Total mommy uniform, right? But if it’s a dress – a thrifted, cheapie dress that the kids have my blessing to destroy with their invariably sticky hands (well, don’t try TOO hard, kids) – I feel a lot … prettier, somehow. Strange, huh? It must be all that extra swish in my step.

Speaking of thrifted things, I needed a pair of knock-about black boots and, being notoriously cheap about practical things (like boots and coats), I decided to have a look at Value Village. I have never had any luck with boots there before – not that I’ve looked particularly hard – but these Bandolinos don’t look half bad. Other than one small knick in the (real!) leather on the instep, they look pretty much new. For $14, I’m happy. I’m rough on my boots, and winter around these parts isn’t kind either, so I’m glad to have a pair I can abuse without feeling wasteful. Obviously, they’re not the “walking three miles in the snow” kind of boots, but … let’s face it, I’m not about to do that in any case. There’s lots of room for extra thick socks, so they’ll do just fine for my commuting needs.

Ok, one last twirl!

This grey Joe Fresh dress is one of my fave fall 2015 purchases, and one of my current fave things to wear. It’s so easy to dress up or down, and the heathered grey colour is perfect for a fall palette. Last I heard, you could still find this dress online (on sale!), and I would definitely recommend it. Size up if you don’t want the fit to be too body-con (I did). I’ve also seen what looks to be a ruched version of it in stores right now; that might be a good option for anyone concerned that this is too shapeless. Me, I love a good tube dress/potato sack – the remixing possibilities are endless, and it’s perfect for the holidays. Call it the dress version of Joey Tribbiani’s stretchy Thanksgiving pants.

Twelve years is how long this dress (now skirt) has been in my closet. I know, because I remember clearly the day I bought it. It was June 2003, and I was on a Contiki tour of France. (Anyone else remember those? Are Contiki tours still a thing?) I saw the strapless version of this H&M dress worn by another girl on my tour, and fell in love immediately. Something about that Georgia O’Keefe-like print just spoke to me. And I don’t even like yellow!

This was long before H&M came to Canada, but I was already familiar (and smitten) with the brand after a previous trip to Switzerland; it was a revelation – cute, trendy, and affordable, like a “grown up”, European version of Forever21. Anyway, back in France, I lucked out. I spotted the dress (in a halter-neck style) at the H&M store in Paris on my second last day, and immediately bought it even though it was kind of expensive for my budget at the time. It’s 100% silk, which may have had something to do with the price.

For years, I held on to it, even after I stopped fitting into it, because it was just too beautiful to give up. (Side note: this dress is proof of the vanity sizing madness that’s taken over in the last decade. This dress was labelled a European size 36 (US 6) and truly fits like a current size 2 or smaller. If I hadn’t converted it into a dress, there is no way I could fit into it.) I never really liked the halter style, though, so a few years ago, I asked my grandmother to turn it into a skirt, hoping the alteration would make it more wearable. The top part of the dress was just plain yellow anyway – no loss.

Sadly, it was not to be. After my second pregnancy, I bid adieu to my size 6-wearing days, and the skirt got pushed into the deepest recesses of my overflow closet. I almost got rid of it, on more than one occasion. But then! In a twist of fate, the skirt fits again once more. If that’s not some kind of sign – that I should be wearing it! – I don’t know what is.

I kept the rest of the outfit here pretty simple, so as not to compete with that gorgeous print, but couldn’t resist throwing in a couple of sparklies. I love me some brooch-on-scarf action. Almost as much as this skirt, and its long history.