shibori and floral

shorts and kimono, zara; top, gap; backpack, danier; shoes, aldo.

late summer luxe

silk pants, joe fresh; top, bag (bcbg) and sandals via winners; kimono (here as scarf) and choker, zara. revlon black cherry lipstick.

we went to SAT to celebrate my success at RCM flute/birthday very very late and it was a very hot, dry day, so i reverted to my usual summer staples of silk and lace and loose all over. i tied the kimono around my bag like a scarf while it was still hot, and then it was easy to put it on in the evening when it got cool. SAT's menu this month was balkan, perfect for eastern european me, and we had barszcz and some amazing rose, among other things. happy to be back! cheers.

the summer capsule wardrobe

recently I realized I have too many clothes, and it's ruining my style. I can't find anything in my wardrobe because it's so packed, and everything is double-hung. unseasonal clothes are crammed into suitcases under the bed and garments are piled on chairs and thrown on the floor. at some point, navigating my wardrobe became so difficult that i dressed almost exclusively off the floor - whatever i had pulled down and maybe worn for a few hours would become my go-to garment for the next week, or two, or three. the rest of what i had was rotting away and i would find things i didn't realize i owned on a weekly basis. i needed a change.

the 'capsule wardrobe' is something that has appealed to me for a long time, but it has also terrified me. maybe because i didn't have a lot to wear when i suddenly started to like fashion, i developed a hoarding mindset about clothes where i would take what i could get, which at the time meant more outfit possibilities. later, i had a hard time defining my style to myself and dressed completely differently every day based on my mood, so the endless possibilities served my purposes well. the idea of paring down my closet to a few key pieces seemed unrealistic after a decade of hoarding (and taking very good care of) clothing, and, more importantly, my apartment is so tiny i don't really have anywhere to store the rest of my clothes except my closet. and i like them all.

last year this was already becoming a problem so i purged everything i didn't love/wasn't wearing and tried to sell it, but i was still left with too much clothing that i do like and do eventually intend to wear. so what did i do?

nothing, until now. as i've mentioned before i've been going through some pretty intense changes in body shape in the last few months and since the winter i have been unable to squeeze myself into most of my clothes. this made the whole jumble of clothes in my closet seem, increasingly, like my enemy. i would spend an hour in there and not find anything that fit.

so finally, when i realized i had an old ikea clothing rack left over from last year's clothing sale, i did it. that is, i did the next best thing... a temporary capsule wardrobe separated from the rest of my clothes. the rack is moveable so, although it takes up space, i can move it around when it gets in the way. it couldn't be that bad, right? i really only resolved to give it a 'test run' for a month and revisit the idea later.


it's been a month and i thought this would be a good thing to write about. to start off with, some of the things i have in the capsule wardrobe:

zara; handmade in greece; handmade in greece

 these three pairs of flat sandals became my go-to shoes this summer because they're all comfortable, in neutral tones, and with classic shapes that are a little different than the typical sandal. the foam sole and thick straps of the white zara sandals gives outfits a modern and athletic vibe, while the lace-up sandals strike me as kind of mythological looking. i also wore my white and pink oxfords frequently since they are both made of soft, supple leather and of course, they're flat. i can't bring myself to wear heels in the summer.

thrifted silk dress (unlabeled)

 this printed silk slipdress is one of a few i have in my closet which fit me this summer, but i think the others were featured in earlier outfit posts. i am really drawn to breezy, feminine silk dresses in classic silhouettes for the summer since they are really the easiest outfit to put on and the easiest to transform with accessories. this one is also blue and white, my favourite colour combination ever (this is one thing that has not changed over the years). it reminds me of pottery.

 

winners; winners; buffalo via winners

 i think i have mentioned before that i love the flattering shape of a wide, short top, especially with high-waisted bottoms. but i also like to show a hint of my figure, so my favourite oversized tops are made of sheer lace and chiffon which gives a light, shrouded effect that i like in every season.

winners; mexx outlet

 and of course as far as tops go, indestructible silks and cottons (especially in white) are my favourite option for when i want an outfit to be effortless but perfect. i don't think i ever feel ugly or awkward in a good silk blouse and they go with everything i try them with.

club monaco; zara

 speaking of things that go with everything, i've been on a quest for a perfect white cotton tank or tee for... probably years, and i am really hard to please because i have all sorts of neuroses about the cut of the neckline and the thickness of the fabric and how soft it is and how it fits but somehow i finally managed to find a white tank i love, on sale at zara. the asymmetric tank above matches my skin exactly (to the point that it's creepy) and fits perfectly as well, but what i really love about it is that it's made of cupro, which is a fabric i've just recently seen in stores. it feels like space-age silk and wears really well, and i can drop my anti-synthetic bias for it gladly.

club monaco lingerie

 loose silk shorts (and pants) have been my go-to bottoms this season, as i'm sure you can tell if you have seen any of my outfit posts recently. they're more flattering than skirts are with my current body type and are easier to pair with strangely silhouetted tops, but they're so comfortable they feel like sleepwear (or in this case, they literally are sleepwear). and i've been wearing them printed to add some visual interest, whether i'm wearing a white top or several other prints at once.

zara via ebay

 this silk kimono has been my single favourite item of clothing this season because 1. it looks and feels like pyjamas, 2. it goes with everything, and 3. it makes me forget all my insecurities on days when i just don't want anyone to see my legs, or waist, or anything.  this is an alternative to the usual 'blazer' that goes into a capsule wardrobe, because i don't really like blazers and because i don't work in an office (well, i do, but not that kind of office).

