Details: Adelyn Rae dress, Barbara Barbieri shoes (both thrifted)

Thoughts: I got this dress last year and have been waiting ever since to wear it. This summer did not provide me many opportunities — life having unfolded in a pretty casual manner — so I was running out of time and decided to stop waiting for an extra fancy event to materialize in my calendar. So I ended up wearing this to my MIL’s birthday dinner, and it was perfect. I think the cutouts made me feel like the dress was fancier than it actually is; in reality, it’s totally wearable for daytime and other non-wedding events. Very much an “outfit in one” which is not my usual MO — I like being able to layer and mix and match things — but it’s not a bad thing to have a few easy standbys like this one in one’s closet.

Details: Emmy Deveaux bodysuit, Ralph Lauren skirt, Only & Sons jacket, cowboy boots, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: This kind of outfit is more my speed: three pieces, plus accessories. The jacket will be very familiar to y’all by now (are you sick of it, #sorrynotsorry) but the eagle-eyed will spot something new. Yes, I got another Ralph Lauren skirt. Hear me out. I present you my defence. Exhibit A: I have been looking for a black floral, maxi skirt in floaty chiffon for ages. My specific inspiration was the RL F/W 2010 runway collection. This skirt hits all the right marks, save for the hem; I was not specifically looking for a handkerchief hem — and, indeed, it’s not a style I prefer — but this one is acceptable. The layers of the skirt (there are 3) overlap each other slightly, which minimizes the jaggedness of the hem. Exhibit B: this is purple label Ralph Lauren Collection, made in the US, aka the Good Stuff. And I paid $30 for it on Poshmark. Score! Exhibit C: it gets better. Inside, I found a union tag! Based on that, the skirt is mostly likely late 90s to very early 00s. Exhibit D: it’s silk. All of it. Exhibit E: this outfit is hella cute. I rest my case.

Details: Bozzolo tee (retail), Beechers Brook dress, CoH jeans, Aldo shoes (all thrifted), Coach bag (Poshmark)

Thoughts: Speaking of the 90s, this sheer floral maxi shirt dress gave me such nostalgic flashbacks — I had to get it. (Thrifted, obvi.) And I did a very 90s thing, and decided to wear it over a pair of jeans. With a white baby tee. And chunky platforms. Loved it. LOVED. IT.

Details: Marimekko x Uniqlo top, Lucy & Yak jacket, Everlane pants, Coach bag, Stuart Weitzman shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I love Lucy & Yak, so I couldn’t resist thrifting this chore coat even though the pattern leans towards “clown chic” in a way that doesn’t align as well with 2024 Adina as it would have with, say, 2020 Adina. But it’s so fun! And sometimes, I still enjoy being nonserious with my outfits. It made sense to pair this bold pattern with another one, courtesy of Marimekko, and then draw out the bold colour palette by throwing my green Coach bag into the mix.

Details: Bozzolo tee (retail), LNA dress, NBA jacket (both thrifted), Maguire shoes (retail)

Thoughts: This is a little more streetwear than I normally lean, but the outfit was mostly just an excuse to wear my fab new shoes. I think you can now start to appreciate what I mean when I tell you that cropped tees (mostly of the white, cream, and black variety) have been my wardrobe MVPs this summer. They are not the pieces you notice in my outfits, but they’re the glue holding most of them together — across most of my aesthetic spectrum.

Details: Ricki’s skirt (retail), Lee x H&M top, Mannequin vest, Esprit belt, Old Navy shoes, Stella & Max bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Another one of my fave pieces this summer has been this white skirt. I don’t buy many things at retail, and I am very pleased with myself each time that I buy something which ends up being a wardrobe hero. That’s always the goal when buying retail: pick something that you’ll keep and love for as long as possible. Not all my choices are perfect, but this one was. And I feel like there is good mojo flowing in my direction, because I haven’t spilled anything on this skirt. Yet. Did I just jinx myself? Damn.

Details: Toni T dickie, Nautica sweatshirt, Twik pants, Fossil belt, Ferragamo shoes, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: When the weather dips, time for a little fall preview, baby! I’m really feeling this vibe — preppy sweatshirts instead of sweaters, paired with collared shirts. And corduroy. I’m so ready to have corduroy back in my life. Not quite as ready to say goodbye to summer just yet. But there are things to look forward to, that’s for sure.

