End of August 2024 – Blue Collar Red Lipstick

Details: Bozzolo top, Ricki’s skirt (both retail), eShakti dress, Donna Karan belt, Aldo shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I am sure it will not be a surprise when I say that this technicolour dress was an insta-buy. Except that I don’t plan to wear it as a dress but, rather, as a coat — like here. It’s relatively well made, but the fabric is polyester with a rough weave, not entirely dissimilar from shantung silk. It’s not something I would enjoy wearing next to my skin, even with the lining (which is also poly). But as a coat, it’s doable. And I love the vibe so, so much. This entire outfit was one of my faves of the summer. Thinking outside the box pays off!

Details: Zara tee, Rachel Comey skirt, vintage bag, Aldo shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Chaotic good, outfit edition. I thrifted this incredible vintage leather bag (no tags) and wanted to immediately wear it. As it happened, the Rachel Comey skirt was already hanging on my “next to wear” hook because it’s been an awfully long time since it had seen an outing, and when I saw these 2 pieces together … I had 2/3 of the outfit. I decided to lean into the chaoticness of the skirt pattern (the style was called Delirium, believe it or not), so I added my glitch-Mickey tee — another beloved piece I hadn’t worn in a while. And voila: a mad, and perfect outfit.

Details: Nautica shirt, Max & Co skirt, BR belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I adore the colours of this vintage men’s shirt, and I thought they would pair well with my magenta skirt because they match its boldness. I like to think I was right … and not just because I always like to think I’m right, LOL! The high (and very fitted) waist of the skirt helps to rein in the volume of the shirt a little bit, which is a nice change of silhouette for something so oversize. Whenever I wear really bold, saturated colours like these, I always use black accessories to ground the outfit. The black makes the colours pop that little bit extra. Love!

Details: Brooks Brothers shirt, Tommy Hilfiger jeans, Fossil belt, L’Intervalle shoes, Coach bag (all secondhand), Winners hat (retail)

Thoughts: I’ve been looking for a madras blazer for years and while I haven’t found the one yet, I did stumble upon this shirt. I love its bright colours, and I seem to be unable to resist button-up shirts these days so … YOLO! This was a cute version of my ‘mom uniform’ for an end-of-summer-vacation day of errand running with the kids. Colourful and comfy.

Details: Only & Sons jacket, vintage sweatshirt, Everlane pants, Converse shoes, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I am calling this Jessica Fletcher, 2024 reboot. The vintage sweatshirt is actually from the 90s, so it seems very apropos. Rather than doing denim-on-denim, I decided to pull one of the colours from the sweatshirt — the dusty mauve-y purple — and go a little matchy-matchy instead with these Everlane pants. I feel like this fall will be something of a vintage/graphic sweatshirt moment for me. Casual preppy, except I need to find a less boring name for it 😉

Details: Anna Sui top, Ralph Lauren skirt, Fossil belt, J. Crew vest, Rafael Alfandary necklace (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Lest you think that I’m not still a cottagecore fan, I am here to tell show you that I am. I love vests, and I love a good vest/skirt combo, and this particular one is hitting all the marks for me. Cohesive colour scheme + subtle pattern mix = my jam. Not to mention a failproof formula.

Details: Chepe dress (retail), Side Saddle jacket, Brixton hat, MbMJ bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: Still the most versatile dress in my closet, and here’s more proof. I think I could wear this Chepe dress (and the black version I also own) with practically every jacket in my wardrobe … and I might be planning to put that theory to the test. First experiment? My verdict is “success”. This was such a nice, easy summer outfit; the heavy cotton jacket was a perfect cover-up option for the cooler morning, and then it came off in the afternoon. The nice thing about this dress is that it has a lovely cut and interesting neckline, which make it feel like an outfit even if worn alone with minimal accessories.

Details: Tommy Hilfiger shirt, Uniqlo sweater, Ralph Lauren pants, Fossil belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I want to call this “garden chic” — mostly because it looks like a literal garden, from the (brown) ground up. I have been loving the styling trick of wearing a sweater tied around the shoulders, and these corduroy pants float a similar vibe, so I started with those 2 things in mind. The shirt choice was a bit more of a risk, since the floral pattern doesn’t necessarily scream “preppy” but I liked how its colours looked paired with the brown, so I went for it. Choosing a green sweater helped to make the shirt look more intentional by doubling up the green.