It`s the last Friday of the month, so it`s time to talk shop. Or swap. or trade. If there is something you`re looking to buy, or something you`d like to sell or trade, here is your chance to reach out to your fellow BCRL readers.

A reminder of the disclaimers/ground rules for Community Trading:

One, while I believe in the BCRL community, I do not know each of you personally, so I cannot vouch for any person or item. Please use your best discretion, both when buying and trading. While I think this idea has great potential, its success is premised on trust and the honour system – please be fair and respectful of others. If anyone becomes aware of concerns over another poster/reader’s actions, please let me know. I do not have time to police people, but I also don’t want anyone to be using my site to rip others off, so should something of that nature happen, I will shut down these posts immediately.

Two, I would ask that people at least consider international shipping, provided the other party is willing to assume the costs. I say this as a Canadian who often feels shut out of trading sites where the members are predominantly from the US. Of course, I can’t and wouldn’t force anyone to do something they feel comfortable with, but I know there are BCRL readers all over North America (and the world), and I think it would be nice if everyone had the option to participate.

Three, please feel free to include links to specific items you are selling/seeking as long as they are not affiliate ones.

Four, please be clear about the specifics of what you are looking for and/or are offering, including payment, shipping, etc. Alternately, you can include an email address for inquiries, but please note that this would be visible to the public/anyone visiting the blog.

See you in the comments!

Wild Thing

You guys might be wondering why I’m still posting outfits like it’s the middle of winter and that’s because, well, it still is in my neck of the woods. We have had something like 170 consecutive days of below 0 Celsius weather since last October. It snowed 2 days after I took this photo. I am so DONE. Ahem. On the plus side, my coat game has never been stronger thanks to thrifting, so I’ll take every opportunity to bust out my pieces. This Zara leopard print number always gets a ton of compliments. I don’t generally like to wear leopard print, but this is a muted version (if there is such a thing) so I like it a lot. It’s a boxy cut, which helps somehow. When the Adventurer is feeling Sassy, this coat comes out to play. I paired it with the usual – chunky knit, my everyday Madewell boyfriend jeans. In this case, even the bag and boots are thrifted, which means I was wearing head-to-toe thrift to go … where else … thrifting.

That Weird Capelet Thing

… is that I call this, um, weird capelet thing I’m wearing here. It’s a cropped cardigan version of a capelet. Parts of it look like they’ve been spray-painted gold. It’s weird and amazing. Since that was my starting point, I figured I may as well go for broke, so I added some more gold into the mix. Nobody wanted to buy this Madewell shimmer tee on the ThriftRats shop, so I decided to keep it for myself. I like the – wait for it – boxy cut though the material is a bit stiffer/rougher than I would like (even with the lining). I still think it’s a keeper because the aesthetics of it are intriguing. I would say this fits the Prince pretty well; there is a kind of knight-ish edge to this outfit. It’s that weird capelet thing, I’m telling you.

Culottes, Again

I bought these culottes because they challenged me; I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them, which normally would be a reason to NOT buy them except we live in a brave new world now, baby. And by “we” I mean “me”, and by “brave” I mean … well, “trying to be different and cool”. I’m all about the non-conventional, yo! Anywhoo, I did what they also say you shouldn’t do, which is pair voluminous culottes with a voluminous sweater. (Eileen Fisher, of course. I am fully committed to this Eileen phase of my life.) Did I look a bit like a potato sack? Maybe. I think this is an outfit that looks better in person/in motion, but it’s definitely not figure-flattering in any traditional sense, any way you look at it. And that’s okay! I really enjoyed it.

(It’s an Artist kind of outfit, I think, in case you were wondering.)

Variations on a Theme

Does it count as a “power outfit” when it’s a simple sweater+pants combo? For years, I gravitated towards clothes that were interesting because of their prints or eye-catching colours; I am now enjoying more subtle details, like the shape of these sweaters, their texture, their plain unadorned-ness. A part of me is concerned that this aesthetic evolution is going to put an end to any pretensions that I may still have as far as being a style blogger. These outfits might read as rather “blah” and repetitive as blog fodder, but they feel perfect to wear. I think I look good in them, but they are not outfits that call attention to themselves in any way. Again, that’s great for real life … perhaps less so for a blog.

Leaving blogging conundrums aside, let’s talk a bit more about the pieces here. I ended up adding a couple of bracelets to the first outfit, to join my fave Alexi Bittar earrings (which you can’t see). One chunky bracelet, one delicate one. As I mentioned on Instagram, I have been very inspired by Iris Apfel lately, so I have been exploring chunky jewelry. The funnel neckline is my favourite part of the sweater so I didn’t want to detract from it with a necklace or even a brooch; a chunky bracelet (silver-grey) seemed like a good bet. I added a thin, gunmetal-coloured rhinestone loop bracelet to the other wrist as a juxtaposition. Sadly, I wasn’t able to take photos of my wrists, so you will have to take my word for how cool it all looked.

The sweater in the second pic is another recent thrift find. I adore the greyish green colour; it’s a kind of foggy, washed out celadon. I have no idea if it’s a most flattering shade for my complexion, but it’s incredibly soothing, so I love wearing it. I added my fave MaxMara chunky necklace, of which I am sure Iris would approve.

Winter Casual, Redux

Winter is a terrible guest this year; it simply won’t go away, no matter how many hints we all drop that it’s time for it to move on. As a result, I am very much still in boots-and-cozy-outerwear mode when it comes to weekends. I still try to have some fun with it; wearing these patched Holding Horses jeans is currently my idea of fun, anyway. They are so very ugly-cool in the very best way possible. They work with all my chunky knits, and you know how much I love those.

Purple Reign

This DVF sheath is the right colour, but a little too feminine for my Prince persona; still, it was free (through my clothing swap), so I am giving it a try. I like it a lot, but I’m not sure that I love it. I think I need to think outside the box a little bit when it comes to styling it, to make it more “Adina, 2018”. In the meantime, I’m including it in this round-up to give y’all a break from my current obsession with pants. You’re welcome.