Admittedly, this outfit doesn’t look all that exciting in photos, but I felt quite chic wearing it. Must be all that black, hah! Anyway, the dress (not skirt, folks!) is a piece I picked up at my last clothes swap then never wore. It’s a beautiful print, and the material is silk with a velvety finish/feel, but it has a really annoying elastic waist that hits me far too high on my torso. Boo!

I was about to set it in my next clothes swap pile, when I decided to give it another try. And I found myself reluctant to part with it. How to make it work? Well, for the office, I had to start by covering up the top part, which is (a) ruffly; (b) low cut, and (c) quite summery. This also disguised the pesky elastic waist, so – bonus.

It’s a pretty casual look for work, but I wore it on a Friday when the staff Christmas party was held, and I think it had the perfect vibe for that (daytime) event. On that note … I’m ready to start counting down to the next clothes swap!

It’s no secret that thrifting Anthropologie pieces is one of my weaknesses. And, for $10, how could I refuse this pretty Maeve skirt? I am almost certain that I saw the same skirt at my fave consignment store not that long ago, but it was more expensive, and a way too big size, so I passed. This thrifted version still runs a bit large on me, so I implemented my fave no-sew solution for A-line skirts: hike-it-and-belt-it.

Close-ups!

There are an awful lot of brown, rust and olive tones happening here, which are not my usual jam, but this skirt makes it all worthwhile. It’s probably a bit too twee for my job (and my age) but it’s safe to say that, after my image crisis last year, I’ve fully reverted back to my girly style wheelhouse. Oh well. I got a ton of compliments on this skirt at work, so it couldn’t have been too bad.

I can’t quit the florals, even on weekends. I don’t have much else to say about this outfit – it was nice and comfy for a morning of errands, without being utterly boring. Maybe? All the pieces are old, but dependable. None more so, I think, than these Frye-lookalike moto boots – hands down the most comfortable, sturdy pair of boots I’ve ever owned. They’re made by Josef Seibel, and I was able to find them on sale for about $100, which I would spend again in a heartbeat (even though I’m super cheap when it comes to practical things like boots and coats). I’ve had them for about a year and a half, and the CPW is already well under $2. The quality is fantastic, so I can see them easily lasting at least another 3-4 years, maybe longer.

Tell me: what are some of your (unpredicted) best buys?