Category: style

Black, Olive & Floral

Top, Maeve (thrifted); jacket, Joe Fresh (thrifted); pants, Rag & Bone (thrifted); shoes, Jones NY; bag, YSL (via eBay)
Top, Maeve (thrifted); jacket, Joe Fresh (thrifted); pants, Rag & Bone (thrifted); shoes, Jones NY; bag, YSL (via eBay)

I wore this outfit on a Saturday when, among other things, I went thrifting, and it was one of those situations where the most exciting clothes to be spotted were the ones I was wearing. On one hand, that makes for a ho-hum thrifting trip; on the other hand, it makes me feel great about my wardrobe curation (ahem) efforts. I liked this outfit a lot, is what I’m saying. It looks nicely cohesive, even though it’s basically the result of me grabbing a bunch of things at random from my closet.

florals & leather
florals & leather
dark neutrals for the win
dark neutrals for the win

Let’s talk about the shoes for a minute because they are the only things I didn’t thrift. I went to Winners recently for … something I can’t remember at this point. Maybe shoes for my kid? That seems plausible, because I somehow ended up in the adult women’s shoe aisle. (On the other hand, I could have gone in to look for a pillow, or micellar water, or a notebook, and the result would have been the same, so. Who knows?) There, I spotted these Jones NY loafers on sale for $33. I was immediately drawn to the simple but sleek style. They look like a slightly daintier version of my beloved Kelsi Dagger loafers. I have been looking for a back-up pair of those for months now; I have come to adore loafers, and my KDs in particular, and I feel like I need to hoard back-ups now before the loafer trend falls off the fashion map. Anyway, I have had no luck tracking down my existing pair on eBay or elsewhere, so it struck me that this pair might be a good alternative.

Since you can still find this style online at various discounts (the style is called “Sasha”), here’s a mini review. I ended up getting an 8.5, which is the size I usually take in Nine West shoes but 1/2 to 1 size smaller than my usual size in most shoe brands. It is only a smiiiidge tight in the toe box. Generally, they are fairly comfortable; I experienced a bit of rub on the back of my heel after wearing them for a couple of hours the first time, but they’ve been fine ever since. The upper is leather, but it looks like the kind of leather than might not age well. Fair warning when you’re considering how much you want to spend; I bought these for aesthetics, intending to wear them “into the ground”. In other words, not an “investment” pair of shoes. But, still, cute and functional.

my weekend uniform, basically
my weekend uniform, basically

Happy Ending

Dress, Troubadour (via FB); necklace, Stella & Dot (thrifted); shoes, Stuart Weitzman; bag, Mulberry (via eBay)
Dress, Troubadour (via FB); necklace, Stella & Dot (thrifted); shoes, Stuart Weitzman; bag, Mulberry (via eBay)

I don’t remember exactly when I first saw this dress, but I ended up hunting it on eBay for a good, oh, 6 months. No dice. I could never find it in my size for a decent price; a lot of the time, I couldn’t find a single listing, period. That made me more determined that ever to get my hands on it. Naturally. I loved the colour palette and the mix of floral and geometric prints. Truth be told, it’s more “old Adina” than “new Adina” so I stopped actively searching for it after a while.

But then!

I’ve been a (non-active) member of a FB Anthro group for ages. I usually just skip over the group notices in my feed, but one day, one of them caught my attention; most members of the group tend to be Americans, but this person was from my home town. Intrigued, I had a closer look at her listing. Lo and behold, this dress was one of the items. The price was attractive. The dress beckoned. My love of florals won out. Readers, I bought it.

And we lived happily ever after.

Just kidding. I mean, I hope we live happily ever after, but who knows — it’s early days. I did enjoy wearing it on a gloomy Friday to work, so I think we can safely say that we are off to a good start.

(A word on sizing for anyone interested: I would suggest sizing down. I am wearing an XS, and while I would have preferred a bit more room — I ALWAYS prefer a bit more room in my clothing — it fits fine around my hips which are definitely not extra small.)

contrast print
contrast print
colour on a dreary morning
colour on a dreary morning

Sparkle & Shine

Jacket, Parker (thrifted); top, Gap (thrifted); pants, Aritzia (thrifted); shoes, Louboutin (thrifted); bag, MbMJ
Jacket, Parker (thrifted); top, Gap (thrifted); pants, Aritzia (thrifted); shoes, Louboutin (thrifted); bag, MbMJ

A sequin jacket is a bit over-the-top for an average day in the life of Adina. On the other hand, a birthday is a once-a-year kind of deal, which justifies all the sequins, no? This is what I told myself, anyway. For my birthday dinner this year (which, full disclosure, happened on a Monday at 5 PM, lest you think my life is all glamorous and stuff), I pulled out my new-to-me Parker jacket AND the Loubs. Hey, I love any excuse to get a little fancy.

column of black
column of black
with a pop of champagne
with a pop of champagne

So as not to let things get too out of hand, I kept everything simple with a decidedly non-fancy “column of black” consisting of an old Gap tank top and my favourite new (to me) Aritzia joggers. It’s a formula that works both for the office and for casual (or fancy) occasions. Which reminds me: I need to put it back into my work rotation.

Everything but the bag and necklace was thrifted; the bag was an eBay score, which means 90% of the outfit was pre-loved. Not a bad showing, and more proof — if proof was still needed — that a well-stocked thrift store is a woman`s best friend. Sequins and all.

necklace, Alexis Bittar
necklace, Alexis Bittar
red soles, baby
red soles, baby
happy birthday to me
happy birthday to me