Redhead in Green

Green should be easy, right? I’m a redhead after all. But green is one of the colours with which I struggle the most. Many greens feel too strident to me; they set my teeth on edge, if that makes sense. But the right green … aah, that’s another story. I love blackened greens, bottle greens and mossy greens. Something with a bit of smoke, a hint of mysterious forest to it. The greens of this outfit, for example. The best outfits, to me, feel like an extension of your own skin and that’s how I felt wearing this one. I am not Wearing Green so much as I am a Creature of Green. And I am wearing my “witchy” pendant to let you know that there is a story there. These greens have seen some sh*t. Maybe started some too.

Notes: Selected Femme sweater (retail, $40); Zara skirt (thrifted, $11); Jimmy Choo shoes (eBay, $130); Rafael Canada necklace (eBay, $80).

In the Bag

Make no mistake: this outfit is just an excuse, a backdrop if you will, for this bag. It’s is wholly beaded (and in immaculate condition) and completely over the top. Borderline ugly, but in a most fascinating (to me) way. Lately, I have been really interested in art/things that straddle the line between beauty and whatever can be found on the other side of it. “Ugly” is perhaps an oversimplification. I am interested in things that evoke a reaction, something other than “so cute”. And one thing I know for sure is that no one would call this bag “cute”.

Notes: Theory top (consignment, $25); Maggie Walt pants (thrifted, $6.50); bag (thrifted, $10); shoes, Me Too (thrifted, $16).

Highlands Fling

Someone called this a Grown-Up Merida outfit, and I am not mad about it. Taking a vintage Ralph Lauren skirt away from its 80s Preppy roots in a different direction is all the fun. Also fun? A skirt that really knows how to twirl:

I mean, how could I resist this?

Notes: Eileen Fisher sweater (thrifted, $5); Gap top (thrifted, $5); Ralph Lauren skirt (thrifted, $6.50); Napoleoni shoes (thrifted, $6); Rafael Canada necklace (eBay, $80).

Patriotic OOTD

I don’t really dress to themes these days, but for Canada Day I decided to show some patriotic pride after all … with a red dress and rainbow-coloured sweater. (See what I did there?) It was also very “on brand” because Canada is, among many other more wonderful things, the land where summer is sometimes just an abstract concept. Which is why layering a mid-weight knit over a linen dress in July is not just a fashion experiment, but an actual necessity.

Notes: Lord & Taylor dress (thrifted, $8.50); Gap sweater (thrifted, $6); Barbara Barbieri sandals (thrifted, $10).

Graphic Visuals

This skirt was love at first sight, which surprised me at first as I found myself reaching for it. It’s a bit … loud. And “loud” isn’t something I associate with my current style. Except that maybe I should. Because I love the bold graffiti print, and the contrasting stripes, and the volume. It’s all “too much” in the best way. Fit ‘n flare skirts are not normally my thing, but I adore midis so that aspect was the foremost reason why I bought it. Since I’ve had time to play around with styling it, I have come to appreciate all its other merits. I think this will be a fun piece to keep for a while. Not bad for an $18 cotton skirt.

Notes: Floreat top (thrifted, $6); Lida Baday blazer (thrifted, $12); Orientique Australia skirt (consignment, $18); Cole Haan shoes (thrifted, $10).

The Anniversary Dress

My husband and I celebrated nine years of marriage (what? how is that possible?) on July 3, and in honour of the day I wore things that he recently gifted to me. The Marni dress we bought – I picked, he paid, marriage is a team effort, friends – in Calgary on our recent trip. The Rafael Canada jewelry we bought (same deal) in Edmonton at one of my favourite vintage spots, Swish. When I found the dress, I knew it needed a real statement necklace; its tailoring is impeccable but the lines are quite severe. I didn’t have a fitting necklace at the time, but I trust in kismet. Sure enough, this necklace found its way into my life about a month later and it’s perfect. Perfect for the dress, and also just perfect in general.

Notes: Marni dress (consignment, gift); Rafael Canada necklace & ring (secondhand, gift); J. Crew shoes (retail, $80).

