This week marks the 10th anniversary of this blog. Like all milestones being celebrated this year, it’s a subdued affair. So much so that I only remembered with a few days to spare – enough to write this post and not much else. Back in the days when I still aspired to be a legitimate blogger, I would have tried to organize some sort of giveaway or otherwise mark the occasion in a similar blogworthy manner. But our relationship, dear readers, has been on a different footing for many years now and I think we understand each other. I can’t offer you a chance to win a Peloton bike; the only thing of (questionable?) value you’ll get here is the (doubtful?) pleasure of reading my ramblings.

On the upside, I’m not going to try to talk you into buying any hideous, crotch-mangling pants. And no poop tea.

With that eloquent introduction out of the way, let’s reminisce a little, shall we? I am, after all a Type 4, and nostalgia is balm to our soul.
I started this blog back in May 2010, a few months before my wedding. I want to say that it was a gentler, less complicated time which … at a personal level, might have been true … but then again, maybe it’s all nostalgia talking. Certainly, I had no kids at the time and now my oldest is almost as tall as me, and my youngest is going to start Grade 2 in the fall. These are things I know but still find hard to compute. So, from a purely personal and logistical point of view, things were less complicated. Was the world gentler or less complicated? I’m not sure. It feels like things have become progressively darker in the last decade, but maybe that’s my advancing age talking. I’m sure the current situation isn’t helping my perspective either.

One thing that was different for sure was my style. Whooo boy. A while back, I made my pre-2014 archives private so some of you may not have a real point of reference but … here, I’ve dug up some examples for you:

Who is that person even? No, I mean, seriously. It’s funny because I don’t necessarily feel like a different person day to day and then I look at photos like this and think, yeah I have changed. The clothes somehow make that obvious. I’ll be honest and say that the vast majority of clothes I wore 10 years ago – heck, even 5 years ago – are no longer in my closet. I would like to say that the clothes I wear now will fare better, but who knows. If clothing is a form of self expression, the notion of a “timeless” closet breaks down because our personalities aren’t timeless. We are not static. Nor is life in general. However, I know we cannot treat clothing as disposable, so I do everything I can to enjoy this hobby in a responsible and sustainable way.

Sustainability is important. It’s one of those things that has changed a lot since 2010. I started my annual clothing swap back in 2007, when it was still a relatively novel concept. I started it not because I was concerned about the environment, but because I loved clothes and didn’t have much money. I was lucky to find a group of women willing to give the idea a try with me because it wasn’t a familiar concept at all back then. Same thing with consignment; it was a truly little-known secret. I was lucky, again, because one of my friends introduced me to a couple of local stores, along with eBay. I never looked back. A few years later, making the transition to thrifting was easy. It’s been interesting to see the tidal shift towards secondhand shopping, especially in the last 5 years or so. I hope it’s a trend that continues and doesn’t get derailed by the flowdown impacts of the pandemic.

Another big shift, this time at the personal level, is my creative outlook. When I started this blog, writing was my main creative outlet. I still harboured secret hopes of being a (real) writer. Five years ago, I checked off the biggest item on my bucket list: I wrote a book. Actually, two and a half. It was a difficult, cathartic process. It was not life-changing in an obvious way – I didn’t sell my books and make a million dollars – but looking back, it did result in change. I felt an odd sense of relief. I was eventually able to let go of the disappointment of not being a “real” writer, the sense of failure that had plagued most of my adult life to that point. I started to channel my creative energy into other, more hands-on pursuits. First with embroidery, then more recently with painting. I found a new eloquence where before I had felt wrung dry of inspiration. But as my focus has increasingly shifted away from writing, this blog has gone into a kind of steady decline.

A couple of years ago (I think? I can’t be bothered to go back and check) I went on an extended hiatus for my mental health. When I came back, a good chunk of my audience was gone and I have never been able to replace it. To be fair, I haven’t tried especially hard to do so. I don’t have it in me to try to go viral, here or on social media. I have a career and professional reputation that I cannot afford to blow up, and besides I’m way too thin-skinned for viral fame. I don’t think blogging is dead, but it certainly doesn’t occupy the same place in the Zeitgeist that it did a decade ago. It has lost steam and so have I. I used to be diligent about keeping a regular and frequent posting schedule. I had lots of things to say. Now, I post most of it on Instagram which is, frankly, more convenient. But I am not ready to let this blog go. I like having my own domain, and I like having you – my readers, my community. I feel like I have gotten to know many of you through your comments over the years, which makes writing here feel like talking to old friends, not shouting into the algorithm. Who knows what the next 10 years will bring? But whatever it is, I’ll be here plodding along and trying to find my way. I hope you will join me, from time to time.

Have I lost track of time? Maybe.

