Details: Alfred Sung blouse, Ralph Lauren skirt, Rebecca Minkoff belt

Thoughts: Guys, I am obsessed with this vintage Alfred Sung blouse! No, but for real. It’s so good! Look at that mixed floral/plaid pattern. Look at those rich jewel tone colours. And it’s silk! Of course, my reflex was to pair it with my favourite plaid skirt and, of course, it looked great. I’ve been saving this blouse all summer and patiently waiting for fall because the colour palette feels so autumnal to me. I managed to get to the end of August until my patience ran out. Can you blame me though?

Details: Eddie Bauer sweater, Banana Republic Factory jeans, J. Crew shoes, Coach bag

Thoughts: Another one of my favourite things at the moment is this nautical sweater. I keep telling people not to sleep on vintage Eddie Bauer, sweaters especially. I love the cotton ones because they’re great for transitional weather; you can wear them when it’s 15-18 degrees (Celsius) and they’re the right weight — warm but not too warm. And Eddie Bauer had some great patterns/designs, like this one. I decided to stick with the classic colour palette, and added jeans and a matching bag. I got quite a few compliments on this outfit, even though it’s incredibly basic.

Details: ElevenParis tee, YSL skirt, Blank NYC jacket, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag, Ash sneakers

Thoughts: I was amused by this image — Saint Kate? LOL! — and for $5, I decided to indulge myself even though I don’t buy graphic tees a lot anymore. For this outfit, I played up a vaguely grungy vibe with a plaid skirt and leather jacket.

Details: Ardene tee, Wilfred dress, Ralph Lauren shirt, Pelican Cove vest, Fluevog shoes

Thoughts: I guess I am now fully committed to a 90s revival. Finding this silk satin slip dress sealed the deal. [Unintentional tongue twister, sorry!] The next logical step was to get a white baby tee and … voila! I’ve joked before that my 90s obsession is a way of healing my adolescent fashion trauma; my family was poor when I was a teenager, and I could not afford to wear all the cool things back then. Now, I can buy to my heart’s content, the second time around. But there is another dimension to this: body image trauma. I was deeply insecure about my body growing up; my relationship with my body was so deeply toxic that it ended up in body dysmorphia and an eating disorder. There were certain things — like cropped tees and slip dresses — that I could never have worn back then, even if I could afford them. It has taken decades of self-work and healing, but I am now at a point where I feel comfortable enough in my own body to wear anything I like. It is ironic, I suppose, that this inner freedom came at a time when, by society’s standards, my body is past its “peak” of physical beauty or whatever. But, at the same time, I see it as a hopeful thing. It’s never too late to reclaim your own power.

Details: Wilfred top, vintage skirt, J. Crew shoes

Thoughts: Rainbow brite aesthetic fully engaged! For me, colour is like a shot of adrenaline straight into the happiness-receptor of the heart. Listen, I just made that up and there is a reason I never attempted med school. What I’m saying is, colour is an instant mood-lifter and some days we need all the help we can get and it’s perfectly okay.

Details: AllSaints blouse, Roksanda skirt, Rebecca Minkoff belt, Manolo Blahnik shoes

Thoughts: This is such a great skirt and I’m still chuffed to have found it. The thrift gods still smile upon me from time to time. Well, I’m not complaining. This entire outfit is thrifted and while it’s taken me years to assemble it (the shoes are the oldest, from 2014), it’s been worth the wait. And the journey was fun. Thrifting is always fun. Having a wardrobe that 20-year-old me couldn’t have even fathomed? Priceless.

Details: Wilfred top, Toni T dickie, Gap pants, Manolo Blahnik shoes

Thoughts: More of my black-and-white pattern extravaganza nonsense. At this point, I just enjoy pulling out b&w pieces from my closet and throwing them together in ever-wilder combinations. Like, I think I need to keep a separate corner reserved just for this. I don’t pull these outfits out often, but at least once a month, one has to happen. They’re very much the opposite of my rainbow outfits, but equally fun.

Details: Ralph Lauren shirt, Mexx vest, Ines de la Fressange x Uniqlo pants, J. Crew shoes

Thoughts: It can’t be an outfit round-up without at least one Ralph Lauren-inspired fit, right? Well, here you are. Fin!

September is a melancholy time of year in many ways … but it’s also the most exciting time of year and I can sum that up for you in 2 words: Fall Fashion. Fall is my favourite sartorial season – that all-too-brief period of time when I can wear all my favourite clothes. Sweaters! Wool jackets and skirts! Coats! All the coats! I love planning my fall fashion “strategy”. As it’s been a while since I’ve done one, I thought it was also a good time to do an avatar review/update. Let’s dig in!

As a quick back-of-the-napkin summary, my avatars are characters that embody the different vibes/ flavours/moods of my personal style. They are the High Priestess/Crone (previously the Prince), the Artist, the Historian (previously the Adventurer), and the Bohemian. You can read my thoughts on the last iteration of my avatars here. Over the years, the influence of each avatar on my actual outfits has waxed and waned. For example, 2018 had big Prince energy: edgy, architectural, dark clothing was my comfort zone. 2020, in contrast, was very Bohemian: colourful, zany, unconventional. In the last few years, I’ve been alternating mostly between the Historian and the Bohemian, with subtle shifts and changes in the flavour of each avatar from season to season.

