Details: Ralph Lauren sweater (Poshmark), Club Monaco turtleneck (retail, old), CoH jeans, Oak & Fort coat, Office London shoes (all thrifted), Coach bag ( Poshmark)
Thoughts: Strap in for story time, friends. I posted the whole saga in extensive detail on Instagram, but I’ll give you the quick version here. See that amazing vintage RL sweater? I don’t know if you know this about me but I love ducks. Mallards, in particular. I also love vintage RL, but you definitely knew that. I found this sweater on Poshmark back in the summer of 2022 and got it for the amazing price of $30CAD. The same sweater currently sells for $250+ on eBay (and there is one listing for $800, smh). The listing disclosed a couple of holes, but they looked easy enough to fix. No problem. I get the sweater and while I am cleaning it, I find a couple of extra holes. And proceed to have a freak out. We don’t get moths here in Alberta, but they are common in other parts of the country. I have a lot of nice wool sweaters (and skirts) I can’t afford to ruin. My first reaction was to chuck the sweater, but my husband talked me off the ledge so we put the sweater in an airtight ziplock back instead. Put it aside. And then I forgot about it. For over a year and a half. Came across it again a few weeks ago. Put it outside in the -50 Celsius deep freeze for 72 hours. Put it in the dryer (while dry) for 2 hot spins. Steam cleaned it again. Washed it. Darned the holes. And finally: I wore it. And you know what? Totally worth it. I’m calling this a Bohemian outfit because the sweater is definitely shabby chic (it still has a small defect around the neckline which I don’t want to repair unless it starts to unravel more, because I loved the lived-in look of it).
(I also don’t actually know if there ever were any moths near that sweater. The ziplock back was clean when we opened it. But better safe than sorry, pals!)
Details: Line sweater, Jil Sander jacket, Cleo skirt (all thrifted), Rafael Canada necklace (secondhand)
Thoughts: This camel jacket looks fairly unassuming but it’s legit “stealth” luxe — it’s cashmere. There is something about a cashmere jacket; it’s so soft and thick and (dare I say it? I dare) yummy. Hahaha! I hate using that term for clothing but I think you know what I mean. I know Escada used to make cashmere blazers because I have a vintage one myself, so keep an eye out for that at the thrifts. Look for labels that say “by Margaretha Ley”. As a bonus, some of them will have a “made in W. Germany” tag, which is a neat little piece of historical reference. As for this jacket … well, Jil Sander is always a BOLO too, of course. Very high quality and beautiful construction. As for this outfit? It’s somewhere on the border of the Historian and the Bohemian, leaning more towards the former.
Details: Equipment shirt, Ralph Lauren vest, Ports International jacket, Fossil belt, Twik pants, J. Crew shoes (all secondhand)
Thoughts: Back on the RL train! I am loving the combo of green, navy and brown lately, so I am putting together different (Historian) outfits on that theme. This navy vest, as unassuming as it looks, is one of my favourites because it feels so classically RL, and this shade of navy works wonderfully with the colours in my wardrobe. And, of course, it’s 100% vintage cotton. The best.
Details: no name turtleneck, Tommy Hilfiger cardigan, Eddie Bauer belt (all thrifted), Ralph Lauren skirt (eBay)
Thoughts: Another side of RL, this time for the Trailblazer. This skirt is so great, and as soon as I spotted that green turtleneck at the thrifts, I immediately thought of it. I think the colours look great together. Added the white cardigan as a “grounding” neutral, as black felt like it would be too dark and heavy here. And threw on a big buckle belt because that’s been my mood lately.
Details: YAS blouse, Pendleton vest, Gap belt (all thrifted), Rafael Canada necklace (secondhand), Banana Republic jeans (retail)
Thoughts: The Trailblazer reimagined as a cowboy grandpa, hahahaha! I hadn’t had a chance to wear this wonderful vintage Pendleton vest since I bought it over a year ago (it went missing in action for a bit) so I wanted to experiment with it a bit. It’s a bit big on me so I decided to lean into the masc vibe with the outfit. Next time, I might switch things up and layer a thick sweater under it, and maybe try a skirt instead.
Details: Tabi sweater, H&M dress, Babaton skirt (all secondhand), Zara boots (retail)
Thoughts: This is definitely a Bohemian outfit, but an interesting one insofar as I haven’t been using a lot of black in my outfits recently. I enjoyed the layering with this one, and I also amused myself by pairing the polka dot patterns in reverse polarity. It’s like a little inside joke with myself. Clothing should always be fun, after all.