Joseph Ribkoff is a Canadian brand that’s under the radar for a lot of people, but I always keep an eye out for it in thrift stores. Some of the stuff definitely skews “‘mature woman”, but the quality is always excellent (made in Canada, ftw!). The brand is usually priced low at VV (the most expensive thrift store in my neck of the woods), as was the case with this dress which was $9 before my 30% discount. The rose print is hard to miss, but it’s workable for, well, work. I ended up wearing the day after I published my new gothic novel baby, Gresham Park, and it seemed like a fitting choice. Dark and stormy, and all that.

Rather than add the usual black shoes, I mixed it up with burgundy … and then added more burgundy in my accessories (aka my bag) because I’m a slave to the matching of all things. It really does please me how well these Stuart Weitzman pumps go with the Amarante vernis leather of my Alma bag. Match made in matchy heaven.

I thrifted most of this outfit last week at the Sherwood Park VV; it cost less than $12. The top is Postmark, an Anthro brand, and the jeans are William Rast — and just about the softest things ever. I added a mustard yellow J. Crew cardigan and my navy TB Revas (both secondhand, via eBay and consignment respectively), and my now almost ubiquitous Mulberry Jody bag (also via eBay) for a head-to-toe pre-loved but pretty fab outfit. Maybe a little too whimsical for my age and job, but why does casual Friday exist if not to allow the rules to be stretched a little. Or a lot, hah.

You may have noticed something else new. Yep, I broke down and cut my hair. It was a totally spur-of-the-moment decision, but it all started with this picture:

This photo hangs in the window of a hair salon that I pass by every morning on my way to work. A couple of weeks ago, I actually noticed it (I’m not at my most observant first thing in the morning before my first Coke Zero of the day), and felt an immediate longing for a blunt bob. However, pragmatism won the day. First of all, I know blunt bangs are not in the cards, because I’m terrible about getting regular trims, and I hate the feeling of having hair in my eyes (which is precisely what would happen). Second, I think bobs like that look extra sharp on brunettes or platinum blondes, but I think it’s kinda meh on my faded ginger hair. So I consoled myself by deciding to give the heroine of my current Work-in-Progress that haircut instead.

But the idea of going in for a chop had taken hold. I’ve been trying to grow my hair long (past my shoulder blades long) for ages, but my length has stagnated in the past year — without even one intervening trim involved. I think that, as a result of the 3 perms I did in the past, the bottom half of my hair got really weak and brittle; I’ve been consistently getting a ton of breakage, and the hair felt super dry still (even though it hasn’t been processed in over a year, and I use very little heat on it). So, basically, I started wondering if cutting it might not be the way to go in terms of getting a fresh start. Still, I wasn’t quite ready to pull the trigger — I’m still traumatized from my last grow-out period. And then, last Thursday, I came to the office in the morning (admiring blunt bob girl along the way), and popped down the hall to say hello to a colleague … and, bam, decision made. She had just cut her hair in a “lob” (long bob), and looked fantastic. I took it as a sign — and called my hair salon as soon as it opened. Luckily, they had an open spot that day at lunch — more signs of fate — and chop-chop I went.

Long story short, here’s what my hair situation looks like now:

I know I will inevitably start missing long hair before six months are out, but for now, I’m loving the new look. A new hairstyle has the tendency to make one’s existing clothes look different, so I’m excited (and nervous) to see how that plays out.

I stalked this skirt in eBay for what felt like months, and I finally caved in and probably overpaid for it, but damn if it’s not pretty amazing. It fits perfectly, and it’s got lots of cute details — pheasant included. I decided it was the perfect piece to wear on a extra special day.

Last week, my husband surprised me with last minute tickets to see the one and only Margaret Atwood deliver the 19th Annual Kreisel Lecture for the Canadian Literature Centre. He told me that “since you are a writer, you should meet other writers.” Beyond sweet, right? Well, he knows me well, because I loved the lecture — although I’m pretty sure it’s impossible not to love listening to Margaret Atwood. She’s brilliant, and warm, and wonderfully funny.

I know most people have read at least one, if not more, of Atwood’s novels but I would encourage you to check out her poetry as well. It was a revelation to me in my early 20s, and a huge influence in a lot of my early writing (ok, my terrible attempts at poetry, but still.)