Instagram vs Real Life

For the most part, I like working from home but there are a few things I miss about the office. Seeing my coworkers in person, for one. And having a reason to dress up. Most days, I am fine with wearing one of my growing collection of schmattas (loose sack dresses) or something with an elastic waist. But there are days when I yearn for something more. This outfit was a case in point. The dress, by itself, is practical enough for WFH – it’s loose and comfortable, even if it is a bit fancy (silk fabric). The topper, again, is something that would make sense at home, if I get chilly; it’s soft and stretchy and not constricting in the way that a regular blazer would be. But what makes the outfit, IMO, is that third piece: a skirt layered under the dress to change up the proportions and add some texture and visual interest via the peekaboo tulle. Is that something I’m going to wear around the house? No. I could, of course. But I can’t bring myself to do it; it just seems like overkill. [I’ve only recently gotten used to wearing my “nice” clothes around the house.] So, yeah, some days I miss the office.

Butterfly Squad

Now that I have added a weekly thrift outing to my social calendar, I have one reason to make a bit more of an effort with my (casual) attire. This was one such effort, enabled in part by a snap of colder weather. I haven’t had much opportunity to wear my transitional pieces this year – March and April were spent in lockdown, and May was warmer than usual – so I jumped at the chance. I don’t normally wear this much leather all at once, but I think it worked out ok. I’m still really impressed with these Commando leggings; they’re very comfortable (not tummy-strangling at all) and easily elevate an outfit. I am also very much in love with these Ash sneakers, a post-lockdown thrift find. They are my second pair, and they’re one of my go-tos; they’re casual but funky, comfortable but with an edge (and a bit of heel).

Deconstructing Jo March

You may remember how obsessed I was last December with the costuming of the new Little Women movie, especially Jo’s wardrobe. Well, it took a little bit of time, but the thrift gods have delivered an outfit worthy of Jo but also perfectly suited to my own aesthetic. Or so I like to think. The Crea Concept skirt is older (from last year), as are the shoes, but the vest (J. Crew) and linen jacket (Sarah Pacini) are new finds. I told you I would eventually find a nice waistcoat! It took almost 6 months, but thrifting delivered. However, the clincher is, IMO, the white jacket. I thought it was a shirt at first, but it has pockets, y’all. It’s basically a perfect layering piece – lightweight, with very cool little details. I can’t wait to play around with it some more.

Kismet

This COS dress used to belong to my BFF until she decided the length wasn’t great on her. We listed it on our resale page, and had 2 sales fall through on it. I took that as a sign that the dress was meant to stay … with ME. It’s an oversize fit on me, which I love. I also love the contrast of the stretchy knit top, and the striped cotton bottom layer. I mirrored the contrast with the choice of shoes which – full disclosure – were worn for these photos only. Wearing shoes to work from home? Nah! But these Ferragamo heels are so cute, and I do miss them.

Back in Colour

I do still wear colour, you guys! Take this outfit as proof. Colour and bold accessories are my favourite little pick-me-ups these days. I’m also back on the Rafael Canada collecting bandwagon, and have been actively on the hunt for new pieces to add to my collection. This necklace is a piece I got last year, but it deserves a bit of spotlight – just look at those confetti-like sparkles:

I had a lot of fun with Sequin Sunday in March and April, so when I ran out of sequins, I decided to move on to my fancy frocks with Fancy Friday. Now, to be clear, I didn’t actually start dressing up in cocktail attire every Friday – working from home with children is challenging enough without having to do it in high heels. But it was a nice excuse to post something a little different to my IG account once a week. After all, it’s not like I’ll be getting the opportunity to wear these dresses in real life any time soon.

If you were ever curious about my special occasion dress collection, wonder no more. Here it is in all most of its glory:

One of my favourite dresses of all time, this Lela Rose for Target number (part of an old Nordstrom collab) is one I always recommend to people. You can still find it, very reasonably priced, on ebay – where I got mine years ago – and it’s perfect for weddings and similar occasions. The quality is shockingly good and it’s just a beautiful dress. I’m wearing it with my own belt, rather than the original belt that came with the dress which is only part that’s a little bit shoddy, quality-wise.

This is a very cool Tracy Reese dress – the bodice is partially (real) leather, which gives a nice contrast to the pretty lace. I love that it’s dark blue (not navy) rather than black which makes it stand out a bit more as well. Good for weddings, cocktail parties and the like.

