Outfit #32: P is For...

I almost didn't post this outfit, and then i thought i should share some of my failures as well as my triumphs. When i picked these items out last night i imagined them coming together in some sort of cool 90s grunge way. Instead, i look a bit like an awkward frumpy teenager from the 90s. I don't think it's my best look.

Should i shorten this skirt? I might try another outfit with it at this length first...but i have a feeling that it needs to be a bit shorter to counteract the matronliness of the paisley print.

Shirt: concert merch table (which one???)
Skirt: Goodwill

Outfit #31: To the rescue!

I have a deep affection for this dress, as I feel that i saved it from a sad and untimely demise. A few years ago I was doing some alterations for a woman that owns a vintage store here in Toronto. This lovely, amazing dress was in a bin of things to be shotened, and i absolutely could not do it. I suppose i can see why it would have made it more saleable (not everyone shares my appreciation for a demure midi-legnth dress) but it seemed such a shame to cut off  the fantastic graphic pattern at the bottom. So, i sacrificed a large portion of what i would have made on that bin of alterations in exchange for the dress.

I have this terrible fear that one day there will be no more good vintage left and consequently nothing left for me to wear.
 

Outfit #30: Pearls and Lace

It's finally spring in Toronto! It was a gorgeous, warm, sunny day today, perfect for bike riding and wandering and seeing friends, one of which was kind enough to take some photos for me.

Outfit #29: Wild Nothing

There's nothing like a comfortable jersey dress for a Friday. Also worth noting: everything in the outfit was new when i bought it, except the necklace which was my mum's.

Scarf: Urban Outfitters
Dress: Vena Cava for Uniqlo
Cardigan: Joe Fresh
Shoes: Topshop

Outfit #28: Little old lady

I sprained my ankle on Tuesday which has had me hobbling around like an old lady. I decided i should dress the part. 

Outfit #27: This Sporting Life

There is nothing like a good dress to perk up a Monday, and this may be my favourite dress ever. The print on it is the best thing...but i love the neckline, the pockets, and how comfortable it is as well!

Cardigan: Clothing Swap at The Make Den
Dress: Goodwill

Outfit #26: April Showers

One of my BFFs had her wedding shower today, so i thought i would be the perfect day to wear a lovely spring dress! Of course it was still barely above zero, so i layered it up with a cardigan and a blazer and my lovely lace scarf/shawl...bit still it was nice to wear a pretty dress underneath it all.

Dress: Club Monaco

Outfit #25: Stuck in the 90s.

I am not sure why exactly i think this outfit is a bit 90s-esque but that is definitely how i feel about it. I bought the blouse on my Goodwill expedition last weekend and i am quite happy with it! Sadly this outfit only gets one photo. I took photos before leaving for work yesterday and my eyes were closed in most of them!

Bonus points if you can identify the 90s band that sang the song with the same title as this post. Hint: being familiar with this band makes me extra nerdy. Before you judge though, please keep in mind that i was 11 when the song came out.

Blouse: Goodwill
Belt: Dorothy Perkins
Skirt: Jacob

Outfit #24: So hip

This is not the kind of skirt i usually wear, but it was given to me and it matches this awesome top perfectly so I thought i should give it a try. I actually think i'm pulling it off, and it's really comfortable.

Also, more florals. I really wear a lot of florals...

Top: Penny Arcade 
Skirt: Club Monaco (hand-me-down)
Tights ASOS (first ASOS purchase!)

Floral Bling

Did anyone else have tons of giant plastic rings in the 90s? This is my (slightly) more sophisticated throwback...

Outfit #23: Posies and Polka Dots

Another day, another floral printed dress...i love this dress because i always feel pretty in it! It's also the only vintage things i own where i didn't take the shoulder pads out straight away. When i wear it i always think i should leave shoulder pads in things more often, but i never remember this when i guy new things. It may also be that the shoulder pads in this dress work for some unique magical reason...

