Can you guys believe that the year is almost over? Let’s face it, nobody is going to be sad to see the end of 2016 (worst year ever, yes?) but it’s still surprising how quickly it seems to have gone by. I think this has been the first year when I found myself thinking, “I need time to slow down”. My kids are now 3 and 5, which are amazing ages, and I want to hold on to their preciousness with all my might, even though I know it’s futile. That saying, “the days are long, but the years are short?” I lived the first part of that when the kids were babies (and, boy, were the days ever long then), and now I’m starting to realize the truth of the second part.
Enough mushiness, let’s get to the outfits:
one, two, three four, five, six seven, eight, nine ten, eleven, twelve thirteen, fourteen, fifteen sixteen, seventeen, eighteen nineteen, twentyI played along with Nicole‘s Minimalist Closet Game this past month, and it was a lot of fun. Not only because it helped me de-clutter my closet (working on a post about that), but because I loved seeing all the participants’ interpretation of the daily prompts. It made me think that doing an IG remixing challenge would be a lot of fun too. Anyone interested in playing along?
As for the rest of the year, my non-work goals are to survive the planning of my office Christmas Party (less than a week away, eek!) and to finish the edits on A Temporary Engagement. Most of my Christmas shopping is done, and we are not planning to host any major get-togethers at our house, so the holidays should be pleasantly low-key and relaxing (work gods willing!). A nice way to end a troublesome year — and welcome a hopefully much more promising one.
Blazer, Cartonnier (thrifted); top, Deletta (thrifted); skirt, Boss (thrifted); bag, Gucci… but in the meantime, I will continue to dress like it’s fall. Because when it’s late, late November and the temperatures are just starting to dip below freezing, you take advantage of it. All the advantage. The Starks would approve, I’m sure.
This outfit is very fall-inspired, what with the colour scheme and the cozy layers. I’ve been meaning to wear this Deletta top for ages, and I’m glad that I finally did. The wrap neckline required a small tweak to make it office-appropriate; I pinned the flaps together just below the keyhole so that they would not gape when I bent down – easy peasy. As for the bottom half, I deployed my usual trick for keeping tops securely tucked into skirts: nylons. I know nylons are a divisive topic among office-dwellers (judging from reactions to the last post in which I talked about them, and from commentary on sites like Corporette), but I am firmly in the “nylons every day” camp. At this point, I think they transcend the issue of professionalism; for me, there are practical reasons for wearing them (such as the aforementioned “trick”) although I’m perfectly willing to concede it’s a YMMV situation.
all the fall colours faux wrapMoving on, I’m wearing my ubiquitous Cartonnier blazer because why not, and a very old Boss skirt I thrifted back in 2012 or so. It’s one of the pieces I periodically question, but haven’t taken the plunge to purge. I’m kinda bored with the print, but not enough to let it go; having invested some money in getting the skirt tailored after I lost weight, I feel like I need to hang on to it a bit longer than I would otherwise. First world problems, y’all.
One of the things I love most about thrifting is the fact that, much as with Forrest Gump’s chocolate box, you never what you’re going to get. Sometimes the selection is delightful; other times, it’s delightfully kooky. Or just ever so slightly not “you”. Or, sigh, the wrong size. One thing’s for sure — thrifting is never boring.
Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look.
Left, Lily; right, Joseph Ribkoff
The dress on the right spoke to my floral-loving heart, but it was too big and also impractical. I’d have nowhere to wear it, sadly. The Joseph Ribkoff dress on the right was just comical. I have no idea what that style is supposed to be; all I know is that it was nearly indecent on me. You can’t quite appreciate just how “nearly” from the angle of this photo — and that’s a good thing.
Left, Tulle; right, J. Crew
I have a No Anthro Left Behind policy, but sometimes I break it. The Tulle top on the left is not within my current style wheelhouse. The striped J. Crew sweater on the other hand? Come to mama! The collar is the same Liberty print as one of my old blazers.
Pink Tartan skirt
This Pink Tartan skirt was very “early 2000s” in my eyes. Like, I can see Carrie Bradshaw or perhaps Charlotte York wearing this. Probably Charlotte. I’ve been on a SATC nostalgic kick lately, in case you’re wondering. Not enough to buy this skirt, mind you.
Marimekko skirt
I would love to own a Marimekko piece, but this skirt wasn’t it. In the past, I would have bought it just for the label (it’s the first Marimekko piece I’ve ever seen locally), but I resisted the temptation. Someone else will love it more than I would, I’m sure.
Arcadia bag
I love Arcadia bags, but I don’t like small bags, so this was a no go for me. I hope it found a good home.
left: Bailey 44 dress; right: Gabby Skye dress
Ditto for these two dresses. The Bailey 44 one was too body-con (and the material disappointingly thin), while the Gabby Skye one (though cute) was simply not my style.
Chalet dress tunic thingie
I don’t know what this was supposed to be, but I kinda loved it. I also realized that I could never actually pull it off in real life, so I didn’t even attempt this particular style experiment.
left: J. Crew Factory; right: Talbots
The battle of the blue blazers! I bought neither, but the colour was awesome.
right: Deletta; left: Equipment
The Deletta top on the left washed me out completely, but I couldn’t pass up the new-with-tags-for-$3 Equipment blouse on the right. Can you blame me? No.
Vanessa Virginia dress
I love this dress, shapeless sack though it is. The sleeve detail, in particular, is amazeballs.
Stella & Dot necklace
This necklace is awesome too. I rarely find nice contemporary jewelry at local thrift stores, so this was a pleasant surprise.
Nicole Miller dress
Talk about a stunner. This beautiful, 100% silk dress was in perfect condition except for the clasp at the back of the halter neck. An easy fix for a dress that cost me less than $5 in the end.
Twinning with Jennifer Westfeldt, like NBD
Did I mention that Jennifer Westfeldt once wore the same dress on the red carpet? Clearly, we’re twins.
Fluevog pumps
I’m not usually a fan of Fluevog shoes but I liked the quirky-but-not-overly-so heels on this pair. They were also in like-new condition and hella cheap (under $10 if I recall correctly), so I made an exception.
OK, enough from me, your turn: tell me all about your recent thrift finds.
[Heads up for Edmonton peeps: Nicole and I will be doing our Tuesday Night Thrift thing again next week, December 6 (location TBD but will be announced on Instagram). Come join us if you’re free and want to try your hand at a little thrifting action. Hijinks are almost always guaranteed.]
