May
2018

What I Wore: Anniversary Edition

categories: style

So, I haven’t done a monthly work outfit recap in a while; mostly because life happened, and I got out of the habit of it, after which my natural laziness just prevailed. I also feel like my current style evolution being what it is, there is less material to showcase. I am now much more likely to repeat outfits, or outfit formulas, which does not make for particularly interesting blog fodder. I also work from home a lot more often, which means fewer outfits overall. But, really, this is not so much an explanation as an excuse for my laziness, which I plan to continue indulging when it comes to the blog #sorrynotsorry

I decided to make an exception today because April was the first month following my recent epiphany/ paradigm shift regarding personal style, and I was curious to see how that ended up being reflected in my outfits.

I will say that, with the significant uptick in the time I spend on other hobbies these days, outfit planning has taken a huge step down in my list of priorities. I still plan my outfits in advance – simply so I don’t have to think about them in the mornings before I rush off to work – but I spend less time doing so. Overall, I think there is less active creativity involved, but I also feel like the individual clothes are now doing most of the heavy lifting in terms of creating the image/expression that I want. In other words, it’s less about me expressing who I am through the combination of clothes I put together, as much as through the clothes I buy in the first place. Does that make sense?

Anyway, here are my outfits for April:

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The most noticeable differences for me are: (1) a much stronger sense of cohesiveness; and (2) All The Pants! There is also a much narrower colour spectrum represented in these outfits, fewer prints, more oatmeal. In fact, the outfits I like best are probably the blandest of all. I would guess that compared to, say, a month from 2016, there would be a pretty stark contrast. I can also see why a lot of people would say that they preferred my old style. Alas, since this is a personal style blog and not a marketing tool, we shall carry on with the current mandate. In the long run, I can see this space becoming less about my outfits and more about other style-adjacent (or not so adjacent) interests of mine. Which, I think, is natural in the scheme of things.

This week marks what would have been the 8-year anniversary of the blog, if I were still keeping track of things like that. That makes it one of the longest relationships of my life, which is pretty cool – especially considering that some of you have been here from the beginning. Thank you for that, by the way. Blogging has been going the way of the dodo for a while now, if you go by what the social media pundits are saying, but it doesn’t actually look to be giving up the ghost any time soon. So who knows what the next 8 years will bring? It’s been an interesting ride so far, and I’m sure it will continue to evolve in newly interesting ways.

Got predictions for the future of blogging? I’d love to hear them. Got requests for stuff you’d like to see on the blog? Let me have those as well 🙂


May
2018

What I Read: Icons Edition

categories: Books

Since being back from vacation, I’ve made a concerted effort to carve some reading time out of my busy crafting schedule. Having a bunch of personal projects on the go is one of my favourite ways to self-care (I like to relax by keeping my hands busy), but I am definitely in the position now of having too many projects and too little (me) time. It’s a good problem to have, though, because it means that I constantly have something fun lined up – even if it’s only for half an hour, here and there. That, right there, is the definition of contentment. But I digress. I have been trying to keep up with my ever-growing To Be Read pile, but I haven’t made a huge dent in it.

I did read Greek Fire: The Story of Maria Callas and Aristotle Onassis by Nicholas Gage, a recent thrift find. (Side note: if you are interested in seeing my thrift hauls, including books, follow me on Instagram; I have started posting those regularly in my Stories.) Needless to say, it was the kind of light, gossipy, celebrity biography that I would call my “reading candy”; fun to read, light on substance. This one delivered all kinds of gossip, including stuff that veered into TMI territory (like the story about Maria and her figure-transforming tapeworm – don’t read that part if you’re eating, you have been warned). If you like to read Vanity Fair articles about the rich and famous, as I do, you would probably enjoy this book.

I also read Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon. “Read” may be the wrong word. Iris is best approached as a coffee table book with words. It gives you a taste of Iris’ personality and her aesthetic, with short nuggets of personal history interspersed through the photos. Given the glimpses of her life we get in those brief interludes, I would have enjoyed a proper memoir; Iris is clearly an interesting woman, who has lived an interesting life. I don’t think the book does her justice in that sense. I would say it serves more as a companion piece to the Iris documentary and her “Rara Avis” museum exhibition. With that said, from that perspective, there should have been more photos and fewer stories included. Some of the writing certainly read as filler to me; at the same time, there were some bon mots that I really appreciated. I paid full cover price for the book, and I’m not sure if it was really worth it. The book quality is great, but it will eventually hit the discount table so … YMMV.


May
2018

What I Wore: April 26 – May 1

categories: Uncategorized

Bland As Oatmeal

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In all my musings about new style horizons and what not, one thing I never really considered was what other people might think about it all. Like, it never even occurred to me to do so, which is actually strange because I’m generally a very self-conscious person. But then a reader asked me last week how people had reacted to my new style, which put the question squarely in front of me. (The answer, by the way, is that no one has really reacted in any particular way. I’m not sure if anyone has noticed and/or cares.) Later, I was talking to my BFF about it, and she described my current aesthetic thusly: bland as oatmeal.

This outfit, I feel, is a perfect representation of that blandness. Like, she’s not wrong, you know? But I love it. One person’s bland is another person’s understated classic.

I told my BFF I was seriously considering re-branding as Oatmeal & Red Lipstick. You have been warned.

(For those playing along at home, this was an Artist outfit.)

Fringe Benefits

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Spring has finally arrived. Except that it’s not sure if it wants to be spring or summer. Temperatures are all over the place. I’m not complaining, mind you; at this point, if it’s above zero and non-snowing, I don’t complain. It’s just a wee bit difficult to know what to wear. After 6 long months of winter, I have no idea what “transitional dressing” even means. This was a recent attempt to break away from coats – knit fringe vest, anyone? I was driving down to Calgary to surprise a friend for her birthday, so I needed an outfit that was comfortable for the road-trip, but also suitable for a celebratory dinner. Call it Adventurer with a dash of bling.

Corporate Witch

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I rarely do black-on-black, but when I do, I go all out. If the Prince and the Artist had a baby, and that baby was a Ravenclaw who ended up working in a Muggle office (wouldn’t happen but just go with it), this is what she would wear. This obi-style belt continues to be a real winner, even though it’s a bit too close to a corset for my comfort – pun intended. Still, we suffer for fashion, yes? The Rick Owens turtleneck dress is comfortable AF though, which counts for a lot.