What I Wore: Beginning of June, 2020

Instagram vs Real Life

For the most part, I like working from home but there are a few things I miss about the office. Seeing my coworkers in person, for one. And having a reason to dress up. Most days, I am fine with wearing one of my growing collection of schmattas (loose sack dresses) or something with an elastic waist. But there are days when I yearn for something more. This outfit was a case in point. The dress, by itself, is practical enough for WFH – it’s loose and comfortable, even if it is a bit fancy (silk fabric). The topper, again, is something that would make sense at home, if I get chilly; it’s soft and stretchy and not constricting in the way that a regular blazer would be. But what makes the outfit, IMO, is that third piece: a skirt layered under the dress to change up the proportions and add some texture and visual interest via the peekaboo tulle. Is that something I’m going to wear around the house? No. I could, of course. But I can’t bring myself to do it; it just seems like overkill. [I’ve only recently gotten used to wearing my “nice” clothes around the house.] So, yeah, some days I miss the office.

Butterfly Squad

Now that I have added a weekly thrift outing to my social calendar, I have one reason to make a bit more of an effort with my (casual) attire. This was one such effort, enabled in part by a snap of colder weather. I haven’t had much opportunity to wear my transitional pieces this year – March and April were spent in lockdown, and May was warmer than usual – so I jumped at the chance. I don’t normally wear this much leather all at once, but I think it worked out ok. I’m still really impressed with these Commando leggings; they’re very comfortable (not tummy-strangling at all) and easily elevate an outfit. I am also very much in love with these Ash sneakers, a post-lockdown thrift find. They are my second pair, and they’re one of my go-tos; they’re casual but funky, comfortable but with an edge (and a bit of heel).

Deconstructing Jo March

You may remember how obsessed I was last December with the costuming of the new Little Women movie, especially Jo’s wardrobe. Well, it took a little bit of time, but the thrift gods have delivered an outfit worthy of Jo but also perfectly suited to my own aesthetic. Or so I like to think. The Crea Concept skirt is older (from last year), as are the shoes, but the vest (J. Crew) and linen jacket (Sarah Pacini) are new finds. I told you I would eventually find a nice waistcoat! It took almost 6 months, but thrifting delivered. However, the clincher is, IMO, the white jacket. I thought it was a shirt at first, but it has pockets, y’all. It’s basically a perfect layering piece – lightweight, with very cool little details. I can’t wait to play around with it some more.

Kismet

This COS dress used to belong to my BFF until she decided the length wasn’t great on her. We listed it on our resale page, and had 2 sales fall through on it. I took that as a sign that the dress was meant to stay … with ME. It’s an oversize fit on me, which I love. I also love the contrast of the stretchy knit top, and the striped cotton bottom layer. I mirrored the contrast with the choice of shoes which – full disclosure – were worn for these photos only. Wearing shoes to work from home? Nah! But these Ferragamo heels are so cute, and I do miss them.

Back in Colour

I do still wear colour, you guys! Take this outfit as proof. Colour and bold accessories are my favourite little pick-me-ups these days. I’m also back on the Rafael Canada collecting bandwagon, and have been actively on the hunt for new pieces to add to my collection. This necklace is a piece I got last year, but it deserves a bit of spotlight – just look at those confetti-like sparkles: