Thrifting Queen

When I first saw Angie's blog post about quiet neutrals, I wasn't sure if I could or would try it out. Well lo and behold, an unexpected top came my way on Friday which made me wanna give a whirl today.

My outfit started today with this new top - from my hospital gift shop of all places! It's a linen tunic with a linen-cotton-acrylic blend open knit cropped sweater on top. The two tops are connect by a couple of stitches at the top of each shoulder and at the neckline. It's a creamy-silvery white and like wearing nothing at all...so light and flowy. I saw it on the gift shop mannequin late Friday afternoon and literally walked in and bought it without trying it on. I mentioned in Angie's "pat on your back" blog post today that I was back to emotional shopping and loving it. This is the perfect example.

I paired the top with my white NYDJ straight-leg jeans that I thrifted last week and hacked off to cropped length this morning while having coffee before leaving for work. Yeah I know...kinda crazy. I love how the straight leg results in a wider look on my calf - somewhere between slim and wide. It somehow seems unexpected that way.

I then continued with my quiet neutrals ensemble by adding my sand colored Steve Madden peep-toe sandal booties and my cream/olive/taupe snakeskin Elliott Lucca handbag (a YLF pick about 4 years ago). A grey/silver bangle finish off the neutrals.

And then for a pop of color against the quiet outfit, red lipstick and my red specs.

Happiness factor? Ridiculously high. Why? 'cause I'm having fun with fashion and feeling good :)

I do apologize for my horrid outfit pic - the lighting in the office is horrendous. As always, all comments/feedback/suggestions for improvement more than welcome.

Keeping up with Angie's challenge for us to take a stand with our summer bodies, today's outfit started with a new sleeveless tribal-like print blouse in navy and white. My arms aren't toned and are very white but it's going to be hot today and I'm going to feel free darn it!!!

Paired with the navy blouse are my dark wash slim leg jeans, rolled to showcase some alluring ankles. I went with my nude pointy toe kitten heel pumps (so in love with these shoes - they work with EVERYTHING). Accessories include my new sand/navy sequined canvas clutch, big chrome/white watch and silver/abalone shell ring. Forgot my lipstick for the pic :( but it will be red.

As always, all comments/suggestions welcome.

Blouse: Reitman's Petite
Jeans: Wit & Wisdom
Clutch: Gap
Shoes: Clarks
Watch: thrifted

Today's outfit started with my new Eileen Fisher jersey skirt. This jersey is similar in silhouette to the VC tube skirts we all love but has a fold-over waist band of about 4 inches wide that allows you to change the overall length of the skirt from a midi to a knee length pencil to anywhere in between. It's also made with the fabulous EF jersey fabric which is the only jersey I will wear on my lower half - fabulous drape with a bit of weight and no clinging to jiggly bits - fabulous to move in. I'm in love! You are gonna get SO SICK of seeing me in this skirt :)

I then added my new sleeveless floral flowy tank - florals on a black background is my all time favorite pattern so scooped this one up as soon as I saw it. It's the perfect length to combine with a slim silhouette on my lower half.

I topped it all with my black heavy linen blazer with 3/4 cuffed sleeves. I adore linen for summer and have no issue with the creases. To me, it's part of the beauty of linen.

For accessories I added my black peep-toe sandal booties, vintage green glass bead necklace and watermelon handbag.

Bonus shots of my hair - cut my final trim last night and it is now in the style I've been working towards. It's a hybrid short shag-inverted bob. My stylist is incredible and has really helped me get through the horrid growing out stage. I have a little bit left to grow in the side fringe but otherwise, it won't be any longer. We agreed that because my hair is so thick, to grow it into one length would result in me basically having a triangle head - it wouldn't lay nicely at all. And any longer tends to overtake my narrow face. So there are a few carefully placed layers to help it lay nicely and the back is cut shorter. I'm thrilled with the results and love the movement of it and having a bit of hair to play with. I can scrunch it for a wavy look, flat iron for sleek and straight, slick and comb back for drama - it's really quite versatile. Next month when I go for my trim, we'll touch up and brighten my cranberry streak.

As always, all comments and feedback are most welcome.
And have I mentioned how lovely it is to be back? :)

P.S. I seem to get my pics either too dark or too light - promise to work on it!

