Florals for the Holidays

Dress, Moschino; sweater, J. Crew Factory; bag, MbMJ (via consignment); boots, Bandolino (thrifted)
Dress, Moschino; sweater, J. Crew Factory; bag, MbMJ (via consignment); boots, Bandolino (thrifted)

Realistically, it’s florals every day of the year for me – or pretty darn close – but this is the version I wore for Christmas dinner with my folks. It was a low-key get together (although the kids made it loud enough for a party five times the size of ours) so my outfit was probably on the dressy side but I couldn’t resist the chance to wear one of my fave dresses. Worn under a sweater, even a fancy dress can look fairly casual. Most importantly, a fit ‘n flare style can be just as comfy as stretchy pants when it comes time for a festive feast.

yellow bag = happy outfit?
yellow bag = happy outfit?
looking for ... my coat?
looking for … my coat?

I will admit, I was pretty cold when we took these pictures but blogging needs must and all that. A coat, while practical, would have just been in the way. (Don’t worry, mom, I put on my coat right after we took these photos.) I was more laissez faire about my outerwear on this occasion since I already had my traditional Christmas cold, and I operate under the firm belief that it is not possible to catch a cold while you’re already sick. Well, I probably should revisit that theory because, yes, apparently it IS possible to get sick whilst being sick … as my second sore throat in 2 weeks can attest. (Can one get sick from not wearing appropriate outerwear, or did my mom lie? Fran would know the answer, I’m sure.)

I hope you guys are staying warm, dry, safe and healthy this season.

brrrrrrrrr!
brrrrrrrrr!

15 Favourite Outfits of ’15

mooooody
mooooody
So, 2015. Quite a year, yeah?

I’m still feeling too burnt out to do any substantive retrospectives (which is too bad, because I had so many ideas earlier in the year), but I figured I owed this wonderful, stressful, crazy year at least one wrap-up post – and what better than a “best of” post? If you’ve been reading along these past 12 months – first of all, thanks! – then you will have seen most of these outfits before, but let’s take a minute or two and revisit the evidence that I am occasionally capable of putting together a legitimately cute outfit.

In reverse chronological order …

starry goth
starry goth

The “starry night dress” … which looks like a skirt here. I rarely wear all black, but I loved this take on “goth Adina”. L-to-the-OL.

Anthro skirt love
Anthro skirt love

The “whimsical thrifted skirt” outfit … which would be all that I would wear in the alternate universe in which Library Studies became my chosen career path (see original post here).

feeling bluuuuue
feeling bluuuuue

The “blueberry, 2015 edition” outfit … which is me at my most monochromatic – nary a floral in sight (see original post here).

angsty florals?
angsty florals?

The “camo florals” outfit … which expresses my deep and abiding love for pinning sparkly things on chunky knit scarves. I have very specific loves, what can I say (see original post here).

grey tube dress
grey tube dress

The “everyday grey dress” (aka closet superstar) outfit … which I have worn more times than I care to count (see original post here – I called this one early).

oh la la
oh la la

The “midi skirt romance” outfit … which is one of my fave silhouettes of the year (see original post here).

The “moody florals at the office” outfit … which is one of my most popular looks ever, believe it or not (see original post here).

never made it to the blog :(
never made it to the blog 🙁

The “I can pull off a white blazer after all” outfit … which apparently never made it to the blog. Huh. It’s a good outfit, you guys.

looking sharp
looking sharp

The “no really, white blazers are awesome” outfit … another early contender for fave outfit (see original post here).

twirl, twirl, baby
twirl, twirl, baby

The “twirliest dress” outfit … no, really, watch me twirl here.

serious pants
serious pants

The “Gangs of New York pants” outfit … we all remember this one, right? If not, you can check it out here, if nothing else to revisit my husband’s stellar photoshop skills.

hello, class
hello, class

The “English professor” outfit … which I have also worn a few times, in slightly (but only slightly) different iterations this year (see original post here).

pink by any other name...
pink by any other name…

The “ubiquitous blush blazer” outfit … I could have picked any number of variations here, but I have a weakness for this skirt, so here’s your winner (see original post here).

shorts story
shorts story

The “Adina found a hat, at last” outfit … which also proves I wore shorts this year. All kinds of shorts.

ahhh, so good
ahhh, so good

Last, but not least, the “old, dependable dress” outfit … which never gets old, really (see original post here).

And, just because I have an impossible time picking, a few runners up:

pop of colour writ large
pop of colour writ large
my favourite sweatshirt
my favourite sweatshirt
the happiest outfit
the happiest outfit

And there you have it, folks. Thanks for sticking with me for another year, and I hope to see you all again next year. And before I bow out for 2015, I have one last announcement to make.

Drum roll …

No, I’m not having another baby … except that I kinda did. I had a book baby, you guys. And that baby is here, finally! I’m excited and scared s**tless, to be honest, and I debated right up till I hit “publish” whether to include a (non-affiliate, haha) link to it or not. Please don’t feel obliged to buy it, but if you do, I hope you enjoy it. Like all first time (book) parents, I’m pretty proud of it and think it’s the cutest (book) baby ever … which, of course, is entirely subjective. It does have a really kickass cover, and that’s a fact.

Happy New Year!

Stars & Ruffles

Dress, Banana Republic (swap); belt, Holt Renfrew (via consignment); cardigan, J. Crew (via consignment); boots, Bandolino (thrifted)
Dress, Banana Republic (swap); belt, Holt Renfrew (via consignment); cardigan, J. Crew (via consignment); boots, Bandolino (thrifted)

Remember this dress? You may not, since I wore it, half-covered up, as a skirt last time. But here it is, in all its glory. It’s a pretty cute dress, ruffles and all. I ended up adding a cami underneath because it’s quite low cut, and I was going to a 3-year old’s birthday party – no need to scare the young ones, haha!

outfit on the cheap
outfit on the cheap
stars or paint drips?
stars or paint drips?

This was a great example of one of my fave kinds of outfits: an inexpensive one, of course. Altogether, it cost under $75 – including accessories – through a combination of swapped, thrifted, and consignment pieces. The belt was actually the most expensive item: a made in Italy, braided leather Holt Renfrew branded belt ($30). Not bad at all.

the 80s called and want their side-swept hair back? too bad
the 80s called and want their side-swept hair back? too bad