Outfit deets: Earrings, Out of the Blue; Chambray shirt, Shoulder; Wrap, H&M; Black jeans, Banana Republic; Boots, Rocketdog; Ring, Francesca Romana.

I was so excited in this outfit.

Wanna know why? Let’s see if you can guess from this picture:

You guessed it!

PRINCE CONCERT!

Aarron managed to score tickets to the show, and what a show it was! I wasn’t really sure what to expect going in, I’ve only ever heard wonderful things about Prince in concert, but he and his band blew me away. Countless encores. Two of the encores happened after they turned the house lights back on, but the crowd refused to stop cheering at the top of their lungs. The first time the house lights when back up after the second encore, I have never heard a louder collective noise of disappointment. The cheering started back up almost immediately.

Tip for concert-goers who don’t know this already: never leave a show until the techs start tearing down the gear on stage. If you do, you’ll probably miss something. I was surprised by how many people left the show before the 3rd, 4th and 5th encores. 6th encore? I don’t know.

Guyliner, lucite high heels, tight flared white pants, pompadour… Never has that combination been so hot.

Pictures by Aarron!

Outfit deets: Floppy brim hat and brown lace cardigan, Le Chateau; Scarf and brown tights, Mom’s Closet; Ruffle front knit vest, Anthropologie; Sweater dress, Suzy Sheir; Loafers, Aldo.

Without really trying, I wound up wearing an outfit that reminded me quite a bit of Jackie from That ’70s Show. Of course, if Jackie was wearing this attire, she would be wearing it with a pair of cognac knee high stacked heel boots, not flat loafers. If I owned a pair of cognac knee high stacked heel boots, I would be wearing them in this outfit.

I’ve noticed that lately I’ve thought to myself: “This outfit would really be elevated by a pair of cognac knee high stacked heel boots.” More so than I’ve thought similar thoughts about the black boots I’ve had my eyes on. I think I have a hole in my closet, and I didn’t even know it.

However, I do enjoy having an outfit in my head, and not having all the components to that outfit. Forces a sartorial creativity, I think. Yesterday, while playing Outfit Telephone, I didn’t have all the components to Daena or Kasmira’s outfit – but that is what made it fun, really. I had to make it my own, reinvent it a bit, from within the confines of my own closet.

What do you do if you’re missing an integral part to your envisioned outfits? Run out and buy the missing piece? Find something else in your closet that works, even if it doesn’t look as great? Wait-list the outfit until the missing piece finds its way into your closet?

I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus under the mistletoe!

Outfit deets: Earrings, Claire’s; Glasses, Hakim Optical; Blazer, H&M; Button down, Gregory; Cardigan, Shoulder; Antique pressed violets brooch, Christmas gift; Jeans, Seven for all Mankind; Peep toe pumps, Melissa’s by Vivienne Westwood.

This outfit is like a game of style blogging Telephone. First, Daena wore this warm and wonderful combination of corduroy blazer, sweater vest, patterned button up/jeans and colourful shoes that looks phenomenal. Then, Kasmira took inspiration from Daena’s outfit, and wore her interpretation of Daena’s outfit, in cool tones that make her red hair POP! I took inspiration from Kasmira. Like Kasmira (and Daena), I am wearing a bright coloured shoe (these fabulous Vivienne Westwood Melissa’s – first time on the blog), a pair of flared jeans and a cord blazer. Unlike Kasmira (and Daena), but inspired by, I am wearing a plain button down and a patterned cardigan (originally worn on the blog here, before I actually owned the cardigan… took a full year of campaigning to convince my mother that this cardigan was going to be happier in my closet before she gifted it to me, likely just to shut me up). Instead of statement earrings, as in Kasmira’s case, or a statement necklace, as in Daena’s, I opted to wear this fabulous antique brooch (a Christmas gift from one of my best friend’s grandmothers) with REAL pressed violets inside. And as an added nod to Kasmira, I wore my hair inspired by her hairstyle.

Apparently I've forgotten how to keep my eyes open in pictures, but look how pretty Daena and Kasmira are!

Daena, the Telephone Trail Blazer; moi; Kasmira, and her interpretation!

