I’m not super into astrology but the memes are fun, so this year I’ve been embracing the whole Leo Season thing. My best friend is also a Leo, so we egg each other on with the meme game. Anyway, Leo’s are supposed to love yellow and gold, but until recently, I didn’t relate to that at all. Then I realized that I do love yellow … just not the traditional kind. I like the weird ones – mustard, chartreuse, and this shade which I like to call “Antique Gold”. It’s a bit green, a bit brown, and altogether lovely. Especially in velvet, which adds a whole other dimension to it. I love the simplicity of this sack dress; what drew me to it, apart from the colour and texture, was the knowledge that it would serve as a perfect backdrop for a lot of my statement necklaces. Here, I wore it with a matching Rafael necklace, but gave the colour story a surprise twist with purple shoes.
Summer Layers
You guys know how much I love layering, and this outfit is one of my fave layering experiments to date. Summer is not the easier season for layers, but it’s still possible to achieve a cool effect – figuratively and literally – with lightweight pieces like linen and silk. Admittedly, the knit vest came off before noon as the temps rose, but I had to try it on because it just lends some lovely angles to this outfit.
Summer Vibes
It’s still a linen kind of summer, even more so in the last week as temps soared into the 30s Celsius. For a slightly cooler morning, a little white denim jacket is perfect. There is something so quintessentially summer about light blue and white combos, isn’t there? I also added one of my newest handmade necklaces, which I am calling “Daisy”. The yellow also pops against blue, and completes that whole summer-inspired palette.
Today, I want to talk about some of the more interesting and/or unusual things I’ve thrifted this summer since the re-opening of retail stores in my area.
Pyne & Smith linen dress
I’ll start with this dress because it illustrates one of my biggest tips for thrifting: know how to recognize quality independent of labels. When I first spotted this dress on the rack, I didn’t recognize the brand name. But I already knew that it was something worth putting into my cart. The hand-feel of the linen fabric and a quick glance at the finishes told me that. Later, Google told me that Pyne & Smith is a small independent sustainable fashion brand. Later still, some of my Instagram followers told me that it happens to be a quite popular brand at that. Imagine – I found something cool without even knowing it.
Bottom line is this: a comprehensive knowledge of brands helps a thrifter immensely, of course, but even more important is the ability to spot quality. Brands evolve all the time, new ones gain popularity, etc. Signs of quality are always the same.
Claire Desjardins dress
One of the artists I follow on Instagram is Claire Desjardins, a Canadian abstract painter. I like her paintings a lot, although they’re definitely not in my budget at this time. Lo and behold, one day I randomly stumbled on this dress, which must be part of a collab with a Canadian clothing company; the print is inspired by Claire’s paintings. It seemed like such an odd coincidence at the time – to find something connected to an artist I like in a wholly unexpected way.
Sarah Pacini linen coat
This is such an interesting piece from one of my favourite designers. I appreciate how there is always something a little unique or unusual about SP pieces – like the cut of this coat, and the black contrast trim on the front and back.
Proenza Schouler vest
This was a thrift first for me – the first time thrifting this brand, that is. It was also a major score, and this vest retailed for around $1,000USD and I paid less than $20CAD – or, in American currency, two pine cones and a stick of gum. It did need a good go with the sweater shaver, but it’s now looking practically brand new again. Maybe it’s all in my head, but I feel like a cool “fashion girl” whenever I wear this.
Jil Sander coat
Another major, major score and something I can’t wait to wear come fall. Sorry, no pictures for now because I haven’t worn it yet and I can’t find it online. But … it’s black, it’s classic, it’s a wool-angora-cashgora blend. Cash-whatnow? Yeah, I learned something new myself. Apparently, it’s a special type of wool. Fancy goats, y’all.
Donna Karan jacket
This was pure fashion nostalgia. A vintage Donna Karan collection piece that screams “90s fashion dream”. Can you picture Cher Horowitz wearing something like this? I couldn’t resist getting it for the quality of the workmanship alone – the inner seam finishes are seriously to die for, as Cher would say – even though I’m not entirely sure how I can incorporate it into my 21st century wardrobe.
Quay sunglasses
I rarely see decent sunglasses at the thrift store, so it was doubly exciting to score this fun pair of Quays — because I like the quality and because this is such a fun shape. I never spend a lot of money on sunglasses because I am rough on them and/or lose them often, so it’s nice to get a good pair for a steal.
Tory Burch bag
This was such a funny score because I see cheap knockoffs marked up for ridiculous prices all the time at Value Village, and the one time there is an authentic bag, they price it for $11. It’s what keeps thrifting interesting, I guess. You never know where and when a sweet bargain will pop up. This bag is actually perfect for my current needs; I’ve stopped using regular/large sized bags when I go out and have pared down what I take with me; only my cards, keys, phone, and hand sanitizer usually. That way, there are fewer things I need to clean every time. Anyway, this little crossbody is the perfect size, plus it’s divided like a wallet, so it has slots for all my cards unlike my other tiny purses which, at best, have one little pocket. It fits – just barely but still – my keys and a small bottle of sanitizer, plus my old iPhone 6S in external back pocket for each reach.
