It is no secret that, as with my personal style, I consider my home an outlet for creative self-expression. I’ve written about it more than once, and it only becomes more true with time. I thought about this a lot in writing my book, and while I have no desire to rehash my thoughts here, suffice to say that I believe you can understand a lot about a person from the objects they choose for their living spaces and the way in which those objects are displayed and used. I think objects tell stories, and I love listening to people talk about the stories behind the objects they collect. That is what inspired this post.

My house is full of objects, so choosing only ten to highlight here was a bit like throwing darts in the dark and then looking to see where they land. Mainly, I tried to go with variety. You may notice that most of these items are vintage and/or secondhand, and that isn’t an accident. I love old things. I think it’s because, as an immigrant, I have very few family heirlooms; the vast majority of things my parents and grandparents owned when I was growing up had to be left behind, and there were no opportunities later to retrieve them. The things I collect now can’t replace the history I lost, but they provide a way to recreate the atmosphere of my memories, and also to create my own history. For that reason, they are very sentimental to me.

A tour of my house in 10 objects, let’s go!

Vintage Quilt

Everyone knows I love all things patchwork, and this quilt is a beautiful example of the craft. It was the first quilt I found at the thrift store once I started looking for them, and I fell in love with its design and colours on the spot. I mean, I do love a nice star motif. I believe the pattern is called Seven Sisters. According to the International Quilt Museum, the pattern predates the American Civil War and the 7 stars supposedly represented the first seven states to secede from the United States before the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln. Personally, I prefer to think of them as the Pleiades, the seven sisters of Greek mythology, daughters of Atlas. These days, handmade quilts are getting harder and harder to find at the thrifts, and I can only hope it’s because people are rediscovering their beauty and holding on to them, rather than donating them. One day, after I retire, I hope to start learning how to quilt myself. Machine sewing has always been intimidating to me, but I’ve got a few years to psych myself up for it. In the meantime, I might take a few baby steps, and explore ideas for incorporating textiles into my embroidery.

Russian Lacquer Box

One of the few family heirlooms I still have, this was a box that used to belong to my maternal grandmother, who passed it down to her daughter, who passed it down to me. My grandmother used to keep her jewelry in it, and I have vivid memories from my childhood of opening it to peer at the ‘treasures’ inside. I’ve always been a magpie, ok? This style of lacquerware is a traditional Russian craft, with the designs reflecting folk fairy tales. It developed from the art of icon painting, which came to an end after the collapse of Imperial Russia and advent of Communism. Instead of icons, the artists began decorating papier-mache decorative objects, like boxes and plates, which were lacquered. The work is beautiful and so meticulous – the artists would often use single-hair brushes to paint some of the tiny details. This box is probably over 50 years old, and sadly its hinges are now broken (and I’m too scared of damaging it further to try to fix them), but it’s still beautiful and, to me, priceless. I hope to pass it down to my own daughter some day.

Vintage Chair

My husband found this single chair on the side of the road in downtown Vancouver. At the time, he was a broke grad student, so he ‘rescued’ it and took it back to his bachelor pad which suffered from a shortage of furniture. A few years later, it travelled thousands of kilometers when he moved back to Edmonton and we started living together. This chair has been around the block and then some! For many years, it lived in our (unfinished) basement because we didn’t have a proper space for it. Still, neither of us ever considered letting it go, because we both love its faded elegance and neoclassical design. It’s something we have always agreed on, style-wise. I’m glad we didn’t let go of the chair because now it does have a space, finally – in our recently updated family room / library. This corner had spent most of the last decade as a storage space for random toy paraphernalia, so this is a big upgrade.

1980s Abstract Painting

This was one of the first original art pieces I thrifted, and it remains one of our favourite artworks in the house. It’s signed “J. Tanner” and dated 1987. I’ve never been able to find out anything about the artist, but that’s ok – a little mystery doesn’t take away its charm. You don’t always need to know everything about a piece of art for it to be meaningful. Art connects at an emotional level anyway. This piece is the centerpiece of our stairway art gallery; its style and colour palette tie everything else together, and it brings me joy every time I walk by it.

West Germany Decorative Plate

West German pottery is one of my obsessions, and this plate epitomizes what I love about it – the uniqueness of the designs and the bold use of colour. It’s another one of my thrift finds; in fact, as with so many other things I’ve come to love, thrifting is responsible for introducing me to West German pottery in the first place, which was one of my entry-points to mid-century modern design. (My husband was ahead of me in this regard. But he trained as an architect and I feel like it’s mandatory to love MCM if you work in that field. Ahem.) Sadly, these pottery pieces are getting harder to find these days, and more expensive; I suppose that’s true for all vintage, and all the more reason to treasure the ones I’ve been lucky enough to add to my collection.

