5 Things and a Red Jacket

Jacket? Thrifted  (similar here) Purse? Thrifted  Boots? Holt's Last Call (very similar here) 

Hat? Banana Republic (very similar here) Bracelets and Rings? Thrifted and gifted

OK, I'm going to do one of those '5 Things' posts. I actually really like reading them and they give me a chance to insert some random info into the blog without an awkward segway. Besides the last time I did one of these, it was 2010 and a lot has changed since then. Errr... no, actually most of those are still true. Except for #1, my breakfast is different now...

Anyways...

1. My one cat wakes me up at 4 a.m. every morning by running circles over my body, purring loudly and sometimes swatting my face. At first I thought that it was because she wanted more water or to be fed but it's not. She is honestly just a little crazy (we think from the neglect situation she was in before she ended up with us?) and has daily patterns established that are hard to break. So I get up every morning at 4 a.m. to lock her out of the bedroom and then she goes to sleep downstairs. I could just lock her out all night and save myself the trouble but I am a bleeding heart for that crazy thing.

2. I got my first ticket EVER last year. It was for... parking too far away from the curb. Matt aptly summed up the whole experience by stating 'Wow, that's an embarrassing ticket to get.'. Indeed.

3. My second ticket ever came a few weeks later. I had driven for 7 months without an updated sticker (I'm sure I have an explanation for this...) and a week, a week!, before I took that truck off the road, I got pulled over for my sticker. Can't say I didn't deserve it.

4. When I am sad or stressed, Matt texts me cute pictures of animals to make me feel better. Mostly it's pictures of kittens being ridiculously adorable but a bobcat kitten and a fawn cuddling also works. I can be sitting across the room from him ranting about something and a picture of a frolicking kitten will pop up on my screen. I appreciate it. Sometimes I need some cute to get a grip again.

5. I have two new nephews! My bro and sis-in-law in Holland (not to be confused with my other bro and sis-in-law in Holland...) just had twins a month ago and they were 11 weeks early. That's quite early and they will be in the hospital for a while yet, but things are thankfully going really well. It sucks being so far away because we haven't met the new kidlets yet and because we can't help so much from over here. Boo to distance. Yay to new nephews.

(6. I like my outfit.)

Thrift Regret

Check this blazer.
It's navy. It's 100% wool. It's Ralph Lauren. It fits perfectly. It's $12.99.
And I left it behind.
I can tell you the exact reasons why I didn't buy it.
First of all, I had given myself a budget. I was really hoping to actually stick to it and between a floral silk blazer (what up!) and a blazer I found for a friend who I am giving a thrift wardrobe make-over to (be excited for that... I'll blog it), I was getting close to the max. Secondly, I already have two wool Ralph Lauren blazers and I have a really similar jacket in red as well. I need to watch out because I seem to be on a mission to collect all the blazers in the whole wide world... of thrifting.
And so, I left the jacket behind.
And I'll get over it, but I'm not going to lie, right now I'm kinda regretting leaving it behind. I could wear it with boyfriend jeans. I could wear it with my green dress slacks. I could wear it with a red pencil skirt.... Maybe it'll still be there next time and then I know it was meant to be. Probably not though. That's the thing with the thrift store, you gotta get it or it's gone...
What's your greatest thrift store regret? What have you left behind?

Tricky

Skirt/pants? Vintage, Netty Vintage (amazing pleated ones here) Lace top? Vintage, Netty Vintage (similar here) Jacket? Costa Blanca Purse? c/o Jess Rizzuti Boots? Aldo Necklace? Vintage, gift from my Mama

This skirt is giving me trust issues because it's tricky; doubly so. First of all, it's not a skirt...

And second of all, it's not black but navy. Which is fine but it's something I didn't notice at night when I laid out my outfit. If I had clued into the fact that the culottes were navy before I ran out of the house and into the truth exposing light of day, the outfit might have been a bit different. Meh. I still like it. 

And as much as I am hoping for spring, I do want to wear these heavy woollen culottes one more time this season... maybe with a little red cropped sweater? It's nice to finally have a 'skirt' one can high kick in without flashing anyone. Not that I can high kick so well but I appreciate the possibility. 

