The Afternoon Date

Dress, Ted Baker; hat, Aritzia; shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag, Longchamp (thrifted)
Dress, Ted Baker; hat, Aritzia; shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag, Longchamp (thrifted)

So, yes – we are those lame people who out go for “date nights” in the afternoon, and have dinner at 5. Secret’s out, peeps! I mean, it wasn’t much of a secret, but now you have confirmation. Since we rely on the kindness of our parents when it comes to babysitting (and are lucky enough to enjoy it on the regular), we try to minimize the number of late nights that we spend frolicking around town. And by “frolicking”, I mean grabbing some sushi at our fave joint down the street, and puttering around in my husband’s 1974 Beetle. Have I told you lately about my glamorous life?

Ahem.

Getting dressed up for the mid-afternoon is a dicey proposition, but fortunately, I’ve never had too many qualms about being over-dressed. Throwing a snazzy hat into the mix makes things (like this silk Ted Baker dress) seem more casual and laid back, no?

sans hat
sans hat
all the leopard printed details ...
all the leopard printed details …

And speaking of the dress, wasn’t it a great find for $18? I’m loving the black, white, mustard yellow colour palette going on (I must have fall on the brain already), and the vaguely Art Nouveau-ish print is interesting too – and a nice departure from my usual print suspects (stripes, florals, repeat). Pairing it with leopard print flats was kinda bold, but I’m digging the results.

... now you see it ...
… now you see it …
... now you don't ...
… now you don’t …

Meowww

Dress, Calvin Klein (gift); sweater, Joe Fresh; shoes, Anne Klein; bag, Mulberry (via eBay)
Dress, Calvin Klein (gift); sweater, Joe Fresh; shoes, Anne Klein; bag, Mulberry (via eBay)

I know … the title is lame, but when you’re rocking two different animal prints, what else are you going to go with? This dress was a birthday present from a dear friend, who apparently knows my style better than I do.

brown on brown on brown
brown on brown on brown
pretty bag ... also brown
pretty bag … also brown

Jersey sheath dresses like this one are a godsend for hourglass shapes, and comfortable as heck as long as they’re not too tight. You can kind of see what the dress does for my figure in the picture below: hello, tiny waist illusion – I heart you!

candid camera - thanks, husband!
candid camera – thanks, husband!

You know what else I heart? This Joe Fresh oatmeal coloured cardigan. I was gutted when I accidentally ripped a hole in it last year, and desperately hunted for a replacement; it was long sold out, and I ended up buying a cream Theory cardigan at Winners for double the price (on massive sale!), but I still come back to this one, every time. Luckily, the hole was fixable, and boy am I glad. I will definitely be crying hot tears when it eventually disintegrates from constant wear. Joe Fresh might be hit-and-miss, but the hits are pretty darn fantastic.

but seriously, all the brown
but seriously, all the brown

Minimalism, My Way

Dress, Joe Fresh; shoes, Zara; necklace, J. Crew; hat. Aritzia; bag, Longchamp (thrifted)
Dress, Joe Fresh; shoes, Zara; necklace, J. Crew; hat. Aritzia; bag, Longchamp (thrifted)

A grey tube dress is the height of minimalism, yes? Of course, being me, I am going to add a bunch of accessories, but considering the restrained colour palette, I think we can still call this a minimalist look. Work with me here, people!

avec topper
avec topper
sans topper
sans topper
she hulk (what is going on with my upper body here??)
she hulk (what is going on with my upper body here??)

I have been thinking about this outfit since my trip to Van, where I picked up the hat, shoes and necklace, but decided to pass on the dress. In my mind’s eye, these pieces went together well, but I hesitated over the dress because I wasn’t sure if it was versatile enough to merit the price ($29 at Joe Fresh). A style like this can be too body-con for my taste, and I hate having to wear shapewear for anything less than the most special of occasions. But I kept thinking about the dress, and after seeing it on a co-worker, I decided to take the plunge. I bought a size up from my usual (I’m wearing a Medium) so I wouldn’t (hopefully) have to worry about sucking in, but still enjoy the streamlined cut of the dress. And you know what? It’s such a nice blank canvas, you guys. I have a ton of ideas for how I can wear it, and the heathered grey is a perfect dark neutral without being as stark as black. [As you know, I struggle with black dresses.]

Looking at these photos, I realize that these Zara flats make my (already big) feet look ginormous, but … I kinda don’t care? They’re sort of almost ugly in an interesting, high fashion way – which, come to think of it, is a good way to describe a lot of the stuff sold at Zara. That sort of thing is usually too “advanced style” for me, but I think it, well, sort of works in this case. Yes? Yes!

But, to be on the safe side, I’ve been experimenting with other footwear options too. To wit:

shoes, Pour La Victoire
shoes, Pour La Victoire
hello, heatwave!
hello, heatwave!