Acceptable Ruffles
So, in principles, I don’t like ruffles. They tend to the Twee side, and Twee is the enemy of Adina’s Current Style. But! There are exceptions. Previously, I thought that the only exception was Dramatic Neck Ruffles (see: my favourite AllSaints blouse) but now I think we need to add another one for Ruffles Adding Architectural Elements of Interest. Too unwieldy of a category? Maybe. But case in point: this Gap skirt I recently thrifted for $8 at Value Village. Ruffles aside, it has a several other things going for it: it has a high waist (fun for playing around with proportions), it’s midi length, and it’s black. But the ruffles really kick it up a notch. This isn’t something I would have expected from the Gap, but I dig it. A lot.
Also digging this Anthro brand sweater (Moth), with its mock-necked business front and party back. And, bonus, it’s not itchy. [I always add a light layer, like a cotton tank or t-shirt, under sweaters. This one doesn’t itch through the extra layer, nor does it bug me around the arms where it meets bare skin.] I paid $8.50 for it at Goodwill. Rounding out my outfit is this sweet pair of LK Bennett pumps – $15 in like-new condition. Technically, they were free because I used a coupon. But no matter how you slice it, this outfit cost me way less than $50, top to bottom, and that’s worth a not-so-humblebrag. Ahem
Rick Revisited
I tried, but it’s hard to capture the IRL awesomeness of this Rick Owens dress. It looks cute enough in photos, but trust me when I say that it’s 10x cooler in person. It’s also pretty easy to dress up or down. To make it office appropriate, I added a classic, collarless blazer and some red pumps for an extra bit of oomph. It’s been a while since I’ve done a red shoe.
Here are the other ways I’ve worn this dress before:
Valentine’s Day
I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day. Honestly, I don’t know many people who are, outside of the blogosphere. Maybe I’m too old and/or cranky. But the day falls adjacent to the anniversary of my husband and my first date – and, yes, 11 years later we remain the kind of people who consider that an anniversary – so I try to make an effort. And by “effort”, I mean getting dressed up and going out to eat. Which, come to think of it, probably doesn’t count since those are 2 of my favourite things anyway.
This outfit came together because I wanted to wear a couple of recently thrifted pieces: a Zara velvet blazer, and a vintage embroidered handbag. You might think I would go into a boho-romantic direction with that, but you’d be wrong. It is still the winter of my discontent, so distressed/destroyed jeans and stiletto booties it was. I like all the juxtaposition happening. It’s possibly a little extra, but that kinda encapsulates my current style approach, doesn’t it?
Let’s also take a moment and appreciate that bag. Do you remember how obsessed I was 2 or 3 years ago with finding an embroidered bag? Never happened until a few weeks ago; that’s how thrifter life goes. I’m mostly over that obsession, but this was a nice bag, in pristine condition, and ten whole Canadian dollars – it was calling my name. I got rid of the awful original strap (barely long enough to wear in the crook of the arm, and I hate to carry bags like that) and thrifted myself a crossbody strap replacement for an additional $3. I think it updates the bag in a nice way.
Here are a few other ways I’ve worn the same jeans:
And that’s all she wrote, folks.
The embroidered bag is gorgeous!