If I look less than enthused in these photos, it’s not because of my outfit. I loved this outfit. Let’s just say that I’m less crazy about other things going on in my life at the moment, and perhaps the camera captures more than one thinks it does, hmm? Moving on, let me tell all about my outfit instead. Did I mention that I loved it? Because I did. And I still love all the light grey happening here, along with the hint of florals, plus the heathered texture of the blazer.

I resisted the urge to go super-simple with black pumps, and I’m glad. I think these purple ones add a little extra something to the whole thing. I’ve talked about how versatile they’re proving to be, and you can consider this another example.

Chapter 5 of A Temporary Engagement is live, and you can read it here. If you are reading along — first of all, thank you — and, secondly, I hope you’re enjoying it.

This is my fall weekend uniform these days, in all its dubious glory. I have so, so many casual pants, I’m basically spoiled for choice. Thankfully, they all work with my Clark’s ankle boots — which are, hands down, one of my best purchases of the year. Not the kind of shoes I typically get excited over, but so useful and so comfortable. (Just like the Kelsi Dagger loafers I wore all summer on weekends.) They were about $60 at Winners (I had a gift card, so I paid far less out of pocket), and I think they will have fantastic CPW in no time even at the (relatively) higher price point.

I spruced up an otherwise pretty basic (boring? let’s go with basic) outfit with some colour courtesy of my scarf and the sorta-matching purse. This is my first Fossil bag, and I have to say that I’m loving the uber soft leather. I would definitely love to find more of these at the thrift store — fingers crossed.

Hope you guys have an exciting weekend planned. Happy Friday!

So, this J. Crew blazer: let’s talk about it. It’s a perfect example of what you SHOULDN’T do when it comes to thrifting, except that it also involves a happy ending so maybe rules are meant to be broken from time to time. I dunno, I’m a terrible role model, OK? I found this blazer at Goodwill in perfect condition for $8, and promptly fell in love with the fabric. I think it was called English tweed on the J. Crew website, which made it all the more appealing because I’m a sucker for anything with the merest whiff of Downton Abbey about it. Anyway. The bad news is that it was a size 10, and I currently take a size 4 in J. Crew blazers (I find they fit large). But you know how the story ends: I bought it anyway, took it to the tailor, and prayed for the best. And here we are, outfit and all.

Now, taking a (lined) jacket down 2 sizes (to a size 6, which is what I essentially ended up with) is about the limit of what a seamstress can do reasonably easily, based on what I know. In my case, my seamstress did not slim down the arms or take in the shoulders, but she did slim down the sides quite a bit (and closed the flap in the back in the process). I probably should have taken before and after photos, but you know I’m not nearly organized enough for that kind of thing. Oops. The bottom line is that the blazer fits me pretty well now — J. Crew schoolboy blazers are always a bit boxy on me, and this one kept its original lines through the alterations.

I paid about $65 for the alterations. I generally do not recommend buying thrifted pieces that require such expensive alterations, because the whole endeavour can get pricey, quickly. In this case, I think the blazer was worth it, because I knew I’d have to pay the same or more if I were to hunt it down on eBay. And that is my tip today: if you find a good quality piece that you like/want/need for a low initial investment, sinking a bit of extra money into alterations to make it fit could be worthwhile when you’re paying less than the retail OR even consignment/eBay price.

Moving on. This outfit was my attempt to recreate a picture I found online when I was researching my blazer. I rarely get literal inspiration from retailer’s ads, but this look just spoke to me. I hunted for a pair of grey jeans — the right shade of grey, mind you — for ages before I finally found this J Brand one. The colour is a bit more blue-leaning that I’d like but I think this counts as a solid first effort. Oh yeah, I’m definitely going to keep trying.