Fashion Friday!

Building a cohesive wardrobe

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LogoI’ve written before about my 3Cs of fashion… classy, confident, and comfortable, but today I want to look at another C… cohesive. Cohesion could be the difference between a wardrobe that works and one that doesn’t, so what does this C word mean?

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, cohesive means “united and working together effectively” and the Collins English Dictionary says that something that is cohesive “consists of parts that fit together well and form a united whole”. That sounds like a workable wardrobe to me!

So what makes a wardrobe cohesive? I would suggest two things… most of the tops work with most of the bottoms and the majority of the garments are versatile enough to be dressed up or down for a variety of venues and occasions.

How then do we build that cohesive wardrobe? Obviously, few of us can scrap our entire closet full of clothes and start from scratch, but begin by evaluating what you already have and then work toward making purchases that add cohesion.

  • If you haven’t already, define your personal style. I’ve written about how to use Pinterest to help you do that here.
  • Choose a colour palette. Build your basic wardrobe around a few colours that suit your complexion, that you feel drawn to, and that coordinate well with one another. This doesn’t have to be boring. Scarves and accessories are a great way to add pops of other colours. Pattern and texture also add variety.
  • Only buy pieces that will go with what you already own. Ask yourself, can I wear this at least three different ways with items that I already have in my closet? If so, it will probably be a good purchase. This may not work for something like a special occasion dress, but it’s a good rule of thumb for most other wardrobe purchases.

If you follow these simple suggestions, you’ll end up with a cohesive wardrobe that will make getting dressed in the morning easy and enjoyable. No more staring at a closet full of mismatched clothes and moaning about having nothing to wear!

Nothing to wear

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I’ve been thinking a lot about cohesiveness lately for two reasons. First of all, spring is finally coming to the Canadian prairie and I’ll soon be doing my seasonal wardrobe switch. As I bring out my spring/summer wardrobe, I’ll be looking at it with a critical eye and deciding where the gaps are and what I need to fill them with. Secondly, it’s less than two weeks until I’ll be packing that teeny tiny suitcase and flying off to Europe for three and a half weeks. This will be our first attempt at traveling with carry-on luggage only, so whatever goes into that one little suitcase is going to have to work well together!

Choosing the shoes

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LogoOne of my favourite fashion bloggers, Susan B of une femme d’un certain âge, frequently suggests that when you’re planning what to pack for a trip, you should start with the shoes. That hasn’t been my usual practice, but for our upcoming trip to Europe I thought perhaps I should follow her advice.

I firmly believe that the best way to see a city is on foot. We’re going to be visiting several cities and I expect that we’ll be doing a LOT of walking. Some of it will even be on cobblestone streets! Comfortable shoes are an absolute must. In fact, they’re probably the most important things we’ll take with us, so from the moment we started planning I’ve been thinking about which ones should go with me.

I have several pairs of trendy fashion sneakers, but they’re more about looks than long distance walking. I thought about taking my trusty Merrell hiking shoes, but they’re all about comfort on the trail and not very attractive to look at. No, I wanted something that was comfortable and supportive for all the walking we’ll be doing, but also nice looking. Nothing in my shoe collection seemed to fit the bill.

Then I wandered into a Payless closing out sale to see what was left on the shelves and there they were! A pair of Airwalk Speed Vitesse sneakers in rose gold!

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I was pretty sure I’d found my new travelling companions and it didn’t hurt that they were on sale for 30% off. Since buying them, I’ve worn them on two long walks and now I know for certain that I’ll be walking the streets of Europe in them. They definitely tick all the boxes for me! Comfortable, casual, and classy looking!

I’m hoping that there’s room for one or two other pairs of shoes in my teeny tiny carry-on suitcase, but if I had to go with only one pair, these ones would do the job.

Which Diane are you?

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LogoBefore I begin, I want to give credit where credit is due. As I sat in doctor’s waiting room earlier this week, I came across the idea for this post in a recent issue of Zoomer magazine. “It’s time to embrace your inner Diane,” suggested veteran stylist, Susie Sheffman in an article written by Karen von Hahn. “There’s a Diane for every one of us, and all of them are inspiring.”

She was referring to Diane Keaton, Diane Sawyer, and Diane von Fürstenberg, all in their early 70s and all style icons in their own right. I’ve written before about choosing your own style icon, someone whose style you admire or whose outfits you love. So, is there a Diane for you?

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Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton is known for her quirky, androgynous style. She wears her menswear inspired suits with panache. Her signature style made its debut over 40 years ago with her starring role in “Annie Hall” but apparently the bowler hat that she wore in the movie came from her own closet. To this day she is often seen wearing a similar one.

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Diane Sawyer

American television journalist, Diane Sawyer, on the other hand, epitomizes classic, sophisticated style. Her tailored outfits are both figure-flattering and professional looking.

