After I published the last post on style avatars, a reader reached out to ask about the Adventurer persona and how I put together my casual outfits. Inspired by our conversation, I put together this post to illustrate my go-to outfit formulas.

Before we move on to the photos, a couple of notes. I get asked a lot about how my style could translate to hot climate-appropriate outfits. My ability to answer that is limited, to be honest. One, because I’ve never lived in a hot climate; and two, because I suspect the real answer is “not easily”. Layering is a key element of my style, which is going to be challenging no matter what if you’re dealing with plus 40 Celsius weather and have to spend any significant amount of time outside of air-conditioned spaces. Other key elements of my style – like knits and blazers – are also tough propositions in that kind of climate.

My only suggestion is to adjust to different fabrics (like linen, cotton, breathable poly blends) and look for standalone pieces that come with built-in draping and/or other visually-interesting details. My Ayrtight maxi, for example: it’s a linen blend, it’s sleeveless and lightweight, it can be worn belted or unbelted for differing effect, and it’s a “statement” piece on its own.

Another thing I want to note has to do with how I wear my clothes. I usually get “dressed up” (to varying degrees) when I leave the house, no matter how minor my reason for going out. I mean, I won’t wear a ballgown to the grocery store, but I will put on jeans and a sweater. My loungewear is reserved exclusively for being at home, unless I’m sick or just in a DGAF frame of mind (which rarely happens unless I’m in a funk). But, while at home, I ONLY ever wear loungewear. As soon as I come home, my “regular” clothes come off, and the sweatpants or leggings come on. If I’m working from home, same thing. [NOTE: I only WFH one or two days a week now, so to me that’s a break from having to get dressed. If I was full-time WFH, my approach might be different because I know I would miss getting dressed up.] Bottom line, I have no cute “working from home” outfit ideas for anyone. I’m pretty sure my Lululemons and ratty company T-shirt is not going to inspire any of you.

OK, let’s move on to my casual outfits.

As I mentioned before, layers are a key component of my style, casual or otherwise. That works for my lifestyle, because I live in a pretty cold climate. On occasion, though, I will put together an outfit that doesn’t have that 3^rd (or 4^th!) “completer” piece. For example:

This is (barely) a step above jeans and t-shirt – and equally comfy, I might add – and it’s the little details that count. The pants are a “dressy” fabric, but the rolled cuffs and drawstring waist make them look more fun/casual. I’m wearing flats as opposed to sneakers, which fit my aesthetic better (there’s nothing wrong with the latter choice) but are still very comfy. I’ve tucked in my tops, and added minimal accessories, and that’s about it.

Another low-effort formula is casual pants+sweater. For me, casual pants is a categories comprised of denim, jeggings, and chinos. Here are some examples of the latter:

These are all very basic outfits, but I try to be intentional about accessories. A “polished” shoe, whether it’s flats or boots, can make a big difference. Also, I like finding pieces that are a bit unique; these Pilcro chinos have a contrast stripe on the inner calf and at the waist, and it adds a little je ne sais quoi. Clearly, I’m also a fan of rolled cuffs.

A fun way to add visual interest to a basic outfit is with a scarf:

Han Solo was a fan of scarves, rights?

You know what else he liked? Leather.

I like to incorporate leather (real or faux) into my outfits in different ways:

An easy option is (p)leather leggings:

I like to balance out the skinny leg silhouette with volume (and texture) on top, so a chunky sweater (and scarf) is my go-to.

There is, of course, also the leather jacket. I used to wear jean jackets a lot, and then I thrifted my (faux) leather Joe Fresh moto jacket and never looked back. More recently, I acquired a butterfly-embroidered real leather jacket, which adds a bit of whimsy that I’m sure Han would appreciate:

But, like I said, layering is my ultimate outfit-making tool. Versatile pieces are key. This Club Monaco short-sleeve field jacket is a good example:

In the spring, I can layer it over a long-sleeved top or light sweater. In the summer, over a thin camisole. In the fall, I can double up the (knit) base layers. As an aside, the grey sleeveless vest I am wearing in the photo on the right is another key layering piece. It’s soft and lightweight enough to be worn on its own during warmer weather, but it can also be layered over and under other things easily without adding bulk.

Another favourite layering piece is the blazer, of course.

Blazers over sweaters and paired with casual pants is SO EASY. The juxtaposition between a structured blazer (especially in a “posh” material like tweed or velvet) and some “rough and tumble” pants is always fun.

Last but not least, my secret is this: once you’ve hit on an outfit that works, tweak it slightly to turn it into a half dozen outfits. For example:

I am wearing the same jeans and boots in all 3 cases, and the same sweater twice. But with small tweaks, I can legitimately call these separate outfits. Here’s another set:

[yes, I am using one of the same photos from above, but work with me.]

Same coat, slightly different looks. For me, the key is to avoid feeling repetitive while, in fact, sticking to a winning combination as much as possible.

