Art Show Style, Take One

Last weekend, I participated in my first art show/sale/market with a small group of fellow Edmonton artists and makers. It was a very positive experience and a big step for me because I have struggled a lot with the commercial side of my crafts. For various reasons, I don’t view my craft hobbies as a “side hustle”, but it’s nice to be able to cover some of my material costs from time to time … so I can go and buy more for crafting. You know how it goes. Anyway, I had to put more thought than usual into my outfits for the show/market because I had to consider not only practical issues (comfort being No. 1) but also branding; what better way to advertise than by wearing my own jewelry pieces. So I picked my clothes based on their suitability as backdrops for my jewelry. This Banana Republic jumpsuit was perfect; black velvet is wonderful for display purposes. It was also very comfortable (and easy enough to wrangle on bathroom trips) which was a must. I can’t wait to wear this one again.

Art Show Style, Take Two

Despite all that I wrote above, I also knew that I would have to wear my fave dress; nothing else encapsulates me (and my love of colour) as well. Luckily, it matched wonderfully with this older embroidered necklace that I made last year (or was it 2019? gosh, time flies!) As before, this dress is a compliment-magnet. And! I managed to find a matching bag on Poshmark. I am so happy.

Art Show Style, Take Three

This wasn’t my originally planned outfit for the 3rd day of the show, but it worked out even better than my first pick. A friend gifted me this Kate Hewko tunic, and I instantly fell in love with it. Its fun and slightly edgy/kooky vibe works so well with my jewelry aesthetic. I wore a piece I recently made, and I loved the resulting combination. Also, I can now attest that these Fluevog shoes are comfortable even for 5+ hours of standing around. Win!

Last But Not Least

Back to regular outfitting, erm, programming … had to wear my Topshop polka dot dress again. I love it so much. I can’t wait to explore its layering potential next fall/winter; for now, a mock neck sleeveless top is more than suitable. I love the contrast polka dots and how fun/cheerful they look. I’ve been eyeing some similar Marimekko prints, but haven’t pulled the trigger yet. It’s funny how we can sometimes rediscover or fall in love again with certain things; I haven’t worn polka dots in years, but am suddenly obsessed again. I think it’s because I’m drawn to oversized geometric shapes and patterns at the moment – both in my art and my outfits.

New Horizons

I love how this outfit came together. I thrifted the dress (Rachel Roy) and one of the necklaces (Lulu Frost) together, and the colours seemed to scream “wear us together”. Then, at home, I realized that the necklace layered beautifully with my Stella & Dot Pegasus bib so … an outfit was born. I believe the Lulu necklace is called “Horizons” which has a hope-filled vibe to it that I appreciate. Here’s to new horizons!

When In Doubt, Sequins

I like doing black and white outfits, and this one had a small twist you probably could see coming a mile away: sequins. But! White sequins. That’s a little less common, isn’t it? It’s why I was pushed to buy this Do+Be top; that, and the casual style (the cut plus the elasticized striped trim look very “athleisure” to me) sold me on the piece as something a little different from your run of the mill sequin top. I dressed it up here with a skirt, but I think it could work just as well with jeans or joggers.

Summer Casual

I feel like this barely counts as an outfit, though I did make an effort with my jewelry. In my defence, it was a hot day and I had a lot of errands to run (plus a kid’s birthday party to oversee) so I wanted to be comfortable and not too fussy. [I switched to my Birks for the backyard, btw; I’m trying to reunite with my heels, but only in small doses.] My favourite part, of course, is the bag. It’s Liz Claiborne, from the same collection as my rainbow dress. I simply HAD to hunt it down, and I’m glad I did. It’s cheerful and bright and also very roomy. A return to my era of big bags? We shall see …

Moira Approved

This is a fun, kooky top, isn’t it? It’s one of those random, unheard-of brands that you end up randomly finding at the thrift store … which is what I did. Picked it up because I like the mix of rainbow vomit and geometric pattern. Somehow it has big 2021 Adina vibes. Wore it with my current go-to pair of pants, Kimchi Blue culottes made out of a lightweight ponte-type material that’s comfortable but still looks dressy. Easy peasy.

Embellished

I’ve been waiting to wear this J. Crew cotton/linen blend sweater for a while, but the temps finally cooled off enough to make it feasible. It’s a great weight for our typical Alberta summers, though of course this year is anything but typical. Wore my fave Acne skirt which is definitely not weather-appropriate right now (thanks to my AC for making it happen) because I’ve been missing it, and also thought the green jewels on the sweater would make a nice accent to the aqua blue.

Battle of the Patterns

I’m super into pattern clashing at the moment, in case you couldn’t tell. This top is already pretty wild, but I threw another print into the mix, thanks to the skirt. The key to tying it all together? A consistent colour palette. It’s slightly hard to tell, but the stripes on the skirt are green and cream, which goes with some of the colours in the top. So while it may look like chaos, it’s organized chaos 😉

90s Throwback

I was joking with my husband that this outfit had strong “late 90s Sarah McLachlan” vibes. The vest is vintage Jacob, and judging from the old school label, likely from that era. I’m sure it’s a piece I would have coveted at the time, though probably wouldn’t have been able to afford. It’s cool, I guess, to get to enjoy it the second time around. But instead of a prairie skirt, I’m wearing it with high waisted jeans. Can we also take a moment to appreciate the true high-waisted glory of these Levi’s — the 13 inch rise actually reaches all the way to my natural waist … which should give you a sense of how long my torso is. Of course, the waist on these jeans gapes like whoa, but c’est la vie.