calvin klein via winners; wacoal via winners

and the most important thing, for me at least, is good underwear. i find it hard to find bras in my size (32DD), especially ones which aren't padded and cleavage-creating, and it's really important for me because of how many sheer tops i wear. my underwear needs to be at least as beautiful as the shirt i'm wearing. a basic black bra goes with every outfit, and the brighly printed calvin klein bra above gives monochrome outfits some visual interest. the straps are also so pretty i can actually wear it with dresses made for small-breasted girls who don't need bras, and it doesn't ruin the effect entirely.

with these things in my mini wardrobe, i barely needed anything else. i grabbed blouses or dresses from my 'real' wardrobe every few days to pair with things on this rack, but then i usually knew exactly what i wanted and didn't bother going through things that didn't fit my body or the weather. and i stopped wearing outfits i didn't like. i began to wear things i loved every single day.

the best part about having about 20-30 items on a rack (and a little shelf) within easy reach was that it took me no time at all to get dressed in the morning, even when i woke up 10 minutes before work started or was late to meet someone to go out. i was confident that everything there fit, and it all goes together. and since the rack is not packed full, it was easy to hang clothes up again rather than throwing them on the floor and wrinkling them.

the main caveat is that all this was only possible because i have found my style developing more consistency lately. i don't feel much like playing with drastically different styles and moods anymore, as having a style identity seems to give me more confidence than being a chameleon once did. if i wanted to switch styles frequently and wear a lot of trends, i don't think it would have been easy.

but as it is, i think i will continue this experiment past the end of the month and i'm actually excited to put together a capsule for fall, which will look very different. look forward to a post on that too, and hopefully it won't be as long and rambling!

what about you? do you like the concept of a capsule wardrobe? how do you choose what to wear every day? i'd love to hear from my readers. cheers, and see you in 2 weeks after my vacation!

two ways to wear a lace skirt II - for work

skirt, zara; blouse and shoes, gap; jacket, ellen tracy via winners; bag, bcbg via winners; necklace, joe fresh.

for the second instalment in my little series of posts about styling this skirt, here are some photos of how i wore it to work and out for coffee afterwards - with a floral applique blouse, suede oxfords and a messy looking tweed jacket. as you may have noticed, i feature this $5 necklace a lot in my outfits because it's big enough and neutral enough to stand out against kind of awkward necklines and dull colours very well, and i'm not worried about losing or breaking it since it was so cheap. the shoes were a purchase i made with greece in mind but i ended up not wearing them much there because it was so dusty; they're perfect for urban montreal and it feels like i'm wearing socks on my feet, not shoes.

again i went with the white floral embroidery on the bottom and on the top and pastels all over which is normally not my thing, but this time i think the clashing textures and chunkier jewelry give the whole outfit a more grown up and deliberate vibe despite the fact that it kind of looks like something a 5 year old would put together. oh well, sometimes the day just calls for styling that's as saccharine as possible.

this will be one of my last outfit posts in the next two weeks since i'm heading out camping until the end of august, but i'll try to squeeze in a couple posts before i'm back. cheers!

two ways to wear a lace skirt I - for fun

i wrote in my journal of lists recently that i should only buy things which are perfect, but i will be painfully honest: as i'm dealing with a body shape and size i'm unaccustomed to, i can't seem to find anything which is perfect. out of a sort of desperation to find at least one summer skirt i can wear following some health issues and subsequent weight gain, i finally caved and bought this not-quite-ideal skirt for $15 on sale at zara, despite its awkward midwaistedness and slightly unflattering silhouette. i was determined i would make it work with my wardrobe somehow, if only because i was just sick of wearing shorts every single day. therefore, for my own benefit more than for that of my readers, i present to you this series of posts about how to wear an awkwardly midwaisted, seafoam green lace-overlay miniskirt in the heat of summer. look and learn, friends.


i went to the word to buy some children's books for a toddler i know, and to indoctrinate her with a love of cats from the earliest possible age. for that occasion (we will call it 'fun') i wore the skirt with these natural leather lace-up sandals and cropped eyelet blouse for a sort of effortlessly girly casual look which, even for me, is a bit much. but i love going over the top with variations on the same texture or pattern, so here i decided to combine two different types of white embroidery and equally complicated-looking shoes and i think it's actually pretty charming.

stay tuned for the next lace skirt look(s) which will follow!

what's silk and printed all over?

silk bow-back blouse, gap; silk shorts, zara; tweed jacket, ellen tracy via winners; sandals from an artisan in greece. 

when i'm not wearing white in the summer i'm wearing mixed prints and here is a perfect example of my go big or go home mindset. not only are both these silk pieces printed, they're also both textured. the shorts have a shell pattern kind of embossed onto them and the blouse has swiss dots. look carefully. i don't know what that's all about but apparently the new cool thing to do is to put completely unrelated prints and textures both on the same fabric. whatever, i love texture. the more the better, hence the tweed.

and for my feet, these sandals, which were about 15 euros and a last pair and they actually repaired them for me in the store. i think they're one of the most unique pairs of sandals i've seen while simultaneously looking really classic. sorry about the chipped toenail polish - if you knew me you would know that i am the worst ever at personal grooming (see earlier posts about this).

and look at the back on that blouse! isn't it cute?

lines

dress, hurley via winners; top via winners; shoes custom fitted in greece; necklace, topman. on my roommate: tee and hat, zara man.

it's been sweltering hot in montreal lately so i wore this breezy silk dress under a chiffon top to protect my skin from the sun. the shoes were custom fitted by a sandalmaker in athens whose shop was hidden in one of the sketchiest neighbourhoods ever, but his shop was so crowded that it was impossible to get in and try things on. he's a real artist. i posted about it on my tumblr last summer, and i finally get a chance to wear them!

cheers!