Last of the Peak Outfits, 2017: Casual Edition

Leather & Knits

I call this Elevated Casual, Winter Edition. The whole thing boils down to a humungous sweater and an over-sized scarf, which should add up to the Abominable Kn-Yeti, except … leather pants. Cliché or not, there is a certain “cool factor” to leather pants. Even when they’re not real leather. Or even fully pleather. These ones have stretchy ponte panels on the back, so you have the coolness as well as the comfort. Or, put another way: rockstar-party in the front, Netflix-on-the-couch in the back.

Both the pants and the vest were on my Favourite Purchases List for 2017, no surprise there. The scarf should be on there as well. I have greatly limited my retail purchases in the last twelve months, but I knew as soon as I saw this scarf that it would be the perfect winter accessory. It’s big, and soft, and cozy – things I cannot get enough of when it comes to knits. And the colours! Perfection.

Backpack Chic

My husband and bestie both made fun of this outfit, calling it 90s Teen Chic. I can assure you that this is NOT what I was actually wearing in the 90s; what I was wearing in the 90s was far more hideous, I’m sure. There is nothing particularly interesting about this outfit. Well, maybe the sweater coat. I love me an Anthropologie brand sweater, especially one that costs $5. I also love these Sam Edelman boots, which I thrifted for under $20 and which are pretty close to perfect. If your calves are on the narrower side, and you want a comfortable boot that still looks fairly stylish, these are the boots for you. The (small) backpack is, as far as I’m concerned, the most ostensibly 90s element here but, again, it’s a new-to-me trend so I don’t think that should count. I ought to do a review of it; there are things about it I LOVE, and things that kinda drive me crazy, but all in all, it has become a closet staple. So, to circle back to the beginning, there is nothing particularly interesting about this outfit except for the fact that it’s made up of pieces I really, really, really like.

Denim & Knits (are you sensing a theme)

Another day, another Anthropologie sweater. I loved everything about it as soon as I clapped eyes on it – especially the colour – and I don’t back down from voluminous knits, ever. In fact, the opposite. Bring on the huge, chunky knits! They give me liiiiiiiife! For this outfit, I didn’t even bother to balance things out with slim-fitting bottoms; I went with my Madewell boyfriend jeans which might just be my new favourite pair of jeans. The fit reminds me a bit of my beloved Pilcros, except without the big knee patches which can be an acquired taste. (To be clear, I have acquired the taste and love it, but I can’t say the same for others – my husband, for example.) I had been looking for boyfriend jeans for ages before I found these, which is the downside of shopping secondhand – you can find anything, but not necessarily at the precise time you want it. I almost didn’t bother with these because they’re a size 25, and I’m not a size 25 … except Madewell seems to think I am. I will confess that these gave me a good amount of muffin-top at the beginning, but have since stretched out to a very comfortable size. Did I mention how much I love that the length goes perfectly with my Frye Chelsea boots? I always hated how these boots looked with skinny jeans – the shaft is too narrow to allow for pants to be nicely tucked in, and simultaneously too bulky to be tucked under skinnies – so this is a game-changer.