90s Throwback

To be clear, I am referring to my outfit, and specifically the vintage Jones NY skirt, and not my own self. We would have to throw back a lot farther if that were the case. Ba-dum-tish. Did I mention that I’m turning 38 in, oh, one week’s time? I don’t feel a day over 22, and I am always slightly mortified when I think about the disconnect between how I see myself and how others see me. So I try not to think about it, which seems like the only sensible solution.

Anyway, the outfit. I don’t know how old this skirt is, but it has a 90s vibe to it which makes it “on trend” with the current revival of that decade. The trendiness isn’t what attracted me to it, though it’s always nice to feel even accidentally fashionable; I have been moving away from pencil skirts lately and looking for new silhouettes. Midi and maxi skirts intrigue me, and the details of this particular skirt are very good. It’s minimalist, but not dowdy – that’s a stealthy slit that comes up past the knee – and the quality is excellent (fully lined, 100% lightweight wool). Keeping in line with my Artist persona, I paired the skirt with a relaxed fit, chambray-like Theory top, and a structured blazer for contrast. The chunky necklace is from Chico’s, of all places, but we’ll just pretend it’s Anthro or something, mkay?

Autumn in July

The weather has been all over the calendar lately; it’s hot one day, cold the next, and sometimes it’s hot and cold all in one day. My office AC is another matter, and only slightly less unpredictable. Don’t take this as a complaint, because anything that isn’t winter is a good thing in my books, but it’s been a weird summer. Which explains as much of this outfit as can be explained. Actually, it was a very weather-smart choice; the jacket was perfect for the chilly morning, and the sleeveless shell was perfect for the office temps. The top covers enough of my shoulders that I don’t feel too exposed without a topper. I do love the full, blazered effect because it’s got that professor vibe I love – I’m calling it “the Adventurer goes to Oxford”.

Prairie Chic

This is one of those divisive outfits that you’ll either love or hate. Needless to say, I fall into the first camp. This Wilfred dress was a recent thrift score; it’s 100% cotton and I adore everything about it. Rather that pile on more volume – though it’s only a matter of time before that happens, fyi – I decided to dig up this old Tabitha cropped jacket and go for a sorta Neo-Georgian-by-way-of-Little-House-On-The-Prairie effect. Remember Pride and Prejudice?

Seven Years

That’s how old my son is. Seven years. Does not compute. He’s only about a foot shorter than me, and some days he looks (and acts) like a teenager and I. Just. Cannot. Compute. Does it ever became more plausible? Like, am I going to be looking at him in 20 years’ time and wondering how it’s possible that he is my son – that small, wrinkly, little bean they put in my arms at the hospital one day?

Leaving aside the existential questions, this was the outfit I wore to the celebratory dinner. Per the birthday boy’s request, we went to Boston Pizza – he is only 7, after all. This linen Lord & Taylor dress was perfect for the occasion, though I’m not sure it wouldn’t be perfect for every occasion. It’s literally a big sack, but it’s also somehow the most flattering shapeless thing ever. I’m also quite madly in love with these Barbara Barbieri sandals. I don’t own any other high heeled sandals, but these are very comfortable, and the spikes add a bit of edge.

The Dress Jackpot

I’ve been really hitting that dress jackpot lately, haven’t I? First that Sarah Pacini linen dress, and now this Iris Setlakwe number. I am generally not a huge fan of brown-black combos, but there is something about this print that drew me to it regardless of that fact. The dress fits like a dream, which always helps, and it’s feminine without being girly. The fabric feels lovely; it has the shape-retaining quality of scuba material, but it feels silky to the touch. I love the illusion neckline. There’s not much I don’t love about the dress, come to think of it. I kept things simple for the outfit, just adding a blue necklace for a small pop of colour.

Caped Crusader

Not really, but I could not resist the title. This is one of the more bizzaro combinations I have put together lately, but I really like how it came together. I’m also digging the greenish-grey-black colour palette; there is a sort of moldy metallic thing happening. The fit of these pants is slightly off, but in an intriguing way. I think they would be more flattering if they were a slimmer cut, but their boxiness emphasizes the menswear vibe, further amplified by these Louise et Cie loafers as opposed to a daintier flat or heels.

Pleats, Please

I was super pumped to find this Tibi skirt at my local consignment store; it’s right up my alley. So much so that it’s actually quite similar to a piece I already have – a Vanessa Bruno dress that has a similar, apron-style pleat section in the front. (This Tibi skirt has a pleated back as well, though it’s plain black not patterned like the front.) I’ve struggled with how to wear that dress for reasons too mundane to detail here, so this now gives me the choice of replacing it with something more wearable. Will I? I was all set … aaaand then started to have second thoughts almost immediately. The VB dress has a cool black-and-white contrast thing going on; isn’t there room in my closet for two cool, pleated pieces? Counterpoint: is there room in my closet for two very similar pieces? I don’t know, friends. I just don’t know. In the meantime, let’s leave aside the difficult questions and just enjoy this stress-free outfit.

