Blue Collar Red Lipstick

25
Jan
2016

Hitchcock at the Office

Sweater, Judith & Charles (via consignment); skirt, Valentino (via consignment); necklace, Alexis Bittar; shoes, Prada; bag, Louis Vuitton

Last week was rough; between a tough project at work, trying to find time to write, and some personal issues, I was just about done. By Friday, I had more or less decided to hit “pause” on the blog, just to get some breathing room. Having to work on Saturday didn’t help matters. Sunday turned out to be a great day, however – not least because I got my first (5 star!) book review on Amazon US. I was so freaking excited! I have a feeling I have one of you guys to thank for that, so – thank you! You have no idea how much it means. More to the point here, it made me realize that, as much as writing this blog can sometimes be a source of stress, it has also brought me so many opportunities to connect with some really cool people. So, here I am.

Ahem. So, the outfit. I called this “Hitchcock at the office”, because the vibe of the sweater (and skirt) reminded me of something Tippi Hedren might have worn.

Hitchcockian ... redhead? — Hitchcockian … redhead?

The sweater is by Judith & Charles, which is a brand I knew nothing about until I started seeing it at Holt’s (last year?). I think it’s Canadian, but I’m not sure. In any case, I was pretty happy to find this sweater for $20 – I love the boatneck style, and it’s an uber-soft cashmere blend. I’m also, dare I say it, becoming a fan of this oatmeal colour. My friend J., who hates beige, will not approve, I’m sure. But we can still be friends, right?

this one's for you, J ;) — this one’s for you, J 😉

21
Jan
2016

Mauve-ing Along

categories: style

Skirt, blouse & shoes, J. Crew (via consignment); jacket, BR (via consignment); bag, MbMJ

… from this terrible pun. Is this colour even mauve? That’s what I’m calling it, anyway. I think it pairs nicely with navy, although the whole effect is a bit … subdued. Oh well. Let’s hashtag this one #adulting.

close-up of the ... fuzzies on my shirt, apparently — close-up of the … fuzzies on my shirt, apparently

Can you believe this skirt is a 10P? It fits very similar to my size 4 version, although it does sit about 2 inches lower on my waist. I don’t get J. Crew sizing, I really don’t.

pigeon toe ... aaaaand we're done — pigeon toe … aaaaand we’re done

20
Jan
2016

Vintage Style

categories: style, Thrifting

Dress, vinatge (thrifted); shoes, Ivanka Trump; bag, Marc Jacobs (via eBay)

This is the vintage dress I thrifted last month – it’s quite lovely, isn’t it? The floral pattern looks rather modern to me, so maybe it’s not as vintage as I assumed based on the construction of the dress (the lining and hems are exquisite). Or, perhaps, abstract florals have been a thing for a long time.

Close ups:

necklace, Cleo; earring, vintage (via eBay)

Of course, because it’s winter and because I wore this to work, I added a topper in the form of my cream coloured Theory cardigan (a Winners clearance rack find from last year). I like how the relaxed style of the cardigan modernizes the classic vibe of the dress. The gold shoes were a more recent Winners clearance find. I think they’re a surprisingly versatile alternative to nude pumps; the gold is subtle, not too disco, although the I did get a “twinkle toes” comment from a cheeky co-worker.