Details: J. Crew sweater, LizSport vest, Ralph Lauren blazer, Fossil belt, Coach bag (all secondhand), Zara pants (retail)

Thoughts: This ended up being one of my fave outfits of the season. I thrifted the sweater and vest on the same day (same store) and they’re a match made in monochromatic texture heaven. I knew I would wear them together — not exclusively, but definitely to begin with — and then it was simply a question of choosing complementary pieces. With its darker olive tones, the blazer was an easy pick. And then the pants became the obvious choice because their colour matches with the plaid. It’s a kind of outfit domino effect: one piece leading to another leading to another. Easy peasy.

Details: Bonnie Strauss dress, Jaeger vest, Jones NY blazer, Sonoma belt, Fossil bag (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I love this vintage velvet dress so much, but it has a challenging (though stunning) wide neckline that really likes to go off-shoulder on me. Not particularly practical for the average day. But! Layering to the rescue. Layering is the hero who never fails to show up and get the job done. I recently thrifted this vintage Jaeger sweater vest, and it’s a nice colour match for the dress. Bonus points for the fact that it’s cropped, which makes it easy to further enhance the illusion of ‘separates’ by the addition of a belt. I was originally going to go full-monochromatic, but at the last minute decided to switch to a grey blazer for a bit of contrast. Grey and brown are supposed to work well together, and I took my cue from the vest itself, which has some grey in it.

Details: Ralph Lauren blazer, H&M turtleneck, Pitlochry sweater, unbranded tulle skirt, YSL bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I am a big fan of high-waisted silhouettes, as we all know, so this was a bit of a departure for me. Rather than go with my usual partial tuck*, I decided to keep the sweater untucked for a more relaxed vibe that leans into the volume of the chunky sweater and tulle skirt. I think it would have been 10/10 if the skirt were a bit longer, but I wasn’t mad about it as it was either. This outfit gave me the opportunity to pull out one of my favourite older bags, which still brings me a lot of joy. Even though it’s not as practical for my current lifestyle as my small crossbody bags, sometimes you gotta go with the heart.

*With longer and/or chunkier sweaters, my trick is to tuck just a bit of the hem then drape the extra material over the waistband. It ends up being less bulky and awkward than trying to tuck what might be as much as 5-7 inches of material. As long as the waistband is relatively snug, it will hold and keep everything in place.

Details: Calvin Klein tee & jeans, Limited cardigan, Fossil belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Super basic outfit that I inexplicably loved so, so much. I’m obsessed with the classic straight cut of these vintage CK jeans, which seems to possess the magical ability to make my legs look longer than they actually are. I mean, nobody is going to mistake me for an off-duty model, but I feel spiritually closer to that whole vibe when I wear these jeans. I am also obsessed with the cut, colour, and texture of this vintage Limited zip-up cardigan. There is something about boxy, cropped jackets that is really speaking to me atm.

Details: Zara top, Judith & Charles jacket, Ralph Lauren skirt (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Shoutout to my favourite statement skirt. Still making a statement.

Details: Gap turtleneck, Tommy Hilfiger jacket, Calvin Klein jeans, vintage bag (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Those jeans again, with another boxy, cropped jacket. It’s like I have a type. Well, duh. I am a creature of fairly predictable outfit formulas.

Details: H&M top (retail), Ralph Lauren vest, Tough Duck jacket, American Eagle jeans, Gap belt, vintage bag (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Chore coats are trendy this fall, and it’s a bandwagon I’m happy to jump on because the vibes are aligning. Chore coats are Ralph Lauren-coded, aren’t they? I don’t remember the last time I was near a barn, but I watch a lot of shows set in the English countryside and I like to pretend that my life in suburban Edmonton is, somehow, the same sartorial ballpark. Anywhoo, this vintage Tough Duck coat came fashionably distressed, courtesy of its previous owner who obviously had a more outdoorsy lifestyle than yours truly. I am obsessed with the corduroy collar, but then again, I am obsessed with all things corduroy.

