So, I think it’s time to say goodbye to this Zara dress, and let it go forth and enjoy a third chapter in someone else’s closet. It’s been fun — and these photos definitely remind me of it — but I don’t think I love it enough to keep it. It’s weird how that happens. The dress is very cute, and it fits nicely, but I only ever reach for it out of I-should-wear-that-more-often guilt. That’s … kind of a downer, actually. And I honestly don’t know why I don’t love the dress more, which also makes me feel guilty. Gah!

The rest of the outfit, though? Definitely not making me feel conflicted. Love the blazer, love the shoes (peep toes and all), LOVE the bag. The belt, which you can’t see very well (sorry!), is another with-dress BCBG number. The dress, which I bought 7 years ago for a Christmas party and ended up wearing for my engagement photos, has lingered in the back of my basement closet for years; after I gave birth to my son, it didn’t fit for many years, and I was never able to sell it. Well, it fits again. It’s still bright pink, which is not really my colour, but what the hell — I may as well keep it for posterity at this point. And, more importantly, the belt fits again and you guys know how much I love a jewelled belt.

So one thing goes, one thing comes back, and the circle of life is complete. Or something like that.

Nothing new to see here, folks. Well, not quite; the belt is new. You’ve seen everything, and hopefully liked it because here it is again. I wore this abstract floral Coquille dress last month with my bluish tweed blazer, so this time around, I picked coordinating pieces that picked up on the grey and purple in its print.

I’m still enamoured of these J. Crew d’orsay pumps, so that was a no-brainer. Similarly, this Tabitha linen-blend cropped blazer is an all-star; it’s very comfortable and it seems to go with everything I’ve tried pairing with it so far. The belt, as I mentioned, is new. I thrifted it, along with the BCBG dress to which it belonged, a couple of weeks ago because it was $7. I can’t pass up a sparkly, stretchy belt for that price. The dress was an after-thought at first, but it’s growing on me. Stay tuned, because it’s probably going to turn up on this here blog soon.

Not gonna lie: I posted this outfit solely so I could show you my MacGyver necklace. The skirt is also one of my faves, so there’s that too. But speaking of the piece de resistance:

So this is basically just me, pinning a brooch adjacent to my necklace … but it turned out really cute, no? My inner magpie was all ready to pin 3 more brooches on there, but I exercised all the restraint I don’t usually have and left well enough alone. Minimalism in action, ladies and gents.

The rest of the outfit is all old stuff you’ve seen a bazillion times, except for the bag, which is new. I’m liking it a lot, and it was a steal of a deal at my local consignment. It had been a while since my last bag purchase, so naturally I was starting to think about acquiring a new “baby”, but I had no firm plans. (There are a few bags I’ve had my eye on, but no good deals to be had on eBay.) I stumbled on this Gucci Soho tote, and … bam. Plan made and executed. I love serendipity in action.