I have gone on record before as hating September. I hate the changing of seasons this time of year. It means the days get short and cold, and there is nothing good about that. The trees look glorious for about 5 minutes, but that`s really no consolation at all. This September was your typical month otherwise — alternating between moments when I fear I`m failing at life and moments when I know it for a fact — only to get capped off with a bout of truly awful head pain courtesy of what was eventually diagnosed as occipital neuralgia. Let`s just say that I have a new perspective towards (and endless sympathy for) people who live with chronic pain. Horrible, horrible stuff.

I did manage to get dressed, which was a small miracle some days.

A surprisingly colourful month, which is probably a manifestation of my rebellion against the encroaching cold weather. There were quite a few mornings when I had to wear boots on my commute, but we shall not speak of that further. My fave outfits were probably 6, 9, 13, and 15 — perhaps not coincidentally, most of them featured some of my newest thrift/consignment finds. Number 13 was a repeat outfit, though, so novelty is not everything. In fact, I`ve found myself digging through my “archival” closet lately, and pulling out pieces I had retired earlier in the year; suddenly, I had the urge to revisit sentimental favourites, and see if I could make them feel fresh and bring them in step with my current aesthetic leanings. The marriage of twee and minimalist? It might be a tall order, but with winter just around the corner, what else do I have to keep me entertained?

Here is a look at what I wore in Septembers past: 2014 – 2015 – 2016.

August seemed to come and go in the blink of an eye. Even my birthday barely registered – though, to be fair, at this point that might be a good thing. My job is keeping me very, very busy, and it’s a pace that takes some adjustment. I’m loving the work, but the learning curve is steep and sometimes feels like a bit of a roller-coaster; some days, it’s a white-knuckle ride all the way. The rest of my life is taking a bit of a back seat, as evidenced by how long it’s taking me to respond to personal emails (sorry) and comments (sorry). I am trying to work out a better balance for myself, and it might mean taking a bit of a step back from the blog. We shall see. [Edited to add: Sorry, peeps, I didn’t mean that to sound like I’m quitting altogether. Just dialing back on the post frequency, for the next while anyway. I guess that sounded way more dramatic than intended. Whew!]

But! I still managed to wear clothes. Lots of them, see?

Number 20 was my fave outfit of the month by far, with 16 as a close second. There were a few good repeat-outfits in the mix as well. To be honest, though, style took a bit of a backseat this month, much like most other things that were not work. Oh well, onwards and upwards.

Here is what I wore in August back in 2015 and 2016.

What with one thing or another, July was a short work month. Obviously, a LOT has been going on in my personal life, even though it has not always been reflected here on the blog. With that said, I think you may start seeing some changes. My new office, with its more casual dress code, is inspiring me to switch things up a bit in my professional wardrobe. I’ve been drawn to a more minimalist, creative business casual aesthetic for a while, and this is my chance to really lean into it. You can kinda see the beginnings of that this month; more to come.

We only have 12 outfits in the mix here, but I can honestly say that I really enjoyed them all; quite a few are candidates for my personal Favourite Outfits Hall of Fame. Take #8, for example. I rarely repeat outfits from head to toe, but I have worn this one 3 times in as many months. I can definitely see myself repeating others as well, like #4, 6, 7 and 12. There’s only one “problem” I foresee here. If I become a habitual outfit repeater, I’m going to have to get real creative with the blog. So if you have topics you’d like to see me tackle as an alternative to OOTD posts, let me know.

For fun, here is a look at my July outfits in 2015 and 2016.