoes here. I thrifted this jacket despite being somewhat on the fence about it, but this outfit is a persuasive argument that it should stay in my closet. It’s also an argument in favour of pairing these shades of red and brown again, because wow, sleeper hit. I love it when my closet throws fun surprises at me.

Details: Ricki’s turtleneck, Ralph Lauren shirt, Banana Republic pants, Miz Mooz shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: And one more! Also Papa Ralph-inspired, but in a different key. Different brown, different primary colour. Also a hit.

I wouldn’t say that 36 was my favourite year. In fact, it was the year of my worst midlife crisis to date. [A misnomer, because I’ve had one at least once every 7 years or so since I turned 20.] Everyone talks about how, as a parent, the baby and toddler years are hard … and they are … but nobody tells you that, once you’re on the other side, the first thing you’re probably going to do is crash, HARD. It’s a perfect storm, really. You’re thinking to yourself “great, I made it, now I can focus more again on my career, my partner, myself” and you want to do ALL the things, except you’re burnt out as all hell and so is your partner (who’s been there, in the trenches, with you all along) and you’re both down to your last, frayed nerve. Luckily, in my case, my husband managed to hold it together while I had a minor implosion, and we got through the choppy waters eventually, and back to smoother sailing. [There was an extended Theseus’ ship / sailing metaphor in my chapter on marriage in the Memoir That Never Was, and it was REALLY good, and sometimes I’m sad that no one else will get to read it. Sorry, sidebar.]

Style-wise, 2016 was the early stage of an inflection point. [Do points have stages? LOL! moving on.] [God, this post is going to be 37% square brackets by the time I’m done. Welcome to my brain and its many tangents!] I started moving away from Anthro-flavoured whimsical preppy *vibes* towards … well, something that at the time wasn’t well-defined, but eventually morphed into corporate goth a couple of years later. We’ll get there! In 2016, things go a little less cutesy and fussy. I also started pivoting more towards designer clothing, where in the past, I had focused exclusively on designer bags and shoes. I was still shopping at consignment a lot, but thrifting was becoming a bigger focus in my life. It was a bumper year for amazing finds, including an EIGHT DOLLAR (authentic) Burberry trench. I miss those days … and I try not to think about all the amazing vintage stuff I missed out on, because I wasn’t looking for it then. Like, all the Ralph Lauren that must have slipped through my fingers, gahhhhh *cries in hindsight is 20/20*

What was I wearing? Glad you asked.

I had to include that (thrifted) Zara dress on the left because (a) it was pretty amazing, and (b) the closest thing to brown I had in my closet during that era. Let us not discuss the pants. Skinnies had an iron-grip on my soul at the time. The less we say about the atrocity of low-waisted pants, the better. Honestly, I can’t believe I walked around with my tops tucked into those things; it looks practically indecent now. I also can’t believe how long it took me to figure out I have a long torso because, hello? Look at that picture on the right. I’m 5’7 and 5 feet of that is torso. Other things you can quickly tell from these outfits: I liked big bags (and I cannot lie) and wearing colourful shoes for “a pop of colour”. I still have the blue suede J. Crew pumps from the outfit on the left. That and the bags, plus the J. Crew blazer on the right, are the only pieces I still have in my closet today. I sometimes regret letting go of the Zara dress, but in fairness, it’s not the right length for me now, anyway.

Now let’s see how 2025 Adina would style something similar:

Picked my current fave brown-patterned dress, and you can quickly see what I mean about the length; I’m all about the midi/maxi these days. I’m also in a different place with my accessories; smaller bags, more neutral shoes. While I still love colour, I am wearing more monochromatic outfits than before, and making them visually interesting via layering and texture.

Casual stripes, but a totally different silhouette. I don’t hate the 2016 outfit; I still think it looks cute, if in a bit of a “hey, 2016 called and said hi” kind of way (thanks to those ultra skinny pants and, probably, the scarf). It had a really nice, subdued colour palette. So does the current outfit on the right, though it reflects my shift away from black is my core wardrobe neutral.

Those 2016 pants really were a crime. Anyway, I wear much better ones now. The differences between the two outfits, in terms of basic items and styling, are quite minimal. There’s an extra layer (the sweater) and a belt, along with loafers instead of flats. But the vibes are totally different and that’s almost entirely down to proportions and silhouette. I know I sound like a broken record, but never underestimate the power of those things when it comes to styling. It’s what often makes the difference between “wearing clothes” and “wearing an outfit”, so if the latter is your goal, play around with proportions and find what works for you.

Details: Free People sweater, vintage jacket, Ralph Lauren skirt (all secondhand), Mia shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Listen, I need another skirt like I need a headache BUT … this skirt was an offer I couldn’t refuse, okay? Vintage Ralph Lauren skirts have me in a chokehold, as do wool blanket skirts, so you put those things together and slap a $40 price on the thing, and I am going to add to cart. And also: just look at those colours! They’re sooooo good. Poshmark got me, and I regret nothing. The day I wore this outfit, four (4) different people stopped me to tell me my skirt was awesome. If that’s not a return on investment, I don’t know what is. [That’s just a figure of speech, kids. ROI does not apply to clothes, because clothes are not an investment. Though, to be fair, neither is the stock market currently. Ba-tum-tish!]

Details: Club Monaco sweater, Abound jacket, Auxiliary belt, Asos boots, Coach bag (all secondhand), Chepe dress (retail)

Thoughts: Winterized one of my fave summer dresses, hopefully for the last time this season. Never sleep on brown/black as a total banger of a colour combo, especially with some white and leopard in the mix. As someone who doesn’t love animal prints as a general rule, this feels very fresh and fun to me. I also loved the proportions of this outfit. Volume on top + volume on the bottom might seem like a lot of volume, but keeping the top part cropped, and adding a belt, keeps it all under control.

Details: Tommy Hilfiger shirt, Ralph Lauren vest, Ricki’s pants, Ferragamo shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Just your basic Ralph Lauren cosplay in a brown and navy palette. What else is there to say? It ain’t broke, I ain’t fixing it.

Details: Banana Republic turtleneck, unlabeled tee, Old Navy cardigan, Babaton skirt (all thrifted), Dr. Martens shoes (Poshmark)

Thoughts: Elementary school art teacher meets the 90s in the closet … and they lived happily ever after. My daughter totally tried to steal this outfit, which you’ll either think is cute (I do!) or weird (boo!). I love the primary colour combo of blue and yellow. I guess that Van Gogh guy was onto something …

Details: H&M tee, Frank & Oak blazer, Calvin Klein jeans, Miz Mooz shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Finally found some vintage, relaxed fit Calvins and I’m thrilled. Now, I can pretend to be an off-duty 90s model walking through an airport. IYKYK. And before you get too salty, I said “pretend”. The key thing is that the outfit evokes a vibe, and the vibe makes me feel good and confident. Other people can think I look like a hobbit coming off a 6-month hibernation, I don’t care. In my head, I’m a hobbit who looks like Linda Evangelista on her way to jump on a Paris-bound Concorde.