October 2024, part one – Blue Collar Red Lipstick

Details: Club Monaco sweater, Liz Claiborne pants, Mexx belt, Ralph Lauren shoes, vintage bag (all thrifted)

Thoughts: It is very brave — or very foolhardy — for someone as klutzy as me to wear head-to-toe white. Sometimes hubris pays off, though. I felt pretty freakin’ fabulous in this Nancy Meyers-coded outfit … aaand I managed to avoid making a mess of myself. I broke one of my rules in buying this vintage Club Monaco sweater, as I already have a very similar white cable knit sweater, but I have no regrets because it’s fabulous. Also, it’s a turtleneck, which the other sweater isn’t, and a slightly different shade of white. Justifications, I have lots of them. Anyway, I wanted to keep the outfit very simple, to allow the details of each piece to shine, so I kept the accessories minimal — with the exception of the bag, which was more like the cherry on top of the merengue here.

Details: Calvin Klein tee & jeans, Ralph Lauren trench & shoes & bag, Gap belt (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I haven’t worn a trench coat in years, but the vibes are finally vibing again; it’s a classic piece that fits right into my current style mood. By one of those lucky coincidences that sometimes bless the dedicated thrifter, I stumbled on the perfect tan trench at the tail end of summer — and it’s Polo Ralph Lauren to boot. It instantly elevates the most basic of outfits, and you can’t get more basic than a white tee and jeans. Another take on 90s-inspired minimalism.

Details: Ralph Lauren shirt & sweater, Brighton belt, Danier skirt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I am very much into this blue, white, brown colour palette at the moment, and I simply had to build an outfit around this suede maxi skirt. It never fails to deliver. I decided to take another page from Papa Ralph’s playbook, and pair it with preppy pieces — plus a western-style belt. Mixing genres is one of the things that he does best. His most recent runway collection (SS 2025) provided lots of food-for-inspo on that front.

Details: Tommy Hilfiger shirt, Ralph Lauren vest, Sag Harbour pants, Fossil belt, Ferragamo shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Another colour combo I’m loving at the moment is navy and dark green. How amazing are these vintage wool pants? And they’re lined, which is a bonus that can’t be discounted in these days of declining quality. I find that the key to making this colour palette work is avoiding black and using brown as the base neutral instead. Brown sets off darker blues and greens so much better than black, so they pop instead of looking muddled.

Details: vintage sweater, Auxiliary belt (both thrifted), Zara pants, J. Crew shoes (both retail)

Thoughts: I’m not sure if I’ve ever done a fully head-to-toe brown outfit before, but this one was a first-class effort, whatever the case. Adding several shades of the same colour gives an outfit depth, while different textures give it visual interest. The leopard print belt was a last-minute addition, but I thought it would be fun to sneak in a little bit of (trendy) pattern.

Details: Zara top, Danier vest, Jones NY blazer, Elisa Fanti skirt (all secondhand)

Thoughts: I’m loving suede vests at the moment, and this deep red one is *chef’s kiss*. I would normally pair with pants, but decided to give it a try with a skirt — and a classic pencil skirt at that. Paired with a blazer, it turned out quite well; without, I am not quite loving the visual effect of the short sleeves, so that’s an element I’d probably workshop a bit more next time.

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