In my last monthly recap, I briefly alluded to some things that were happening in my life on the sartorial front. I suggested that those things deserved their own post and, well, this is that post. If your tolerance for navel-gazing is on the generous side, read on.

So, just what is going on? A couple of things.

One, I’m going through some sort of style evolution. I know, it sounds super lame, but here’s the thing: I’ve started to notice an interesting pattern. There are certain outfits I love in the abstract but not necessarily in action (i.e. on me, going about my daily biz). Conversely, there are certain outfits that don’t seem especially thrilling in principle, but which I love wearing. Basically, there is an internal conflict going on right now between what draws my eye, and what makes me feel good – or, put differently, what makes me feel like myself. Things I love, like bold colourful prints and feminine/girly details, often end up feeling not quite right when I actually wear them. Anthropologie is a perfect example of this; I love so much of its aesthetic (especially in older pieces), but a lot of its clothes just end up hanging in my closet, to be lovingly gazed at and touched from time to time, but not worn.

What it comes down to is that my style, which used to be a lot more dichotomous, is becoming more cohesive. There will always be a boho streak in it, but it’s moving closer to the minimalist end of the spectrum, where it will eventually meet the other side of my style personality. I’m still working on pin-pointing the precise outlines of the emerging picture, but a couple of things seem to be clear:

• Pieces that combine bold prints with extra girly/embellished silhouettes are (mostly) out. (I’m keeping some of my absolute favourites, because breaking up is hard to do, okay?) Going forward, I think I will be sticking to one, or the other, but not both at the same time. The bolder the pattern, the more streamlined the silhouette. In time, I expect that I will move away from girly/twee silhouettes entirely. (Think Joan versus Betty, to borrow a rather out-of-date Mad Men reference.)
• Mixing bright colours is mostly limited to accent colours. I love looking at the outfits of colour-mixing masters like Elisa Nalin, but I just don’t feel nearly as sophisticated when I attempt that sort of look myself.

Two, I have reached peak thrift. Which is to say, I have become so good at it (through a combination of perseverance and luck) that I need to change my approach if I have any hope of maintaining my wardrobe at any sort of manageable level. I need to stop buying so many things! There are two ways to go about that. I could go thrifting less often. This is not my preferred option; I enjoy the process of thrifting as much if not more than its end result, and I would miss it (as a hobby and stress reliever) if I cut down on my visits. The second option is to become more discriminating in my buying. By necessity, I have to make this option work, but it’s not easy.

Believe it or not, I have actually become a LOT more discriminating than I used to be. I used to buy a lot of mall brands when I started thrifting, simply because the items were cheaper than retail and plentiful in supply. But as I started to become a more dedicated thrifter, I came to realize that finding high-end pieces was relatively easy, which made mall brands look like a far less attractive proposition. As my wardrobe expanded, and all its “gaps” got filled, I turned to “upgrading” existing pieces instead. Now, my closet is made up of probably at least 50% high end designer pieces (with the balance being mostly mid-range designer stuff) and there is increasingly little of it left to upgrade. So, what now?

I’ve been toying with a few new “rules” (even though I’m the kind of person who only likes to create rules not actually implement them) for my thrifting, such as:

One in, one out. I may make exceptions for items that are “special” (due to style, colour, fabric, etc.), but only if they made in the US or Europe. I want to make a concerted effort to focus on ethical clothing to the extent I can.

I mean, right? The alternative would be Cruella de Vil — what, with the lipstick red pops of colour — but I’m not quite ready to commit to the dark side. But speaking of the red, on second thoughts, I should have heeded the old adage, and taken off one accessory before leaving the house — the belt, methinks. Too matchy, even for me.

Because it was a bit cool in the morning, I threw on my newish Club Monaco jacket. It worked quite nicely:

All the pieces here are preloved, from various sources. The pants are thrifted, the shirt is from consignment, and the bag came from a reseller of vintage Chanel bags. (I recently checked them out again because a friend asked for recommendations, and holy moly, the prices are quite a bit higher than 2-3 years ago. These bags may be the only exception to the “clothes are not an investment” rule.) As for these Ferragamo pumps, they cost me a pretty penny (at consignment, no less) but they are ever so nice. Sometimes, a red pair of shoes is just the right amount of pop.

As promised yesterday, here’s a peek at my thrift loot from the past few weeks. The post title says it all, by the way: I bought All The Things. But! But! I have also been diligent about cleaning out my closet, so there are some new things listed in my Shop My Closet page for anyone interested.

I loved the beautiful rich purple colour, and this seemed like the sort of easy breezy dress perfect for a hot weekend.

The name of this brand vaguely rang a bell, and upon Googling, turned out to be a German label. The material, though not silk, has a lovely hand-feel, and I liked the soft snakeskin print. I think I can work with this, but we’ll see.

Cord leggings are a preposterous invention, and all the softest things ever.

Maggy London is not normally a brand I’d single out, but I’m a sucker for a midi dress, and I liked the print of this one a lot. Those colours are right up my alley too. As a side note: it turned out that this dress was still listed on Nordstrom’s website (on sale) for $70 when I bought my version. That’s pretty impressive turnover.

I’ve already talked about how much I love this jacket so I won’t repeat myself. Awesome khaki jacket is awesome.

Stuart Weitzman shoes for under $15? Yes, please. Brand new, *red* Stuart Weitzman shoes for under $15? YES, PLEASE!

Ugh, this top. This top made me so mad. I’m still mad about it! It’s cute, right? So cute. I was so excited to wear it (and the brand, Comme des Garçons, was another thriftspotting first for me). Well, I washed it — by hand, in cold water — and watched in horror as the red dye bled all over. It was a blood bath in my sink, you guys. I almost started crying, and then I got really mad. Who makes a COTTON t-shirt dry clean only? That is insanity.

Hey remember this dress? So, funny story. I saw it again, after a few weeks, and decided to give it a try, just because. Well, it was still there, and that had to be a sign, right? Anyway, it turned out that the likely reason for its failure to sell was the fact that, while marked a size 10, this dress fit more like a 6-8. It’s a little bit large in the armpit area on me (not unusual because I’m smaller on the top half than on the bottom) but fits pretty well otherwise. Score!

I normally don’t bother with Michael Kors (I think the quality is over-rated/over-priced), but this dress was a total Issa lookalike, and since Issa is a brand I’ve been hunting unsuccessfully for years, I couldn’t resist getting it. It’s a faux wrap style very similar to dress most famously worn by Kate Middleton at the announcement of her engagement to Prince William. It’s a very flattering style and I think it’s going to be work appropriate too once I add a snap at the front.

This tweedy Nanette Lepore dress was a no-brainer as well. The original retail price was $400, which is cray-cray. It will be a cute office dress, for sure.

And that’s a (real, not faux) wrap, you guys. Tell me all about your thrift finds in the comments.