I was at the mall recently because Banana Republic was running a 40% off everything sale and I figured it was my best chance to get some of their Argent+Aureus jewelry for a decent-ish price. In case you were wondering, this is what I got:

Stunning, right? My honest review is that the design is fabulous and the stones are beautiful (but only buy in person, because I’ve also seen very blah/grey labradorites being used), but the quality otherwise is very meh. I am skeptical about the durability of the gold tone finish; the ring is already starting to tarnish slightly. At the sale price, this isn’t egregious but I would be deeply wary of buying any of their A+A stuff at full price.

I have been seeing a few comments on Reddit about the “renaissance era” of Banana Republic so this was a good opportunity to check it out. Some Redditors are calling it “affordable MaxMara” which struck me as a stretch, tbh. Maybe MaxMara quality has declined lately, idk. Current BR doesn’t quite strike me as being anywhere near that quality level, though it does appear to be a lot better than the last 10 years or so. The designs are much improved as well, at least in my opinion. What’s for sure is that BR prices have become very aspirational. Most pants and skirts seem to start around $200 and go up from there. On sale, with extra discounts, it’s worth checking out, as I do enjoy the elevated aesthetic they are currently offering.

But, as always, when I go to the mall, the question in my head is “can I thrift that for less”? I like to go into stores – BR and Zara are my faves for this – to see what’s new and figure out whether I’m likely to find it for less secondhand.  So let’s have a look!

Leather skirt

This retails for $650CAD at BR. This silhouette is relatively easy to find in vintage iterations, with or without a front slit. Vintage leather is usually great quality; the only thing to watch out for is cigarette smells which can be hard to get rid of. I have a Gap leather skirt from 2000 which is almost identical and cost me less than $25. Danier is another brand worth keeping an eye out for.

Same story with this leather mini skirt, which retails for $530CAD. This flared silhouette will be a little bit harder to find than a basic mini, but there are similar options out there. For example, this LizSport skirt listed for $36 on Poshmark is quite nice:

Verdict: Thrift

Waistcoat

Vests and waistcoats are very trendy right now. This one retails for $190CAD at BR. I am happy to report that thrift stores always have a decent selection of waistcoats, including ones inspired by men’s suiting. I recently thrifted a vintage wool Mexx vest for around $5; I love its 90s vibe:

Verdict: Thrift

Wide Leg Pants

These wool pants retail for $240CAD at BR. The fact that they’re not even lined makes me side-eye the price a bit, but the design is really good. This is a category where I find that vintage falls short. I do have a pair of early-2000s, wide leg wool pants from Aritzia – which are lined!! – but they are a very low-rise so the silhouette is noticeably different. I have not been able to find older vintage trousers that replicate this current version of the wide-leg pant, and vintage wool pants on the whole are hard to find (polyester is more common). This is an item I may keep an eye on, to possibly catch on clearance sale at the end of the season. I like this silhouette a lot, so it would be worth a little “investment” because I can see myself wearing it for at least a few years.

Verdict: Retail

Oversize Shirting

I saw this at Zara but there are versions available all over the place, at various price points. But why buy retail when you can thrift a vintage (or new) men’s shirt and get that same oversized vibe and coolness factor for a fraction of the price. Thrift stores are overflowing with men’s shirts – WFH has decreased the demand substantially, I imagine. Just keep an eye on the collar to make sure they’re in good condition.  I have added a few vintage Ralph Lauren shirts to my collection including this one, which is my fave:

Verdict: Thrift

Sheer Things

Sheer skirts, tops and dresses are a big trend this year. They come in many flavours, often with a 90s twist which makes sense because sheer was also a Thing in those days. Some sheer things are easy enough to find at the thrift stores; mesh tops in particular, because they’ve been percolating in the market for a while. Sheer items made of other fabrics (non-mesh) are harder to find. I have not seen a lot of vintage iterations of this trend floating around (no pun intended), perhaps because of the inherent fragility of the materials, perhaps because it was never a trend that achieved full-market saturation so there would be fewer pieces left behind. On the whole, my personal strategy in situations like this is to spend at least a few weeks checking Poshmark and the thrifts, and if nothing interesting pops up AND I’m still very into the trend, then I will consider retail. In this particular case, by a VERY lucky stroke, I was able to find a nearly identical vintage DKNY skirt on Poshmark; it didn’t end up costing me less than the H&M version above would have, but I am sure the quality is much better (plus, the H&M skirt was sold out everywhere).

Verdict: It’s a toss-up!

Details: Toni T dickie, Ralph Lauren vest, Ports blazer, Chicwish skirt (all thrifted), Mia shoes (retail)

Thoughts: This is a Molly Goddard-inspired outfit, and not for the first time. I just love the juxtaposition of the preppy top half and the exuberant tulle skirt, and this is probably my favourite iteration to date. All I can say is, I’m glad I work from home. Although … I might actually wear this to this office. I feel like it could straddle the line, especially since my role is internal not outward-facing. Not to mention, in a now-hybrid office, there are fewer people around to judge. It’s hard for me to gauge, though, if and how much office dress norms have changed post-pandemic since I’m rarely in the office. But I digress. If I wanted to make this outfit more “conservative”, I would switch out the skirt for something non-tulle, but with a similarly full silhouette. I do love the frothiness though.

