After my last embroidery project, I wanted to try a similar “upcycling” project – updating an older piece of clothing with a cool embroidered design. My old friend Google had a lot of suggestions, many of them involving denim jackets. I had an old denim jacket, as it happened; one that I hadn’t worn in a few years, so ripe for a makeover. It took me a while to find a design I liked. There were plenty of examples involving florals, but I wasn’t feeling that vibe. I debating doing a skull-and-butterfly design, but wasn’t 100% sold on it. And then I spotted this:
I don’t believe in astrology (I think it’s fun and harmless, and that’s about it) but I love designs that involve moon, stars, planets, constellations and the like. I liked that this particular design was simple but striking. I was sold.
The trickiest part was getting all the straight and curved lines in place and the whole thing symmetrical; since I am not good with that sort of thing, I originally asked my husband to trace the design onto my jacket. He wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the task, so after waiting a few days, I decided to tackle the challenge myself. The end result wasn’t as neat as it could have been, but it worked for my (very low) standards.
The embroidery itself was mostly a cinch – no lining to worry about! – except for the globes/planets. It’s hard to satin stitch a perfect circle, you guys. My “earth” in particular ended up a little, um, squashed. But I still dig it:
As I mentioned, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve worn a denim jacket, so I had to think a bit about how to style this for its inaugural outfit. In the end, I decided to take a cue from the 90s: a vintage body-con dress and lace-up oxfords. The only thing missing was the velvet choker.
I was inspired to thrift this Gap sweater by one of my favourite Instagrammers (@nitrochique) who has some amazing rainbow sweaters in her closet. [Which I want to steal in its entirety, ahem.] I’m not a huge fan of stripes for myself – I know that’s weird, am I even a blogger if I don’t love stripes? – but I could not resist this piece. It’s so playful. I am pretty committed to my Corporate Noir thing, but I do like a bit of playfulness now and then. This was, in other respects, a fairly “safe” outfit – just added some black jeans, and one of my ubiquitous leather jackets. Oh, and I cannot fail to mention by new-to-me Everlane shoes; I have been looking for a pair of simple, black lace-up oxfords for ages, and this pair fits the bill to a T. I am in love!
You guys know how much I love (p)leather, so of course this
Zara skirt is now a favourite. Last time I wore it, I paired it with a contrast
colour (burgundy). This time, I decided to go for a neutral … with a twist. The
back of this Moth sweater picks up some of the green of the skirt, and it’s
also just a lot of fun. I added the green Jimmy Choo shoes because (a) it’s
been far too long since I’ve worn them (and green leopard print deserves more
time in the spotlight), and (b) they are also green. Once I go the
matchy-matchy route, I tend to double down.
Notes: Moth sweater (thrifted, $8.50); Zara skirt (thrifted, $11); Jimmy Choo shoes (eBay, $130).
Leather Skirt Encore
Speaking of leather skirts, I simply had to get this Club
Monaco number. It’s a totally different silhouette, after all. And besides, one
cannot have too many leather pieces. Someone on IG commented that this was a
very Joan Watson outfit, and I nearly died and went to sartorial heaven. Personally,
I just dig all the different textures represented here; they add depth and
visual interest, while hewing to a pretty minimalist colour palette.
I think I’ve spoken of my inexplicable obsession with
crane/heron prints. It all started with a Gucci outfit, years ago. I’ve never
seen anything that comes close to replicating the gloriousness of the original,
but this Anthropologie tunic is quite lovely. It is, indeed, a dress not a top
but because it’s a very fine (unlined) silk, it’s easy enough to tuck in as a
top. I still haven’t quite figured out how to wear it as a dress; it’s a little
bit sheer, so it needs an underlayer, but it’s also quite snug in the hips so
there isn’t a lot of room for maneuvering. It might work with black tights or
leggings, but that wouldn’t work for the office so … this will do, for now.
Thrifting a piece from a designer you admire or covet is
always extra special. Jil Sander, along with Dries Van Noten, Marni and a handful
of others, falls into that category for me. So you can imagine my delight in finding
not one but two pieces from her label: this beautiful wool-camel blend coat,
and the matching maxi skirt. My delight was tempered somewhat by my realization
that the skirt was too snug; but the jacket fits like a dream, and I couldn’t leave
its pair behind. Hey, miracles do happen, right? Anyway, in honour of the
jacket, I wanted to put together a very classic casual outfit. This was the
result. Camel always looks so good next to light-wash denim, and I kept the
colour palette light by staying away from black (except for the accessories). I
loved how this all came together.
