Casual Friday Best

This is one of my best casual Friday outfits in recent memory, and I wore it to see Michelle Obama speak at Rexall Centre. Living my best life, hashtag.

As far as the outfit goes, I am obsessed with this shade of green – I’m calling it “sage” – which has replaced jasper (dark/forest green) as my favourite green. My other favourite thing about this outfit is the bag; the cognac is a less expected choice than black, but it works really well as part of the colour story here. (Does “colour story” sound unbearably pretentious?) This is the second small MbMJ crossbody I thrifted in the last few months, and I am ever so thankful for it. It’s the perfect size for weekends and other occasions when I’m “traveling light” and don’t want to bother with a big bag. The style is so simple and so classic that it goes with anything. Really, these are great bags and you can sometimes find them on eBay for great prices so I guess what I’m saying is that you need to look into this, right now.

Starry Starry Shirt

It’s a shirt … with stars on it. Your mind has been blown, I’m sure. It’s actually more complicated than that, because the shirt also has very detailed cut-outs. Just Anthro, throwing everything at the wall (creatively speaking) to see what sticks. I feel like I would like the shirt more if it just had the stars, but oh well. It will probably end up in the ThriftRats store at some point. Paired with this old Zara skirt, the result is cute – a little more “girly” than I would like, but cute. Next time, to switch things up, I think I will pair this skirt with something more voluminous on top – not cropped, not tucked in. If the result is more Shapeless Blob than Unexpected But Interesting Silhouette, the skirt might be on the chopping block as well. I am ruthless, I tell you.

Edited to add: The shirt, oy vey. The quality turned out to be hot garbage. The sleeve cut-outs got caught on things and started unraveling on the first wear. The material is super cheap poly, and the cut-out are not reinforced in any way so you can imagine that disaster waiting to happen. What the hell, Anthro? Not cool. Needless to say, don’t buy this (on eBay or whatever).

Obi Chic

This is an old outfit EXCEPT … new belt. It goes really well with this top, doesn’t it? I like the easy adjustability of an obi-style belt because, let’s face it, my waistline after lunch is not the same as before. Comfort above all, my friends.

Unapologetic Mom Jeans

Gosh, I love this so much, I don’t know where to begin. The jacket is a perfect embodiment of my style essence – butterflies on a leather jacket. It was thrifted in brand new condition by my friend Jenn (Life Preloved in IG), and you better believe that I snapped it up from her as soon as she posted it for sale. No regrets. Jenn also runs a consignment biz, which is how I ended up with these amazing Holding Horses mom jeans. Y’all know I have a thing for patched denim. Also, that lightweight wash is great. I knew these two pieces would be great together, and while this might not be “the” (I.e. only) perfect outfit in my books, it’s a perfect outfit for sure.

Belted Floral

This dress always photographs so well. And this (relatively) recently purchased Aritzia belt is a perfect complement to it. And then the coat, well, it’s the cherry on top of the sundae, you know? As photogenic as this outfit is, it’s not quuuuuiiiite my style. Is “too polished” a permissible quibble in this context? Probably not, coming from somehow in my line of work but … oh well. On this blog, I am all about radical honesty or whatnot. I did enjoy wearing this outfit, though, insomuch as it’s hard to feel unhappy in an outfit that makes you look nice.

Rediscovered Jacket

Man, I used to love this jacket back in the day! I bought it in 2014, and wore it on my first day back to work after mat leave with my daughter. I will not forget that day; I was still carrying some extra weight, and was struggling with not fitting into many of my old professional clothes, but this jacket made me feel like a million bucks, which in turn made my return to work all the more comfortable – I felt ready to tackle the sky. As it turns out, it’s probably fair to say that period of my life was a turning point in my professional career. Anyway, recently dug this jacket out of my overflow closet and realized that it fits again. (Has my upper body Hulked up without me noticing? It’s a mystery but oh, well.) Again, I don’t think it’s perfectly aligned with my current style preferences, but I couldn’t bring myself to part with it permanently before giving it another spin (or two).

Ballerina Chic

I initially thought I would flip this Anthro-brand sweater, but then I tried it on and decided to keep it for a while. Looking at it again, I am having second thoughts. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a lovely sweater but I think the style will be difficult to match up with other pieces in my wardrobe in a way that adheres to my preferred aesthetic. To be honest, I’m not sure that, apart from this outfit, there are any other viable options. Which is not to say that it would work tremendously well in someone else’s closet. I should probably stop now, since I’m completely talking myself out of keeping this sweater. Anyway, the brand name is Ballerina and that seems apropos – there is a definite ballerina chic flavor to it.

To follow up on my post from last week, I think these outfits are a good illustration of my current style struggle. I love these outfits, but they also kinda feel like they belong on another woman. I may, in fact, have been that woman, two years ago. There are still a lot of pieces in my closet that properly belong to that woman; many of them are pieces I am having a hard time letting go. So far, my compromise has been to try to mesh them with my present aesthetic, but in most cases, I feel like I’m fighting against the very things that makes those clothes special in the first place. In the long run, I will need to come up with another strategy. More to come …

Balanced Proportions

A slouchy sweater calls for skinny jeans; skinny jeans are a natural fit for OTK boots. And so, and outfit is born. No (real) planning required. I couldn’t wait to wear this Eileen Fisher metallic sweater, because its heavenly soft and the colour is flattering for my complexion. Was not disappointed – it looked and felt great. I am fully surrendering to my EF love, by the way, even if the brand is associated with the “ladies of a certain age” demographic. Life’s too short: wear all the comfortable (well-made) clothes.

[Thrifting tip: keep an eye to clothing outside your typical size range. I found this sweater on the XL rack (it’s actually a size 1X), but it can pass as intentionally “oversized”. Lots of designer brands fit other than TTS, so don’t be immediately deterred by the size label.]

Boss Lady

I was super pumped to thrift this Boss jacket; this sort of coat-blazer hybrid is my jam right now – a nice alternative to the traditional office-appropriate toppers. I love the silhouette created by the dropped shoulders. This was also an excuse to bring out a clutch of brooches after a long hiatus. The outfit is otherwise minimalist enough that the bling doesn’t read as “too extra”. A little bit of “extra” is acceptable.

Business Casual with a Twist

I don’t wear booties at work typically; combining these Arnold Churgin booties with the Zara vest blazer resulted in a look that represents a “twist” on my usual work look whilst still keeping within the bounds of business-casual. It was outside my comfort zone, but only a little – enough to still make me feel confident wearing it.

Other than the necklace in this last outfit (which is an ancient BR piece I was gifted many years ago), everything else in all 3 outfits was thrifted. I think this is pretty representative of my current wardrobe, which is probably close to 90% thrifted. More and more often, I find myself able to say that I am wearing, head to toe, a secondhand outfit. I am happy with that progress which – not gonna lie – goes a long way to easing the guilt associated with my (clothes) consumption. In the past, I haven’t gone so far as to “ban” myself from retail purchases entirely, though I have naturally drifted away from them, but I am debating making that an actual goal for the year.

I think what’s holding me back is a lingering feeling of FOMO. I say “lingering” because a lot of my previous retail FOMO** has been extinguished over the past couple of years thanks to thrifting – with patience and a bit of luck, you can find almost anything your heart desires on the secondhand market. There are the odd exceptions – and, of course, you can’t be guaranteed to find things “on demand” as you would in a retail setting – hence my hesitation. I hate breaking self-imposed rules, so I don’t want to set myself up for failure. If any of you guys have tried a retail (or other) shopping ban, tell me all about it.

** Thrift FOMO is no joke, though, and I’ve got it in spades.