It’s the time of year for retrospectives, so let’s continue the tradition with a look-back at my favourite outfits of 2025. I am going to say this upfront: the amount of brainspace I devoted to fashion this year is a fraction of what it’s been in previous years. I don’t think I need to tell you why, but just in case you’re new here: 2025 was my Year of Writing. I wrote and wrote and wrote, to the exclusion of pretty much everything else except my family and work. There’s a deep streak of ‘obsessive loner’ in my DNA, and writing is one of those things that can absorb an endless amount of obsessive energy given the opportunity. It’s, like, a match made in heaven … but it did leave me with little to give to my other hobbies.

The good thing is that, by now, me and my personal style are old friends. We know each other inside and out, and we’re there for each other even when we (that is, I) don’t have a lot of time to spend together. Years and years of experimenting, learning, reflecting, and refining have paid off. I know how I want to show up in the world and I know how to translate that into what I wear. As I write this, I start to wonder if it’s not a coincidence that 2025 was the year I turned all of my creative focus to a different channel (my original passion) that allows me to experiment and learn all over again.

While I don’t think (or write) about style as much anymore, I still get joy from dressing up and I still ‘put together outfits’ almost every day. Including the days I don’t leave the house. Dressing is still something I do for myself, as a form of creative expression – even if it’s not my primary modality anymore.

I don’t think anyone who’s been following along this year will be surprised to hear me say that no new fashion boundaries were explored in 2025. It was more of the things I’ve loved for a while, remixed again and again. If anything, my style has been stripped back to its core elements. Less patterns, but more texture. Layering. Subtler colour palettes. Strategic accessorizing. 90s revival. And Ralph Lauren, obvi.

Let’s dive in!

Clearly, my obsession with Ralph Lauren everything is still going strong. As is my love of midi skirts and the colour brown. Putting these photos together really shows my favourite silhouettes, proportions, and outfit formulas. You can see how it’s all about remixing and layering rather than reinventing the wheel.

Seriously, I love brown so much. I was a black-loving girlie for yeeeears, and while nothing beats its crispness, I think brown suits me better – and I’m not even talking about seasonal colour analysis here.

Don’t get me wrong, I still wear quite a bit of black as well. I love pairing it with white (and adding lots of texture) or leaning into my inner goth princess. Yes, she’s still alive and kicking it alongside the Ralph-loving bougie 40-something.

Colour did not disappear from my closet entirely though!

Summer is all about boho, prairie, and western vibes. Again, you can see I have certain silhouettes and styles that I gravitate towards … though I did experiment a little bit with mini skirts this year. I love pairing them with boots, both of the cowboy variety and my Docs. I have short legs and short skirts don’t usually do them any favours, but the proportions work when there’s a tall boot involved.

One last, random collage – though, even here, you can see I’m a creature of habit. Midi skirts for the win!

And that’s a wrap on another year of outfits. Bring on 2026 … and more of the same 😉

One week closer to my holiday break — only three more workdays to go. That’s it. That’s the highlight. Otherwise, there’s not much to say. The weather was hella cold, it snowed hella hard, work was hella busy, I was hella grumpy. I’ve been inching towards burnout territory for a while, and this week I tried to reverse course a little, but of course, that’s easier said than done. I forced myself to slow down physically at least, but the mind is another beast. She’s stubborn and she doesn’t always listen. Let’s just say, I’ve been leaning hard on all the lessons and progress I’ve made recently with my therapist.

My (long distance) bestie and I exchanged our Xmas presents, which is to say, we sent each other money so we could treat ourselves like the lazy, 50-year old bougie b*tches we are. [That’s a Pedro Pascal reference for those of you who don’t internet as much as we do.] She’s buying fancy soap, and I ordered myself a bunch of books. We love that for us.

The hardest thing is going to be to not start reading them before Christmas Day. I feel like I’m in a reading slump — probably another symptom of burnout, tbh — and none of the books in my current TBR pile look appealing. I’m a mood reader, so this is a real problem, ok? But I’m very excited about the ones I just ordered. Maybe I’ll allow myself one little pre-Christmas treat? Isn’t it a perk of adulthood that one can make up the rules as one goes?

I’m also very excited because I ordered a DVD of Ten Things I Hate About You for my daughter as part of her Xmas present. We’ve been trying to find this movie at the thrift store for months without success. I can’t wait for us to watch it together over the holiday break. Re-discovering old faves from my teenage years with her, as she’s starting that phase of her life, is one of the highlights of this stage of parenthood. She’s also getting a bunch of books for Christmas because we are basically the same person. Except, in her case, it’s all hockey romances, lol! We listen and we don’t judge.

