evergreen tree cardi

the look:

cardi - zara
sweater vest - random label
puffer vest - old jcrew
dress - old lands end canvas
trousers - hue
hat - old lillie and cohoe
boots - old llbean

the tale:

another day of channelling the jcrew girl, with just one piece of old jcrew clothing. (this time: the puffer vest, from the 2010 holiday collection). what will tomorrow bring?

red poinsettia cardi

the look:

cardi - old jcrew
dress - old lands end canvas
petticoat - old american apparel
vest - random label
skinny cords - hue
coat - old h&m
hat - old lillie and cohoe
mitts - preloved
boots - old llbean

the tale:

do you remember my fantasy of looking like a jcrew girl? this is about as close as i will probably ever get to looking like a jcrew girl. and, sadly, i am only wearing one piece of jcrew clothing. and not even a new piece of jcrew clothing at that (the cardi is from jcrew's 2008 holiday collection). just to be clear: i did not set out to look like a jcrew girl this morning. it just happened. maybe because i was browsing a jcrew catalogue last night?

looking back on it pullover

the look:

pullover - old zara
dress - old llbean signature
skirt - old h&m
trousers - old navy
hat - old lillie and cohoe
boots - old roots

the tale:

this (what i call) split back pullover is among my favourites. everytime i pull it on i think that i should really wear it more often. but, for some reason, i don't get around to wearing it a lot. just the same, it is one of my favourite sweaters.

carrara marble dress

the look:

shirt - old gap
tie and skirt - old h&m
vest - h&m
trousers - old navy
dress - ?
hat - old lillie and cohoe
boots - old marsell

the tale:

i do so wish that i could remember the name of the artisan behind this dress. it is a local artisan, which is all the more reason why i should remember her. (the purple dress that i wore several days ago was made by the same artisan.) i will keep searching for the name ... in my mind, in my pocket book -- maybe i still have the receipt -- and on the interwebs ... something is bound to turn up. (in case anyone is wondering where the vest of the look is, i wore it underneath the dress. if you examine the first photo closely, you can see it just peeking out from underneath the dress at my left shoulder. wearing the vest underneath the dress was my solution to wearing the dress and staying warm -- although the body of the dress is made of a knit, it isn't a thick enough knit to keep me warm, in winter weather, on its own. ingenious? no, just lucky!)

twirl skirt

the look:

shirt - old gap
tie and skirt - old h&m
tunic and cardi - zara
trousers - old navy
hat - old lillie & cohoe
boots - old cydwoq

the tale:

i really like black and white (or black and cream) houndstooth. but i don't think that i have ever been able to make black and white (or black and cream) houndstooth work for me. and i am very much cognizant of this. all the same, i can't always resist buying black and white (or black and cream) houndstooth clothing. case in point: recently, i tried on the best black and white houndstooth skirt. (the trying on almost didn't happen. for some reason, i couldn't get the zipper undone. i had to ask for help from the shop clerk stationed in the fitting room. after about ten minutes of trying to pry the zipper undone, he succeeded.) i was really attracted to the skirt's silhouette. and the skirt was on sale. i was trying on the skirt with grey, and i started thinking how, maybe, i could make this black and white houndstooth skirt work for me by not pairing it (ever) with black or white. next thing i knew i was outside the store, carrying the store's shopping bag, with the skirt wrapped tightly inside. as i said, i can't always resist buying black and white (or black and cream) houndstooth clothing, notwithstanding that, to date, i haven't been able to make black and white (or black and cream) houndstooth work for me.

long nights dress

the look:

top - old jacob
cardi - old h&m
dress, skirt and leggings - melow by melissa bolduc (a/w 2012)
hat - old lillie & cohoe
boots - old cydwoq

the tale:

i bought a pair of red and black plaid skinny trousers and a cream and black plaid woollen pullover. the pullover i understand (it's a sweater and i am a sucker for sweaters). the skinny trousers are a bit of a mystery (although they looked quite good with the pullover). i seemed to be in a bit of a "punk mood" when i purchased this clothing.  let's see what i will make of it.

