Biker Ballerina

It always makes me laugh when r/FemaleFashionAdvice refers to “witchy” anything because, 9 times out of 10, it turns out the person means “wearing a lot of black”. I am sure that practicing Wiccans are tired of the rest of us co-opting their terminology. I admit I’m as guilty as any; I like the idea of looking witchy without really knowing anything about being an actual witch. But! Apparently there is something called fashion magick and, guys, I am about to fall down a rabbit hole!

Anyway, in the meantime, I decided not to call this lewk “Biker Witch” lest I unintentionally cause any eye-rolls in my audience. Tulle = ballerina, right? Are there any ballerinas in the crowd? No? Good. Biker Ballerina it is, then.

All kidding aside, this was a super fun outfit. I layered my distressed, vaguely dystopian cropped sweater over a very boho eShakti dress, thereby changing its vibe entirely. The leather jacket upped the coolness factor (if you ignore my inherent uncoolness, that is) and added some much-needed warmth. Mornings have been so nippy here lately – we’re talking 40F on a good day, sigh. I have to say that this Mackage jacket is the real deal when it comes to warmth; the leather is so thick and there must be some extra insulation built in somehow, because I was nice and toasty.

Notes: eShakti dress (thrifted, $14); Art Point sweater (thrifted, $7); Mackage jacket (thrifted, $50); Clark booties (retail, $60).

Headmistress in Charge

I love this outfit so much even if it looks like a nothingburger on first glance. All the details please me. The crisp white, bejeweled collar. The midi dress that’s comfortable like pyjamas. The subtle herringbone vest. The classic Manolo pumps. I feel like a Woman Who Seems Very Responsible And Boring But Actually Has A Very Interesting Secret Life. I don’t, but I like to pretend that I do. That is the power of clothes, my friends.

Notes: J. Crew top (thrifted, $6); Elizabeth & James vest (thrifted, $18); Ovate dress (thrifted, $8.50); Manolo Blahnik (eBay, $250ish?).

Formula on Repeat

I have worn this sweater + scarf combo more times than I can count, and I never get tired of it. This light mauve/lilac colour is one of my favourites, and I wish it was easier to find because I want more of it in my closet. Can we call this “millennial purple” and get it declared a trend? Please and thank you. The scarf is a couple of years old now, but proof that fast fashion isn’t always crappy quality. The skirt is a recent thrift find and I really dig its design. It’s a faux wrap effect created by the front of the skirt folding back on itself. The fabric is a thick silk with nice weight to it which, hey, I will take over polyester any day of the week. The brand (Crea Concept) was not familiar to me when I bought the skirt, but I trusted my my assessment of the quality and bought it anyway; I’ve since learned that it’s a French contemporary designer brand (for reference, sold at places like Blu’s). Definitely worth the $8.

Notes: Moth sweater (thrifted, $7); Crea Concept skirt (thrifted, $8); Zara scarf (retail, $30ish?); Stuart Weizman boots (thrifted, $19).

Boyish Charm

I’ve worn some version of this outfit before but it still works and why reinvent the wheel? Especially on a Friday. I love the woodsy colour palette; the brown tweed works very harmoniously with the mossy green of the sweater even if brown-and-green is not a combination that often springs to mind. The metallic loafers add just a bit of pizzazz to what would otherwise be a straight copy of the outfit that my husband wears to work every day.

Notes: AllSaints sweater (thrifted, $8.50); Zara blazer (thrifted, $9.50); Aritzia pants (thrifted, $8); Louise et Cie loafers (retail, $35).

I know I’ve talked about this a lot already, but French Vogue (runway collections) is the gift that keeps on giving. Me inspiration, and you blog posts. Hope you’re not sick of hearing about the F/W 2019-2020 collections yet, because I’ve got another one coming your way.

I touched on some of the fall trends that piqued my interest a while ago, so today I want to take a slightly different approach. When it comes to the way that I approach my personal style, the style avatar system remains my frame of reference. [One more hat tip to Redditor “lumenphosphor”, whose comments on r/FemaleFashionAdvice sparked my personal style revolution last year.] It may not be an approach that works for everyone, but if you consider clothing a form of self-expression – and find that you have a lot of different aspects to express – you may find it helpful. I love clothes (duh!) and in the past I used to struggle to distinguish between clothes I admired and those I actually wanted to wear. Understanding my avatars eliminates that struggle. I can look at an outfit now and immediately know if it’s something that suits my personal style, or not.

[Sidenote: when it comes to shopping, it’s a little more complicated because, while I can easily tell if a piece of clothing works for one of my avatars in principle, other factors impact whether that piece is a long-term keeper or not. Wearability and versatility are sometimes hard to predict in the store; the downside of thrifting is that it’s not conducive to planned purchases – you have to make quick decisions, on the spot. Not all of them are winners.]

