Double Leopard

So, here’s the medium-long story: I thrifted this Anthro skirt a while ago, taking something of a gamble on the size which didn’t quite pan out. Rather than try to squeeze myself into it, I decided to sell it. Except it didn’t sell. I was tidying up my basement recently and setting aside stuff for donation, when I saw the skirt and decided to give it another try. Maybe the stars were aligned; maybe my lunch that day was a little lighter. Whatever the reason, the skirt seemed to fit better. So I decided to give styling it a whirl. And I don’t know what came over me, but the first thing I grabbed was this Phillip Lim x Target blazer. The colours match, and the prints are similar, albeit different scales. It’s so wrong, yet somehow it works just right. This outfit has me excited for the possibilities of this skirt.

Waisted

I know you will all get sick of this belt soon enough, but for now, it’s my favourite accessory. It transforms everything and makes every outfit a little bit more interesting.

Pattern Play

On IG, I called this outfit my Joan of Arc/Joan Holloway mash-up, and I stand by that. This skirt skews a little too “traditional pencil skirt” for my taste — I wish it were longer — so I am looking for ways to make it more intriguing (to me). Pairing it with a futuristic print helps.

A Colourful Display

I have been eyeing this dress online for years, but never pulled the trigger. Then, when I finally spotted it at the thrift store, I had some reservations; it’s made from that kind of soft, drapey jersey that hugs every curve and bump and I’m not interested in wearing Spanx. I ended up getting it because I love the colour-blocking and you know what? I’m glad I did. The cut of the dress (particularly the top overlay part) is very forgiving, so my bumps have nothing to worry about. It’s a soft, comfy dress you can just throw on and go, and I think it will be a summer staple.

Cupcake Chic

Yes, friends, I finally managed to track down the cream version of my H&M tulle dress. It’s the same, yet not. The vibe is totally different, and I’m glad to have both. I will say that the sizing is a bit of a wild card; my black dress is an XL, and this cream one is a S. They both fit, with varying degrees of extra room. What I prefer about the XL is that it’s longer, on me, and has extra skirt volume. I don’t hate the length of the Small, but as always, wish it were mid-calf. But all that aside, I love this dress and I love it paired with this Anthro cardigan which I rescued from my pile of unsolds. Now I have to figure out if the cardigan is a one-outfit pony, or if I can make it work with other pieces in my closet.

Chartreuse By Any Other Name

This vintage Louben vest was a bit of a thrift fail; I eyeballed the size and knew it would be a tight fit, but I was way off. It’s practically a child-size vest. I can’t come close to buttoning it up. But … there is a silver lining. Left open, it can better showcase the base layer — here, my scarf-print Marni top. I do love this chartreuse colour (it feels fresh and offers lots of combo-pairing potential) so I’m going to keep the vest and play around with it some more. The accessories here were also on point:

Graphic x 2

I found this Icone top and Zara skirt separately; the fact that they look like a coordinating set is pure serendipity, but I simply had to wear them together for that reason. Paired with these Ash sneakers (my faves), this is a no-fail combo.

April Flowers

This Zara dress was an impulse buy on Poshmark, but I think I can say with confidence that it’s a winner. I love how vibrant and cheerful the floral print is; pink is a recent obsession of mine. I also love the cut, especially the full skirt and midi length. It’s on the cusp of being retro, without going full 50s housewife. I will definitely play around with the styling more in the future, but for now, I wanted to wear the dress “as is” (so to speak) the better to showcase its appeal.

Starting with a Bang

Visually, this is a very punchy outfit so I thought it only right to start with it. To make sure you’re paying attention, haha! I was influenced by one of my favourite style IG-ers (@stufflucywore) to start lusting after chunky, brightly coloured cardigans. It wasn’t hard: she makes everything she wears so appealing (hello, graphic tees!) and I was already predisposed to like chunky knits. So when I saw this handmade number on a local vintage reseller’s site, I jumped on it without hesitation. It’s so fabulous! And the attention to detail is impressive – the colours are very thoughtfully arranged, and there is method in the visual chaos. I was debating what to wear it with as an inaugural outfit, and this Acne skirt jumped straight to the head of the line. The colour works so well with the cardigan’s palette, and the mix of textures is *chef’s kiss*. I am also quite pleased with my accessories:

A New(ish) Silhouette

I’m sure you’ve heard by now the battle cry of Millenials and younger Gen X-ers whose love of skinny jeans (and side parts?) has been challenged by the younger Tik Tok generation. I am not strongly militant on either side of this debate, though I have been sorta experimenting with a middle part (growing out my bangs is a desperate project all around) and also with some new denim silhouettes. Not because I’m trying to recapture my youth but because … well, it’s fun to switch things up from time to time, isn’t it? Anyway, as it happened, these Gap denim culottes — they’re called a wide leg crop, or something like that, but let’s just call a spade a spade — came across my path at Goodwill recently and I simply had to give them a whirl. They’re inspiring me to try some new outfit proportions and formulas. This one, featuring a long-line vintage Escada cashmere (!) blazer and graphic tee, has a nice vintage vibe to it that I quite like.