Notes: Jil Sander coat, (thrifted, $10); Aritzia sweater (thrifted, $8.50); no name white top (thrifted, $7); AG jeans (thrifted, $9.50); Everlane shoes (thrifted, $10); Rebecca Minkoff bag (thrifted, $10).
I was going to skip Episode 4 and wait until next week to do a major GoT recap, but the more I sit with that episode, the more I need to vent about it. Jane Austen will have to wait, I need to get a few things off my chest. Rant incoming!
I have been saying this for ages now, but the show began declining in storytelling quality once the plot advanced past the books’ timeline. Season 6 was initially exciting because it confirmed some long-held theories of book fans, but the slide accelerated in Season 7 and is in full effect in Season 8. At this point, I’m not even mad anymore – ok, maybe a little cranky – and instead, I’m just giving up on the idea that we will be getting the kind of ending I always believed this story deserved.
After Episode 3, I was disappointed by the show’s apparent dis-investment in all things prophecy-related but I decided to keep an open mind. Even so, Episode 4 felt cheap. And it’s not even because, suddenly, everyone is pivoting to Jon as their next King (Cersei excepted, of course). Jon is a something of natural leader – he inspires people to want to follow him – but he’s a sh*t ruler. I still can’t quite believe that the reason why he was brought back to life was just so he can sit on the Iron Throne, but okay. Fine. Whatever. With a good Council, he can hopefully stay out of trouble. The North can be quasi-independent. Cool, cool. I guess the two Mad Queens will battle it out, and Jonny boy will pick up the pieces or something.
Unless he gets randomly killed in some totally inconsequential way because … why not. That seems to be the writers’ mantra these days.
Let’s talk instead about the other WTF moments in Episode 4:
Poor Ghost. I know, I know … CGI budget blah blah. They did both Ghost and Jon dirty on that one. Book Jon would not have left his direwolf without so much as a backward glance.
I guess House Baratheon is suddenly un-extinct. Alright, fine, but what the hell was that proposal?! I know Gendry is not the sharpest tool in the shed, and obviously he has no chill, but why on earth would he assume that the woman who just single-handedly killed the Night King thus ending the Great War would have any interest in being Lady Anything? This whole sub-plot is dumb. Why couldn’t these two just have had a little fun and went their separate ways? Ugh.
Sansa rationalizing her abuse as a growth opportunity. I know some folks are arguing that’s not what she meant by her conversation with the Hound, but that’s what it sounded like. Ugh.
Jaime and Brienne in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N -you get the point. Look, I’m not just salty because of Tormund, I promise. Realistically, Tormund and Brienne didn’t make sense either, but it was nice to joke about their giant, hypothetical babies. But Jaime and Brienne make even less sense to me. What they had going on was a beautiful friendship based on mutual respect. It was and should have always remained platonic. What do TV shows have against platonic male-female relationships?? I may be in the minority, but I felt zero sexual chemistry between these two. And the fact that the show insisted on showing us Brienne crying over a man? Ugh.
Bronn as future Lord Tyrrell. Bronn can f**k right off. If anyone deserves Highgarden, it’s Ser Davos. Ugh.
Rhaegal’s demise. The whole set-up was beyond dumb. Airborne Dany can’t see the ships that are within clear striking distance. The first 3-4 shots annihilate one dragon, the next 20 can’t even scratch the other dragon. Instead of flying around, and attacking Euron’s fleet from behind, Dany just … doesn’t. Ugh.
The showdown with Cersei. This may have been the biggest WTF moment. Why did Dany’s side willingly come to a meeting where their opponents were basically armed to the teeth and in a perfect position to destroy them completely? If this was supposed to be a parley, it should have happened on neutral ground, with Cersei and her gang accompanied by a small complement of soldiers but without archers, guns, etc. This was just a set-up for Dany to watch her BFF get murdered, thus hastening her Mad Queen-ing … but, damn, it was stupid. Also stupid for Cersei not to actually take advantage of her superior position and kill Dany and/or her dragon right then and there. Ugh.
Let me add, as a postscript, that I ended up digging for spoilers online after stewing on Episode 4 for a while; having lost all faith in the writers’ abilities to steer the show, I decided to prepared myself for whatever was coming. And let me tell you: if the current (seemingly legit, but who knows) spoilers are correct, Imma gonna be in “burn it all down” mode come May 19.
