What I Wore: September 29-October 5, 2018

New Favourites

Self-explanatory: am wearing some new favourite things. The dress is from a new-to-me Canadian brand called Ayrtight. I got it at my favourite consignment store (My Favourite Aunt’s, or MFA for short) on sale for around $45. It’s a linen rayon blend, which feels nice and drapes well. This is a size Large, which makes it perfectly slouchy on me. The armholes are slightly too big as a result, but I plan to wear this layered under or over other pieces, so this isn’t a concern for me. It has pockets. It’s very, very cool.

Also cool? This Eileen Fisher linen jacket. On its own, it’s definitely a piece that can read as “matronly”. It’s a size Small, but fits large, so I initially planned to give it to my mom. (Hey, she’s a more conservative dresser than me, okay?) But it turned out to be too small for her in the shoulders, so I grabbed it back and decided to make it work. And you know what? I freaking love it. The silvery grey colour is a fantastic neutral, and paired with edgier pieces, it looks fab. If you follow me on Insta, you will be seeing a LOT more of this jacket, because I’m planning to wear it with EVERYthing.

More New Favourites

I’ve harped on and on about the importance of learning to recognize quality in clothing; it makes a huge difference to one’s success as a thrifter. No matter how brand-aware you are, you will still run into new or unfamiliar labels in your thrifting adventures; if you know how to spot quality, you won’t miss out on the hidden gems. Case in point: this skirt. The floaty material drew my eye immediately (even though it was jammed on a crowded rack); touching it confirmed my suspicions of quality. The material was cotton, but a cotton made for angels or something. I checked the label, but the brand name was unfamiliar to me: Antipast, made in Japan. I was in a rush, so I tried it on without Googling the brand. I’ve been really into exploring the witchy side of the Artist persona, and I thought this skirt had possibilities in that respect, so I bought it. It was only $6.50, after all. Later, at home, I looked up the brand. I found a similar skirt on the Gravity Pope website listed for … are you ready for this? $4665CAD.

Anyway, the skirt’s witchy promise came true with this outfit. Everything else is also thrifted, and cost less than $50 in total. They’re all basic items I could wear a million different ways, so I love how they’re transformed by this one new piece.

And Even More New Stuff

I have a post coming up on this Aritzia sweater. Suffice it to say: I went against my MO to buy it, but I think it was worth it. I don’t think these pictures do it justice; it looks luxe AF in real life, and the colour is to die for. Even my mom was impressed and she is generally pretty skeptical of my sartorial choices (see above).

This outfit was inspired by a runway look from the Chloe 2011 S/S collection. That’s how long I held on to that memory, you guys. Nailing a feminine vibe that’s elegant without being too dainty or too girly is not easy, but this inspo nailed it for me, and I have spent years trying to recreate it. I think this outfit gets close:

Let’s also take a moment and admire these earrings:

And Some Old Stuff

Well, sorta. Most of the outfit is old stuff, except the vest which is new (to me). I “borrowed” it from my friend Jenn (Life Preloved); she thrifted it thinking it was a men’s vest, only to realize later that it’s not. (Either that, or it’s cut for a very diminutive man.) I’m really into the three-piece/borrowed from the boys look right now, so I wanted to see if I could make it work, and she kindly offered to let me try. And … I kinda love it?! Yeah, it’s a keeper, I think.

Some upcoming changes at the office will mean that my casual Fridays are about to get a little less casual – as in, we might be required to “pay” for the privilege of wearing jeans, and any denim will have to be of the classy kind; think: dark wash, no distressing, no patches. Since I’m not crazy about wearing jeans to the office anyway, I am planning to switch up my Friday outfit formula (keeping in mind that the office dress code is still business-casual). This was a test outfit, and I quite like it. Next on the agenda: wearing a dress on Friday. Oooh!