Grandma’s Couch, v. 2

Some people may question my love for “old fashioned” florals, but I give them Exhibit A for Why Grandma’s Couch is Bomb. I passed on this crop top the first time I spotted it at Value Village, but I quickly realized the error of my way, and went back for it; luckily, this was one of those exceptional situations where the piece was still there a week later. I couldn’t be happier. The crop top may not seem like a super practical piece, but I have so many styling ideas for it. Starting with this outfit. I love the juxtaposition of traditional floral print and (faux) leather. Sugar and spice, if you will.

Swishy

To be honest with you, I have no idea if this Eileen Fisher tunic is supposed to be a top or a dress. Neither option is entirely satisfactory, but I solved the problem with some handy layering. I love how much movement this outfit has, which helps to disguise the fact that it’s basically a two-piece version of “potato sack”. But a fancy potato sack because velvet and silk is automatically elevated. Note to self: add more velvet to wardrobe. My goal is to be comfortable without it being immediately apparent than I’m wearing things that might as well be pyjamas.

Inventing Layers

I like this Pyne & Smith dress a lot, but I don’t find it easy to style. The top buttons up like a shirt, which is not my favourite detail and I find it inhibits some of my styling attempts. But! I think I’ve finally hit on a layering combination that works really well. This Sarah Pacini vest thing looks awesome when it open, but is also very interesting cinched closed. The asymmetry is *chef’s kiss*. And I also love the mix of textures here between the nubby knit and the textured linen.

Old Faithful

This skirt is the oldest piece in my closet, specifically the oldest piece I purchased at retail. I just confirmed the year: 2000. I know, because the GAP labels all their clothing with the release date, and the tag on this skirt says “04/00”. And no, that’s not a typo: it IS from the GAP. It’s also silk and surprisingly great quality. Rediscovering this skirt in my archive closet may have ignited a bit of an obsession with vintage GAP. Back in the day, it used to be one of my favourite aspirational brands. Yes, you read that correctly. I couldn’t afford to buy it, and I admired it from afar (the old ads were so good!). I still remember this skirt being a very special purchase – I managed to snag this on clearance, and it was a huge thing for me at the time. Anyway, I’ve been going down an internet rabbit hole looking at some of those old GAP ads, and seeing what other pieces from the 90s/early 00s might work for my current style so I keep my eyes open for them at the thrift stores.

I have been using my art projects as a distraction since the lockdown back in March, and I feel like I am now hitting a wall. I’ve gotten used to working with my hands constantly in my spare time, but now I find that I am distracted and having to push to finish projects. It’s probably a sign that I need to take a break and maybe allow myself to, well, just “waste” time. The downside is, of course, that life in the midst of the pandemic still requires distractions so I need to find some new healthy ones that don’t involve screen time. But that is a post for another day; today, I’ll show you a some of the things I did manage to finish recently.

Portrait painting has been on the back burner since the beginning of the year; I began to feel burnt out on that back in January so I took a break. Right in the middle of a portrait. The unfinished work has been sitting next to my easel since then, a gentle reproof. Last month, I decided it was time to ease back into portrait painting; I had an inclination to work on a new piece, but I felt like I would first have to finish the old one. So I did. This is what I started from:

I won’t lie – it was a challenge. It’s as if I had lost my muscle memory for it. I struggled for what felt like a very long time and while I don’t feel like it’s one of my best works, I am happy with how it turned out in the end.

This one ended up feeling extra special for unexpected reasons. As I was working on it, I kept thinking that the girl looked like what my daughter might look when she’s older. It’s not why I chose the subject to begin with; the inspiration photo doesn’t look much like my daughter, but the painted version took on a life of its own as my portraits tend to do, hah. After I finished it, my daughter decided (unexpectedly and wholly unrelated) to cut her long hair — almost 18 inches of it — into a shoulder-length bob. So now the likeness feels even stronger in a way.

Moving on, most of my time lately has been devoted to making jewelry. I have been lucky enough to sell a few pieces – enough to cover some of my material costs. Gotta love a hobby that can pay for itself. Here are some of them:

“Styling” my pieces has been a whole separate hobby – it allows me to play with my clothes again, and indulge in a little sartorial fantasy outside the bounds of my (pretty mundane) everyday life. As we move into fall and winter, I’m going to need all the escapism I can get. Speaking of which, I would love to hear about any projects you’ve been working on, or new hobbies you’ve picked up.

Summer Goth

I have been loving this sort of “dark fairytale” vibe a lot lately. Think soft, filmy layers, black tulle, leather and velvet. I don’t really know where it fits within my style avatars — maybe a cross between the Artist and the Bohemian, with a gothic flair. Anyway, this outfit is very much up that style alley. I finally found a piece that layers perfectly with my Rick Owens tunic; it’s a Zara flowy maxi skirt and it has the nicest “swish” to it. It’s nothing fancy but it works so well here. I guess this is the 2020 version of “hi low” styling.

Discovery of Pants

These COS paper bag waist pants got relegated to my archive closet sometime last year. Their crime? Being a bit too baggy. Well, joke’s on me because if 2020 had a style motto it would be “baggy everything”. So yeah, comfy pants are back in rotation. As is this MaxMara linen topper, which used to be part of my “beach vacation” capsule. That’s not a thing anymore (or any time soon) but no linen shall go to waste this summer. This is a great option for days when a jacket is too much but I want a little bit of coverage.

That’s a Wrap

Speaking of linen, you’ve seen this vintage Ungaro dress a few times before but lookit: still very nice. I wish you could feel the weight of this linen, it’s fantastic. And it’s provides a lovely backdrop for one of my handmade necklaces. More on those next week. Meanwhile, pieces like this dress have got me hunting for vintage pieces at the thrift store like never before. I think it helps that the 90s are sort of trendy again. But the quality of old designer pieces just can’t be beat.

Colorblocking

I’m not sure how I feel about this colorblocked Anthro dress; I love it in principle, but not sure about it on me. That being said, I like how it looks paired here with a vintage Ports dress worn as a duster. See, vintage really is awesome. And it usually comes with pockets.