Cupcake Princess

I know, I know … oops, I did it again. Bought another tulle skirt. You can’t blame me, I’m sure – look how fun this one is! I had actually been looking for it since last year, when one of my IG friends posted a photo of it on her feed. It finally showed up recently on Poshmark, and I snapped it up, double quick. No regrets. Someone on IG asked me “where do you wear this?” and (a) am I the only person who hates this question?, and (b) I wore it in my house, while working a very mundane-but-suddenly-a-little-more-fun Monday, thank you very much. I may wear it to the grocery store next time. Who knows?

Crop It To Me

Still loving these high-waisted Everlane pants. They’re great for pairing with a crop top because it still allows me to show a bit of skin, but at a spot that feels comfortable to me. I wanted to push against the romantic vibe of the top, by pairing it with “edgier” pieces like this selfmade necklace and those amazing Fluevog shoes. They look like someone took a dainty ballerina shoe and, like, goth-ed it up. I love them!

Bright Lights, Medium Sized City

I didn’t even think of this until my BFF mentioned it, but this combo really does look like a city at night, reflected on water. How cool is that? I mostly paired these two (random?) pieces based on colour, but they turned out even better than I could have hoped.

Madras Love

I had been eyeing this Wilfred top on Poshmark for a while — naturally, it reminds me a lot of my fave dress, and I cannot get enough of this rainbow plaid/madras/check type of pattern — but kept holding back because it was pricey. But then! A local reseller posted it in her stories (for less, plus no shipping required) and I snapped it up. Win win! I love getting my way AND supporting a small local business. For my first outfit try, I decided to pair it with a summer skirt of similar weight (fabric wise) but a contrast pattern. It was such a fun outfit to wear, and perfect for a hot summer day.

It’s been a while since I’ve done any kind of wardrobe review or planning, but in fairness, there has been a lot of sh*t happening in my personal life lately. That being said, I feel like it’s time to do a serious closet edit — one, because my closet is getting dangerously stuffed and two, because I’m at a bit of a crossroads, lifestyle-wise. For the foreseeable future, I will continue to work from home; perhaps indefinitely. I’ve had 18 months to assess my clothing needs for a WFH lifestyle, and it’s clear that those needs are different than those of my previous office life.

Knowing what I need to do and executing said plan are two different things.

My brain is forever in “but what if” mode. But what if things change? But what if I change my mind? And what it really boils down to is AM I REALLY READY TO PART WITH MY BLAZERS FOREVER???

Ahem, sorry for shouting.

For the most part, my dilemma is about how much of my office-only wardrobe I need or should keep. It’s not a simple question of casual versus business. I am happily keeping things that are not casual at all because I still enjoy dressing up, even when working from home. Especially when working from home. I can take more risks than I normally would. But the way I dress up is different. I don’t find myself reaching for blazers, ever. For layering, my 3rd piece is usually some unstructured topper like a cardigan or robe-like duster. Similarly, I tend to wear pants infrequently and it’s usually jeans when I do (on weekends or when I’m running out of the house). I don’t have a large collection of dress pants, but do I need even that?

There are also some one-of pieces in other categories that pose a similar dilemma. I have a plain black wrap dress that is eminently practical for all kinds of more formal occasions (work and otherwise) but I never reach for it in my day-to-day life because, well, it’s too serious and plain.

At the same time, these are all nice, quality pieces I like a lot. At this point, I don’t own much of anything else because I’ve been editing and upgrading my wardrobe for years. I’ve never been in this position before and I have to say that I feel rather at a loss.

Not to get all philosophical, but I think part of my internal struggle is that this isn’t about clothes, after all. Of course not. It’s about accepting change and moving on to a new chapter of my life. The way each of us do that is different, of course, but I would love to hear your stories if you are willing to share. I’m hoping reading them will help me on my journey too.

The other thing I feel I need to do is sit down and revisit my style avatars. In particular, I need to think about whether they still represent the “me” of now and, if not, who or what does. I still feel a strong affinity for some of my old avatars (the Bohemian, in particular) but I think that the changes that have been happening elsewhere in my life mean that some of them will need to shift or perhaps transform altogether. For example, one archetype/theme that has been really resonating with me lately is The Crone. Anyway, I am still thinking through all of it, but consider this a Note to Self: Do Some Homework. More to come, I’m sure.

Art Show Style, Take One

Last weekend, I participated in my first art show/sale/market with a small group of fellow Edmonton artists and makers. It was a very positive experience and a big step for me because I have struggled a lot with the commercial side of my crafts. For various reasons, I don’t view my craft hobbies as a “side hustle”, but it’s nice to be able to cover some of my material costs from time to time … so I can go and buy more for crafting. You know how it goes. Anyway, I had to put more thought than usual into my outfits for the show/market because I had to consider not only practical issues (comfort being No. 1) but also branding; what better way to advertise than by wearing my own jewelry pieces. So I picked my clothes based on their suitability as backdrops for my jewelry. This Banana Republic jumpsuit was perfect; black velvet is wonderful for display purposes. It was also very comfortable (and easy enough to wrangle on bathroom trips) which was a must. I can’t wait to wear this one again.

Art Show Style, Take Two

Despite all that I wrote above, I also knew that I would have to wear my fave dress; nothing else encapsulates me (and my love of colour) as well. Luckily, it matched wonderfully with this older embroidered necklace that I made last year (or was it 2019? gosh, time flies!) As before, this dress is a compliment-magnet. And! I managed to find a matching bag on Poshmark. I am so happy.

Art Show Style, Take Three

This wasn’t my originally planned outfit for the 3rd day of the show, but it worked out even better than my first pick. A friend gifted me this Kate Hewko tunic, and I instantly fell in love with it. Its fun and slightly edgy/kooky vibe works so well with my jewelry aesthetic. I wore a piece I recently made, and I loved the resulting combination. Also, I can now attest that these Fluevog shoes are comfortable even for 5+ hours of standing around. Win!

Last But Not Least

Back to regular outfitting, erm, programming … had to wear my Topshop polka dot dress again. I love it so much. I can’t wait to explore its layering potential next fall/winter; for now, a mock neck sleeveless top is more than suitable. I love the contrast polka dots and how fun/cheerful they look. I’ve been eyeing some similar Marimekko prints, but haven’t pulled the trigger yet. It’s funny how we can sometimes rediscover or fall in love again with certain things; I haven’t worn polka dots in years, but am suddenly obsessed again. I think it’s because I’m drawn to oversized geometric shapes and patterns at the moment – both in my art and my outfits.