Details: Wilfred top, Ralph Lauren skirt (both thrifted), Steve Madden shoes (retail), Warren Steven Scott earrings

Thoughts: I REALLY loved this outfit! I went with a different approach to proportions and was surprised by how much I loved it. The pattern mix was my jam too. Layering my white dickie collar under this short-sleeve top totally changed the latter’s vibe – it suddenly feels almost schoolgirlish (but, like, in a good way). I am still getting used to these double platform shoes. It’s a bit of a love/hate relationship. I like the colour a lot; I find it versatile and it usually puts an unexpected spin on an outfit. But these shoes scuff like crazy. I’ve been able to clean it off (the trick is to wipe the scuffs with a cotton pad soaked in alcohol as soon as possible before the scuff “settles” into the faux leather) but it’s annoying. I’m also struggling with the height of the platform; it feels a bit too exaggerated. I’m getting more used to it, but I’m still not sure I love it. I definitely prefer the platform loafers I got last year. This pair has been a borderline “fail” so far, but maybe they will continue to grow on me. Just being transparent with y’all: we all make mistakes sometimes.

Details: Ines de la Fressange x Uniqlo shirt, J. Crew vest & blazer, Issey Miyake skirt (all thrifted), turquoise necklace (Poshmark)

Thoughts: This was right up my alley, mixing academichic and southwestern vibes. I’ve “rediscovered” this skirt this year and can’t get enough. The length and cut is versatile enough to blend with the various facets of my current aesthetic, and the details (like the beautiful pleating) elevate it above “just another black skirt”. I can easily dress it up and down, and did I mention it has an elastic waist? It’s one of my most treasured thrift finds because how else am I going to have a little piece of Issey in my life?

Details: Toni T dickie, Everlane sweater (both thrifted), Gap skirt (swap), Mia shoes, BlankNYC jacket (both retail)

Thoughts: Here is that vintage Gap skirt I mentioned in my last post — how perfectly on trend, isn’t it? And look — my fave loafers are back! Best part of spring, hands down, LOL! I love these shoes so much. They’re comfortable and they go with everything. People compliment them every time. Ditto for this faux leather jacket studded with dragonflies. They’re both Nordstrom Rack purchases — rare retail buys in the past couple of years. This is my obligatory RIP Nordstrom Rack mention; Nordstrom is closing its stores in Canada, including the Rack. It was never as good as its US stores (same thing that happened with Target here) but there were occasionally some great pieces to pick up.

Details: Tse sweater, Jil Sander coat, Everlane shoes (all thrifted), Paul Smith pants (Poshmark)

Thoughts: I like camel as a neutral for moody blues and greens; I think it works better than black in many cases. I’ve been playing around lately with scarves as accessories; in recent years, I’ve mostly stuck with large blanket scarves in the winter, but I want to expand my styling and embrace some of the other, lighter (and smaller) scarves I’ve added to my collection. Scarves are a great way to add subtle pattern and texture contrast. I’m loving the look of long scarves under a blazer.

Thoughts: Like that song goes: short skirt and a long jacket. I pulled colours from the jacket to create the palette for the outfit and I’m most proud of the tights, tbh. It’s one of the pairs I bought in Montreal. I think they make the outfit shine.

Details: Tabitha jacket, Salgado Fenwick top, Margaret Godfrey skirt, Zara shoes, Emmanuel belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: This is what I wore for (Orthodox) Easter; I was going to go with something traditional like florals or pastels, and then I found this hipster bunny tee and, well, it was too good an opportunity to pass up. I thrifted the skirt on the same day too, and it’s wonderful. It’s vintage but feels modern because of the high slits. It’s got volume but the denim fabric is soft not stiff, so it has nice movement. It’s a nice alternative silhouette for a denim skirt, complementing the Gap one. They will be great for the spring/summer for days when I want to wear denim but don’t feel like wearing jeans.

Remember the shopping list I prepared back in March? Curious if manifesting worked the odds in my favour? Let’s take a look.

Here are the things I had on my list

Granny boots – I didn’t find a pair yet, but as we move into spring and summer, this is becoming less of a priority item. It will probably move back to the top of the list again come fall.

Colourful tights (and socks) – my best friend read my post and gave me half a dozen pairs of (colourful) tights she doesn’t wear anymore. I also bought a few pairs while I was in Montreal, so I am now ALL SET.

Palazzo jeans – I have not bought a pair to replace the Gap ones I found a while back (which are ok but not perfect) but I did source a candidate (Levi’s). In fact, I was very tempted to buy them online brand new but I backed off in the end because I want to give secondhand another chance first. This remains fairly high on my priority list heading into summer.

Sunglasses – I did not buy a new pair … but I did find an old pair that I thought I had lost so I’m ahead. I consider this an item checked off my list (for now).

Pendleton blanket coat – I FOUND IT!!!! This was my biggest score this spring. I lucked into finding a beautiful vintage Pendleton coat in mint condition for a killer price ($100). I couldn’t be happier about it. This alone could also convince me that manifesting is a real thing, lol!

Club Monaco monogram sweatshirt – A few have popped up on Poshmark, none within the budget I want to spend. Still checking the thrifts every visit, and hoping I’ll get lucky.

Ralph Lauren knits and vintage pieces – I have not found a teddy bear sweater for a good price, but I did score an amazing vintage wool coat in a Pendleton-like pattern. Very happy with this, but I will continue to keep my eyes peeled for more vintage RL pieces.

Patterned co-ord set – this is one item that I didn’t find and I’m ready to remove from my list. It’s just not something that aligns with the direction of my current style.

Paco Rabanne-inspired silver disc skirt – for me, sequins are more of a winter thing, so this has dropped off my priority list for the time being.

And here are a few New Things I added to the list since March:

Black tiered maxi dress

I am cheating with this one because I already found it. It was something I’ve been wanting since last summer, but only recently found one that met my specifications. It’s ankle-length and voluminous, made of linen, and tiered. Perfect for my summer romantic boho outfits. I am very excited to add it to my summer dress rotation.

White maxi dress

I thrifted a white dress last year, but it wasn’t my perfect white summer dress; it was a compromise. As with the black version, I have some strict specifications: it has to be ankle-length and opaque/not see-through; it has to have volume and preferably tiers; and I would love a little bit of broderie anglaise. I have my eye on some options on Poshmark but I am not rushing this purchase. I can wear last year’s dress until I find the right one for the right price.

Denim maxi skirt

It’s not often I jump on super trendy things, but this trend is one of the rare ones that aligns with my personal style. I love slim-line maxi skirts with a slit! I was all ready to hop onto Poshmark … and then I remembered that at last year’s clothing swap a friend of mine gave me a vintage Gap skirt that checks all the boxes! It’s the OG version of this trend, from 2000. Last year, I wasn’t sure about it; I hadn’t worn denim skirts in a long time. So I put it aside, thinking I would put it back into the swap this year. Boy, am I glad I held on to it now! Seeing this type of skirt on my IG feed this year was the push I needed to stretch my comfort zone. So, long story short: this is another item that was on my list and is now (successfully) crossed off.

Vintage Coach and/or Paloma Picasso bag

I’m still kicking myself for selling the vintage 90s Coach bags I had bought back in 2010-2011; when I pivoted to designer bags a few years later, I thought I wouldn’t need them anymore. Wrong! I don’t use my designer bags much anymore, but I would love a small crossbody Coach in that gorgeous vintage leather. Of course, prices have gone through the roof; the Willis bag you could get for under $50 before, now goes for $200+. Sigh, let that be a lesson friends: hold on to your good vintage! I also have my eye on a specific Paloma Picasso bag on Poshmark and am waiting for it to drop down in price. I don’t really need more bags, so these are items I won’t buy unless I stumble on a great deal.

Madras jacket

Madras is basically plaid patchwork so you will not be surprised to see it on this list. Ralph Lauren does madras really well, but I will settle for anything with a good colour paletter regardless of brand.

Big Buckle Birkenstock

I have 3 pairs of Birkenstocks (LOVE them) so I don’t need need more, but I would like to hop on the “big buckle” trend if I get the chance. Unlikely but … come on, manifesting – do your magic!

Cowboy boots

I hesitate to add this to the list because I’m not 100% sure I’m ready to commit to cowboy boots. They would go with my prairie-vibing outfits but am I a cowboy-boot wearing person? I’ve never been to a single rodeo! (Nor do I plan to go) This will be a case of “if I see the right pair, I’ll decide”. I’ve kept my eyes open for a pair over the last few months, but the thrift gods haven’t delivered yet. This is not a top priority item, but a maybe-nice-to-have.

Details: bl^nk London top, Topshop pants, Emmanuel belt (all thrifted), J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: I can’t believe it took me so long to pair these pants and this blouse — they go so well! The pattern mixing makes the outfit feel like a higher-level effort, even though it’s just, well, 2 pieces. Red and blue is an energizing colour combo (it always pops) and I think this is a great shade of blue for it too because it doesn’t read too “primary colours”.

Details: H&M shirt (thrifted), Topshop dress (eBay), Zara shoes (retail), Copper Canoe Woman earrings (gift)

Thoughts: A white shirt is a classic pairing for this dress, but I chose a more unusual version this time. The collar gives it that Wednesday Adams vibe, and I think the boots underscore it. This dress still hits all the right notes for me; the use of the contrast polka dot pattern is such a clever way to maximize this unique pinafore design. I am still low-key looking for the reverse colour version of this dress — black polka dots on a white background. That’s how much I love it.

Details: Babaton turtleneck, Tahari shirt, Frye boots (all thrifted), Ralph Lauren coat (FB Marketplace), Ralph Lauren belt (Poshmark), Everlane pants (swap)

Thoughts: I haven’t used FB for the better part of a decade, so I always forget that Marketplace exists and is actually not a bad platform to find secondhand bargains. I was recently on there because we’re looking for a rug, but I decided to search for “Ralph Lauren” on a whim. And what do you know? I found this mint-condition, 90s wool blanket coat for a steal. It’s going for $300-500 on eBay, and I paid $100 — score! It’s a different colour palette and length from the Pendleton coat I recently found, so I feel like they won’t compete with each other too much. This is a women’s Medium but it has that boxy oversized fit so it’s nice for early spring layering.

Details: corset (Etsy), Rebel Sugar turtleneck (gift), Second Female cardigan, Laura Ashley skirt, Fluevog shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I’m calling this “goth cottagecore” because why not. I wanted to pile on a bunch of florals and really lean into that Ren-Faire vibe, but I felt a bit exposed up top so I decided to add another layer. A white blouse seemed too … expected so I decided to choose outside the box and voila! I don’t know why these photos look like they were taken with a potato instead of an iPhone13, but enjoy this unintended throwback to the early days of my blog.

Details: Ralph Lauren sweater, Gap skirt, Woolrich vest, Stuart Weitzman shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: This outfit is all about the vest-skirt pairing, so I kept everything else simple and clean. In retrospect, I kinda wish I had broken up all the black with a chambray shirt. Oh well! There is always next time.