The Grump

Bomber? Cost Blanca
Vest? Talie, Winners
Sequin sweater? Thrifted
Jeans? Gap
Boots? Winners
Collar? Given by a friend's grandmother
Bag? Roots

This last weekend when I got the call at 2 a.m. to go snow clearing, I muttered many bad words under my breath. I knew the call was coming; The Weather Network got it right this time, but I was living in denial. Last week I exposed a little glimpse of feet to Mr. Golden Sun, the snow all melted and I got pretty excited. That night when I went to bed at 11:30 p.m. it was pouring rain and then when I got the call at 2 a.m. there was enough snow to plow. Curses... I admit I was grumpy.

I like to think that most of the time I am a pretty even keeled but there are those (occasional?) moments when the grumpiness arrives and it's all encompassing. The funny thing is that when The Grump sets in, I want to laugh at myself for being completely unreasonable but I can't manage a laugh until the mood lifts. For the sake of others I try to sequester myself until The Grump is over. It's better that way. If you are around I might just get mad at you for smiling ... or for breathing.

And so, waking up that morning to the return of winter did put me in a mood but I just got into my truck and let the soothing melodies of Britney work their magic. And you know what winter? I might be sick of you but I still got some tricks up my layered sleeves. You won't put me in a style rut. You might make my company unbearable but I will be looking stylish in my self imposed solitary confinement.

Precious Time

Skirt? Thrifted
Jacket? Roanik, Holt Renfrew Last Call
Silk tank? Noa, Winners
Tights? Zara
Shoes? I.D. Browns
Clutch? Thrifted (I've had this for forever and it is disintegrating sadly)

I often plan outfits in advance in order to reduce marital stress. Matt's version of being on-time is being early and my version is being right on the dot. At least if the outfit is planned ahead of time, we can't blame that... though we can sometimes blame the lures of the world wide web.

I know it's a running joke with my friends that I am constantly running late. That's not true. I am timely for occasions that have a set time... church, the dentist, daily conversations with Matt updating him on the cats' sleep patterns... But if it's a birthday party or a night out, I do arrive later. This has nothing to do with arriving 'fashionably late'; it is all about having respect for The Process. Personally, I think one of the best parts of a night out is getting ready to go out. I love having friends over beforehand and rooting through my closet, picking out clothes, discarding them on the floor, drinking wine and crowding every available mirror space to put on another layer of mascara. Part of this process is superficial but I think that these moments are when some real bonding happens between girlfriends. And I love bonding... and girlfriends...and wine. Perhaps one day, getting ready will involve pointing out the junk food supply to the babysitter while changing out of the top that has an organic sweet potato puree stain on it (I am changing in front of the babysitter...?) but until then, I shall appreciate every moment of The Process.

Ha... and all that sentimental babble about The Process just to point out that this day I was running late for church and my carefully selected outfit wasn't working out and so I threw this on at the last minute. And I really liked it. And Matt should have been proud... because I would have been early if it hadn't been so difficult to drive in these shoes.

Thrift Day. Altered.

For my thrift posts, I am going to intermittently showcase thrifted items that need some alteration or better yet, were total duds and I was an idiot for buying them... I like to over share about thrifting because it stops me from over sharing about our marriage. Besides, I often buy things with great potential that end up in my mend closet (yeah... it's in the spare room) for ... a very. long. time. And just as Kyla put items that needed to be mended in her 30X30 as a extra prod to get it done, I am hoping that this will help me get behind the sewing machine again. So, send me a friendly message (some would call this a kick in the butt) if I haven't worn this dress in a month...

What? Hand-dyed, Thai silk, full length dress. The sleeves are already stitch ripped off because I got excited...

Where? Stoney Creek Value Village

Why? I totally got seduced by the pretty colours of this dress, the long sleeves and the possibilities. I think long sleeves and a short hem is one of the sexiest things there is... well, besides the sight of Matt coming in the door bearing Diet Coke...

How much? I am not proud of this. The peeps at the VV boutique priced this at $17.99. I think that is waaaayyyy too high for a dress of poor to mediocre quality. I usually pay that much a thrift store unless it's a coat or a leather purse... but my mind was spinning with ideas and my dad told me it was very striking. Enabler...

What am I gonna do? From my sketch it looks like an easy fix. Shorten the hem and make it scandalous up in here. However, I couldn't really try it on in the store because the sleeves were too tight. So, I looked at the seam allowance, saw lots of extra and just figured I could take off the sleeves and rework them. At home, I took off the sleeves, and tried it on properly as it could actually go over my body at that point. Sadly, the fit is really off and when I looked inside the dress, I saw awkward selvage ends and serged ends. I think the dress just wasn't cut and sewn nicely, so the fit is wonky. I will probably end up taking out all the seams on the body (except for the button line down the front), doing a custom fit and then sewing the sleeves back on. It won't be a hard dress to fit and sew to my body but it irks me that I am taking apart and resewing almost an entire dress that cost me $18 at a thrift store. At this point I feel a like a sucker for spending so much at the most overpriced, for-profit thrift store out there... However, I suspect an increase in general sassiness when I wear the finished product.


P.S.#1. Definitely need to start just sketching my outfits. Don't have to worry about lighting, cellulite, growing out my hair or even bother with getting dressed...
P.S.#2. Thanks to Sarah for featuring me on her blog, Yes and Yes. When she emailed me to ask if I was interested, she said some nice things and called me a minx. At that point I was putty in her hands... Check out the post here.

Optimism

Shirt? Gap
Red cords? Joe Fresh
Heels? Zara
Blazer? Braemar, thrifted
Bracelets? Crazy lady at The Ex
Sunglasses? Thrifted

This morning I was feeling optimistic. I took a shower.

Good news! That is not where I end my post, there is more to share...

I took a shower and shaved the bottom 10 cm. of my legs. And then I wore little heels and a slightly cropped pant and I exposed my ankle for the first time in many months.

It's not that I don't like winter. I can appreciate every season for both the good and the bad that they bring. But in the winter, what I miss most, is the chance to show some leg... even just a tiny slice of ankle. Boots are great, tights are ok and socks are cosy but bare legs are the best. I laugh at magazine editorials that trot out the biggest coats of the season and pair them with some micro shorts and high heels. I can do crazy once in a while, but I don't do frostbite. So I took advantage of this one day of sunshine and temperatures over the freezing mark and released the lady lumps (the ankles for everyone besides Fergie) to the outside world. Tomorrow it's going to be cold and I shall be back in boots but today...? Today was glorious.

And I was ridiculously proud of these sunglasses I thrifted this last week. They are in great condition, don't slide down my face, don't indent my cheeks and are pretty cute. But now, when I see these pictures... all I can think of is Terry Richardson. I don't know if my blog is a place to discuss the unsettling fact that many in the fashion industry have chosen to idolize that man... but he has certainly ruined this pair of sunglasses for me.