It was a long time coming this year, but because July was such a hectic month for me, work-wise, our annual family vacation was very much an impromptu affair. For the first part of it, we went to Calgary to visit family for an extra long weekend, and used the opportunity to see a few sights along the way, including Canmore and Drumheller.

I’m not kidding about the lack of planning involved, and that includes my packing. I didn’t get around to it until the night before we left (at 8 am in the morning), and I didn’t have a lot of time to think about it. For probably undoubtedly the first time in my life, I under-packed — underestimating how long (and dirty) days on the road with the kids can be. A few extra outfit changes would have come in handy, and not for any style-related reasons. Luckily, inspired by my minimalist experiment (which finds its fullest expression in my casual wear), I ended up packing mostly dark, easily interchangeably pieces.

For the record, here’s what I packed: 3 tops, 2 pairs of pants, 1 sweater, 3 jackets — because the weather was forecast to be erratic — and 2 pairs of shoes. I also packed a maxi dress, but then forgot to pack sandals, which ruled it out as a wearable option. Oops.

I don’t have a photo of my outfit from day 3, but it involved a striped top, the same black pants as Day 2, the olive jacket from Day 4, and my trusty Chucks. That day happened to be my birthday, and we spent it in the mountains, enjoying the sunshine, beautiful scenery, and some seriously amazing fudge (see below).

Here’s a picture of my birthday fudge — simply delicious. I’m already planning my return to Canmore, to stock up.

Of course, I did a little thrifting:

The Calgary thrift stores I was able to check out had decent selection, but the prices were slightly-to-significantly higher. Unexpectedly, Goodwill (rather than VV) was the biggest culprit in that respect. I also dropped into Vespucci (consignment) but was disappointed once again by the prices. I was somewhat surprised by that experience; a while ago, the newspapers were full of reports of Calgary c-stores brimming with hugely discounted designer goods as a result of the recession. Clearly, bargains are relative.

On our way back to Edmonton, we made a detour to Drumheller to visit the dinosaur fossils and exhibits at the Royal Tyrrell Museum. The drive there was unexciting, to put it as diplomatically as I can — most of it crossed the flatest of flat lands I have ever seen. We did enjoy taking in the sights in Drumheller, and especially the museum. We’re planning to go back once the kids are a bit older and have more stamina (and appetite) for a good hike around the “badlands”.

Part two of my summer vacation was more of a staycation, but I did use the opportunity to continue my experiment with minimalist dressing so stay tuned for that recap coming up on Wednesday.

It’s no secret that I’m not a huge fan of pants, and have struggled in the past with my lack of desire to wear them. I simply don’t get as excited about pants outfits as I do about dresses or skirts. Add in my minimalist experiment, and the struggle is all the more real: how to to make a pants outfit interesting? Well, this attempt turned out ok. One bright piece, a simple print, a little bit of sparkle. Definitely makes black anything but boring, right?

I haven’t worn these Loft pants nearly as much as I thought I would, and they’re now a little loose (and oddly itchy — how have I not noticed that before?) so I don’t think I’ll be wearing them much going forward. It’s a shame, particularly as these are an example of a very intentional (as opposed to impulsive) purchase. Has that ever happened to you — finding that you’re not wearing an item nearly as often as you anticipated you would?

In my last monthly recap, I briefly alluded to some things that were happening in my life on the sartorial front. I suggested that those things deserved their own post and, well, this is that post. If your tolerance for navel-gazing is on the generous side, read on.

So, just what is going on? A couple of things.

One, I’m going through some sort of style evolution. I know, it sounds super lame, but here’s the thing: I’ve started to notice an interesting pattern. There are certain outfits I love in the abstract but not necessarily in action (i.e. on me, going about my daily biz). Conversely, there are certain outfits that don’t seem especially thrilling in principle, but which I love wearing. Basically, there is an internal conflict going on right now between what draws my eye, and what makes me feel good – or, put differently, what makes me feel like myself. Things I love, like bold colourful prints and feminine/girly details, often end up feeling not quite right when I actually wear them. Anthropologie is a perfect example of this; I love so much of its aesthetic (especially in older pieces), but a lot of its clothes just end up hanging in my closet, to be lovingly gazed at and touched from time to time, but not worn.

What it comes down to is that my style, which used to be a lot more dichotomous, is becoming more cohesive. There will always be a boho streak in it, but it’s moving closer to the minimalist end of the spectrum, where it will eventually meet the other side of my style personality. I’m still working on pin-pointing the precise outlines of the emerging picture, but a couple of things seem to be clear:

• Pieces that combine bold prints with extra girly/embellished silhouettes are (mostly) out. (I’m keeping some of my absolute favourites, because breaking up is hard to do, okay?) Going forward, I think I will be sticking to one, or the other, but not both at the same time. The bolder the pattern, the more streamlined the silhouette. In time, I expect that I will move away from girly/twee silhouettes entirely. (Think Joan versus Betty, to borrow a rather out-of-date Mad Men reference.)
• Mixing bright colours is mostly limited to accent colours. I love looking at the outfits of colour-mixing masters like Elisa Nalin, but I just don’t feel nearly as sophisticated when I attempt that sort of look myself.

Two, I have reached peak thrift. Which is to say, I have become so good at it (through a combination of perseverance and luck) that I need to change my approach if I have any hope of maintaining my wardrobe at any sort of manageable level. I need to stop buying so many things! There are two ways to go about that. I could go thrifting less often. This is not my preferred option; I enjoy the process of thrifting as much if not more than its end result, and I would miss it (as a hobby and stress reliever) if I cut down on my visits. The second option is to become more discriminating in my buying. By necessity, I have to make this option work, but it’s not easy.

Believe it or not, I have actually become a LOT more discriminating than I used to be. I used to buy a lot of mall brands when I started thrifting, simply because the items were cheaper than retail and plentiful in supply. But as I started to become a more dedicated thrifter, I came to realize that finding high-end pieces was relatively easy, which made mall brands look like a far less attractive proposition. As my wardrobe expanded, and all its “gaps” got filled, I turned to “upgrading” existing pieces instead. Now, my closet is made up of probably at least 50% high end designer pieces (with the balance being mostly mid-range designer stuff) and there is increasingly little of it left to upgrade. So, what now?

I’ve been toying with a few new “rules” (even though I’m the kind of person who only likes to create rules not actually implement them) for my thrifting, such as:

One in, one out. I may make exceptions for items that are “special” (due to style, colour, fabric, etc.), but only if they made in the US or Europe. I want to make a concerted effort to focus on ethical clothing to the extent I can.