Taking stock of my sartorial landscape this fall, I think it’s safe to say that the Historian and the Bohemian will remain my primary avatars. I also feel like there is another player coming into the mix. Initially, I wondered whether it was a wholly new avatar, but I’ve decided that it’s simply an evolution of the Artist in a slightly new direction. In the past, the Artist was a character very much under the sign of the moon; a dramatic but soft feminine energy, fluid and elegant. Now, I feel like it has acquired an edge – call it grunge elegance. If it was Mucha before, it’s Basquiat now.

Now let’s put all this into visual terms of reference.

The Historian avatar remains a Luxe Academia crossed with English Manor Chic vibe. I still very much identify this avatar with Diana Bishop from A Discovery of Witches who is a university professor, a witch, AND the wife of a super-rich Anglo-French vampire who looks like Matthew Goode. In other words, my dream life, hahahaha! For fall 2023, here is my Historian style inspo:

The Bohemian avatar has lately had a distinctive Jo-March-meets-Ralph Lauren-on-a-prairie. I’m taking that into fall mode with darker, rich colours and an Edwardian flair:

As for the Artist, I am feeling very inspired by 90s grunge – plaid is a fall staple for me anyway. But this is a dramatic, glam sort of grunge and not too masculine.

I haven’t talked a lot about the High Priestess/Crone avatar, and that’s because this one remains a little bit in the wings, so to speak. It’s not an energy I feel strongly at the moment, so I am content to keep it in reserve for the time being. It might be something that will resurface again in the winter, which is very much a time of regeneration and rebirth when the wise mother aspect of the High Priestess/Crone makes itself felt.

Having taken stock of my inspiration, the next step in my fall fashion planning is to think about what pieces I already have and what pieces I would like to add to my closet, and compile a “thrift hit list” for the season. Stay tuned next week for that!

Details: For Cynthia top, Liz Claiborne dress, Rebecca Minkoff belt, Barbara Barbieri shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I’ve made peace with the fact that the fit of the bodice on this dress (forever favourite) is wonky. This could be easily solved by a tailor … except that I don’t currently know of a good one, and the inertia of my laziness is more powerful than my desire to get a proper fix. So I’m faking it till I can make it (maybe, one day). Usually, this involves hiding the bodice by layering tops over it. I’ve done plenty of combinations of that kind over the years. This time, I decided to layer something under the dress. This also works well as camouflage for the bodice. I loved how this outfit came out, and it reminded me that a white shirt is a versatile layering option for spaghetti strapped dresses. That or a white baby tee … hmmmm.

Details: Emmy Deveaux bodysuit, Gap shirt, Twik jeans, Tommy Hilfiger bag, Isabel Marant belt (all thrifted), J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: I love wearing black and brown together. I find the key to be choosing a brown that isn’t too muddy, so there is enough contrast with the black. I usually pick a whiskey/cognac brown shade, but I like the subtler contrast offered by this rich chocolate colour. The velvet makes it extra lush. And can you believe it? I found a bodysuit that’s actually long enough for my torso. It’s by a local designer and it’s very nice quality; a steal for under $10. I especially love it because it’s a mock neck and sleeveless, which makes it perfect for me as a layering piece. It adds almost no bulk, and the fact it’s a bodysuit means no bunching either.

Details: UO crop top, vintage cardigan, Ralph Lauren skirt (all thrifted), Zara shoes (retail)

Thoughts: I’m calling this Highlands Cottagecore. Wearing this skirt always makes me happy. I’ve been on the fence about this cardigan — is it too twee for me? — but I liked it a lot in this pairing. Keeping it for now.

Details: For Cynthia top, Denim & Supply jacket, Nocona belt (all thrifted), Ralph Lauren skirt (gift), Chie Mihara shoes (swap)

Thoughts: My friend J gave me this vintage Ralph Lauren skirt — she knows my obsession — and I love it. The colour is an unusual greyish brown, which makes it an interesting neutral for outfits. It’s high-waisted and my favourite length too. Of course, I was inspired to put together a Southwestern-lite outfit, very much on theme for my prairie bohemian summer.

Details: UO crop top, H&M pants, Chico’s belt, Barbara Barbieri shoes (all thrifted), Prairie Trail Goods jacket

Thoughts: I realized that I’d hardly worn these pants all summer so I had to rectify that issue right away. I still love these pants so much; they’re incredibly versatile and comfortable. I knew I wanted to wear them with my new black crop top — a very useful recent thrift find, it’s a wardrobe-builder piece for me — and then it was just a matter of adding a topper. I’ve worn a similar outfit before with a vest, so I decided to go a different route this time and try one of my patchwork jackets.

Details: Only & Sons shirt, Margaret Godfrey skirt, AGL shoes (all thrifted), H&M belt (retail), turquoise necklace (Poshmark)

Thoughts: I still haven’t committed to cowboy boots. Yet. The summer is running out, but don’t count them out. In the meantime, I recently thrifted this pair of patent AGL oxfords, so I tried something a little more out of the box for this outfit. This is one of my favourite shoe styles, and I love AGL — always comfortable and great quality. Score! I think they were a good choice for this outfit. They balance the southwestern flavour so it doesn’t overwhelm the outfit. (On second thought, cowboy boots would have DEF been too much.)