What I Wore: February 2024, part 2

Details: Tahari shirt, Ralph Lauren sweater & skirt, Ports International jacket, Asos boots, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Here it is: THE skirt! Isn’t it amazing? You can ignore my derpy expression, caught in the act of giving my recalcitrant photographer instructions on how to shoot this pretty dope outfit (if I do say so myself). My photographer is almost always recalcitrant. If it’s my son, it’s as a matter of principle because he thinks taking photos of what one is wearing is, to quote, “dumb”. If it’s my husband, it’s because he knows how much it annoys me, and gets a kick out of it. Ah, true love! Whatever would we do without it. Anyway, I loved this outfit and wearing it gave me all the feels. I’m so happy to have the chance to wear this dress, and I can’t wait to style it up again and again.

Details: Ralph Lauren sweater, Twik pants, Fossil belt, American Apparel coat, Frye boots, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Another side of my aesthetic: the Historian in grandpa mode. This colour palette — brown with a complementary shade, plus grey as a neutral — is something I keep coming back to. I love using black as a neutral with brown, but there is something about grey as a substitute that I find very appealing. It’s a different vibe, for sure. Sometimes I find myself wondering if I’m wearing too much brown these days (and does it even suit me?) but then I give my head a shake and move on with my day. I’m going to enjoy my Brown Period and not overthink it.

Details: Banana Republic sweater, Mr. Edwards dress, DKNY skirt, Club Monaco belt, Nine West shoes, Rafael Alfandary necklace (all secondhand)

Thoughts: OK, but how good is this shade of purple? I am a little bit obsessed with it, and slowly working my way through all the colour combinations I can think of. Here, I took a hint from the dress pattern, and pulled together a purple/dark red palette. I also decided to extend the vertical line of the outfit by layering my DKNY skirt under the dress; the only part you can see is the sheer panel at the bottom, which doesn’t pull focus away from the rest of the outfit, but helps to change up the silhouette. I love a long column!

Details: Michael Kors top, Tristan jacket, Issey Miyake skirt (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I LOVED this outfit! I’ve had this vintage Tristan jacket in my closet since at least 2012, but haven’t worn it in years because it fell out of style — which is to say, it didn’t suit my style as it evolved over the past decade. But I thought it was too special to part with, so I kept it. Recently, I took it out of the archive closet, feeling the time had come to give it another try. I specifically wanted to wear it with my Issey skirt … and then I had the idea to add the sequin top underneath as a sort of sleeve-extender. Genius! It picks up the sequin work on the jacket, and adds to the texture of the outfit without being too in-your-face-sequins about it. I actually got the top because it matches a long sequin skirt I thrifted a few years ago, and I was planning to wear them together to create a dress, but paired with this jacket, it feels like a match made in heaven too.

Details: Selected Femme sweater (retail, old), Jones NY blazer, Margiela skirt, vintage belt (all secondhand)

Thoughts: A super simple outfit, made interesting with a fun belt. I love metal belts because they function like jewelry, but feel a bit more unexpected that, say, a necklace. Speaking of unexpected, I feel like the velvet lapel on this blazer falls in that ballpark too; plus, it ties together the top and bottom halves of the outfit.

Details: Everlane sweater, Ralph Lauren blazer, Gap belt & jeans (all secondhand)

Thoughts: This was an even simpler outfit, with a much simpler belt too. My version of keeping things casual 🙂

Details: Ralph Lauren turtleneck & skirt, vintage belt, Oak & Fort coat, Office London shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: One strong pattern calls for … another? That was my philosophy in putting together the two halves of this outfit, using red as the unifying colour. It’s a bold look and I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s mine and I enjoyed every sip of this one. Look at me, making a funny! Anyway, I am a little bit sad that you can’t see more of my contrasting tights in this photo, because it was a lot of work picking a colour that clashed just the right amount. Not too much, not too little. It’s harder than you’d think!

Intentional Shopping Diaries: Ralph Lauren Capsule, part two

Last week I promised you an epic eBay story and I am a woman of my words. In my ongoing project of curating my own personal Ralph Lauren capsule, I scored a big win last month and I’m here to tell you all about it. Maybe “epic” is a bit of an overstatement, but this was an exciting purchase for me — the online version of the “start the car” moment — so I hope you’ll forgive my enthusiasm. There is also maybe a moral of sorts to the story, but I’ll leave you to decide that.

