The Happy Dress

There hasn’t been much cheer to go around lately, and the snap of brutally cold weather last week did not help matters. I’ve been working from home and generally avoiding being out of the house as much as possible, so my outfits are nothing to write about. Literally. That being said, on the increasingly rare occasions when I do go anywhere (like the office), I like to make an extra effort, weather be damned. Which is how I ended up wearing this beautiful Tory Burch dress on a -30 Celsius day. There is something about this print, and the cut of the dress, that puts a smile on my face. It’s such as happy-go-lucky kind of dress. Not twee, though; I think the black grounds it all, somehow.

Not pictured: the other 20 pounds of clothing I had to layer on top to be able to leave the house. I was still cold, but I managed the brief exposure to the elements without losing a finger or toe in the process. So consider this my F-U to winter, which can hurry up and leave any day now. Seriously.

Out of Doors

This, on the other hand, is what I wore out of actual doors one day last weekend – before the temperature took a nose dive. It was still really cold, though, so I layered a bunch of warm woolen things including my new-to-me alpaca wool Vince sweater — a steal at $8.50. I still haven’t been able to find a heavy-duty winter parka (ahem, Canada Goose, please and thank you) but the thrift gods have been generous in other ways so I can’t complain. Meanwhile, my MaxMara camel coat is still hanging on, 5 years later; bless its heart. Here are some other ways I’ve worn it with jeans:

Return Of An Old Favourite

Some of you may remember this Maeve skirt; I used to wear it a lot. I’ve kept it in my archive closet over the past year, and during a recent overhaul of said closet I decided to pull it out again. Can I make it work with my current aesthetic? It has two strikes against it: it’s a bold, colourful print (which, in and of itself, is not a dealbreaker even if my current wardrobe is more neutrals-heavy); and it’s a pencil skirt. It’s the latter that poses the greater challenge, since I’m still figuring out how to integrate that silhouette into my current outfits. Updating it with a new, non-traditionally cut blazer was my first attempt. I think it’s a perfectly nice outfit, but it’s not very much in line with what I like to wear these days. I will have to look for other ideas … For now, here are some other ways I’ve worn the same skirt:

8 Comments on What I Wore: February 1-10, 2019

  1. I have been wearing my pencil skirts with sweaters and shooties, and in Spring am going to try tucked blouses and some of the weird pump-loafer hybrids I am inexplicably drawn to.

  3. You’ve convinced me that I need that Maeve pencil skirt in my life. Off to search Poshmark & eBay for my size!

    • Good luck! I believe it came in a few different patterns, all of which were cute. It’s got quite a bit of stretch to it, so keep that in mind if you are in between sizes. Mine is a Small I think (I have to check), and it’s very comfortable even for such a body-con style (the material isn’t structured so it moulds to your body).

  4. I could almost see that Maeve skirt peeking out under a drapey, asymmetrical tunic. Although the slit makes it tricky. I wonder if you could sew it up, but then it might be difficult to walk in! That Vince sweater with your MaxMara coat is such a gorgeous pairing!

    • I want to try it with a tunic for sure. Having quite figured out if I have something that works. I feel like it needs some volume and drama to balance it, because it’s such a statement piece.