Dress: Goodwill
Cardigan: Club Moncao
Necklace: Garage Sale

Outfit #22: Stripes Ahoy!

I bought this great skirt because i loved the shape and colour, without giving the least thought to how it would work with the rest of my wardrobe. So far i've worn it with either a. all black or b. all navy. If anyone has any recommendations on what colours look good with bright green please tell me!

I'm pleased with this outfit though.

Land Ho!
Top: Club Monaco
Skirt: Joe Fresh
Cardigan: Club  Monaco

This necklace is a bit of treasure from my mum's costume jewelry box

Outfit #21: Spring Layers

The weather in Toronto was trying to be spring today. There was some sunshine, and the temperature was definitely above zero all day, so I decided it was a good idea for venturing out into the world for some shopping.

For my first excursion i thought i would check out a couple of Goodwill locations, Runnymede and St Clair, and said Clair and Bathurst. The Value Village at Bloor and Lansdowne tends to be my go to thrift store in Toronto, mostly due to it's convenient location, but i had some things to donate, and i'd rather donate to Goodwill since it's not for profit. The Goodwill locations also had the advantage of providing me with a good destination for a bike ride. I would say they were worth the trip, although  neither is as big as Value Village I did pick up a few things, and Goodwill is definitely less expensive than Value Village. They have also started sizing their clothes (finally!) which makes them easier to shop in than they used to be.  My favourite thrift store ever is the one in London, ON though. I would LOVE to hear any recommendations for other thrift store locations worth checking out in the city!!

Later in the afternoon I went for a walk to check out a lovely new Vintage shop called Monarch Vintage. It's on the south side of Bloor Street just west of Ossington. I got two really pretty blouses and there were many other tempting items, and the owner was friendly and helpful. I will definitely be going back for more lovely things.

Hat: Somewhere in Manchester?
Blazer: Flashback in Kensington Market
Scarf: Chinatown

Cardigan: Marilyn Moore
Grey Jumper: Club Monaco
Belt: Value Village
Dress: Goodwill

Outfit #20: Intergalactic

Last night i went out with my sister to a nightclub. Not some dive-y nightclub with cheap drinks and retro music, but a proper club district nightclub with super intense flashing lights and imported DJs and people wearing sunglasses and assumably very expensive cocktails. So of course i wore my absolute coolest going out top. Despite this and also despite wearing tights as pants again I was still by far one of the most demurely dressed ladies in the place.

It was fun. I like dancing.

Top: Boutique Cherie (Koreatown)
Necklace: Aldo

There a couple of really cute boutiques in Koreatown, and they always seem to have a few drapey one-size-fits-all items that actually do fit me. I could not resist the amazing print on this top! 

    

Outfit #19: Perfect

One of my cool, awesome friends picked out this dress for me. I went to Value Village after work one Friday and ran into her there, and she promptly told me that's she'd just seen the perfect dress for me while browsing. I went to look and of course when i saw this dress i knew it had to be the one! 

Dress: Value Village
Belt: H&M

Outfit #18: Something old, something new

One item of clothing that I have a hard time finding second hand is tops...also 90% of the tops i wear are knits. Every time i go shopping i think think i should look for tops that aren't knit...but i never seem to find any. Maybe i need to try some new shops.

Skirt: Goodwill
Belt: Value Village
Top: Club Monaco
Brooch (worn on necklace): Ransack the Universe

Outfit #17: Purple Haze

I thought I had outgrown wearing purple but it appears i haven't, this dress jumped right out at me through the cluttered rail at Value Village...how could I miss it really? If it wasn't for the fact that i was mostly covered up in a cardigan for most of the day you probably couldn't miss me in this dress either.

Dress: Value Village
Belt: Value Village
(I am realising just how much of my wardrobe is thrifted...)

I got this pretty little necklace at a flea market in Berlin

I matched my black and white glasses to my black and white necklace.
 I am certain no one noticed this.