Background Check

Blazer? Escada, thrifted Ombré sweater? Gap (similar here) Jeans? 7fam, swapped and DIY (similar here) Shoes? Ralph Lauren (here) Clutch? Thrifted Watch? c/o BCBG Bracelet? gift

It's kind of my thing to take pictures in front of a wall that matches my outfit perfectly. This is still one of my favourite matches and it was intentional, but these pictures from last weekend were a happy accident. It wast the wall that was on hand (walls are on hand now?) and things happened to match. I'm just thrilled to have some colour on the blog, things have been feeling a little blah lately (this might just be me, insert giant whine...).

I totally appreciate a good graffiti wall in an outfit post though. The only thing is that you need to scout your location to make sure there isn't anything wacky that you are happily posing in front of. Nothing worse than giving your best over the shoulder smoulder and having to discard the picture because there is a something awkward painted on the wall behind you. It's happened before... 

I think we're ok this time, good thing because I quite like these pictures. Thanks Julie!

Words vs. Pictures

Cat shirt? Gap (here and blue here) Shoes? c/o DNA footwear (here) Jeans? Gap

Trench? Etienne Aigner, thrifted (here on etsy) Purse? Tignanello, thrifted

Can you tell these pants are plum? It's like the post last week, where I got all whiny that my pants didn't photograph quite as green as they were in real life. I might as well drop pictures from my blog and just describe what I am wearing...
If there were no pictures in this post and I could only describe it, I would say that this whole look is relatively subdued for me, almost professional or something. Though I could just think it's 'professional' because I'm wearing a trench and obviously only professionals wear trench coats. There are also pink cats frolicking across my shirt and I'm wearing shinyyyyy oxfords that are sure to be my go-to flats all spring and summer long.
Happily for everyone involved, I'm going to continue on with having pictures in my outfit posts. This is good news because I finally mastered a decent jumping shot.

* Thanks to my bro for the pics:)

March Valentine's

  

Skirt? French Connection Shirt? Gap (here on sale) Jacket? Costa Blanca  (similar here) Shoes? Ash 

Bracelets? Knot thrifted and 'amour' one c/o RedEnvelope (here) Sunglasses? Betsey Johnson (similar here)

I got this skirt from Netty Vintage for $5 at her end-of-the-season sale. I love the contrast of the red and pink and the mohair texture of the bottom half. I took in the bottom (I know... more alterations? Who am I?) to change the shape of the skirt from an A-line to a pencil skirt. I didn't add a slit during the alterations so I do have to keep my steps smaller with the new shape. I've probably mentioned this before, but that is hard for me to do because I like to keep my walk fast and my steps large. In my first year of university I lived at home while I went to school in Toronto, and I spent a lot of time run-walking to catch trains and buses commuting back and forth. One time a man stopped me to compliment my efficient walking technique in passing the crowds to make the train. That was the highlight of my year. 

And unintentionally I have a bit of a past-due Valentine's Day look going on. The red and the pink, the heart on my nails, the 'amour' bracelet... all that I need to do is switch my rainy London tee out for a 'city of lovvvvversss' Paris tee (ah... and there is a Paris tee too but it has nothing to do with lovers, more with puppies and Eiffel Towers...). Nevermind, the London tee is romantic enough, who doesn't love an occasional rainy day?... At this point, rain over snow would mean spring might be here and nothing could be sweeter than that. 

And there I go again... begging for spring. What is a fashion blog if the conversation doesn't circle back the the weather at some point?

Green like a Winter Forest

Pants? Ambiente, thrifted Jacket? Thrifted Shirt? Joe Fresh, diy collar (similar collar and love this shirt) 

Shoes? Ash (very similar here) Earrings? No clue (these are even cooler)

When I found these pants at the thrift store, they were wide leg. I figured I could just take the leg in a bit to make them cigarette pants. By the time I looked up from my sewing machine, I had taken in both sides of the leg seams, added a dart behind the knee to adjust for the new shape, dropped the hem and finally removed the back of the waistband and contouring that whole area to my waist. It took a little more time then I hoped (mostly because I hope to spend no time doing alterations but you know...) but I was really happy with the results. So happy that I wore a version of this outfit for 1.5 days because I felt rather fabulous.

And then after all those internal feelings of fabulousness, I was disappointed with the pictures. Turns out photographing forest green satin pants is a tricky beast. They get kinda sticky and bunchy in the wrong areas and in almost every picture, they look black. And that would be fine, I guess, but I so nicely matched my earrings to my pants and my shoes to my nails! And I loved how the camel coat, green pants and raspberry heels all looked together and I just wanted to share a job well done. I'm just a blogger hoping to get a star sticker for my efforts...

You just have to take my word for it this time; my pants are green and the earth is actually round. The more you know...

