Month: December 2015

Swap Style

Sweater, J. Crew Factory; dress, Banana Republic; boots, Bandolino (thrifted); bag, Gucci (via consignment)
Sweater, J. Crew Factory; dress, Banana Republic; boots, Bandolino (thrifted); bag, Gucci (via consignment)

Admittedly, this outfit doesn’t look all that exciting in photos, but I felt quite chic wearing it. Must be all that black, hah! Anyway, the dress (not skirt, folks!) is a piece I picked up at my last clothes swap then never wore. It’s a beautiful print, and the material is silk with a velvety finish/feel, but it has a really annoying elastic waist that hits me far too high on my torso. Boo!

I was about to set it in my next clothes swap pile, when I decided to give it another try. And I found myself reluctant to part with it. How to make it work? Well, for the office, I had to start by covering up the top part, which is (a) ruffly; (b) low cut, and (c) quite summery. This also disguised the pesky elastic waist, so – bonus.

a different perspective
a different perspective
all in black
all in black
necklace, J. Crew Factory
necklace, J. Crew Factory

It’s a pretty casual look for work, but I wore it on a Friday when the staff Christmas party was held, and I think it had the perfect vibe for that (daytime) event. On that note … I’m ready to start counting down to the next clothes swap!

festive casual Friday
festive casual Friday

Achilles’ Thrift

Skirt, Anthropologie (thrifted); top, LOFT (swap); cardigan, J. Crew (via eBay); belt, Holt Renfrew (via consignment); shoes, Ferragamo (via consignment); bag, Louis Vuitton (via Kijiji)
Skirt, Anthropologie (thrifted); top, LOFT (swap); cardigan, J. Crew (via eBay); belt, Holt Renfrew (via consignment); shoes, Ferragamo (via consignment); bag, Louis Vuitton (via Kijiji)

It’s no secret that thrifting Anthropologie pieces is one of my weaknesses. And, for $10, how could I refuse this pretty Maeve skirt? I am almost certain that I saw the same skirt at my fave consignment store not that long ago, but it was more expensive, and a way too big size, so I passed. This thrifted version still runs a bit large on me, so I implemented my fave no-sew solution for A-line skirts: hike-it-and-belt-it.

not bad for $10 ...
not bad for $10 …

Close-ups!

olive, brown, and red
olive, brown, and red
vintage brooch and earrings from Winners
vintage brooch and earrings from Winners

There are an awful lot of brown, rust and olive tones happening here, which are not my usual jam, but this skirt makes it all worthwhile. It’s probably a bit too twee for my job (and my age) but it’s safe to say that, after my image crisis last year, I’ve fully reverted back to my girly style wheelhouse. Oh well. I got a ton of compliments on this skirt at work, so it couldn’t have been too bad.

thrifty!
thrifty!

Jet Lagged

Coat, MaxMara; dress, Ted Baker (via consignment); cardigan, J. Crew (via eBay); scarf, Aldo; bag, Gucci (via consignment); boots, La Canadienne (thrifted)
Coat, MaxMara; dress, Ted Baker (via consignment); cardigan, J. Crew (via eBay); scarf, Aldo; bag, Gucci (via consignment); boots, La Canadienne (thrifted)

I wore this for a dinner date with my husband after I came home from a 4-day trip to Ottawa. I rarely travel these days, so that was a big deal.

almost there - not quite (hello, TO!)
almost there – not quite (hello, TO!)
Ottawa, my old friend!
Ottawa, my old friend!

Coming back was hard … mostly because I stayed up way past my bedtime on my last night in Ottawa (and it was totally worth it!), and I had to get up at 4am to catch my flight home. Considering that Ottawa is 2 hours ahead of Edmonton … well, you can probably imagine what I was feeling like by the time these photos were taken, 15 hours later. I was wearing … clothes … I think.

barely awake
barely awake
falling over
falling over

But no matter how much my bed beckoned, there was a date night to be had, and a steak dinner to be enjoyed so – onwards!

but nothing a steak dinner can't fix
but nothing a steak dinner can’t fix