Falling for the Season

Lilka knot dress; Lilka purple print dress
Dress, Lilka (thrifted); cardigan, Joe Fresh; scarf, consignment; boots, Josef Seibel; bag, MbMJ (via eBay)

Fall is not usually much of a season around these parts. There’s summer, then two weeks of rain, then a month or so of 5 degree weather, then snow. (For 5 months. In case you were wondering.) I guess you can call that fall. It’s nothing to write home a blog post about.

But.

This year, we’ve had a lovely fall. The leaves have been changing colour for a few weeks now (as opposed to 3 hours on an afternoon when no one is looking, the way it usually happens), the temperatures have been mild, and we’ve had some truly glorious, warm & sunny days. Basically, the kind of fall that’s perfect for fashun blogging. Layers? Knits? Scarves? Boots? (But, like, cute boots, not the ugly, practical kind.) Check, check, check, and check.

Lilka knot dress; Lilka purple print dress
plum + oatmeal

We took advantage of one of those beautiful fall days to check out the Edmonton Corn Maze. The maze itself was cool, if a little worse for wear (understandably so, as we visited towards the end of its season), but we didn’t get much time to enjoy it; I had to navigate us out of it in record time (26 minutes!) because Luka had earlier spotted the kids’ trampoline area and immediately lost all interest in everything else. In addition to the aforementioned kid magnet, there were a few other attractions on the grounds, including a mini-train, spud gun range, hay bale slide, and petting zoo. Worth a (quick) trip out of town if you’re looking for something to do with the kidlets on a warm fall day.

edmonton corn maze
there was a barn …
edmonton corn maze
… and lots of corn …
edmonton corn maze
… and a baby billy goat …

I don’t consider myself a fall fanatic (hey, I just had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte not that long ago), but I’m growing fonder of it with every sunny day we’re getting this October. How about you? What are you doing to take advantage of our glorious weather?

Lilka knot dress; Lilka purple print dress
all the fall colours

Another New Dress

Anthropologie Meadow Rue Batik dress
Dress, Anthropologie (via eBay); blazer, Talula (via Kijiji); necklace, J. Crew; shoes, J. Crew; bag, MbMJ (via eBay)

Can you handle it? There is always room for one more dress in my closet, in case you were wondering. This is definitely on the casual (and short) side for work, but I wore it on a busy Thursday when everyone was in get-it-done panic mode over a big project – so, basically, no one noticed. Probably. And I got to wear a pretty frock on a stressful day. Sometimes, it’s the little things, you guys.

Anthropologie Meadow Rue Batik dress
moar dress

Skirting the Issue

Moulinette Soeurs Tropica Jacquard Dress
Skirt, Anthropologie (thrifted); blouse & cardigan, J. Crew Factory; shoes, Cole Haan; bag, MbMJ (via eBay)

Anthro lovers out there might recognize this skirt; actually, it used to be a dress. This one:

Moulinette Soeurs Tropica Jacquard Dress
Moulinette Soeurs Tropica Jacquard Dress

I thrifted this dress, new with tags, towards the end of my last pregnancy (if memory serves). Basically, I loved the print and figured the size would more or less work – or be made to work – with my post-pregnancy body. Except it didn’t. At all. It was too big in the bust, and gave me the dreaded Strapless Sheath Pooch. (You know what I’m talking about, right?) Even from the best angle, it looked … not good.

I tried to sell it, but quickly realized that I would never get my money back (all $20 of it), and I couldn’t quite bear to part with it for the $5-8 I’d make through consignment. I still really loved the print. What to do? The bottom half of the dress fit nicely, so making it into a skirt seemed like a good solution. (Side note: I used to be really reluctant about drastically altering clothes until I realized that there is nothing special, necessarily, about the original design. It may or may not be the ideal design for my body or preferences. If your chances of recouping a good portion of the purchase price through resale are low, I say go ahead and alter clothes to your heart’s content.)

All in all, I think things all turned out for the better. In my line of work, one can never have too many cute pencil skirts. Can’t say the same about Strapless Sheath Pooch.

Moulinette Soeurs Tropica Jacquard Dress
everything’s coming up roses