NEW YORK – MAY 05: American television journalist Diane Sawyer attends Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World Gala at the Frederick P. Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 5, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Kempin/WireImage for Time Inc.)

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Diane Von Fürstenberg

Flamboyant is the word that comes to mind when I think of Belgian fashion designer Diane Von Fürstenberg. Her taste is eclectic and colourful. Once married to a German prince, she could now be rightly called the queen of boho!

Mandatory Credit: Photo by MJ Photos/WWD/REX/Shutterstock (9628831d) Diane von Furstenberg 9th Annual DVF Awards, Arrivals, New York, USA – 13 Apr 2018

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So which Diane are you? Do you see yourself in any of them or is your style completely different? If I had to choose, I’d say that my style is closest to Diane Keaton’s but somewhat less extreme. I could see myself dressed as she is in this final photo and I love her hats, but I tend toward a more feminine look than she does.

Diane Keaton out and about, London, UK - 16 Jun 2016

We’re each one unique. It’s fun to get ideas and inspiration from other women, but in the end, love who you are and don’t try to be anyone else!

Spring jacket

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LogoOne spring, many years ago, while shopping for something completely unrelated, I fell in love with a classic anorak in a light beige colour. At the time, I didn’t really need a new spring coat and I did my best to talk myself out of buying it. “I don’t need it,” I told myself. “It will show every speck of dirt,” I continued. My arguments were futile. The jacket insisted on coming home with me and I’m ever so glad it did. I’ve literally worn it until the collar and the cuffs are threadbare. It’s been through the washer innumerable times and always came out looking good.

As much as I still love that old jacket, by the end of last season I had to admit that it was time to begin thinking about a replacement. Then, about a month ago, I was sitting on a bench at the entrance to the fitting rooms in a Reitmans store in Red Deer waiting for my sister-in-law to try on a blouse when I glanced across the store and there it was!

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A classic anorak is a lightweight jacket, long enough to cover the hips and typically with a hood, that protects the wearer against wind and rain; perfect for spring and fall in our part of the world. With a drawstring at the waist, it’s roomy enough to wear over a sweater on chillier days, but can be snugged in for a more fitted look if desired.

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My jacket came in navy and this lovely olive green, both colours that are very much on trend this spring. I don’t know if it will last as long as its predecessor did, but I’m certainly enjoying wearing it now that our weather is finally warming up and the last bits of snow are quickly disappearing!

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The Heart of cabi Foundation

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LogoIf you’ve been reading my blog for very long, you know that I wear a lot of cabi. There are many reasons for that and one of them is definitely the Heart of cabi Foundation.  ❤

The mission of the foundation is to encourage and empower women in need around the world. This is accomplished in several ways. For each new stylist who joins the company, cabi funds a small business loan in her name for a woman entrepreneur in a developing country. They do this in partnership with Opportunity International, a nonprofit organization that works to end global poverty by creating and sustaining jobs. To date, 15 232 loans have been funded in 62 countries around the world. To learn more about this program and to meet some of the women who have benefitted from it, watch the short video at the end of this post.

❤  The Heart of cabi Foundation is also very actively involved in domestic giving primarily through disaster relief efforts. When disaster hits a community, the foundation partners with local cabi stylists to plan clothing distribution events for women who have lost their homes. Clothing also goes to other groups of women in need including those escaping domestic violence or rescued from human trafficking and those transitioning from homelessness. To date, $54 million USD in clothing has been distributed.

Thankfully, you don’t have to be a cabi stylist to contribute to this worthy cause. Every woman who places a cabi order is given the option of rounding her order total up to the nearest dollar. It may only be a few cents, but together these cents become dollars that empower women who are working to create better futures for themselves, their families, and their communities. In addition, the net proceeds from the sale of one item in each season’s collection helps fund The Heart of cabi Foundation.  ❤

Every season since I was introduced to cabi, I’d look at the Heart of cabi selection, try it on, and think about buying it, but for one reason or another it was never quite right for me. Until this season, that is!

This season’s Heart of cabi piece is the Petal Blouse. The moment I tried it on, I loved it!

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Smooth and lightweight, this body-skimming polyester blouse drapes beautifully and is so comfortable! Although it’s part of the Spring 2019 collection, like many other cabi garments, the Petal Blouse will act as an all-season piece for me. Until the weather warms up, it adds a pop of colour under a sweater or a jacket.

The cardigan on the left is also from cabi, several seasons ago. Cabi is made to last and the sweater has been a workhorse in my wardrobe.

Once summer comes, there are many ways that I can wear the Petal Blouse. There’s the front tuck, the side tuck, and I even like it belted.

