Details: TNA shirt, Gap skirt, Greta Constantine x Danier belt, chunky necklace (all thrifted), Margiela skirt (swap)

Thoughts: I was playing around in my closet using some runway inspo I had saved, and this outfit came together and it was too good not to try it … at least on a limited basis. WFH is great for that. Lumbergoth academichic, would you say? I like it. I like it a lot. I discovered that I could turn this flannel shirt into a turtleneckish looking thing by flipping up the collar. I like that a lot too.

Details: Revello top (retail), Talbots skirt, Mexx cardigan (both thrifted), Mia shoes (retail), Paloma Picasso bag (Poshmark)

Thoughts: Another quintessentially 90s outfit that I adored wearing. This cropped cotton cardigan is just perfection. Can you believe I hadn’t owned a black cardigan for years? It wasn’t something that was missing from my closet until it was, if you know what I mean. Suddenly, I had more than a few outfits that called for a black cardigan, and specifically a “shrunken” one like this. So it was very lucky that I found this vintage (pre-2000) Mexx cardigan, still in great condition, just as I started to wish for one. I love cotton knit cardigans; the right weight (not too heavy/warm, but warm enough) and not at all scratchy so they can be worn comfortable with sleeveless or short sleeve tops.

Details: Ralph Lauren shirt (thrifted), Maeve skirt, chunky necklace (both Poshmark)

Thoughts: I love the simplicity of this outfit formula: oversized men’s shirt; full, flowy skirt; waist definition. The busy pattern of the skirt will accommodate any number of other patterns and colours, but it goes especially well with stripes.

Details: Zara shirt, Chaps vest, Cartonnier pants (all thrifted), J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Speaking of dressing to a formula, here is another example. This is a new iteration of my shirt + vest + pants formula. I decided to go a little bolder with the colour choices, inspired by the vest palette.

Details: White + Warren sweater, J. Crew & necklace vest, Jessie skirt (all thrifted), Picasso bag (Poshmark), Mia shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Back to the 90s, with another outfit built around this vintage floral maxi skirt that I recently thrifted. This time, I picked up the blush pink in the floral pattern with this lightweight cashmere t-shirt style sweater. It reminded me a bit of those fuzzy cropped sweaters that were popular for a while in the 90s. I added the vest because (a) I love vests, and (b) the result gave me strong Delia’s catalogue vibes.

Details: Ralph Lauren shirt, Fossil belt (both thrifted), Banana Republic jeans (retail)

Thoughts: Rounding this off with the most satisfying “basic” outfit of recent memory. Just a shirt and jeans, but looking ever so chic, if I do say so myself. I feel like the hair really plays up the vibe as well, and I love when that happens. To me, this looks like one of those outfits you see in a magazine and think “surely, it can’t be this easy to look stylish” and, honestly, I feel like I’ve unlocked some next-level fashion achievement to be able to feel that way about one of my own outfits.

3 Comments on What I Wore: September 2023, part two

  1. Yes!! So satisfying!

    If you are a thrifter, then the quality of your wardrobe just goes up and up right? As you encounter the next great thing to replace the previously not quite as great thing?
    That last outfit is awesome.

    • Yes, I’ve been slowly upgrading my closet for years. The key is that it takes time. But 10 years on, I have a closet I could only dream of back then. It’s the same principle that applies to home DIY and most other things in life: you can have amazing quality, and you can have it quickly, and you can have it for cheap … but you can only have 2 out of the 3 at any given time. Thrifting requires patience and time but you get amazing things for very little money.