Details: Chepe dress (retail), Free People belt (thrifted), Old Navy shoes (Poshmark), vintage bag (gift)

Thoughts: I broke my “no retail” rule twice in a month, but I think this Chepe dress was worth that second infraction. It’s pretty much everything I want in a dress … except for the colour. The colour was a calculated risk. I would have loved this dress in white, but no dice. I did see it in black but I decided that would be too close to the black maxi dress I already have (and love). I was going to walk away and then I saw it in navy. Navy has never been a colour I’ve gravitated towards, but it does pair well with colours I do love, like red and brown. And the cut was so good! Well, you can see what happened. I bought it. And I regret nothing! It’s one of those dresses that’s easy to throw on, accessorize, and feel like a million bucks. We all need a few of those in our closets, right?

Details: Liz Claiborne dress, For Cynthia shirt, Rebecca Minkoff belt, Barbara Barbieri shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I’ve come to terms with the fact that the bodice of my favourite rainbow dress simply doesn’t fit well. Plus, I hate spaghetti straps as a general rule. I could take this to a tailor to come up with a fix, but I don’t currently know a good tailor. So my fallback has been to work around the issues by layering, aka camouflaging the problems. I usually layer things over the dress, but this time I decided to layer something under it. This worked out pretty well, if I do say so myself. It’s a good reminder that white shirts are very versatile.

Details: Emmy Deveaux bodysuit, Gap shirt, Twik jeans, Isabel Marant belt, Tommy Hilfiger bag (all thrifted), J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: I know a lot of people avoid wearing black and brown together but I love it. It helps to choose shades of brown that aren’t too muddy, so there is clear contrast with the black. Whiskey brown is my usual choice, but this warm chocolate-y colour also works, albeit as a lower-contrast pairing. I love the simplicity of this outfit; it’s a pretty classic formula updated with a more contemporary pair of denim.

Details: UO top, vintage cardigan, Ralph Lauren skirt (all thrifted), Zara shoes (retail)

Thoughts: I’m calling this Highlands cottagecore. I know it’s still only August, but I love taking advantage of cooler days to give myself a preview, as it were, of my fall outfit options. More on my fall 2023 inspo to come, but this vibe is a contender for sure. I love blue-green colour palettes and, of course, anything plaid. I see a lot more of it in my near future 😉

Details: H&M top, Maeve skirt (both Poshmark), Rebecca Minkoff belt (thrift), Copper Canoe Woman earrings (gift)

Thoughts: These pieces are made for each other and you can’t tell me otherwise. The judicious use of black to ground rainbow outfits never ceases to impress me. Yes, I am easily impressed by myself, haha! I added the earrings — a BFF gift from my bestie (she has a matching set) — because I wanted that pop of colour paired with black, to echo the rest of the outfit. 10/10 would do it again.

Details: Topshop dress (thrift), Zara shoes (retail)

Thoughts: I love this dress a lot, but the fabric kills me (softly?) every time. The cut is fantastic, the print is lovely … why waste all that on cheap polyester? Why, Topshop, why? I make it work, but it does bug me. I’ve worn this dress a few times already but this might be the first time I’m wearing it by itself. You can see the cut properly this way; the bodice suits my body type very well. It has a slightly retro vibe but it’s not costumey at all.

Details: Pilcro top, Thiermann skirt (both thrifted), Stella & Dot necklace, Anne Marie Chagnon ring (both Poshmark), Prairie Trail Goods jacket

Thoughts: Fully leaning into teal with this outfit, and that always makes me happy. And a counterpoint to the previous grumble: this skirt is silk, and it’s a bit of a PITA in its own way. It’s the kind of silk that loves to pick up greasy stains, and I’m not even talking about food and the usual culprits — I have to be super careful about hand cream and stuff like that. It’s all a bit too high maintenance for me. But it does feel divine to wear, I must say. Still, I’m pivoting more towards cotton and linen (and wool) these days because they are much easier to care for (especially when you’re a klutz like me).

