I’ve been rethinking my wardrobe a lot lately. It seems every time I go through my closet in search of an outfit, I feel less and less attached to much of the pieces hanging there. I often have an idea for an outfit, only to find I don’t actually own something I had in mind, which is definitely a first world problem, really, but when I got thinking about it, I came to realize maybe I own too many things that don’t do anything for me anymore and I likely need to make room for pieces I feel a real connection to; I don’t necessarily have a desire to change my style, but I think honing it a bit more would so me some good. That being said, this burnt orange pinafore by Mod Dolly seems a perfect starting point for me. The marriage of colour, simplicity, versatility and sweetness really got me with this one and I realize those four words should be ever-present when thinking of the clothes I own. I’m certainly not jumping on the capsule wardrobe bandwagon – I’ll never be that practical – but being a bit more thoughtful with my choices seems more and more desirable to me these days.
Dress c/o Mod Dolly
Blouse & beret: vintage
Shoes: Seychelles (old)
Tights: Target
Tag: vintage style
Outfit: Invisibility Coat
I had just recently been thinking about how little I feature the coats I own on this blog. Regardless of how fond I am of my coats, for some reason I always felt like they took away from my outfits in the winter, so whenever I would take photos, I’d treat my coat like some annoyingly practical accessory that needed to step out of the way for the real star of the show. But obviously I do wear coats and I own an embarrassing amount of them if I’m being honest, so really, there is no excuse for the lack of outer wear around here. This year I feel like making a true effort to always have a coat on when it is necessary to be wearing a coat in my photos. While I do sometimes feel like I am in pursuit of some sort artistic vision with the images I shoot for this blog – which can often mean no coats allowed (remember when I did this? holy wow, my photography was cringey though!) – if I am sharing my outfits just for the sake of sharing an outfit, I want to be real with you. It’s bloody cold here in the winter and a coat is absolutely necessary. The clearer the image has become of what I want this space to look like, the more I feel the importance of sharing outfits that are true to the time of year. Ya’ll know how I am though, I feel both practical and impractical in many aspects of my life, and I always aspire to share both those sides with you. So here’s to coats in the blistering cold and reptilian ice princesses who frolic in wintry wonderlands.
Blouse: F21 (similar)
Skirt: vintage via Common Sort
Coat: vintage
Scarf: thrifted
Tights: old pair ballet tights
Boots: Samantha Pleet x Wolverine
Outfit: My Little Sidekick
Having a deaf dog does have it’s share of challenges; it’s far harder to train a deaf dog, eye contact and hand signals are your only form of communication, and being unable to call to them when they are out of sight can be a bit annoying, if not kind of stressful. Honestly, it’s never been that much of a problem in my life. There are not many instances where I wish Gus could hear, the only ones are when we are spending a great deal of time outdoors, he’s off leash and I need to keep on an eye on him in case his nose leads him astray. He’s never been the type of dog to run away off leash – I trust him wholly in that respect – but his sense of smell leads him to wander and that’s when I wish he was able to hear. So naturally, I have never actually done outfit photos on my own with Gus and I. Any time Gus has been featured with me in photos, it’s because someone else has taken them. When I’m taking my own outfit photos, I’m pretty focused on what I’m doing, so having Gus wandering around me off-leash and sniffing his surroundings while my attention is elsewhere seems pretty unsafe for him. But my relationship with Gus has changed quite a bit since his back surgery and since being left to look after him on my own. I bring Gus with me to a lot more places now so he’s never alone for too long and since he’s a bit slower than he used to be because his back legs aren’t in the best shape, I’m less worried about him getting too far ahead of me off leash. Building a bond with a dog can take awhile, I think. Gus and I were bonded pretty quickly, mostly in the sense that he knew I was his person and he wanted to be around me all the time, but it definitely took awhile for Gus to understand what I expected of him and for me to learn his little quirks and what situations he is good or bad in. All this to say, a year ago, I probably wouldn’t have tried to take photos with just Gus and I, but it felt right this time around, and my intuition didn’t steer me wrong. He stuck by me most of the time, and if I did notice him wandering off it was pretty easy to catch up to him and bring him back. I feel lucky to have such a funny and easy going dog. Obviously everyone is biased when it comes to their dog, but I really believe I got pretty damn lucky when this little cloud showed up in my life.
Pinafore: Miss Patina
Blouse & beret: thrifted
Tights: H&M
Shoes: Sylvie and Shimmy
Bow tie: handmade
Outfit: Key To The Heart
I’m not sure when, but at some point I became incredibly disinterested in jewelry. I used to always pick up fun pieces while shopping, but much like my interest in purses began to wane, so did my interest in jewelry. What was once an affinity to big, colourful rings and necklaces with eye catching pendants, I slowly opted for no necklaces (bow ties instead) and very simple, plain rings. I used to let jewelry be the statement piece of my outfit (i mean, bondage necklaces…pretty hard to not let it be the star of the show), but now I much prefer understated pieces, only noticeable when you take a closer look. So I guess it would seem odd that I would own a novelty ring by Good After Nine in the shape of a unicorn. But, it’s fun, and it feels inline with my current aesthetic; eye-catching, cute, but not overpoweringly so. As for my necklace from Happiness Boutique, it’s dainty and subdued, just the way I like it. I’ve also always loved skeleton keys, so having one adorned around my neck with a simple heart pendant hovering above is just the type of necklace I’d be happy to wear everyday. Life has felt so new and refreshing lately, but also grounded in finding my old self, and I think my style has been reflecting my current state of mind; a knowing comfort in what I love, but a little more carefree and a desire to be truly rid of self-imposed style expectations.
Initially I was hesitant to pick something from Happiness Boutique – knowing my fickle attitude towards jewelry – but I quickly realized there is something for everyone (even me!), and to boot, they offer free shipping (also super fast), a customer reward program and you can enter their bi-monthly giveaway; who doesn’t like perks like that?!
Blouse, skirt & belt: thrifted
Coat: vintage via Gisela & Zoe
Hat: H&M (similar)
Boots: Topshop (similar, similar)
Ring c/o Good After Nine
Necklace c/o Happiness Boutique
Them Jeans
If you had told me a year ago that I would purchase a pair of high waisted flared denim jeans, I would have laughed in your face. Yet, here I am, with a pair of high waisted flared jeans, and I’m loving them. When I bought them, I wasn’t really sure if it would end up being a wasteful purchase. I have a tendency to want to try new styles, only to find I feel totally uncomfortable and never end up wearing them. This is usually only the case with pants. It’s really just personal insecurities that make me dislike pants – my legs are too short, they look thick in pants (or in my own candid words, like sausages), I feel too masculine…silly things really. It’s not that these pants don’t make me feel that way…they still do at times, but I like them regardless, because they feel vintage, because they are so flippin versatile, because I can style them in a truly feminine way and because not having too worry about your dress/skirt blowing up in the wind is an amazing feeling. You probably won’t catch me wearing pants all the time, I’m still a dress/skirt girl to the very end (ride or die), but I like that I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and giving a little nod to the 70s, and an even bigger nod to Bridgitte Bardot with this hairstyle and oversized bow tie.
Blouse & coat: thrifted
Pants: H&M
Bow tie: TLO
Boots: Samantha Pleet x Wolverine
okay andie 