The “neutral column + pop of colour” formula returns with a vengeance, eh? This time, I chose navy, instead of black, to pair with my bright mustard yellow jacket — largely because I’m pretty sure I’ve already done black before. As you might surmise, I really enjoy this type of outfit. I’ve never been a huge fan of trousers/pants, but I’ve been finding myself wearing them more and more. I think it’s because of outfit formulas like this one; tried and tested, comfortable, and easy to constantly remix. It puts my extensive blazer collection to good use, in any case.

I’m always looking for opportunities to wear my funky Ferragamo block heels, so I pull them out for consideration every time I wear anything navy. As I was pondering whether they “went” with this outfit, and simultaneously thinking about what accessory to add, I had a stroke of inspiration. My MaxMara chunky necklace! It has a very similar mod-ish vibe as the shoes — frankly, I can’t believe I didn’t realize it before. They’re a match made in heaven! This won’t be the last time you see this combo … or let’s face it, some very similar version of this entire outfit. Here’s hoping your memories are short, or your fondness for repetition great 😉

My husband and I had the worst luck this Valentine’s Day. I got the stomach flu *literally* that evening which, as you may imagine, put a damper on any romantic festivities. It. Was. Awful. Enuf said. I was still feeling under the weather a few days later when our 9-year (dating) anniversary came around, which is what we usually celebrate every year so, again, no exciting plans for us. However, I was determined to do *something* to celebrate, so the next day we headed out to the movie theatre to catch a movie. (I was not contagious anymore, I promise!) Which movie, you ask? John Wick 2. I don’t know which one of us was more excited. And they say that romance is dead. Pshaw!

I ended up wearing this 80s goth prom outfit (credit: my darling Instagram husband) purely by coincidence because I couldn’t wait for another occasion to pull out my sparkly Betsey Johnson dress. The weather was warm, so the leather jacket was perfect. After we watched the movie, I realized that my outfit — being all black and everything — was very on-point. So was my hair, which is a pretty good homage to Ruby Rose if you ask me. The twirling on the other hand? No excuse, really. But, c’mon on, how could I not in a dress like this?

Here’s an outtake:

You’re welcome for the laugh. But seriously, can I wear this outfit everyday? Kthxbai

Look at that: wearing my fave new sweater and my fave skirt, together. You can’t go wrong pairing favourite things. Well, I suppose you can … but even in the worst case scenario, you will still be happy because you’re wearing things you love. If I had to summarize my new approach to clothing, it’s just that. I mean, I’ve never worn things I *hated* per se, but I used to be much more lax in my definition of “love”. It’s probably why, for a long time, I didn’t find Marie Kondo’s “joy” test all that useful; anything over a 7 (on a 1 to 10 scale) would get classified as “joy-inducing” … and I had a lot of 7s in my wardrobe for years. Things that were nice, and useful, and just “okay”.

No more.

I’m all about the best now. The crème de la crème. There are still some straggling “good enoughs” in my closet, but they are mostly placeholders — things I need, and will eventually upgrade, or things I’m keeping for the sake of variety at this point, with a plan to retire them in the near future. It’s a work in progress, but progress is definitely being made. So far, I like how it’s translating into my day-to-day style.

This outfit itself is pretty basic; sweater and skirt, shoes, bag, done. Because there is so much colour going on, I knew that black shoes were non-negotiable. I was also initially going to go with a black bag, but I switched it up at the last minute; this bright red bag hasn’t been getting enough love (and it’s definitely a “joy”-ful one) and it goes well with the red shades in the skirt. The end result might be more colourful than I initially intended but … YOLO, my friends.