Not So Effortless

Jeans? Mih Jeans, Winners (here) Tee? Old Navy (here) Purse? Thrifted Shoes? Jeffrey Campbell

Sunglasses? c/o Smartbuy Glasses (yes, I wear them all the time, here) Pics? Julie

This is me trying to be 'effortlessly chic'. I had to talk myself into sticking with a plain tee and not piling on 4 necklaces. 

I blame Pinterest. For everything really... But specifically for the cool photographs of cool girls in cool jeans and cool plain tees looking so freaking cool. And that's cool, I guess... 

Don't get me wrong, I love a soft white tee and these jeans (which I admittedly got for a lot cheaper than I can find online...) make me feel like I got my life and muffin top in control but as it turns out, I'm not an understated kinda girl.

There's a reason I have so much success in the thrift store and in the sale section and it's because I am attracted to the weird stuff that most people pass over. I like things a little crazy and a pinch over the top. So effortlessly chic I will never be, but effortfully chic? I got that.

I also just called myself chic. Humility. It's happening right here...

Little Ridiculous

I'm working on a thrift wardrobe make-over for my friend's husband. He wants to look less dad and more stud (my words but that is the idea...). I hit up the Value Village 50% off sales to get a start on that wardrobe overhaul and I was humbled to find out that thrifting for men is a little (a lot) trickier than thrifting for women. Especially when the person who you are shopping for has a modelesque physique; he's tall and skinny. I did find a cool vintage plaid shirt and some snappy Kenneth Cole shoes but this thrift overhaul will probably take a little more effort.
As my success in the men's section was fairly weak, I wandered over into the ladies'section to turn my shopping around. And turn around it did... Especially in the form of this $5 Canadian made Irving Samuel jacket... You can tell from the animal print, the leather trim (yes, that's leather!) and the gold hardware that this was a pure 'notice me' jacket from the 80's. A twist on the ever popular Chanel bouclé jacket...

I always wonder who originally owned the crazy pieces I find at the thrift store. This person undoubtedly appreciated quality and a little bit of the ridiculous. Pretty sure we could be BFFs...

And how will I wear this lovely piece of thrift? With ripped denim, of course... How else?

To Bare Arms

Top? Vintage, thrifted (exact one in white or similar in mint) Silk skirt? Vintage Alfred Sung

Shoes? French Connection Clutch? Thrifted (similar here)  Bracelets? Vintage and made from vintage

It's that time of year when I start looking at the calendar and mentally noting how many weeks I have left for both bare arms and bare legs. I will (obviously) push bare legs as far as I can but the freedom of having these bare appendages without also putting on a brave face is limited. 

And since we are way too close to September for my liking, I don't want to waste any warm days we still have left. I love blazers, heaps of crunchy leaves and well, that's it really, but I can wait a little while longer for either of those... Right now I will exercise my right to bare arms. 

Eh... that was weak. But when you are wearing a sweet sequin vest and a silk scarf style skirt, the written portion of a blog post is really not that important. I hope...  

The Difference

Shirt? Vintage Jeans? 7fam Shoes? DvF Purse? c/o Jess Rizzuti (here) Hat? h&m

Sunglasses? c/o SmartBuy Glasses 

Matt called me out for Hawaiian shirt hypocrisy. Apparently I've told him before that he wasn't allowed to wear his Hawaiian shirt in public. I would prefer to say I strongly discouraged him, not that I didn't 'allow' him... 

And it's not that I have a problem with Hawaiian shirts, I just had a problem with his variety. There is a difference between this sweet authentic, vintage find and the mall Hawaiian shirts of over a decade ago. You know the ones I am talking about... The polyester, oversized and brightly printed shirts that almost all guys wore back then; they came either with the bright flowers, Asian inspired dragons or at their very worst, with flames. If you don't know what I am talking about then maybe this was more of a local trend. Either way, I am sorry, but they were all bad. 

Almost as bad as my Horatio Caine impression in picture #4...