Details: Club Monaco turtleneck (retail), vintage vest (thrifted), Tradlands jacket (thrifted), Bebe skirt (Poshmark), Zara shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Another favourite fall outfit. I was surprised by how well this skirt worked with the rest of the outfit. At first blush, I didn’t think this skirt would be a good transitional piece but I’ve changed my mind. The dark floral pattern helps a lot. Come winter, this will be an indoors-only skirt (the length makes it impractical when we have calf-deep snow outside) but I think it can continue to work with my evolving seasonal aesthetic.

Details: Club Monaco turtleneck (retail), MaxMara sweater (Poshmark), Gap blazer (thrifted), Cartonnier pants (thrifted), Everlane shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: I liked the subtle pattern mix between this sweater and the striped pants, and the fact that the colours are so well-matched as well made it an easy outfit.

Details: Tabi sweater, Frame jeans, Ash sneakers (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I am really liking the fit and look of these Frame flared jeans. I am still looking for a pair of palazzo jeans (they would have similar volume at the bottom but would come straight down rather than going in at the knee) but I am happy with these for now. I’ve been wearing them a fair bit before the snow hits. This was a basic outfit but I really liked it a lot – the sweater elevates it, it’s so fun.

Details: Club Monaco turtleneck (retail), Talbots sweater (Poshmark), Ralph Lauren skirt (thrifted), Mackage jacket (thrifted), Arnold Churgin shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: A very quintessential fall outfit, just in time. I love these colours this season, and this skirt was one of my favourite recent thrift finds.

Details: Equipment blouse (thrifted), Susan Bristol vest (thrifted), Topshop pants (thrifted), J. Crew blazer (retail), Mia shoes (retail)

Thoughts: This outfit was inspired by the Ralph Lauren S/S 2023 runway collection, natch. I went pretty bold with the pattern mixing, but used the blues to tie it all together. I am very pleased with how it turned out.

Details: H&M blouse, Ralph Lauren top & blazer, Suncoo pants, Everlane shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I haven’t worn (faux) leather pants for a while now, but I was intrigued by the style of these (I love paperbag waist pants, as you can probably tell) so I decided to thrift them and give them a try. I think they are a fun alternative to leggings, which used to be my go-to as far as leather pants go. They can be dressed up in a more preppy fashion, like here, as opposed to leggings which are more streetstyle/casual/punk. Paperbag waist pants are great for full tucks which works for me because it maintains the proportions created by the high waist (elongating the leg line). I was so pumped to have found this 90s Ralph by Ralph Lauren knit tank top, because it looks very similar to RL’s classic fair isle vests that I have been coveting for the better part of the year. Under a blazer, you almost can’t tell that this is a tank and not a proper vest. Considering how $$$ those vests are, this was a real find!

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you may have noticed that in the last six months, I’ve slightly modified my approach to personal style. I started using the avatar approach back in 2018, and it really helped me develop and refine my ideas about personal style. There is no particular magic to it; it works for me because it connects with the way I see and use fashion – as a way to tell stories. Conceptualizing a particular aesthetic as a character in a story helped me to figure out not only the stories I wanted to tell but also how – the elements and building blocks that would create the story.

In the past, I settled on four avatars or personas, each with its story or aesthetic. The specifics evolved over time, as personal style does. At the time, I felt I needed the 4 separate avatars to fully express myself. Since the pandemic, I have noticed that my needs have been streamlined and at least one of my avatars faded into the background. This past spring, heading into summer, I suddenly found myself heavily leaning towards a single seasonal aesthetic. For spring (and now, fall) it was the Historian, an avatar heavily inspired, in the literary sense, by Diana Bishop of A Discovery of Witches and, in the aesthetic sense, by Ralph Lauren’s English prep collections. For summer, it was something I called Jo-March-on-the-Prairie: romantic cottagecore with a southwestern flair (also inspired by Ralph Lauren, tbh). These have served me well as inspiration, and the seasonal approach felt like a really good fit.

Which got me thinking: what about winter?

For winter, there are a couple of different (visual) stories that are drawing me in. One is more clearly taking shape in my mind, the other remains somewhat inchoate. The first I have decided to call Madame de Merteuil-meets-Lestat – Baroque Vampire, if you will. My inspiration for this comes from some of the late 80s fashion magazines I have been reading and images like this one:

I love everything happening here: the patterns and textures, the use of waistcoats, the maximalist exuberance. There is frilliness, but it’s not overtly femme. Decadent with a dark underbelly.

