What I Wore: January 2024, part 1

Details: Oak & Fort turtleneck, Tahari shirt, Ralph Lauren vest & skirt, vintage belt, Dooney bag, Laredo boots, Nine West jacket (all secondhand)

Thoughts: This outfit was so bang-on the general direction of my current style heading into 2024. I’m planning a post to update my avatars, but you shouldn’t be surprised to see more of this. This is precisely the kind of layering I’m loving right now — at least while the weather allows — because it gives depth and visual interest to the outfit. The trick is picking the right layers, but this combo of thin, black turtleneck + chambray shirt + knit vest + jacket works really well. I’ve been lucky to have more time to wear my fall jackets than usual this year, though I suppose “lucky” is probably not the right word for it. I’m expecting that January and February will revert to historical norms (we can only hope, we need snow so badly, as weird as that sounds) so I’ll be saying goodbye to this amazing leather jacket for a while. I’ve worn it with some many things already — jeans, dresses, and now skirts — and it has yet to let me down. This skirt is another wardrobe superstar for me, and an all-season one at that.

Details: Wilfred sweater (retail), Amaryllis coat, Babaton pants, Fossil belt, ASOS boots, Stella & Max bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Brought back a little (or a lot of) colour into my outfit with this brilliant cobalt blue coat; I started there but didn’t stop. I love pairing blue and yellow, so I threw a few different things into the mix. The scarf and the bag seemed like a good match as well, mirroring the same geometric pattern. And I decided to stick with brown as the grounding neutral here instead of black, as it works so nicely with this shade of navy.

Details: Tommy Hilfiger vest, Gap shirt, Ralph Lauren belt (all secondhand), Banana Republic jeans (retail)

Thoughts: A very simple but satisfying outfit! Remember how I mentioned before that this sleeveless mock-neck sweater (it’s really more like a vest!) is so handy for layering? Here’s another good example. I wanted the velvet shirt to be visible so it had to be the top layer, but I also wanted some textural contrast. Enter the vest, which looks like a sweater but isn’t — so easy to layer under the shirt! Add a good pair of jeans and a belt, and you have yourself an outfit to which Papa Ralph would give the thumbs up (or so I like to think).

Details: vintage cardigan, Marc Cain skirt, Ports International coat, Canadienne boots, Coach bag (all secondhand), Hermes scarf (from mom)

Thoughts: Funny story about this coat: a lady stopped me at the thrift store and told me that I had to buy it because I looked so good in brown. I think Ports is generally good value for the money, and this is a classic duffle-style coat in excellent condition (and 100% wool) so why not? I bought it … but later, on further reflection, I realized that it’s not really my style. I think it looks great with short skirts — as in this outfit — but I don’t wear short skirts very often. This was a reminder that I cannot let my focus slip when I’m thrifting; I need to be intentional and highly selective at all times. Luckily, this purchase wasn’t a total loss, as I have a few friends who are interested in the coat — I’m sure it will work out for one of them. But, lesson learned!

Details: Equipment shirt, Higher State dress, Silverado jacket, Chico’s belt, Laredo boots (all secondhand)

Thoughts: As I was running out of time to wear warmer weather outfits, I had to sneak in one more “winter prairie” look featuring this wonderful coat that my friend Sherry gifted me. In case you are wondering, the layering here was base tank top + shirt + (long sleeved) dress + coat. Not a walking outfit, for sure, but plenty warm for errand-running in a car. The layering also allowed me to up the visual interest by adding the pop of contrasting pattern at the neck. I kept the colour palette consistent so it wouldn’t be too distracting.

Details: Jacob cardigan, Ines de la Fressange x Uniqlo shirt, Line sweater, Oak & Fort jeans (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I guess you could say that I’m still wearing your grandpa’s style, in this case his cardigan. Though, to be fair, this vintage Jacob cardigan is most likely from the 90s, so more like to have belonged to one of your parents … or, if you’re my age, maybe it was, ummm, yours. Ahem. I do wish this cardigan was a bit shorter because I prefer a more cropped silhouette with my high-waisted jeans and skirt, but I loved the overall vibe and couldn’t pass it up at the thrifts when I found it a few weeks ago. Would I still buy it today, if I were to apply my more discriminating lens? I think I would, both for its vibe but also for the nostalgia factor. The silhouette is something I can work on; perhaps it will push me to be a bit more adventurous and try some new styling tricks.