A Lesson Worth Repeating

I know. I say it all the time. Don't look at the size number on the tag (still one of my favourite posts...) when you are thrifting. Clothes at the thrift store come from different stores, countries and decades and guess what? A size label means something different in every different store, country and decade...
This little tip could not have been more obviously demonstrated than last week when I went thrifting, hit the jackpot (let's skip over the part where I stood in the aisles for forever trying to make my decisions...) and ended up with these two beauties. An Andy Thê Anh sample bustier and a 1980's snakeskin printed dress...

Cute right? Look real close.

That's right, the vintage dress is a petite, size 15/16 and the bustier is marked as a size 4.
At 5'11, I don't believe I am petite and I don't think I am a size 4 or a size 15/16 either.
The bustier is a sample, but I love it because it is beautifully constructed (check out the elastic panels in the back!) and designed and made in Canada. I have no clue whether the sizes were meant for an international market or whether the sample sizes were skewed, I just know that I don't normally fit a 4 in designer (or any really...) clothing.
To be honest, the dress is a little on the bigger side but because of the fluid fabric, it still drapes in a flattering manner. The 80's loved excessive material, hence the long hem, gathered waist and the batwing sleeves... on a 'petite'design. I will still likely shorten the dress to get rid of some of the fabric and I am hoping this time I will measure twice and cut once. And while it needs a new hem to be the more flattering on me, it's not like I am swimming in this dress either. We all know I just like a short hem.

So these were my finds last week. A size 4 and a size 15/16, both fitting into my closet rotation (closet explosion actually...) with little effort... 

*******giant kisses to Melanie from Modify Your Closet who I saw before my thrift trip and who gave me a coupon for 30% off my whole purchase at Value Village! -xx-

Lovely Mistakes

Skirt? c/o eShakti  Shoes? L.A.M.B. (similar but more walkable here and here...) 

Sweater? BCBG (old and worn backwards) Necklace? Vintage Clutch? My Oma's

Of course, I make an off hand comment about not wanting to see chevron again for a very long time and then I look down mid day sometime this weekend and realize I have a chevron skirt on. In my defense, I see this skirt more as having a diamond pattern, not a chevron pattern; it's all about the interpretation...
I guess the interpretation of this skirt was a little up in the air when I ordered it as well. I have to be honest and say that while I actually ended up loving this skirt, it was not exactly what I ordered. eShakti offers the possibility of customizing their products and when they offered me a customized item, I chose to add a few inches to the length of this skirt and remove the black ribbon trim around the hem.  I got the extra length... and I still got the trim as well. The hem is also wavy (note: second last picture) because it is a full circle skirt and the pattern makers obviously didn't take into account that the cross grain on a full circle skirt will often drop a few inches. And I like the trim, I even like the wavy hem and the skirt is super flattering (if we are going on the number of real life compliments... #humblebrag, #ughiusedahashtaginapost) but it's not how it is supposed to be. Especially the wavy hem (a big production mistake) is not one you would expect from a company that sells a plethora of full skirts.
So that's my honest review. Not exactly what I ordered and expected but a pretty accident none-the-less... Especially on a windy day...

Cap Off

Minnie shirt? Old Navy (here) Pants? Maison Scotch (amazing pair with suspenders here)

Shoes? Ralph Lauren (here) Sunglasses? Moschino|(here) Cap? Random Bag? Russell Gibbs (here) 

I felt pretty cool in this outfit. Wasn't sure if I was cooler wearing the hat forwards or backwards though... I asked Matt and he (side note: he likes a baseball cap in general...) said he liked the hat backwards better. Then he ruined it by saying I looked like a cute skater girl. Jentine in Grade 11 would have thought that was the ultimate compliment; afterall, all the cool kids (most importantly the cute guys) were skaters. But being a skater involves balance on moving objects and that immediately excludes me from ever being an authentic skater girl. The worst part is that when Matt said the words 'skater girl' I was immediately stuck with Avril Lavigne in my head for the rest of the day... And now I can only hope you have Sk8er Boi stuck in your head too... 

We can suffer together.

Also... talking about yourself being cool is always going to turn around and bite you in the butt... Because while I have my serious pose game going,  I never noticed I still had the 'M' sticker across my chest on my brand new tee. Which meant I was rocking that all day... 

Awesome.

Polka Dots

Jacket? French Connection with DIY bleach sleeves (similar here) Dress? Vintage, Netty Vintage 

Shoes? DVF (similar here or here) Clutch and necklace? Thrifted

I'm always going to love autumn the most. Nature gets all flamboyant and I am always a fan of the amazing colour show. I also appreciate that there is very little humidity in the air and my hair stays good for days on end. But I do like the colourful trees more than the good hair... I think.
Closely behind a sunny autumn week, I like the first week in the spring when it is consistently sunny and warm. Mostly because everyone is just so happy, happy, happy.
Seriously, when it first gets nice out, it's like a giant love fest in the neighbourhood. You say hi to everyone that walks by, make happy weather chatter and end up finally introducing yourself to the new neighbours who moved in almost a year ago. It's a little shameful that spring fever is the kick in the pants I needed to meet some really nice people that have lived two doors down for a year.
Spring fever was also the push I needed to remove the silk (!) sheer sleeves off this amazing vintage dress. Part of me is sad that I couldn't make the sleeves work; like the sleeves defeated me. But sometimes it's ok to raise the white flag to a pair of 80's sleeves, especially when you are left with a perfect sheer dress embroidered with perfect silk polka dots...