Details: Club Monaco turtleneck (retail, old), Ralph Lauren sweater (eBay), J. Crew blazer (retail, old), Fossil belt (thrifted), Banana Republic pants (retail), Coach bag (Poshmark)

Thoughts: This shade of brown is one of my faves … wait, did I just say “one”? Does that imply I have more than one favourite shade of brown? Who am I????? It’s true, though. I’ve been afraid of brown — well, not afraid exactly, more like uninterested — my whole life, but it turns out that it’s actually a beautiful colour. Or colours, rather. This shade is at the intersection of brown and burgundy, and I love its richness. There is some of it in the blazer as well, which really helps to tie this all together. A simple but extremely satisfying outfit.

Details: Gap shirt, Ralph Lauren vest, Zara blazer, Esprit belt (all thrifted), Ralph Lauren skirt (eBay)

Thoughts: This is a Historian/Trailblazer mash-up, and I love it. Papa Ralph does pattern mixing really well,, and also juxtaposition, and that was my aim here as well. The trickiest part was choosing the right fair isle vest, and I made my decision based on the colour palette (of course). There is a bit of brown in the vest, and I thought the cool grey would go well with the greyish blue of the skirt. I think the brown belt with patinaed silver buckle was also the right choice here, to bring the vest and skirt together.

Details: Liz Claiborne sweater, Roolee dress, Gap blazer (all thrifted)

Thoughts: As much as I’m becoming a brown-loving girlie, there will always be a soft spot for black & white outfits in my heart. I don’t think black flatters me as much as brown does (especially worn close to the face without other, brighter colours to balance it out), but I find that paired with white, it doesn’t end up looking so severe and “draining”. Basically, I don’t look as much like Casper the ghost, compared to when I wear all black. And y’all know how I feel about mixing different b&w patterns — no wrong options, ever.

Details: Ralph Lauren shirt, BR belt, Urban Outfitters skirt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Guyssssss! I’m obsessed with this outfit. This is why I NEEDED a white men’s shirt in my life. The fit. The slightly turned up collar. It feels so … cool. A white shirt paired with a full, long skirt — and a statement belt! — has been on my mind, as an outfit formula, for months now and I’m so excited that I can finally make it happen. I could not resist thrifting this skirt because (a) plaid, (b) tiers, (c) volume! I don’t love the polyester fabric, but I guess I can’t win them all. The waist is stretchy, which is nice. Because I had to wear the skirt higher on my waist, so the belt would cinch at my narrowest point (to emphasize the volume on the bottom), I decided to add a petticoat to extend the length of the skirt. The top-and-tail effect of the white was a nice added bonus.

Details: Ralph Lauren shirt, Gap belt, Jeanne Pierre sweater (all thrifted), Banana Republic pants (retail)

Thoughts: I broke my no-retail streak recently, but I think you will understand why. You know the BR corduroy wide leg trousers I bought in Dec 2022? Yes, you do — they’re in the first outfit above. I LOVE them, and my biggest regret ever since buying them has been not getting the camel brown version at the same time. I’ve been looking for it on Poshmark, but they’ve never popped up in my size. So what’s going on here? Well, I went to Winners recently to look for something for my daughter, and as I was walking out, I saw this pair of pants on the clearance rack. I recognized them immediately, in disbelief. Yes, it’s the BR corduroy wide leg trousers in camel brown. In my size!! The only pair. In my size!! And you won’t believe how much I paid for them: $12. Why? How? How did a pair of BR pants from more than a year ago end up at Winners? The biggest mystery. I am so happy they did. The only drawback is that this is the regular length, not the petite, so it’s longer than I would like it to be. I need very high heels to wear it as-is, which isn’t super versatile for me. I am planning to get them hemmed to the same length as my other pair. I can’t wait to wear them again!

Details: Ralph Lauren shirt, Wilfred vest, H&M pants, Joseph belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I told you last week that this red vest was making things happen in my closet, and here is more proof. I love both versions of this outfit, with and without the blazer.

