September is a melancholy time of year in many ways … but it’s also the most exciting time of year and I can sum that up for you in 2 words: Fall Fashion. Fall is my favourite sartorial season – that all-too-brief period of time when I can wear all my favourite clothes. Sweaters! Wool jackets and skirts! Coats! All the coats! I love planning my fall fashion “strategy”. As it’s been a while since I’ve done one, I thought it was also a good time to do an avatar review/update. Let’s dig in!

As a quick back-of-the-napkin summary, my avatars are characters that embody the different vibes/ flavours/moods of my personal style. They are the High Priestess/Crone (previously the Prince), the Artist, the Historian (previously the Adventurer), and the Bohemian. You can read my thoughts on the last iteration of my avatars here. Over the years, the influence of each avatar on my actual outfits has waxed and waned. For example, 2018 had big Prince energy: edgy, architectural, dark clothing was my comfort zone. 2020, in contrast, was very Bohemian: colourful, zany, unconventional. In the last few years, I’ve been alternating mostly between the Historian and the Bohemian, with subtle shifts and changes in the flavour of each avatar from season to season.

Taking stock of my sartorial landscape this fall, I think it’s safe to say that the Historian and the Bohemian will remain my primary avatars. I also feel like there is another player coming into the mix. Initially, I wondered whether it was a wholly new avatar, but I’ve decided that it’s simply an evolution of the Artist in a slightly new direction. In the past, the Artist was a character very much under the sign of the moon; a dramatic but soft feminine energy, fluid and elegant. Now, I feel like it has acquired an edge – call it grunge elegance. If it was Mucha before, it’s Basquiat now.

Now let’s put all this into visual terms of reference.

The Historian avatar remains a Luxe Academia crossed with English Manor Chic vibe. I still very much identify this avatar with Diana Bishop from A Discovery of Witches who is a university professor, a witch, AND the wife of a super-rich Anglo-French vampire who looks like Matthew Goode. In other words, my dream life, hahahaha! For fall 2023, here is my Historian style inspo:

The Bohemian avatar has lately had a distinctive Jo-March-meets-Ralph Lauren-on-a-prairie. I’m taking that into fall mode with darker, rich colours and an Edwardian flair:

As for the Artist, I am feeling very inspired by 90s grunge – plaid is a fall staple for me anyway. But this is a dramatic, glam sort of grunge and not too masculine.

I haven’t talked a lot about the High Priestess/Crone avatar, and that’s because this one remains a little bit in the wings, so to speak. It’s not an energy I feel strongly at the moment, so I am content to keep it in reserve for the time being. It might be something that will resurface again in the winter, which is very much a time of regeneration and rebirth when the wise mother aspect of the High Priestess/Crone makes itself felt.

Having taken stock of my inspiration, the next step in my fall fashion planning is to think about what pieces I already have and what pieces I would like to add to my closet, and compile a “thrift hit list” for the season. Stay tuned next week for that!

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

Thoughts: I’ve made peace with the fact that the fit of the bodice on this dress (forever favourite) is wonky. This could be easily solved by a tailor … except that I don’t currently know of a good one, and the inertia of my laziness is more powerful than my desire to get a proper fix. So I’m faking it till I can make it (maybe, one day). Usually, this involves hiding the bodice by layering tops over it. I’ve done plenty of combinations of that kind over the years. This time, I decided to layer something under the dress. This also works well as camouflage for the bodice. I loved how this outfit came out, and it reminded me that a white shirt is a versatile layering option for spaghetti strapped dresses. That or a white baby tee … hmmmm.

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

Thoughts: I love wearing black and brown together. I find the key to be choosing a brown that isn’t too muddy, so there is enough contrast with the black. I usually pick a whiskey/cognac brown shade, but I like the subtler contrast offered by this rich chocolate colour. The velvet makes it extra lush. And can you believe it? I found a bodysuit that’s actually long enough for my torso. It’s by a local designer and it’s very nice quality; a steal for under $10. I especially love it because it’s a mock neck and sleeveless, which makes it perfect for me as a layering piece. It adds almost no bulk, and the fact it’s a bodysuit means no bunching either.

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

Thoughts: I’m calling this Highlands Cottagecore. Wearing this skirt always makes me happy. I’ve been on the fence about this cardigan — is it too twee for me? — but I liked it a lot in this pairing. Keeping it for now.

Details: For Cynthia top, Denim & Supply jacket, Nocona belt (all thrifted), Ralph Lauren skirt (gift), Chie Mihara shoes (swap)

Thoughts: My friend J gave me this vintage Ralph Lauren skirt — she knows my obsession — and I love it. The colour is an unusual greyish brown, which makes it an interesting neutral for outfits. It’s high-waisted and my favourite length too. Of course, I was inspired to put together a Southwestern-lite outfit, very much on theme for my prairie bohemian summer.

