A reader recently commented that I am the queen of separates that look like dresses, and dresses that look like separates. Guilty as charged! This is an example of the latter. I bought this dress earlier in the year, but haven’t worn it very much – despite loving the print mixing – because it was a little too loose and shapeless on me. After a trip to the tailor, it fits much better. It’s still a looser silhouette, but it no longer looks like a nightgown. I’m cheap, so I hate taking clothes in to be altered (now that my grandmother is, sadly, no longer able to do my alterations), but I have to admit that it’s worth it if it means re-discovering a loved piece.

I wore this to the office with a navy blazer, which I didn’t bother photographing because, let’s face it, it’s the dress that’s the star here. I think that yellow pumps would be its perfect side-kick, but since I don’t have any (yet! note to self!), blue ones had to fill in. And then, of course, a big bag because it’s how I roll.

I liked this blush on blush combo so much, I wore it again. Honestly, I think it might just go with everything – and certainly with this floral J. Crew skirt.

Everything else is old stuff you’ve seen time and time again. My beloved YSL bag, my most worn pair of black pumps, and that necklace I wear all the time. That’s the nice thing about a well-functioning closet – you can add just one (newish) piece, and you have a brand new outfit that’s guaranteed to work. Hurrah!

Acid wash denim cut-offs … at my age? Never say never, I guess. I bought these shorts as a joke, mostly. I’m planning to hit up the Sonic Boom concert in September with a couple of girlfriends, and decided that if I’m going to relive my early twenties (the last time I saw a concert of any sort was circa 2004), I might as well dress the part. And, um, this is what Manic Pixie Dream Girls wear these days, right?

Having bought the damn thing, I decided to take it for a test drive, as it were, to see if I could pull it off without looking (and, more importantly, feeling) ridiculous. A family trip to Old Strathcona and the river valley seemed like as good an opportunity as any, especially on a beautiful, hot Saturday afternoon. And you know what? I never noticed before, but it seems like everyone is wearing short-shorts these days. This pair is pretty comfortable, all things considered*, so I really had no reasons to feel self-conscious. Never say never, indeed.

* And those things are that I found them in the “juniors” section at Winners for $14.