What a year, huh? I will not even attempt to encapsulate it other than to say that it was, well, mostly just the worst of times. I’ve never been happier to write a style blog; it makes putting together a year-end post somewhat palatable, without the need for copious amounts of alcohol. Which is not to say that I am writing this without having partaken in the holiday spirit(s) *wink wink, nudge nudge* So, without further ado, my 16 favourite outfits of 2016.

casual outfits
casual outfits

One good thing about 2016? Weekends. My weekend style game was all skinny pants, cool jackets, and boho dresses. So, basically, all over the place but in a good way. I think.

lotsa red
lotsa red

For someone who loves red in small doses only, I sure wore a lot of it.

interesting skirts
interesting skirts (and dress)

Interesting prints are my Achilles heel. Some day, they will put that on my gravestone. “Here lies Adina J. She loved an interesting print.” Truth.

all the dresses
all the dresses

I also love dresses. I mean, I doubt any of you guys missed that memo, but there it is, again. Mostly, I love dresses with interesting prints (hah!) but I do occasionally like to surprise everyone. Keep y’all on your toes.

work lyfe
work lyfe

In 2016, I also explored the boundaries of “business casual” attire, and managed to stay on the good side of HR. Success!

THE dress
THE dress

Last but not least, I also got to live out my red carpet fantasies with one pretty special dress.

All in all, it was not a terrible year, sartorially speaking. Come back tomorrow to check out my best purchases of the year, and in the meantime, feel free to share the highlights of your year in style — realizations, style challenges and successes, favourite moments (of the red carpet variety or otherwise).

10 Comments on Best of 2016: Outfits 

  1. Love this post! You killed it this year. I felt like it was return to the real Adina, if that makes any sense. Patterns! Color! Whimsy here and there!

    Thank you for continuing to inspire me to buy all my clothes through consignment or through thrifting. I’ve saved close to a dozen outfits of yours that I want to replicate myself (jeweled J. Crew tanks, I have three of them because I love them so).

    Looking forward to reading your wonderful blog in 2017! Happy New Year to you and yours!

    Side note: my husband works in oil and Calgary is the top contender for his next work assignment in a year or two. I will have to ask you all about it when the time comes!

    • Thank you so much and same to you!

      Moving to Calgary — exciting!! Edmonton (my home town) has a long standing rivalry with Calgary, but I have family and friends who live there (and we visit regularly) so I can appreciate its positives, LOL! The best one: being very close to the mountains, which are absolutely beautiful. I’m biased, but it’s true, haha!

  2. Your weekend outfits are basically my best (business casual) work wear. I’ve really enjoyed reading your blog! Hope 2017 brings you positive vibes!

  3. Love the year-end retrospective! Anyone looking for a good blog to demonstrate how to actually dress for work should stop at your and go no further. It’s so much more realistic about what people are actually wearing for work – no you can’t just put a blazer on something and it becomes “appropriate for work”! I love the red accents and the use of patterns and dresses. I like getting a glimpse into your weekend style too – as that’s something I need to improve on.

    I hope you and your family had a great Christmas and I wish you all the best in 2017! Happy New Year!

    • Thank you, Laura! Always appreciate your support — hard to believe the blog will be 7 years old next year.

      Happy New Year to you & your loved ones as well!

  4. So many great outfits this year. I especially love that red dress, what a great find! I’ve really enjoyed following along with your outfits this year, both on the blog and on Instagram.

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

    • Same to you! I’m so glad that you’ve started blogging more frequently again — I missed your posts! Hope to read more in 2017 🙂

  5. As a casual observer, it would appear that your love of prints has shifted slightly to a love of prints that contain at least some of a neutral color.

    And as for my own closet, I think I’ve finally stumbled upon what makes me feel most matronly: work clothing in traditional non-neutral colors like deep jewel tones. For some reason plum and deep turquoise still make me feel like I’m playing dress up with my mom’s clothes.

    • Hmm, I never really thought about it that way — interesting. I’ll have to have a closer look at my closet to see.

      As for jewel tones, I kinda feel the same way. There is actually a dress that’s a deep blue that I *should* love and wear more, and for some reason I always feel a bit *off* in it; I think you might have helped me put my finger on why.