Sporty Spice

I have been on the fence about this skirt before because it skews sportier than my usual style. Let’s face it, I am not sporty in the least. However, things have changed. No, I am still not sporty. But I have a new appreciation for bright colours and funky details, and this skirt checks those boxes. It’s also stretchy and comfortable, which is the most important box of all. So, it stays. Plus, it works really well with this stretchy sneaker-type pair of shoes which is also a bit of an “odd duck” in my closet. Win win. Is this outfit “too much” for a neighbourhood walk? In these strange times, does it even matter?

Sweatshirt On Repeat

Errrm, what the title says. I have been wearing this sweatshirt a LOT, and I am not mad about it. It goes with pretty much everything, it’s a perfect weight for spring, and it hits that sweet nostalgia spot. Speaking of nostalgia, long term readers will recognize the pants. Grandma’s couch rides again! These pants are still so good. And fun. I’ve pretty much given up on pants that aren’t leggings, but I will always make an exception for these. Also, hello? Another pair of sneaker-adjacent shoes? Who am I even? Rhetorical questions aside, these Ash wedge sneakers are really excellent – nice soft leather, cute detailing, and comfortable. Plus, I can sneak an extra inch or two of height without having to deal with real heels.

Nostalgia, Part 2

Here’s another super old piece that some of you will remember well. I used to be the “face”, so to speak, for this J. Crew “Dutch floral” sweatshirt – my blog images always showed up in search results for it. So you could say that we have a history. I think it goes back to 2013 or thereabouts; I think I bought it shortly after my daughter was born. Time is a meaningless concept at this point, but I think that makes it 7 years old. My baby will be going into Grade 2 this fall. None of it computes! Anyway, on the other side of the spectrum, the necklace is brand new … I made it. Working on a new idea for upcycled/handmade jewelry, and this was a prototype of sorts. I am quite pleased with how it came out, although I have some ideas for improvement. Gotta stay busy!

There are many things I miss about my BC (Before Corona) life, and it’s probably not a surprise that thrifting is one of them. I’m an introvert homebody, so my daily habits likely were less impacted than others’; even so, the loss of the concept of being free to go about as I please hit me harder than I thought it would, especially in the beginning. And I miss the treasure hunting aspect of thrifting a lot; the “me time” as well as the bonding time with my BFF (a fellow thrifter). What did surprise me was the fact that I didn’t really miss the clothes shopping. I haven’t purchased any clothes since the end of February. I have occasionally looked online – at secondhand sites and local consignment shops – but closed the browser each time without feeling any desire to buy anything. For someone who has occasionally wondered if there was a compulsive aspect to her shopping habits, this was an interesting development.

Thinking about it, I came to realize that there is a huge element of “I have nowhere to wear this” in my current apathy about clothes shopping. I never thought of myself as someone who “dressed for others” but I do; clothes, for me, are a form of expression and without an audience (so to speak) the desire to create in that medium has waned. Instead, I’ve poured my creative energies into other pursuits. An interesting related discovery? I still wear jewelry. Even when I choose a relatively simple (and comfortable, above all) WFH outfit, I find myself reaching for one of my favourite jewelry pieces – earrings and necklaces, especially – to wear with it. I do that for me, because it makes me feel a little better, prettier.

I am not sure how things will change once quarantine is over. [I hesitate to say “when things go back to normal” because who knows what “normal” will be.] I assume I will buy clothes again once thrift stores reopen. I may shift some of my priorities; for examples, blazers is not a category I need to expand, though I may make exceptions for soft/unstructured toppers, and perhaps some of my favourite designers. Same with pants. I will probably stop buying jeans altogether. And high heels.

One thing I will try to do more is wear my “special” pieces regularly. If that means wearing an Issey Miyake skirt to run errands on a weekend, so be it. Life is too short.

I will also prioritize clothes that have versatile silhouettes. Loose, long dresses are a good example. I have been wearing them a lot around the house because they make me feel better than wearing sweatpants 24/7, but they can easily be “dressed up” – cinched with a belt, polished up with accessories – if I need to be presentable for the office. I want clothes that are comfortable enough to wear at home, but also nice enough to wear outside – and I am not talking about leggings. Although leggings will probably replace jeans as my go-to “bottoms” option. I am never breaking up with comfort now.

I am also struggling to visualize what thrifting itself might look like in the future. In the short term, I think it will resume familiar patterns. I’ve heard from a lot of folks that they have been busy decluttering their homes during this time, so I expect thrift stores will be bustling in the months after quarantine is lifted. After that, who knows? A lot of folks on social media have also been talking about consuming less in the future. Thrift stores have become big business precisely because a lot of people over-consume and adopt an “everything is disposable” mentality. If that begins to change, the thrift scene will start to change too. We will have to wait and see whether the changes people are contemplating now, in the midst of the pandemic, will take root or whether humanity will eventually simply swing back to the old “normal”.

I would love to hear from you about your thoughts on changes — to your style, shopping habits, fashion industry as a whole, etc. — in the After Corona era. See you in the comment section!