I’m not going to try to keep you in suspense about what piece of clothing is the protagonist of this saga. It’s this skirt:

Some of you may remember it; I posted it a few months ago as an example of something I coveted but had decided not to purchase based on a kind of cost-benefit analysis. I had been watching it for months already by that point, having first found it in the course of my search for the floral skirt I posted last week. Both of them are from Ralph Lauren’s Country line, which was only around for a short period of time in the late 80s and early 90s, and was the aesthetic predecessor of the current Double RL line — a mix of English country and Americana. I’ve become a little bit obsessed with Ralph Lauren Country, because it captures a lot of the aesthetics that I currently love, but that’s neither here nor there. Suffice to say that, of all RL lines, it’s one of the rarer ones to find secondhand.

This particular skirt immediately captured my imagination. I love the Pendleton-inspired pattern, and the colours being so vibrant was the cherry on top. I also love this style of wrap skirt a lot; the column silhouette is one of my faves. I was able to find 2 listings for the skirt; one at around $400CAD (yikes) and one at over $800CAD (double yikes). There is also a mini skirt version, available in a greater number of listings at lower prices (around $200), but I didn’t love it because, as a result of the shorter length, much of the pattern — the blue and red part — was lost. For me, the pattern *is* the skirt, so it was a no go.

So I waited. For months, I kept a running search for this skirt, hoping one of the listings would come down in price. No luck.

And then, one day, my luck changed. A new listing popped up and it was less than half the price of the next cheapest option. I was, like, whoa! This is it. Having thought a lot about this skirt for a long time, I had a good sense of 2 important things. One, the general market value of the skirt. This listing was a comparative steal. Two, a definite idea of how much I would be comfortable spending on the skirt. The listing met that threshold. So, even though it was the most expensive piece of clothing I’ve purchased in the last 2 years, I bought it without hesitation. I’m glad it took months to find this listing because I needed that time to clarify in my own mind how I felt about the skirt and what it meant to me. And that was an important lesson to me, vis-a-vis my Ralph Lauren capsule project. I am not going to rush my future acquisitions. I am going to do a lot of research and a lot of reflection before I commit to a piece. It’s not clothes shopping as usual.

I ended up paying $230CAD, shipping, taxes, and customs included. Did I mention that the listing was from Japan? That brings me to another interesting part of this story. This wasn’t the first time I’ve purchased something from Japan on eBay. Years ago, I sourced a few of my high end designer bags from Japan, which has a huge and well-regulated secondhand market. Always do your research, of course, but reputable Japanese resellers offer some of the best deals, IMO, on used designer bags. At least, that was certainly true a decade ago, and while I’m not in that designer bag game anymore, I’ve no reason to think anything has changed. In my experience, the ratings used by Japanese resellers to describe their bags reflect a much higher standard than is common in North America; the bags I bought were described as being in good but not excellent condition (so, like, B+ not A) and, honestly, they looked much better than I expected when I got them – here, they would have been described as “excelled used condition”. The price reflected the condition as stated by the seller, so it was more attractive than comparable U.S. listings. All of that to say: I’ve had good experiences buying from Japan via eBay.

Except. The day after I purchased the skirt, I received the floral one which had shipped a few weeks prior from the U.S. It was delivered via USPS and Canada Post and, for the first time in recent history (or maybe ever), I had to pay customs on it. And it was not a minimal amount either: $30 on a skirt that cost around $100CAD after conversion. CBSA uses different rules for calculating customs on used clothing, and while I haven’t been able to figure them out, I have the feeling that there is a certain threshold under which they don’t charge anything. I had bought 2 other vintage skirts on eBay (from the U.S.) in the last 6 months and neither of them had customs charged on them. I think two things might have been in play here. One, the seller of the floral skirt didn’t indicate on the customs form that it was a used item. This, in my opinion, is really poor form for an experienced seller. Two, the price was slightly higher than the other 2 skirts; only about $30-40CAD but perhaps enough to go over the customs threshold. I don’t know … but I wasn’t pleased with that surprise.

And it got me really worried about my Japanese purchase — which had cost even more and was being shipped via FedEx. I’ve heard horror stories about brokerage fees on top of customs, so I resigned myself to getting another bill, amount TBD. I know this sounds like a recipe for disaster, but the rest of the story is the opposite: one happy surprise after another. Despite coming from a much greater distance, the skirt arrived within less than half the time it took my other skirt to be delivered from the U.S. (The cost for shipping I was charged on eBay was the same.) And, despite all of my trepidations, my bill was only … $19CAD, total. How does that make sense? I have no idea, but I’m not complaining.

The last happy surprise was waiting for me when I started to inspect the skirt:

A union label! I couldn’t believe my eyes. I knew the skirt was vintage — though it is in such amazing condition that it’s hard to believe it’s more than 30 years old — but I had no idea it was old enough to have been made by union employees in the US. I did some research, and this particular style of label was used up until 1995, which lines up with the chronology of the Country brand.

