Details: Gucci blouse (thrifted), Tabi vest (thrifted), Ralph Lauren blazer (thrifted), L’Agence jeans (thrifted), Dooney bag (Poshmark)

Thoughts: I loved this outfit so much, it’s very me which is to be expected since it’s made up of much-loved pieces. It’s also a outfit formula (vest + blazer + skinny pants) that I have worn often over the years, always with success. When it works, don’t fix it — just keep improvising on the same theme.

Details: Mango sweater (Poshmark), Elena Wong coat (thrifted), Everlane pants (thrifted), L’Intervalle shoes (thrifted), Tignanello bag (Poshmark)

Thoughts: Another outfit I loved. It’s a bit matchy matchy, but I couldn’t resist. I love all shades of blue and yellow together. I’m also thrilled to be able to finally pull out my spring coats from storage. The best time of year, fashion wise, is starting!

Details: Zara tee (Poshmark), handmade cardigan (secondhand), Babaton skirt (thrifted), Ash shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: I love fun clothes, and I won’t let anyone tell me that I’m too old to wear them. That’s nonsense. Wear all the colours and things that make you happy. Cropped tees? Why not. If I don’t feel like showing off my midriff (or it’s too cold), a stretchy tube skirt is a great pairing – just hike it up as high as it needs to go, problem solved. Add a chunky cardigan and I never have to feel “exposed” if I don’t want to be. Comfortable AF? Always.

Details: Twinset dress (Poshmark), Icone blazer (thrifted), BR belt (thrifted)

Thoughts: I hope you’re not getting sick of seeing this aqua colour on the blog because, well, I have bad news for you. You’re gonna keep seeing it. I can’t get enough of it, and I’ve built up a mini “capsule” of pieces in varying shades of aqua which gives me lots of options, including full monochrome outfits like this one.

Details: Lida Baday dress (thrifted), H&M mesh dress (Poshmark)

Thoughts: Okay, here’s the thing. I love this Lida Baday dress. I wish it were longer though. I also love the pairing of these two pieces, the polka dot tulle dress under the more structured one. But if I am being really open here, I feel like this is too “fancy” for my current lifestyle and, therefore, not really “me” anymore. Fancy might be the wrong word because I still wear plenty of outfits that are dressy by most people’s definition (even fussy, if you like). Perhaps “formal” is a better choice. The dress outfit immediately above is “fancy” but it doesn’t feel as formal to me — the dress is loose and unstructured (and long) and the blazer also has a more laidback vibe. It feels like me, now. This one doesn’t. So I am retiring this dress; it’s going into my archival closet because I love it too much to part with it, for now. I will reassess it in a year or so, and decide whether to continue keeping it or let it go.

I was recently picking an outfit to wear with a funky Michigan Rag Co. windbreaker I thrifted in recent months, and it struck me that the result had a distinct Cabot Cove flavour to it. I enjoyed it tremendously, which is to say that I felt strong “comfortable in my own skin” feelings whilst wearing it. That’s always the signal that I got the outfit right — the clothes make me feel good inside myself, as though they were simply an extension of my body. Anyway, this sent me down a rabbit hole of internet sleuthing, chasing the (unlikely?) style icon that is Jessica B. Fletcher.

I remember watching Murder She Wrote in my late teens; I enjoyed it, unironically, alongside more typical teenage fare like Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Deep down, I think I have always aspired to be like Jessica, but the older I get, the more those aspirations surface. Unfortunately, I have not been able to stream the show in recent years, but I have collected many of the novels and they’ve been feeding my thirst for all things JB Fletcher. As far as I’m concerned, she might just be living my best life: creative work, lovely house in a bucolic town, supportive friends, busy (but not too busy) social life, traveling … oh, and the occasional cozy murder to solve.

I definitely did not view Jessica as a style icon in my teens, but as a 40-something year old knee-deep in 90s nostalgia? That’s another matter. As I dug through various archives (the @murder_she_wore IG account is a goldmine), I kept coming across outfits that made me go “Tweak that and I’d wear it!” If I had to describe her style (on the show), it would be ‘laidback WASPy’ — preppy but not twee, ladylike but not fussy, and above all, sensible. Now, on first blush, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of overlap between this kind of description and my personal aesthetic, but there is a certain vibe in all of this that speaks to my Historian avatar. In the last few years, I’ve described that avatar as the history-professor-who-studies-alchemy-and-might-secretly-be-a-witch (a kind of luxe Dark Academia, not the Hot Topic variety), and it’s a description that still speaks to me — in other words, it helps me to visualize outfits that make me feel like myself. But the casual/weekender side of the Historian … maybe it has something to learn from JB Fletcher.

