Blue Collar Red Lipstick

13
Apr
2017

Black Collar, Red Lipstick

categories: style

Shirt, J. Crew (via consignment); pants, Aritzia (thrifted); belt, J. Crew Factory; shoes, Nine West; bag, Ferragamo (via eBay)

Confession: I totally mucked up that title by forgetting to wear red lipstick. D’oh! Well, it’s kinda sorta red. And the bag is definitely red, so that should count. The rest of the outfit is super simple, which is just what my maximalism-loving self needs from time to time — a good reset. Black and white is a perfect palette cleanser, but it’s not all Snoozeville up in here. The shoes are a little funky (those cut-outs!) and the collar is a lot funky.

I tend to avoid white shirts like the plague, because they seem to wrinkle and wilt as soon as they come within a mile radius of my body. Not to mention, I’m a spill-prone klutz. This shirt, however, was too cute to pass up for $18 (at My Favourite Aunt’s) because of that adorable collar. The cut of the shirt is masculine enough to balance out the twee-ness, which is great. The only downside is laundering; white + embellished collar equals extra work for this reluctant domestic goddess. My process involves spraying the inside of the collar with Oxyclean before hand-washing with care (to avoid wrecking the jewels). It’s effective but more time consuming, and I’m lazy … so this shirt had better live up to its promise.

12
Apr
2017

Fancy Pansy

categories: Favourite things, style

Dress, Paul Smith (via consignment); blazer, Zara (swap); shoes, Sam Edelman (thrifted); bag, Gucci (via consignment)

It is surely no secret that I love florals, but not all are created equal. In my hierarchy of favourite flowers in print form, pansies are pretty high on the list. They’re so lively and colourful. Needless to say, I was immediately drawn to this Paul Smith dress; there is no mistaking the flowers on it, although the print itself is somewhat abstract. As much as I love pansies, that is a good thing; it takes the dress away from whimsical territory.

Here’s a better look at it:

The dress is made from that uber-soft jersey that drapes nicely without clinging to jiggly bits. It feels like pyjamas, which is always a nice feature in a work dress. I am crazy about midi dresses at the moment (in case you couldn’t tell from my recent posts), and I like that this one has a slim silhouette on the bottom half to keep things from getting too dowdy. The sleeves are also a nice touch, since it means that (a) I can wear a topper without getting all bunched up in the arms; and (b) I can take off my topper in my office without worries.

For work purposes, I typically need to add a blazer to my dresses and I picked this Zara one to accentuate my waist. The slightly flared peplum is lovely, and the waist sits just right for a dress pairing like this. As I had to attend a client event in this outfit, I kept the accessories very understated, but I am looking forward to exploring the colour mixing possibilities of this dress.

11
Apr
2017

Ginger on Ginger

categories: Uncategorized

Dress, Maeve (via consignment); sweater, DVF (thrifted); shoes, AGL (via consignment)

Normally, I don’t do orange – especially when it’s a shade this close to my hair colour. I don’t think I am the only ginger who feels this way. Nonetheless, I made an exception for this Maeve dress. I remember seeing it at the Anthro store a year or two ago, and being charmed by its colour palette, orange and all. I was not charmed by the retail price, however, so I left it behind … only to rediscover it recently at Red Pony for a much more reasonable price. The silhouette is right up my alley — I love shapeless sack dresses, especially for casual wear — but I think what I love the most is the one-two punch of orange and blue in the (floral, natch) print. So, naturally, I played up the contrast by adding more blue; to wit: my newly thrifted DVF cashmere blend sweater. It’s a gorgeous you-can’t-miss-it cobalt blue, and it has pockets, people!

Since the dress and sweater were new, I decided to go all out and wear my new AGL flats as well. I’ve been wanting to try the brand for years now, after reading various bloggers rave about its quality and comfort, so I was stoked to find this mint condition pair of loafers at My Favourite Aunt’s (my other got-to consignment store in Edmonton). Loafers are a fairly recent discovery of mine, but after wearing my Kelsi Dagger pair to death last summer, I am a convert. This AGL pair lives up to the brand hype; it is insanely comfortable. The metallic leather looks to be fairly versatile as a “neutral” so I think it’s fair to say that these puppies will be getting lots of wear this coming season.