Details: Eddie Bauer sweater, Liz Claiborne pants, Fossil belt, Alexander McQueen shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Still rocking my white pants, still obsessed with them. The matchiness of this outfit pleased me a great deal, especially once I realized the shoes have red piping on them. Both sweater and pants are (good, vintage) cotton, so they’re perfect for early transitional weather — cool mornings, warm days. I’m really feeling this relaxed preppy vibe at the moment, and can’t wait to experiment with it going into fall.

Details: Re/Done tee, Judith & Charles jacket, Donna Karan belt (all thrifted), Ricki’s skirt (retail)

Thoughts: I’m not sure how I’ll feel about wearing this white skirt in the cooler months ahead (even at home), so I decided to take my chance while I still have it, and give it another wear. I’ve been growing bolder this year, doing head-to-toe white outfits despite my propensity to spill things on myself. Hope I haven’t just jinxed myself. Anyway, this is almost all white. Red is just a fantastic pairing for white, and I much prefer it to the standard red, white, and blue (with its patriotic connotations which I, as a Canadian, have no desire to promote ;)).

Details: Bozzolo top (retail), Beechers Brook dress, Babaton skirt, Napoleoni shoes (all thrifted), Marc Jacobs bag (eBay)

Thoughts: Let’s move on now to my 90s obsession. Baby tee, slim skirt, sheer dress overlay — need I say more? I’ve also decided that it’s time to bring back my old Marc Jacobs bags into rotation. They’re not precisely Y2K, but close. This was the era when MJ bags were made from the most incredible leather (on par with vintage Coach, imo) and lined with suede. Yes, suede! Usually in a fun, contrasting colour to the exterior leather. These bags are heeeavy to carry, but so fabulous. And so many to-die-for colours! I am so happy that I didn’t do another dumb thing and get rid of these years ago, like I did with my original vintage Coach bag collection. If anything is gonna make me start wearing shoulder bags again, it’s these babies.

Details: Bozzolo top (retail), Braemer vest, Apostrophe skirt, Aldo shoes (all thrifted), Rafael Alfandary necklace (eBay)

Thoughts: Speaking of the 90s … as soon as I saw this skirt at the thrift store, there was only one thing on my mind: 1999 Oscars red carpet. IYKYK. I have been obsessed with Gwyneth’s bubblegum pink gown for 25 years. Maybe it was an omen; after all, it was designed by Ralph Lauren and, well, here we are today. Anyway, this skirt was $3 so it was an instant “yes”. However, once I got it home, I realized that I had no idea how to style it. More than anything, I think it’s the pink that stumps me; it’s not a colour I wear a lot, and I’m finding it somewhat challenging to figure out what to pair it with, on top of also trying to match the vibe of the skirt. Anyway, my first attempt ended up with this outfit, which I didn’t mind at all. The vest gives me 90s Versace vibes, and paired with my trusty cropped tee, it felt like a cohesive idea come to life.

Details: Brooks Brothers shirt, J. Crew blazer & shoes, Tommy Hilfiger jeans, vintage belt, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: It’s almost time to bust out my corduroy stuff in earnest, and I couldn’t be more excited. That’s all I got here — it’s a pretty basic outfit, but the colours make it fun.

Details: Wilfred sweater vest, Do+Be skirt, vintage bag & necklaces (all thrifted), Maguire shoes (retail)

Thoughts: I thrifted this skirt for my fall wishlist so I could experiment with the leopard print trend, and I’m actually having a lot of fun with it. This was my first styling attempt, and I went bolder than I originally planned for two reasons. One, I wanted to wear my red slides again, so I decided to pair the skirt with this cropped red sweater vest. Do the reds match perfectly? No, but there’s enough outfit in between to distract the eye (hopefully). Two, I found this really cute, (faux) tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl vintage bag, and thought its dotty print would clash perfectly with the leopard print — that is to say, it would be a pattern mix made in heaven.

I have been talking a lot about vintage fashion lately, so I thought this would be a good time to give an update on my current favourite brands for vintage clothing. As you know, when I say “vintage”, I am talking primarily about the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. A lot of the clothing from those decades falls squarely within my style ‘wheelhouse’ and can be found relatively easily (for now) at the thrift stores, as well as online resale platforms like Poshmark. For the most part, these are not high-end designer brands, though the quality of their vintage clothing is often on par (or better) than many contemporary designers so, generally, you will not be paying a ‘brand name’ premium for these items while getting excellent value for your money.