I think I have clothes in my closet that will work for this aesthetic, but I still need to develop these ideas more firmly in my own mind. I know the mood I am going for, now I need to figure out the how.

The second story/aesthetic remains vague at this time. There are several ideas floating around, but they haven’t quite coalesced into a definable thing. I think it will be monochromatic, as I am drawn again to graphic black and white patterns, but I also want to lean into a witchy vibe – and not Diana Bishop-witchy, but Baba Yaga-witchy, if you know what I mean. And, yet, I also want it to be gothic romantic … so, maybe, Baba Yaga-meets-Lizzie-Siddal? Long, wild hair and swishing black (and white) garments. Hmmm …

How are you feeling, sartorially, this winter?

Details: Ralph Lauren turtleneck (thrifted), BR belt, (thrifted), Michael Kors skirt (thrifted), J. Crew blazer (retail), Manolo Blahnik shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: I LOVED this outfit. So much. It felt like something that Papa Ralph would approve. Not all sequin skirts are made equal, and this is a good one. Not only because it looks like molten metal when I move, but because it’s quite comfortable to wear — stretchy and not itchy (even though it’s not lined).

Details: Gap shirt, Zara vest, H&M Studio skirt (all thrifted), Mia shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Wore this outfit for the second day of the art market, and I got a ton of compliments on this skirt. It’s H&M Studio, which I *think* is their “designer” collection. I got this summer on a whim, even though it didn’t really match my summer aesthetic, because I was intrigued by the graphic pattern and pleating. With this outfit, I was testing out a potential new aesthetic for winter. I liked this outfit a lot, but I am still figuring out where that aesthetic is going …

Details: Talbots sweater (Poshmark), Talbots skirt (thrifted), Mia shoes (retail)

Thoughts: I’ve been wanting to try this combination since last spring! I got the sweater and skirt separately, but I swear they must have been from the same collection — the colours and patterns are just too close not to be intentionally similar. I like that the size of the patterns are different; I think it makes the outfit more interesting.

Details: Joie sweater (Poshmark), Tommy Hilfiger jeans, Gap shirt, Rebecca Minkoff bag (all thrifted), Converse shoes (eBay)

Thoughts: I broke my own rule of “never buying Joie”. What can I say: this sweater was just too cool to pass up. The quality is, predictably, not great. It’s not terrible but, at best, on par with Zara. (The issue being that Joie costs way more at retail.) It’s currently in good condition, but I expect it will pill quite a bit with wear. Luckily, I am prepared for that and hope that my sweater shaver will be up to the challenge. Anyway, this was a super fun outfit. I’m wearing the same white shirt as the previous outfit — how versatile is that?

Details: Bl^nk London top (thrifted), BCBG belt, Rachel Comey skirt (both Poshmark), Manolo Blahnik shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: Speaking of “cute look, crap quality”, I may have to add Bl^nk London (sold at Anthro) to my “do not buy” list. I love the colours and pattern of this top, but the material is absolute crap. It feels so cheap. I can’t believe these blouses sell for $100+. Don’t pay full price; even the Poshmark prices are too high, imo. Anyway, I paired it with one of my fave skirts, and used my BCBG peplum belt to tie the outfit together. This belt never lets me down.

Details: J. Crew shirt, MSGM sweater, Zara pants (all thrifted), J. Crew shoes (consignment)

Thoughts: This outfit was inspired by the Ralph Lauren S/S 2023 runway collection, and I am quite pleased with it. Except for the pants. I don’t know what I was thinking when I decided to keep these. I bought them at Value Village, where there are still no changing rooms, and tried them on at home to see if they would fit. And I must have thought they did, because I took the tags off *cries* After wearing this outfit, I realized that they are too short. I wear a lot of cropped pants but these are cropped too high above the ankle — no bueno. On the plus side, I realized that a pair of camel-coloured pants is nice to have, so I will be looking for another pair (in the right length).

Details: Club Monaco turtleneck (retail), Jil Sander coat, Ralph Lauren skirt (both thrifted), Echo scarf (consignment), Mia shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Not much to say here except that I am living my Historian aesthetic and loving it.