Details: Toni T dickie, Ralph Lauren vest, Ports blazer, Chicwish skirt (all thrifted), Mia shoes (retail)

Thoughts: This is a Molly Goddard-inspired outfit, and not for the first time. I just love the juxtaposition of the preppy top half and the exuberant tulle skirt, and this is probably my favourite iteration to date. All I can say is, I’m glad I work from home. Although … I might actually wear this to this office. I feel like it could straddle the line, especially since my role is internal not outward-facing. Not to mention, in a now-hybrid office, there are fewer people around to judge. It’s hard for me to gauge, though, if and how much office dress norms have changed post-pandemic since I’m rarely in the office. But I digress. If I wanted to make this outfit more “conservative”, I would switch out the skirt for something non-tulle, but with a similarly full silhouette. I do love the frothiness though.

Details: Revello top (retail), Ralph Lauren blazer, BCBG belt, Oak & Fort jeans (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I’ve had this classic Ralph Lauren crest blazer for a few years but this is my first time wearing it. I’m glad I held on to it; similar styles are going for well over $100 on Poshmark these days. And I’ve never seen one quite like this one — they’re usually much shorter and blazer-like (I have one of those too). This is almost coat-length, but blazer weight. It’s unusual and I like unusual things. I’ve seen them styled with belts so I wanted to try that, but I struggled with finding the right belt — both in terms of proportions, but also something that would not clash with the gold hardware on the jacket. I finally landed on this tan wrap belt, and I am very pleased with how it looks. I’m planning to play around some more, and try some outfits with the jacket worn open and with different bottoms (maybe a skirt?).

Details: Tommy Hilfiger shirt, Mexx vest, Topshop pants, Ferragamo shoes, Lulu Frost necklace (all thrifted)

Thoughts: My tried and true formula, remixed with different pieces. I really enjoyed the subtle pattern mixing here; each piece has its own pattern, but the colour palette is similar and the patterns relatively sedate so this doesn’t read as super bold.

Details: Revello top (retail), LNA dress, Only & Sons jacket (thrifted), Laredo boots (consignment), Picasso tote (Poshmark)

Thoughts: This wouldn’t be a weekly recap without some 90s revival. I’m so pleased with this oversized (it’s actually a men’s) denim jacket and these boots. The 90s energy is strong. I did the baby tee-layered-under-a-dress thing to go along with that. This dress was a bit of a risk, but I thrifted it based on its layering potential — that deep V neckline allows for the base layer to be seen. It’s quite body-con, which I usually avoid, but I like it paired with an oversized jacket; it creates a nice contrast plus gives me some extra coverage.

Details: Blondie top, Ralph Lauren blazer, Oak & Fort jeans (all thrifted), H&M belt, Mia shoes (both retail)

Thoughts: Another 90s fit and another little experiment. I know that oversized blazers have been trendy for a while, but it took me some time to acclimatize to the idea. As always, my instinct was to turn to the thrifts once I was ready to proceed, and eventually I found this vintage Ralph Lauren blazer. It’s a few sizes larger than my usual, which gives it that perfect “borrowed from the boyfriend” vibe. It’s also dark grey colour with a subtle stripe, which has that classic suiting connotation. Makes for good juxtaposition with casual outfits like this one.

Over the summer, I settled into a good grove with my art projects. A slow but steady pace which produced some hoops I’m really proud of. I’m choosing to focus on interesting design and technical complexity over quantity, and I feel good about it. I am working on disengaging myself from a monetization/commercialization mindset, which makes the volume of production an irrelevant metric. It may sound contradictory, in that context, but I have also signed up for one art market this year. It will be held in November at the same venue as the one I did last year; familiarity was the deciding factor. Plus, the fact that there will be a vintage market held there on the same day, and I’m hoping I can sneak in a little bit of shopping 😉

However, heading into fall, I am not planning to change my pace. I have a few designs lined up to work on that I’m excited about, but I am not rushing to create more “stock” for the market. In the past, I debated whether to create “product” at more entry-level pricing (i.e. smaller and/or less complex pieces) or diversify my offerings. I’ve seen some embroidery artists sell prints of their hoops, for example, but that doesn’t resonate with me — to me, part of the joy of an embroidered piece is tactile, and without the texture, I feel like something is lost. So while I know this will forever hamper my ability to make money from my art, I’ve chosen not to pursue these other options. It’s funny … the similarities to my approach to blogging aren’t lost on me. I have niche aesthetic sensibilities and it seems that I’d rather be stuck in a tiny niche forever than change my creative expression to chase a bigger market. It’s a good thing that I have a day job, lol!

