When I started my first professional job, the “power suit” was a thing. It may still be, for all I know, but my suit-wearing days are, thankfully, behind me. The concept of a “power outfit” has stayed with me, though. What is that, you might ask?

For me, a Power Outfit is what you put on when you want to feel powerful, confident, kickass. It’s the outfit that makes you feel like you can take on any challenge, succeed without breaking a sweat and looking like a million bucks in the process. It’s a stylish battle armor.

For the last few years, my go-to Power Outfit was this one:

I’ve worn this to important public speaking engagements, hearings, the first day at my new job, and the list goes on. I’m not sure, precisely, what made it so powerful in my eyes, but I do know that it was one of the outfits that bridged the gap between my old style and the new. It’s quite a Princely outfit, long before I had any concept of the Prince. Classic and polished enough to be suitable for a variety of (professional) occasions, but with enough interesting details to feel fresh and fun to wear.

Lately, I’ve been wearing pants less frequently (in part for health-related reasons) and this outfit hasn’t seen the light of day in some months. Thinking about what I enjoy and feel comfortable wearing these days, I realized that the time may have come for a new Power Outfit. There were a few contenders:

This Dries van Noten dress is one of my favourites, and it’s beautiful and comfortable and work-appropriate. Close, but no cigar. While I feel great in it, its vibe is Bohemian, not Princely. The floral print is more romantic than bold, and softened by the silk ruffle at the bottom.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, and far closer to Machiavellian, is this combo. I love the silhouette, the texture contrasts, the Corporate Noir feel. But as much as I adore the faux leather crop top, it might be a bit too edgy for some occasions.

I feel like this is getting warmer, though perhaps it errs a little too far in a conservative direction. You guys know how much I love me a turtleneck and any outfit with some good architectural lines. Speaking of which …

My quest for a new Power Outfit recently came to a sudden end. Friends, let me introduce you to The Dress:

Pictures do not do justice to this Issey Miyake stunner. It’s architectural in all the right ways – it has interesting lines without being constrictive, feels and moves like a dream. In fact, it looks better in motion than still. If it stands out in a crowd, it’s all thanks to impeccable tailoring, because there is not one gaudy or look-at-me detail anywhere. I can wear it on its own, or paired with any number of toppers from my closet. I can wear it with heels or flats. I can wear it pretty much anywhere.

Power Outfit.

Return of Transitional Dressing

I had an epiphany earlier this year: although I am a summer baby all the way, I actually love fall (and spring) when it comes to clothes. Transitional outfits are my jam! So many opportunities for layering! So many exclamation marks! But, seriously, I love fall weather … which is what we have in Edmonton this August. I know some of you may marvel at the things I wear, but we’ve had so many mornings of high-50sF weather – if anything, I am under-dressed. My arms were definitely a bit chilly in this outfit, but je ne regrette rien because how awesome is this vest-blazer? It pairs so well with the velvet dress, toning down the evening-wear vibe. I also took a page from one of my fave Instagrammers (@nitrochique) and layered the dress over a button-down shirt. Me likey!

Notes: Floreat dress (thrifted, $8), For Cynthia top (thrifted, $4); Elizabeth & James vest blazer (thrifted, $18); Napoleoni shoes (thrifted, $6).

Jump to It

Guys, I have finally found a jumpsuit that works for my very long torso! I can now jump on a trend that was hot, like, 5 years ago. Yay. I ain’t mad though, because this Bailey44 number is comfortable like pyjamas, plus has some kind of thigh-slimming magic that I very much appreciate after my vacation indulgences. I threw on a cropped, cute blazer and felt very put together for a day of (fun) errands.

Notes: Bailey44 jumpsuit (thrifted, $17); Rafael necklace (gift); Tabitha jacket (thrifted, $5); AGL shoes (thrifted, $12); Marc by Marc Jacobs bag (thrifted, $20).

Zoo Abstract

Yes, it’s the same vest-blazer again. What can I say, I really dig it. Here, I paired it with distressed jeans and a bright print. Animal prints are not usually my thing, but I like this abstract version by Joie. (Remember, friends: don’t pay retail prices for Joie, it’s not worth it quality-wise; thrift it for a fraction of the price.) The poppy red is one of my fave accent colours, and I went the matchy-matchy route with the shoes.

Notes: Joie top (thrifted, $8.50), AG jeans (thrifted, $9.50); Elizabeth & James vest (thrifted, $18); Madewell shoes (thrifted, $8).

Take Me to The Farmers’ Market

Keeping things simple for a Saturday morning outing with the family – black linen pants (chic and comfortable!), a loose knit sweater (chilly morning strikes again), and some plain black loafers. I added a bit of pizzazz – I couldn’t help it, you know me — with a funky necklace I thrifted recently. I wish it had a few more beads for extra impact, but I like the scale of it and the Pop Art appeal.

Notes: Line sweater (thrifted, $8.50); Boo Radley pants (thrifted, $9.50); Everlane shoes (thrifted, $10); no-name necklace (thrifted, $3.50); Fossil tote (thrifted, $7).

I’ve been flirting with the idea of taking up painting for months, but kept finding excuses not to try. I don’t have space for it. Supplies are expensive. I already have too many hobbies and not enough time. Still, I kept thinking about it. I tried to scratch the itch to create with colour through embroidery and beading, but it didn’t quite work. One day, someone I follow posted a story on Instagram of a picture they spotted at HomeSense. Something about that image drew my eye; it stayed in my mind.

A few days later, I went to HomeSense to see if I could find it, or something similar. I didn’t. Instead, I found a set of acrylic paints, brushes, and some canvases. The universe seemed to be saying something to me.

So I listened.

My first attempt at painting was, ahem, a solid effort.

Ok, fine, it wasn’t much good but I found that I enjoyed the process anyway. For my next attempt, I tried something a little safer: a still life of flowers. I like big, bold swaths of colour so I decided to pursue a primitive style – which, not entirely coincidentally – suits my drawing and painting abilities just fine. I was (and still am) quite pleased with the result.

I decided to get a little more adventurous. This is where I started to learn a bit about layering and building colour. I like to learn by doing, rather than following how-tos, so my lessons are haphazard at best. On the plus side, I find it helps me to develop my own style at my own pace.

Next, I turned my attention to landscapes. Again, with the first try, I was inspired by a picture I saw on social media (and, sadly, didn’t save) but I tweaked it to work with birch trees rather than pines. This was a lesson in building texture, dry-brushing, and layering again. The result was still a bit “naif” but with some decent effects here and there.

Emboldened, I decided to level up again. Here in Alberta, we have beautiful prairie vistas. There is something both simple and incredibly majestic about a flat horizon and huge skies. I thought the latter, in particular, would give me scope to do big, bold things with colour and texture. What I didn’t know … was that clouds (like water) are among the hardest things to paint well. Oops.

Nevertheless, I think this was a solid effort. As a sidenote, this was the first piece I sold! After I posted it on IG, someone contacted me to ask if she could buy it, and since she lived locally, I thought “why not?” It’s wonderful and also kind of intimidating to think of my work hanging in someone’s house.

Anyway, I hadn’t learned my lesson about clouds yet, it seemed, so I leveled up again – to a sunset. Because what could be more fun than an extra dramatic sunset, right? Well, the bloody thing was nearly the undoing of my painting hobby. I lost track of how many layers of paint I went through before I was finally somewhat satisfied with it.

Ugh, no more skies for a while. I think it’s time to tackle some cacti 😛

Have you picked up a new hobby out of the blue? How did it go? Do you prefer to learn by watching/following directions, or by doing/hands on?