Who is next on the outfit Telephone call? It would be awesome to have a chain of bloggers creating outfits inspired by the last person to interpret the original look. Daena, Kasmira, Rebecca… Who is next?

Outfit deets: Knit beret and skinny jeans, Ardene; Leatherette jacket, Joe Fresh Style; Red plaid button down, stolen from my dad; INSPI(RED) tank, Project(Red) from the Gap; Scarf, Aritzia; Boots, Rocketdog.

I wore this outfit for World AIDS Day on December 01 (check out this fantastic collection of images from around the world on World AIDS Day on Big Picture), but … I didn’t get around to blogging it until today (how does that make sense, foolish girl?). Best laid plans…

However, as December is AIDS Awareness Month, this outfit is still somewhat topical. This Project(Red) tank top is an older tank of mine, acquired almost 6 years ago, when Project(Red) was just starting to take off. I remember trying the top on in a local Gap with a friend of mine, making a joke about how I HAD to have it because Bono told me it was cool. The sales associate assigned to the change rooms just about bit my head off when he overheard my comment, lecturing me about how buying this shirt is a form of social activism, how I should want the shirt because the money goes towards a worthy social cause, how buying the shirt because Bono told me to was what is wrong with North America today.

I was a little bit shocked by his ire, to say the least, especially considering that I was making a joke. I bought the tank regardless of his fit of pique. After all… Bono did tell me the shirt was cool. How could I have resisted that?

It led me to thinking about how much our world has changed since when I was in elementary school, watching an educational cartoon about HIV/AIDS. When AIDS used to be a stigma. When people used to die from AIDS, instead of live with it.

Isn’t it amazing that because of modern research, philanthropist efforts like Project(Red), as early as 2015, we can have an entire generation of babies born without AIDS? Amazing.

Outfit deets: Hat, Esprit; Oversized cardi, Vera Moda; Dress and overlay, Vitran from the Bay; Leggings, lululemon; Boots, Groundhog.

I felt like a saucy Raggedy Anne in this getup. Yesterday, I was rushed to get dressed to meet Roomie Aarron for lunch. I hadn’t left myself enough time, and I was feeling frantic and frazzled. Interestingly enough, I’d just finished writing a comment about not taking time to plan out outfits being the main reason behind my losing Sartorial creativity on Tiffany’s most recent blog post about Rewearing versus Remixing over at A Reason to be Fabulous. And then? I didn’t take time to plan an outfit.

I rushed around my room, looking for clothing, hating everything that I pulled on, having a mini temper tantrum/mental breakdown, but committing to the clothing I was putting on because I had to leave RIGHT AWAY. I was absolutely convinced I was going to hate what I wound up putting on.

But I loved it. I love how many layers I’m wearing, and how everything is both funky and flowy. The dress with the overlay was gifted to me by my mom, and there are so many cute and interesting little details – the animal print on the yoke, the inserts of mini plaid on the skirt, the bright yellow stitching around the neckline that are reminiscent of roman numerals, the open laces on the back of the overlay… I felt a bit like Raggedy Anne gone high street in this outfit, and it put a pep in my step.

I looked for Raggedy Andy, but I guess he stayed home.

Photo cred to the non-raggedy, very fabulous, Aarron.

Outfit deets: Hat and wrap, H&M; Sweater, Joe; Skinny jeans, Ardene; Loafers, Aldo; Ring, Out of the Blue; Wicker woven bangle, Melanie Lynn.

Boy howdy did I struggle with this outfit. I was in some kind of a bizarra slump having to do with this sweater. I really enjoyed how I styled this sweater the first time that I wore it, and originally, I copied that look down to almost every detail, with the exception of the hat.

As I gazed at myself in the mirror, I realized that my copying the previous outfit was almost completely inadvertent. And that I really didn’t want to wear the exact same outfit again. After all, that was part of the reason why I got into my sweat pants addict conundrum in the first place.

So, I revisited my closet, and found alternatives, created a few different outfits. I wound up choosing this specific outfit because the subtle stripes in the sweater are complemented by the bolder stripes in the wrap, and it was the kind of day where being wrapped in a blanket was the best kind of accessory. And happily, I can wear these shoes for even longer than before without negative consequence. Stubbornness has its benefits!