014/ What I'm Wearing: 2023 Week 12
A closer look at my outfits of the week + why "trend" isn't a dirty word + a preview of Tibi pieces from the Toronto trunk show
It has been a week. We arrived back home from the airport at 1am Tuesday morning carrying sleeping children in our arms. Luckily for us, our arms were free because our luggage was left behind in Montreal. Thanks, Air Canada! 😒
DAY 1
So here I am six hours later.
While spring has bloomed across the world, with reliable 10-20C daily highs, Toronto will be hovering around 0-10C for the next month. Our winters are long here (and in Montreal and Calgary and Halifax and…). As soon as temperatures hit around 5C (i.e. today), my mind goes straight to how can I start transitional dressing and wear my spring/summer pieces, especially shoes. I speak for all Canadians when I say we are so tired — TIIIRRRREDD — of wearing black boots and are desperate for a fresh injection of footwear.
I’ve been so eager to do tights and sandals but I haven’t even been able to because there’s been so much snow on the ground recently. I’m not even being greedy by asking for sock weather; just give me above zero and dry. But today is the day! I’m off to Great Places! I’m off and away!
Because I’m quite practical in my shoe purchases and tend to stick to neutral footwear, this navy Cameron is one of my only coloured shoes. It’s not red or a bright purple, but I’m still thrilled with the effect. They give me the pep I need to walk into the pediatrician’s office with confidence.
DAY 2
Today took me the longest to get dressed all week. Nothing was working, so I gave up and left the house like this. Is it terrible? Not at all. Just not as interesting I would like. It happens, c’est la vie.
DAY 3
It’s Tibi trunk show day in Toronto and I am pumped! Two styling details of note here:
First, this sheer white silk top peeking out of my blazer at the neck and sleeves is a way to incorporate the sheer trend into my wardrobe in a daily, wearable way. I’ve tried on a lot of sheer pieces and, for the most part, either I’m not comfortable in them, or they’re not appropriate for my lifestyle. This I can do. I like how it softens the suiting, adding a feminine touch.
Secondly, the trousers I’m wearing are old Zara trousers which came with a flap and the two bottom buttons at the hemline (pictured above, on the right). At some point, I decided to sew on a third button (the top one) so I could cinch the ankle even more if I wanted to. Two weeks ago, I buttoned the pants at the middle button to wear them as wider pant, and this week I chose to cinch it for a more tapered look. This is a good example of taking pieces you already own and manipulating them to make them more versatile. BOGO your clothes!
DAY 4
It’s Day 2 of the Tibi trunk show and I’m wearing no Tibi lol (more on this below). I couldn’t miss my daily walk (even in the pouring rain, it’s a priority), so I’m running late and I put on an outfit that I’ve worn before. I didn’t want to show up in jeans or sneakers, so I turned to the easiest, most comfortable outfit with which I can wear a fully covered shoe (you know, pouring rain).
DAY 5
My client came to the Tibi trunk show in this Frankie Shop set which inspired me to break out mine. I fell in love with this set back in 2020, when it was all over Instagram, worn by all of the beautiful influencers living their beautiful lives (during lockdown somehow, but anyway, I digress…).
I know my styling philosophy places a high value on functionality and versatility, but this set exemplifies to me that “trend piece” is not a dirty word and that it’s OKAY to buy into a trend if you really love it and will wear it. This sweatsuit doesn’t have the hype it did back in 2020 (heck, it could even be considered “over” by some people), but I don’t care. Three years later, I still think it’s FIRE and I will forever love the fresh colour, the padded, dropped shoulder and especially the cut of the sweatpants (it emulates the cut of trouser I prefer — the high-waisted cut is surprisingly hard to find in a sweatpant). And, naturally, it’s highly functional for my #momlife lifestyle.
Tibi Trunk Show: Try-Ons
I was so excited for Tibi coming to Toronto, and especially to be asked to be a guest stylist for the event!
It was a whirlwind two days involving way too may coffees, catching up with old friends and meeting so many wonderful women (and a few husbands). Somewhere in there, I had time to try on some of the pieces, including — EEK! — sample pieces from the upcoming fall collection which I’ve included in the reel below. (FYI, it will take you to TikTok’s page/app.)
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Many of you already know that Tibi’s style philosophy resonates with me and that I recommend many Tibi pieces to my clients. For that reason, people are often surprised when I say I only have about ten of their pieces: six pieces of clothing (the Liam blazer, balloon skirt, balloon dress, houndstooth trouser, boiled wool mini skirt, grey blazer shirt) and four pairs of shoes (Sergei, Rudolph, Cameron and Nori). That works out to about two pieces per season since 2020.
Do I want/love more than these 10 pieces? Yes. Do I love every outfit I tried on in the reel? YES. But, after running through the Five Questions I Ask Myself Before I Buy Anything, will I get all of them? No. A couple of pieces? Maybe!
When I look at my wardrobe, there isn’t a concentration of any one brand, even from those I strongly identify with such as Tibi. As I wrote last week in my post about Why I Shop Vintage, your personal style is true to you, and only you, and is unlikely to be captured in its entirety by any one brand. Some pieces like the Liam and Rudolphs are WOFs, and I rely on them heavily. Others fill a gap in my wardrobe in an interesting way, but I wear them less frequently. The rest of my wardrobe is balanced out by pieces from many other brands of different aesthetics, POVs and price points, which as a whole, capture my personal style.
I’m mentioning this because it’s easy to get caught up in a brand and feel like you MUST. HAVE. EVERYTHING. By all means, get what you truly love and need, but this is just a gentle reminder to be thoughtful and disciplined about buying, and for you to do you!
That’s it for me this week. I’ll be in Miami later this week, so you’ll be seeing more warm weather outfits in the next instalment of WIW. Have a wonderful week, and as always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!
With gratitude,
Irene
I am having trouble with the getting sucked into a brand thing. Shopping the Tibi price point is new to me and I am unfamiliar with brands that have similar styles. After YEARS of not finding clothes that fit my vibe, lifestyle, and body it has been so exciting to find a brand that most things I try just work. Really well. It seems difficult to find other brands that work well when you don’t live in a major city with decent shopping. I imagine it’s just trial and error and lots of shipping return fees but I’m curious what other online places people like or other ways to discover new brands?
Hello from Vancouver where we at least don’t have snow, but are quite sick of the rain and subsequently limited shoe options!! Love that you are still wearing that “trendy” FS set, purchased because you loved it and it works for you!!! My once “trendy” yet classic pieces that I still wear and love are my Gucci loafers and furry slip on loafers. Also thank you for sharing your thoughts on brand and how diversification = exploration of our personal style, even when certain brands speak to us. Such an important reminder amongst all the brand hype and FOMO that I’ve witnessed recently! Also love how you added the extra button to your Zara trousers to get extra mileage out of them!! Shopping your own closet ++ 😊