So, last weekend I dressed like a parrot. As one does. I know it might not seem like a very minimalist outfit, but lookit: I refrained from any extraneous accessories, and all the colours match the print of the dress. So what if I’m practically wearing the rainbow? OK, perhaps minimalism is in the eye of the beholder … or something.

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.