Details: Ralph Lauren blouse & skirt, vintage vest, BCBG belt, Thierry Raboutin shoes (all secondhand)
Thoughts: To me, this is a quintessentially Jo March outfit and I love it so much despite its very muted colour palette. It’s all about the details, like the delicate paisley pattern on the blouse and the lace insert, and the texture contrasts. I chose a jeweled belt instead of something more southwest-inspired because I wanted to lean more into the late Victorian vibe than the prairie vibe with this outfit, and also felt that a juxtaposition of influences might overwhelm the outfit. Sometimes, it doesn’t have to be loud to be special.
Details: Dries Van Noten dress (eBay), Zara jacket, vintage scarf, Thierry Raboutin shoes (all thrifted); DKNY skirt (Poshmark)
Thoughts: Remember this dress? It’s been a while since I wore it last, but it’s as lovely as ever. Dries Van Noten truly is a genius when it comes to patterns. I decided it was time to pull out the dress again because I wanted another go at a Ralph Lauren collection look (from 2014, I want to say but don’t quote me on that) that has lived rent-free in my head for a long time. It’s a long, floral, diaphanous dress with a brown tweed long-line blazer; long patterned scarf, sandals with chunky wool socks. It’s one of my core moodboard looks for the Bohemian avatar, and I’ve done different takes on it before. I’m still hunting for the original RL dress, but use this dress in the meantime because the bottom part is floaty floral chiffon so it has a similar movement. I added to it by wearing my sheer panel DKNY skirt underneath, to extend the floatiness. I skipped the sock-with-sandals part because it’s not my thing, but did use my sock-shoes as a hat tip to that idea.
Details: no label cardigan (thrifted), CoH jeans (thrifted), Ralph Lauren belt (Poshmark), J. Crew blazer (retail, old)
Thoughts: I loved the stripe pattern of this cardigan and wanted to build an outfit around juxtaposing it against the blazer pattern. (Side note: I always used to call that pattern a “check” but recently saw a Reel that revealed I was wrong: it’s actually a houndstooth, but colourful not monochromatic. The more I know!) But the cardigan has a deep V neckline, which means, by the time I tuck the front and put the jacket on, little of the stripes can still be seen. So I wore it backward! Instant sweater.
Details: Uniqlo sweater, Cartonnier jacket (both thrifted), Ralph Lauren skirt (eBay), Tignanello bag (Poshmark)
Thoughts: For this outing of THE skirt, I decided to pick green as the focus colour, and add the yellow as a pop. The jacket was a compromise to the weather, which required me to wear a heavier topper. I don’t love-love it, but it’s ok and it was the best option I had in relation to the rest of the outfit. I hate when Mother Nature gets in the way of my sartorial goals, haha!
Details: Ralph Lauren shirt & vest, Ports International jacket, Ferragamo shoes (all thrifted), Paul Smith pants, Ralph Lauren belt (both Poshmark)
Thoughts: Just another Historian outfit, remixing pieces I call “old faithfuls” — reliably great staples. The vest and jacket, in particular, fit that bill perfectly. I can wear them in so many different combinations, with so many different pieces and different colours. And they also work great together. The pants are great too, though they’re a little more statement than staple thanks to the plaid pattern; I feel they tend to stand out a bit more. But I love the cut, and I wish I could find more pants like this — I’m really struggling lately to find trouser-style pants that are neither skinny nor full wide-leg. Anyway, on to the rest of the outfit. I picked the green shirt to pick up on the green in the plaid, and added the belt as a nod to Papa Ralph, who often wears a big buckle number with his preppy fits.
Details: InStyle sweater, American Apparel coat, CoH jeans, Asos boots (all thrifted), Brave belt, Tignanello bag (both Poshmark)
Thoughts: This outfit was built around the turquoise/orangey brown colour combo. That’s basically it. I added the grey coat because I’ve noticed how well it works with outfits that feature brown; as a “grounding” neutral, it works better than black in this kind of situation, I think.