I don’t do black and white often, especially not without throwing in some accent colour, but I invariably like the rare exceptions. I’m afraid this is one of those outfits that looks better in person than in pictures (at least those taken with my iPhone camera, on my driveway, while pretending not to notice the neighbours driving by and telling themselves “what is the deal with those people, they seem normal enough the rest of the time”). It’s the most basic of basic, but sometimes basic is best, you know?

Everything here except my top is thrifted, including the Famous Manolos. Who knew I would end up loving a pair of white pumps so much? Mr. Blahnik makes beautiful (and comfortable) shoes, so perhaps it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Oh, if the stars would align again, so I could find another pair! And if the Campari Mary Janes are out of the question, I’ll be happy to settle for some Valentino Rockstuds instead — I’m very reasonable like that. Are you listening, thrifting gods? It’s me, Adina. xoxo

I’m a redhead who is not afraid to wear pink, but coral is usually where I draw the line. Thing was, this Gap blazer fit so nicely, and seemed like such a great summer piece, I decided to set aside my prejudices. Well, coral is still not my colour, but this outfit turned out nice enough. The coral in the blazer picks up the same shade in the skirt, and my teal Muse II adds a bit of a colour contrast (along with the blue in the skirt). I defaulted to boring black for my shoe choice, mostly because navy pumps continue to elude me, and I’m afraid I need to add nude ones to the list too.

Are there any colours you guys avoid? Have you ever broken your own “rule” and been pleasantly surprised with the result?

I’ve been wanting a moto-style leather jacket for a while, but never pulled the trigger — leather jackets are a pricey proposition, and I wasn’t sure how versatile one would be in my wardrobe. So when I saw this good-as-new (faux) leather jacket at Value Village for $10, I jumped. What better way to try a style I’m unsure about? The wonderful upsides of thrifting, I’m telling ya. Now that I have one of these at home to play with, I’m starting to realize that a classic moto jacket is pretty much the perfect weekend topper. You can dress it up (or, looking at it from a different perspective, toughen up a girly outfit) like this, or …

… you can do the whole casual minimalist chic thing. You basically can’t go wrong with it. And it’s a good weight for spring too. I will say that the faux leather is apt to get pretty warm on sunny days, so keep that in mind.

For anyone wondering how I cleaned this puppy, I just followed the care instructions, and wiped down the outside with a damp cloth. The inside looked clean (no stains, smells, etc.) so I took my chances. Since this is not the sort of garment one wears close to the skin, I figured it would be OK. If anyone has other tips or suggestions from cleaning faux or real leather jackets at home, please share in the comments.