Peacock Print

I’ll be honest and say that this isn’t the best quality dress I own. It’s basic polyester, which doesn’t breathe all that well. It’s not cut as loosely as I would like (though, I suuuuuuppose the dress cannot be blamed for my Quarantine Fluff *shrug*). It’s got an elastic waist which isn’t my favourite kind of detail – either give me a proper waist seam or none at all, none of this forever-adjustable-never-at-the-right-angle business.

But. That print.

That print is pretty magical. I love the peacock feather as a motif in clothing and/or accessories, even in a simplified version without all the beautiful colours. I just realized that my Rafael necklace kinda resembles a stylized peacock feather which is a nice (accidental) touch. Also accidental? The largely monochromatic colour palette – my latent matchy matchy instincts are pleased.

Wrap Style

I’m sure you’re bored of hearing this from me, but loose light layers is where it’s at for me, style-wise, this summer. Happy to add another piece to my layering repertoire with this simple wrap. I love the velvet floral applique on the front, which adds a pop of colour and visual interest. Paired with this rust-coloured jumpsuit, it’s a very pleasing match. Matchy, but not overly so. Cool and breezy too; I can wear this to work (from home) AND take my kids for a walk at lunch.

New Linen

Did I buy yet another linen potato sack dress? Of course I did. Can one have too many of them? Of course not. I had initially eyed this J. Jill number for my mom, as it’s a size Large, but once I got it home and tried it on (what? I was just curious to see how it fit) I realized that, umm, it was kind of perfect for yours truly. It definitely fits small – more like a medium than a large, for sure. I like the mixed up stripe pattern, and bleached colour palette (the stripes photograph grey for some reason, but are actually a lovely pale blue) which makes me think of Greece. Cliche? Maybe. But I’ll take an imaginary vacation any time I can, in lieu of the real thing.

Conceptual

Okay, maybe this is a bit too extra for my WFH situation, but sometimes I want to have a little fun. Adding a tulle layer to a short dress counts as fun, right? My kids might side-eye it, but I don’t care. Mommy needs to live too! [And, really, considering my kids have decided that pants are optional around the house now, who are they to judge my sartorial choices during quarantine??] Adding to the fun is a very maximalist necklace I created from odds and ends. I’m selling this piece (along with others I showed you earlier this week) but I like to personally test-run all of them first for … umm, science. Yeah, that’s it. Science!

I think I’ve mentioned before that my current favourite hobby is making costume jewelry. I have been making jewerly pieces (mostly beaded) by hand for many years, but my process has changed quite a bit in recent months as I have begun to focus more on the upcycling aspect – taking bits from old costume jewelry and using them along with my embroidery and beadwork to create new pieces. The creative aspect of upcycling is looking (thrifting) for jewelry that has potential to be re-imagined/re-purposed, and thinking of ways to do that in a mixed media format. It’s been quite a learning curve, but so much fun. It is sometimes frustrating to not be able to make exactly the pieces that I imagine in my head, but being constrained by the materials available – as I don’t have the means to do metal-work or create resin pieces, etc. – usually ends up spurring new ideas.

Here is a look at some pieces I have made and how they came to be.

Pansy Earrings

These earrings incorporate pieces from 2 different earrings, along with bits from an old Banana Republic necklace. I love the idea of asymmetrical earrings, and this design seemed to really lend itself to that.

Bib Necklace

This was a very simple upcycle in the sense that I used a plain cuff collar that I found at Goodwill, and adding connectors to the embroidered bib in order to attach it to the collar. I think the simple style of the collar works really well with the more maximalist vibe of the bib.

And same idea, with more beading (which was also upcycled from a thrifted necklace):

Metal Lace & Brocade Necklace

This bib was made from scraps of material from a thrifted J. Crew skirt (I am obsessed with this print!) and two thirds of a “metal lace” necklace. As with my other pieces, the bib is backed with felt so it’s lightweight but keeps its shape well.

The remaining third of the original necklace went into making this other bib:

Evil Eye Pendant

This is one of my favourite projects. This was made from an old Y-shaped pendant and an old earring, which serves as backing to the new pendant featuring a handmade “evil eye” (one of my fave motifs).

Rainbow Earrings

I struggle the most with earrings because they are more difficult to upcycle. Not all of them have hooks or holes that allow for extra or new pieces to be attached. Here, the posts are actually Kate Spade studs (I thrifted them without realizing they were branded, so that was a nice surprise) and I hooked in a connector through the gaps in the prong setting in order to attach the embroidery part. The bottom dangly bits came from a thrifted necklace, and added some extra movement. I love me a dramatic earring!

And speaking of dramatic earrings – these were made from another pair of studs plus some resin pieces from a thrifted necklace:

Butterfly Bib Necklace

As soon as I saw this large metal butterfly piece, I knew it had potential. I ended up painting and varnishing it, then attaching it to a felt-backer brocade bib (similar to the above). I “reconstructed” the body from beads, but otherwise kept the embellishments minimal to let the metal and fabric take centre stage.

Cold Snap

We’ve had a fairly warm start to our summer — hence all the linen last week — but a cold snap came on recently. Time to bring out transitional knits! You KNOW I ain’t mad about it. For one, it’s a chance to wear this Proenza Schouler vest I thrifted recently. Also an opportunity to remember what it’s like to wear pants. Hmm. I can’t say that I miss them, but it’s nice to switch up the silhouette sometimes. I did really enjoy this 100% thrifted outfit; it felt, dare I say it, effortlessly stylish. I guess that’s what wearing separates does these days, el-oh-el.

Close But No Cigar

Guys. I was THIS close to buying a rainbow J. Crew tulle skirt on eBay. There was a dangerous half hour late one Thursday night when this rainbow tulle skirt seemed like the exact thing missing from my closet, the one thing that would bring me to style nirvana. Alas. It was listed for over $200CAD plus my firstborn child for shipping, so I closed the window — not without a pang of regret. And then I kinda forgot about it. But then everyone on Insta was celebrating Pride last weekend and I remembered again. I dug through my closet, looking for a second best option, and this is what I came up with. Colourful, but no tulle. Cute and comfy. But no tulle.

Potato Sack Chic, Separates Edition

I love potato sack dresses. I love the spirit of potato sack dresses, which are sometimes not even dresses. Like this skirt-top combo —- big potato sack energy. I especially like the fact that, although loose and flowy (a must), the outfit has some shape to it. It has movement. Keeps things interesting. Certainly, the bar for “interesting” fashion is so much lower these days (working from home and rarely going out) but I will take whatever wins I can manage. Both these pieces are recent thrift finds, and I have to say that they go together incredibly well. I love the silky wrap skirt but it’s a bit revealing in the, ahem, behind (the material is not a friend when it comes to VPL) so a longer top is a good match for it. Conversely, the beautiful cream colour of the skirt balances the busy print of the top, without the visual “weight” that a dark colour would bring. Am I overthinking this? Probably. Carry on.