Blue Collar Red Lipstick

25
Oct
2016

One From The Archives

categories: style

Dress, Ralph Lauren (thrifted); blazer, Cartonnier (thrifted); necklace, Swarovski (thrifted); shoes, J. Crew; bag, Mulberry (via eBay)

Ignore the rather unfortunate colour-correction on these basement dungeon photos, and let’s talk dress. It’s an oldie, thrifted circa 2014 — around the time my return to the workforce post-baby #2. It was comfortable and forgiving then, and so it remains, 2 years and 30 fewer lbs later.

Now, as far as I know, Ralph Lauren doesn’t make jersey dresses out of magic, but they are uncommonly durable and dependably flattering, at least in my (non-sponsored) experience. Pregnancy ups and downs aside, I don’t tend to experience many weight fluctuations, but I know that many women do, and that it can be a cause of wardrobe frustration. There aren’t many garments, on the whole, that will accommodate a swing of one or two sizes, but these dresses are an exception. The material has a good weight and nice feel to it, and is machine washable — so the quality is good, especially if you can snag these dresses at places like TJ Maxx, Ross, or Winners (where they periodically end up on sale for under $40) … or, of course, at your local thrift store.

My advice is to size up. For reference, I typically wear a size 8-10 in RL sheath dresses, as compared to 4-6 in most other brands; the precise fit of RL dresses varies from style to style, but I find those sizes generally give me some room to breathe without being baggy. If you are one of those women who experiences periodic weight fluctuations, I would recommend buying one size up from whatever size of RL dress fits most comfortably (i.e. not skin tight, but not baggy) at your lower weight. These dresses tend to drape nicely even when they fit more loosely, especially around the hips. The place where you might notice the biggest fit issue is around the bust/armholes if, like me, you tend to lose or gain weight in that area. And with that, I think I have exhausted the topic, but do let me know if you have any questions.

The rest of the outfit is merely an update on one I’m almost certain I’ve put on the blog before (but was too lazy to locate). All good things aside, the print of this dress is not my favourite, and it’s extra tricky because it combines navy with brown, which throws off my accessorizing game. I cheated my way out of this dilemma on this occasion by adding purple shoes and a neutral blazer, along with my vintage Mulberry Fitzrovia bag, which never gets enough love.

And that is all she wrote, folks.

24
Oct
2016

Tales From the Thrift: October’s Tuesday Night Thrift

categories: Success stories, Thrifting

For this month’s Tuesday Night Thrift adventure, Nicole and I hit up the Goodwill store on 51st Avenue, one of my frequent haunts. Before I show you what I found, here are some things you need to know if you’ve never stopped into a Goodwill before, and want to give it a try:

• Goodwill organizes its store by categories; within each category by size; and within each size by colour. This is helpful if you have a set list of colours that you shop for (or, conversely, avoid).

• Most prices at Goodwill are standard, and determined by category. So, for example, in Edmonton (and Calgary) all dresses cost $7, all pants cost $8, etc. Some pieces are individually priced, but they are typically placed on separate racks. There is no rhyme and reason, in my experience, to what clothing Goodwill will price individually – hockey jerseys and 90s prom dresses being an exception. Bags and shoes (and household objects) are always priced individually.

• Every week, Goodwill has a “50% off colour tag” sale. The concept is simple: each item has a plastic coloured tag (or coloured sticker, in the case of things like shoes) attached to it. When it’s “50% off green tags” week, all items with green tags are … you guessed it, 50% off.

• Goodwill is a non-profit (unlike, for example, Value Village) which means, among other things, that you won’t get charged GST (sales tax) on your purchases.

• Goodwill does not give stamps or coupons for donations, but will do so for purchases. For every $25 you spend, you get a stamp; with 10 stamps, you can get $15 off any purchase of $25 or more. It’s not a huge discount, but considering the standard prices (and the weekly sale), Goodwill is still one of your best bets for getting the most value for your bucks.

Alright, enough talk: let’s look at my thrift spoils. Nicole and I were not keeping score, but I think I came away from our excursion pretty well … even though there was only one, solitary Anthro piece to be found, and I didn’t even end up getting it:

I talked someone else into trying it on, but I don’t think it was a winner for her either. Oh well. Moving on, I was super tempted by this Alice sweatshirt (official Disney swag, y’all) – my kids are currently obsessed with AiW, and I’m thrilled – but I decided to be generous and pass it on to Nicole.

