What I Wore: October 2024, part two

Details: Tommy Hilfiger sweater, Kate Hewko skirt, Ralph Lauren coat, Coach bag, Ann Marino shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I thrifted this amazing blazer-coat in 2021, back when vintage Ralph Lauren wasn’t yet as rare as hen’s teeth at the thrifts. I paid $13 for it *cries in 2024 thrift prices* I will admit that it’s a piece I have struggled to style over the years, but I am glad that those struggles didn’t push me to get rid of it. Sometimes, inspiration needs some time to mature; if a garment is special enough, it’s worth putting aside for a while until its moment arrives. I think we can say that the moment for this coat has arrived. This outfit was 10/10 for me, no notes.

Details: Alfred Sung blouse, Heritage House skirt, Le Chateau belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I am equally note-less about this outfit because, well, what is there to say. It’s pretty dang perfect for me. The skirt was a fabulous thrift find from earlier this year; it’s wool and lined and worth every penny of the $17 I paid for it. This shade of green is very high on my fave list at the moment. Also, that silhouette. The length is just a tad longer than I would normally consider ideal for my proportions, but the silhouette makes it work, so the skirt doesn’t visually “swamp” me.

Details: Laurel shirt, Donna Karan belt, United Colours of Benetton pants (all thrifted), J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: This vintage Laurel shirt is a very apropos for a medieval history nerd like me, don’t we think? I’ve never seen a pattern like this before, nor can I find this exact blouse online (even with a reverse image search) which I am choosing to take as a sign that this shirt was made specially for me … 30 years ago in Slovenia, from whence it slowly made its way to me via, ultimately, the local Value Village. Please do not challenge my delulu, thanksverymuch. Anyway, I paired it with these vintage, lightweight wool pants for a very punchy outfit. (Mildly punny, though I expect knights on horses to be more stabby than punchy. But I digress.) I finished it off with a cream belt, as it seemed to me that a darker coloured version would look “muddled” with this colour scheme. This is not a unique case, either; this belt has turned out to be a super versatile item — lots of outfits seem to benefit from a light neutral accessory like this.

Details: Icone shirt (swap), American Eagle jeans, Ralph Lauren jacket, Brave belt, Ferragamo shoes, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: We can’t go too long without a Papa Ralph-inspired outfit, and by “we” I mean me. Canadian tuxedo with a preppy twist turned out even better than expected. I took a bit of a risk choosing 2 denim pieces of similar colour/wash; usually, when wearing head-to-toe denim, I would pick different washes. But I think the choice here paid off thanks to the contrasting jacket, which breaks up (and also complements, colour-wise) the column of denim.

Details: Bozzolo top (retail), Gap shirt, Auxiliary belt, Amaryllis jacket, American Eagle jeans, Ferragamo shoes, Tommy Hilfiger bag (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Can’t go wrong with brown and denim, and here is more proof. I’m obsessed with chocolate brown at the moment, and especially chocolate brown velvet, so you can guess how much I love this vintage Gap shirt. It’s good enough to make an outfit with a pair of basic jeans, but I added some leopard print for good measure because why not.

Details: Moschino x H&M sweatshirt, Levi’s jacket, Woolrich x Converse shoes (all secondhand), Calvin Klein jeans (retail)

Thoughts: These jeans have been through a lot. I bought them earlier this year for my daughter, mostly so she would stop stealing my jeans. She wore them once or twice, then randomly decided that she didn’t like them after all. I hate calling time on jeans, especially pairs bought at retail, because (a) they consume so many resources in production, and (b) there is so much supply of jeans at the thrifts, the vast majority of them don’t end up being bought and reused. So, I took this pair into custody and gave them the old college try. Made for a change, since the flow of clothes between my daughter’s closet and my closet has been very one-sided lately, and in the opposite direction. Anyway, after giving them a couple of wears, including this outfit, I came to the conclusion that, as much as I think they’re cool, they’re not quite my style. Before putting them in the donate pile, I decided to ask my daughter one more time if she was sure she didn’t want them. You’ll never guess what happened next. Well, unless you, too, have a tween daughter, in which case you’ll know exactly what happened next. She said omg mom thank god you kept these because they’re perfect and I was so sad because I thought we had donated them. Or words to that effect, in Gen Alpha translation. So: hello and goodbye jeans, we hardly knew ye.