It’s no secret that thrifting Anthropologie pieces is one of my weaknesses. And, for $10, how could I refuse this pretty Maeve skirt? I am almost certain that I saw the same skirt at my fave consignment store not that long ago, but it was more expensive, and a way too big size, so I passed. This thrifted version still runs a bit large on me, so I implemented my fave no-sew solution for A-line skirts: hike-it-and-belt-it.

Close-ups!

There are an awful lot of brown, rust and olive tones happening here, which are not my usual jam, but this skirt makes it all worthwhile. It’s probably a bit too twee for my job (and my age) but it’s safe to say that, after my image crisis last year, I’ve fully reverted back to my girly style wheelhouse. Oh well. I got a ton of compliments on this skirt at work, so it couldn’t have been too bad.

I can’t quit the florals, even on weekends. I don’t have much else to say about this outfit – it was nice and comfy for a morning of errands, without being utterly boring. Maybe? All the pieces are old, but dependable. None more so, I think, than these Frye-lookalike moto boots – hands down the most comfortable, sturdy pair of boots I’ve ever owned. They’re made by Josef Seibel, and I was able to find them on sale for about $100, which I would spend again in a heartbeat (even though I’m super cheap when it comes to practical things like boots and coats). I’ve had them for about a year and a half, and the CPW is already well under $2. The quality is fantastic, so I can see them easily lasting at least another 3-4 years, maybe longer.

Tell me: what are some of your (unpredicted) best buys?

One of my most oft-repeated formulas is patterned skirt + neutral top + solid, coordinating colour topper. More often than not, the print is a floral. I’m very predictable, you guys. But having developed a cohesive colour palette for my wardrobe, mixing and matching all these separates is super easy.

I actually learned to appreciate the importance of colour palettes from J. Crew. You know how it’s easy to mix their pieces from different seasons? It’s because they tend to have certain colours that repeat (either as stand-alones or as part of prints). Even if you’re not as much of a matchy-matchy person as I am, having a number of complementary pieces in the same colour palette does make it easier to get dressed every morning. Take, for example, my burgundy pieces and accents in this outfit (all from J. Crew or the Factory store): the shoes, cardigan, and necklace. They ground the outfit in the same way that black would – except that burgundy is a slightly less expected “neutral” – and they all go together, which means I can be a little more bold with the rest of the outfit. Enter the florals. Always the florals.