I did get the Madewell sweater on the right (above). It’s forest green (colour palette, check!) and vaguely fisherman-y, and that’s my sweater catnip right there. It’s going to get a lot of wear this winter, especially on weekends, and I am debating having it replace one of the Vince sweaters I thrifted earlier this year, which has been something of a disappointment.

J Brand x 2

I also scored two pairs of medium-rise J. Brand skinny jeans. The regular medium wash (Utopia) pair replaces my old William Rast skinny jeans (too big). The teal pair (Riviera wash) is a substitute for the *grey* J. Brand skinnies I thrifted recently, only to decide after one wear that they were too big. I re-homed those with Nicole, which means that this pair is 100% guilt-free.

I was on the fence about these Rag & Bone wood wedge sandals, but my rubber arm was conveniently twisted and I bought them. I’ll have to decide next year if that was a good idea or not.

Funny story about this Rebecca Taylor top. I was loitering near the changing rooms, waiting for Nicole to finish trying on her finds, so I stopped to look at the “reject” rack nearby when – lo and behold – I found this. In my excitement, I went to show it to Nicole … who thought I was bringing it for her to try. The result was a hilariously awkward exchange, which Nicole insisted we recreate for the benefit of some of the other ladies who had joined us for Tuesday Night Thrift; check out her post to see/read all about it. Bottom line: this top had my name all over it. Sorry, Nicole! (I did make it up to her, don’t worry.) It will replace my old Rachel Roy floral top, whose print I still adore but which no longer fits very well.

Last but not least, the ladies talked me into buying this vintage velvet dress. It was on sale for $3.50 so I bought it mostly for a laugh. I know velvet is super on-trend right now, but I have traumatic memories from the 90s that prevent me from embracing its resurgence. However! I like the dropped shoulder details on this dress, and am telling myself it has a Vivienne Westwood vibe – hello, neo-classical aristo-quirk! There is a small hole at the bottom of the zipper in the back, which I will need to try to fix, but overall it’s in remarkably good condition – and it was made in Canada!

All in all, I spent just under $48 for all my loot. It goes without saying that these were all things I *absolutely* needed* (fresh out of everything, I am). You can stop laughing now, plz. All kidding aside, apart from the shoes and the dress, the other things I bought are quite practical and will replace/upgrade existing pieces in my closet … which is my story, and I’m sticking to it.

Stay tuned for an announcement about next month’s Tuesday Night Thrift — Nicole and I are working on something to make it extra fun.

Note: Chapter 10 of A Temporary Engagement is now up. Read it here.

21
Oct
2016

State of the Wardrobe: Closet Exercises

categories: Wardrobe Analytics

In my last monthly outfit recap, I alluded to being a bit bored with my closet (or perhaps just looking for distractions) and wanting to tackle a new wardrobe challenge. The usual suspects – like Project 333 and seasonal capsule wardrobe – hold little appeal for me at this point, and I still haven’t found an alternative that looks fun and interesting. What I have been doing in the meantime is think about ways to pare down my closet and become more intentional with new (thrifted) purchases. Even as I go through this process, I know that, at a certain level, it’s futile. What underlies my organizational urges is the desire to control my environment (hello, my name is Type A, nice to meet you!) – a desire that will never be fully satisfied because life doesn’t work that way. But, since this blog is a place where we can all analyze the minutiae of our sartorial lives in glorious detail, I thought I would share some of my process/thoughts on the off chance that some of you might also be interested in looking at your wardrobe situation from new perspectives.

First, let me say that my process is a bit of mish-mash of exercises gleaned from a variety of sources, including Into Mind and Colette HQ’s Wardrobe Architect Series (thanks *** for the recc!). I claim no credit, and zero originality. If this topic is of interest to you, I highly recommend checking out those wonderful resources – and if you have others, feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments. Onwards!

Developing A Vision

I’ve talked before about how much I have struggled in the past with the (self-imposed) task of defining my personal style. I don’t think I’m the only person who’s found it near-impossible to approach that question head on. There are so many plausible answers; it is especially difficult, I find, to distinguish between the person you would like to be and the person you actually are. Side-stepping a potential philosophical morass, I’ll simply say that approaching the issue indirectly has been infinitely easier.

I know the “mood board” is a popular concept, but I find it unhelpful, and here’s why: counter-intuitively, I am more inspired by photos of styles different than my own. When I look at those kinds of outfits, I find it easier to analyze them, piece by piece, and identify what I like, what I don’t like, what I could borrow, what I would tweak, etc. Faced with a photo of an outfit I want to emulate, I lose my critical facilities. For me, a mood board would quickly become a “make this outfit happen NOW!” exercise in frustration. And often, the outfits over which I drool are not even necessarily things that would work for/on me — the person wearing them simply exudes some quality which I long to embody.

