Details: Suttles & Seawinds dress (Poshmark), BR belt, Barbara Barbieri shoes (both thrifted)

Thoughts: I couldn’t resist picking up this dress on Poshmark (after a lot of deliberation and a seller offer I couldn’t refuse) — floral prints, especially roses, on a blue background are irresistible to me. The fit of the dress is also quite amazing. Summer is basically over here, but I couldn’t resist one last hurrah.

Details: J. Crew shirt, Jessie vest, Ines de la Fressange x Uniqlo pants, Brave belt (all thrifted), J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: I initially tried this outfit with a shirt that has a large Peter Pan collar and it ended up feeling a bit too Lord Fauntleroy for me. A simple shirt proved to be a better fit. I love the look of vests paired with classic trousers and a button up shirt. I incorporated a more boho vibe here with the patchwork vest and tapestry earrings.

Details: Max Studio dress (thrifted), thrifted and upcycled jacket by Prairie Trail Goods

Thoughts: I am slowly saying goodbye to my summer wardrobe and switching over to fall/winter. This jacket will stay, though, I think. I just love it too much. Even if I only wear it around the house until next summer, I know it will continue to bring me joy. And a challenge too … figuring out how to style it with my fall wardrobe.

Details: Only & Sons shirt, AG jeans, Birkenstock shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: It might be bad timing, finding a pair of like-new Birkenstocks at the end of summer, but I’m not complaining. This was a style I didn’t already have, and I think it looks cool. I like in Birks in the summer, and have been wanting to add to my collection. The metallic silver is a nice neutral.

Details: En Saison top (thrifted), Susan Bristol skirt (Poshmark), turquoise necklace (Poshmark)

Thoughts: Saying goodbye to more summer pieces, like this patchwork skirt. I love it’s quirkiness, but I did find myself challenged to style it; luckily, this chambray top is a great match for it. The colour works and the romantic sleeves are a nice complement to the vibe of the skirt.

Details: Tommy Hilfiger shirt, Pilcro jeans, Alexander Wang shoes (all thrifted), Aerie bralette (retail), Anna Paola bag (consignment)

Thoughts: I learned this shirt wrap-tucking trick from Trinny Woodall, and I have to agree with her that it creates a more interesting visual effect than a traditional tuck. You do need an oversized shirt (and high waisted pants) to make it work. Luckily, this vintage-ish Hilfiger shirt is perfect. I did a bit of a looser tuck so a peek of green (from the bralette, which is really like a crop top) could show through.

… not to be confused with Sam Vimes’ Theory of Boots (aka the “boots theory of socioeconomic injustice” — iykyk).

So what’s this all about?

Trends.

I feel like I’ve been seeing a lot of social media hand-wringing lately by Millennials (and others) over trends. The obsession with Zoomers’ clothing choices, in particular, is fascinating to me because I don’t recall a similar existential crisis happening when my generation ceded way to the Millennials as the “hip young things”. Why a 30+ woman would care about whether a 16-year old thinks she’s cool (or “cheugy”) is beyond me. The answer is obvious. So it has always been with 16-year olds and their elders. (For what it’s worth, as a 42-year old, I also don’t think 16-year olds are cool, insofar as I ever think of 16-year olds at all, which is to say, practically never. No offence to 16-year olds, who I am sure never think about me either.)

Fashion has been trend-focused for decades (forever?) but it really does feel like more people than usual are suddenly alert to the concept and concerned about what they ought to do with it. I’m not here to tell you to ignore or follow trends; that’s a decision you should make based on any number of personal values and priorities, including how much you actually care about clothes beyond their utilitarian function. I AM here to tell you about ME, though. This is a personal style blog, after all.

My relationship with fashion has changed a lot over the years, so what I’m writing here is what I feel about this topic today. It might change next year! Life is chaotic like that. Anyway. As someone who enjoys fashion as an art form, I feel somewhat obliged to be aware of trends; it’s kinda like being au courant with the current bestsellers or hot new shows on Netflix even if you haven’t actually read or watched them. I generally don’t rush to incorporate trends into my wardrobe unless they happen to coincide with whatever aesthetic direction I am pursuing at the time. Or if they suggest a new direction that I may enjoy exploring.

For fall/winter 2022, there are some trend elements which will work with my planned Witchy Historian aesthetic — such as wide leg pants and (possibly) mini skirts. But the clothes in my wardrobe aren’t new — nor are the items I may end up thrifting in the coming months, since they are by definition secondhand; they are an older iteration of these trends.

There are often little tweaks and updates that happen between one iteration of a trend and another. From a business perspective, this makes good sense because it encourages people to buy things anew lest they end up lookin — gasp! — dated. You can probably tell from my writing that I don’t think much of this whole concept, but at the same time, I do like the idea of “updating” old clothes by styling them in new ways.

Which brings me to my theory of shoes.

