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.

This outfit couldn’t get any more basic: a dress, a denim jacket, sandals. But there is beauty in that simplicity, or at least some kind of style kismet. Eyelet and denim; red, white, and blue. Classic.

This dress is just the cutest thing, and if it’s a little bit young – well, we’re all allowed to be young at heart, especially in the summer. I love that it looks so much like separates, but is an outfit-in-one. I like it so much that I’m even willing to overlook the fact that it’s 90% cream coloured, which is normally bad news bears in our neck of the toddler-inhabited woods. So far, I’ve managed to keep the sticky hands away. #success

I hate taking pictures in bright sunlight, but needs must – and it feels a little ungracious to complain about nice weather. So … I hope you’ll forget my squint-avoidance subterfuges. Look, I managed one decent photo! #success