So, rather than distract myself with pretty pictures, I chose to think about the following questions (from the Wardrobe Architect series) indirectly related to personal style:

When you are wearing your favourite clothing, how do you feel?

Confident, comfortable in my own skin, elegant, polished, comfortable. My clothes are a second skin, if that second skin was an invincible, aesthetically pleasing armour.

When you are wearing something that is not quite right, how do you feel?

Ill at ease, uncomfortable, over-dresses/under-dressed, shabby, fussy. I am everyone’s poor cousin from the country.

Who do you consider to be your style icons? What is it about them that appeals to you?

Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Audrey Hepburn, Michelle Obama. They are not so much style icons — they each have their own style, which is not necessarily mine — as women whose style I admire. Their style seems natural, instinctive … dare I say it, effortless. They exude confidence and a rich inner life, a mystery that arrests your attention.

What are some words that describe styles that you like in theory, but are not quite you?

Gamine, minimalist, WASP-y

The Anti-Style Persona

Using some of the answers to the questions above, I decided to create a list of things that are definitely NOT “me” — the outlines of an anti-style persona, if you will. This was a very easy exercise, and I’ve been using the list extensively when I go shopping these days. It has been tremendously helpful to focus on these “no go” criteria when assessing potential buys versus the more amorphous and ill-defined concept of my personal style. (I find it easier to justify buying something if the question is “where would I wear this?” because I am very good at coming up with creative answers. Blame my inner writer.) Here’s what I’ve got so far:

– ruffles
– bright green (OK in accessories)
– skater dresses
– peep toe shoes
– coral
– flared pants
– pussy bows (long-standing prejudice, fwiw)
– low necklines
– neon colours
– body-conscious silhouettes
– very full skirts
– bright orange
– animal prints (except leopard print shoes)
– pastel colours (except blush pink)
– round toe flats
– mini skirts
– round cowl neck tops
– fussy details
– low waisted pants

It’s a work in progress. I also have a list of “probable no’s” — things I’m currently considering adding to the above list.

– turquoise (I love the colour, but not on me)
– shorts (I generally hate short hemlines, could live without shorts in the summer probably)
– wrap dresses (this one hurts, but there is literally one wrap dress I enjoy wearing — not a DVF)
– bootcut jeans (I’m a ride-or-die skinny pants lover, but may embrace these again?)
– deep V necks (they don’t do much for my very modest bust)
– platforms (not a huge fan of walking in these, and they seem to go in and out of trend every so often)
– jewel/bright purple (I love other shades better on me — see below)
– cardigans

Cardigans are my main experiment right now. I find them more comfortable to wear than blazers, but don’t love the look anymore. It reminds me of old Adina, who was hardcore librarian chic. I rarely wear them anymore, and probably would not buy new ones, but I’m trying to decide whether to exclude them from my outfit formulas (see below) for good or not.

Wardrobe Analysis

Also in conjunction with the above, I decided to update my wardrobe colour palette, and my core silhouettes (a concept explored by both Wardrobe Architect and Into Mind).

Wardobe Colour Palette

Got this narrowed down to 17, including neutrals, core and accent colours I should probably split the “blue” category, but that would add at least 3-4 more colours to the mix so … maybe not.

Neutrals: black, grey, white, navy, camel
Core: blue, mustard yellow, dusty purple, burgundy, teal, orchid, forest green, olive, plum/eggplant
Accent: red, persimmon

Core Silhouettes

These are my core silhouettes, aka outfit formulas:

1) sheath dress + blazer
2) A-line dress + blazer
3) skinny pants/jeans + camisole/top + blazer
4) skinny pants/jeans + shirt + sweater
5) skinny pants/jeans + casual top + casual light coat
6) skinny pants/leggings + tunic top + coat/blazer
7) pencil skirt + camisole/top + blazer
8) pencil/A-line skirt + sweater

These can be adjusted for weather (more or fewer layers) and occasion (casual vs. dressy options), but basically describe 95%+ of my outfits. As much as I enjoy experimenting, I think I need to remember that there is a reason why I always end up gravitating to these silhouettes over others — they simply work best for my body and lifestyle. The results might not be Vogue material, but will hopefully make me feel, what else, but comfortable in my own skin.

Ok, your turn. Know a fun wardrobe challenge? I’m all ears. Alternately, have you done any closet exercises similar to the above? I would love to hear any success stories/style epiphanies.