Butterfly Action

These are some good trousers, you guys. I recently thrifted two identical pairs in different colours, and I am chuffed. It’s a tapered, slim fit which is a nice tweak on the “skinny pants” silhouette of recent years. This style is called the “Lou Taper” by Cartonnier. I may or may not be actively looking for other colours on eBay, ahem. Paired with my new Louise et Cie loafers, this is a very “garçonne chic” outfit and a slightly whimsical vibe for the Prince.

 Retro Chic

This outfit is certainly more “ladylike” than any of my style avatars, which might make it seem like an odd choice for a highlight post. I could have added a bunch of extra accessories to try to take it into Bohemian territory, but I loved the simplicity of the colour scheme and the clean lines. So, in a way, it does suit my current aspirations.

I get a ton of comments on IG every time I wear this skirt, so I’ll mention the details again here in case anyone is interested: the brand is Floreat, and it fits true to size, waist-wise; I am 5’7 and the hem comes down past my knees – not quite midi length but close. Because the solid lining is a bit shorter, however, the skirt doesn’t fall into “dowdy” territory, without leaning too far in the opposite (revealing) direction.

Neo-Floral

I spotted this faux-layered sweatshirt at my local consignment store a while back, and was immediately drawn to it. After much deliberation, I decided to pass on it because I wasn’t convinced the style fit my current aesthetic. Fast forward a few weeks, and I saw it again. On sale. It was a sign, I decided. And here we are, outfit and all. The sweatshirt is a nice, easy way to elevate a basic casual Friday look. I was worried that the floral applique was full-on twee, but I’ve since concluded that it doesn’t cross the line; it’s bold, for sure, but it’s not especially cute – and “cute” is what I’m generally trying to avoid. I know, that probably sounds arbitrary as hell but it’s a system I’ve worked out in my head at least, I assure you. Let’s just go with it.

Light as Air

Summer has arrived in Edmonton! All the exclamation marks! It has been so long since we’ve had warm weather that I have – legit, no joke – forgotten how to dress for it. Breaking my reflex to reach for a sweater with every outfit will take a while. Luckily, I have some lightweight sweaters on standby, like this pale aqua number from Aritzia. The slouchy fit is perfect for this Floreat skirt, which could easily look too “girly” paired with a more fitted top. Everything is thrifted, including the shoes – which, you may recall, were my first ever pair of thrifted Manolo Blahniks. Finding them marked the beginning of my transition to a fully-thrifted wardrobe. Fun sidenote: as it currently stands, 88% of my wardrobe (including shoes and bags) is secondhand. Almost there!

Paperbag Prince

This is a very Prince-ly outfit, featuring some recently thrifted COS trousers. They were a real score; non-skinny fit trousers are not easy to find in thrift stores, which are still dominated by “skinnies” (think BR Sloans, Old Navy Pixies, and J. Crew Minnies). Current trends do trickle down, but for the most part, thrift stores are a reflection of what was “hot” 2-3 seasons ago. In most cases, that doesn’t matter to me because I buy things that fit my aesthetic rather than whatever is trendy at the moment, but it does pose a challenge when my aesthetic lands on the forwards fringes of a particular trend. Anyway, these trousers are awesome; adding them to my outfit rotation will hopefully give my beloved Aritzia pants a break, thus extending their life.

Poppy Bright

This is more of an “old Adina” outfit, but I can’t quite bring myself to break up with this skirt for good. It’s so lovely, sigh. I think it works wonderfully well with this Zara blazer-coat but, together, they are a bold look. Perhaps too bold for me, now. I felt a bit self-conscious wearing this on the train on my commute to work. I hate that feeling so, although I really like this outfit a lot in principle, I’m not debating whether one or both of these pieces needs to go. I think the topper could be more easily integrated into the rest of my wardrobe and aesthetic, whereas the skirt … not so much. But, ah, it is a lovely one!

Camel Day

No, I didn’t wear this on a Wednesday. But maybe I should have! I never really know what to call this colour, so let’s go with “camel”; which makes this a camel-on-camel kind of outfit. I like the way the colour looks against the lighter wash of the denim. I was actually going to wear my even lighter wash Holding Horses destroyed/patched jeans, but I ended up having to go to a work seminar thing, and I figured those would be too, ahem, fashion-forward – shall we say. Speaking of which, my mom recently commented on the HH jeans by asking me if I couldn’t afford a normal pair of jeans. Which is a very “Mom!” thing for my mom to say. Anyway, where was I?

Oh yes. So, while I didn’t wear this outfit on a Wednesday, I feel like Friday – and more specifically Friday afternoon – is other real hump/slump of the week, so the outfit was apropos after all.

Bohemian Glory

If you watched my IG Stories last week – and, really, you should be watching all of them, all the time, what are you even waiting for, go – then you will remember this Anthro sweater. (Sidenote: a reader/watcher helpfully enlightened me that the brand is Monogram. The more you know, etc.) I said then and I maintain now that this hits my Bohemian avatar aesthetic on the nose. I think it’s because it’s really loud and big and graphic rather than naturalistic; it’s not twee or cute. But, to be honest, it’s difficult for me to explain in words why this works and 90% of florals don’t do it for me (fashion-wise) anymore; also, who cares. But this is great! I wanted to go all out and pair it with an equally Bohemian bottom – wide-legged pants, perhaps – but I sort of chickened out because I was going to see a bunch of family and friends for a big shindig and I’m not sure I’m ready to re-up on the “crazy fashion lady” reputation. But! I did bling out with some of my recent thrifted costume jewelry, so there was that. Needless to say, I loved this outfit … HARD.

She Made Me Do It

My BFF made me buy this dress at VV’s recent 50% off sale; it was $8 so I humoured her. Ok, fine; my arm was mostly made of rubber anyway. The shape is a bit too femme/fitted for my current taste – sheaths are a silhouette I used to rock all the time – but the midi length is less traditionally flattering, and the colour is very much my speed. I threw on a long blazer to further un-prettify the dress, and I think it worked.