Was there ever a more Artist outfit? Architectural lines, asymmetry, draping, interesting little details. Joseph Ribkoff can be really hit and miss – a lot of pieces skew older and kind of dated – but sometimes it’s just straight up good stuff. Like this jacket. It’s a considerably larger size than I usually wear, and I initially thrifted it for my mom, but once I put it on, I was sold. The oversized-ness adds to the structural chic of the jacket – I love how it looks from all different angles.
I paired it with my Oska skirt (itself with some cool little draping details) and my Warren Steven Scott earrings which, frankly, make the whole ensemble:
Notes: Joseph Ribkoff jacket (thrifted, $13); Oska skirt (thrifted, $10); DVF shoes (thrifted, $5); Warren Steven Scott earrings (retail, $70).
Sparkle & Shine, But Make It Subtle
I guess my theme for December work outfits is “sparkle and shine: office appropriate edition”. I love the cut of this Marc Cain sweater – it’s a relaxed fit without being bulky – and the subtle metallic sheen. It’s a neutral, but with a cool twist. Same goes for the DVF wedges; they look like a plain black pair of pumps from the front, but then you turn and BAM: gold wedge in yo’ face! Okay, maybe that’s not very subtle after all.
You know what’s definitely subtle? A mesh turtleneck. You may remember that I searched high and low for one earlier this year; well, one of my dear friends gifted me one for my birthday, and I am happy to report that I was right in assuming it would be a versatile, must-have piece. It’s great for layering – it adds some coverage, and also (surprisingly) some warmth. I don’t love the feel of polyester so close to the skin (I find it makes me sweatier than usual), but it’s a small price to pay for fashun (and the mesh washes very quick and easily).
Why wear a bulky parka and feel downtrodden by winter, when you can triple up on your wool layers and feel … marginally less downtrodden by winter. Mind you, the weather was cooperating somewhat that day (it was only, like, minus 7 Celsius which is practically fall weather here) so I didn’t have to freeze for my protest. But any excuse to wear my fave Cartonnier fur-collar jacket is one to be pursued. I paired it with a lightweight merino turtleneck, a heavier wool cardigan, and wool culottes. Although it was all black and grey, I felt quite cheerful. Alberta winter: 0; Adina: 1.
Notes: Cartonnier jacket (thrifted, $20); Club Monaco turtleneck (retail, $40); Comme des Garcons cardigan (thrifted, $8); Aljean culottes (thrifted, $6.50); Stuart Weitzman boots (thrifted, $20).
I don’t remember exactly when I watched the 1994 adaptation of Little Women; it was at home, not in the theatre, I do know that. And I was still young enough (read, a teenager) that it became a part of the pop culture vocabulary for some of the earliest iterations of my identity – in the same way as My So Called Life, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and Clueless. It provided some of the archetypes of femininity with which and against which I sought to define myself as a young adult. Not to mention prototypes of romantic (and platonic) relationships.
It may seem strange, in that context, to say that I have never read the Alcott novel. I was going to write “I don’t know why”, but if I think about it, I can probably come up with some likely explanations. I think it was a convergence of prejudices on my part. As a teenager, I had a great deal of prejudice against American literature, for reasons that would take too long to unpack here. (I got over it.) I also viewed “kiddie books” with some disdain, and Little Women probably slotted itself into that category in my mind based on the title alone. The movie was wonderful and entertaining, and that in itself was probably a mark against the book because I had a vague idea that worthwhile literature and entertainment were strange bedfellows.
Had I read Little Women, this post probably wouldn’t exist. I can only assume that I would have loved the book and, as with all such favourites, I would have re-read it periodically in the intervening decades. My feelings about it and its characters would have grown with me. As it is, my feelings about Little Women (the movie) are a kind of time capsule. The last time I re-watched it was sometime in my early twenties – not sufficiently removed from my adolescence for a different perspective to form. When I tell you about my favourite March sister, it’s still 16 year old Adina who is speaking. Based on literary prejudices alone, that person is something of a stranger to me.
There have been some hints that the new adaptation of Little Women (to be released this December) may be a modern take on the story. I am looking forward to seeing what Greta Gerwig does with it, and how my almost-40 year old self relates to it. But in the meantime, I also thought it would be an interesting experiment to re-watch the 1994 version. Break open the time capsule. See whether my younger self and I see eye-to-eye on the important questions (is Amy the worst?) or not.
Here is where things stood before the re-watch. (I am writing in the past tense because I’m speaking on behalf of my old self which is a weird gambit now that I think about it, and I don’t know how else to communicate it. Ahem.)