Though each cabi garment comes in only one colour or pattern, cabi is committed to ensuring that each piece coordinates with clothing from at least three seasons before and three seasons after making it easy to build a well coordinated, versatile wardrobe. Here I’m wearing my new Petal Blouse with my Brick Dust Skinnies from Spring 2018. It also pairs well with red and burgundy.

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Though most of my spending this year is going to travel, not clothing, I look at this piece as a donation. I’m always happy to support a company with a heart! Besides, it will tuck very easily into the teeny tiny suitcase that I’ll be packing about five weeks from now!                                                                                                ❤

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I have not been compensated in any way and the words are entirely my own.

Three years of Fashion Friday!

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LogoOn March 25, 2016 I introduced a new weekly feature to the blog. From the beginning, Fashion Friday posts have been more than simply “look what I’m wearing today” pieces. Over the past three years, I’ve written about a wide variety of topics related to how we dress, how we present ourselves, and how we feel about ourselves.

One of the reasons that I decided to add a weekly feature to the blog was to ensure that I posted regularly especially during those periods of time when we weren’t doing anything that seemed particularly blog worthy. I’d been following several fashion blogs for quite some time and had learned a lot about my own personal style, so the topic was one that appealed to me. I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to keep it up, but I haven’t run out of ideas yet, so Fashion Friday will continue for the foreseeable future!

There have been a number of unexpected rewards in writing these weekly posts. I’ve challenged myself, stepping out of my fashion comfort zone and trying new looks. I’ve become more confident about my own appearance and more comfortable in my own skin. Best of all, though, I’ve connected with interesting women around the world.

My three most popular Fashion Friday posts have had nothing to do with what I wear. Two of them featured a number of the fashion bloggers that I follow and the third one, posted last July, dealt with the untimely death of fashion model, Cindy Joseph. Hardly a day goes by without someone finding my blog by searching “what kind of cancer did Cindy Joseph die from” or something similar.

Here are photos of a few of the outfits that I’ve worn on the blog over the past three years. I call my style classy casual.

As always, I encourage you to leave a comment below. What would you like to see on the blog in the future? Do you have any fashion questions or topics that you’d like to see me address on upcoming Fridays?

We’re not decorations!

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In the wake of International Women’s Day, I came across a couple of quotes that made me stop and think. More than a decade ago, blogger Erin McKean, writer of A Dress A Day, wrote:

You Don’t Have to Be Pretty. You don’t owe prettiness to anyone. Not to your boyfriend/spouse/partner, not to your co-workers, especially not to random men on the street. You don’t owe it to your mother, you don’t owe it to your children, you don’t owe it to civilization in general. Prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked “female”.

Then, on March 8, International Women’s Day, Susan B. of une femme d’un certain âge wrote:

You don’t owe it to the world to look taller and thinner. You don’t owe it to the world to look younger or more conventionally attractive. You only owe it to yourself to be authentic, to wear what feels right. 

Profound!

Why do we, as women, feel the need to conform to some preconceived image of beauty? Negative body image, often fuelled by media and advertising, contributes to eating disorders, depression, anxiety, relationship problems, substance abuse, and a variety of other health issues. It’s time for us as women to say no more. We are NOT decorations!

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be pretty, but the question I would ask is why? Why do you want to look or dress a certain way? Is it to please yourself or someone else?

Whether your approach to fashion tends toward minimalism like this look from Jessture by Jessica Hu,

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is colourful and eclectic like Iris Apfel’s,

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or falls somewhere in between, discover your unique style and feel true to who you are. It’s so much more important to be happy and healthy than to fit someone else’s idea of pretty, sexy, or alluring. After all, you’re a person of immeasurable value, not a decoration!

Uniqlo ultra light down vest

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LogoI’ve been busy lately planning an upcoming trip. I’m not going to give away any details about our destination just yet, but in addition to going where we’ve never gone before, we’re going to be doing it with carry-on luggage only. I’ve always been pretty good at packing light. I proved that in early 2008 when we left for a full year in Japan with less than what was, at that time, the allowable limit on a plane. This trip, however, is going to take packing light to a whole new level. Three and a half weeks with one teeny, tiny suitcase each!

Though we don’t depart for almost two months, I’m already thinking about what will go into those suitcases. Traveling in the spring, we need to be prepared for varying weather conditions. One of the keys to packing light and yet being prepared for changeable weather has always been layers. Richard, in particular, likes to wear a fleece vest when he’s feeling chilly, but they’re very bulky to pack. The answer? An ultra light down vest from Uniqlo for each of us.