Details: UO crop top, H&M pants, Chico’s belt, Barbara Barbieri shoes (all thrifted), Prairie Trail Goods jacket

Thoughts: I realized that I’d hardly worn these pants all summer so I had to rectify that issue right away. I still love these pants so much; they’re incredibly versatile and comfortable. I knew I wanted to wear them with my new black crop top — a very useful recent thrift find, it’s a wardrobe-builder piece for me — and then it was just a matter of adding a topper. I’ve worn a similar outfit before with a vest, so I decided to go a different route this time and try one of my patchwork jackets.

Details: Only & Sons shirt, Margaret Godfrey skirt, AGL shoes (all thrifted), H&M belt (retail), turquoise necklace (Poshmark)

Thoughts: I still haven’t committed to cowboy boots. Yet. The summer is running out, but don’t count them out. In the meantime, I recently thrifted this pair of patent AGL oxfords, so I tried something a little more out of the box for this outfit. This is one of my favourite shoe styles, and I love AGL — always comfortable and great quality. Score! I think they were a good choice for this outfit. They balance the southwestern flavour so it doesn’t overwhelm the outfit. (On second thought, cowboy boots would have DEF been too much.)

For the most part, I’m a solo thrifter; thrifting alone is almost a meditative state for me. But I also enjoy thrifting a deux; a thrifting buddy can make a thrift outing into a whole adventure – in other words, a totally different (but equally enjoyable) experience. My friend J and I have been having a few of those this summer, but recently we decided to take it to the next level … and leave town. Yep, we decided to explore thrifting in a small town. Several small towns in fact, all along Highway 2A. And what an adventure it was!

We started in Ponoka, a place I had never visited before. It turns out, Ponoka is a cute little town! There are TONS of vintage and secondhand shops in the “downtown” area, which itself is pretty quaint. Some are curated boutiques, some are regular (small) thrift shops. All of the ones we visited – Re.Cess Vintage, Molly’s Curiosities, Hamm’s Mercantile, Mission Thrift, Ponoka New & Used – were clean and nicely organized. We spent a few fun hours and still didn’t manage to hit all of the secondhand stores in town; we probably could have made a whole day of it, and it’s something I’m planning to do next summer.

Our next stop was Wetaskiwin; a bigger town but less attractive that Ponoka in my opinion (sorry, Wetaskiwin peeps!). We checked out the Salvation Army store which was a bit of a bust in terms of inventory quantity and quality, but at least offered real bargain prices (lots of $1 items to be found). We also stopped in at the antique mall in the historic downtown, which was very nice – worth a stop if you’re ever driving through town. However, unlike Ponoka, I wouldn’t say Wetaskiwin is a standalone destination for secondhand shopping.

Our last stop on this adventure was Millet. It’s the smallest place we visited, but there are 2 cute shops within walking distance of each other than sell vintage/antiques – Kilborn Antiques and Switchback Mercantile. The former sells mostly antique furniture, home wares and tools; the latter is a mix of gift shop, clothing store, and vintage/antique boutique. Well worth a quick side visit if you’re in the area, especially as they are both located just off Highway 2A.

There are differences – some subtle, some not – between my usual thrift experience at chain thrift shops in Edmonton and small-town thrifts and vintage boutiques. First of all, and most obviously, boutiques offer a curated experience. Their inventory has been vetted and selected by people who know their stuff, so there is less “sifting through random junk” on the buyer’s side. Prices reflect this; they include the seller’s time and knowledge involved in sourcing the items. As a dedicated thrifter, I tend not to shop at boutiques a lot because I enjoy putting in my own time (and honing my knowledge) into finding gems so paying extra for someone else to do that is not always worth it. But there are exceptions – I will happily pay a premium for pieces I know are super hard to find.

Small-town thrift stores are different too. Compared to Goodwill or Value Village, the selection tends to be more limited but the prices far better. At Mission Thrift, for example, most clothing was well under $10/piece. Books were $2 and less. Other wares were equally attractively priced. This was the case for all the small-town thrifts we visited. On one hand, there was a fairly limited selection of clothing available, and fewer brand names (although I did find an Armani Collezione blazer in brand-new condition for $2.50!). On the other hand, there is a good chance of quality pieces in other categories, like furniture and textiles. I got this amazing quilted wall hanging for $3!

I am hoping to have it upcycled into something fun so stay tuned for that.

My friend and I joked that after our small town thrifting adventures (especially in places like the Wetaskiwin Salvation Army), going to Value Village is like walking into Neiman Marcus. A bougie experience, for sure. But it’s nice to have a chance from time to time, and small town thrifts offer their own attractions. We had such a great time that we’re planning to do something like this again, hopefully before the summer’s over.