Walrus

Jacket? Thrifted Jeans? Citizens Boots? Modern Vintage Tee? Gift (similar here)

Collar? Friend's grandmother (similar faux here) Sunglasses? h&m (similar here) 

I bought this leather jacket super cheap on a 50% off day. I love the colour of leather (I want pants in this colour!), I love the details at the waist... but the shoulders and arms are rather giant. I decided I was going to make it work anyways and I was ready to commit to it (I'm writing this while watching The Bachelor, I think I am jacking their lines...). I believe I told Matt that when I wore it, I would luxuriate in the pure 80's amazingness that is this jacket. I did just that.
And the walrus tee? A gift from my brother. He found it on super sale in a boutique in a little town in Holland. He bought it months ago and just brought it to me now while he is visiting. Proof that sale shopping is a genetic trait...

Many thanks to Julie for the pics. There is no one else I would rather thrift or blue steel with. Sears called, they want their poses back.

Accidental Swap

Once upon a time there was a tall girl who bought an amazing vintage dress for $10. In her excitement to wear it the very next day, she went scissor happy and hemmed it a wee bit too short. She said a few bad words, recovered and decided to share the dress with her shorter friend.

The day after once upon a time, the shorter friend discovered a pair of 7fam jeans in her cupboard that she had not worn in a long time. They were way too long and didn't fit quite right. So, she gave the jeans to her tall friend who fit them perfectly (like Cinderella and her glass slipper but these pants thankfully didn't come with a prince... that would have become an awkward situation) and threw some bleach on them. There might be more bleach in the future because the tall friend likes her jeans bleached and damaged, much to her mother's disgruntle.

And then the short friend with her cute dress and the tall friend with her new favourite bleached jeans lived happily ever after*.

* except for the moments of regret that the tall friend had over her stupidity at cutting the dress too short. One day she hopes she will be much wiser...

Tweed Tips

  Tweed jacket? Thrifted (very similar in blue on sale here) Pants? Gap (these are the best boyfriend jeans, just the perfect slouch but still fit in the right spots) Boots? Ash (similar here) 

Shirt? Thrifted Belt? Michael Kors (similar here)

Last week, as I was walking into Talize for the 50% off sale, the cutest little old lady stopped me outside to tell me she had left lots of good stuff for me. How funny is that? I have no idea why she told me that, though if I had to guess, I would imagine it would be that I probably had some dorky, thrift-high look on my face...

Inside Talize, I went to the blazer section first because a friend had asked me to keep an eye out for a pink tweed jacket. I figured I might as well take care of my to-do list before I started looking for more dresses and sequins to add to their friends at home. My friend had found a tweed jacket at J. Crew (kinda like this one, can't find the exact one anymore) and was hoping the thrift store could deliver something similar for her. I found a light pink one in a  classic blazer cut and this darker pink one that was more in a boxy, cropped shape. They were under $5, so I bought both and she can take what she wants. I took the darker pink tweed jacket out for a test drive last weekend because I am considerate like that...

And since we're talking tweed, and since J. Crew has declared it to be back in style, I just want to say that tweed is in abundance at the thrift store. Though it is quite common (Chanel anyone?) and almost a fashion staple, it went through two pretty major trend cycles in the last 20 years. These two 'recent' trend cycles left us with plenty of tweed in the world. In the early to mid 90's, tweed had a moment and I also distinctly remember tweed being the most popular thing of life when I was in university about 8 years ago. I feel like in 2013, a good quality, well-fit blazer looks current no matter what the fabric is. So, if you find a nice quality tweed jacket at the thrift store, it is worth spending some money to get it tailored if necessary.

And there you go, an outfit and a thrift tip in one post.

Suggestions

Dress? Vintage, Netty's Vintage Bag? Vintage, Modify Your Closet Boots? Aldo Earrings? Bebe

When I wear these earrings with a big coat (which I did over this dress because winter is still making itself at home), they jam on my shoulders and I can't move my head from side to side very easily. So I keep my face turned forwards and act like nothing in the periphery is worth my attention. I want to complain about it but I think when you choose to wear giant earrings, you need to accept the consequences... and miss any life details happening to the right or left of you.

And about the dress... It was actually my sister-in-law who suggested in, telling me that olive would be a nice colour for me. I rarely wear olive but thanks to her, I am quite liking it. Olive her for suggesting it. 

I am on a really bad streak for awful puns. I'm going to take March off of puns to gain some of my self respect back...