I walked into 2026 with stars in my eyes thanks to all the astrology girlies talking about quantum leaps and how this was going to be Leos’ big year. We are currently *checks calendar* 8 months in, and I am still waiting for all the manna to start falling out of the sky into my lap. You know what 2026 has consistently delivered, though? Chaos. Unpredictability at every turn.

And that includes fashion.

Here are three things that were NOT on my personal style bingo card for 2026 and, yet, are now (or about to become) my whole fashion identity.

Athletic Wear

I have never considered myself an athletic person. My superpower is reading books; I don’t get along with the sun. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to reform my sloth-like ways to give my body a fighting chance to keep up with my forever-young state of mind. At 46, I’m now in the best/fittest shape of my life and I have plans to take it up another notch by getting more serious about strength training. So, in a way, it’s fitting that I should enter the Sporty Adina phase of my style evolution.

In truth, this phase has a lot more to do with a very specific kind of nostalgia than it does with late-developing athleticism (which, let’s face it, can be called that only relative to my previous sedentariness). I am so obsessed with the aesthetics of the 90s and 00s, and athletic/street wear was a huge part of that. A part I didn’t explore back then because I felt “disqualified” from it. I was too nerdy, not cool enough, etc. to pull it off. I am still all of those things now … except that, now, I don’t care. I also don’t care that some people might think the aesthetic “too young” for someone my age.

I can’t say this too many times: it’s freaking amazing to (a) be old enough to not care about what other people think of your hobbies/interests, and (b) have the wherewithal to indulge said hobbies and interests in a way that you couldn’t as a teenager/broke student.

Anyway, you will find me in the mens’ activewear aisle at the thrifts for the foreseeable future.

Bootcut Jeans

I’ve never had a particularly contentious relationship with bootcut jeans — unlike, say, low-rise jeans — but it was not a style I was expecting to revisit in 2026. I knew they would make a comeback, sooner or later, because everything in fashion eventually does. I was still taken by surprise by how much I loved the look of the first (vintage) pair I thrifted earlier this summer when I tried it on. Honestly, I think I would be cycling back to skinny jeans before bootcut, but here we are.

There is something that feels very … effortlessly cool about them. I know, I know. The two worst words one can use when describing anything style-related are “effortlessly cool” but, sorry, that’s the feeling that bootcut jeans currently evoke for me. They suit a few different vibes I enjoy (Ralph-coded, as per always), including southwest/prairiecore and 90s minimalist. We love a versatile closet workhorse.

Capris

This was, hands down, the biggest shock of all. I am not usually too susceptible to fashion trends I see on social media, but this time I was got. I don’t remember the last time I wore capris/pedal-pushers, but seeing images of fashion girlies sporting black ones paired with minimalist pieces got me hella intrigued. I like that it’s taking the Y2K vibe and giving it a 90s off-duty model polish. Less cutesy, more laidback cool.

The downside is that this is very much a summer/early fall kind of piece, so my runway for experimenting with it is going to be short. That being said, I just thrifted a vintage pair for $10, which feels like a good compromise for this scenario. Low risk, plenty of upside. And it’s going to give my low-heeled, pointy-toe pumps a reason to come out of retirement again.

What were your biggest fashion surprises of 2026?

This week had its share of hiccups, but several big wins as well. Let’s dive right in! My biggest and happiest news of the week is that I finished the first draft of my latest WIP. It took a 48 hour writing marathon, but I got it done in time to meet my (mostly arbitrary) deadline of finishing by Wednesday. I now have a 2-book series in raw manuscript form that I am absolutely pumped to make my main project for 2027. TBH, it’s the second book I just finished that has me obsessed — a dark academia murder mystery set in a convent of vampire scholar nuns. What’s not to love? The biggest challenge will be to shape the first book, which establishes the series protagonists and their backstory, into a sufficiently strong “hook” aka series opener.

But who doesn’t love a challenge, right?

More immediately, I have my next historical murder mystery to get ready for publication in October. I met with my editor on Wednesday to discuss her feedback, and I think I have a good roadmap for the final round of edits. Then, it will be time to layout and format, proofread, and the final, final tweaks. October feels like a good way down the road, but I know from experience that the timeline is going to be pretty tight … as it always seems to be with me. Sigh.

You might have noticed that I’ve been a little MIA here lately. Part of that has to do with the aforementioned writing marathon (and the ones that preceded it this past month), but part of it has to do with the fact that we managed to break my website while trying to do some much-delayed updates on the back end. Luckily, we were able to fix the issues and get things running again. And when I say “we”, I mean my IT support guy, aka my husband.