Details: Foil top, Max&Co skirt (both thrifted), J. Crew belt & shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Another counterpoint, this time in colour theory. Magenta has become my second favourite colour, I think. Definitely top 3. It’s not even the Barbenheimer influence because I still haven’t seen either movie, lol! I just love how energetic (and energizing) magenta is, without being the least bit irritating. It’s hard to explain, but I find some bright “warm” colours like red, pink and orange to be overstimulating in a way that feels mildly unpleasant over a longer exposure. Is that weird? It’s probably weird. It’s why I tend to gravitate towards cool colours (blue, green, purple) because they don’t excite my nervous system in the same way. But magenta is an exception — I think because it’s cool-toned, with blue undertones in the pink. Aaaaaanyway … this was a cute outfit even though this top is on probation right now because the shoulder seam sits at a weird angle on me and annoys me. Why do I sound so crochety all of a sudden? *shrug*

Details: Toni T dickie, Vince top (both thrifted), Banana Republic Factory jeans (retail)

Thoughts: Guys, I think it finally happened. I think I finally found the palazzo trouser jeans that I’ve been looking for. Only, what? Nine months later? Hahahah! This was a totally random find; I happened to pop into a Banana Republic Factory store in Calgary because it was right across the street from our hotel, and stumbled onto these jeans. I swear they are a dupe of a style I tried back in December/January at the regular BR store. In fact, they’re more or less the jean version of the corduroy pants I got there. I’ve got tiny reservations about the front pleats and the rise, but the cut and length (inseam) are both perfect. I got them on major sale for less than $40, which is a decent deal. If you’re looking at these, I would check measurements; I’m usually a 27/28 and comfortably took a 26 (even though they’re not even truly high rise). Also, this is the Regular length and I can wear it with low heels and even flats, so keep that in mind if your inseam is longer than, say, 29 inches.

Details: Aerie crop top (retail), Ralph Lauren shirt, Cotton Pickers skirt, Nocona belt (all thrifted), Chie Mihara shoes (swap), Prairie Trail Goods tote, Nina Ricci necklace (from my mom)

Thoughts: I decided this outfit would be all about playing up textural and pattern contrast. Sticking to a simple colour palette allowed these other elements to be the focus. The colours are one of my fave summer combos though: blue, white and brown. The vibe was my usual prairie romantic thing, with a little dash of southwestern flair. It’s my summer style sweet spot.

Details: Zara shirt (thrifted), vintage vest (thrifted), Atlantic Pacific x Halogen skirt (Poshmark)

Thoughts: This outfit was a happy accident. My original plan was to try wrap tucking this shirt, which is currently my favourite way to wear button up shirts. What is that, you ask? It’s basically wrapping the shirt fronts (unbuttoned) the same way you would a wrap dress, then tucking in the tails into your pants or skirt. This shirt is oversized — which is a must for wrap tucking — but not enough. Time for Plan B. I was playing around with it, and became intrigued with the idea of layering it over a crop top and leaving it open, then adding a vest on top. Anyway, long story short, this outfit was born. I love the way it plays with proportions and volume. It’s not my usual outfit formula/silhoutte, but it’s something I’d like to try again.

Details: AllSaints top (thrifted), Clover Canyon crop top (Poshmark), Greta Constantine x Danier belt (thrifted), Issey Miyake skirt (thrifted)

Thoughts: Speaking of creative layering, I was very pleased with myself for coming up with this shirt + crop top combo; these 2 pieces go together so well. To cover the gap between the bottom of the crop top and the skirt waistband, I added a wide belt; I didn’t want the white shirt to show, visually cutting up the vertical line. This way, the cropped top/high waist bottom silhouette is maintained.

Details: Eddie Bauer sweater, Topshop pants, J. Crew shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I’m kind of obsessed with this sweater, which I’m pretty sure is from the 90s. It’s laidback prep with some nautical vibes. I love that it’s cotton; cotton sweaters are the best. Never itchy, not too sweaty in warm weather, nice and toasty in cold weather.

Details: Topshop dress, Elizabeth & James vest (both thrifted), Anna Paola bag (consignment), Zara shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Every year, I “rediscover” this long vest and remember how versatile it is. Can you believe I’ve had it for 6 years? Time flies. Anyway, it’s a good neutral pairing for this busy pattern dress, and the length works well too, elongating the vertical line. The dress fabric is, unfortunately, crappy polyester so it helps to have an extra layer because if there’s even a hint of a breeze in the air, this dress offers zero protection.

Details: For Cynthia top (retail), J. Crew vest (thrifted), Urban Outfitters pants (thrifted)

Thoughts: I’ve been wanting to experiment with ties, and finally found an outfit that was apropos. Nothing too complicated, but it feels wearable for me as opposed to costume-y, which is how I tend to feel whenever I try to wear ties.

Details: Ralph Lauren top, Mexx skirt, BR belt, Ash sneakers (all thrifted), Ralph Lauren scarf (gift)

Thoughts: Leaned into the Papa Ralph vibe ALL the way with this one. The top is a Polo team shirt from 1996, which is kind of neat. I was going to wear it with my khaki pants, but decided to switch it up and go with a skirt. I could have sworn I’d seen something similar to this in an RL runway collection, but now I can’t find it. I guess I’ll just take the credit for being original. LOL!