Thrifting Queen

Today's outfit started with my black knit pencil skirt and black knit tank - a column of colour. On top of that, I added my animal print merino wool cardigan with black sleeves. I love how this cardigan looks like a vest from a distance. I added nude hose and then a pop of colour with my red booties, bookended by both my red quilted handbag and red specs. Jewelry is my gold wedding band and rose gold/black watch.

Angie commented in my Friday's outfit post that "tailored plus a touch of fluidity" is my look. I think she's on to something :)

So what do you think of this? Does it all work together? As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Cardigan: Lord & Taylor
Tank: Sears
Skirt: Cleo Petite
Booties: Sam Edelman
Handbag: Nine West (thrifted)

P.S. We got another 10 inches of snow last night so I will be swapping the booties out for my knee high boots and will be adding my red knee length puffer when I head out the door. Will this winter NEVER end???

This is how I know I'm going to love a wardrobe item - I can't wait to wear it again. And that's how I feel about this new EF dress. You are going to sick of seeing me in it! And now I'm really glad I am duplicating the dress with the blue version.

I started today's outfit with the dress and then added nude microfishnets and my knee high Blondo boots. We are into the major slush and mess of spring melt and these boots are perfect for that. On top of the dress, I'm debuting my new light wash denim and leather sleeved jacket. This jacket will be great as an actual outdoor jacket when warm enough and will also work as an indoor topper with scrunched sleeves. I also think the light faded denim is a nod to spring, even though we still have at least 6 feet of snow on the ground.

I chose my olive/cobalt snakeskin clutch for some texture and colour, purple & clear specs and a swipe of burgundy lipstick to finish off the outfit.

What do you think? As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

I've been thinking a fair bit about what makes me feel good in an outfit and conversely, what makes me feel yucky in an outfit.

Below are the 7 outfits that have made me feel the best in the last two months and I'd be interested to know what you see as the common denominator. To my eyes and IMHO, the reasons these outfits worked and felt good is because the individual items of clothing fit properly. There are no elements overwhelming my frame.

I think this might be why I really do not feel good and again, IMHO, look good in wide legged drapey trousers and anything with too much fabric. I have an odd little body to fit and having excess fabric, especially around the hips and thighs, just makes me feel yucky.

I'm narrowing down purchases I want to make and have taken drapey white trousers off my spring/summer shopping list based on how I feel in my grey wide legged trousers.

Anyway....would love your thoughts :)

Today's outfit is about as simple as it gets - a skirt, pullover and pumps. 

I started the outfit with my cobalt knit pencil skirt and added my plain black pullover. I went with nude micro fishnets as a nod to spring. I also went with my pointy toe, black patent, silver buckle pumps. I've had these pumps for a couple of years now and they're my "going out dressy" pumps. But they are also extremely comfortable so I decided this morning that I don't need to save them for special occasions and why not wear them to work?

I went with my cobalt/cream/black quilted handbag, silver wedding band and cobalt/silver cuff for accessories. Red specs and red lipstick finish off the outfit.

I'm also wearing an Angie pick you can't really see - the YSL Babydoll mascara. You were right Angie - it's fantastic!

So what do you think? Is this outfit simple in a good way or simple in a boring way? I did briefly consider adding a cobalt/black/white light weight scarf I have but felt fussy when I put it on. As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Pullover: Sears
Skirt: Cleo Petite
Shoes: Bandolino
Handbag: Danier Leather
Cuff: gift

Hubby and DS bought me these trousers for my birthday and I love the colors and pattern, as well as the fit in the waist...BUT...I find them too big from the hips on down and because of the nature of the fabric, they do not drape softly but rather "bunch" and fold. Then when you add in a bit of bagging at the end of the day, I end up feeling quite sloppy in them.

I'm thinking of taking them to Wonder Woman and having her take them in all the way from the hips on down as well as shorten them, to make them more of a slim fit ankle trouser which I can then wear with my black pointy toe kitten heels.

What do you think? Do you have other suggestions on how to tailor these to make them work better?

(I'm actually finding this to become a more common fit issue for me with trousers - my butt and thighs are slimming down quicker than my waist so in order to have trousers fit my waist, they are too big elsewhere.)

Can you believe I ever doubted the merits of owning a white leather jacket??? I have worn this one A LOT since I bought it last summer. I have realized that white can be just as versatile in my wardrobe as black.

Today's outfit is a simple black knit pencil skirt, paired with a graphic drapey black and white tee (BTW I realized when seeing the pics how sheer the tee is and I now have a cami underneath). I added sheer black hose and my black pointy toe kitten heel pumps. We're finally in the plus temperatures and I felt like wearing shoes instead of boots for a change. On top of everything is my white leather jacket. Handbag choice for some colour and texture is my cobalt/cream/black quilted beauty. Red specs round out the outfit.

I have fallen in love with soft drapey tees for tops - they are brilliant for layering without bulk and extra body heat, and work well with jackets and on their own.

