Same old, same new.

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Earrings, Ten thousand Villages (Edmonton); Wrap, H&M; Button up denim shirt, Shoulder; Gold chain fringe cuff and hammered gold ring, InPink (won from Tieka!); Velvet skinnies, Suzy Shier; Boots, Locale.

Oh, look! It’s another outfit where I wear my Locale boots and a pair of skinny pants. Surprise! I’ll bet you weren’t expecting me to wear an outfit like this one!

I’m in a bit of a rut. But I recognize this rut. I hope to be free of it by tomorrow’s post.

So let’s talk about this cuff. Isn’t it awesome, and just a tiny bit ridiculous? I won a giftcard for InPink from Tieka at Selective Potential in January (whoo hoo!). Whenever I receive an unexpected boon, I will use said boon to buy something completely outside of my comfort range. The moment I spied this cuff, I knew it was to be mine because it is something I would never buy for myself otherwise. I’m thrilled I did pick this cuff, though. I was getting compliments all day long, and the fringe wasn’t nearly as annoying as I’d expected. It was a touch challenging to remember to take it off before going to the bathroom.

Photos by Aarron!

Feathers in your hair, snowfall everywhere…

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Hat and jeans, Ardene; Earrings and boots, Locale; Sweater, Joe Fresh; Navy velvet skinnies, Suzy Shier; Bracelet and ring, Brasília’s Hippie Fair.

Seemingly, my style is something that elderly folk can really get behind. Third day in a row I was stopped and complimented by an elderly stranger. Of course, I wonder about her sanity, as I was running an errand for work, was caught in a heavy snowfall, had mascara streaming down my face and soaking wet hair…

Regardless of the motivation, compliments rock.

I’ve also never noticed that these earrings look like I have reddish streaks in my hair. I kind of like the effect… Next hair appointment is a few weeks away, maybe I’ll do something TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

Photos by (the freezing but still talented) Aarron!

When layers work against you (in the office).

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Earrings, Estasi; Necklace, Tiffany & Co; Cardi and sweater, lululemon athletica; Cami, Victoria’s Secret; Jeans, Ardene; Ring, gift; Boots, Locale.

No compliments about my eyes while wearing this outfit, but I did get a: “Snappy outfit!” from a different older gentleman while running some errands for work. Apparently, older gentlemen in the downtown Winnipeg core are fans of my sartorial choices.

I love to don layers. Lots and lots of layers. I’m happiest in the outfits that include a minimum of three layers on top. There’s something so satisfying about being wrapped in warm layers when it is winter outside.

But I’ve been away from the office job world for too long. I forgot how hot offices can get in the winter… I’ll walk in from the brisk outdoors, into the warm and balmy office, and I almost instantly start to sweat. Every. Day.

I’m feeling sartorially challenged. How do you deal with winter-hot offices (and summer-cold offices, for that matter)?

Photos by Aarron!

Irish eyes are dancing (and other ladylike concerns).

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Earrings, Claire’s; Sweater and wrap, H&M; Robot necklace, F21; Skirt, Winners; Boots, Locale.

This outfit will forever be a new favorite of mine after today.

I was standing outside the bar where I work, measuring some tiles for a new sign, when an older gentleman came up to me. He wanted to let me know that he really appreciated how I put myself together, that I looked lovely and ladylike, and that my eyes were alive.

“Everyone walks around downtown with a dead look in their eyes – yours are dancing.”

This brought into me a feeling of warm fuzziness, and also a vision of eyeballs dancing around downtown while facing off against an army of killer eyeballs. Happy Wednesday!

Photos by Aarron!

The Mass Effect of Cashmere.

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Earrings, gift from my Aunt; Key necklace, Tiffany & Co; Sweater, Aritzia; Coconut ring, beach vendor in Bahia; Jeans, Ardene; Boots, Town Shoes.