As you may be able to surmise, Jo was my favourite March sister. I grew up wanting to be a writer and suffering from a serious case of “not like the other girls”. I didn’t like show-offs (like Amy, ugh) yet I yearned to be recognized as special, preferably by a wealthy but sensitive dreamboat. Meg was nice but boring. As for Beth … well, if Jo was the person I aspired to be, then Beth was the person I actually was. The good girl who plays by the rules and gets the crappiest deal. I was not nearly as selfless and saint-like as Beth, but I was a dutiful, responsible daughter and I felt like that meant missing out on all the fun that my teenage peers were having (in movies, anyway).
And, of course, Amy was the worst.
Amy was Gwyneth Paltrow. Teenage Adina hated Gwyneth Paltrow with a vengeance. She represented Privilege-with-a-capital-P, privilege of a kind that I felt would always elude me.
Which brings me to Laurie. Laurie was one version of my dream boyfriend, much like Josh from Clueless or Angel from Buffy (yeah, I know). I honestly cannot remember anything about what made him so dreamy and desirable other than the fact that he was rich, handsome (I will always have a soft spot for floppy-haired, period-attired Christian Bale) and had the good taste of falling in love with Jo. I felt devastated when Jo rejected Laurie, and utterly betrayed when he went on to marry Amy. The latter part felt like confirmation of my secret teenage fears – that every boy I would ever fall for would end up choosing Gwyneth Paltrow instead. Well, you know what I mean.
I braced myself for that disappointment again, and re-watched the movie.
And it was interesting.
Here are my takeaways.
One, the movie still holds up very, very well. Were it not for the parties, involved, I would be adamant that the new adaptation is neither needed nor wanted. [But I do want to see Saoirse Ronan as Jo, and Florence Pugh as Amy and, oh my, Timmy Chalamet as Laurie. I can’t wait, in fact.] Anyway, it’s always a kind of relief when a movie beloved by your younger self turns out not to be retroactively terrible. Little Women is far more than just not terrible: it’s charming and heart-warming, and with one glaring exception, wonderfully cast.
Jo remains my favourite March sister, but I have much more sympathy for her situation than I did before. Most importantly, I understand her decision to reject Laurie’s proposal. Laurie was too bourgeois for Jo, and their relationship struck me as far more platonic in nature (especially on Jo’s side) than I remembered it. Here is where it gets interesting. While I admire Jo’s pursuit of her passion, I don’t identify with it in the same way that I did at 16-17. I made different, more prosaic choices in my own life since then – choosing a stable if less creatively fulfilling career – which would align me much more closely with Amy than Jo. Not gonna lie: I kinda get where Amy is coming from now. I, too, like to be comfortable and have pretty things. Turns out, I’m far more pragmatic (and bourgeois) than bohemian. [Luckily, I’ve had the option of pursuing my own career versus having to hunt for a rich husband like Amy.] In fact, the one drawback of the movie is how little time we spend with the adult Amy; I think she would be an interesting person from whom to hear more and I’m excited to see that we may be getting that opportunity in the new adaptation.
The movie also rushes over her developing relationship with Laurie, which I can only assume is more fleshed out in the book. Again, younger me didn’t care about this because I thought the whole plot point was a crime. Current me would have liked to see how Laurie “earns” Amy’s respect and love. Because, let’s face it, adult Laurie is a bit of a wet blanket. If I was ever a fan of mopey emo boys, that time is long gone and now I have no patience for rich, handsome, privileged white men whining about how hard their lot in life is. Still, Christian Bale (sans attempted dandy mustache) is fine; nothing to complain there.
The only other major surprise I got in watching the movie was the fact that Mr. March didn’t die. I could have sworn that he did. I also thought Beth died a lot sooner – not that it made much difference. Poor Beth.
Oh yeah, one last thing. Professor Baer. Ok, look, maybe we are not going to be friends again after I write this but I have to say it: Gabriel Byrne was a terrible choice to play Baer. Byrne is an objectively handsome guy, but he fell flat for me in this character. I thought he and Winona had zero chemistry – and I say that as someone who has been charmed by a fair share of cinematic May-December romances. I will reserve judgment on the new version of Prof. Baer until I see the new movie, but currently I am leaning in favour of Alcott’s reputed preferred ending: having Jo end up alone as a literary “spinster”.
Ok, your turn now: tell me your thoughts on Little Women in the comments.
The holiday season is upon us, which means a new year is just around the corner. I have spared you my gift guides and holiday must-have lists, but I still have some pretensions to being a style blogger. ‘Tis time, friends.
Time to look back upon the year and wax a little bit poetic about the things I have worn, bought, enjoyed. Nothing will be linked; nothing will be sponsored. And I hope that you, too, will share some of your 2019 favourites. It’s how we do things around here.
Today, I am going to talk about about my favourite purchases of the year, and maybe a few not-so-great ones.
