I started going through my stash of 2000s Vogue magazines recently, and reliving some of the highlights of my mid-20s sartorial life. Well, mostly my dream sartorial life because, as a baby lawyer at the time, my fashion aspirations far outstripped my budget. This was the period when I started to become very aware of fashion and designer brands, though I was still mostly shopping at discount stores and consignment. Nostalgia aside, looking back, I am finding myself less inspired by this era than by the late 80s and the 90s. Maybe it’s too soon. But I am enjoying the variety and creativity of some of the Vogue editorials of that time. It seems like, in every issue, there was at least one over-the-top, fantastical photo shoot; the styling in those shoots often gives me material to mine for inspiration.

Case in point: this 1920s-influenced editorial.

I was a little bit surprised by how much I loved the vibe of these photos. I’ve never been especially drawn to the 1920s “flapper” style, but these images resonated with me and got my synapses firing. I thought to myself, “surely, Ralph Lauren has referenced the ’20s in some of his collections — let’s have a look” and, sure enough, I wasn’t disappointed. I did broaden my search a bit, era-wise, but I really liked what I saw; so I decided to create a little ’20s/’30s “inspo board” for each of my main avatars, the Historian and the Bohemian. I am adding these to my mental reference library for use when creating outfits. At this point, I have several “flavours” for each of my avatars — e.g. southwestern prairie, romantic cottagecore, English country, etc. — and I like updating these flavours every year. I don’t have a catchy name for it yet, but this ’20s/’30s vibe is a strong contender to be added to the list this year.

I’m going to break this up by avatar, and start by showing you some of the images I’ve been accumulating for the Historian.

I am no fashion historian (no pun intended!) but I am inclined to think that most of these lean more into a 1930s aesthetic, and probably pull a fair bit from the menswear of the era. I think they integrate well with my overall Historian aesthetic, and can be translated into outfits using pieces that are already in my closet.

Although I do need to find a beret or cloche hat, immediately 🙂

Details: Pilcro top, Jones NY jacket, HM Studio skirt, Poppy Barley shoes, upcycled necklace (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Doing the monochromatic thing again, this time with a pop of orange. I was inspired to add the necklace because the orange matches the skirt perfectly, making the whole outfit look more intentional. I’m now at the point of mixing and matching all the black & white pieces in my closet and seeing what works. I’m still into this “vibe” although I think it’s going to get phased out as spring rolls around. For me, it’s definitely a winter thing.

Details: no name cardigan (thrifted), Club Monaco turtleneck (retail), Marc Cain skirt (thrifted), Stuart Weitzman boots (thrifted)

Thoughts: We had some warmer weather recently and I tool FULL advantage. It’s so nice to dispense with the big, heavy coat for a bit — it makes me so excited for spring and summer. I like the proportions of a short skirt with a long jacket (or cardigan, in this case) and the check pattern of this particular skirt seemed like a perfect match for the pattern patchwork of the cardigan. The colour palette is nicely matched too; I am loving these grey tights as an alternative to black.

Details: Wilfred sweater & pants, Ports International jacket, Michelle Ross jewelry (all secondhand), J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: I like pairing cool colours with warm brown, and this time I decided to try purple (with blue accents). It worked for me! I haven’t been getting a lot of use out of these pants, which is a shame; I still like them, but this style/cut is not a current fave. I may transition them to “home use” — aka loungewear; in my world, that’s a bit of a downgrade but at least it would mean getting use out of them. They’re comfy enough for that, even though they’re “fancier” than my usual sweatpants.

Details: Club Monaco turtleneck (retail), Ralph Lauren vest & belt (Poshmark), Pilcro jeans (thrifted), Ralph Lauren jacket (thrifted), Clarks shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Back on the Ralph Lauren train! I’m rarely on a different track these days, let’s be honest. This outfit was also inspired by my recent re-watching of old seasons of Vera on BritBox. Whenever I’m spending a lot of time watching English murder mystery shows, I start fantasizing about moving to the country and living in a converted barn … and dressing accordingly. Well, according to my ideas of what I would wear if I were an artist living in a converted barn in the English countryside (with a sideline of amateur detection?) … which basically means some version of an RL catalogue come to life. I am nothing if not predictable.

Details: Black & Brown 1821 sweater (thrifted), Club Monaco turtleneck (retail), Zara belt (retail), Carven skirt (Poshmark)

Thoughts: I had been missing this Carven skirt, so it was time to give it a wear (even though it doesn’t really fit my imaginary English rural idyll aesthetic, lol!). Pairing it with a sweater in a complementary colour is my usual go-to formula, but I decided to liven things up a bit with this funky Zara belt I picked up at the end-of-year sales. It has a bejeweled chameleon on it!

Details: Jones NY turtleneck, Woolrich vest, Tommy Hilfiger jeans, Cotton Ginny belt, Office London shoes (all thrifted), Eddie Bauer x Pendleton bag (gift)

Thoughts: I thrifted this Woolrich vest recently and I am a little bit obsessed with it. I had to layer two turtlenecks (one thin merino blend, one thick cashmere) to make it work for the (mild, but even so) weather in Edmonton in February, but it was worth it. It’s a simple outfit, but for me, it’s one of those “elevated basic” situations that make me feel put together with minimal effort.

Winter is usually a busy time for me as far as art projects go because I am in hibernation mode. This winter, however, I have been dividing my free time between my usual embroidery stuff and writing (shoutout to my newsletter, I hope you’ve subscribed!) so my hoop output has been more modest than usual. For a brief time, I felt a bit guilty about this. One of my goals for 2023 is to apply to be a vendor at the Royal Bison art market, which means that I need to build up a good portfolio. Full disclosure: I haven’t made great progress on that. Not only am I working at a slower pace, but almost all of the projects I’ve completed recently are for my personal collection. After reflecting on my feelings of guilt, I decided they were unnecessary — as they often are. The Royal Bison thing is still a goal, but it’s not my only (or even main) priority right now. As always, I need to follow my instincts even when that means doing things that are not in service of that goal. I think of this as remaining open to whatever the universe is bringing my way.

Here are some of my completed projects:

I went back to the waterlilies theme with a new vision, which has been on my mind since last year. I wanted to incorporate some of my newer techniques and some older ones (the felt leaves) into a larger scale hoop. This was a time-consuming project I had hoped to add to my Royal Bison portfolio, but then my daughter fell in love with it — it reminds her of our family trip to Dutch Lake (which was, in fact, my inspiration). It’s now displayed in her room. This is one client I cannot refuse.

Our basement renos are slowly marching towards completion, which means that I’m getting closer to having a dedicated art-making space. Part of that space will be extra storage/display; my husband surprised me with some pink shelving units, including a picture shelf! In anticipation of having extra space to showcase some personal hoops, I decided to make some new ones. I love peacocks, and this peacock feather design is one I’ve tackled before in other ways (I’ve made several pieces of jewelry). This hoop tested my abilities somewhat, but I am satisfied with how it turned out.

I can’t believe it took me so long to get around to making an Anne Boleyn portrait! Queen Elizabeth I was one of my very first embroidered portraits, so it seems only fitting for her mother to join my collection.

I love cacti and, sadly, I recently lost of my plant babies to an unknown disease. So, after previously making several cactus-theme hoops for others, it was time to make one for myself. The green and purple prickly pears are my perennial favourites to embroider (though they take the longest!) but I am very pleased with the rest of the hoop too — I think I got some nice texture and variety in this one.

I promise that I *have* made a couple of pieces for my portfolio as well, but they are not ready for sharing so we will save them for next time. Hopefully, by then, I will have more exciting news to share.