Details: Zara vest (Poshmark), Noul coat (thrifted), Vero Moda pants (thrifted), Stoney Clover x Target bag (retail)

Thoughts: My friend Lucy posted a photo of this bag a few weeks ago and I immediately fell in love with it. I mean, a rainbow bag? C’est moi. Because it’s a Target collab, I knew my chances of getting it (as a Canadian) were slim unless I fancied paying scalpers’ prices for it. [I don’t.] But it was meant to be! My boss (and friend) happened to be visiting California at *just* the right time, and she managed to snag me one right before they sold out. I was over the rainbow! I don’t care if this is a bag “meant for a child” (thanks, Reddit!) — my inner child is very happy with it.

Details: Loft top (thrifted), Babaton skirt (thrifted), Stella & Dot necklace (thrifted), J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: I don’t often buy Loft pieces because they’re not usually OTT enough for me, hah. This top was an exception because those sleeves are proper dramatic. I hesitated a bit with the colour because orange is still a dicey proposition for me; but it was close enough to my favourite shade of orangey red to be worth the risk. And I think I made the right decision. I love the sleeves and the fabric is very nice also (cotton poplin). I think I will get a good amount of wear out of it, and have fun doing it too.

Details: Cloth cardigan (thrifted), Gap jeans (thrifted), Ash shoes (thrifted), Tignanello bag (Poshmark)

Thoughts: Couldn’t walk away from this cardigan, it was weird and funky which is my catnip. Pieces like that do all the heavy lifting in an outfit — you get maximal impact for minimal effort. What’s not to love?

Details: Equipment blouse (thrifted), Icone blazer (thrifted), Kimchi Blue pants (thrifted), J. Crew shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: I had listed this blouse for sale ages ago, but it sat and sat. So I decided to take it back because it’s getting harder to find nice pieces like this at the thrifts, and a silk blouse is nothing to sneeze at. Plus, the colours work great with my beloved blue-green colour scheme.

Details: Zara tee (thrifted), Do Everything in Love cardigan (thrifted), Cartonnier pants (thrifted)

Thoughts: You shouldn’t be surprised that I bought this tee — it was too on the nose not to, given that I was working on some Van Gogh-inspired sunflower embroidery at the time. The real revelation here are the pants; I didn’t think I would love them as much as I do. They are a navy-and-burgundy stripe, but read purple in photos. I like the silhouette and the colour. I thought they would be a great pairing for the yellow tee — yellow and purple is an eye-catching combo — and decided at the last minute to add the chartreuse. Good decision, I think.

Details: Selected Femme sweater (retail), velvet vest (thrifted), Ralph Lauren blazer (thrifted), Babaton skirt (Poshmark), Rafael Alfandary necklace (ebay), Chelsea Crew shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: Still loving with this blazer. I’ll have a post coming up soon about my current obsession with vintage Ralph Lauren. I’ve been strongly drawn to the Historian avatar lately, and trying out different outfits using similar formulas.

One. Irises

It’s almost iris season. My mom and I both loved irises, especially the white and blue Siberian variety (we both had/have them growing in our gardens). After working on sunflower embroidery inspired by Van Gogh’s paintings, I decided to move on to his irises. Coincidentally, it’s a painting that I love using for colour inspo in general. Blue and green is one of my favourite combinations.

Two. Statuary

I have been obsessed with classical statuary for a long time — probably since around the time I went to Paris and visited the Rodin museum (still one of my favourite places). Who can forget my search for a garden statue last year? I am happy that statuary is making something of a comeback in interior design, as it might mean having more options down the line when it all trickles down to the “masses” (since I don’t have access to an antiques dealer or $$$$). Anyway, I recently remembered being absolutely dumbstruck by a detail in Bernini’s Rape of Proserpina statue — Poseidon’s hand on her thigh. It’s almost hard to believe that it’s marble and not actual flesh. So I’ve been looking up photos of it and of some of my other favourite statues, like Canova’s veiled lady.

Three. Witchy rings

Still under a lunar spell at the moment and loving witchy jewelry, like this moonstone ring and the agate witch’s-eye ring here. I am also looking for a large silver moon pendant to add to my collection. And I’m adding other moon touches to my closet and house. Modern day talismans, if you will.

Four. Lily ponds

Another pipe dream, but I love lily ponds and having one of my own would be incredible. I find them so peaceful and contemplative. The closest I’ll come to one these days is working on a waterlily embroidery hoop, but I enjoy mentally designing my own English garden and this is one of the must-have features.

Five. Style vibes

A friend sent me this photo from a fashion magazine editorial. I am obsessed with the colour story and mood. It makes me think of mermaids and water nymphs, and water is, of course, associated with the moon. Plus, blue and green — my favourite colour combo. It all ties together 🙂

Details: Gucci blouse (thrifted), Tabi vest (thrifted), Ralph Lauren blazer (thrifted), L’Agence jeans (thrifted), Dooney bag (Poshmark)

Thoughts: I loved this outfit so much, it’s very me which is to be expected since it’s made up of much-loved pieces. It’s also a outfit formula (vest + blazer + skinny pants) that I have worn often over the years, always with success. When it works, don’t fix it — just keep improvising on the same theme.

Details: Mango sweater (Poshmark), Elena Wong coat (thrifted), Everlane pants (thrifted), L’Intervalle shoes (thrifted), Tignanello bag (Poshmark)

Thoughts: Another outfit I loved. It’s a bit matchy matchy, but I couldn’t resist. I love all shades of blue and yellow together. I’m also thrilled to be able to finally pull out my spring coats from storage. The best time of year, fashion wise, is starting!

Details: Zara tee (Poshmark), handmade cardigan (secondhand), Babaton skirt (thrifted), Ash shoes (thrifted)

Thoughts: I love fun clothes, and I won’t let anyone tell me that I’m too old to wear them. That’s nonsense. Wear all the colours and things that make you happy. Cropped tees? Why not. If I don’t feel like showing off my midriff (or it’s too cold), a stretchy tube skirt is a great pairing – just hike it up as high as it needs to go, problem solved. Add a chunky cardigan and I never have to feel “exposed” if I don’t want to be. Comfortable AF? Always.

Details: Twinset dress (Poshmark), Icone blazer (thrifted), BR belt (thrifted)

Thoughts: I hope you’re not getting sick of seeing this aqua colour on the blog because, well, I have bad news for you. You’re gonna keep seeing it. I can’t get enough of it, and I’ve built up a mini “capsule” of pieces in varying shades of aqua which gives me lots of options, including full monochrome outfits like this one.

Details: Lida Baday dress (thrifted), H&M mesh dress (Poshmark)

Thoughts: Okay, here’s the thing. I love this Lida Baday dress. I wish it were longer though. I also love the pairing of these two pieces, the polka dot tulle dress under the more structured one. But if I am being really open here, I feel like this is too “fancy” for my current lifestyle and, therefore, not really “me” anymore. Fancy might be the wrong word because I still wear plenty of outfits that are dressy by most people’s definition (even fussy, if you like). Perhaps “formal” is a better choice. The dress outfit immediately above is “fancy” but it doesn’t feel as formal to me — the dress is loose and unstructured (and long) and the blazer also has a more laidback vibe. It feels like me, now. This one doesn’t. So I am retiring this dress; it’s going into my archival closet because I love it too much to part with it, for now. I will reassess it in a year or so, and decide whether to continue keeping it or let it go.