Photos do not do justice to this Tadashi Shoji dress. The dress is made out of ruched layers silk and has an iridescent sheen to it – it looks reddish purple at some angles, and purplish blue in others. It’s the kind of body-con style that I tend to avoid in general, but I will make an exception for a special occasion and for this dress.

This Betsey Johnson dress is the stuff that goth-ballerina-princess dreams are made of. I love tulle, I love pleats, I love subtle sparkle. This dress has it all. The photos don’t capture it well, but there are micro-dots of glitter all over the dress, which make it twinkle under low lights. I’ve worn this for NYE before, and felt like a million bucks.

Another fabulous Tadashi Shoji number, this one a lovely dark forest green. I especially love the lace-mesh combination at the top. Since this dress is a bit loose on me, I decided to belt it and make that the focus, accessory-wise, but this is a dress that would look amazing with a proper statement necklace.

Last but not least, this BCBG number was a relatively recent addition to the line-up and I cannot wait to wear it for real. Again, photos don’t really capture its amazing details very well. The sleeves are unusual (I normally hate “cold shoulder” but I think the cutouts here are very well executed), there is a flattering slit, and the back detail is chef’s kiss.

*** Honourable mention to these dresses which I somehow forgot to add to the Fancy Friday line-up:

From left: Adrianna Papell dress, Armani Collezione dress, Nicole Miller dress.

It’s been a while since I’ve done of these posts, so let’s talk about what I’ve read lately. I have not been as diligent as I should about keeping track, but I think I am well past the 60 book mark already for 2020. Here are some of the highlights:

Ann Cleeves – Shetland/Jimmy Perez series

After I finished the Vera Stanhope series, I immediately began to binge read Cleeves’ other popular series featuring Shetland detective Jimmy Perez. While I enjoyed each and every book, it took me a little while to get used to Perez, who is a protagonist of a completely different mould than Vera Stanhope. But, 8 books later, I grew quite fond of him. In fact, I’m torn on which of the two series I would want Cleeves to continue next. They are similar in tone and approach – focused on the psychology of the characters and their relationships, whilst still staying grounded in the police procedural genre – and yet managed to have distinct vibes. I have to say that I kind of fell in love with the Shetland islands after reading these books, sight unseen.

Margaret Atwood – The Penelopiad

This is not quite a full length novel, but longer than a typical novella. It’s a re-telling of the Odysseus myth from Penelope’s perspective. More than anything, it’s a feminist allegory. The writing reminded me a lot of Atwood’s poetry, which I read when I was younger and love. At first, I felt like the book fell short of what I was expecting – too “easy”, too straightforward – but the more I thought about it afterwards, the more nuances and layers revealed themselves.

Deanna Raybourn – Veronica Speedwell series

This mystery series, set in Victorian England, was recommended to me by a follower on IG. I have mixed feelings about it after reading 3 of the 4 (or 5?) titles in the series. On one hand, its protagonist (Veronica Speedwell) is a spunky, smart, adventurous female scientist. Her partner in sleuthing is a Byronic explorer-slash-scientist with a tragic past. The mysteries themselves are kind of bland, but the writing is zippy enough that I found myself flying through them. There is a dash (and later on, more than a dash) of sexual tension and will-they-won’t-they suspense between the main characters. The latter is also on my list of negatives about this series. The taciturn, tortured hero was not a character I warmed up to a great deal, so the romantic undertones left me cold; by the end of the 3rd book I read, I just wanted them to get it over with. The writing, while zippy, sometimes felt too try-hard to me – like the characters were on a sitcom, not real people. And Veronica is also a bit too much of an anachronistic Mary Sue for my taste. But for pure entertainment, this series is a fun one.

M. R. Carey – The Girl With All The Gifts

I’ve had this on my reading list for over a year, and finally got around to it. Possibly not the best choice during a pandemic, as it deals with the aftermath of a plague-like event. I don’t want to say too much about the plot as I don’t want to spoil the initial twist – which is revealed fairly early on, but still – so I will only say that while this isn’t my usual genre of fiction, I enjoyed this book a lot. It kicked up my anxiety, but it was worth it. I binged through it in a couple of days, and the ending in particular had me on the edge of my, ummmm, bed. At midnight, not willing to put it down and go to bed.

