What I wore this week 05
I finally cracked the code to why I hate some of my outfits
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This issue is more of a “what I wore recently” but I digress. I’ve been feeling a little uninspired with my outfits lately but I think it has to do with noticing certain holes in my closet that I’m not quite ready to fill. So instead of shopping fast fashion to fill them, I’m going to take my time and save for the pieces I really love. In the mean time, I want to fall back in love with the clothes I do have and really master the art of minimal outfits.
April 8
I attended my first event of the year so it was the perfect chance to get a little more dressed up than usual. I’ve been seeing the wrap cropped trench everywhere so I had to try it for myself. Love how it looked with looser trousers and a pointed boot. Honestly this outfit was really comfortable as well so that’s always a win.
The event I attended was hosted by Amazon Influencers and Clinique since Clinique is now available on Amazon Canada. They brought in a creator who has seen a lot of success as an Amazon affiliate (her words were “I retired my husband”. Everyone gasped.) and it was really inspiring hearing her journey with affiliate marketing and how she’s able to organically integrate it into her content in a non-scammy way.
As someone who’s been in the marketing industry for 10+ years now, I can definitely agree that there are great, ethical ways to market products and then there are greasy, make-you-feel-kind-of-icky ways to do it. Loved seeing that she’s able to share the things she’s genuinely interested in / use and be able to make a living from it. A win in the marketing/content girlie world for sure.
I think that this Oak + Fort version I’m wearing is fine but the cut wasn’t hitting perfectly for me. So if you’re looking for a true, wrapped trench, I’d skip on this one.
April 11
I want to be a cowboy boot girlie so bad but not in the “sundress, floral print, denim skirt, braids” way. As with any pieces I adopt into my wardrobe, I want to make it work with my style and not adopt my style to work for a specific aesthetic. (Power to you if that’s your aesthetic by the way!! Love seeing it on others, it just doesn’t suit me)
The black and grey colorway was definitely what drew me to this boot (I actually purchased this from a REAL COWBOY STORE. That’s how dedicated I was to finding the perfect western boot). Think the boots, saddle-shaped bag, and leather jacket really play into the western feel while my classic jeans + a shirt combo keeps it feeling more wearable and me.
April 14
I both love and mildly dislike this outfit. I had a café / remote working day so I wanted to wear something I’d be comfortable in. This outfit achieved that but the whole time I was in it I could FEEL that something wasn’t hitting right.
Almost a month later I finally figured out what was wrong with the outfit—it has no visual intrigue. Individually, every piece fits me well and are pieces that I love but they only hit 2 out of my 3 style words, hence why it felt like something was missing.
Overall the look was really leaning into the “preppy” aesthetic, which is fine. What’s missing is the contrast portion. My outfits typically always include some form of tension whether it be masculine vs feminine, soft vs edgy, or even playing into something like the wrong shoe theory.
Lesson learned. I don’t hate the outfit but I definitely could’ve stepped it up.
April 18
An outfit that does hit that ‘contrast’ note is this one. I think the linen pants + wrap around black vest plays into the masculine vs feminine but also structured vs soft contradictions. I also love the mix of textures from leather to linen to a crepey material.
Back to the “visual interest” piece that I mentioned earlier, I’ve loved adding an item that stands out in an interesting way. Rather than the traditional “statement piece” which could be a pop of colour or something loud, a “visual interest” piece could be something in the same color palette but just contrasts the outfit. This vintage Miss Sixty bag I found while vintage shopping in Berlin is one I often reach for as a visual interest accessory. I love all the grommets and the cut out leather pieces. I count on this piece a lot even though it’s a quiet, muted, dark olive green color.
April 19
Girly dates are my favorite reason to head into the city.
and I decided to wander around Gastown and check out a few stores we haven’t been to yet. I’ve been wanting to check out 157moments for a while and we both loved the curation and styling of the store.
This outfit is another good example of subtle visual interest. The blazer wouldn’t be the most typical choice for the summer-y tee + maxi skirt + straw bag combo which is why I think it goes so well. While it is a more structured piece, the thin wool/silk fabric still allows it to be flowy and soft. I think the flip flops really are the star of the show though. Love using flip flops as my wrong shoe theory piece so you’ll be seeing my Havianas a lot this spring/summer.
I’m going to be traveling over the next few weeks so we’ll be pausing the WIWTW series until I’m back! Instead, I’ll be writing more travel fashion content to hopefully bring outfit ideas and new shops to browse.
Until then!