Sentimental Floral

Dress, Moschino; blazer, Cartonnier (thrifted); shoes, J. Crew; bag, Gucci (via consignment)
Dress, Moschino; blazer, Cartonnier (thrifted); shoes, J. Crew; bag, Gucci (via consignment)

I suddenly had a hankering for this dress one morning, and just as suddenly realized that one of the perks of being a grown up is that I can wear whatever suits my fancy. Well, my fancy and the office dress code — hence my trusty Cartonnier blazer. But seriously, though, how much do I love this dress? A lot. It’s one of my old Winners clearance rack finds, and I still wax nostalgic about the days when finds like that happened regularly. I paid $60 for it, and love it enough to have spent another $60 having it altered after I lost a bunch of weight. That print is just so “Adina” — I can easily see myself wearing this in another 10 or even 20 years’ time. The problem is that I’ve relegated this dress to “special occasion” status, which means I don’t wear it nearly as much as it deserves to be worn. This was a nice reminder that it’s more versatile than I credit it.

for the love of florals
for the love of florals
nails: OPI Tickle My France-y
nails: OPI Tickle My France-y

On a completely unrelated note, I’ve decided to try out a new nail shape (hello, squ-oval!) and I had to cut my nails pretty short to accommodate the transition. Problem is, I hate short nails — I feel that they make my fingers look extra stubby. It’s a weird complex, I know. So I dug through my stash and found of my old fave “nude for me” (aka “mannequin hands” in the polish collecting world) polishes, OPI Tickle My France-y. As in all things, I love me a colourful manicure, but there is something so elegant about a barely-there nail colour.

Lastly, here’s my blogger confession of the day: when I got to work, I decided to switch to plain black pumps. I looked at these photos and decided the red ones were too bright. Sometimes, I swear all that minimalism talk is rubbing off on me …

florals at the office
florals at the office

Detail Oriented 

Blazer, J. Crew Factory; top, J.Crew (thrifted); pants, Banana Republic (thrifted); shoes; Ferragamo (thrifted); necklace, MaxMara; bag, MbMJ
Blazer, J. Crew Factory; top, J.Crew (thrifted); pants, Banana Republic (thrifted); shoes; Ferragamo (thrifted); necklace, MaxMara; bag, MbMJ

Let’s be very clear: this outfit is simply an excuse. An excuse for me to wear an amazing recent thrift find: these Ferragamo block heeled pumps. The style is unusual and slightly retro, and certainly not my usual bag, but I couldn’t pass up those colorblocked heels — too cool (and on-trend, as it happens). The shoes are also basically new, and fit perfectly, and I’m a sucker for a good Cinderella moment so … here we are.

all in navy
all in navy
block heels for the win
block heels for the win

As I was building this outfit, I immediately knew which necklace I would wear. My giant MaxMara “toddler craft” necklace sports a rather similar vibe, and the exact shade of light blue, as the shoes. Kismet, I tell you.

necklace/shoe synchronicity
necklace/shoe synchronicity

I kept the rest of the outfit monochrome because I (a) sometimes like to mix things up, and (b) wanted a neutral “canvas” for my statement accessories. I have to admit that navy is not my go-to for monochrome outfits, but I eventually got used to it. I know it’s supposed to be a more flattering colour for my ghostly complexion, but I still feel more comfortable in black. Habits are hard to break, I guess. For a bag, I went with my trusty Mag bag since burgundy goes so nicely with navy, and also because I don’t have a navy bag at my disposal … yet.

burgundy pops
burgundy pops
one more for the road!
one more for the road!

Snow Day Dress

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

black + burgundy
black + burgundy
go away, snow
go away, snow

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.