One of my favourite things about thrifting is the accidental discovery. Thrifting is a bit like gambling in that you never know when you’re going to get lucky; that unpredictable positive reinforcement is what makes thrifting so much fun (or, you might say, addictive) to dedicated thrifters like myself. But apart from that, I love that the “prize” is ultimately a subjective one. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure … and, sometimes, it’s treasure you didn’t even know you wanted.

Here’s a personal anecdote about that.

I have been loving large, chunky, architectural jewelry for the last year or so – it accents my current aesthetic nicely. It has proven to be a tricky category of accessories because quality tells. The bigger the scale of the pieces, the more obvious that cheap production becomes. And, of course, handmade stuff is pricey. For example, I have been eyeing Adina Mills pieces after Sherry (Save Spend Splurge) posted about her on Instagram. But the supply is limited, sells out quickly, and costs well upwards of $100USD per piece.

I am not sure if I am ready to make that kind of commitment, so I haven’t pulled the trigger yet.

Meanwhile, a few weeks ago, I found this piece at Value Village.

It had the right vibe and looked well made, which was my cue for a closer look. I always search for signatures or brand tags on jewelry to help me figure out what I’m looking at. This one was signed “Rafael Canada”.

A 30 second Google search confirmed this was a known vintage jewelry label – enough to make me commit to the $7.99 price tag. At home, I began to do more in-depth research. It runs out that Rafael Alfandary – who signed pieces as Rafael Canada – was a well-known Canadian jewelry designer (originally from the former Yugoslavia) in the 70s and 80s. His pieces were worn by Margaret Trudeau, Mohammed Ali, and Prince among other celebrities. I also learned that the style – which I love, and perfectly encapsulates the aesthetic I am going for with jewelry – is called Brutalist. This is important, because I now have an extra keyword to search when looking for similar stuff online.

I quickly fell in love with a bunch of other Rafael pieces and began hunting for them on eBay and Etsy. The bad news is that inventory is fairly limited and prices aren’t thrift-cheap. The good news is that it’s possible to find pieces under $100CAD. To wit:

This was a very popular design (there is a photo floating online of Prince wearing it at an awards show), and I had to have it – I love the scale of it, the “rough” design, the dark teal Murano glass cabochon. It works so well with my current wardobe, both workwise and casual.

I cannot wait to expand my collection, and it’s given me renewed enthusiasm for the thrill of the (thrift) hunt. Stay tuned for more …

… and please share your didn’t-know-I-needed-it-can’t-live-without-it thrift finds in the comments!

Obligatory “I can’t believe it’s already July” introduction … but, honestly, the last few months have been such a daze, I can barely keep track of the days of the week. All I know is that there are 5 weeks left until my vacation (2 whole weeks, woot woot!), and I know that because I counted this morning. I may or may not be counting that every morning.

Another reason why I feel like I’m living Groundhog Day is the weather. One day it’s warm and sunny; another day it’s cold and rainy. It might have been June, or it might have been April all over again. If you ever find yourself wondering “does Adina not know how to dress appropriately for summer?”, the answer is that I do, but I am also living in the land that summer maybe forgot. Sartorially, this is not a great loss to me – hello, I love layers! – but it does make the months blend together, and I do miss the mental state of being associated with summer. Oh well.

On to the clothes:

This is actually a much more cohesive line-up than I was expecting. I think cutting my hair has made me feel re-inspired, somehow. This haircut works better with my overall aesthetic, which makes me appreciate the said aesthetic more. As it happens, thrifting has been very boring/uneventful lately, which means that I have been focusing on my existing pieces and finding ways to make them feel fresh again. Accessories have played a huge part in that, and I am having a lot of fun with them again. I’m currently really into simple outfits with interesting, architectural (dare I say, brutalist) lines and one big statement piece of jewelry. You’ll be seeing more of that in July. I have also been doing a radical closet purge in anticipation of the next Wardrobe Exchange secondhand clothes pop-up market in September. My goal with that is to let go of designer pieces that I love in principle, but which don’t really fit my style. I find that difficult – it’s hard to let go of the mentality of “it’s a quality silk blouse, of course I’ll find some use for it at some point” – but I am getting better at it.