What I Wore: February 2024, part 2

Details: Tahari shirt, Ralph Lauren sweater & skirt, Ports International jacket, Asos boots, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Here it is: THE skirt! Isn’t it amazing? You can ignore my derpy expression, caught in the act of giving my recalcitrant photographer instructions on how to shoot this pretty dope outfit (if I do say so myself). My photographer is almost always recalcitrant. If it’s my son, it’s as a matter of principle because he thinks taking photos of what one is wearing is, to quote, “dumb”. If it’s my husband, it’s because he knows how much it annoys me, and gets a kick out of it. Ah, true love! Whatever would we do without it. Anyway, I loved this outfit and wearing it gave me all the feels. I’m so happy to have the chance to wear this dress, and I can’t wait to style it up again and again.

Details: Ralph Lauren sweater, Twik pants, Fossil belt, American Apparel coat, Frye boots, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Another side of my aesthetic: the Historian in grandpa mode. This colour palette — brown with a complementary shade, plus grey as a neutral — is something I keep coming back to. I love using black as a neutral with brown, but there is something about grey as a substitute that I find very appealing. It’s a different vibe, for sure. Sometimes I find myself wondering if I’m wearing too much brown these days (and does it even suit me?) but then I give my head a shake and move on with my day. I’m going to enjoy my Brown Period and not overthink it.

Details: Banana Republic sweater, Mr. Edwards dress, DKNY skirt, Club Monaco belt, Nine West shoes, Rafael Alfandary necklace (all secondhand)

Thoughts: OK, but how good is this shade of purple? I am a little bit obsessed with it, and slowly working my way through all the colour combinations I can think of. Here, I took a hint from the dress pattern, and pulled together a purple/dark red palette. I also decided to extend the vertical line of the outfit by layering my DKNY skirt under the dress; the only part you can see is the sheer panel at the bottom, which doesn’t pull focus away from the rest of the outfit, but helps to change up the silhouette. I love a long column!

Details: Michael Kors top, Tristan jacket, Issey Miyake skirt (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I LOVED this outfit! I’ve had this vintage Tristan jacket in my closet since at least 2012, but haven’t worn it in years because it fell out of style — which is to say, it didn’t suit my style as it evolved over the past decade. But I thought it was too special to part with, so I kept it. Recently, I took it out of the archive closet, feeling the time had come to give it another try. I specifically wanted to wear it with my Issey skirt … and then I had the idea to add the sequin top underneath as a sort of sleeve-extender. Genius! It picks up the sequin work on the jacket, and adds to the texture of the outfit without being too in-your-face-sequins about it. I actually got the top because it matches a long sequin skirt I thrifted a few years ago, and I was planning to wear them together to create a dress, but paired with this jacket, it feels like a match made in heaven too.

Details: Selected Femme sweater (retail, old), Jones NY blazer, Margiela skirt, vintage belt (all secondhand)

Thoughts: A super simple outfit, made interesting with a fun belt. I love metal belts because they function like jewelry, but feel a bit more unexpected that, say, a necklace. Speaking of unexpected, I feel like the velvet lapel on this blazer falls in that ballpark too; plus, it ties together the top and bottom halves of the outfit.

Details: Everlane sweater, Ralph Lauren blazer, Gap belt & jeans (all secondhand)

Thoughts: This was an even simpler outfit, with a much simpler belt too. My version of keeping things casual 🙂

Details: Ralph Lauren turtleneck & skirt, vintage belt, Oak & Fort coat, Office London shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: One strong pattern calls for … another? That was my philosophy in putting together the two halves of this outfit, using red as the unifying colour. It’s a bold look and I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s mine and I enjoyed every sip of this one. Look at me, making a funny! Anyway, I am a little bit sad that you can’t see more of my contrasting tights in this photo, because it was a lot of work picking a colour that clashed just the right amount. Not too much, not too little. It’s harder than you’d think!