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve written about my adventures in craft, and the reason is that I’ve been too distracted — too distracted to write, too distracted to have something to write about. I always have an embroidery project on the go, but the going has been slow as my attention has been divided among many other projects and priorities. Slow progress used to make me feel guilty, because “being productive” is capitalism’s main commandment, which we are conditioned to obey in all things, including our leisure time, but no more. The joy of this phase of my life is being on my own schedule. I am currently in a passive, not actively creative season; sometimes, I like to think of it as a time of incubating ideas — looking outward and gathering inspiration (like a squirrel chasing nuts) and storing it for later. In practice, that looks a lot like spending all my free time walking, gardening, and reading.

However, I did commit to a major art market in September, so as much as I’ve been enjoying the dolce far niente this summer, a little bit of preparation was in order as well. I did not manage to add a lot of new work to my portfolio since the spring, but I did add a few pieces that make me pretty happy.

Continuing the floral bouquet theme I’d been exploring earlier in the year, I created this peony-and-iris design to capture 2 of my favourite flowers. I’m sad to say that neither had much luck in my garden this year … but a girl can dream, especially on canvas.

This abstract design was inspired by a beaded necklace I made years ago, along with the pattern of a Marni skirt I saw in an old magazine. I combined the two to create this limited palette hoop — a bit of a departure for me, but a direction I think has a lot of potential. It inspired me to go and look at my William Morris reference books, which then sparked another idea …

… specifically, this design inspired by The Strawberry Thief. It’s been a while since I worked on a hoop that was not “full coverage” (i.e. leaving portions of the canvas blank) and I was nervous that I would not like the result, but I think the coloured background works well in this context and complements the design.

Lastly, I revisited another older theme: Picasso-inspired portrait in French knots. This is one of the most laborious stitches, and while I love the tactile effect of covering an entire hoop in them, it takes FOREVER. But! I recently thrifted a vintage embroidery floor stand, and it was a total game-changer. Doing French knots without having to worry about holding the hoop steady at the same time is so much easier and faster. Don’t get me wrong; this hoop still took somewhere in the region of 30 hours to make, but I probably saved at least 10-12 hours from what it would have taken otherwise. I was so lucky to find this stand — it was brand new in the box (never assembled), solid wood, made in the US (likely in the 70s), and excellent quality. It’s very sturdy and easy to maneuver, and it helps me maintain a much more ergonomic posture while I work, which is a big win.

I’m looking forward to the market — I will be sharing a booth with my friend Josh of Prairie Trail Goods, and I am so excited for that — and hoping it will prove a good venue for me to connect with local yarn art lovers. And looking farther down the road, I am excited to get started on some new designs to get ready for what is usually my most “productive” season, November through February. Stay tuned!

Details: Chepe dress, Maguire shoes (both retail), Anna Paola bag (consignment), Warren Steven Scott earrings

Thoughts: It’s very very rare, these days, that I wear (almost) head-to-toe retail but here you have one of those unicorns. Winners got me. I usually only shop there for skincare, but I received some gift cards for my birthday just as they were running their summer clearance sales and I ended up having a good nose around. I found the black version of my “perfect blank canvas” dress and I could not resist getting it. Here’s the thing: I had spent a long time looking for a dress like this one — the cut, the style, the length, the fabric — before I found the original last year. I had been hoping for either black or white but, at the time, Winners only had it in navy. So I got the navy because, colour aside, it checked off all my boxes. And I have not regretted that decision even though navy is not one of my fave neutrals. It proved to be a good option for me, as it works well with lots of colours in my wardrobe. But black is still my OG so when I found this colourway … well, I just had to get it. I think this outfit shows what I mean when I call this my “perfect blank canvas” dress; it’s so incredibly easy to dress it up and down with different toppers and/or accessories. Speaking of the latter, peep those shoes. Now these were a total impulse buy, but as soon as I touched them, I had to have them. They are made from the most incredibly soft leather I have ever felt. I normally avoid shoes with a narrow peep-toe opening because they tend to cut into my feet and feel like torture … but not these ones. THE most comfortable sandals I own. And the colours are fun too!

