One. Cacti gardens

I keep going back to this image from a recent Arch Digest magazine. I love cacti and have a few of them in my house, but I would love to have a whole back yard filled with (old) ones. Our one “senior” cactus recently had to have an amputation on an arm that became infected/sick, and I was devastated. I would love to get more cacti, but I don’t have enough room and light in my house to give them a thriving environment. So, instead, I dream of visiting the desert again.

Two. Favourite shelf

I have a lot of shelves in my house — the better to display all my treasures — and a lot of competition for the “favourite” title. But, yes, I think there is (currently) one clear winner. I recently added a Gauguin framed print, which proved to be the perfect “tie it all together” thing. It joins a miniature bust, glass vases from my favourite artist, and some of my own work.

Three. Cross-stitch

I’m working on a new series of beaded pieces based over cross-stitch style designs. So I have been looking up vintage floral cross-stitch for ideas. Pansies are some of my favourite flowers to incorporate into my art because they are so exuberantly colourful.

Four. Byzantine fashion

I’m exploring some new directions for my High Priestess avatar, and Byzantine and Baroque influences are top of my list. We’ll save the later for another post. Did you know that there have been a few runway collections inspired by Byzantine fashion, including one based around the Empress Theodora? They’re quite lovely. Obviously, a very literal translation isn’t very practical for my lifestyle, but I am looking at identifying small details (like jewelry, embroidery, rich coloured and/or textured fabrics) that would infuse my outfits with that flair. Also, fun fact: my daughter is named Teodora, in part inspired by the Empress who was a *fascinating* character.

Five. Midsommer Murders

I am SO late to the game on this, but have been recently binge-watching this series during my crafting sessions. It’s so, so good – up there with Poirot and Miss Marple as my favourite “comfort” shows. I love the rural/village setting, which gives the episodes a vibe reminiscent of Christie while still being contemporary mysteries. Not too much gore, but plenty of tea and scandal.

Details: United Colours of Benetton sweater, LAMB coat, Commando leggings (all thrifted), Josef Seibel boots (retail, old).

Thoughts: I’ve gotten burnt before buying vintage sweaters because the fit is usually boxy and oversized, which is *fine* except that it has to be the RIGHT kind of boxy and oversized for my body. I almost passed on this Benetton sweater for that reason, but the colours and charm (those wee little houses!) pulled me in, along with the fact that it was only $5 which is an acceptable level of risk to assume. But it turned out great! I love it. And this was a good outfit all around.

Details: vintage cardigan (secondhand), Zero+Maria Cornejo dress (via Poshmark), Club Monaco belt, Free People shoes (both thrifted)

Thoughts: I tried this outfit with and without the belt, thinking I would prefer the former, and … actually, I liked both. I will never not love a statement belt, but the unbelted fit has its appeal too. Plus, oversized and chunky fits like this are still all over the runways so it’s fashion too 😉

Details: Wilfred dress, Linda Lundstrom pants (both thrifted)

Thoughts: Speaking of runways, this was my take on that Giambattista Valli outfit I posted last week. Quite happy with how it turned out. I had to belt the dress to “hike up” the slit so that more of the pants could show, but ended up draping the excess material over the belt so it can’t be seen — which is a shame because the belt also matched.

Details: Kenzo top (via consignment), Wilfred cardigan (thrifted), Rachel Comey skirt (via Poshmark).

Thoughts: Just playing around with patterns and silhouettes.

Details: Love Moschino dress, J. Crew vest (both thrifted), Obakki jacket (swap); Hue tights (retail, old), Chelsea Crew shoes (thrifted).

Thoughts: I was drawn to the pairing of what I call a full-bodied floral (kind like a full-bodied wine, but also I know nothing about wines, don’t mind me) dress and the neutral check vest. Then I was stumped for the third piece. It could have worked without too, but I am always up for a style challenge so I kept trying different things. Settling on this Obakki jacket was a stroke of inspiration — the colour is similar to the vest, but it has a (subtle) pattern that is different which adds some more visual depth to the outfit.

Details: MaxMara sweater (via Poshmark), H&M skirt (thrifted).

Details: Debew poncho, William Morris x H&M dress, Club Monaco belt (all thrifted).

Once or twice a year, I like to check out the runway collections to update the inspo boards for my style avatars. The idea is to get inspiration for new colour combinations, new silhouettes, new ways to put together outfits that fit the parameters of my avatars. I didn’t do this last fall, when the Spring 2022 collections came out, because I was in the midst of a busy work/life season. Recently, some brands released pre-Fall 2022 collections, so I decided to check them out.

I don’t have a real sense of what pre-Fall is supposed to be, and I have to say that judging from the 2022 collections, I’m not a huge fan of whatever it is. Maybe it’s just this year, and these collections; there were very few “wow” moments for me, and even fewer things that I felt were relevant for my avatars. I saved only a few images for future reference, so let’s dissect them here.

[All images via Vogue.com]

Christopher John Rogers’ collection, overall, was interesting. I didn’t love it as much as some of his previous ones, but there were (as always) visually arresting moments that I really enjoyed. I saved this particular outfit because it reminds me a bit of my polka dot dress, and I was intrigued by the addition of the colourful stripe pattern (hard to see, a bit on the sides). I want to try to do something similar with my dress … perhaps add a rainbow geometric pattern as a layer.

This Alberta Ferretti look is probably my fave. Such a great inspo for my Diana Bishop avatar, but with a High Priestess crossover. I adore the silhouette and, strangely, the colour palette. Not my usual, but so inspiring.

This Giambattista Valli outfit immediately caught my eye because I *just* thrifted a pair of silver lame palazzo pants. This gave me a lot of idea for styling this pants (albeit I think the Valli outfit has sequin pants, but same difference).

The Tory Burch collection had a few outfits I liked, though nothing especially mind-blowing. The one thing that I did find innovative was the styling trick used here — gathering the (knit, I think) top layer with a brooch (I think) to reveal a contrast layer underneath. Very clever. Here’s another look at the same trick on a different outfit:

I am definitely going to try this at home.

As for my inspo boards, it’s back to the … well, drawing board. I think I am going to go back to the Spring 2022 collections (shown last fall) and see if I have more luck. Or wait till spring, when the Fall 2022 collections come out. Honestly, the fashion calendar is too confusing … and this is why I could never hack it as a proper fashion blogger, haha!