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I don’t really like ordering clothing online. I prefer to see, touch, and try on before I buy, but the closest Uniqlo store is 1300 km away in Vancouver, BC. Since we won’t be there before our big trip, ordering online was our only option. The process was simple and efficient with the package arriving in the mail just eight days after I placed the order.  Unfortunately, however, in spite of the fact that we tried to make sense of the online size charts, Richard’s vest was too small and will need to be returned. While shipping was free and Uniqlo provided a prepaid shipping label for returns, they will deduct a substantial shipping charge from our refund. Uniqlo Canada doesn’t currently offer exchanges for online purchases, so I’ll have to reorder. Unfortunately, the vests were on sale when I initially ordered them, but aren’t any longer. I love Uniqlo clothing, but I do think that their customer service (at least in Canada) could use some improvement.

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In spite of the frustration and extra expense of securing the right size, I think the vests will serve us well. Thin and incredibly lightweight, each comes with it’s own little stuff-sack made of the same water-repellent material as the outer shell. Once in the sack it’s about the size of a 1-litre water bottle and is by no means fully compressed when stored this way. It will easily pop into a day pack or fit amongst the other items in our luggage and add almost nothing to the weight. There’s even a little loop inside the front of the vest to attach the carrying pouch to so it doesn’t get lost.

The vest has zippered pockets in front as well as two inner pockets. There are a vast array of colours to choose from for both men and women. I chose navy, while Richard’s will be dark grey, both neutrals that will coordinate well with most of what we carry in those tiny suitcases. Do remember if you decide to order one that they fit a bit small.

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Stay tuned for more about our upcoming trip and more packing tips in the weeks ahead!

It’s so me!

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When I spotted this top in our local thrift store, I immediately remembered this post by Brenda Kinsel, one of my favourite fashion bloggers. Though the style of her coat isn’t something that I’d likely choose for myself, I loved the fabric.

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Brenda Kinsel

I love to read, I love to write, and I’m a self-professed word nerd. What could be more perfect than all those block letters on a comfy, eye catching top? It’s unique and it’s so me! My only regret is that I didn’t find it 15 years ago when I was still a language arts teacher! Wouldn’t the kids have loved it?

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Here, I’m wearing the top with a wide silver bracelet that was also thrifted.

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In my closet, this top is unique in another way. It was made in Italy!

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I’m always curious about any unfamiliar clothing lines that I find when I’m thrifting. A quick online search revealed that the Pistache designer is based in Toronto, Canada but all of the clothing is made in Italy. Sadly, while the “Made in Italy” label tends to suggest quality craftsmanship, I also learned that many of the garments that are made in Italy are stitched by illegal Chinese immigrants working in sweatshop-like factories in Tuscany.  Unfortunately, as is so often the case, I was unable to find out whether or not Pistache clothing is made in one of those. As much as I want to be an ethical shopper, it’s very difficult! In this case, however, I can comfort myself with the fact that my top was bought second-hand and was, therefore, at least a somewhat ethical purchase.

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Payless ShoeSource to close!

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LogoI was on the way to Camrose for an eye appointment on Tuesday morning when I heard the news on the radio. Payless, my favourite source of inexpensive shoes, is going out of business!

We first encountered Payless ShoeSource while travelling in the United States more than 25 years ago. From then on, whenever one of our long summer treks took us across the border into the US, we were sure to stop at a Payless store somewhere along the way to buy the children new shoes for the upcoming school year. Needless to say, I was delighted when the first Canadian store opened its doors in 1997.

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If I’ve counted correctly, I currently own 10 pairs of shoes, 2 pairs of sandals, and a pair of tall black boots that I’ve worn almost constantly every winter since 2011, all purchased at Payless! Some of the shoes have only been worn a few times, but others I’ve had for years and walked countless miles in.

As soon as Tuesday’s eye appointment was done, I headed across town to the Payless store where the clerk confirmed that the chain had declared bankruptcy and was indeed closing all 2 500 locations across North America, including 248 in Canada. As a long-term employee, she’d had an inkling that this was coming, but she’d only officially received the news herself that morning.

The Kansas-based company, which was founded in 1956, previously filed for bankruptcy in 2017. At that time, the retailer closed about 900 US stores and by restructuring some of its debt was able to hang on for awhile longer. Unfortunately, however, according to its chief restructuring officer, Stephen Marotta, “Payless emerged from its prior reorganization ill-equipped to survive in today’s retail environment.” Liquidation sales are expected to start almost immediately and the company will begin closing stores at the end of March. Some are expected to remain open until the end of May.

If you’re a faithful Payless shopper like I am, you’ll definitely want to watch for those liquidation sales! That is, unless, you’re willing to go much further afield. Payless also has 420 stores in Latin America, the Virgin Islands, Guam and Saipan, and 370 international franchisee stores across the Middle East, India, Indonesia, Indochina, Philippines and Africa. Those stores will remain open.

RIP Payless. I’m going to miss you!