European Vacation

Another bonus photo this week. I wish I was going on a European vacation but since I am not, this outfit will have to do. It makes me think of something my European relatives might wear as a casual look. I thrifted the jeans and scarf on the same day at different stores, but they feel like a meant-to-be-together combo. The lightweight Eileen Fisher sweater is an older find, but very of the moment what with the whole menocore thing. Easy breezy.

I am currently in the thick of a bunch of DYI craft projects, so I don’t have a lot of time for Netflix, buuuuut … I did recently binge watch season 1 of The Good Place. It wasn’t just good, it was great! If you’re one of the three people who hasn’t seen it yet, do ittttt! I watched it “spoiled” for the big twist at the end (which happens when you don’t keep up with the pace of pop culture) but I still thought it was brilliant. In fact, it was so good that I stayed up till past midnight one day to finish the second half of the season in one go, and while that decision hurt the next day, I did not regret it. I’m just mad that Netflix doesn’t have season 2 available yet. Bah!

Not surprisingly, the show (together with Spook, which I read around the same time) got me thinking a lot about what happens when we die. My attitude to the “great beyond” has gone through several shifts – alternating between fear and acceptance – at various stages of my life, largely influenced by whatever philosophical concepts I was exploring at the time. I’ve come to realize that I really, really want to believe in heaven (who doesn’t want that bit of comfort as they edge closer to middle age?) but my inner voice is telling me that the more likely destinations are: (1) hell, or (2) nothing. Let’s talk through this, shall we?

First of all, it’s obvious that, objectively speaking, “nothing” is better than hell. The thing is, for a living being, “nothing” is unfathomable and, therefore, in a manner of speaking, just as scary and terrible as hell. There were times when I felt rather Zen about the idea of “nothing” (though, of course, there is nothing actually Buddhist about it, but that’s another story); I think those must have been times when I was depressed – and I say that only half flippantly. I’ve come to realize that I derive my happiness from the sense of meaning that I find in (or assign to) my life; the idea that life can come to an end and that nothing comes after feels like an assault on the meaningfulness of life. Perhaps others can reconcile those two things; I struggle with it.

So, then, let’s move on to hell. Whether “hell is other people” (as The Good Place suggests) or endless, perfect solitude, or fiery pits of eternal damnation, the general consensus is that it’s bad. Who in their right mind wants to end up there? I don’t … but, like, I’m afraid I might? I don’t think I’m a bad person; I have good intentions and I am not consciously unkind. But, as Chidi found out in The Good Place, that may not be enough. Whenever I start thinking about it, I always resolve to be more actively good; and, for a while, I work on it. And then, slowly but surely, I slide back into the “normal” routine. Sigh. If hell is real, then I am probably going to it … even though I don’t have a vanity license plate.

Moving on to less weighty (and happier) topics, I also recently re-watched Clueless for the first time in more than a decade. As for many women of my generation, Paul Rudd is a Forever Crush because of Josh. It doesn’t hurt that he’s, like, a total babe still (obligatory reference to how Paul Rudd does not age, which is a scientific fact at this point, and also hat tip to 90s slang). Anyway, the movie holds up pretty well, all things considered – I guess that’s why it’s a classic. I think it was progressive for its time in many ways, though there are occasional cringe-worthy moments/bits of dialogue. The fashion? Mostly cringe-worthy, at least to me. I know a lot of it is coming back in style now and … nope. Nopety nope, hell naw for me.

Next topic. I was reading this Pajiba article about some new Shazaam movie (which, what? my non-comic geekness is working against me here, I feel lost) and learned all about the Mandela Effect. The really weird thing? The title of the article is “The First Official Photo of Zachary Levi in Shazaam Forewarns of the Coming Mandela Effect”. As I clicked on it, my thoughts were “hmm, is Mandela Effect somehow the new term for white-washing?” Because, I kid you not, I thought they had recast the old Shazaam movie starring Sinbad. This was all before I even read the article, mind you. And then I did read the article and got my mind blown to discover that THERE WAS NO SHAZAAM MOVIE STARRING SINBAD!!! BUT ALSO THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON WHO TOTALLY REMEMBERS THAT NON-EXISTENT MOVIE!!!! WTF?!?!

Ahem. Sorry for shouting, but seriously: W.T.F.

Lastly, the news of Justice Bieber’s engagement to Hailey Baldwin – who, I am advised, is the daughter of the Worst Baldwin (Stephen) not the Angriest Baldwin (Alec) – made me realize that I have some kind of partial face blindness problem. I literally cannot remember what Hailey Baldwin looks like 5 minutes after staring at her photo, and I have confused her with a half dozen other women in the last week. The whole Shazaam situation has me thinking that maybe others also share this problem — holler at me in the comments if you do — although I’m willing to concede that the simpler explanation here might be that I am An Old to whom all young whippersnappers look the same. [Sidenote: I thought Hailey was dating Shawn Mendes, but it turns out this was not the case (I think?) which means that this engagement is a little less inexplicable to me now than before. Hashtag: I’m definitely too old to have an opinion about this but also Shawn Mendes is the better Canadian pop export come at me.]