Month: October 2017

A Few Words

It’s been a rough week, my friends. My thoughts about it are not all that coherent or eloquent, and I would normally keep them off the blog, but for reasons that will become apparent, I’m going to go ahead and share them.

So, in no particular order …

Over the last six months or so, the stress levels associated with the quotidian challenges of my life have been slowly creeping up. I’m not sure why that is (or why it’s happening now) but the impact has been manifesting in ways that are increasingly difficult for me to manage. I’m tired all the time; it’s a mental and emotional exhaustion as much as it is a physical one. It has left me in a place where even minor annoyances – or a bad news cycle, which seem increasingly routine these days – can feel like the proverbial last straw. It is not a good place.

Since last week, I have been following the Harvey Weinstein story (as reported in the NYT, New Yorker, and elsewhere). It has brought up a lot of feelings; their intensity took me by surprise. Living in the Trump era has desensitized me to many things, including things like this; or so I thought. Again, perhaps this was no more than a last straw. I believe all women have met at least one Harvey Weinstein in their lives, be it the personal or professional or both. I always thought I had a good handle on my own experiences; I’m starting to think that might be just something I told myself. A compromise. I wore my cynicism like a badge, not seeing it for what it was: complicity. Every time I didn’t speak up and smiled instead, hoping to disappear into the background, I was acquiescing in the status quo. With the guilt comes anger – anger for the fact that complicity felt like my only option. The public reaction to the Weinstein revelations has been no less emotionally taxing. There is so much more I could say about this, and want to say about this, but I’m going to leave it at that because this is not the place for it. And that’s a whole other story.

Earlier this week, my husband and I were subjected to a very troubling episode of online trolling/harassment which crossed into real life. It was not related to this blog. I hope that it has come to an end, and nothing more will come of it, but the whole experience was deeply upsetting. It has made me feel very vulnerable, particularly in relation to my online presence. It was, in its way, another last straw.

The fact is that I cannot continue with this blog right now. I have no emotional bandwidth left for it. It has been my passion and my creative outlet for over seven years, and it’s strange and a little scary to think of it not being a part of my life. It used to feel like a safe refuge; it doesn’t now. So, for now, I need a break.

I am not writing this to elicit your sympathy or comments. I appreciate that many of you have been following for a long time, and I believe you deserve a few words of explanation for my absence. I am going to miss your comments more than you know. I’m going to miss this corner of the internet — yeah, that’s hokey and I don’t care. Thank you for the community you helped to build. It’s not farewell; let’s just say … till next time.

Plaid on Repeat

Skirt, Tracy Reese (via consignment); top, Deletta (thrifted); jacket, Tabitha; shoes, Calvin Klein; bag, MbMJ
Skirt, Tracy Reese (via consignment); top, Deletta (thrifted); jacket, Tabitha; shoes, Calvin Klein; bag, MbMJ

It`s been a hot minute since I wore this skirt, but here it is again. And again with a Tabitha jacket. A *different* ruffled Tabitha jacket, mind you. I have 4 of them now. Yes, four. Including 3 colorways of this particular jacket. Can you really blame me, though? It`s such a good jacket. And, psst: it`s frequently available on eBay for decent prices. This version is the only one I bought at the Anthro store — one of my few Anthro retail purchases, in fact. Which is funny when you think about how much of the stuff I wear regularly; this whole outfit, in fact, is all Anthro. It looks like it, too, but strangely I don`t mind. Something about autumn makes me gravitate towards the twee, I guess.

no black, all colour
no black, all colour
ruffles all around
ruffles all around

I don`t have much more to say except: look, still no black. I committed to not pairing this skirt with black (which is my default whenever a bold print is involved) right out of the gate, and I made it 2-for-2. Finding these navy CK pumps earlier in the year was a stroke of real luck. Plain navy shoes are not the easiest to find, and these are comfortable and versatile as heck. CK shoes are pretty ubiquitous at places like Winners and Marshalls, and they are a solid workwear option in the $30-60 range. I like a fancy shoe as much as the next person, but sometimes plain and classic is the way to go.

big pockets, be still my heart!
big pockets, be still my heart!
mad for plaid
mad for plaid

Matching Blush

Skirt, J. Crew (thrifted); top, Loft (thrifted); blazer, Loft82 (via consignment); shoes, Jimmy Choo (thrifted); bag, MbMJ
Skirt, J. Crew (thrifted); top, Loft (thrifted); blazer, Loft82 (via consignment); shoes, Jimmy Choo (thrifted); bag, MbMJ

I admit it. I may have gone a little overboard with the matchiness this time. Things is, there is a lot going on here — bold print, bright colours. I tried a different, more colourful blazer, and it seemed too much. The greige felt more sedate, and it`s an almost perfect match for the background colour in the print. Since the pink is also represented in the print … well, it`s all next level matchy. Together with the more professionalish silhouette, it`s all very Old Adina. Hey, it still works.

I have a whole rainbow of these wool J. Crew pencil skirts — all solid colours, all very classic — that I rarely wear these days. It seems a shame to get rid of them, as they are decent quality and will probably never look truly outdated, but I kinda hate seeing them hanging in my closet, unworn. I think I am going to make this one of my style “challenges” this winter: finding fresh ways to adapt them to my current aesthetic.

Everything else here is varying degrees of “not new”, especially my shoes. These Jimmy Choos are one of my first true designer thrift finds; I think I got them sometime back in 2012. And they`re still kicking! I recently found an awesome new cobbler who fixed them up with new heel tips; he also suggested that I reinforce the soles on my next visit to keep them going for a few more years. They cost me $8 back in the day but they are basically priceless at this point. I am still hoping the universe is kind enough to send another (back up) pair my way one of these days. Fingers crossed!

matchy!
matchy!
sorta corporate chic
sorta corporate chic