Here is a slight tweak on an old favourite outfit. Instead of grey, I paired my blue & black combo with cognac, and quite liked the result. I always seem to forget how versatile a neutral cognac is, and how well it goes with most of my wardrobe palette. Since the rest of the outfit felt a little predictable (in the best way, but still), I threw in a little bit of leopard to keep things interesting. The knee-patch jeans are not uninteresting either, I suppose. My husband teased me about them — something about looking like a train conductor? who knows how his mind works — but I love them. To be fair, I’ve yet to encounter a pair of Pilcro jeans that I don’t love, as my extensive collection can attest. You might say I’m all aboard the Pilcro train. Choo choo!

I feel guiltier than usual about the completely unoriginal title, because this blazer really does deserve a better intro for its inaugural outfit. It fits like a dream, and it makes me feel very European … which is to say: chic. I’ve long struggled to figure out why European women always look so much more chic than I feel. I’m not talking about willowy French magazine editors either; I’m talking about my own family members, none of whom are even remotely involved in the fashion industry. I’m starting to think that it has a lot to do with how the clothes they wear fit them. Fit is tricky. Some things are meant to skim the body; other things are meant to be slouchy (but not baggy). Figuring out the right proportions and the right balance in an outfit is tough. I think the retail industry here has gotten us so used to poor fits that we have a hard time knowing how the right fit is supposed to look. Well, I certainly do. This is where thrifting comes in handy; trial and error on the cheap.

Blazer-aside, I pulled this outfit together based on the colours in the print of this Rebecca Taylor top. That part was easy, anyway. Instead of a black bag, I went with a warmer neutral — burgundy. Overall, it’s a simple formula but one which, I dare say, fits me well.

The kids was super excited about Easter this year, probably because they realized that it’s basically a license to eat large quantities of chocolate. What can I say? Our family is mostly secular, and the kids are opportunistic little creatures. I was excited about Easter this year because the kids are finally old enough to entertain themselves for an hour or two at a time, which meant that I could eat dinner and visit with family and friends in peace. Hey, I’m an opportunist too.

As for the outfit, that was fun too. It wasn’t what I had originally planned to wear, but after Mother Nature threw a wrench, errm, snowstorm into the works, I improvised. The dress was my first choice because it’s roomy enough to accommodate all the servings of Easter dinner I could (and did) ask for, but still cute enough not to scream “Joey’s Thanksgiving pants”. It also looks acceptable with tights and Chelsea boots, which was the other main practical requirement. The jacket was a fortuitous last minute decision. I was going to wear my leather jacket but the weather was a bit too cool for it; my second choice was my blue J. Crew wool coat, but the last time I wore this dress, I paired it with a blue sweater, and I decided that a repeat would be rather predictable. This jacket somehow jumped out as a possibility, and when I pulled it out of the closet, I realized that it matched some of the yellow accents in the pattern of the dress. An eclectic combo certainly, but a fun one nonetheless.