The interesting thing is that, since I chose my avatars last year, I’ve been finding inspiration for them everywhere. They are not static concepts but ever-evolving, well, characters. In fact, to keep them relevant, they have to evolve. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good exercise to look at the F/W 2019-2020 collections and see what new inspiration they might yield for my avatars.

The Prince

There were a few options that looked promising for this avatar, but in the end I kept coming back to this outfit from the Tom Ford collection.

Black is the “power colour” for the Prince, but I am starting to think about trying other monochromatic looks. Dark green, in particular, has been on my mind lately. It evokes similar feelings for me as black, but has a slightly more mysterious edge to it. The red of this outfit would be too overpowering for me, but I would love a deep plum or smoky purple as an alternative. What I also love about this runway look is the mix of textures. Matte, shiny, velvety. Texture adds so much depth to an outfit, especially a monochrome one. It also looks luxe AF, which suits the Prince nicely.

As with the rest of my discussion here, it’s not my intent to go out and buy a bunch of new clothes at the mall. I will wait and see what I can find in thrift stores, with a special focus on velvet and satin pieces, and coloured leather – especially in dark green and plum tones.

Key notes: silhouette remains unchanged; update colour palette; focus on texture.

The Artist

I’ve posted this Brendan Maxwell runway look before, but it bears repeating:

This is a perfect look for the Artist: architectural lines, minimalist, subtle romanticism. There is a slight gothic undercurrent that also feels very “of the moment” for the Artist. Other things I love: the pairing of a light colour with stark black; waist-defining belt over volume; long layers on top; long, swirly skirt. Long skirts, in particular, are a current obsession of mine. I’ve been looking for vintage pieces more and more, because the last time maxi skirts were a Big Thing was some years ago. Vintage Ralph Lauren is one of my current Holy Grails; I’m even eyeing some pieces on eBay, although prices are a bit higher than I’d like.

Key notes: cinched in long layers; long, flowy skirts.

The Adventurer

This avatar has fallen a bit out of favour, so to speak, lately and it has a lot to do with my preference for skirts over pants, especially jeans – those used to be a cornerstone of this avatar. But, wait! Because the Celine runway has sparked a whole new love affair:

Those are actually culottes, not a skirt, but it works for me either way. Why did I not think to pair all my Adventurer tweeds with skirts? Well, I guess sometimes you just need someone else to show you the way. I just love, love, love everything about this look, including the slight retro vibe. Luckily, I thrifted a pair of tall slouchy boots last year, which will be in heavy rotation this year. I will also be looking for some cropped culottes – or regular ones that could handle some DIY cropping.

Key notes: update silhouette with skirts (and culottes); tall boots rather than ankle boots; more femme than boyish.

The Bohemian

Funnily enough, this was the avatar I saw the least on the fall runways. Nothing really jumped out at me, except for this Etro look:

Also, a runner-up spot for this Ralph Lauren ensemble, mostly because I am obsessed with the pants:

I’m very into my plaid skirts at the moment (plaid for fall, groundbreaking) so I will be playing around with the first inspo. I am actively hunting for a gold pleated skirt to bring some extra shine to my closet; in the meantime, I think it’s time to pull out the metallic Opening Ceremony pants I thrifted this past summer and give them a whirl. Otherwise, I will continue to do what I’ve been doing – using the Bohemian avatar as a bit of a wildcard. I think the vibe will be more “luxe boho” than “hippie boho” heading into the winter – richer fabrics and darker colours, that slight gothic vibe.

Key notes: plaid & metallics as “accent” pieces.

As always, I would love to hear from you: Have you tried the style avatar approach? Do you take inspiration from runway collections and, if so, what is your process?

Hard to believe another month has passed and yet … at the same time, not. Days sometimes feel long, but weeks seem to pass in quick succession. My son was complaining about how fast time was going a while back, and part of me was, like, “kiddo, just you wait!” It’s fun seeing the world through his eyes, though, even if it makes me even more acutely aware of how long ago I was in his shoes. Next up on the agenda: prepping for Halloween. You best believe that, if not for the kids, I wouldn’t be marking the occasion in any special way. Some people are Halloween people; I am not. Nothing against Halloween, but the whole hoopla around it is exhausting to me. And I feel like I’m running on fumes at the best of times.

How about some outfits?

Not a bad month even if it was full of neutrals. Thrifting has picked up again in a major way, so I’ve had quite a few new pieces come into my closet. It makes me feel like I need to step up my game. I also have to take stock of what’s in my closet and decide if it’s in need of some editing (Narrator voice: “it always was”). With winter around the corner (and the short, cold days ahead) I don’t want to fall into a rut. For next month, I’m going back to a monthly colour scheme in an effort to stay away from wearing all black, all the time. I’m thinking green and mustard yellow (goldenrod?) but we shall see.