Details: GWG vest, Smythe blazer, J. Crew shoes (all thrifted), Ricki’s skirt (retail)

Thoughts: Well, friends, it’s true: I shopped … retail. But hear me out. Do you remember how long I’ve been looking for the perfect voluminous white maxi skirt (or dress)? More than a year. I thrifted a few “compromises” along the way, but they were not 100% right in terms of silhouette. And then! I was at the mall recently on my mission to spend the Simons gift card, and ended up being pulled into a different store by something in the window display. The store was Ricki’s, which I’m fairly certain I haven’t been in for at least a decade. Turns out, they have some very cute stuff! My SIL found an amazing floral coord set (top and skirt) and I found the perfect white skirt … and dress. As you can see, I ended up choosing the skirt, (A) because it had more volume, and (B) because I thought it would be more versatile overall. I was very impressed with the quality given the price point. It’s 100% cotton, and it’s a nice cotton — thick and pretty opaque because, did I mention? It’s also fully lined. And the lining is the same kind of cotton. Honestly, it was unexpected and a very pleasant surprise. The original price was $70 but I got it on sale for 40%, which was an extra pleasant surprise; I felt it was worth its original price, which is rare these days with stuff I see at the mall. I am very happy with this purchase and will happily tempt fate (and put my spill-avoidance skills to the test) by wearing this very white and very fabulous skirt all summer long. This outfit was inspired by something I saw on IG; wearing white and denim is a no-brainer, but I loved the twist of introducing denim via a vest and using a dressier jacket option as a contrast. It turned out so well!

Details: Ardene top (retail), St. John jacket, BDG jeans, vintage belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: OK, the story of this (retail) Ardene top is rather more prosaic than that of the Ricki’s skirt. A friend told me there is an Ardene outlet at the City Centre mall, so on one of my rare in-the-office work days, I went to check it out because my daughter is constantly growing out of her clothes and I’m struggling to find her tween-approved options at the thrift store. I’m not planning to make this a regular thing, but I was desperate to find her some jeans, in particular (she has very specific requirements). I ended up buying her a few pieces, including this ivory crop top which I figured would be an easy summer staple to wear with all her high waisted jeans. And it would be … if she didn’t hate how it fit. Sigh. I refuse to let clothes go to waste, so I took it over. The quality isn’t great but it’s the sort of thing I can easily throw in the washing machine, and it will probably last forever as long as I keep it out of the dryer. Anyway, the rest of the outfit: so cute, right? I got this St. John jacket at a clothing swap a few years back, and it’s finally getting its day in the sun. Its style pairs well with the retro 70s-ish vibe I’ve been feeling lately. Case in point: these jeans. Dressy casual in the best way.

Details: Everlane top, Only & Sons jacket, Fossil belt, Ralph Lauren skirt, Coach bag (all secondhand), Mia shoes (retail)

Thoughts: The weather this spring has been inconsistent, but I refuse to let it stop me from wearing my fave summer pieces. Transitional dressing or bust! Basically, that means wearing my long-sleeve turtlenecks and tights a bit longer than I had hoped, but also means I can wear stuff like this skirt. I consider that a win.

Details: Tahari shirt, Silverado jacket, Frame jeans, vintage belt (all secondhand)

Thoughts: This outfit also ended up having a bit of a 70s vibe, largely thanks to the pants and belt combo, I think. But it felt fresh and not, dare I say it, “dated”. The dreaded verdict, LOL! Which, for the record, I don’t really believe in. A mix of current and vintage pieces will rarely look dated; there is a difference between referencing a particular decade and looking like you walked off the page of history textbook — and, honestly, people worry entirely too much about the latter because you’d have to work quite hard to achieve that effect.

Details: Everlane sweater, Hemant & Nandita jacket, Fossil belt, Ralph Lauren skirt, Coach bag (all secondhand), Mia shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Pulled this old Anthro jacket from the storage closet because it had been sitting there for too long. Time to wear it, or part with it. I felt like this was a good time for that test, because its vibes dovetail nicely with my current style; if I can’t make it work for me now, I probably never will. There are little things about it I don’t love — the sleeves are a bit too long and ‘heavy’ for me, the cut is a bit more boxy than I prefer, and I wish it was a bit shorter/more cropped — but I am giving it a whirl. I played off its colour palette to assemble this outfit, and was not displeased with the result. The experiment continues!

Details: Mexx shirt, Fossil belt, Ralph Lauren skirt, Naturalizer shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Just a quick, easy outfit featuring a couple of fave pieces.