Ash sneakers
I love my old pair of Ash leather sneakers – also thrifted – so I was thrilled to find a second, slightly different, version. It alleviates a fear I often have when it comes to favourite thrift finds: what will I do when it wears out and I can’t find a replacement? This applies most of all to shoes, which do wear out far more quickly than anything else in my closet. With two pairs of these sneakers now, I can split my wears and extend the lives of both pairs. And I do wear them a lot now that I don’t commute to the office anymore. They are perfect for my more casual lifestyle now. I like the slightly rock ‘n roll vibe, plus the small wedge heel gives me some height without sacrificing comfort. They’re also so, so easy to clean.
Morays bracelet
This was one of those situations where you learn something new thanks to thrifting. From a distance, this bracelet looked quite unassuming, but I knew I’d need to have a closer look as soon as I picked it up. It was much heavier than I was expecting. And it had a safety catch. You know, that little chain that holds the two ends together even when the clasp is open? I may be using the wrong terminology, but you catch my drift. Now, most low end costume jewelry doesn’t bother with things like that, so I knew this wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill piece. I immediately looked for a stamp, and eventually spotted one – albeit one too small for me to read clearly without assistance. I paid my $7 and took the bracelet home for further study.
With the aid of the Magnifying Glass app (very handy for these sorts of occasions and free to download, I believe), I deciphered the stamp. It says “Morays” and then “1/40 12k”. A little Google later, I discovered two things. One, the numbers indicate this is a gold-filled piece. That means it’s a step above gold tone and gold plated jewelry, but not quite fine jewelry. Two, there is Morays Jewellers in Florida which bills itself thusly: “Seven generations in service to the exclusive tastes and finer habits of the Miami gentlemen and ladies.” I die. If my bracelet came from THAT Morays (and I haven’t found another contender yet), my only question is: I would love to know the story of how that bracelet ended up in a thrift store in Edmonton.
I will be the first to admit that I am the worst for saving my “good” clothes for “special” occasions. The pandemic has done a number on that concept, since there is nothing more special in my calendar these days than working from home with my own self, and the occasional thrift adventure. My “good” clothes have been languishing in my closet for months, but no more. I have to get over this hang-up and start wearing what I love best all the time. If that means wearing my beloved Issey Miyake skirt for a visit to Value Village, so be it. After all, that’s where I found the skirt to begin with so it’s quite fitting, in a way.
For said visit, I paired it with a crinkle-textured Anthropologie top in one of my favourite colours. I don’t often wear this aqua/turqouise shade, but I love it. I love it enough to get into arguments with people about whether it should be categorized as a blue or a green. I’m Team Blue, by the way. I will not be making any further statements on that at this time, kthanxbye.
ArcHiteCtuRaL
I was thinking about getting rid of this Sarah Pacini knit vest — can you imagine? I hadn’t worn it for a while, and evidently forgot how darn cool it is. It’s asymmetrical and the texture is bananas (and also impossible to capture in photos, natch). It lends itself so well to, ahem, architectural looks like this one, paired with a drapey, potato-sacky dress. I hate using that term in this context, but I can’t think of a better one, you know? It’s all … waves hands around vaguely … cool shapes and stuff. Yeah, that’s it. Architectural, baby.
Vintage Experiment
I decided to buy this vintage Donna Karan topper (jacket? shirt? dress? who knows) mostly because I have a weakness for quality workmanship – and this piece is exquisitely finished – and also can’t resist having a little bit of fashion history in my closet. It’s such a 90s throwback, isn’t it? I bought it without really knowing how I’d wear it, but I decided to give it a shot pairing it with 2 contemporary pieces — my favourite AllSaints ruffled blouse, and faux leather leggings. The top leans into the romantic, feminine vibe of the topper, but the leggings undercut the softness a bit. I like the contrast. I was going to pair it with a skirt, but I will save that for another time.
Always a Rainbow
Y’all know I can’t resist anything even remotely rainbow-adjacent in my closet, so I jumped on this Free People t-shirt. I am not a baseball tee kind of person, but I love the sleeves so much. For the first outfit, I went in a very unsurprising direction, pairing the top with my other “sporty” piece, this Phillip Lim skirt. Stripe on stripe action! It’s fun and casual and a bit cheeky. Maybe not what springs to mind when you think of me but, hey, I contain multitudes, okay?
LBD
Let’s be honest, this is more like something you’d expect me to wear, no? Black and midi length, and vaguely architectural. Does it look like something from a Japanese designer … or a robe you’d get in a hair salon? Hah! That’s the kind of sartorial weird zone I like to inhabit. The dress is actually Aritzia, though for the life of me, I can’t find this specific style online anywhere. I paired it with one of the recent additions to my Rafael Canada jewelry collection, which continues to grow at a steady pace. I really hope my daughter ends up being into brutalism at some point … She did inherit my magpie tendencies, so there’s hope.
