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.

Details: Reitmans sweater, Banana Republic belt, Issey Miyake skirt, Arnold Churgin boots (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I don’t normally thrift Reitmans stuff, but this sweater was an insta-purchase. It reminds me of a vintage (80s) Ralph Lauren sweater that I have been coveting for ages; since my chances of ever finding the original — or even an RL reissue (if one exists) — are slim to none, this version will do just fine. And I love everything about this outfit. It’s been a while since I’ve done all-black, and edgy goth vibes are not my current jam, but this romantic version has got me all shook up. I loved it so much, I wore it twice: once for brunch with friends, and once for a (grown up) birthday party.

Details: Ines de la Fressange x Uniqlo shirt, Lord & Taylor sweater, Ralph Lauren skirt, Ports International blazer, J. Crew shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I’ve been loving this shade of brown a lot lately, but this is the most “all in” I’ve gone with it so far. I was worried that it might be too much brown, but I think the cool-toned yellow and blue help to temper the overall brownness. I also really, really love this silhouette — I have several versions of this style of skirt, and I never get tired of it. I am actually wearing this skirt back-to-front because having the slit in front makes it. It’s classic but sexy at the same time.

Details: Gucci blouse, Debew poncho (both thrifted), Banana Republic pants (retail)

Thoughts: It’s hard to capture the colour of these pants — they’re a sort of reddish brown like cherry wood. I’m convinced that blue is its ideal complement, and I’m searching for the perfect shade of blue to go with it. This light blue is not a bad start. I wanted to bring out the pattern of the blouse as much as possible, so I added a poncho for warmth instead of a jacket.

Details: Wilfred dress, Jones NY jacket (both thrifted), Zara shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Wednesday Addams meets 90s grunge. I got these faux-silver cuffs on Etsy because I’m obsessed with the Elsa Perretti Tiffany bone cuffs and wanted to try out a similar look. The originals are $4,000CAD+ for the pair, so I’m not sure they’re ever going to happen, but with these dupes, I get to figure out if they would be worth it. I have to say that I do really like the aesthetic, especially with more minimalist outfits like this one.

Details: Tahari shirt, American Eagle vest, Second Female cardigan, vintage skirt, Fluevog shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I’m calling this one Prairie Dandy. I’m always tickled to find colour matches, and this cardigan and skirt are almost identical shades of blue. Perhaps I should have tried a different colour of shirt, to break up the blue-ness a bit. Overall, though, I like the proportions here, especially the long cardigan-vest combo. Definitely one to try again!

I am not on TikTok, which ought to tell you a few things about me, some more obvious than others. Or, perhaps, all of them obvious. I am not Gen-Z, for example. Duh. I am not au courant with the latest trends in makeup (something called “crying makeup”??). I do not worship at the altar of Hailey Bieber (who seems like a generally inoffensive person). And I am usually pretty oblivious to whatever aesthetic is currently blowing up on social media.

This is probably a good thing, on the whole, as I find that social media aesthetics have a tendency to trigger my old-man-yelling-at-the-clouds reflex. Case in point: the “vanilla girl”.

I only heard about “vanilla girl” at a relatively early stage — i.e. while it is currently trending — due to commentary from some social media peeps I follow on IG and articles from the likes of Refinery29 pointing out the lack of inclusivity inherent in this trend. It’s an important discussion and you should definitely engage with it if you haven’t already. As a white woman, I don’t know that I have anything relevant to add to it. My rant today is about a far less significant issue, but one which simply won’t stop worming its way into my thoughts far more often than it should.

Why do people love beige clothing so much????

When I say that I think about this way more than I should, it’s because my general philosophy in life is to not think about other people’s aesthetic choices or their discretionary spending. Not my monkeys, not my budget. I totally understand that different people like different things. I get that. I do.

But why beige?

Why so much beige, everywhere?

It’s not just clothes, it’s houses too. Then there is the whole “sad beige parenting” thing. Beige is all over everything that’s an object of curation on social media. Do you know how hard I have to work to keep my Instagram feed from looking like a bowl of oatmeal?

Here’s why I don’t understand the seemingly unassailable dominance of beige.

One, beige clothing has a tendency to look dingy unless the materials are better than average and maintained carefully. Visually, it needs texture to make it look interesting, and texture mixing is not unlike pattern mixing: not everyone knows how to do it well.

Two, beige is not an shortcut to chic-ness. Sure, we have all seen amazingly sharp beige outfits on Insta or magazines, but those reflect only the most successful efforts of stylists and fashionistas. Throwing on a bunch of beige clothing without paying attention to shades, proportions, textures, volume, silhouette, etc. etc. doesn’t guarantee a good outfit. It guarantees beigeness. I get that some people don’t feel comfortable with colour, or don’t like colour, or don’t know how to wear colour but, like … black exists, yeah? Mediocre black clothing will always look 110% sharper than mediocre beige clothing — and I am not throwing shade here, most of us can’t afford significantly better than mediocre clothing, and that’s ok — and black requires a lot less consideration to pull together as an outfit. Black is less work and more error-proof.

Three, beige is not a universally flattering colour. Neither is black, but if I am going to look like a consumptive Victorian ghost, I think I am better off in black; it looks intentional that way.

Four, we haven’t even talked about laundry care, but see point one above. And don’t get me started on the upkeep of beige houses.

I’ve fallen into the rabbit hole of asking the internet why people like to wear beige, and have found many answers. The symbolism of beige features prominently in most of these, and once you scratch the surface of that, undertones of classism and racism (colour being strongly associated with non-white cultures) are unmistakable, bringing us back full circle to the discussion of inclusivity. What I haven’t really found are full-chested praises of beige at the purely aesthetic level. I understand that individual people might have beige as their favourite colour — people are infinitely weird in all sorts of wonderful and wacky ways — but on a mass population scale? No. Beige — the very definition of a nothingburger colour — does not have the necessary inherent qualities to visually seduce an entire generation. So I am left with the conclusion that nobody* actually likes beige as a colour, as opposed to liking beige as an idea. Change my mind!** And if flexing your bougieness is that idea, there are a multitude other means so I beg you: no more beige clothes.

(*at a statistically significant level)

(** actually, don’t. I will not be moved on this point. sorry!)