Details: Dries Van Noten dress, Toni T dickie, Lida Baday jacket, Boss belt (all secondhand), Warren Steven Scott earrings

Thoughts: Another piece I recently pulled from my storage closet is this DVN dress. It feels a bit too dressy for my current style (primarily due to the more form-fitting style) but it’s a good length and a fabulous pattern, so it deserves a few wears. I played around a bit to come up with an outfit that felt like “me, now” and I think the result speaks for itself.

As soon as spring began to show signs of springing this year, I also sprung into action planning my annual clothing swap. The last few years, since I turned it into a garden party, I have been hosting the swap in late June or early July to make the most of Edmonton’s nice weather and my blooming plants. But thanks to uncertainties about this year’s wildfire season, I decided to move up the date. I took a gamble that late May would be warm enough and smoke-free … and I won! The air was clear, the sun was shining (but not too much!), a lovely breeze was blowing. Sadly, my garden wasn’t yet in bloom, but it looked presentable. And I got very lucky: the next day was cold, wet, and there was even a hailstorm.

This was my outfit for the day:

Most of the guests were seasoned veterans of the swap, but we had a couple of newbies as well, which was great. And, as last year, we had some of our tween/teen daughters join in as well, as sort of ‘junior members’ of the swap. It’s nice to see that they enjoyed it enough last year to want to come back – some of them were even inspired to start secondhand shopping for themselves. I know my daughter now looks forward to the swap every year. Not only that, but she helped me to set up this year, and it turned the whole prep process into a lovely mother-daughter bonding moment. Another generation of thrifters in the making! We love to see it.

I had a decent amount of stuff to put up for swap, though less than in some past years. As my shopping has slowed down considerably, so has the turnover in my closet; in turn, the supply of swap material is dwindling, especially as a lot of my discarded clothes are now being diverted to my daughter. But I also had some home décor and books to add to the pile – the swap gave me an opportunity for a much-needed de-clutter of my shelves and various collections. To recap for those who may not have read some of my previous posts, my process for editing my closet runs something like this. Brand name clothing which I think would suit a specific friend gets set aside for them first. (If they don’t end up wanting it, I am fine with them doing whatever they think best with it, either passing it on to someone else or donating it. I know my friends will dispose of things responsibly, aka not throwing good clothing in the trash.) Everything else that’s above-average quality gets set aside for the swap; things that are average get donated right away. Whatever is left after the swap also gets donated. Since I avoid crappy clothing in the first place and take good care of my clothes, I don’t have much stuff that is in too poor of a condition to be donated. That being said, I am also looking into local garment recycling options available for clothing that can’t be donated. I know of Blenderz Garment Recyclers, but I am not sure they accept drop-offs directly from the public, as they typically work with thrift stores. If anyone has suggestions, please leave a comment.

Here are a few of the things I brought to the swap this year:

And here is my daughter’s and my pile at the end — as you can see, we did not come away empty-handed:

That teal skirt is actually one of my own pieces. I swear I had asked my daughter if she wanted it before I designated it as part of my “to swap” pile and she said no. Then, lo and behold, at the actual swap, it was suddenly perfect. Go figure. In fact, most of the things I would have picked for her from the swap, she didn’t want. It’s one of the reasons why shopping for her these days is becoming impossible. I guess this is teenagerdom, lol!

Here are the things she picked out (for herself):

She loves high waisted jeans and skirts, so the crop tops are not entirely surprising. What did surprise me was the skirt: it was her favourite piece, and I never would have picked that as something she would like. But it’s cute (and vintage!) so I don’t blame her. She’s super excited to wear it.

And now for my picks:

I have been wanting a purple crossbody bag for ages, so as soon as I spotted that Rebecca Minkoff bag, my day was basically made. I have the same bag in black and red already, and find it a perfect size and design for my needs. Score! The small MbMJ was a last minute pick, and I was surprised to see no one else wanted it. It’s a good size for me, and since I don’t have a grey crossbody, I think it has potential. The opening might be a tad small, which could impact its practicality, but I am going to take it for a test run and see.

The shoes were another “if no one else wants them” pick — they’re great quality and I love flats, so why not. If I don’t end up wearing them, I can always bring them back next year or donate them. But worth giving them a try first.

The Guns ‘n Roses was a nostalgic 90s pick; I am not sure if it’s my style, but I am going to play around with it. Style risks are what clothing swaps are all about. The bleached denim jacket, on the other hand, is totally me. I especially love the back — so cool!