Ever since Variety announced the line-up of their Actors on Actors interviews, I’ve been sat for the one between Gwyneth Paltrow and Jacob Elordi. Are you kidding me? My OG celebrity obsession and my current pop culture rabbit hole (that sounds wrong, oh well) competing for oxygen in one room? Sign me up. Well, I watched it and … meh. It was a snoozefest. Like watching two people make polite conversation in a dentist’s reception. Or paint dry. I’ve seen other interviews with them, so I know that, individually, they’re both capable of being funny and charming. Together, they somehow turned into a charisma black hole.

One of my fave anecdotes from Amy Odell’s biography of Gwyneth is about how she once explained the different types of caviar to Brad Pitt in a restaurant. [Because, evidently, he was a Midwest hick or something.] I was hoping she’d bring that energy to the interview, for dramatic purposes. It would have been fun to see that square off against Jacob’s earnest ‘I think deep thoughts’ energy. [To be clear, I find this endearing about him. People who are not afraid to talk about their intellectual curiosity, in a culture that tends to characterize enthusiasm as “cringe”, are cool in my book.] Alas, all Gwyneth did was nod a lot and make valiant attempts to get a word in edgewise. Jacob was a total chatty Cathy. Maybe he was nervous. They both looked hella uncomfortable/stiff.

Oh well. At least the Jonathan Bailey / David Corenswet interview did not disappoint. So. Much. Energy. So. Much. Chemistry.

Have a great weekend!

I’m not a big fan of gift guides because so often they’re nothing more than a marketing gimmick, but I love seeing the stuff people actually buy. Maybe you do too? If so, this post is for you. I’m going to share a bunch of things that are on my Xmas wishlist … some of which may or may not already be waiting for me under the Xmas tree.

Guerlain Insolence

I’ve had this on my perfume wishlist for a long time. I love violet-forward scents, and Insolence is a classic. I finally found an unopened bottle on Poshmark and, long story short, it’s on its way to me as we speak. It will be my dad’s gift, because we have a new tradition where he buys me perfume for Xmas and/or my birthday every year. Now that The Bay is defunct, it’s hard to find less mainstream perfumes locally. My local Shoppers stocks some Guerlain fragrances, but not Insolence. I’ve bought perfumes on Posh before without any issues, so I hope this one arrives safely.

Tripod and Ring Light

As I look ahead to 2026, I see a lot more IG Reels in my future. Sigh. Making videos of myself is NOT my fave activity (by a long shot) but it’s a necessary evil for a self-published author trying to figure out the whole marketing side of the business. My current set-up is basically, umm, me and my phone. I don’t mind having videos that feel more “homemade” than super polished, so I’m not looking to massively upgrade my tech … but it will be nice to have a hands-free set-up and slightly better lighting at least. My SIL picked a tripod/ring light for me off Amazon, so I don’t actually know the model or anything. Hopefully, I’ll be able to figure out how to use it, lol!

Day Planner

To be clear, I’m not a journaling girlie. I’m just someone who lives and dies by her To-Do list, and I like writing mine down – hence the need for a day planner. I’m very proud of myself because, instead of buying a new one in August when the new batch of 18-month planners came out, I continued to use my current one, which runs to December. Well, guess what? It’s now December. And a new planner is a great gift for one of my kids to buy for me.

Vintage Coach Bag

I don’t need another Coach bag … but I kinda want one? Specifically, another vintage XL duffle bag in a different colour. I bought a cognac one earlier this year and I’m obsessed with it, and I think a red one would be fab to have. I love red bags and this duffle style is *chef’s kiss*. I’d be open to other colours as well, apart from black. The problem is finding the right bag at the right price. The resale market for vintage Coach is insane right now, and this particular style doesn’t come up very often. I’d rather wait past Christmas, if necessary, than buy something else just for the sake of the occasion.

Uniqlo Cashmere Blend Turtlenecks

I live in turtlenecks for 6 months of the year, and I really love having lightweight wool-blend ones that I can wear right next to the skin (aka not scratchy ones). I have 2 old Club Monaco ones that I bought back in 2016 or so, which are fine merino wool and super lightweight, and they’ve been absolute workhorses in my wardrobe. I still wear them regularly, even though they’re starting to show their age a bit. A friend brought these Uniqlo turtlenecks to my attention and I feel like they might be the perfect replacement. I want at least a couple of colours, starting with brown.  

What’s on your Xmas wishlist?