Details: United Colours of Benetton sweater, LAMB coat, Commando leggings (all thrifted), Josef Seibel boots (retail, old).

Thoughts: I’ve gotten burnt before buying vintage sweaters because the fit is usually boxy and oversized, which is *fine* except that it has to be the RIGHT kind of boxy and oversized for my body. I almost passed on this Benetton sweater for that reason, but the colours and charm (those wee little houses!) pulled me in, along with the fact that it was only $5 which is an acceptable level of risk to assume. But it turned out great! I love it. And this was a good outfit all around.

Details: vintage cardigan (secondhand), Zero+Maria Cornejo dress (via Poshmark), Club Monaco belt, Free People shoes (both thrifted)

Thoughts: I tried this outfit with and without the belt, thinking I would prefer the former, and … actually, I liked both. I will never not love a statement belt, but the unbelted fit has its appeal too. Plus, oversized and chunky fits like this are still all over the runways so it’s fashion too 😉

Details: Wilfred dress, Linda Lundstrom pants (both thrifted)

Thoughts: Speaking of runways, this was my take on that Giambattista Valli outfit I posted last week. Quite happy with how it turned out. I had to belt the dress to “hike up” the slit so that more of the pants could show, but ended up draping the excess material over the belt so it can’t be seen — which is a shame because the belt also matched.

Details: Kenzo top (via consignment), Wilfred cardigan (thrifted), Rachel Comey skirt (via Poshmark).

Thoughts: Just playing around with patterns and silhouettes.

Details: Love Moschino dress, J. Crew vest (both thrifted), Obakki jacket (swap); Hue tights (retail, old), Chelsea Crew shoes (thrifted).

Thoughts: I was drawn to the pairing of what I call a full-bodied floral (kind like a full-bodied wine, but also I know nothing about wines, don’t mind me) dress and the neutral check vest. Then I was stumped for the third piece. It could have worked without too, but I am always up for a style challenge so I kept trying different things. Settling on this Obakki jacket was a stroke of inspiration — the colour is similar to the vest, but it has a (subtle) pattern that is different which adds some more visual depth to the outfit.

Details: MaxMara sweater (via Poshmark), H&M skirt (thrifted).

Details: Debew poncho, William Morris x H&M dress, Club Monaco belt (all thrifted).

Once or twice a year, I like to check out the runway collections to update the inspo boards for my style avatars. The idea is to get inspiration for new colour combinations, new silhouettes, new ways to put together outfits that fit the parameters of my avatars. I didn’t do this last fall, when the Spring 2022 collections came out, because I was in the midst of a busy work/life season. Recently, some brands released pre-Fall 2022 collections, so I decided to check them out.

I don’t have a real sense of what pre-Fall is supposed to be, and I have to say that judging from the 2022 collections, I’m not a huge fan of whatever it is. Maybe it’s just this year, and these collections; there were very few “wow” moments for me, and even fewer things that I felt were relevant for my avatars. I saved only a few images for future reference, so let’s dissect them here.

[All images via Vogue.com]

Christopher John Rogers’ collection, overall, was interesting. I didn’t love it as much as some of his previous ones, but there were (as always) visually arresting moments that I really enjoyed. I saved this particular outfit because it reminds me a bit of my polka dot dress, and I was intrigued by the addition of the colourful stripe pattern (hard to see, a bit on the sides). I want to try to do something similar with my dress … perhaps add a rainbow geometric pattern as a layer.

This Alberta Ferretti look is probably my fave. Such a great inspo for my Diana Bishop avatar, but with a High Priestess crossover. I adore the silhouette and, strangely, the colour palette. Not my usual, but so inspiring.

This Giambattista Valli outfit immediately caught my eye because I *just* thrifted a pair of silver lame palazzo pants. This gave me a lot of idea for styling this pants (albeit I think the Valli outfit has sequin pants, but same difference).

The Tory Burch collection had a few outfits I liked, though nothing especially mind-blowing. The one thing that I did find innovative was the styling trick used here — gathering the (knit, I think) top layer with a brooch (I think) to reveal a contrast layer underneath. Very clever. Here’s another look at the same trick on a different outfit:

I am definitely going to try this at home.

As for my inspo boards, it’s back to the … well, drawing board. I think I am going to go back to the Spring 2022 collections (shown last fall) and see if I have more luck. Or wait till spring, when the Fall 2022 collections come out. Honestly, the fashion calendar is too confusing … and this is why I could never hack it as a proper fashion blogger, haha!

Details: Gap long sleeve top, Marimekko x Uniqlo tee, Ralph Lauren skirt, Anne Klein Caleche belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Definitely one of my favourite outfits of recent weeks. I love a green/blue palette, and this skirt has inspired some killer ones over the years. I think this is one of them. I loved the idea of the Marimekko dots paired with the traditional plaid. Bishop sleeves are my current obsession and this was an experiment to see if I can use my Gap tops (I have the same one in white and this navy) to “add” them to other pieces. Result: yes, indeed.

Details: MaxMara sweater (via Poshmark), Gap top (thrifted), Amaryllis coat (retail, old), Frank & Pak pants (swap), Arnold Churgin shoes (thrifted)

Details: Babaton top, Wilfred cardigan (both thrifted), Acne skirt, Rafael Alfandary necklace (both via eBay), Prada shoes (retail, old)

Thoughts: I really exploring the use of art as colour inspiration, and this was one outfit that would never have happened otherwise — this is not a combo that sprang to mind. I love how well it turned out; it’s a very soothing palette, and springy too.

Details: London Kaye sweater, Amaryllis coat, Gap jeans (all thrifted)

Thoughts: A tonal palette can be fun too. I wanted to try pairing the sweater and coat, and then deciding to just go for “all blue” with the jeans and the socks. Using colourful socks to “finish” an outfit is one of the styling tricks I picked up recently, and it’s quite a lot of fun. I’ve been, ahem, borrowing my husband’s socks to make it happen, but I am on the lookout for more pairs to add my to own (permanent) collection.

Details: Rebel Sugar mesh top (gift), Zara top, vintage skirt (both thrifted), Zara shoes (retail, old), Rafael Alfandary necklace (via eBay)

Thoughts: I’m calling this “hygge-goth” — it’s a cozy with a gothic twist. My main goal was to avoid the obvious style direction suggested by the skirt (a vintage Heidi-esque, folksy vibe) and try for something different. When in doubt, juxtaposition! I thought the black leather and mesh would work (picking up the black accents in the skirt) but add some visual interest and “frisson” to the outfit. Ooh la la!

Details: Haute Hippie top, Minkha cardigan, Inc International pants (all thrifted), Rafael Alfandary necklace (via eBay)

Thoughts: This colour palette was a calculated risk; I never thought to pair magenta and hot pink before, but I was inspired to try by my recent obsession with sunrises (lots of pinks and purple showing up together) as well as the yarn colours in the cardigan. I liked how it turned out. A reminder to not be afraid to branch out, colour-wise.