Anyway, here’s what I’ve been working on lately.

I started to explore a slightly different aesthetic with this semi-abstract still life composition. I love paintings that use big, bold blocks of colour, and am always looking for ways to achieve a similar vibe with floss. It’s difficult because large areas of satin stitch (which looks smooth and flat like paint) are tricky to execute, so I have to get creative about cutting up the canvas into manageable “chunks”. Here, I also experimented with a limited colour palette.

This was another hoop in a similar vein (series?) but featuring a slightly brighter colour palette. I struggled with this one a bit more than the previous, but I am happy with how it turned out in the end.

This Van Gogh-inspired design has been waiting for quite a while; I was digging through an old design notebook, came across it and decided it was finally time. I am glad I waited. My original plan, last year, had been to use mostly satin stitch, and I don’t think that would have been quite as successful. Now that I’ve had a lot more practice with yarn-painting techniques, I felt confident to change the execution plan and tackle this in a more impressionistic style, which is certainly more true to the original inspiration. Very pleased with this one.

For this piece, I went back to my own paintings for inspiration. This was based on an acrylic painting I made back in 2018.

Again, the experience I’ve gained over the last year or so enabled me to tackle a design that is more complicated than previous ones (though it may not look like it). It’s a good reminder to self that, even though it may not feel like it, I am constantly learning and improving my technical skills. I have a few designs sketched on paper which are a little scary because I don’t have a very solid plan for how I’ll execute them, but I think I’m going to just “go for it” and trust that I’ll be able to figure it out as I go.

Details: TNA shirt, Gap skirt, Greta Constantine x Danier belt, chunky necklace (all thrifted), Margiela skirt (swap)

Thoughts: I was playing around in my closet using some runway inspo I had saved, and this outfit came together and it was too good not to try it … at least on a limited basis. WFH is great for that. Lumbergoth academichic, would you say? I like it. I like it a lot. I discovered that I could turn this flannel shirt into a turtleneckish looking thing by flipping up the collar. I like that a lot too.

Details: Revello top (retail), Talbots skirt, Mexx cardigan (both thrifted), Mia shoes (retail), Paloma Picasso bag (Poshmark)

Thoughts: Another quintessentially 90s outfit that I adored wearing. This cropped cotton cardigan is just perfection. Can you believe I hadn’t owned a black cardigan for years? It wasn’t something that was missing from my closet until it was, if you know what I mean. Suddenly, I had more than a few outfits that called for a black cardigan, and specifically a “shrunken” one like this. So it was very lucky that I found this vintage (pre-2000) Mexx cardigan, still in great condition, just as I started to wish for one. I love cotton knit cardigans; the right weight (not too heavy/warm, but warm enough) and not at all scratchy so they can be worn comfortable with sleeveless or short sleeve tops.

Details: Ralph Lauren shirt (thrifted), Maeve skirt, chunky necklace (both Poshmark)

Thoughts: I love the simplicity of this outfit formula: oversized men’s shirt; full, flowy skirt; waist definition. The busy pattern of the skirt will accommodate any number of other patterns and colours, but it goes especially well with stripes.

Details: Zara shirt, Chaps vest, Cartonnier pants (all thrifted), J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Speaking of dressing to a formula, here is another example. This is a new iteration of my shirt + vest + pants formula. I decided to go a little bolder with the colour choices, inspired by the vest palette.

Details: White + Warren sweater, J. Crew & necklace vest, Jessie skirt (all thrifted), Picasso bag (Poshmark), Mia shoes (retail)

Thoughts: Back to the 90s, with another outfit built around this vintage floral maxi skirt that I recently thrifted. This time, I picked up the blush pink in the floral pattern with this lightweight cashmere t-shirt style sweater. It reminded me a bit of those fuzzy cropped sweaters that were popular for a while in the 90s. I added the vest because (a) I love vests, and (b) the result gave me strong Delia’s catalogue vibes.

Details: Ralph Lauren shirt, Fossil belt (both thrifted), Banana Republic jeans (retail)

Thoughts: Rounding this off with the most satisfying “basic” outfit of recent memory. Just a shirt and jeans, but looking ever so chic, if I do say so myself. I feel like the hair really plays up the vibe as well, and I love when that happens. To me, this looks like one of those outfits you see in a magazine and think “surely, it can’t be this easy to look stylish” and, honestly, I feel like I’ve unlocked some next-level fashion achievement to be able to feel that way about one of my own outfits.