Cherie Dimaline – The Marrow Thieves

Another community recommendation (my BFF and a few people on IG recommended it) that I ended up loving. It’s an interesting companion read, in a way, to The Girl With All The Gifts – also set in the future, in a post-apocalyptic world decimated by climate change where Indigenous people are hunted for their bone marrow which is used as medicine for white people. The author is Indigenous, and the book references and draws upon the historical abuse of Indigenous people in Canada (where the story is set). I think technically it’s a Young Adult novel, but I would recommend this even if you don’t typically read YA fiction (I don’t either). There were parts of the story that were hard to read (heartbreaking) but the writing was compelling throughout; I read it very quickly because I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen to the characters – holding my breath in anticipation of the worst, to be honest – and the ending provided a great, cathartic payoff.

Samantha Irby – Wow, No Thank U

Sam Irby is one of my fave current writers, period. At times, when I read her books, I feel like she’s been hiding inside my own head, and wrote down all of the things that I would never dream of telling anyone else. I adore her honesty, her voice, and her sense of humour. Wow, No Thank You is a follow-up collection of personal essays to her last book, We Are Never Meeting In Real Life which was also a must-read. I laughed out loud more times than I can count, but there is some serious discussion in there too, especially around Irby’s experiences as a writer on a TV show (Shrill) in Hollywood.

Alan Bradley – Flavia de Luce series

I thrifted these books last year, and finally got around to reading them. They are set in 1950s rural England, and feature an 11-year old chemistry-obsessed child prodigy turned amateur sleuth, Flavia de Luce. The books are very much in the vein of Agatha Christie, albeit I find the pace occasionally sluggish (something Christie never was). I love the ensemble of recurring characters as well, although Flavia is an extremely unlikely 11-year old and the de Luce family history is a bit over-the-top at times. Nonetheless, the series has a lot of charm especially if you’re a fan of “cozy English mysteries”.

Neil Gaiman – The Ocean At The End of The Lane

I haven’t read much Gaiman since my early twenties, when I was obsessed with the Sandman graphic novels. I am also a huge fan of Good Omens, but I think a large part of that is attributable (if I’m being perfectly honest) to Terry Pratchett’s contributions. Anyway, I picked up this book at the thrift store a while back, and finally decided to give it a go. It was an enjoyable read, in the vein of some of Gaiman’s earlier short stories (which I also really like). It’s a kind of adult fairy tale, about a young boy’s friendship with a strange girl living near his childhood home, and the things he learns (then forgets as an adult, and briefly remembers again) about the nature of the universe. There were elements reminiscent of Stephen King in the story, although the writing is definitely Gaiman-esque.

Phillip Freeman – Oh My Gods

This is a very accessible and straight-forward retelling of Greek (and a few Roman) myths. There is no literary embellishment or academic discussion, which I liked because I was looking for an adult version of the myth anthologies I read as a child. I used to love those – both the Greek and Norse myths were my favourite. What struck me, reading Oh My Gods, is how full of rape, and pillage and general strife these stories are. There are precious few happy endings, and so much violence. I must have read a very sanitized version as a child, or else my brain didn’t really grasp the nuances of what I was reading at the time. I remember having favourite gods and goddesses as a child (is that weird?), but now they all seem pretty despicable, goddesses included.

Tilar Mazzeo – The Hotel on Place Vendome

The best way to describe this book is to say that it reads like a longform Vanity Fair article. Its subject is the Ritz Hotel in Paris, but the book is really about the various famous people (society people, political figures, artists, etc.) who stayed there before, during and after WWII. It’s the kind of non-fiction, history-adjacent story I like to read – fact-based but entertaining. Infotainment, if you will. A lot of famous names are dropped – Chanel, Hemingway, Churchill, among them – but you won’t get a full picture of any of them, so it’s best if you’re somewhat familiar with their biographies already. Some of the chapters feel a bit disjointed, but I still enjoyed this one a lot.

Ijeoma Oluo – So You Want To Talk About Race

If you are starting your anti-racism work, as I am, this is an excellent resource. Oluo writes in a straightforward but dynamic, compelling voice. Reading her book is like having a conversation with a friend – a friend who doesn’t shy away from tough topics and from telling you difficult truths. She covers a lot of ground that is a must read: the roots and history of racism in America (racism isn’t about feelings, it’s about systems of oppression), micro aggressions, cultural appropriation, the school to prison pipeline, affirmative action, and more. Highly recommend it if you haven’t read it already.