Ahhh, 2014. It was a good vintage. The first half of that year, I was on maternity leave, which meant that I got to spend lots of quality time with my babies, but also with my mom, who was helping us with childcare. It would prove to be the first and last time in my adult life that we would hang out so much and so often, and I cherish the memories of that period dearly. We got to know each other on a different footing than when I was growing up, both of us older and wiser and mothers. This April will mark 4 years since my mom passed away; her absence remains lodged deep inside me, life growing around it like scar tissue. Maybe because so much has happened in the last decade, 2014 feels like a whole lifetime ago. I’m not sure I’d recognize the person I was then, were it not for the fact we wear the same face. Well, give or take a few wrinkles. And a whole closet.
2014 was the year I fully embraced the twee, the beginning of my “no Anthro left behind” era. I couldn’t get enough of that stuff! I couldn’t afford Anthro’s retail prices, so I shopped secondment wherever I could find it — consignment shops, eBay, thrift. Coincidentally or not, 2014 was the year I started thrifting again in earnest, after a decade-long break. In fact, it was something my mom and I loved doing together. But Anthro wasn’t the only brand I was obsessed with; there was also J. Crew. Always bargain-minded (and with a reduced shopping budget, thanks to mat leave), I haunted the clearance racks at the Factory store, which was conveniently located a 10-minute drive from my house. I’m pretty sure the sales associates working that store got to know my entire family by their names, considering how often we used to pop in. It might be hard to believe now, but J. Crew was still very cool at that time — thanks to Jenna Lyons’ trend-setting creative vision — and also something of a novelty in Edmonton, having then only recently expanded into Canada.
My maternity leave wardrobe was casual and fun and generally easy, but going back to work threw up some sartorial challenges my way. I had to figure out not only how to adapt a new aesthetic to my working environment (still in private practice), but also how to dress a different body. After my second pregnancy, I didn’t lose all the “baby weight” immediately, and for about a year and a half, I was a couple of sizes bigger than previously. It might not seem like much, but the difference was noticeable. It wasn’t only a question of personal hang-ups; I also found it objectively harder to find things that fit me properly right off the rack. I have since learned that one of the ways in which brands keep their production costs down — a key metric in the fast fashion paradigm — is by using fewer fit models (aka actual humans) to develop their patterns. So, for example, instead of using size 2-3 fit models to develop patterns across the size range from, say, 2 through 12, they might only use a size 6 fit model and then scale the pattern up or down for the other sizes; as you might imagine, the result is a lower likelihood of the clothing having a halfway decent fit. But that’s a story for another time. I’ve been lucky to fit into straight sizes even at my heaviest, but my postpartum experiences in 2014 did help me understand a little bit better what many, many women struggle with when it comes to fashion and clothes shopping.
But let’s take a look at what I was wearing in 2014!
As always, I tried to pick outfits that reflect a representative cross-section of my 2014 aesthetic: Anthro, J. Crew, bold patterns, chunky necklaces, colourful bags. God, I loved me a coordinating bag! Bags were, hands down, my favourite accessory back then. I used to carefully pick one to match each outfit, even when I was on mat leave and my daily schedule usually revolved around playgrounds and trips to the library. Well, I suppose I always relied on my outfits to bring some fun and joy to the mundaneness of everyday life.
Now, it will not surprise you to hear that I wouldn’t wear any of these outfits in 2025; but, as always, it might surprise you to see how much of a difference a few tweaks can make. Nothing I wear these days looks like these 2014 outfits, but the basic formulas are not that different.
I’m back on the chambray shirt bandwagon again (what goes around comes around, always) but these days, I’m all about the oversized version. Or, in some cases, the oversized denim jacket. We don’t do chunky necklaces anymore, but floral skirts are still dear to my heart. They’re just a bit longer these days. I have also returned to flats (after an intervening decade of wearing heels at the office), but now it’s chunky loafers rather than brightly hued, round-toe ballerina flats. I still have that burgundy Marc by Marc Jacobs bag, by the way — the only item from this 2014 outfit that I still own — but haven’t used it in years. I’m sure its time will come again, though, and nothing beats the leather of 2000s MJ bags. I also wish I’d kept the skirt because, while the length wouldn’t work for me now, I still love that pattern. I’ve saved quite a few of my old Anthro skirts, hoping my daughter might enjoy wearing them one day. That day hasn’t come yet, but there is still hope. Otherwise, I might ask one of my crafty friends to upcycle the fabrics for me — perhaps a fabulous patchwork coat of some sort.
I picked this simple outfit because I was surprised to see myself wearing a trench. After 2014, I pretty much stopped wearing them … until last year. You can easily see, I think, that the trench I thrifted last year is much nicer than the old one I used to have. Both outfits are quite basic, but the 2024 version is even more streamlined — no chunky necklace, no pop of colour. These days, I trust myself to put together an outfit that’s interesting without being loud. Other subtle styling choices that make a big difference: tucked in t-shirt (vs peplum top), straight leg jeans (vs skinny pants), classic loafers (vs ballerina flats).
I chose this dress outfit because it features one of my earliest Ralph Lauren pieces. At the time, I was quite enamoured of these patterned dresses from the LRL diffusion line; they were stretchy and had some ruching, which made them easy to fit even as my body size fluctuated, and were made from a jersey material that was machine-washable, which was a bonus for a busy working mom. I had them in a few different prints, all of them floral and — in retrospect — not especially memorable. Also, if I hadn’t told you, you probably wouldn’t have guessed they were part of the RL universe because they have zero Papa Ralph vibes. I find that amusing; 2014 Adina wouldn’t have foreseen the direction of her sartorial adventures. The outfit on the right is quite a bit different, but I chose it because it features one of my current favourite patterned dresses. You can easily appreciate how different the silhouette and colour palettes are; the dress is also silk. Not having small kids around anymore, and the purchase of a steam cleaner, has expanded my horizons, fabric-wise. On the other hand, thin, long cardigans and “nude” shoes have dropped off my map. My coat game has levelled up, a lot.
And it seems fitting, I think, to include an outfit that also features a special item: the black bag that used to belong to my mom.