Blazer: Jones New York (thrifted)
Blouse: Reitman's Petite
Skirt: Eileen Fisher (eBay)
Shoes: Steve Madden
Handbag: hospital gift shop
Necklace: Vintage

Been doing a little thinking the last week or so of where my style is at, what I'm enjoying wearing, what I'm buying.... yada yada yada.... Here are a few musings on what I've discovered:

1. FIT IS EVERYTHING. Over the last two years I have done a ton of experimenting with various silhouettes and voluminous pieces. And I've enjoyed the heck out of it. But I've come back to the realization that for me, fit is everything. If something doesn't fit well and provide some level of figure flattery, I no longer want to wear it. And I'm finding this even more important since I've gained some weight.

2. LOWER BODY SLIM FIT. I feel best in either a slim fit pencil skirt or slim leg (not skinny) pants/jeans. Because I have a tummy and larger hips, A-line skirts or fuller bottoms just make me look that much bigger on my lower half. You bring in that magical taper of a pencil skirt or slim legs and I automatically feel slimmer and less sloppy.

3. FAVORITE SILHOUETTE - AGAIN. I have come full circle to my favorite silhouette of pencil skirt with flowy untucked blouse topped with a jacket. Pencil skirt because of what I just pointed out in #2; flowy untucked blouse because it hides any mid section issues; jacket because it adds structure and hints at a waist. This silhouette I find the most flattering on my shape and has always been a favorite regardless of my size. As the saying goes "don't fix it if it ain't broke". However, I have added more current versions of these pieces so there is some modern in my modern classic look.

4. EILEEN FISHER IS STILL MY FAVE. So during my experimentation with various silhouettes and volume, I became enamored with Eileen Fisher and now have several of her pieces in my closet. What I'm finding interesting is that despite coming back to a more fitted silhouette, her pieces are still what I reach for the most. Why? 'cause they are clothes that are truly made to move in, are extremely comfortable and are fuss-free. I'm glad that the pieces I bought were not her extreme volume items and so I'm quite happy to pair them with other more fitted items in my closet. In fact I just purchased her fold-over waist band slim black jersey pencil skirt and couldn't be more pleased. I will continue to add her pieces to my closet as needed/budget allows. I can say with absolute assurance that I will always have some EF in my wardrobe.

5. BACK TO REITMAN'S. I stopped shopping at Reitman's (a Canadian lower end retailer) for a while due to a variety of reasons but I have come back to the store. There are only three local brick&mortar options in my city for petite clothing and Reitman's is one of them. They seemed to have really upped their game this spring with trendy fits and colors and although the quality is not stellar, I have had pieces that have lasted several seasons in the past and at their price point, if they only last the one season it's not a big deal. I particularly like their sleeveless blouses for popping on with a pencil skirt and jacket.

6. JEWELRY/HANDBAG/SHOES: Are back to being extremely important components of my outfit.

Well that's it for now and thanks for popping by  :)

Today's outfit started with my "faux" navy ankle pant suit. I bought the blazer several weeks ago from one store and then on the weekend found the ankle pants in another store - exact same shade of navy. Don't you love it when that happens?

I then added a bright orange and blue drapey tank that was love at first sight. Orange is such a happy color.

Nude kitten heels, cobalt quilted leather handbag, and gold locket (was my grandmother's) and orange/red bead necklace finish off the outfit.

I apologize for the poor picture quality. I need to find a better spot.

Feedback, critique, suggestions all welcome.

Blazer and tank: Reitmans Petite
Cropped pants: Mark's Work Warehouse
Shoes: Clarks
Handbag: Danier Leather

Found a few fab (well fab to me anyway!) summer sneakers on Canadian website shoeme.ca.  I've ordered many times from them and they are reliable, quick, easy returns, cheap shipping.

Anyway, here's what I found and links/pics in case you're interested.

#1 - Like a loafer and an orthopedic sneaker had a baby! comes in black and mustard too http://www.shoeme.ca/products/.....-carawhite

#2 - Adore the combination of mint leather with the faux wood strip and the white lug sole http://www.shoeme.ca/products/.....-devonmint

#3 - A summer vibrant lace-meets-moccasin hybrid http://www.shoeme.ca/products/.....tw-09-blue

#4 - Silver perforated fabness http://www.shoeme.ca/products/.....ilverwhite

Today's outfit started with my new dark blue denim pencil skirt (Old Navy). I wanted a denim skirt that was dark enough and classic enough to go to the office but still pair with tees and flats on the weekend.