I am going to leave the nitty gritty stats for another day (probably in January) but for now suffice to say that I spent less and bought less in 2019 than in 2018, although 2019 was higher in overall quantity (not cost) than most years previous to 2018. 2018 was the year when I began shopping almost exclusively secondhand (and primarily thrift), which explains the trend. Thrifting allows me to “experiment” with clothes at a low cost, which is something I enjoy a lot; the items that don’t work out for me in the long run are either sold, re-donated or swapped. So, while I cycle through a large volume of clothes, my wardrobe stays roughly the same size, and my spending has gone down, year over year. I have been getting more selective in my clothing purchases the longer I’ve been thrifting but, well, the temptation is sometimes too great. As you will see, most of my “worst buys” were not necessarily terrible pieces, but simply things that didn’t work for me, and I should have known better than to try to make them work.
Fave Purchases of 2019
Gap striped sweater (thrifted, $5) – Nothing fancy, but it’s one of those pieces that makes an outfit. It makes me happy when I wear it, and people love it – it’s a compliment magnet.
Elizabeth & James vest (thrifted, $18) – This is a very versatile layering piece, and the small herringbone print “reads” like a nice neutral. I like the elongated proportions, which make this a fun piece to use to play around with outfit proportions.
Rick Owens vest (thrifted, $8) – This was a thrifting dream come true. Rick Owens is one of my favourite designers, and finding a piece from one of his collection is special not matter what. On top of that, this is just a really cool vest, and great for layering.
Saint Laurent Rive Gauche plaid skirt (thrifted, $13) – Another little piece of fashion history. 2019 was the Year of the Skirt for me, and this was one of the items that pushed me to embrace midi skirts. I adore this skirt and it’s one of those things I can legitimately see myself (or my daughter) wearing in 10-15 years’ time.
Ralph Lauren plaid skirt (thrifted, $6.50) – The skirt for all my grown-up princess-dress-up dreams. It’s double layered luscious silk, and I love how it swishes when I walk. It’s wearable for my daily life but just that extra bit special.
Zara green leather skirt (thrifted, $11) – I don’t love the quality of this skirt (it’s okay for being fast fashion) but I love the aesthetic. I’ve worn it a lot and I have to admit that it’s holding up well. I don’t opt for the pencil skirt silhouette very often these days, but this skirt adds an edge to it that I really like.
Australian brand skirt (thrifted, $8) – A random brand from Australia that I’d never heard about, but I was immediately sold on the draping details. It has a certain Vivienne Westwood flair to it, but I can wear it to work without feeling like I’m being unacceptably “extra”. [A little bit extra is basically my whole aesthetic.]
Issey Miyake dress (secondhand, $580) – Apart from my wedding dress almost 10 years ago (and my designer bags), this was the single most expensive clothing purchase I’ve ever made. But it was so worth it. This is the dress I could wear every day, and the one I would ask to be buried in. It fits like a dream, makes me feel like a million bucks, and can be dressed up or down for almost every occasion. It’s one of my fave pieces ever, not just of 2019.
Cartonnier faux fur collar jacket (thrifted, $20) – I love this little cropped jacket; it makes me feel a little bit cooler every time I wear it.
Mackage leather jacket (thrifted, $50) – A lucky score during a thrift sale day; this is a practically new, in perfect condition. I love leather jackets, and this one has the thickest, nicest leather – and it’s very warm as well.
Favourite accessories: Napoleoni flats (thrifted, $6); Rafael jewelry (all secondhand); beaded clutch (thrifted, $10).
Worst Purchases of 2019
Staring at Stars fur vest (thrifted, $16.50) – I love this in principle, but in action it makes me look like Chewbacca. I just don’t think I can pull it off. I will either keep this as a potential Halloween costume, or swap/donate it. I have no pictures of this because I haven’t worn it.
Elevenses linen coat (thrifted, $10) – A lovely coat that I’ve worn a few times, but not my style. I will probably either consign or try to sell it directly next spring.
H&M jacquard jacket (secondhand, $40) – I fell in love with the idea of this coat but later realized that it’s not particularly versatile for my lifestyle. If I had paid $10 for at the thrift store, it wouldn’t be as big of a deal. But I bought it from a reseller and paid quite a bit more than I would normally spend on a (non-leather) coat, especially from a fast fashion brand – hence some buyer’s remorse on my part.
MSGM mini skirt (thrifted, $13) – I was seduced by the label (and the fact it was new with tags) and ignored that it was (a) too short, (b) not really my style. I never wore this, and didn’t end up selling it, so I re-donated it.
Isabel Marant blouse (thrifted, $13) – same deal as above. Not really my style, but I was simply too excited to find a “cool girl” label. If I don’t end up selling it next spring, I may end up giving it another try out of sheer contrariness. Or just putting it in my annual clothing swap. Sigh.
Your turn: What were your best and worst purchases of 2019, and what if anything did you learn from them?