can't say enough good things about it dress

the look:

top - old jacob
sweater dress (worn as pullover) - susan harris design (a/w 2012)
dress - mmm x h&m
skirt - melow by melissa bolduc (s/s 2012)
hat - old lillie and cohoe
boots - old cydwoq

the tale:

the oversized dress was among the first pieces of the mmm x h&m collection that i picked up. i remember the other first pieces as well (a trench and white washed boots). i don't remember the order in which i purchased some of the other pieces. you would think that i would remember the last piece that i bought, but i don't. after the first pieces came home with me, there was a whirlwind of purchasing, right up to the final purchase. i should, perhaps, feel ashamed at my level of consumerism. but i don't. i love this collection and i love, am grateful for and am happy with every piece of the collection that i now own.

proving me wrong leggings

the look:

top - old jacob
dress, skirt, jacket and leggings - melow by melissa bolduc (a/w 2012)
hat - old lillie & cohoe
boots - old cydwoq

the tale:

admittedly, it wasn't that cold today (maybe about three to five degrees celsius when i found myself outside), but it was still cold enough to make me wonder whether these cropped leggings, which don't feel all that thick, would keep me warm enough. i know that they are part of a winter collection, but i was still doubtful. well i should not have been doubtful. i was wrong. the leggings are remarkably warm. happiness!

professor green's jacket

the look:

shirt - salt valley (uo)
tie - old uo
pullover - old zara
jacket - dear creatures (a/w 2010)
skirt - old preloved
trousers - hue
hat - old lillie & cohoe
boots - old cydwoq

the tale:

(whenever i put on an all-green outfit, two things come to me immediately. one of these is the tv series mash (which, incidentally, i have been re-watching recently). the other is kermit the frog, singing the "it's not easy being green" song. after that, i try to think of other things that could inspire an all-green outfit: forest rangers, girl guides and boy scouts, professors. but i can never quite let go of mash and kermie.) i put on the jacket because i was feeling cold and needed another woollen layer. it was not my intention to "dress up" and i certainly didn't feel "dressed up" after i donned the jacket, just warmer. i know that wearing a jacket is often viewed as "dressing up" and that, for many, just putting on a jacket makes them feel "dressed up". however, if one wears jackets often enough, a jacket just becomes another piece of clothing, to be worn on any occasion, not just on a "dress up" occasion, and not necessarily making one feel "dressed up" the moment it is put on. that's how i view a jacket now: as just another piece of clothing. wearing a jacket makes me feel neither more nor less "dressed up". wearing a jacket just makes me feel dressed. and warmer

having fun with tweed skirt

the look:

shirt and tie - old gap
sweater dress - susan harris design
skirt - joyce seppala designs
hat - old nine west
boots - john fluevog

the tale:

as a little girl, i was always dressed in brown (at least this is what i recall). i remember hating brown clothing. it is probably because of this childhood experience that, as soon as i started purchasing my own clothes, i avoided brown clothing. (i probably would have started avoiding it as soon as i started dressing myself but i was still at the mercy of those who controlled the clothing purchases -- and who continued to prefer brown clothing for me.) it amazes me that, in light of this history, i have come to enjoy wearing brown clothing, even preferring it at times. either someone had it right way back then or i have come to terms with my childhood experiences and am able to make choices for myself uninfluenced by those experiences (which, i guess, still means someone had it right way back then). (p.s. remember that temptation to buy more of that black sweater dress? obviously i couldn't resist. although i might have been able to had it not been for this skirt -- i thought that the sweater dress in brown would look perfect with the skirt. of course, the skirt might explain this brown sweater dress. it can't explain the blue one that i also got. more on that at some later point.)

a second look around dress

the look:

shirt - old gap
dress - old llbean signature
cardi - old preloved
jeans - old old navy
hat - old lillie & cohoe
boots - john fluevog

the tale:

i have always maintained that i can find some clothing to my liking in every shop that sells clothing. although, sometimes, i can miss a jewel if i allow myself to get distracted. distracted by others or by my own discomforts and insecurities. then i need to go back, without those distractions, to take a second look around. and the jewels shine forth.

happiness dress (and jacket)

the look:

turtleneck - old gap
dress - old miss green originals
jacket - old olio organics
leggings - old old navy
hat - old nine west
boots - john fluevog

the tale:

clothes shouldn't cause their wearer any grief, but clothes do cause me grief. i know that that this happens means there is something "deeper" afoot. i do try to unearth and deal with that something deeper. but progress there is usually slow. and i suspect that it will be a lifelong endeavour. in the meantime, as much as clothes cause me grief, they also make me happy. so i try to remember which are the happiness inducing clothes. and, when other clothes cause me grief, i pull out the happiness inducing ones and put them to work. it usually does the trick. and then i can get down to the more difficult task at hand.