I’ve mentioned in passing a few times my love of Pima Cotton. OK, maybe enthused excessively about how much I love the fabric ad nauseum. Fun fact – I love cashmere JUST as much as I love Pima. This newly acquired tunic length sweater is so soft and snuggly, and it has a lower than expected neckline in the back (no pictures this time due to battery issues) to give it a tiny touch of extra awesome.

This past weekend and last night after work was a bit of a write off. I started and finished Mass Effect, and am now about 12 hours into Mass Effect 2. I’ve been really resistant to role playing games and first person shooters… Bioshock, while interesting, didn’t hook me at first, and Arkham Asylum is awesome and cool (I mean, really… Batman? He’s the shit), but the rich story in the Mass Effect universe was so compelling the tense actiony bits didn’t bother me as much as they normally do (fact: I am a bit of a video game squealer – you probably don’t want to play video games with me).

This video game marathon weekend was in preparation for the arrival of Mass Effect 3, a game that looks so incredibly badass, I can hardly contain myself. I’ve never actually been excited for the release of a video game before. It’s a really strange feeling… And, I realize my weekend marathon pales in comparison to some video game marathons I’ve heard about, but since I’m just a baby gamer, I’m OK with that.

Photos by Aarron!

Uniformly Different (or, how my school uniform taught me creativity).

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Earrings and boots,, Locale; Jersey blazer, Aritzia; Tee shirt, lululemon athletica; Bangle, Melanie Lynn; Ring, Francesa Romana; Velvet skinnies, Suzy Shier.

Wait, what? Didn’t I wear this in yesterday’s post? Except not? The blazer is the only piece that is the same from this post to yesterday’s post, but the pieces are super similar. Skinny jeans yesterday, velvet skinnies today. lululemon tee shirt yesterday, lululemon tee shirt today. Boots yesterday and boots today… It’s almost the same outfit.

Except that it isn’t the same outfit. Wearing white and cognac and navy velvet instead of black and black and jeans changes the look and feel of the outfit, even if the elements are super similar. You can totally change the look and feel of an outfit by changing just a few little things about it.

I am a graduate from a Catholic Girls School, kilts and Britney Spears jokes all the way. Beyond the challenging curriculum, it taught me that wearing similar outfits does not always mean death to personal style. That can definitely happen, mind you. By definition, uniform means the same. But I learned how to change the look and feel of my uniform by changing around the small things I did have control over – my shoes, knee socks versus stockings, pleat-front navy pants versus Blackwatch kilt, cardigans versus vests versus blazers, ties or no ties… And that’s not even including accessories, make-up, hairstyle and breaking the uniform rules.

Don’t be scared to wear similar outfits regularly. It is good to investigate creativity from within a set of restrictions. But remember that it is a slippery slope, and sartorial stagnation is a risk.

Do you have a sartorial “uniform?” If so, how do you keep from going stagnant?

The (awesome) burden of being a lone nut.

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Sunnies, Joe Fresh; Earrings, Ten Thousand Villages (Edmonton); Scarf, random boutique in Brasília; Jersey blazer, Aritzia; Tee shirt, lululemon athletica; Ring, InPink (won in a giveaway from Tieka!); Jeans, Ardene; Boots, Town Shoes.

This jersey knit blazer might be my new most favorite item in my closet.

This is the burden of being a recovering sweat pants addict… Being instantly attracted to jersey knit. This blazer is so much more comfortable than any other blazer I own or have owned, because it moves with me… and I am constantly moving, randomly bursting into dance, jumping around excitedly. The burden of being a lone nut who breaks into dance randomly is that I need clothing that moves with me. Boy howdy, I am a lone nut who loves to burst into dance at random intervals. Heh, I suppose, when you get right down to it, being a lone nut isn’t a burden at all. It’s kind of awesome, especially when you find clothes that allow you to be a lone nut AND look good at work.

And, not that I’ve ever been anything but a lone nut who randomly bursts into dance, but I think that being a lone nut is a lot of fun. Wouldn’t change myself for anything.

Pictures by Aarron!