The cardigan is an upcycled piece made by my friend Josh of Prairie Trail Goods, and of course I had to snap it up immediately. It looked great with the outfit I was wearing, so I know it’s going to fit in well with my summer wardrobe. Ditto for the oversized chambray shirt. The skirts were pieces that didn’t find other takers, and I took them for different reasons. I think the polka dot one (HD in Paris) has potential; it’s midi, albeit perhaps a little bit shorter than I prefer, and the black and white pattern is very much up my alley. I don’t tend to wear polka dots a lot, though, so we will see if this skirt has staying power in my closet or not. The plaid skirt (Tracy Reese) was a sentimental pick. I used to be obsessed with this skirt back in 2015/2016 and never managed to track it down in my size. The hemline is too short for my current preference, but I still love the colour palette. I couldn’t let it get donated … for now. I am going to try and see if I can make it work for the me of now.

This tabard-style knit vest was one of my favourite pieces from the swap. I love the design so much! Everyone told me I had to take the Stetson jacket, and I see why they would say that: the vibe is very me. But I am actually a bit on the fence about it, mostly due to the cut/style. Not sure if the proportions will work for me, but I plan to experiment with it and see. If not, I’m definitely saving it for the next swap — it’s a special piece that deserves a good home.

And that’s a wrap on another fabulous swap!!

Details: Everlane sweater, Emanuel Ungaro vest, BDG jeans (all secondhand), Simons belt (retail)

Thoughts: I got this amazing wool vest from one of my favourite vintage resellers, who has an incredible eye for special pieces with a boho flair. I have so many plans for this vest, but I had to start by pairing it with these palazzo jeans. Felt amazing! The belt helped tie it all together. You may have noticed that it’s new and retail, and I feel like I need to explain because belts are normally something I don’t buy new. There are so many incredible ones at the thrifts, there is no reason to choose retail. So what happened? I received a gift card to Simons last year, and have been trying to spend it ever since. As I don’t often go to WEM, this proved more challenging than I was expecting. (The last time I went to that mall, there was a lockdown due to a security incident! It did not recommend the experience to me, lol!) But I finally came up with a plan, which was to focus on accessories. So I got this Western-style belt and a bunch of opaque, colourful tights (on sale!), which are all things I know I am going to get lots of use from. Simons tights are usually good quality, but this belt proved to be a bit of disappointment. It looks great. But the quality turned out to be meh. I accidentally dropped it on my bathroom floor, the same day I bought it, and a couple of the stones popped out! It was an easy fix with Gorilla glue, but not a good first impression. All the more reason to stick to vintage, I guess.

Details: Emmy Deveaux bodysuit, no label tulle skirt, Only & Sons jacket, vintage belt & boots (all thrifted)

Thoughts: This is actually the outfit I wore when I went to Simons and bought the above-noted belt, hehe! I felt pretty darn amazing in it. I love the tulle skirt with these boots and this jacket. I have a feeling this is going to be my go-to summer jacket this year. Did I already say that before? Probably. I can’t stop raving about it, or wearing it. I am also in love with my cowboy boots which isn’t something I ever expected to hear myself say.

Details: Tahari shirt, Ralph Lauren sweater & skirt, Fossil belt (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I’ve worn this shirt/sweater combo before and loved it, so I did it again paired with one of my fave skirts. The colour palette works so well together. It’s a pretty basic outfit formula, but I’m not about to mess with what works and makes me feel great.

Details: Sandro top, Smythe blazer, Max & Co skirt, J. Crew necklace (all thrifted)

Thoughts: It’s been a good long while since I found a legit designer piece at the thrifts, so this Smythe blazer was a nice surprise. And I only paid $10 for it, which is a legit miracle these days. I wasn’t sure at first if it was a “hell, yes” for me, for a couple of reasons. One, I don’t tend to wear a lot of light-coloured toppers. Two, I don’t tend to wear sharply tailored blazers like this anymore, especially ones that emphasize the shoulders so much. I have broad shoulders as it is, and want to avoid looking like a quarterback. In the end, I was swayed by the quality … and I’m glad. I think this is going to turn into a good summer staple for me, even with the tailoring. I think I can dress it down if I need to. Obviously, this wasn’t it. But here, it provided a nice balance to the other colourful pieces.

Details: Anne Klein shirt, J. Crew vest, Ralph Lauren skirt, Fossil belt (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I feel like I need to put aside my brown clothing for the summer, but I couldn’t resist one last outfit in the Jo March vein. As much as I do love bright colours, this kind of subtle, muted pattern mixing is deeply pleasing to me as well.

Details: Alfred Sung blouse, Boss belt, United Colours of Benetton pants (all thrifted), J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Speaking of bold colours, here ya go!