Details: Gucci blouse, Tabi vest, Malorie Urbanovitch skirt (all thrifted); Manolo Blahnik shoes (via eBay)

Thoughts: possibly the best combination for each of these 3 pieces. They simply work so incredibly well. The textures are interesting, but I like the colours the most (and no black!). The vest-blouse combo, in particular:

Details: My Little Pony tee (thrifted); Maeve skirt (via Poshmark)

Thoughts: dressing for my inner 8-year old always results in the happiest of outfits. The lesson is: always have fun with your clothes.

Details: Liz Claiborne dress and bag, London Fog coat, Arnold Churgin boots (all thrifted); Mango sweater (via Poshmark)

Details: Pink Tartan dress, Anthro belt (thrifted), Babaton skirt (via consignment), Stella & Dot necklace (via Poshmark)

Thoughts: layering a longer skirt under a dress is one of my fave styling “tricks” because it instantly changes the silhouette. As I’m currently a fan of longer hemlines, it also makes it possible to wear older dresses (that are shorter) in a way that suits my current aesthetic. The key is that the dress has to be roomy enough (and the skirt underneath streamlined enough) so there’s no bunching.

Details: Chico’s top, Lord & Taylor turtleneck, Wilfred pants, Amaryllis coat (all thrifted); Twinset fur collar (via Poshmark)

Thoughts: I love blue and brown together and need to remind myself to wear them more often. And yellow is a great accent colour for that combination. The kids calls this fit collar my “lady beard” and the name has now stuck forever, but I don’t mind because I kinda love it (the piece and the name).

Details: Zara top, Vero Moda pants, J. Crew shoes (all thrifted); Anthro belt (retail, old)

Details: Gap shirt, Second Female cardigan, BlackMilk leggings (all thrifted); Ana Effect corset (retail); Zara shoes (retail, old)

Fit comments: I recently thrifted this pair of “latex” leggings, something I’ve been wanting for a while. Last year, I was eyeing the Commando version, as I have their faux leather leggings and like the fit. But for $130CAD+, I wasn’t sure if it would be worth the cost. Well, I paid about $8 for this BlackMilk version (retail approx. $100AUS) which is a much better gamble. My pair is size Medium, which honestly looked too small on the rack; I pulled up the BlackMilk sizing chart on my phone in the store, which indicated that the Medium *should* fit comfortably. It does fit … but only just. Caveat: I like my pants to fit loose, and even with leggings I prefer them not to feel “strangle tight”. I wear Medium in Commando, and find them very comfortable. The Black Milk are less comfortable, but wearable. They have a stretchy panel on the inner side (and crotch) which helps with the comfort factor, and also with avoiding any squeaking noises while you move. Still, if buying new, I would recommend sizing up from your usual size.

I’ve been obsessed lately with Monet, especially his waterlily paintings from Giverny which have given me inspiration from some of my embroidery projects. But the more I looked at my favourite paintings, the more I found myself being influenced by the colour palettes. Recently, I realized that I was (subconsciously?) seeking ways to recreate those colour stories in my outfits.

Pulling ideas for colour combinations from existing patterns is one of my favourite (and easiest) styling tricks. Someone has already done the legwork for you, figuring out what goes together. It’s an especially helpful trick for finding less common combinations, especially if you don’t feel confident enough to make the decision — do these two or three or four colours go together?? — on your own. Doing the same thing with a piece of art is, well, kind of a no brainer.

Here are some examples I’ve been working with recently.

[Note: we all see colours differently (especially when viewed through a screen) so this isn’t going to be an exact science. My two cents would be: trust your eye to be your guide.]

Per last week’s post, here’s my current obsession. There are a few colour stories I’ve pulled from it, including these two 3-colour palettes.

There are more colours and combinations that could be pulled just from this one painting, including 2-colour, 3-colour, 4-colour (and more!) palettes.

Here is an example of a recent outfit based on a 3-colour palette drawn from this Monet painting:

Here is another Monet painting and a possible colour palette:

And here is an outfit based around it:

Never fear, you don’t need to stick to Monet only. Here are some ideas based on Van Gogh’s irises (another favourite of mine):

And here is an outfit which incorporates a 2-colour palette:

Klimt is another favourite of mine:

Here is an outfit built around a similar colour story (with multiple colours):

Norval Morrisseau was an Indigenous artist, whose work is wonderfully vibrant. Here are a couple of palettes based on his Man Changing into Thunderbird triptych (one panel only) which speak to my closet:

And here is an outfit based around a similar palette (but picking up the royal blue instead):

I hope these are helpful illustrations to get you thinking about how you might draw inspiration from art. As a general tip, I would suggest looking at paintings/drawings whose colours are similar to what’s in your closet, not necessarily just your favourite artists. To discover new (classical or modern) art with which you might not already be familiar and which might provide inspiration, I recommend following art accounts on Instagram such as @dailyart_official, which post a broad range of artworks on a regular basis, or borrowing art books from the library which cover different eras/movements in art.

Why, yes, this is still supposed to be a fashion blog. So, umm, let’s fashion.

I’ve decided to take a slightly different approach to these posts going forward, and I may tweak them again as I go (possibly break them up into smaller posts?). With Instagram becoming increasingly unfriendly to content creators, I want to start using this space again more extensively. Rather than focus on choosing my favourite looks of the week, I’ll post all or most of them along with sourcing information. I’ll cut back on the commentary — y’all don’t need to hear my thoughts on everything I wear — unless there is something relevant or useful like fit information and so on. Let me know what you think about this format.

Details: Lida Baday dress, BCBG belt, Everly skirt, Stuart Weitzman shoes (all thrifted); Rafael Alfandary necklace (via eBay)

Details: J. Crew camisole, Tabi vest, Zara blazer, Chelsea Crew shoes (all thrifted), Everlane jeans (swap)

Details: Topshop top, Wilfred sweater, Lena Bernard necklace (all thrifted); Frank & Oak pants (swap), Prada shoes (retail, old)

Details: DVF dress, Debew poncho (both thrifted); Lena Bernard necklace (via ebay); turquoise pendant (via Poshmark); J Crew shoes (retail, old)

Details: blanket coat (thrifted and upcycled); Oak & Fort top, Sarah Pacini pants, Manolo Blahnik shoes, Stella & Dot necklaces (all thrifted)

Details: Wilfred sweater (retail, old), Wilfred pants (via Poshmark); Manolo Blahnik shoes (thrifted); selfmade earrings

Details: COS sweater, Zara skirt, no name necklace, DVF shoes (all thrifted)

Details: Motions top (thrifted), Frank & Oak pants (swap), Floreat wrap (via Poshmark), J. Crew shoes (retail, old); Rafael Alfandary necklaces (via eBay)