Category: Favourite things

First Day

Yoana Baraschi indigo night moto jacket; Banana Republic black Sloan cropped ankle pants; Manolo Blahnik white pumps
Jacket, Yoana Baraschi; pants, Banana Republic (via consignment); shoes, Manolo Blahnik (thrifted); bag, MbMJ (via eBay)

So, finally, this is it: my first day back at work. Or, rather, my first-day-back-at-work outfit. I hemmed and hawed a bit over what to wear, but I settled on this Yoana Baraschi moto jacket because … seriously, guys, this is it. True love. I hate jackets. I’ve never been a jacket person. They always feel like straight-jackets to me. Except this one. This one feels like magic.

Yoana Baraschi indigo night moto jacket; Banana Republic black Sloan cropped ankle pants; Manolo Blahnik white pumps
the side details

Don’t believe me? What if I told you that I didn’t take it off even once during the day? Granted, some of that had to do with the fact I was wearing the world’s rattiest black t-shirt underneath (don’t judge, it’s a closet hole only belatedly discovered); mostly, though, it’s because I love this jacket.

That said, here’s an(other) embarrassing confession: it took me almost half the day to realize that the white contrasting trim is actually leather. How cool is that? The workmanship and overall quality are impressive to me (I don’t really know much about the brand, but I’m definitely interested now) … especially when you consider that I paid only $27 for this jacket on clearance at Winners.

True love, I tell you.

Yoana Baraschi indigo night moto jacket; Banana Republic black Sloan cropped ankle pants; Manolo Blahnik white pumps
white after Labour Day

(P.S. My first day went great. And it just keeps getting better. Work, that is. I’m still trying to get the hang – again – of the work-life balance thing. I’ll take this moment to apologize in advance if when the bloggy quality around here plummets without warning. Just some temporary turbulence, folks. Also, I’m still trying to get the hang of doing OOTD photos on the run. Please forgive the blurry.)

One More Time

Old navy chambray dress; old navy clog sandals
Dress & shoes, Old Navy; scarf, gift; bag, MbMJ (via eBay)

Did you miss the old potato sack of glory? I did, so out it came for one last rodeo before I head back to work. Which, in real time, is happening just about … now. Ack! Wish me luck.

Old navy chambray dress; old navy clog sandals
My beloved $7 clogs
Old navy chambray dress; old navy clog sandals
Earrings, J. Crew Factory

Clearly, this is not what I’m wearing today, but it was my cute outfit 2 weeks ago. You know what? Even Old Navy liked it. (Or, erm, the peeps running Old Navy’s Insta account. Hiya!) I’m taking that as supreme validation, and patting myself on the back for an outfit well done. Having low standards has perks.

Old navy chambray dress; old navy clog sandals
The face of anxious anticipation

I’m sure today is going swimmingly (fingers crossed), but drop me a line if you’re feeling in an encouraging mood. I can always do with a bit of rah-rah spirit. Cheers!

Formal Shorts (With a Side of Florals)

J. Crew chino shorts; LOFT floral cardigan; Marc Jacobs Mag bag fools gold
Shorts, J. Crew; tee, Old Navy; cardigan, LOFT (via consignment); belt & shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag, MbMJ (via eBay)

With my return-to-work date looming, I’ve been itching to do the big closet switcheroo: putting all 80% of my casual clothes in the basement closet, and bringing up all my work (and fall, sigh) clothes upstairs. But I’ve been forcing myself to wait, the better to enjoy my last remaining weeks days of freedom maternity leave. Still, I couldn’t entirely resist the urge to start dressing up a little. Shorts and cardigan it is, then.

J. Crew chino shorts; LOFT floral cardigan; Marc Jacobs Mag bag fools gold
church lady on top, PTA mom on the bottom

One thing I am definitely not excited to dig out again is the pantyhose. Ugh, that word. When I think about having to double down on the control top business, I get even more depressed. And do you know how hard it is to find “nude for me” pantyhose? I’ll have you note that I am just as pasty today, 10+ weeks into the summer, as I was back in June. Whomp, whomp, sad trombone.

J. Crew chino shorts; LOFT floral cardigan; Marc Jacobs Mag bag fools gold
the half tuck reveals itself …

On a slightly more positive note … I think my hair is starting to calm down a bit. It’s still not 100% back to the mermaid hair of my dreams, but it’s getting there. Slowly. (Side note: I did finally figure out the whole where-did-this-ombré-come-from situation. Perms can change the texture of hair and, apparently, one of the changes can be a lightening of the natural colour; this, combined with extra time spent outdoors this summer, likely accounts for my lighter ends. The darker roots were my re-growth since my December perm, showing my true colour. Of course, ombré hair is now totally passé. Where’s that damn sad trombone again?)

J. Crew chino shorts; LOFT floral cardigan; Marc Jacobs Mag bag fools gold
revel in the basic bitchness