WHAT I WORE

T-shirt – Quiksilver
Cutoff Levis – thrifted
Gold belt – thrifted
Shoes – CoolWay
Harness – Clyde’s Rebirth
Watch – Avon

I had one last outfit post before I shaved my head 2 weeks ago. Oh how I do NOT miss having that hair in my face and eye balls. Best decision ever, I just should have done it sooner.

I don’t think I’ve ever done a proper outfit post with my Clyde’s Rebirth harness. The creator, Mizz Merl Kinzie is a dear friend of mine who is incredibly talented (except when it comes to cooking an omelet). All of her one of a kind pieces are made from old vintage jewellery.

WHAT I WORE

Shirt – Roxy (old)
Jeans – Guess (clothing swap)
Cowboy boots – thrifted
Watch – Avon (gift)

My cowboy boots only come out to play a few times a year. In fact, they pinch my toes if I wear them too long. Unfortunately when you shop at thrift stores, not everything is going to fit perfectly. That doesn’t mean you should buy things that don’t fit, just that until I find new [old] cowboy boots, these will do for my fair attending and square dance classes. I still wore them this weekend for a few hours at the fair. It’s just a tradition of mine. Sometimes I even go as far as wearing my cowboy hat too. You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl.

P.S. Look how blonde my hair was in 2011 & how short it was in 2012! Having a personal style blog is like looking at your high school year book some days.

WHAT I WORE

Shirt – Clothing Swap
Cutoff shorts – thrifted
Leather bag – thrifted
Sandals – Old Navy (from years ago)
Vintage 80’s sunglasses – thrifted
Earrings – thrifted

I’ve been pretty much living in these Levis cutoff shorts all summer. When it was hot out and I grudgingly pulled on clothes to go out to meet a friend or run errands, these were usually within arm’s reach. I even wore them to Osheaga. Needless to say, I got my money’s worth with these shorts. Can’t really say the same about the rest of my shorts.

It’s times like these that make me want to go through my closet and get rid of half of what I own. How the heck do you counteract your hoarder tendencies and your inability to let go? I clearly remember being a kid and wanting my sister’s toy, trading with her and instantly realizing it was a terrible mistake, I had the better one in the first place. Maybe it was a case of ‘grass is greener’ but I think about that toy every time I get rid of a piece of clothing or accessory. What if I think up a PERFECT outfit and I just got rid of the key piece? Are you rolling your eyes? yeah, me too.

I feel like things to keep in mind when it comes to a closet are the following:

1. Does it flatter me? The piece might be one of a kind and look amazing on an amazonian supermodel. That doesn’t mean it will be flattering on my 5’1 body.
2. Does it fit properly? I am terrible with this one… what if I lose weight? what if I gain weight? but I could stop eating for a week! Kidding, I love food. This one is tricky, I recently lost a bit of weight (all those hikes up the mountain?) and some pieces don’t fit me anymore [do I get rid of them? what if I gain the weight back?] and now some pieces I couldn’t bring myself to sell despite them being a tad too small fit me. [thank god I didn’t throw them out?] It’s tricky but you have to focus on what size you are right now.
   
3. Do I need it? I’m currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird and I want to slap myself for ever being unsatisfied with what I have (poverty is an important element in the book.) So yeah, there’s a good chance you DON’T need it. Think about how lucky you are.
   

WHAT I WORE

Billabong t-shirt – thrifted
Tribal mini skirt – thrifted
Panama hat – thrifted
Vintage 80’s sunglasses – thrifted
Earrings – thrifted
Leather bag – thrifted
Sandals – old navy (from years ago)

You know what I love? An 85% thrifted outfit. [That doesn’t include underwear for you curious creepos] I visited my parents for the weekend – which explains the outfit photos – and hit up the church sale and flea market with my mom. The hat, bag and sunglasses above were part of the haul from the church, which worked out well since they were announcing rain all weekend and I didn’t pack any sunglasses.  P.s. You suck weather network.

I haven’t posted an outfit in over a month! And to think I used to post almost daily. I don’t bust my ass just to get a photo of my outfit anymore. There was a time where I would stress out about not getting photos of my outfits, scared of missing the light, freezing my butt off in the cold all for the sake of showing other people what I was wearing. (weird, no?) It feels great to get past that point. I think I started ‘fashion’ blogging at a time that I needed something more in my life and my blog filled that need, gave me a goal and forced me to try new things and be inspired by other bloggers. I just felt like something was missing if I didn’t post every day. I would sometimes get home at 11 or 12 at night after my night classes and set up my tripod and take outfit photos.

I have lots of days where I wonder if I want to keep blogging here. I do enjoy encouraging people to think outside the box, shop at thrift stores and pick quality pieces over quantity but sometimes I feel like I have too many things going on and I am spreading myself too thin across the board. I have a full time job, an etsy store, TWO blogs and photography on the side. Then there is twitter, instagram, all the blogs I read (or try to read). There are also all the workshops I want to do, classes I want to take. The list of what I want to do goes on and on. You know, like owning a horse I can ride around, living off the fat of the land, skydiving… the usual.

I’m not quitting my blog, I just need to find a good middle ground. Maybe that means making some changes, I haven’t figured it out yet. But I no longer worry about keeping up a constant flow of outfit posts here. I feel like the blog is at a quiet but comfortable place now. I love showing you guys how great Montreal is with my weekend photos and sharing all the goodies I find at thrift stores to encourage you to do the same. And the occasional picture of me posing awkwardly is just the cherry on top!

WHAT I WORE

Top – RW & co
High waist terrycloth shorts – thrifted (Zara)
Shoes – CoolWay, Little Burgundy
Bracelets – flea market
Vintage Vuarnet sunglasses – thrifted

I found these brand new (with tags)  Zara shorts at the 99 cent sale at the Salvation Army a while back. It was like a sunbeam shone through the window and landed right on these shorts in my size that were waiting for me to snatch them up before one of the other vultures swooped down on them. 99 cent sales are nothing to mess with, I was a little hung over, dying of heat and dehydration but I left with a few goodies which made my morning worth spending in a crowded Salvation Army. Sometimes these kinds of sales are just not worth the effort and crowds but I was lucky this time.

p.s. I need a haircut!

WHAT I WORE

Tank top – old F21
Vintage rayon skirt – thrifted
Shoes – CoolWay
Vintage woven Bag – thrifted
Hat – thrifted
Earrings – vintage market (Chicago)
Bracelet – old Aldo
Vintage Vuarnet sunglasses – thrifted

I found this skirt at the church sale back in May and planned on putting it in the shop. Well that all changed when I put it and pranced around admiring the colors and pattern. [terrible businesswoman, great closet filled]

It was perfect for the heat wave we’ve been enduring enjoying the last few weeks, rayon is a light fabric and perfect for hot weather. AND it’s real perdy.