Last week was rough; between a tough project at work, trying to find time to write, and some personal issues, I was just about done. By Friday, I had more or less decided to hit “pause” on the blog, just to get some breathing room. Having to work on Saturday didn’t help matters. Sunday turned out to be a great day, however – not least because I got my first (5 star!) book review on Amazon US. I was so freaking excited! I have a feeling I have one of you guys to thank for that, so – thank you! You have no idea how much it means. More to the point here, it made me realize that, as much as writing this blog can sometimes be a source of stress, it has also brought me so many opportunities to connect with some really cool people. So, here I am.

Ahem. So, the outfit. I called this “Hitchcock at the office”, because the vibe of the sweater (and skirt) reminded me of something Tippi Hedren might have worn.

The sweater is by Judith & Charles, which is a brand I knew nothing about until I started seeing it at Holt’s (last year?). I think it’s Canadian, but I’m not sure. In any case, I was pretty happy to find this sweater for $20 – I love the boatneck style, and it’s an uber-soft cashmere blend. I’m also, dare I say it, becoming a fan of this oatmeal colour. My friend J., who hates beige, will not approve, I’m sure. But we can still be friends, right?

I wore this for a dinner date with my husband after I came home from a 4-day trip to Ottawa. I rarely travel these days, so that was a big deal.

Coming back was hard … mostly because I stayed up way past my bedtime on my last night in Ottawa (and it was totally worth it!), and I had to get up at 4am to catch my flight home. Considering that Ottawa is 2 hours ahead of Edmonton … well, you can probably imagine what I was feeling like by the time these photos were taken, 15 hours later. I was wearing … clothes … I think.

But no matter how much my bed beckoned, there was a date night to be had, and a steak dinner to be enjoyed so – onwards!

Every year, my office does a Be Seen in Jeans Week in honour of Canadian Finals Rodeo. Basically, this means we can wear jeans every day for a week. Rather that take the literal road, I decided to have a little fun. Hence, my denim-jacket-goes-to-the-office look. I’ve been waiting for a chance to wear this outfit ever since I put it together for my “one piece, three ways” series this summer. I think it was worth the wait?

My love for this thrifted forest green MaxMara skirt is still going strong, and I love how it looks paired with a lumberjack-y top half. Or should that be cowboy-esque? Ahem. Here’s another million pictures to prove how deep my love is. (Do you have the Bee Gees stuck in your head? Good! Me too, and I’d hate to be alone.)