La Mendola Scarf

Among my many fabulous thrift finds over the years, this La Mendola scarf is high on the list of truly special things. What drew me to it in the first place was the gorgeous print – I love botanical designs, and I love cacti in particular. The material is luscious silk, with hand-rolled edges. I knew right away that I would end up framing this, rather than wearing it, because it’s truly a work of art. I did some research and discovered that La Mendola was an Italian fashion label (founded by 2 Americans) in the 1960s in Rome. With prints that rivaled those of Pucci, its clothes were worn by many celebrities of the 60s and 70s, including Elizabeth Taylor. I feel very fortunate to have a little piece of fashion history on my wall.

MCM Candleholder

This is an example of patience paying off – I had coveted one of these articulated MCM candleholders for years before I finally found this one at Goodwill. Ever since, it has held pride of place on my mantlepiece. I love its shape, and it’s a great way to display candles — and I love decorating with candles. Do I use them for lighting? No. Do they look pretty, unlit but colourful? Yes. In the last few years, my appreciation for MCM design has grown by leaps and bounds; I think my husband’s aesthetic sensibilities are rubbing off on me. I also happen to think that this style works well with the neoclassical eclectic vibe we also love, which creates a nice synergy. We hope to add more MCM flavour to our home, especially through furniture, which tends to have the perfect proportions for a smaller house like ours.

Roseville Vase

I first saw Roseville pieces on a vintage reseller’s Instagram account and was instantly drawn to the distinctive floral designs. Florals are my jam, as you all know. Roseville pieces are quite pricey these days, so imagine my delight when (after years of looking) I found this vase for $3.99. It’s my favourite colour palette, and decorated with one of my (and my mom’s) favourite flowers: freesia. I think this vase is something my mom would have loved, so it always makes me think of her.

Pendleton Blanket

One of my interior design inspirations is English country, and what I love about it is the exuberant use of textiles – lots of colours and prints. One of my current goals is to upgrade the textiles in our home – everything from rugs to pillows to blankets, and so on.  This is something we’ve never really prioritized in the past, and I want to change that. We’ve been slowly sourcing some nicer area rugs for different parts of the house, and I’ve also been focusing on upping our blanket game. Pendleton is about as fabulous as it gets, in my book, so it’s been on my list for a while. I adore their patterns, and the quality is excellent. I was thrilled to find this Chief Joseph throw blanket at the thrift store in like-new condition; it was not cheap, but totally worth it. A great way to start what I hope, someday, will be an heirloom-worthy collection. And it makes snuggling up on the couch in front of the TV in our (almost finished now, hallelujah) basement extra cozy!

Picasso Poster

In the scheme of things, a poster might not seem like an especially “wow” thrift score … but this one is special. I was thrilled to find it. I’ve seen similar pieces featured on vintage resellers accounts and get snapped up immediately, so I knew I was lucky to find it for a relative bargain. Not only is it one of my favourite Picasso paintings, it looks extra striking at the scale of this massive, mounted museum poster, making it a fantastic focal point. There are several spots in the house where I considered hanging it (and may still do, in the future) but it fits perfectly in this corner of the basement, creating a little tableau that makes me happy every time I walk by it. I love the juxtaposition of the modernist and classical aesthetics here.

Well, that’s it for the tour … if you enjoyed it, drop me a comment and let me know if you would like to see more.

Details: Anthropologie dress, Lena Bernard necklace, Coach bag, Brixton hat, cowboy boots (all secondhand)

Thoughts: A simple outfit — you can’t get more simple than this — that is ALL about the accessories. I didn’t know how much I needed a black felt hat in my life until I thrifted this one. I was surprised by how wearable it is even on a warm day, which is great because it offers a nice alternative to my straw Panama hat. I like having different options to suit different aesthetics, and this one works better with the SW/prairie side of my closet compared with my other option. I am also surprised by how much I love this short dress/cowboy boot combo. Now that I have acquired a pair of (black) bike shorts, making it a proposition fraught with a lot less risk (of flashing), I see a lot of appeal in it. Too bad I only have 2 short summer dresses in my closet. Just imagine a flirty, swirly eyelet number! Something to think about, anyway. In the meantime, this dress never not gives 110%.

Details: Reitmans top, Lira jacket, vintage skirt, Dooney bag, Chie Mihara shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I found this patchwork skirt at a garage sale, which is noteworthy insofar as (a) it’s fab! and (b) I never find clothes at garage sales! It is a teeny bit sheer, which is fine because — remember my bike shorts? Yeah, that was a good thrift purchase too. They’re another staple I never knew I needed and now can’t live without. Sometimes, it’s “boring” pieces like it that can make the biggest impact on your wardrobe, by unlocking the potential of other items or combinations. I might add this striped tank top to that list. I have a love-hate relationship with stripes; they’re so versatile — this top will go with so many things in my closet — but if they’re the wrong type, they make me sick. Literally. Thin stripes spaced too close together make me dizzy. This version? Works great.

Details: Tommy Hilfiger shirt, Fossil belt, H&M pants, Coach bag, Ferragamo shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Vertical stripes, on the other hand, I can wear all day long. I love this men’s shirt so much; the navy, red, white and yellow combo is eye-catching but classic. This was a super basic outfit that punched above its effort level.

Details: Ralph Lauren shirt, Dries Van Noten skirt, tulle skirt, vintage belt, J. Crew shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Speaking of stripes, this was my homage to Dries Van Noten upon news of his retirement from his eponymous label. As many of you know, DVN has been an inspiration to me for many years, and I treasure the pieces I own — including this skirt, which a dear friend gifted me years ago. It’s knee-length, which isn’t a style I enjoy wearing as much these days, but it’s too fabulous and precious for me to ever part with it. To make it fit the me of now, I layered it over my blue tulle skirt; the colours work together perfectly, and the skirts are compatible, size-wise as well. The DVN is loose enough to accommodate the extra layer, and the tulle skirt is not so voluminous as to be impossible to accommodate. Call it kismet.

Details: Zara dress, Jessie vest, Elizabeth & James vest, Manolo Blahnik shoes

Thoughts: Double the vest, double the fun? I would say so, wouldn’t you agree?

That sounds rather ominous, doesn’t it? Well, don’t worry. I come bearing no bad news — but, as will become apparently shortly, neither am I bearing a clickbaity title. I really did have a difficult decision to make last month.

I had to choose one outfit to encapsulate everything I want the world to know about me.

Ok, maybe not everything about me. Just about my personal style and my beliefs in the beauty and value of secondhand objects. No biggie.

One of the people I’ve been fortunate to meet thanks to social media is the super talented Emilie Iggiotti. Emilie is more than just a great photographer; I have admired her dedication to making women feel seen by capturing their inner light and truest essence in portraits for years. We ended up connecting IRL thanks to our mutual love of all things thrift (which, honestly, is how I’ve met most of my friends at this point) and, to make a long story short, that’s how I ended up with a difficult decision on my hands. To celebrate our local thrift community, Emilie organized a “Portraits of Thrifters” shoot, generously offering each participant the opportunity to have a (complimentary) photo taken in their best secondhand duds. I couldn’t pass that up!

Since 99% of my wardrobe is secondhand, you would think that choosing an outfit for the shoot would be relatively easy; I mean, I could close my eyes and pull out any garment from my closet with almost complete certainty that it would be a preloved item. That wasn’t the difficulty. The difficulty was deciding on an outfit … that would best represent me to the world. Emilie has a fairly large audience on social media (larger than mine, anyway) and I figured there was a chance that my photo might end up being showcased, in some fashion, on her accounts. I had no issues with that, but knowing that it might be seen by (a lot of) others did make it more important to me to choose the right outfit.

After much deliberation, I narrowed it down to two different vibes:

To be clear, the decision wasn’t down to these specific outfits, only the aesthetic. The Eclectic Bohemian and the Ralph Lauren Woman. Why? It was a combination of things. I felt each of these aesthetics was representative of a facet of my personal style that I currently enjoy a great deal; any outfit in either of these vibes would make me feel like “me”, and I think that feeling comfortable and confident is one of the key elements of a good portrait. I also thought that these aesthetics would translate well on camera, and look fun and dynamic. Initially, I was also quite set on using the black Issey Miyake skirt on the right, because it’s one of my favourite thrifted pieces ever, but I eventually decided to focus on the mood of the outfit more than its elements.

I threw up a quick poll on Instagram to help me in deciding between the 2 options … and it was no help at all. Opinion was split almost exactly down the middle. I had no choice but to put my thinking cap back on. Someone had made the good point that a tulle skirt would bring lots of drama; personally, I was strongly leaning towards a black skirt (we’ll come back to why in a moment). Lucky, then, the fact that I had recently hunted down a black tulle skirt on Poshmark. It felt like a sign. I took the skirt out and started to improvise.

And when I tell that the ideas came pouring out … they really did. I ended up with three outfits I absolutely LOVED; I could have come up with more but had to stop because I knew my decision was about to get even more difficult, not easier. But I will say this: the freedom of this exercise — picking an outfit for a photoshoot where I could be as “over the top” as I wanted — proved incredibly creatively stimulating. I want to keep some of that energy for every day, tbh. And I wish that our society loosened up a bit and stopped policing fashion norms enough to allow everyone to feel that they can wear anything that makes them feel good and seen, any time, anywhere. Imagine if we never had to hear “where are you going to wear that” ever again? That would be so nice.

Anyway, back to my difficult choice. Here’s the first outfit I put together — a mash-up of the Historian and the Bohemian:

The main downside of this choice was wearing a wool blazer at the end of June. Can you say overheating?

This next outfit was a total tangent, but I fell in love with it anyway:

I just love the offbeat drama of it. I saw it almost as a palimpsest of my personal style, past overlaid with present. I feel like I need to find some gallery opening or avant-garde theatre show where I can wear this for real.

The last outfit is the one I had at the back of my mind from the beginning:

I think you can see, here, why it had to be a black skirt. This striped top drives this entire outfit — the black, red, and white palette was needed to make it come alive. This also gave me the chance to wear some of my favourite secondhand accessories, including the cowboy boots and the bolo tie.

So, what do you think: which outfit did I end up wearing for my photoshoot?