Everyone knows how much I love Ralph Lauren, but there are a few other American designers popular during a similar time period whose design aesthetic makes them worth keeping an eye out for. For sportswear- and preppy-coded pieces, there is Tommy Hilfiger. I adore their classic striped men’s shirts from the late 90s; they’re made from a very nice, thick cotton fabric and the stripe patterns are always excellent. Vintage Calvin Klein jeans are bomb, and this was one of the brands that launched the 90s minimalism trend. I would love to find one of their slip dresses or skirts. Donna Karan also did minimalism really well, with an emphasis on draping and sculptural details, as well as amazing, tactile fabrics (cashmere, sequins). I have a few vintage leather belts from the brand, and they are incredible quality and still feel very modern. Perry Ellis is more overlooked these days, but it was a very influential brand in the 80s and 90s; Marc Jacobs got his start in the fashion industry there. Based on the stuff I’ve seen (mostly online), I would describe the vibe as a mix of Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. Todd Oldham is probably more on the high-end compared with the others, but he had a ton of fun, bold, colourful designs that embodied the playful side of the 90s. Nicole Miller is underrated, in my opinion, compared to similar designers from the same era, like Betsey Johnson; I have found some amazing dresses that incorporate a more feminine/girly edge into the slinky minimalism vibe of the late 90s.

Now, when it comes to European brands, one of the go-tos is, of course, Escada. But I am not alone; everyone is on the Escada train these days, which means that the prices of their pieces are getting higher all the time. Fewer people are familiar with Laurel, which was one of its subsidiary brands, or BiBa. Their vintage pieces are slightly harder to find here in North America, but they tend to fly under the (pricing) radar, and the quality and design are similar to Escada. Another brand with a similar vibe is Mondi. I basically snap up every Mondi piece I come across that is my size and fits my aesthetic (most of them do), because the quality is impeccable. I love their jackets, skirts and vests in particular. I would also put Ungaro in this bucket. Agnes B was the ‘cool girl’ brand of the late 90s, a French take on minimalism. If you love the zany, maximalist aesthetic of Jean Paul Gaultier knitwear, keep an eye out for Fuzzi; it’s the company that owns the licensing rights to JPG knit- and beachwear, and they put out a lot of similarly-vibed pieces (think boldly patterned, bodycon mesh tops, dresses and skirts) under the Fuzzi label.

Come back next week to talk about more of my fave vintage brands to thrift!

Details: Vince top, Liz Claiborne pants, Fossil belt, AGL shoes, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: This is it, friends: my favourite pair of pants. Period. Vintage deadstock LizWear. The perfect pleated front that sits *just* right. Fits like a dream, wears like a dream … dare I say, looks like a dream. Of course, they’re white — which is a problem because I’m clumsy, but also not a problem because white pants are turning out to be super versatile. This was my first, but by no means my last outfit based around them. I love wearing them so much, and I loved wearing this outfit a lot too. Easy, breezy, polished casual.

Details: Liz Claiborne vest, Fossil belt, Banana Republic pants, Stella & Dot necklace (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I’ve been on a Liz Claiborne roll lately, because look how amazing this safari print vest is! It’s giving 80s Banana Republic store vibes (iykyk), in the best way possible. Paired with these loose, pleated pants, I am also feeling like I could be an extra on the set of a Ralph Lauren ad.

Details: Artizia tee, Bianca vest, Ralph Lauren skirt, vintage belt, Laredo boots, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I wanted to switch up my usual prairiecore aesthetic a bit with a little juxtaposition, so I paired a graphic tee and my lace-up boots with my (most) beloved floral maxi skirt to give it a bit of an edge. I chose the brown suede vest as the 3rd piece in the outfit because I thought the textural contrast would be fun, and the colour would add some warmth into the outfit palette. To make it feel intentional, I picked a bag in a coordinating colour.

Details: Bozzolo top (retail), Prairie Trail Goods jacket, Ines de la Fressange x Uniqlo pants, Fossil belt, vintage necklace (all secondhand)

Thoughts: This outfit was built around the jacket/pant pairing, which struck me as a potential pairing based on the colours. Also the fact that the pants are linen, so they match the laidback vibe of the jacket. Since the jacket is such a statement piece, I decided to stick with a simple, solid colour top that wouldn’t make the top half of the outfit too busy.

Details: Chepe dress, GoGo bag, Melody Ehsani earrings (all retail), Aldo shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: Literally a throw-it-on-and-go outfit. Fun accessories make it look interesting.

Details: Twik tee, Gap belt, Oat jeans, Tignanello bag (all secondhand), Maguire shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Another super basic outfit, but not boring thanks to all the colour happening here. There is pink in the shoes, so I added a pink top; and there is yellow in the top, so I added a yellow bag. See, there is method in the madness.