Happy Labour Day, peeps! Appropriate, I think, that today’s post should feature a light (but not white) coloured blazer. I certainly plan on continuing to wear this Topshop number well into the fall – and winter! – since it’s proven to be such a wardrobe All Star. It’s not just the colour that is versatile; the cut of it is pretty fantastic, notwithstanding other quality issues. It gives SUCH good shape, you guys. Here’s a slightly weird pose that kinda shows that better:

Here’s a close-up of my nails, which ended up being unintentionally matchy matchy. Since I’ve finally managed to grow my nails (after quitting my decade long gel nails habit, and my even older habit of biting my nails), I’ve rediscovered my love of nail polish. I love switching out my polish colour every few days, and it makes me feel less guilty about the ungodly collection of polished I’ve amassed over the years.

You may be wondering: why the title? Well, I don’t know if people still care about the whole hi-low mixing thing, but it was a big trend for a hot minute back 3-4 years ago, and I am nothing if not on top of all things fashion. [Sarcasm, all the sarcasm.] Anyway, it pretty much describes my approach to wardrobe building, and this outfit is a good example of that – and of how I get the “hi” portion of the equation for a very “low” price. In this case, the answer is consignment. I found this new-with-tags Hugo Boss silk skirt for $28 at a local consignment store (Red Pony), and it certainly spiffs up my cheapie Joe Fresh camisole (Hallelujah, I finally found one that works!) and eBayed Topshop blazer. My shoes and bag are also fancy schmancy, but I didn’t pay full retail prices for either. I was lucky to score the Prada shoes on sale at Holt’s using a gift card (paying nothing out of pocket), and the YSL bag on eBay for a very deep discount off the original price. And that’s how I do hi-low.

So, yes – we are those lame people who out go for “date nights” in the afternoon, and have dinner at 5. Secret’s out, peeps! I mean, it wasn’t much of a secret, but now you have confirmation. Since we rely on the kindness of our parents when it comes to babysitting (and are lucky enough to enjoy it on the regular), we try to minimize the number of late nights that we spend frolicking around town. And by “frolicking”, I mean grabbing some sushi at our fave joint down the street, and puttering around in my husband’s 1974 Beetle. Have I told you lately about my glamorous life?

Ahem.

Getting dressed up for the mid-afternoon is a dicey proposition, but fortunately, I’ve never had too many qualms about being over-dressed. Throwing a snazzy hat into the mix makes things (like this silk Ted Baker dress) seem more casual and laid back, no?

And speaking of the dress, wasn’t it a great find for $18? I’m loving the black, white, mustard yellow colour palette going on (I must have fall on the brain already), and the vaguely Art Nouveau-ish print is interesting too – and a nice departure from my usual print suspects (stripes, florals, repeat). Pairing it with leopard print flats was kinda bold, but I’m digging the results.

A grey tube dress is the height of minimalism, yes? Of course, being me, I am going to add a bunch of accessories, but considering the restrained colour palette, I think we can still call this a minimalist look. Work with me here, people!

I have been thinking about this outfit since my trip to Van, where I picked up the hat, shoes and necklace, but decided to pass on the dress. In my mind’s eye, these pieces went together well, but I hesitated over the dress because I wasn’t sure if it was versatile enough to merit the price ($29 at Joe Fresh). A style like this can be too body-con for my taste, and I hate having to wear shapewear for anything less than the most special of occasions. But I kept thinking about the dress, and after seeing it on a co-worker, I decided to take the plunge. I bought a size up from my usual (I’m wearing a Medium) so I wouldn’t (hopefully) have to worry about sucking in, but still enjoy the streamlined cut of the dress. And you know what? It’s such a nice blank canvas, you guys. I have a ton of ideas for how I can wear it, and the heathered grey is a perfect dark neutral without being as stark as black. [As you know, I struggle with black dresses.]

Looking at these photos, I realize that these Zara flats make my (already big) feet look ginormous, but … I kinda don’t care? They’re sort of almost ugly in an interesting, high fashion way – which, come to think of it, is a good way to describe a lot of the stuff sold at Zara. That sort of thing is usually too “advanced style” for me, but I think it, well, sort of works in this case. Yes? Yes!

But, to be on the safe side, I’ve been experimenting with other footwear options too. To wit: