I’ve run out of ideas for titles. I mean, that’s obvious, yes? After nearly 7 years, I suppose it’s to be expected. But while I am somewhat burnt out on post titles, I am feeling a renewed zest for outfit making. Going through a style shift usually does it. A big part of my focus has been to really zero in on the pieces I truly love (as opposed to things I feel I ought to love) and choosing them consistently, every day. The result, not surprisingly, is that I am much more consistently pleased with my daily outfits — pleased and full of that “comfortable in my own skin” feeling. More than anything (except perhaps comfort), that’s my benchmark for a successful outfit.

None of the pieces here are new, and there is nothing inherently novel about how I put them together. My goal was to balance my love of colour and print with a more streamlined (or stripped down) aesthetic. Finding that balance — not too plain, not too loud, just right — hasn’t come naturally to me, but I am getting better at it. That’s what I tell myself anyway. I liked the result here, both in how I looked in the outfit, and how I felt wearing it. Simple, easy, and hopefully not too boring.

I think it’s no secret that I love butterfly prints. This blog has seen its fair share of butterfly-embellished pieces, some more successful than others. Butterfly prints are tough; they can too easily veer into whimsy, which is not the look I’m currently pursuing. Worse, they can sometimes be rather, well, garish. From the first glimpse, I could tell that this Equipment blouse avoided both pitfalls. The only fly in the ointment (pun intended) was the price. I was determined to stalk this blouse on eBay until I could find a good deal. My opportunity came with an auction that was set to end of Christmas Day. I was the only bidder, and I figured that I had a decent chance at not being sniped at the last minute. And so it was. I think I ended up paying about $40 with shipping, which is a steal on a silk shirt this pretty. Thanks, Santa!

The cargo jeggings are also new, courtesy of the Calgary Goodwill. I didn’t know (a) that cargo jeggings were a thing, or (b) that Joie makes denim. These are very soft and stretchy, which are my main criteria for casual pants. The colour is an interesting mix of blush and light brown — a sort of faded, muddy rose. You know my newfound love of muted colours; I simply had to add this pair to my growing rainbow of skinny jeans. It complemented the muted blue of the shirt perfectly — a match made in low contrast heaven.

This outfit is definitely leaning all the way into the boho side of my style persona, but I enjoyed it a great deal nonetheless. It probably helps that all the colours here are quite muted, which is where my current sartorial mood is at. And while there is quite a bit of pattern mixing going on, it’s all rather subtle. Muted and subtle? Who am I, even? I don’t know what to tell you. I’m just going with the flow and seeing where this takes me. Or, rather, what sort of closet is left standing at the end.

Let’s talk pieces. The skirt is new-ish, but you’ve seen it before. The midi length definitely calls for the highest of high heels; however, much as I am tempted to bust out my Louboutin platforms, they’re sadly not office-appropriate in my case. Sigh. I went with my next highest pair of (non-platform) pumps, which luckily worked with the whole colour scheme. Metallic pumps are surprisingly neutral particularly in a (more subtle, hah!) gold-foil finish rather than a mirrored finish. My pair is old, but I recently saw a very similar one at Nine West. The blazer is a new thrift find. Ted Baker blazers always have the prettiest linings, and this one is no exception. The cropped style works well with skirts, and in fact helps to balance out the longer length of this particular skirt and keeping that frump factor low.