I had taken a calculated risk with the size; unusually, the listing didn’t include measurements and I did the thing you should never do, and bought the skirt without asking for measurements. I am familiar with RL vintage sizing, though. This skirt is one size smaller than my usual size in vintage RL skirts, but I was irrationally optimistic it would work. It kinda did and didn’t. Not surprisingly, the waist was snug. Uncomfortably snug. The hips fit fine, thank God. I want to wear the heck out of this skirt so snug wouldn’t do. Luckily, there was a feasible and easy fix: I was able to move the button and inner hook and eye closure, and give myself an extra 3 inches of breathing room. The fit of the skirt wasn’t negatively impacted, though the pattern alignment did change. I can live with that.

And there you have it. Another fabulous addition to the capsule.

I have a few ideas in mind for my next intentional purchase, but I need to do a lot more research first. And I need to stay off eBay for a bit 🙂

What I Wore: February 2024, part one

Details: Ralph Lauren sweater & skirt, Nine West jacket, Brighton belt, Canadienne shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: This outfit made me so incredibly happy, I can’t even explain. It’s not just that I’ve been dreaming about this skirt for so long and it’s finally mine; the whole outfit is pieces I love, and came together beautifully. I continue to be obsessed with this jacket and its versatility, which is once again, evident here. This is just happiness in (Trailblazer) outfit form.

Details: Anne Klein blouse, Club Monaco vest, Ralph Lauren skirt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I also adored this outfit. The vest has been sitting in my closet for months, and I just wasn’t sure what to do with it. When I thrifted this vintage silk blouse, I finally felt inspired. I actually didn’t have huge expectations for this outfit, but it came together in a way that blew me away. It’s so me! It’s a very Bohemian outfit that gives me all the feels — to me, it could tell so many stories. Bohemian moves to 1920s London and becomes a famous mystery writer. Bohemian becomes the headmistress of a girls’ school and also a secret agent. I could go on and on. I should call it my Agatha Christie outfit because that’s the main theme I seem to be circling here.

Details: J. Crew shirt, Uniqlo sweater, Frame blazer, Mondi skirt, Emmanuel belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I know it’s dicey wearing red and green so long after Christmas, but who cares about rules anyway? I only thought of this (Historian) combo in February, so I am wearing it in February. Besides, the different shades of green, together with the yellow, make this feel more spring-adjacent than holidays-adjacent to me. I will brook no argument 😉

Details: Liz Clairborne sweater, Ralph Lauren blazer, CoH jeans, Gap belt, Paloma Picasso bag, Laredo boots (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Like everyone else, I’ve had an eye on the Toteme striped sweater for a while. The original wasn’t in the cards for me, but this vintage cotton turtleneck was another story. It’s not super similar, but it has a cool vibe that makes it more interesting than a run-of-the-mill striped sweater. And you know how I feel about vintage cotton sweaters — we shall say no more. This is my “fashion girlie” version of the Historian avatar; it’s more minimalist (style and colours) than my usual outfits, but there are fun details, like the bag, that elevate it for me out of the “zone of anonymity” I feel that a lot of those IG/TikTok outfits fall into.

Details: Ralph Lauren sweater & skirt, Gap blazer (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I’m somewhat on the fence about this outfit because it’s a bit too matchy-matchy, which I don’t tend to love these days; on the other hand, I did it to myself because I couldn’t resist the matchy, so I can’t entirely hate it either. This vintage cotton (of course) sweater is the exact shade of blue as the skirt — I had to do it! But now that I am looking at this outfit a few days removed from wearing it, I think part of the issue might also be the length of the skirt. I love long skirts, but I feel like this one might be just a smidge too long on me. I’m not sure what I’m going to do about it; the pattern is so beautiful, it seems like a shame to hem it, even by an inch or two. Something to ponder …

Details: Pendleton sweater, Liz Clairborne dress, vintage belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Just a hit of serotonin in clothing form. That’s it. No other notes.

Details: Uniqlo sweatshirt, vintage cardigan, Gap jeans, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I’ll be frank: this outfit doesn’t really fall into any of my current avatar aesthetics, but I loved it anyway. The sweatshirt and cardigan are older pieces that suited earlier iterations of my style, but they still make me happy so, guess what? I still wear them. I’m comfortable enough with my style — and my own sense of self — that the occasional digression from it doesn’t faze me. Congruity was a huge preoccupation of mine for years, as I was figuring things out (myself and my style), but it has become a lot less critical. Just part of the journey, I guess.