I paired my skirt with my navy with pink lips peasant style blouse and topped that with my navy blazer (Reitmans Petites). The blazer brings in a bit more "office" to the denim skirt.

New nude kitten heels (Clarks), vintage Coach handbag and Lia Sophia multi bead bracelet finish off the outfit.

All thoughts and feedback most welcome :)

Today's outfit is keeping Angie's challenge in mind of taking a stand with our summer body.

My legs have gotten a bit lumpier with weight gain and age and are very pale. But I refuse to wear hose in the warmer months or pass up on wearing a little pencil skirt.

With that in mind, first thing I popped on this morning was my light ponte knit black pencil skirt with bare legs. I then added this drapey graphic tank in a black and white blurred city-scape print. On top of that, I popped on a drapey-with-structure black blazer I recently picked up. I had been wanting a new black blazer but in the end decided the one I would purchase would be a lighter weight for the warmer months and I will purchase a more structured and substantial version in the fall. This blazer has a nice structured shoulder line and black, with 3/4 length sleeves. The front has a cut-away style with drape. Unfortunately my horrible office pics do not show the silver angled zippers on the side that help to give it some shape.

I finished off the outfit with my black peep toe sandal booties even though I know they completely shorten my leg line (and I don't even care - ha!), silver pendant and delicate silver bangle.

And when my growing hair is having one of those mornings, I just add a clip with a wee bit of bling and head out the door.

Not my greatest outfit (nor the greatest pics - I promise to get better at that with my iPhone) but I feel like me in this and somewhat "free" with baring my legs.

As always, all comment/suggestions welcome. And sorry about the lack of lipstick - was in the middle of drinking my morning cup of coffee :)

Blazer, tank & skirt: Reitman's Petites
Shoes: Steve Madden

On my phone so can't link to Angie's blog posts.

Today's Casual Friday look started with my Jessica Simpson recently hacked off cropped jeans with raw edge. Love this trend! I then added my new-to-me thrifted Olsen Europe white tiger tee - fabulous cotton linen blend perfect for the warm months. I semi tucked the tee to show a hint of my Danier cognac leather belt (moment of silence to mourn the loss of Danier) and tied in that hint of rich brown with my newly thrifted Italian leather Gladiator-style tie block heel sandals. I have no idea of the brand as its worn off but on the bottom of the sole you can read Made in Italy and some numbers - so will have to investigate when I have time. I finished off the outfit with my Reitmans navy blazer as my corporate nod for the office and added my citron handbag and red specs to finish things off. Oh...and white watch to add more white to the outfit.

Would appreciate all and any feedback - thanks for looking :)

Angie's blog post this morning could not have been more timely - I have been wrapped up in feeling unhappy with my body for months now after gaining some serious weight over the last 8 months. Won't get into why it happened but the results have left me feeling less than fab.

But Angie's right - whatever our body issues are, we are so lucky that we have the health we do and that our bodies allow us to do so much. So on that note, I am revealing today's outfit which is very different for me and hopefully JFE.

The outfit started with these fantastic EF jersey wide legged culottes that I bought from my favorite eBay seller. I hemmed and hawed over these for weeks before purchasing because I know this type of silhouette and length is not the most flattering for a petite plus-size apple. But I'm wanting something comfortable, a bit edgy and that can work much like a full midi skirt for me. They arrived last week and I must say they were love at first sight and try on. The fabric is the typical delicious EF jersey that drapes and moves so beautifully due to the bit of weight. And yet they are light and cool for the summer heat. They way they swish and move when you walk is pure delight and the wider waistband means no rolling or moving around.

I paired the culottes with a simple black jersey tank and topped that with my EF linen blend white v-neck pullover. Although difficult to tell in these horrible office photos, I like the way the black tank shows through the white pullover. I've had the pullover for a number of years now and unfortunately, it's shrunk in length a bit due to an unfortunate dryer incident (poor hubby didn't know). I'm going to try blocking it and see if I can get some of the length back. Hopefully it doesn't look too short here.

I then added my new black peep-toe sandal booties, black/white specs and my newly thrifted owl pendant necklace.

Oh...and bonus pic of my hair showing the length - I'm getting there and quite enjoying the change.

I hope this outfit is JFE and I would love your feedback on how to improve and other suggestions on how to wear my new culottes. As always, all comments/suggestions welcome. 

Culottes & pullover: Eileen Fisher (via eBay)
Tank: Smart Set
Shoes: Steve Madden
Necklace: thrifted