Details: Wilfred vest, Ralph Lauren skirt, Escada blazer, Rafael Alfandary necklace (all secondhand), J. Crew shoes (retail, old)

Thoughts: I haven’t worn much red in years, but this vest has been like a shot of adrenaline to my closet. It’s what I consider my “best” red — a poppy red, slightly orange-leaning shade. I had to pair it first with this skirt, to pick up on the pattern of the skirt. It feels like such an electric combination somehow. Kept the outfit very simple, but felt smashing in it.

Details: Wilfred sweater, Topshop dress, Jones NY blazer, BR belt (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Can you believe I’ve had this dress for 3 years and this is the first time I’m wearing it as “separates”? That must be a record for dresses in my closet, as this styling “hack” is one of my favourites. I adore the contrast polka dots pattern and wanted to make it the focal point of the outfit, so I kept everything else very neutral. This grey blazer is a great option for outfits where black would be too overwhelming; here, I think that a black blazer would have made the outfit feel unbalanced, with the top too visually “heavy” compared to the bottom. What makes this blazer perfect is that black velvet collar which brings in just a touch of black, so the grey doesn’t feel too disconnected from the rest of the outfit.

Details: Ralph Lauren shirt, Talbots dress, J. Crew necklace & shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: It’s taken me years but I am finally a convert to the power of a crisp white (men’s) shirt. It took me a while but I finally found the perfect one at the thrifts — vintage RL, of course. Here, I paired it with my vintage wool Talbots dress for a super classic combination. I love the simplicity of the clean lines and subtle accessorizing.

Details: Frank & Oak turtleneck, Pitlochry sweater, Ports blazer, Icone skirt, Fossil belt, Dooney bag, Zara shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I loved this outfit so much! I can’t explain why, but I felt incredibly cool in it. Historian off-duty all the way, in the best way. This vintage made-in-Scotland sweater is one of my fave recent thrift finds; I love the colour palette and the design, and it’s in fantastic shape for being thick, Shetland wool. The skirt is another recent find and while I swore off buying black skirts a while back, I had to make an exception for this one because it’s my favourite silhouette and it’s made from a wide-wale corduroy fabric. I am obsessed with corduroy at the moment! In fact, this is a double corduroy outfit, with the jacket being cord as well (albeit very fine wale). I think the skirt was a great buy, as I can see it working very well with my current aesthetic; it’s a good colour and texture pairing for all the brown and wool/tweeds I’m doing. I decided to let go of an older black skirt to make room for it (and that one went to my daughter, so it’s still kicking about!).

Details: Club Monaco turtleneck (retail, old), Eaton vest, Akris jacket, Joseph belt, Tignanello bag (all secondhand), BR jeans (retail)

Thoughts: This Akris jacket was another recent thrift find that I had to grab because (a) the quality is so good, which is harder and harder to find these days, and (b) it intrigued me. It’s a bit on the periphery of my current aesthetic, but could be a direction worth exploring. I’m kinda feeling the 70s preppy vibes — like, the Historian on an Ivy campus in the 70s, you know? It worked really well with this jeans, for a start. A good start, I think. Let’s see where it goes from here.

Details: Ralph Lauren turtleneck, Denim & Supply dress, If By Sea shacket, BR belt, Laredo boots (all secondhand)

Thoughts: It’s been a hot minute since I wore this dress, so I decided it was time to get it out again. I was thinking about how to wear it (outside, on the weekend) and remembered this shacket. Plaid on plaid is always alright in my books, plus the colours play together nicely. Luckily, the weather decided to cooperate for once — it’s been very up and down lately, after getting us used to a mild season. I am definitely ready for spring, though. More dresses and more spring jackets, please!

Details: Ralph Lauren shirt, Pendleton blazer, Cotton Ginny belt, CoH jeans (all seconhand)

Thoughts: Another very classic outfit that is sort of a “new thing” for me. I’ve never done something quite like this before, but I was inspired by this incredible wool Pendleton blazer I picked up on Poshmark for a ridiculously low price. It’s in perfect condition and the quality is amazing. I wish the colours picked up better in photos, because I love the lush green/blue combo. Just a crisp white shirt and jeans, and I’m set!