Details: Club Monaco turtleneck & sweatshirt, Mackage jacket, Gap dress, Canadienne boots (all secondhand)

Thoughts: It finally happened: I caved and bought a vintage Club Monaco crest sweatshirt, a thing I’ve been coveting for years. You might even say decades, since teenage me couldn’t but dream of owning one of these at the height of their original popularity in the 90s. I kept hoping I’d find one at the thrift stores, but it’s one of the few items on my thrift wishlist that has eluded me for the better part of 10 years. This ended up being a Poshmark pick-up, after many months of patiently waiting for a decent deal to pop up. These sweatshirts are once again (niche) popular, so resale prices are higher than you’d expect. Anyway, holy grail having been acquired, I had to do it justice with a ‘cool girl’ outfit, and this was my best effort. I even wore a short dress, which is effort indeed on my part. Between you and me and the rest of the internet, I am mostly wearing this sweatshirt with leggings at home … but it does ‘clean up’ nicely.

Details: Ralph Lauren sweater & skirt, Tommy Hilfiger jacket, Laredo boots (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I love watching other people’s thrifting reels on Instagrams, which has only served to reinforce the appeal of the 90s revival. Everyone is into it! Seeing what vintage pieces people are finding, and how they are styling them, has given me lots of ideas. Including an idea about the potential of a red leather jacket. I spent a few weeks looking for one because, while leather jackets abound at the thrifts (seriously, one of the best categories of clothing to thrift), their quality can be hit-and-miss and so can their price. Patience paid off, though, because I eventually found this absolutely perfect, definitively 90s Tommy Hilfiger number for $35 at Goodwill. A bit pricey for thrift, but still great value. So, now, I am experimenting with its potential. I started with a fairly safe combo of black and white, which did not disappoint. Will be trying to add some brown into the mix next time. Stay tuned.

Details: Ralph Lauren turtleneck, Jones & Co jacket, American Eagle jeans, Esprit belt, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: As you may be starting to observe, red has been a key colour for me this fall — especially deep red shades. I’ve been adding staple pieces, like this turtleneck, in my favourite shades, and they’ve opened up new styling options for older items in my closet. I love how the colours in this outfit pop.

Details: Babaton turtleneck, Vince skirt, Mackage jacket, vintage bag, Laredo boots (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I’ve been wearing a lot of (almost) monochromatic brown this season, but decided to take a slight left turn with this outfit; instead of a brown jacket, I decided to go with a dark plum one instead. It coordinates nicely, in a slightly less expected way. I “mirrored” the print of the dress in the pattern of the bag, and bookended the outfit with black (turtleneck and boots) to add a bit more contrast. Overall, it’s still a fairly subdued outfit (for me, if recent history is our benchmark) but with tons of details that make it interesting … to me, at least.

Details: Pilcro sweater, DKNY blazer, H&M turtleneck, Do+Be skirt, vintage bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I am continuing to test my theory that brown (some shade of it, and there are many) goes with practically any colour. I can now add lavender to that list. It was a fun colour to try, especially in a mash-up with leopard, which I rarely see paired with pastel-type shades. A little bit unorthodox, but I liked it.

Details: M Collection vest, Banana Republic cardigan, DKNY skirt, vintage shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Whimsigoth (kudos to whoever came up with that name) pops up a lot in the thrifting reels the algorithm has been feeding me lately, and while it’s generally an aesthetic that doesn’t appeal to my current sartorial sensibilities, there is one element that has made it stick in my mind. Its 90s flavour, of course. Think Practical Magic and Charmed. So, when I found this vintage vest, I was primed. I had a vision. This was that vision. It made for a very fun and satisfying reality, ahem, outfit. Before you yell at me about one-trick ponies, I am quite certain that this vest has plenty of other potential, which I propose to tap at the earliest opportunity.

Details: Tommy Hilfiger shirt, Ralph Lauren sweater, Brave belt (all thrifted), J. Crew jacket, Zara pants (both retail)

Thoughts: I bought this J. Crew field jacket at the end of the season last year, on deep clearance at Winners, and put it aside for future me. I didn’t have any particular plans for it at the time, but it struck me as a fairly classic piece that would eventually come in handy in a climate like mine. Future me is very grateful because this style has become trendy again, which is a nice bonus, and this colour combo (olive green and dark brown) is perfect for my current wardrobe palette. That corduroy collar … be still my heart.

Details: J. Crew shirt, vintage vest, Gap jacket & belt, Twik skirt, Tommy Hilfiger bag (all thrifted), Mia shoes (retail)

Thoughts: I don’t wear a lot of black these days but I do enjoy a black-and-brown combo. Whiskey, in particular, looks really sharp paired with black. This outfit has a dandy vibe that pleased me a great deal. Ties are a trend for womenswear this fall, and I’ve been experimenting with it off-and-on, but sometimes it feels “too much” and also too cumbersome (since I haven’t learned how to tie a proper tie knot, and require assistance from my husband). This bow pin is a rather perfect alternative for me; thanks to the striped fabric, it has a flavour of tie about it, but it’s much easier to put on and feels jauntier and more me.