Casual Fancy

This Maria Cornejo dress is a glorified bathrobe, but it’s super easy to dress it up. Just add belt. Instant outfit makeover. I can go from the couch to a cocktail party in 30 seconds flat. I don’t *need* to, mind you, but I could.

Navy & Red

I don’t wear a lot of navy, as it’s never been one of my go-to neutrals, but I have to say that it looks quite sharp paired with red. Here, I used the skirt to echo the balloon shape of the blouse sleeves; it’s the kind of little detail that amuses me. But, really, this is a pretty basic, no-brainer kind of outfit so I can’t take much credit for styling chops on this one.

Black & White

I’ll end the post with another one of my faves from last week. I’ve done a lot of B&W outfits in the past, and this is one of the simpler ones but I love it. Instead of using red as an accent, I went with gold. Chunky gold jewelry, to be precise. The focal piece, in my opinion, is this fabulous Oak & Fort blouse; it has strong Simone Rocha vibes, which is my current obsession. I thrifted the same style in black a while back, and eventually hunted this white version Poshmark because I love it so much. The sleeves are just perfection. This is the Large size (my black top is size Small) which means a little extra room in the body, a little extra length, and a little extra drama in the sleeves. It’s just long enough to loosely tuck into this Zara skirt – another recent Poshmark buy. I was drawn to the abstract face print, and I love the cut of it, but the quality is on the lower end for Zara. Ah well.

The beginning of a new year is usually a time of reflection and taking stock. I don’t believe in resolutions but if I did, when it comes to fashion, they would be familiar ones: buy (and sell) secondhand, wear what I love, have fun with it. I would like to go back to doing more thrifting and less Poshmarking, but that’s partially out of my hands – it will depend on how the next few months unfold in terms of the pandemic. Because of that uncertainty, and the likelihood that online “thrifting” will continue to play a big part of my fashion life in 2021, I decided to put together for myself a list of personal trends to guide my future shopping decisions. Basically, these are the things that I’m currently into and would like to add to my closet.

I also did a quick check for items I need to buy or replace. The list, as you may imagine, is very short. I do need a new pair of black tights, some new underwear, and possibly to replace the faux leather leggings that my husband kinda ruined by spilling hand sanitizer on them. However, the damage is not SUPER noticeable, and I don’t really feel like spending $100+ on a replacement pair so … I probably won’t.

As for the rest … here are some of the things I’m loving lately:

Midi hemlines – of course, this is no surprise. Whether we are talking skirts or dresses, slim silhouettes or voluminous ones, midi is the length for me. Technically, it can be anywhere from mid-calf to ankle-length; it’s all good.

Voluminous tiers – I really enjoy a tiered design (see my purple Zara skirt) combined with lots of volume. I like being able to play around with the shape by either belting the volume or wearing it loose. This is a type of design I love for skirts, but especially dresses.

Interesting sleeves – I’m cautiously playing around with puffy sleeves, but they can be tricky because I already have broad shoulders. One type of sleeve, however, that I am really loving lately is the bishop’s sleeve (see my London Skye sweater).

Open, soft jackets – I am trying to avoid the use of the term “kimono” due to its cultural significance, but I still haven’t figured out a good alternative way to describe the type of garment I mean. Plus, there are several iterations I’m interested in, from something more closely resembling a chore jacket to something more like an oversize shrug/wrap (see my Jean Claude Poitras topper). I find these types of jackets really great for my current WFH life; sometimes, I need or want an extra layer, but I don’t necessarily feel like wearing a structured blazer. Plus, these types of jackets can usually be dressed up or down easily.

Large stone rings – I think I have reached that stage of life where I start wearing a ring on every finger. I love big, bold, silver pieces with natural semi-precious stones. My favourites are labradorite, moonstone, turquoise, crysophrase … actually, the list goes on and on.

Patterns – 2019 was all about corporate noir, but in 2020, I started to embrace colour again and I think that will continue in 2021. I am, once more, obsessed with prints. In particular, I love large, graphic prints and mixed patterns. Anything unusual and a little bit kooky. Think Marni, Dries Van Noten, Marimekko.  

Mermaid blue – this deserves its own entry on the list. It used to be my favourite colour back in the day, and I have fallen in love with it all over again. It’s blue with a lot of green in it, and with a certain translucence to it – not pastel, but not super saturated either.

I have also updated my avatar inspo for the new year – here are the Prince, the Artist, the Adventurer, and the Bohemian in 2021:

Still the same DNA, but with slightly modified silhouettes and vibes. I am especially intrigued to play around with the “pirate queen” version of the Adventurer, although I’m not sure how often I’ll have the chance to do so, lockdowns considered. Ah, but it’s nice to dream!

What is on your “love it” list for 2021?