Here are a few Jessica outfits I’ve saved for inspiration:

And here is that windbreaker outfit that made me feel like I could fit into Cabot Cove’s weekend scene:

For me, the key to interpretation (especially of inspiration that is “historical” in nature, aka vintage to a greater or lesser extent) is to avoid being too literal. I am going to take some of the silhouettes or outfit combinations and use contemporary pieces to recreate the vibe, not the exact look. Or, if I am going to use vintage pieces, I will update the silhouette to something that feels current. The goal is to avoid looking like I am wearing a costume, as that makes me feel self-conscious.

One of my ongoing experiments is to find ways to incorporate scarves and brooches (two Jessica favourites) into outfits in ways that don’t feel like slavish copying. For example, Jessica wears a lot of silky scarves with button down blouses, which isn’t something that translates for my personal aesthetic. But the idea — wearing a scarf as an accessory with or instead of a necklace — intrigues me, and I want to see if there are ways to do it that feel authentic to me. What that means, in practical terms, is that when I am putting together outfits I will ask myself, “would a scarf work here somehow?” Most of the time, the answer will be “no”, but every now and then, something might click. That’s how inspiration works for me — it’s a little nugget tucked away at the back of my mind, which some day might come in handy.

Anyway, here is a scarf outfit that did check all the boxes for me:

It was extra special as the scarf is a Hermes one that used to belong to my mom. As a fellow Murder She Wrote fan, I like to think that she would have appreciated this look.

Details: Equipment blouse (thrifted), Highline vest (thrifted), Vero Moda pants (thrifted)

Thoughts: I loved the colours and silhouette of this outfit. Soothing and laidback respectively. I am very into longline vests and coats (or coatigans) right now, and find them to be a versatile replacement for more traditional toppers like blazers.

Details: Markantoine x Icone hoodie (thrifted), Everlane pants (thrifted), Arnold Churgin boots (thrifted)

Thoughts: I’ve been slowly accumulating more athleisure in my closet, but the truth is that I probably have more than enough given my actual needs (I wear it to lounge at home, and on walks/to the park). However, how could I resists this sequined hoodie? I mean, it’s blue, green and purple — all my favourite colours — and did I mention it’s sequined? Definitely made for someone with a magpie heart like mine.

Details: Jasper Conran bustier (Poshmark), BR belt (thrifted), William Morris x H&M dress (thrifted)

Thoughts: I called this my Maid Marian cosplay, and you know you see it. It was fun. Having fun with clothes is kinda my motto. Anyway, I like to find ways to de-glamify this bustier because it *is* quite dramatic but at the same time, too beautiful to save for a (very rare) special occasion. The design and construction are *chef’s kiss*. I’ve struggled to find “everyday” ways to wear it, but I will continue to try.

Details: Pieces & Co. x BR jacket (thrifted), Wilfred pants (Poshmark), BCBG belt (thrifted)

Thoughts: Mixed up two lovely patterns with a similar colour palette, added shoes in a unifying colour to hold them together, then finished with a pinch of contrast via a yellow belt. Recipe for outfit magic.

Details: Vince dress (thrifted), Noul coat (thrifted), Doc Marten’s shoes (swap), Liz Claiborne bag (thrifted)

Thoughts: This was a style experiment inspired by necessity. I put away all my winter shoes without checking the weather forecast and, of course, it dumped snow the very next day. These boots were my only readily accessible option, so I tried to build a somewhat “avante-garde” (for me) outfit around them. I’m still getting used to the dress+chunky boot formula, but it was fun to try.

Details: RACHEL Rachel Roy dress (thrifted), Kimchi Blue pants (thrifted), Rebel Sugar turtleneck (gift)

Thoughts: Tunic (or dress) over pants is another favourite formula of mine at the moment, and this iteration works very well due to the draping on the dress; it gives the outfit “movement” even when stationary. I also ended up layering a couple of necklace for extra drama.