Details: Toni T dickie, J. Crew sweater, Ralph Lauren trench, American Eagle jeans, Gap belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I loved this combo of red stripes and tan trench. It felt classic and effortless. Now, these are objectively meaningless terms, so what I’m saying is that this is what classic and effortless looks like to me — or at least one version of it, at the current moment. Easy, relaxed, but also polished and elegant in an understated sort of way, and trend-neutral. The trendiest thing here are the jeans, a category of clothing that is often the most obvious clue to an outfit’s era. Something to think about in that, eh?

Details: Northern Reflections sweater, Ungaro vest, Donna Karan belt, Mondi skirt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Plaid on plaid is a fun way to do pattern mixing, and in this case, it solved for me the problem of choosing a colour palette for an outfit built around this skirt. Red-and-green plaid is tricky given its tendency to come across Christmassy, and the choice of accessorizing colours can often play that up. Here, by adding another red-dominant plaid that doesn’t prominently feature green and doubling-down on the red, I think I managed to avoid looking like someone who puts up her Christmas decorations immediately after Halloween. Which, for the record, I am not.

Details: H&M shirt, Ralph Lauren sweater, Eddie Bauer pants, Fossil belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I was so excited to find this brown striped shirt. Brown shirts are relatively rare, have you ever noticed this? But now that I have one, I could finally put together a monochromatic version of this favoured outfit formula: oversized striped shirt, menswear-inspired pants, contrast-colour sweater. So simple, so good.

Details: Club Monaco sweater, Gap jacket, vintage skirt, Ann Marino shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Also simple is this 90s coded outfit animated by my love of contrasting textures: leather, chunky knits, chiffon. Minimalism has certainly infiltrated my sartorial aesthetic — it’s part of the DNA of the kind of 90s style that appeals to my nostalgia — but I am still me, and I still need visual interest in my outfits, or else I end up feeling very blah. I cannot do blah. If an outfit feels blah, it is not worth wearing. Luckily, colour and texture are most effective tools to zhuzh up minimalist outfits (which, to me, means any outfit that doesn’t involve more than 3 pieces and at least one statement accessory).

Details: Jeanne Pierre sweater, Ralph Lauren jacket, Fossil belt (all thrifted), Zara pants (retail)

Thoughts: Brown and yellow, who knew? This is a combination I tried thanks to the influence of Instagram; I guess my mindless strolling does occasionally pay off. Special shout-out to this blazer, which is probably my best thrift find of the year, if we are going by prestige alone. It’s a Ralph Lauren Collection wool and cashmere blazer that probably originally retailed for $3,000CAD+. Ralph Lauren Collection is the highest tier in the RL brand universe; the fact this non-vintage blazer was made in the USA is an obvious giveaway of that. Anyway, it feels pretty darn luxurious, which might seem like a “duh, obviously” statement given its retail price, but honestly isn’t a given these days even for higher-end designer brands. I don’t have the budget for $3,000 jackets, so I am happy I got to have this experience for the thrift-queen price of $25. As a PSA, I should mention that I found this (undeniably women’s jacket*) on the men’s blazer rack, which is a reminder that you should look at every section, even in a cursory way.

*I can tell it’s a women’s blazer because it has zero inside pockets. As far as I can tell, the pocket-looking slits on the outside are also merely decorative. A men’s jacket would NEVER.

Details: Danier jacket, Jones Collection vest, Talbots skirt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I’ve mentioned how much I’m loving navy and deep red as a colour pairing lately, so this vintage (made in the USA) Talbots skirt was a no-brainer buy. I knew it would look smashing with this navy wool vest, but I surprised myself in choosing the 3rd piece. This burnt orange suede jacket wasn’t my first choice, and I only ended up adding it to this outfit because it happened to be hanging nearby when I was weighing up my options. Turns out, this shade of orange looks great with navy! Noted. I will be exploring the possibilities later. I decided to add one more thing to this outfit — minimalism plug-in not detected! — because my neck felt a little bit naked, and went with an extra special piece: my mom’s Hermes scarf.