Details: Ralph Lauren blouse & skirt, vintage vest, BCBG belt, Thierry Raboutin shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: To me, this is a quintessentially Jo March outfit and I love it so much despite its very muted colour palette. It’s all about the details, like the delicate paisley pattern on the blouse and the lace insert, and the texture contrasts. I chose a jeweled belt instead of something more southwest-inspired because I wanted to lean more into the late Victorian vibe than the prairie vibe with this outfit, and also felt that a juxtaposition of influences might overwhelm the outfit. Sometimes, it doesn’t have to be loud to be special.

Details: Dries Van Noten dress (eBay), Zara jacket, vintage scarf, Thierry Raboutin shoes (all thrifted); DKNY skirt (Poshmark)

Thoughts: Remember this dress? It’s been a while since I wore it last, but it’s as lovely as ever. Dries Van Noten truly is a genius when it comes to patterns. I decided it was time to pull out the dress again because I wanted another go at a Ralph Lauren collection look (from 2014, I want to say but don’t quote me on that) that has lived rent-free in my head for a long time. It’s a long, floral, diaphanous dress with a brown tweed long-line blazer; long patterned scarf, sandals with chunky wool socks. It’s one of my core moodboard looks for the Bohemian avatar, and I’ve done different takes on it before. I’m still hunting for the original RL dress, but use this dress in the meantime because the bottom part is floaty floral chiffon so it has a similar movement. I added to it by wearing my sheer panel DKNY skirt underneath, to extend the floatiness. I skipped the sock-with-sandals part because it’s not my thing, but did use my sock-shoes as a hat tip to that idea.

Details: no label cardigan (thrifted), CoH jeans (thrifted), Ralph Lauren belt (Poshmark), J. Crew blazer (retail, old)

Thoughts: I loved the stripe pattern of this cardigan and wanted to build an outfit around juxtaposing it against the blazer pattern. (Side note: I always used to call that pattern a “check” but recently saw a Reel that revealed I was wrong: it’s actually a houndstooth, but colourful not monochromatic. The more I know!) But the cardigan has a deep V neckline, which means, by the time I tuck the front and put the jacket on, little of the stripes can still be seen. So I wore it backward! Instant sweater.

Details: Uniqlo sweater, Cartonnier jacket (both thrifted), Ralph Lauren skirt (eBay), Tignanello bag (Poshmark)

Thoughts: For this outing of THE skirt, I decided to pick green as the focus colour, and add the yellow as a pop. The jacket was a compromise to the weather, which required me to wear a heavier topper. I don’t love-love it, but it’s ok and it was the best option I had in relation to the rest of the outfit. I hate when Mother Nature gets in the way of my sartorial goals, haha!

Details: Ralph Lauren shirt & vest, Ports International jacket, Ferragamo shoes (all thrifted), Paul Smith pants, Ralph Lauren belt (both Poshmark)

Thoughts: Just another Historian outfit, remixing pieces I call “old faithfuls” — reliably great staples. The vest and jacket, in particular, fit that bill perfectly. I can wear them in so many different combinations, with so many different pieces and different colours. And they also work great together. The pants are great too, though they’re a little more statement than staple thanks to the plaid pattern; I feel they tend to stand out a bit more. But I love the cut, and I wish I could find more pants like this — I’m really struggling lately to find trouser-style pants that are neither skinny nor full wide-leg. Anyway, on to the rest of the outfit. I picked the green shirt to pick up on the green in the plaid, and added the belt as a nod to Papa Ralph, who often wears a big buckle number with his preppy fits.

Details: InStyle sweater, American Apparel coat, CoH jeans, Asos boots (all thrifted), Brave belt, Tignanello bag (both Poshmark)

Thoughts: This outfit was built around the turquoise/orangey brown colour combo. That’s basically it. I added the grey coat because I’ve noticed how well it works with outfits that feature brown; as a “grounding” neutral, it works better than black in this kind of situation, I think.