What I Wore: November 19-25, 2018

Layers Upon Layers

I didn’t do any retail shopping over the “Black Friday” weekend, but I did a little thrifting – per usual – and found some cool things – per usual. That included these Sarah Pacini over-the-knee flat-heeled boots. They are not only cool, but also more comfortable (and, hence, practical) than my high-heeled pair of OTK boots. The shaft of the boot is made from some kind of nylon-like material, which gives it an interesting “sock shoe” vibe. You can always count on Sarah Pacini to be a little bit different from the usual. Her pieces always push me to think outside the box. This outfit came together through my quest to show off these boots; I just kept piling on layers over my shortest dress to make it wearable in the winter-ish weather. [It wasn’t actively snowing that day, so it technically counted as “fall” in Edmonton.] I really dig the result, especially the light neutrals-with-a-hint-of-lilac colour palette. In contrast …

Lady Goth

Continuing my recent trend of goth immersion, I present you the outfit I wore to my FIL’s surprise birthday party. I would say this is more “rocker” than “witch”, but the more time I spend in online fashion forums, the less meaning any of these labels have. I just like to wear black a lot, yeah? Also, this COS tunic/dress thing is awesome. I found it at My Favourite Aunt’s (local consignment store) and I can’t locate a stock photo online, so I can’t tell you the style info unfortunately. It’s like a regular sweater layered over a silk shirt dress … except it’s all one piece! I think this one has a lot of possibilities for work, so I can’t wait to take it for another spin.

Here’s a peek at my accessories:

Professor Chic, Revisited

Both my husband and my BFF said that this outfit made me look like I was headed to a tenure interview, and I have no comment on that. If dressing like a (stereotypical) professor is wrong, I don’t want to be right. With the exception of the shoes, all of these pieces are relatively recent, and I love how they came together here. Black, brown and dark olive might not be a colour palette that sets the world on fire, but it definitely floats my boat.

I love the details – elbow patches, contrasting collar lining – of the Zara blazer, which belie its fast fashion origins; I have the same one in a different colour (camel) and the quality is great. Both are made from lambswool and have a little extra tag on the inside lapel to that effect; if you run across one of these at the thrifts, it’s worth giving a second look.

The AllSaints sweater is a men’s (I’m 90% sure) and, for lack of a better word, it’s really dense. Like, no wind is ever gonna penetrate that weave. [That sounds a little more suggestive than I intended, but oh well.] It’s warm as hell. Which is why, even though the temperature hovered around zero Celsius that day, I didn’t need an actual coat. It’s a bit itchy, so I layered a thin, cotton long-sleeved top underneath.

The skirt is Babaton from Aritzia, and it suits my current obsession with maxi skirts perfectly. It’s slim-fitting without being too body-con. It’s made out of some kind of knit, which has a fair bit of stretch to it, and is a pull-on style; like pyjamas, except work appropriate. I believe the style is called Johan, though stock photos have it looking a tad shorter on the model.

Here are a few other ways I’ve done “professor chic” in the past.