Month: August 2015

The Urge to Chartreuse

Blouse & cardigan, J. Crew (via consignment); pants, BR; shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag, Mulberry (via consignment)
Blouse & cardigan, J. Crew (via consignment); pants, BR; shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag, Mulberry (via consignment)

Here’s a not very juicy secret about me: I pick out my outfits ahead of time. Well, I do about 90% of the time, anyway. It really is a very efficient way to go about getting dressed, especially for work, if you ask me. Which you didn’t – unsolicited advice alert. Ahem. Getting back to the issue at hand, I sometimes pick my outfits so far in advance (weeks) that by the time I have to actually wear them, I’m no longer particularly enthused by my previous selections. So, from time to time, I just wing it.

On this particular morning, I decided that I HAD to wear this chartreuse blouse I recently rescued from the downstairs overflow closet/purgatory. (I’ve decided that maybe I don’t hate ruffles after all. For now.) I also decided that I HAD to wear my new J. Crew Factory leopard print d’orsay flats that I scored for $25. So I tried to come up with an outfit built around those two pieces.

looking over my shoulder ... ?
looking over my shoulder … ?
Oh, there you are
Oh, there you are

When pressed for time, keep it simple. Actually, that’s probably a good mantra for all occasions, but especially if you’re running late/feeling stressed/unsure about what to wear. Black and tan have been serving me well recently, so they seemed like a good bet. And, voila, outfit complete!

ruffly close-up (with pop of colour!)
ruffly close-up (with pop of colour!)
something interesting must be happening over there ;)
something interesting must be happening over there 😉

Stripes on Stripes

top, RACHEL Rachel Roy (via consignment); shorts & shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag, MbMJ (via eBay)
top, RACHEL Rachel Roy (via consignment); shorts & shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag, MbMJ (via eBay)

I was very gung-ho, “rah-rah, go me with my awesome print mixing skills” until I saw the photos of this outfit and realized I had managed to pair stripes with stripes. *insert deflating balloon noise here* Well … at least my hat looks spiffy.

Speaking of which, I have struggled with hats a lot in the past, so finding this Aritzia fedora was a small victory. I love the look of hats, but have always felt silly wearing them, and had a hard time finding one that looked “right” on my (slightly) huge noggin. One of my stylish Vancouver friends sported this hat for brunch one day, and I immediately and shamelessly asked her if I could try it on. She graciously agreed, and I fell in love with the darn thing. Luckily, Aritzia sells this hat every season (my friend’s hat was a few years old) so I ran to the nearest store and picked up my very own. And hat and I lived happily ever after. The end.

stripes overload?
stripes overload?

Weekend Minimalist

sweater, J Crew Factory; pants, American Eagle; necklace, Avenue Clothing; shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag. Longchamp (thrifted)
sweater, J Crew Factory; pants, American Eagle; necklace, Avenue Clothing; shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag. Longchamp (thrifted)

My peeps on Insta loved this outfit, which … I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m always thrilled to get compliments, but sometimes they also make me go “hmmm”. See, I wouldn’t say that this is a very “Adina” outfit. It’s more of a “who Adina would like to be, maybe, one day, when she grows up” kind of outfit. The real current me is thinking “how can I sneak another print/colour up in here?” But the more people like an outfit like this, the more I question if I dare wear another one of my typical loud looks the next time. The head pats, they are addictive, friends.

Basically, this is the definition of #bloggerproblems.

oooh, print mix
oooh, print mix … just kidding, those are rocks, har-har

Moving on. All kidding aside, this outfit is a good example of looking put together without much effort, and in a way that’s compatible with the requirements of kid wrangling. In other words, perfect for weekend outings with the family.

duo-chrome
duo-chrome
i do love this bag ...
i do love this bag …