Details: Revello top (retail), Ralph Lauren blazer, BCBG belt, Oak & Fort jeans (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I’ve had this classic Ralph Lauren crest blazer for a few years but this is my first time wearing it. I’m glad I held on to it; similar styles are going for well over $100 on Poshmark these days. And I’ve never seen one quite like this one — they’re usually much shorter and blazer-like (I have one of those too). This is almost coat-length, but blazer weight. It’s unusual and I like unusual things. I’ve seen them styled with belts so I wanted to try that, but I struggled with finding the right belt — both in terms of proportions, but also something that would not clash with the gold hardware on the jacket. I finally landed on this tan wrap belt, and I am very pleased with how it looks. I’m planning to play around some more, and try some outfits with the jacket worn open and with different bottoms (maybe a skirt?).

Details: Tommy Hilfiger shirt, Mexx vest, Topshop pants, Ferragamo shoes, Lulu Frost necklace (all thrifted)

Thoughts: My tried and true formula, remixed with different pieces. I really enjoyed the subtle pattern mixing here; each piece has its own pattern, but the colour palette is similar and the patterns relatively sedate so this doesn’t read as super bold.

Details: Revello top (retail), LNA dress, Only & Sons jacket (thrifted), Laredo boots (consignment), Picasso tote (Poshmark)

Thoughts: This wouldn’t be a weekly recap without some 90s revival. I’m so pleased with this oversized (it’s actually a men’s) denim jacket and these boots. The 90s energy is strong. I did the baby tee-layered-under-a-dress thing to go along with that. This dress was a bit of a risk, but I thrifted it based on its layering potential — that deep V neckline allows for the base layer to be seen. It’s quite body-con, which I usually avoid, but I like it paired with an oversized jacket; it creates a nice contrast plus gives me some extra coverage.

Details: Blondie top, Ralph Lauren blazer, Oak & Fort jeans (all thrifted), H&M belt, Mia shoes (both retail)

Thoughts: Another 90s fit and another little experiment. I know that oversized blazers have been trendy for a while, but it took me some time to acclimatize to the idea. As always, my instinct was to turn to the thrifts once I was ready to proceed, and eventually I found this vintage Ralph Lauren blazer. It’s a few sizes larger than my usual, which gives it that perfect “borrowed from the boyfriend” vibe. It’s also dark grey colour with a subtle stripe, which has that classic suiting connotation. Makes for good juxtaposition with casual outfits like this one.

Over the summer, I settled into a good grove with my art projects. A slow but steady pace which produced some hoops I’m really proud of. I’m choosing to focus on interesting design and technical complexity over quantity, and I feel good about it. I am working on disengaging myself from a monetization/commercialization mindset, which makes the volume of production an irrelevant metric. It may sound contradictory, in that context, but I have also signed up for one art market this year. It will be held in November at the same venue as the one I did last year; familiarity was the deciding factor. Plus, the fact that there will be a vintage market held there on the same day, and I’m hoping I can sneak in a little bit of shopping 😉

However, heading into fall, I am not planning to change my pace. I have a few designs lined up to work on that I’m excited about, but I am not rushing to create more “stock” for the market. In the past, I debated whether to create “product” at more entry-level pricing (i.e. smaller and/or less complex pieces) or diversify my offerings. I’ve seen some embroidery artists sell prints of their hoops, for example, but that doesn’t resonate with me — to me, part of the joy of an embroidered piece is tactile, and without the texture, I feel like something is lost. So while I know this will forever hamper my ability to make money from my art, I’ve chosen not to pursue these other options. It’s funny … the similarities to my approach to blogging aren’t lost on me. I have niche aesthetic sensibilities and it seems that I’d rather be stuck in a tiny niche forever than change my creative expression to chase a bigger market. It’s a good thing that I have a day job, lol!

Anyway, here’s what I’ve been working on lately.

I started to explore a slightly different aesthetic with this semi-abstract still life composition. I love paintings that use big, bold blocks of colour, and am always looking for ways to achieve a similar vibe with floss. It’s difficult because large areas of satin stitch (which looks smooth and flat like paint) are tricky to execute, so I have to get creative about cutting up the canvas into manageable “chunks”. Here, I also experimented with a limited colour palette.

This was another hoop in a similar vein (series?) but featuring a slightly brighter colour palette. I struggled with this one a bit more than the previous, but I am happy with how it turned out in the end.

This Van Gogh-inspired design has been waiting for quite a while; I was digging through an old design notebook, came across it and decided it was finally time. I am glad I waited. My original plan, last year, had been to use mostly satin stitch, and I don’t think that would have been quite as successful. Now that I’ve had a lot more practice with yarn-painting techniques, I felt confident to change the execution plan and tackle this in a more impressionistic style, which is certainly more true to the original inspiration. Very pleased with this one.

For this piece, I went back to my own paintings for inspiration. This was based on an acrylic painting I made back in 2018.

Again, the experience I’ve gained over the last year or so enabled me to tackle a design that is more complicated than previous ones (though it may not look like it). It’s a good reminder to self that, even though it may not feel like it, I am constantly learning and improving my technical skills. I have a few designs sketched on paper which are a little scary because I don’t have a very solid plan for how I’ll execute them, but I think I’m going to just “go for it” and trust that I’ll be able to figure it out as I go.