I am very excited about my new style direction — 90s off-duty model meets 2000s football player — and it has led to a few extra thrifting trips recently. On my list: football jerseys (natch), vintage athletic wear, and a few key mid-2000s fashion items. One of them? A pair of black capris. I saw a few pop up in my IG feed lately, styled with black, low-heeled pumps and elevated minimalist pieces, and I was intrigued. I also recently thrifted a pair of men’s vintage Tommy carpenter style jorts. I don’t think they will be a long-term closet staple for me, but I’m having fun wearing them for now … and I know my son will gladly take them off my hands.

Have a great weekend!

My 40s have been my most chaotic decade ever: the highest highs and lowest lows and most of it unexpected. In my 30s, I worked hard and channeled all of my energy outward; in my 40s, I’ve worked just as hard, but channeled most of my energy inward — which is the reason why I am able to say that, even with all the ups and downs, successes and setbacks, I am more grounded and content than I have ever been. Perhaps my favourite discovery lately has been how easily emotional maturity can sit alongside childlike joy. I feel the most competent and well-adjusted I’ve ever been, and also the most energized and youthful.

Someone on IG expressed surprise when I posted a story about feeling young; they misunderstood my comments to mean a youthful appearance, and thought that seemed at odds with my general vibe. They were wrong, but also kinda right. I am not intentionally trying to look young, though it may end up seeming that way as an indirect result of other things I am pursuing (indulging my nostalgia by rediscovering 90s and 00s fashion, embracing fitness, etc.). I have no interest in “dressing my age”, which people often equate with a desire to appear younger. In my case, it means that I’m not interested in dressing like any age, because I think age is an irrelevant metric for pretty much anything at this stage of my life.

When I say that I want to feel young, what I’m really talking about is two things. One, I want to feel ageless, that is to say, not defined by my age. (Hence, why I’m embracing fitness. I need my body to keep up with the mind’s program.) Two, I want to feel the excitement, wonder, curiosity, and joy that I felt as a child — when the world seemed filled with wonder and possibility and cool sh*t to explore. I’ve now got some maturity under my belt to balance out my decision-making, but it’s that youthful zing that gets me out of bed every morning, excited to discover what the day holds.

Anyway, I’m 46 now.

Which sounds like a weird number, tbh. But I’ve always had funny feelings about numbers in general.

I got three four presents for my birthday and they all feel very emblematic of the Me of Now. Let’s take a look!

Gucci Rush Perfume

As is our tradition, my dad’s present was a perfume. Rush is one that I’ve been trying to get for a while: another one of my 00s faves, it still goes hard twenty years later. I believe it was recently discontinued, but we were able to find a bottle without too much difficulty. As soon as I sprayed it, I was in heaven. I may have to try to stock up before this becomes as rare and HTF as my beloved Gucci Envy.

Vintage Coach Bag

I love the color and shape of this vintage-ish Coach bag (late 00s or early 10s, I think); it makes a great addition to my Coach collection. These days, I don’t buy bags very often — and designer bags never — except the odd Coach one that tickles my nostalgic fancy. I feel like their simple, classic designs suit my (varied) aesthetic the best, and the quality is unmatched for the price. The secondhand market for older Coach bags is exploding, but there are still some good bargains to be found if you’re patient.

Vintage Liverpool FC Jersey

Football is another one of my nostalgic obsessions. Though I am locked in with the 2026/2027 season (La Liga and Premier League), my heart still belongs to my 2000s faves. Perhaps none more so than Fernando Torres, one of the decade’s best strikers. His career trajectory was a bit of a shooting star, but from about 2006 to 2010, he was incredibly exciting to watch. (On and off the pitch, ahem.) I have a list of dream football jerseys I’d like to own, and several of his are on the list. This one is not at the top of the list, but it’s close; Torres’ Liverpool stint was his prime, and this long-sleeved red jersey was absolutely iconic — then, and now.

Girl Gang Time

My best friend lives in Montreal now, and we don’t get to see each other often. Traveling has its challenges for both of us, for different reasons. For me, money’s no object but I hate flying (and don’t like being away from my family). For her, flying’s no problem, but she’s on a graduate student budget. A few months ago, my husband had a brilliant idea: we would buy her a ticket to fly out and come stay with us for a week. Challenges solved! We chose the week that coincided with both of our birthdays — two Leos, imagine that! — and we had the most wonderful time. My daughter joined us on some of our adventures around town (she loves all the same things we do: thrifting, books, ramen & boba) and we made the best girl gang. And the best memories.

It was the best birthday present of all.