This year, February had 2 things going against it: it was frigid as hell, and it was the month before my eagerly-awaited vacation. I hated every minute of it. Nah, I’m just kidding. It wasn’t that bad. But I’m glad it’s over because (a) March feels like a month when I can reasonably allow myself to dream of spring (it’s not close but it’s closer) and (b) I’m off to Mexico! Hasta la vista, fam!

Ok, but first:

I wasn’t sure how February’s outfit lineup would turn out because most of it was improvised on the fly, but I actually really like. I feel like my wardrobe is really gelling right now, which is a big part of my satisfaction with the resulting outfits. My key accent for the month was red (different shades) and I like how that warmed up my usual neutrals.

I’ve been doing a bit of closet-editing in anticipation of my clothing swap and a secondhand sale event I’m participating in later in March. I feel like I’ve reached the point where almost all of the pieces left in my closet are an 8, 9 or 10 (out of 10). Which is great … were it not for all the cool things I keep finding at the thrift store, and can’t resist bringing home. I’m working on my thrifting FOMO, and definitely being far more selective than before. But I’ll never not get excited about experimenting with new pieces, so I think my next wardrobe management exercise will be to set aside a “core” closet (of staple pieces and statement items that I mean to keep long term) and a smaller, rotating capsule of “trendy” pieces that I can replace regularly – always thrifting and recycling, of course.

What’s new in your closet these days?

Viv Groskop, The Anna Karenina Fix: Life Lessons from Russian Literature. My best friend recommended this book to me, and as a bibliophile (with ¼ actual Russian heritage, hah!) I loved it. This wasn’t my immediate reaction, though. I think the book’s title is misleading; I understand why they did it (self-help books are big business) but I think it does a disservice to the book, which is actually a love letter to Russian literature (and the Russian spirit) and a memoir of sorts. Once I figured this out, I settled into the book and enjoyed it. If you like reading about books and their authors, and about the love of reading, this is a book for you. But don’t expect actual “life lessons”. If I had to sum up the “life lesson” part – which, by the way, is accurate of my Russian grandmother’s attitude in life (take that for anecdata) – it’s this: life sucks, sometimes because you make terrible choices and sometimes just because, and then you die. The end.

Tanith Lee, Red as Blood: Tales from the Sisters Grimmer. My best friend also loves Tanith Lee so I decided to look her up on Amazon. I ended up choosing this collection of short stories because I love reading revisionist takes on fairytales (like Daniel Mallory Ortberg’s The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror). Lee’s takes were a mix of horror and fantasy for the most part, with a little sci-fi action thrown in for good measure. I really enjoyed the stories, especially “Red As Blood”, “Wolfland” and “Beaty”.

Dorothy Sayers, Whose Body; Clouds of Witness; Five Red Herrings; Strong Poison. After binge-reading her short stories, I moved on to Sayers’ mystery novels and quickly devoured most of those as well. By the end, I came to appreciate Peter Wimsey more than before; he’s still not my favourite classic detective (that would be Ngaio Marsh’s Roderick Alleyn) but he’s moved up the list for sure.

James Runcie, Grantchester mysteries (volumes 1, 3, 4, and 5). I recently picked up the 5-volume set of mysteries featuring Canon (and later Archdeacon) Sidney Chambers at Value Village mostly because the cover art was appealing and the books looked new. I previously watched season 1 of the TV show, so I kinda knew what to expect but was still pleasantly surprised. Each book features a series of connected vignettes from the life of Canon Chambers, focusing mostly but not exclusively on his detecting adventures with his friend, Inspector Keating. Some chapters can only very loosely qualify as “murder mysteries”, and even the murders are very … mundane, for lack of a better word. No locked room mysteries or fiendishly clever villains. Just everyday life in the English countryside with a dash of crime. Even so, there was something very soothing and pleasant about breezing through the books; I also enjoyed seeing the way Sidney’s relationships with friends and (spoiler alert) his wife developed over the course of a decade or so. [NOTE: the only reason I wasn’t able to read volume 2 is because my mom borrowed it to take it with her on a 2-week vacation. I binge-read the whole series in the meantime, but will probably circle back to volume 2 now that she’s back.]

Ophelia Field, The Favourite: The Life of Sarah Churchill. I haven’t seen Yorgos Lanthimos’ recent movie The Favourite but I hope it turns up on Netflix soon. In the meantime, I read this biography of Sarah Churchill, long-term favourite (hence the title) of Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch. I pick up biographies of historical figures, especially women, whenever I can find them at the thrift store because (a) I love this genre, and (b) they are otherwise expensive and sometimes hard to find in bookstores or online. [I looked it up, and the hardcover of this book is currently $52 on Amazon; I paid less than $5 for an older hardcover edition, in great condition.] Anyway, this is a very thick tome, and some of the historical details were a tad boring (which I skipped, no shame in my game). Still, I enjoyed it for the most part. The book offers a glimpse at a period of English history with which I am less familiar than, say, the Tudor or Victorian eras, from the perspective of a (important) side-player. Sarah seems to have been a pretty interesting character for the era, and she had a front-seat to much of the political maneuvering that took place during her lifetime, which gives her biography plenty of scope. After reading the book, I am more intrigued than ever to see what Lanthimos has done with these characters in his movie.