This Pink Tartan suit is my second oldest (two) piece in my closet, again by a long shot. As far as I recall, I picked it up from a clearance rack of a consignment store, 7 or 8 years ago. I’ve been hanging on to it this whole time because of its quality – excellent workmanship and attention to details, and it’s made in Canada. I haven’t worn it much, though, because the style always seemed to me to straddle the fine line between retro and “grandma clothes”. On my younger self, it felt … costumey. But, perhaps, its time has finally come.
Mad Men style?
It’s still a lot of suit, but I feel like it actually looks best when worn together, rather than mixed with other separates; it has an identity, you know? Anyway, I’m glad that I hung on to it.
Skirt, Boss (thrifted); sweater, J. Crew Factory; necklace, J. Crew; shoes, Ivanka Trump; bag, Mulberry (via consignment)
I wear a lot of black to the office. Black and white and blue. Part of it is the whole New Look thing. Part of it is … well, black is just easy. Easy and safe and conservative. But you know what is also easy and safe and conservative? Tan. Yeah, there’s a risk of looking like a walking bowl of oatmeal; but, honestly, black doesn’t always do a pale complexion any favours either. Anyway, I don’t have a lot of brown in my closet, so whenever I need a “warmer” neutral, I pull out my tan sweater and, hey presto! Outfit.
pockets!
My one pet peeve about these sweaters (the Factory version of the retail Tippi, the name of which escapes me at the moment) is that they wrinkle and pill like nobody’s business. I really probably should invest in some better quality versions but (a) I hate spending money on sweaters (yep, another weird shopping quirk), and (b) I feel like I need to refine my sweater colour palette first. I have a rainbow of these J. Crew sweaters, and if I’m going to splurge on the next level s**t, I need to be more selective. I do think that “tan” will make the cut, though. And black. Of course.
Oh, and the post title? The skirt feels very autumnal to me because of the colours in the print, and it feels strange to wear it any other time of year. Which is, erm, a stupid reason to not wear a perfectly serviceable skirt. So, here we go: fall in January.
This dress has been in my closet since 2007 or so, making it the oldest garment I own, by a long shot. It has seen me through 2 pregnancies, and quite a few sizes, and it is still as beautiful as the day I first saw it. Call it a wardrobe match made in heaven. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that it’s a better constructed piece than my DVF wrap dresses. What?! I know, heresy. But it’s true. The neckline is cut so that it doesn’t gape around/over the bust, and the wrap is generous enough to accommodate a swing of 2-3 sizes without looking too tight or too loose.
I have one other Sweet Chemise dress (thrifted!) which is also a marvel of construction.
Sweet Chemise dress #2
If you ever run into this Canadian brand (especially on the secondhand market), do give their clothes a try – you might just find a treasure of your own.
buy me!
Hey, look: cute bag. You can buy it here, before I change my mind and decide to keep it or something.
