Blue Collar Red Lipstick

17
Oct
2016

Snow Day Dress

categories: style

Dress, Anthropologie (thrifted); trench, Elie Tahari (thrifted); boots, Clarks; scarf, Aldo; bag, MbMJ

Yup, it snowed (again) on Thanksgiving. Nothing could deter me, however, from wearing the dress I had originally picked out for the occasion. This Maeve number was — what else — a lucky thrift find, and it seemed perfect for an extended family brunch. A little snow wasn’t going to stop me, no siree. Thankfully, other than the 2 minutes i soent frolicking on my driveway for blog purposes, I had no occasion to be exposed to the elements. And, to be fair, it was only, like, -5 Celsius. Practically balmy /sarcasm/ (Yes, I’m still bitter about the snow.)

Now, I know what you’re thinking. That is, indeed, a skater dress … and I am not supposed to be buying skater dresses anymore. Does it skew a little you? Maybe, I’ll give you that. Mea culpa and all that, but I ask you: would you have passed up such a cute dress? Didnt think so.

The rest of the outfit is as basic as it gets, but why reinvent the wheel when you already have a good thing going. The trench is an Elie Tahari number I thrifted earlier this year, and everything else falls into the “seen before” category: old Aldo scarf, my trusty Mag bag, and those Clarks booties you’re sick of seeing. I’m also wearing a cardigan because, well, we’re not in ~~Kansas~~ summer anymore, Toto. No, definitely not. Sigh.

Note: Chapter 9 of A Temporary Engagement is now up on my author blog. Check it out here. Also, Tuesday Night Thrift is about to go down again. Edmonton peeps, Nicole and I will be at the Goodwill on 51st Avenue tomorrow, October 18, starting around 6:30 pm — feel free to come by and say hi, if you want join in on the thrifting fun.

14
Oct
2016

Mustard Crop

categories: style, Trials and Tribulations

Jacket, Cartonnier (thrifted); sweater, Joe Fresh; pants, Joes Jeans; boots, Josef Seibel; bag, Longchamp (thrifted)

I’m not sure how it happened, but somehow mustard yellow became a staple of my wardrobe. I know I’m not the only blogger who has a weakness for it, so I get zero points for uniqueness, and I’m not sure if my complexion is as fond of it as I am but there it is: the heart wants what it wants. (Semi-related aside: has anyone had their seasonal colour analysis done? Recommend it or nah?) This sunny hue just makes me so happy. And when it snows — yes, SNOWS — in early October, I need all the happy I can get. All the pumpkin spice lattes in the world can’t fix those blues.

The cropped length of this jacket is a bit awkward on me (I have a long torso), so I decided to play with proportions but adding my long-ish Joe Fresh sleeveless sweater to balance it out. No joke, this sweater is one of my all-time favourite pieces — I really wish I’d known it would become so beloved at the time I bought it, because I definitely would have bought a back-up. It will probably fall apart long before I’m ready to part with it. It goes with everything and it’s the perfect layering piece no matter the season. Basically, it s unicorn in sweater form.

Moving on, the one nice thing about winter is the opportunity to bring out my fave moto boots — these Frye lookalikes which are (a) badass, and (b) basically indestructible (and warm). It almost makes up for the snow. Almost. Bah, who am I kidding? It doesn’t, not even close.

13
Oct
2016

The Easy Dress

categories: style

Dress, Ralph Lauren (thrifted); blazer, Zara (swap); shoes, Jimmy Choo; bag, MbMJ

The dress is the easiest of all outfits — one piece, you’re done — and Ralph Lauren jersey dresses are just about the easiest of dresses. Always flattering, always comfortable, pretty much indestructible. I fall in and out of love with them — they’re not particularly fashion-forward — but I always seem to come back for more … especially at thrift prices. This particular dress certainly did its job of keeping me looking polished with minimum effort and maximum comfort, and garnered a bunch of compliments to boot.

This Zara peplum blazer is a keeper too. It’s definitely more of a statement piece than a classic, but it creates a lovely silhouette. It’s also quite stretchy, which is a godsend on long days at the office (followed by, in this case, a late client function). And it works well with this dress, since they are similar shades of navy … despite my initial conviction that the dress was black. Thrifting goggles are strong, I tell ya. Still, all is well that ends well, right?