Dress, Numph (secondhand); shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag, Marc Jacobs (via eBay)
This is one of my “easy breezy” dresses for summer 2017, and it’s a good one. The style is similar to the Dex dress I thrifted for my Mexican vacation, and it’s one of my favourites. The chiffon overlay doesn’t just add some visual interest to the plain black jersey; it provides some good camouflage for a less-than-washboard set of abs. (Guilty as charged.) I prefer this dress over the Dex version because I think the pattern here is a bit less juvenile … but, truth be told, I am keeping both dresses for the time being. The Dex will be more of a vacation cover-up, but I’m saving this one for my hometown-bound erranding. It’s super easy (and comfortable) to throw on, and can still be dressed up if necessary. Also, I’m pretty sure it’s machine washable, which is a nice bonus for a casual dress. The brand is Numph, if anyone is interested in tracking it down.
Blazer, MaxMara (thrifted); sweater, Selected Femme; pants, Aritzia (thrifted); shoes, Jimmy Choo (via eBay); bag, Gucci (via consignment)The title says it all: pretty simple. But I felt so comfortable wearing this, you guys. I felt polished but understated, which is slowly becoming my preferred sartorial “message”. I’ve said this before: separating my love of colours from my personal style has not always been easy. I love colour, and I even love wearing bold colours, but not necessarily in the way that I used to. But after wearing outfits like this one, it’s hard to deny what the heart wants.
The colour here is obviously muted, but can I just mention how much I love the green of this sweater? The label called it “thistle”, which I also love. (I have an odd fondness for thistles.) Though I very rarely buy clothes at regular retail stores, I couldn’t resist this Selected Femme piece at Saks Off Fifth. It’s not a brand I knew before, but it’s something I’d definitely look for at thrift stores in the future. The funnel-like neck (wider than a mock turtleneck) is so chic, and gives it a bit of that effortless Euro appeal I’m always chasing.
green shoes for the win muted paletteSpeaking of colour, a funny story. I recently discovered that I experience Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) — and fell into the, hands down, strangest internet rabbit hole ever, but that’s another story. I have been experiencing ASMR for as long as I can remember, but I had not realized, until that point, that it was a “thing” or that only some people experience it. That got me thinking about other everyday sensory experiences that one might have without realizing that they are unusual. While I am not a synesthete (though I think that would be super cool), I do have really strong emotional/physical reactions to colours. The reactions are very shade-specific; certain reds feel suffocating/oppressive to me, for example, while others are cheerful. Salmon pink makes me feel irritated, while fuchsia makes me feel excited. Some blues are soothing, others are depressing. I am thinking of making of list of the feelings associated with each of my favourite colours, so I can see if I can manipulate my mood by strategically deploying them in my outfits.
Does anyone else associated colours with certain moods or feelings? Any synesthetes in the crowd? I’d love to hear about your experiences.
Dress, Paul Smith (via consignment); sweater, Theory; belt, H&M; shoes, Ferragamo (thrifted)I mentioned previously that I struggle with updating my dress outfit formulas to reflect my current style vibe (architectural, edgy classic), and this outfit is a good illustration of what comes out of that struggle. I was originally going to wear this dress with a blazer because, hello, that’s what I always do. It’s easy and it works, and sometimes it’s what my day calls for — say, if I have a client meeting or something. But it feels a bit boring, and on days when I have more sartorial leeway, I prefer to try something other than “boring”.
close-up on shoooooooes! off with the head!The other strike against the blazer option in this case happened because of the shoes. I had just thrifted them (for $12!) and was dying to wear them; I hadn’t planned on wearing them with this dress at first — I thought they would work best with pants, to avoid looking too old-fashioned — but I quickly realized that they could be a nice match. The midi length has a bit of a vintage vibe, which pairs well with the shoes, but the dress is otherwise fairly modern, which keeps everything from sliding into costume territory. But what about a topper? Blazers were out, because none of mine worked with the rest of the look. It needed to be something that would not clash with the vintage vibe, but would also bring the outfit as a whole closer to my preferred aesthetic.
sweater to the rescueA sweater seemed too casual. A black cardigan looked great, but it only reinforced the vintage element. Eventually, I pulled out this cream waterfall cardigan, which looked more promising. What I really wanted to do was to add volume to the top part of the outfit, to balance and contrast with the slinkiness of the dress silhouette, and add some of those architectural lines I can’t seem to stop talking about; luckily, the long cardigan did the trick. I added back some definition with the belt, and voila: an outfit was born. It might not be particularly edgy, but it is (hopefully) an interesting twist on the dress+topper formula.
