I’ve never done a “What I’m Wearing” post before.. probably because before Instagram, I didn’t realize it was so hip to be vain. But since it is, I have absolutely no problem hopping on that bandwagon. Especially since I’d consider my sense of style to be “hopping on the whatever everyone else is wearing” bandwagon. 

I absolutely do not claim to be a fashionable person. I say with a fair amount of certainty that when people think of me, their first instinct isn’t to acquaint me with style. If anything, I’m living proof that you can dress decently and borderline-fashionably on a budget. Because I can’t think of a single article of clothing I own that costs more than $80 [I’d argue most are under $25] and most of them are staple items you can mix and match with other things to create entirely new outfits. 

Yes, I can put an outfit together and yes, I occasionally wow myself when I’m able to pull off something new and out of my comfort-zone but I would say that on the spectrum of fashionable, I tend to err on the side of caution. I wear a ton of neutrals [blacks and whites mostly] and I absolutely have to be comfortable. I’m a huge fan of over-eating so I rarely wear anything that showcases my figure, except for my legs and occasionally, when I have it [read: when I’ve got a double push-up bra on], my cleave. 

Probably my most favourite and most frequently worn items in my closet are tops/dresses/sweaters that look like they belong to pregnant women. And I’m completely comfortable with that. I find ways around that. Just because you wear over-sized articles of clothing does not mean you have to look over-sized too.

shirt: Wilfred
tights: TNA
booties: Sirens
cardigan: Urban Outfitters
necklace: Tiffany & Co.
bracelet: Iron Plume
watches: Esquire + Canadian Watch Importers (ie. Chinatown)

For me, that’s where a lot of wrist-bling and big, statement necklaces come in. It’s easier for me to dress-up a non-dressy outfit than to feel comfortable in something extravagant and cutting edge. Partially because I think people are judging me when I try to dress differently and partially because I’m judging myself for doing it, just the same.

I was that girl that walked into Michael Kors, tried on the $500 watch and said “fuck it, I’m going to Chinatown to find an old-man watch that looks exactly the same” and you know what? I did.

For $30.

watches: Canadian Watch Importers (large) + Esquire (small)
bracelet: (bangles) Ardene 

Lately, I’ve been really into lipstick and matching nail polish, despite my dear boyfriend’s hatred for both. I don’t even know if that’s what you’re “supposed” to do - match your lips to your nails - but I love how much more girly [and to be honest, pretty] I feel when I’m wearing one or the other, or both. I know, it sounds ridiculous but when people mistake you (via email, etc) as a boy that many times, it’s always nice to prove them wrong in person. And lipstick does that. Amongst other things like boobs, hair extensions, and you know, general being-a-girl-ness. 

lips: M.A.C. Sheen Supreme (shade: Insanely It)
necklace: Forever21
top: (actually a onesie) Urban Outfitters 

Because my name [and my enjoyment of watching hockey, going fishing, and assembling IKEA furniture] is unisex/borderline masculine, I like to indulge in my fair share of extremely girly outfits. I loooooooove sequins, tutus and anything pink, frilly or lace but often find it difficult to wear any of these things outside the confines of a camera lens or my birthday party.

Until I found these… These are the girly items I can incorporate into my everyday attire that don’t have people calling me a Carrie Bradshaw rip-off behind my back.

skirt: H&M
belt: H&M
top: H&M
necklace: Tiffany & Co. 

top: H&M
skirt: (actually a onesie) Urban Outfitters
belt: H&M
necklace: Aldo Accessories
watch: Canadian Watch Importers  

Not surprisingly, I’m a huge fan of black. It’s slimming, it goes with absolutely everything [including my kitten] and it’s a nice accent to my blonde hair. As hard as I try, about once a week I usually end up wearing an entirely black outfit and that is something I’ve just come to accept. The blonde hair usually acts as to offset any “goth” remarks that may come out of this happening, but even still, whenever possible [meaning, whenever stuff isn’t dirty], I’ll throw a little pattern into the mix. 

top: H&M
skirt: (actually a onesie) Urban Outfitters
blazer: Dynamite
necklace: Tiffany & Co.

top: Aritzia
jeans: (jeggings) Sirens 
scarf: Ardene
necklace: Tiffany & Co.
jacket: H&M
shoes: Ardene

As you can probably tell, I really don’t have a lot of variety to my wardrobe. I wear the same things a lot because I’m comfortable in them and because I’m a creature of habit. Every morning I’ll try on 8 different outfits and have half of my closet on the floor in hopes of trying something new before I settle on a similar variation of an outfit I wore last week. And I’m completely fine with that. I’ll do this for a while until one day I’ll decide that I’m sick of everything I own and will go out and buy [or in this case, receive as a birthday present] something that is so not me that I fall head-over-heels in love with it. Case in point… 

dress: Vero Moda from ASOS.com
bracelet: Iron Plume

To be honest, I’m not that interested in fashion at all. Occasionally I’ll get on a kick where I absolutely haveeee to have a Michael Kors watch or a Marc Jacobs bag or a Stella McCartney sequined blazer [none of which I own, by the way] but for the most part, I’m comfortable desiring things that are well within my price range. I don’t need to shop extravagantly to feel good about myself and I certainly don’t need to prove to anyone that I know what good style is.

Lately, I’ve taken to thrift shopping - not that I’m very good at it yet - and trying to build outfits out of old items in the back of my closet. So far, moderately successful and really, really fun!

scarf: Aldo Accessories
coat: Goodwill [I didn’t buy it but totally should have]

Of course it feels great to have pretty things that other people are envious of but there are far more important things in life than owning extravagant things. But if you absolutely have to shop sometimes [which, let’s face it, we all do sometimes] all you need are a few solid items [they don’t have to be expensive] to act as the backbone to your wardrobe and you’ll survive juuuuust fine.

Happy shopping, babies!
XXOO