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What I Wore: April 2019

With the amount of snow showers we had in the latter part of April, I am expecting an EXPLOSION of flowers this month. Nah, that’s just me trying to strong-arm Mother Nature; let’s face it, May in Edmonton could mean 10 inches of snow as likely as plus 20 degree Celsius weather. Sometimes, we even get both in the same week! Lucky us.

Speaking about April, it was all werk, werk, werk, GAME OF THRONES, werk. Thrifting was mediocre, but I got a couple of cool craft projects done. I am currently on the lookout for more ideas, especially as I’ve now finished all 4 seasons of Elementary available on Prime TV (sad face). I am probably going to take a break from other TV shows until GoT is over (sad face), but I have some promising books lined up (Normal People, and 4 Boris Akunin mysteries). Additional suggestions always welcome!

On to the clothes:

April didn’t really have a theme; I mostly just wore things I had recently thrifted, mixed in with older favourites. Overall, I am pleased with the line-up even though it’s somewhat less cohesive than previous months. I’m going through a phase where I’m more excited about my casual outfits than my work ones, and I can’t quite put my finger on the reason. By way of comparison, here are some of my recent weekend lewks:

I think it might just come down to the pieces involved – some of my recent favourites are definitely casual options (although I’m happy I’ve been able to get some, like the leather Zara skirt, to pull double duty). That hasn’t been an intentional thing on my part – such is the nature of thrifting, alas – but it’s making me feel like I need to up my game when it comes to work wear. That being said, in my current mood, while I still care about what I wear (I *always* care!), I don’t feel like putting any effort into planning what I wear. Winging outfits works … some of the time. We’ll see if May is full of (metaphorical) flowers or a wash-out.

What I Wore: March 22-28, 2018

Casual Friday Best

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This is one of my best casual Friday outfits in recent memory, and I wore it to see Michelle Obama speak at Rexall Centre. Living my best life, hashtag.

As far as the outfit goes, I am obsessed with this shade of green – I’m calling it “sage” – which has replaced jasper (dark/forest green) as my favourite green. My other favourite thing about this outfit is the bag; the cognac is a less expected choice than black, but it works really well as part of the colour story here. (Does “colour story” sound unbearably pretentious?) This is the second small MbMJ crossbody I thrifted in the last few months, and I am ever so thankful for it. It’s the perfect size for weekends and other occasions when I’m “traveling light” and don’t want to bother with a big bag. The style is so simple and so classic that it goes with anything. Really, these are great bags and you can sometimes find them on eBay for great prices so I guess what I’m saying is that you need to look into this, right now.

Starry Starry Shirt

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It’s a shirt … with stars on it. Your mind has been blown, I’m sure. It’s actually more complicated than that, because the shirt also has very detailed cut-outs. Just Anthro, throwing everything at the wall (creatively speaking) to see what sticks. I feel like I would like the shirt more if it just had the stars, but oh well. It will probably end up in the ThriftRats store at some point. Paired with this old Zara skirt, the result is cute – a little more “girly” than I would like, but cute. Next time, to switch things up, I think I will pair this skirt with something more voluminous on top – not cropped, not tucked in. If the result is more Shapeless Blob than Unexpected But Interesting Silhouette, the skirt might be on the chopping block as well. I am ruthless, I tell you.

Edited to add: The shirt, oy vey. The quality turned out to be hot garbage. The sleeve cut-outs got caught on things and started unraveling on the first wear. The material is super cheap poly, and the cut-out are not reinforced in any way so you can imagine that disaster waiting to happen. What the hell, Anthro? Not cool. Needless to say, don’t buy this (on eBay or whatever).

Obi Chic

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This is an old outfit EXCEPT … new belt. It goes really well with this top, doesn’t it? I like the easy adjustability of an obi-style belt because, let’s face it, my waistline after lunch is not the same as before. Comfort above all, my friends.

Unapologetic Mom Jeans

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Gosh, I love this so much, I don’t know where to begin. The jacket is a perfect embodiment of my style essence – butterflies on a leather jacket. It was thrifted in brand new condition by my friend Jenn (Life Preloved in IG), and you better believe that I snapped it up from her as soon as she posted it for sale. No regrets. Jenn also runs a consignment biz, which is how I ended up with these amazing Holding Horses mom jeans. Y’all know I have a thing for patched denim. Also, that lightweight wash is great. I knew these two pieces would be great together, and while this might not be “the” (I.e. only) perfect outfit in my books, it’s a perfect outfit for sure.

Cartographer’s Romance

Cardigan, Anthropologie (thrifted); skirt, Zara; shoes, J. Crew; bag, Marc Jacobs
Cardigan, Anthropologie (thrifted); skirt, Zara; shoes, J. Crew; bag, Marc Jacobs

I bought this cardigan because it’s an Anthro brand, and my buy-all-the-Anthro-things mentality could not countenance leaving it behind. Having worn it, I’m still not sure if it’s my style … but it sure is pretty. Paired with my high-waisted Zara skirt, it’s polished enough for a casual day at the office. Here’s a closer look at the print:

necklace, BR; earrings, J. Crew
necklace, BR; earrings, J. Crew

pop of jade green
pop of jade green

This skirt was one of my best retail buys of recent years; still a great silhouette and the quality is holding up just fine. These J. Crew shoes were also a good retail purchase — they’re quite comfortable, and the colour is a great accent for my wardrobe palette. Since I’m still looking for nude and navy pumps, they were a great choice for this outfit — picking up the hints of dark turquoise in the cardigan. Matchy matchy? But of course.

pockets!
pockets!

all over the map
all over the map