AdinaJ

02
Nov
2014

The One Where I Buy a MaxMara Coat

categories: Favourite things, Introductions, Love at first sight, style

Yeah … so, this happened.

MaxMara Ragni camel coat — MaxMara Ragni Coat

I kept thinking about this coat after seeing it at Holt. The price tag was … inhibitory. (More on that in a moment.) And, then, the perfect storm came along: a super stressful week at work and home. I was overwhelmed, sleep-deprived, and coming down with the Toddler Plague. You could say that shopping under such influences is a bad idea … and I would generally agree. Except that, in this case, I ended up with this sweet coat. So, not entirely bad.

Yes, it was expensive. But I wasn’t completely irresponsible. I had a gift card, and a not-insubstantial coupon ($100 off for $300 spent). All told, my out-of-pocket damage was just over $250 – not bad for a $800+ coat, and not bad for a mid-weight coat (perfect for fall and spring in Edmonton) that I will hopefully wear for years.

I love the sleek, cocoon style. It a good mix of classic and modern. It easily accommodates several layers – an important consideration because I wear this coat daily on my work commute, and I hate the feeling of bunchy layers (especially blazer sleeves bunching into my armpits) – without looking bulky. I never lusted after MaxMara before (as y’all know, I’m not really a coat person), but I have to admit: they do make a nice looking coat.

31
Oct
2014

The New Statement Necklace

categories: style

wearing scarf to work; spearmint Marc Jacobs Blake bag; wearing scarf as necklace — Sweater & skirt, J. Crew Factory; scarf, can’t remember; brooch, vintage; shoes, Jimmy Choo (thrifted); bag, Marc Jacobs (via eBay)

… is not a necklace at all. The outfit called for something, but I wasn’t feeling the statement necklace vibe that morning. So I dug out a contrasting scarf, mostly as an excuse to wear one of my brooches. The brooches don’t get a lot of love these days, and I feel bad about that. Worn on their own, I feel like they’re wont to push my outfits too closely towards fuddy duddy territory; but add a scarf, and I’m safely out of the danger zone. I think.

This isn’t an infinity scarf, but I wanted a similar clean look, so I tied my scarf the usual way (sorry, I can’t for the life of me explain it intelligibly, but I’m copying an old tutorial from Jean) and pinned the ends under with a couple of extra safety pins. I looked like this in the morning …

… and then, by noon, everything started to come apart. I somehow lost one safety pin (?!), and then got tired of fiddling with the ends. So, I just left it as it was. I actually don’t mind the look.

I love all of the colours of this skirt, especially because they matched my morning donut.

A day that starts with a donut is a good day.

30
Oct
2014

Going to the Chapel

categories: Uncategorized

Lela Rose for Target dress; J. Crew Everly blue pumps — Dress, Lela Rose for Target (via eBay); belt, Anthropologie; shoes, J. Crew (via consignment); bag, Chanel

No, I didn’t get married. Or, rather, not recently. But I did go to a wedding the last weekend, and I’ve got the fancied-up OOTD photos to prove it.

It was fun. I say that as someone who typically hates weddings. The bride looked lovely, and together with her new husband, very happy. More importantly for my selfish purposes, they threw a nice shindig. I especially appreciated the fact that it was a kid-free wedding. This, on one hand, makes the logistics of attendance a wee bit more difficult; but, once that’s all sorted, the actual event is infinitely more fun. Don’t get me wrong: I love my kids, and spending time with them is ~~always~~ generally a blast. However, keeping two little ones in check for the duration of a sit-down plated dinner isn’t really my idea of a good time. Especially whilst wearing a fancy frock. Which I rarely get to do. Or whilst attempting to catch up with friends I haven’t seen in years. Which, obviously, I rarely get to do. So hurrah for kid-free weddings!

wedding centrepiece; vintage centrepiece — Flowers, vintage tea cups, and books? My kind of centrepiece

And mazel tov to the happy couple!

Author: AdinaJ