perfect peplum pullover

the look:

shirt - old uo
tie, scarf and handwarmers - old h&m
dress - old zara
pullover - h&m
corduroy leggings - hue
coat - old kensie
hat - old nine west
boots - john fluevog

the tale:

it was probably the only perfect thing about the day. i am talking about the peplum pullover. why do i have such a hard time learning certain things. maybe i will make a list of things not to do so that i can remind myself every single day of these things before i leave the house. maybe i will put the list up on the bathroom mirror. in various places in the kitchen. on the blackboard. on the door. if only i could still write things on the back or the palm of my hand (sadly, i am not that young anymore). even if i could remember to "wait", it would be a big help. in addition to all the above, why do i stop, every once in a while, to carry a book with me ... always. being able to crack open a book at any moment is very (very) helpful. sigh. fortunately, tomorrow is a new day: a new opportunity to get it right: to "wait" and to carry a book with me.

making it fit skirt

the look:

blouse and jacket - old h&m
skirt - mmm x h&m
hat - old nine west
shoes - john fluevog

the tale:

putting on this skirt (why didn't i think of this way of making an oversized skirt fit?), my goal was to find something to wear on top that wouldn't hide the fold (the whole point of the skirt) and that would be true to my aesthetic. i succeeded with the blouse. less so with the jacket -- in terms of not hiding the fold. but i needed something overtop the blouse -- to keep me warm -- and the jacket was certainly true to my aesthetic and, i think, worked in otherwise creating a me-appropriate silhouette. very austere result. it certainly hides how thrilled i am that i managed to score the skirt. (p.s. the answer to the question that i asked at the outset is that i am not mmm (obviously)! p.p.s. i also managed to score the oversized trousers, about which i am equally thrilled. p.p.p.s. alright, i confess, i have a good part of the mmm x h&m collection. my, to date, all time favourite h&m collaboration with a designer.)

monday skirt (and blouse and tunic and cardi and shoes)

the look:

blouse and scarf - old h&m
tunic and skirt - old kaliyana
infinity cardi - old jacob
cardi - anthropologie
coat - old kensie
hat - old nine west
boots - john fluevog

the tale:

it must be monday. because i am wearing my goth blouse, my knit skirt and tunic, my infinity cardi, some other top and the swordfish heels. that said, i think that this may be the last monday for the monday uniform. at least for now. i have run out of ideas for that "some other top" part of the monday uniform.

for the love of old dress

the look:

turtleneck - old gap
dress - old miss green originals
leggings - old old navy
coat - old kensie
scarf - old h&m
hat - old nine west
boots - john fluevog

the tale:

this morning, as i was putting on this dress, it occurred to me that, if one has the luxury of buying (or otherwise acquiring) "new" clothes frequently, one gets quite accustomed to "newness". in fact, one almost begins to prefer "newness". as i was putting on this dress, which has been in my wardrobe for about a year, i started to think about the feeling of wearing "old" clothes. it isn't a feeling of familiarity. or comfort. it's a feeling of, well, gratitude. appreciation. my wardrobe habits are changing. i am buying "new" clothes less frequently and relying on "old" clothes more. i am being more selective in what "new" clothes i buy. i am trying to curate my collection of clothes more intelligently (is it really me?). i used to really like having something "new" to wear. but liking having something "new" to wear can turn into a bad habit. with a closet full of clothes but nothing "new" to wear, it can feel like there is nothing to wear. now, i really like pulling out of the closet something "old" to wear. i won't pretend that having something "new" to wear isn't still nice. it is. but i know that there is more to getting dressed than just pulling on the next "new" thing.

perched on the moon dress

the look:

tshirt - old gap
wrap top - old lululemon
dress - old zara
leggings - old old navy
coat - old kensie
scarf and hand warmers - old h&m
hat - old nine west
boots - john fluevog

the tale:

mmm x h&m. omg. if you like that sort of thing. which i do. i do find it strange, however, that the entire collection did not sell out in a matter of hours, like almost ever other h&m designer collaboration collection did, or, at least, like the comme des garcons x h&m collection did. but i am not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. that the collection did not sell out in a matter of hours means that i was able to partake (unlike with the comme des garcons x h&m collection -- i so wish i had been able to get something from that collection). i should, perhaps, mention that i didn't get everything that i wanted from the mmm x h&m collection. some things did sell out.