Details: Ardene top (retail), Icone blazer, vintage skirt, Rafael Alfandary necklace (all secondhand)

Thoughts: It might seem bonkers to add more pattern to an outfit that features this skirt, but in fact it somehow makes a lot of sense. You just have to pick a good pattern. This one looks like it could almost be part of the skirt, so it works quite well. To keep the outfit from sliding into total pattern mayhem, I stuck with a plain white cropped tee as my third piece. Cropped tees — usually white, but sometimes black — have been my wardrobe MVPs this summer. They are the “glue” that holds together all my fun statement pieces.

Details: Glamorous top, Prairie Trail Goods cardigan, BDG jeans, Ralph Lauren belt, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Really leaning into a 70s boho vibe with this outfit, and I loved it. The mahogany brown accessories complement the pink and blue colour palette so well. The pattern mixing might seem a bit adventurous but it feels very harmonious thanks to the cohesiveness of that palette.

Details: Ardene top (retail), Lira jacket, vintage skirt, Hondo cowboy boots, vintage belt, Dooney bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I’ve been loving my cowboy boots so much this year, I bought another pair — this one. Now, I was hoping to find a brown pair (still looking!) but when this beauty walked into my life, so to speak, I couldn’t let it get away. It’s similar to the boots I already have, which are also grey and black, but the design on the shaft is different. For $30, I’m happy to have a second pair … especially since my daughter now wears the same shoe size and has started to, ahem, take advantage of that fact. Cowboy boots are hella expensive, so I’m considering this pair a hedge against future replacement needs. Anyway, since I love my boots so much, I’ve also started to wear shorter dresses and skirts again. In fact, I ended up buying this skirt specifically to wear with my cowboy boots. Is it too on the nose with the cowboy theme? Quite possibly. But it’s hella fun so YOLO yeehaw!

Details: Zara top, Pelican Cove vest, Brave belt, Ralph Lauren skirt, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: You can’t tell from this photo but this top is actually dark green, not black. It’s important for me to tell you that because, IRL, that little detail made the outfit even better. Otherwise, what can I say about this? It’s my “climate control” three-piece outfit formula for summer days: crop top, vest, skirt. For me, the 3rd piece is a one of the easiest ways to make outfits look intentional, and in hot weather, vests are the ideal 3rd piece to incorporate extra colour, or pattern, or texture into an outfit.

Details: Ardene top (retail), Only & Sons jacket, Suttles & Seawinds skirt, Aldo shoes, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I was not kidding when I said that cropped white tees have been my summer wardrobe MVPs. Here, it plays a supporting role in a composition I would like to call “Juxtaposition”. The jacket and shoes are a different vibe from the skirt and bag, but I really enjoy the conversation they’re having. It’s unexpected, and unexpected is usually jolly good fun. As far as fashion goes, anyway 😉

Details: vintage dress, DKNY belt, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Funny story: I thrifted this dress for my daughter thinking that she would appreciate its fun, whimsical pattern. It was a bit of a risk, since she’s becoming increasingly picky about her style, but worse case scenario I knew that if she didn’t like it, I could exchange it (VV doesn’t do returns). I showed it to her at home and had her try it on, and she loved it. Great! I took off the tag and popped it in the wash. A week later, we’re getting ready to go for brunch and I ask her if she wants to wear it. She puts it on and decides she hates it. Gah! Pre-teens, man! It was too late to take it back to the store, so I guess this dress is mine now. It’s fine. Joke’s on her: it’s hella comfortable and perfectly breezy for summer. I’ll probably mostly wear it around the house, but it’s cute enough to take outside too. And I love cherries!

Details: Old Navy swimsuit (retail), vintage pants, Birkenstock shoes (both secondhand)

Thoughts: And now for something completely different … this is what I wore on a family outing to Voyageur Park in Devon. We had a lovely time hanging out on the “beach” by the North Saskatchewan River — the kids swam a bit, I walked along the shore and looked for rocks (which is almost as much fun as looking for seashells by the ocean), and we had a lovely picnic en plein air. This is a beautiful little spot, just a short drive from our house, and relatively quiet on weekday mornings/early afternoons. We will be going back again for sure. As far as my outfit, a wide brim hat is always a must when I’m going to be out in the sun (along with sunscreen, of course) and my plastic Birks are my go-to choice for outdoorsy shoes. I mean, I probably wouldn’t hike in them, but I can walk for miles and they’re great for sand/water. For my “cover-up”, I love these elastic waist, lightweight cotton pants because they’re breezy, easy to roll up or take off, quick to dry, and machine washable. And they just happen to coordinate really well with my favourite bikini.