So what do you think of today's outfit? Does it work? as always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Jacket & handbag: Danier Leather
Tee: Smart Set
Skirt: Cleo Petite
Shoes: Calvin Klein

First up - I ordered these Ralph Lauren Denim & Supply premium Skinny BF jeans. I absolutely LOVE my TR Cameron slim BF jeans because I don't feel overwhelmed by the amount of fabric and they fit nicely on the thighs. But sometimes I find the large flap rear pockets distracting depending on the top or jacket I'm wearing. So I wanted something that fit the same way, but with flat rear pockets and no adornments. These fit that bill.

These are my true size and to be honest, I would love to size up one to see how they look but alas, this is the largest size these jeans come in :( Knowing past RL jeans and pants I've worn, I suspect these will loosen up considerably. I love the wash, lack of rips or tears and the fit in the legs (obviously they need shortening). The denim is extremely soft and I find these super comfortable. But I need some YLF feedback on how they look in terms of fit. So Keep or Return?

Secondly I wanted to show you my fantastic thrift find this week. I've been wanting a Chanel-esque style cropped jacket with pink in it for Spring and on a whim, popped into my Value Village on the way home from work yesterday. Lo and behold, here was this J Crew cropped tweed jacket with pink and lime green in it with pretty gold buttons. It is in pristine condition (not sure it's ever been worn) and fit perfectly. At $12.99 it was a total steal. I obviously wouldn't wear it buttoned up like this, but wanted to show you how fab the fit was. 

And yes…this is serious bed head. Just got up a while ago, had coffee and whole grain blueberry waffles, tossed in a load of laundry and took these pics. Now it's time to shower and head out to get groceries. Catch ya later…
(sorry the pics are a bit dark - having some issues with my camera)

Yesterday, my boss announced that we could now wear jeans on Fridays as long as they are dressy, darker wash, trouser style jeans. Well aren't I lucky to have a pair of those in my closet?!

So today's outfit started with these trouser jeans that I have had for at least 3-4 years. At times they don't fit because they're too small (or too big) but I've never gotten rid of them because when they do fit, I love wearing them. I paired the jeans with a very light weight knit in various shades of blue and teal with a small citron thread running through. Overtop of that, I've added my navy Lanai blazer. For footwear, I went with my blue-purple suede booties, although for walking to and from my car, I will have on my winter boots and will change into the suede booties in the office. I didn't have time to change my handbag, so am using my black leather bag again today. Jewelry is my silver wedding band and a lovely cobalt and silver cuff bracelet that MIL gave me for my birthday. 

I'm really happy with how this turned out and think this is casual but professional. What do you think - does it work? As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Blazer: Theory
Knit pullover - ana Petite (thrifted)
Jeans: Reitmans
Booties: Aerosole
Handbag: Danier Leather

ETA: I've added a close up of the sweater colors/knit pattern for Adorkable.

First off - Ceit - you were RIGHT! My jacket is the Amity after all - yay for jacket twins :)

I picked up my jacket from alterations last night and joined Team Wear today. I actually started the outfit with my new Eileen Fisher drape dress (Angie you were also right - the medium is the perfect size). I adore how this dress feels on - the softness, the movement, the comfort…I can see I may be purchasing more EF dresses in the future. 

I added my fun large dot hose and my black patent booties.

Then to top it off, I popped on my new indigo blue leather jacket. Now this is a less form fitting and more boxy style for me and I LOVE IT! I think it's a bit more modern with the nod to the oversized look. I normally wear a medium in Danier jackets but am unable to do up that size, which is fine as I wear them as indoor blazers. But I wanted this jacket to layer over a sweater and be able to do up comfortably so I could wear it as an outdoor jacket if and when Spring ever arrives (we're getting another huge dump of snow as I type this) so got it in large. 

My black handbag, red specs and swipe of red lipstick finish off the outfit.

What do you think? Does this all work together? As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Jacket & handbag: Danier Leather
Dress: Eileen Fisher
Tights: Hue
Booties: Ara

After drooling over Danier Leather's spring Look Book showcasing a gorgeous leather vest, I'm seriously considering a black leather vest for a spring purchase (replacing a leather jacket on my spring shopping list) but before investing a significant chunk of change, I thought I would go thrifting yesterday to see if I could find a cheaper version to try out. I'm not entirely sure the vest will work with my style so would like to try out a few outfits first, you know? I found this very good faux leather vest at Value Village yesterday and it will work as my "test vest".

I popped the vest overtop my navy cashmere v-neck sweater paired with my blackwatch plaid trousers. Black patent booties and my black leather handbag round out the outfit.

This is a little darker colour palette and lower contrast than how I'm ideally wanting to wear the vest but it's -32 Celcius and I need to be warm so cashmere it is.

So what do you think? Does the outfit work? Obviously one outfit probably won't determine if a real leather vest is a good purchase or not but I do like the way it gives me the same structure as a blazer/jacket in the waist. Over to you - all comments/suggestions welcome.

Sweater & trousers: Lord & Taylor
Vest: thrifted
Booties: Ara
Handbag: Danier Leather