After pondering this topic for a while (okay, like, a few minutes), I’ve decided that one of the easiest ways to update a wardrobe is by adding a trendy new shoe. As you know, I don’t shop retail as a rule; but in order to acquire a currently trendy shoe, it is kind of unavoidable. So after deciding to do it, I had to be strategic in making my choice. It had to be something that was very obviously trendy, but also fit my current aesthetic and lifestyle needs. The style that struck me as most “of the moment” — and, thus, most likely to make an impact in terms of updating my outfits — was something with a lug sole or a platform. Preferably, a combination of both.

Initially, my plan was to get a lug sole boot. I’ve admired them on others (most notably, my friend Lucy on IG) and I figured they would be a practical choice for Alberta weather. But after trying on a few pairs, I was not sold. I have short legs and large feet, and did not like the proportions of these chunky boots on me. They may be trendy, but if I don’t like them on me, they’re a no-go.

Then, I decided to pivot to a lug sole (lite) loafer. Similar vibe — with the bonus of being very 90s revival — but suddenly the proportions worked on me. Still visually chunky, but it a way that didn’t overwhelm my outfit. Loafers are also a good pairing for my RL-inspired Witchy Academic aesthetic for fall, and will work well with both pants and skirts/dresses.

I ended up getting this pair from Nordstrom Rack with a birthday gift card:

I chose this over a black-on-black version because I liked to contrast of the brown sole, and it means that they can be worn with both black- and brown-based outfits. Plus, I like black and brown together, especially for fall. I also like that the platform gives me a major height boost, but they wear like a pair of flats.

Do you think my theory is correct? What are the ways in which you’ve updated your outfits?

Details: Sundress Co. skirt (secondhand), Uniqlo top (thrifted), Barbara Barbieri shoes (thrifted), Tignanello bag (Poshmark)

Thoughts: I went to another vintage warehouse sale and specifically because I caught a literal glimpse of this skirt on a packed rack in a 10 second IG story. But my instincts were bang-on because how amazing is it? I’ve been looking for a patchwork skirt all summer, and this one is legit patchwork (not a pattern, and not machine made as far as I can tell). It has a label though, so it’s not homemade interestingly enough. I know it’s a piece I can going to treasure for a long time.

Details: H&M top, Esprit belt, Mexx skirt, Chelsea Crew shoes (all thrifted), thrifted & upcycled jacket from Prairie Trail Goods

Thoughts: Another outfit I absolutely adored. I am obsessed with this vintage Mexx skirt; it’s my favourite style and, even though it’s beige, it works so well as a piece around which to build outfits. This H&M top is another new fave. I have avoided Peter Pan collars for years now, as I thought they looked too twee on me, but this exaggerated style is cool. I think it can work in a cottagecore outfit, but also in a Victorian goth one (maybe for winter?) And, of course, it’s always a good outfit when I can wear this jacket made by my friend, J.

Details: Only & Sons shirt, Pelican Cove vest, Cotton Ginny belt, H&M pants, Barbara Barbieri shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: My default is to pair Western-style shirts like this one with jeans, but that limits the layering possibilities. However, pairing it with these khaki pants (my go-to pair) means that I can incorporate denim via a vest while avoiding the Canadian tuxedo look. This is an outfit formula — paperbag waist pants, top, vest — that I have come to love a lot over the summer. I’ll be looking to transition it for fall soon.

Details: H&M top (Poshmark), H&M pants (thrifted), Copper Canoe Woman earrings

Thoughts: These pants were an impulse “why the heck not” purchase, and have turned out to be more fabulous that I could have expected. They fit wonderfully, are incredibly comfortable, and look pretty good too (if I do say so myself). Wearing high waisted pants with crop tops has been another go-to formula this summer. Easy and breezy, indeed. Here, I was also experimenting with a new hairstyle … well, not exactly new but a re-discovered one. I really like how these “bubble braids” look, and I’m happy that my hair is now long enough to try them. And speaking of things I love, last but not least, the earrings were a birthday gift from my best friend; they are made by an Indigenous designer.

Details: Aria dres, Jacob vest, Golden jacket, Tommy Hilfiger bag (all thrifted), J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: You know how Nap Dresses were (are?) super popular not long ago? Well, I got an original Nap Dress aka a vintage nightgown. It’s a lovely thick, striped cotton with beautiful hand-embroidery around the neckline (which can’t be seen here) so I figured that I could wear it around the house and, with some clever styling, outside. I think the vest here is doing some heavy lifting to allow for the latter option, but I think it mostly works 😉

Details: Uniqlo tee (thrifted), Everlane pants (swap), Isabel Marant belt (thrifted), Converse shoes (eBay)

Thoughts: This is just a fun, simple outfit dressed up with cool accessories like the belt and shoes. This Uniqlo x Basquiat tee was a surprise hit at my house; everyone loved it and my daughter is actively trying to steal it as we speak. It’s giving me Comme des Garcons vibes, but quirkier.