025/ What I'm Wearing: 2023 Week 17
Styling notes on my outfits of the week: what I wore despite feeling sh*tty all week; two consignment handbag scores; and the leanest packing job ever.
Hello dear readers,
First off, congratulations to Pippa Wright who won the closet consultation giveaway! Part 2 of the Ins-and-Outs of Closet Editing will be out mid-week where I’ll discuss all the reasons we hold onto those pieces we don’t love and/or need, but want to keep anyway.
I’m writing this introduction after having written my daily outfit summaries and it’s really apparent how generally sh*tty I felt this week. Yes, I was underslept and tired, but — to be really frank — I was also feeling ugly and wanted to hide from the world. I’m saying this not to fish for sympathy, but because I know we all feel this way from time-to-time and still have to face life anyway.
This week, there was definitely a disconnect between what I was putting forward on the outside vs. how I was feeling inside. It reminded me of this meme I posted on Instagram earlier this year with the caption: “Some days, what you wear is the truest expression of yourself (at your best and at your worst), some days it’s your armour, and some days it’s all an illusion ❤️🩹.”
Day 1
I had a party to attend on Saturday night but my mind wasn’t in the space to put an outfit together, so I turned to this look I wore last year. It’s simple, but has enough little details going for it to make it visually interesting, e.g. the little fringe bag, the stirrup in the pant and, of course, the shoes.
I had been watching the secondary market for these Balenciaga pumps, in black, in my size, and at a reasonable price for four long years! And, incredibly, I found them at VSP right here in Toronto, and not a more prevalent US resale site, so I didn’t have to pay obnoxious duties to get them into the country. Even better, I consign with them, so I had a credit from the things I’ve sold.
About the blazer: I regularly peruse Zara mens for my male clients and, from time-to-time, come across good 100% natural fibre finds which translate well for women — like this 100% wool double-breasted blazer. I’m wearing mens jacket size 38, which is around a mens size small. Another winner I came across in the fall was the earlier iteration of this double-faced 100% wool jacket (which is still available).
Day 2
It’s Monday, and not only was my mind not in the space to dress myself, but as I disclosed on Instagram, I felt like complete “dogsh*t” when I woke up. Fortunately, as I was scrolling through IG stories in the morning, I came across this photo of @grace.tibi and straight-up copied it — at least, I tried (I wish I had her shoes!). Thank you, Grace, for doing the thinking for me when I didn’t have it in me. Looking at this photo a week later, I actually love this outfit; but at the time, I wasn't owning any of it. It was just clothes on my body to make it through the day.
I wear my silver Tibi Rudolphs often, but I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned that I got them secondhand via @tibi.fans (thanks, Lee-Lin!). If you’re looking for Tibi pieces, it’s a great resource.
Day 3
It’s Tuesday, and I’m still not in the frame of mind to dress myself, so I reference an outfit I wore earlier this year (photo on the right) and make some seasonal changes. I replaced the boots with a white sock and silver mary janes and added this vintage Prada handbag I stumbled upon at 1132 Consignment. Two weeks ago, I wrote about how I was looking for a bag of this exact shape, so how fortuitous it was to come across this gem!
Day 4
Wednesday was the first time since Saturday that I was feeling better in my skin. In what feels like a continuation of a theme I’ve noticed over the past month, my initial impression of this outfit was that it was more feminine than I was used to wearing. Yet I think it accurately captures the softness and fragility I was feeling inside through details such as the overall colour palette, softness of the top, sweet silver mary janes, and delicate pearl necklace.
Day 5
Today was a work-from-home/errand day and I just threw this outfit together. I love this sweatshirt and jeans, and despite all of the stains on them, I refuse to let that stop me from wearing them — even when I wear them as separates in more dressier outfits (below).
Days 6-8
The week didn’t start off well, but it ended with a special mama-son getaway to New York City with my youngest. The trip was all about spending time together and the itinerary was dictated by him, with some limitations due to weather (no outdoor activities because of the rain) and cost (we passed on a number of attractions because I couldn’t believe how expensive they were!).
I came up with my outfits knowing it would be cool and raining the entire time, and it would be a 100% #momlife weekend filled with Pokemon, Lego and Nintendo stores, museums, noodle joints, donuts and ice cream. As you can see, I essentially brought two tops and two bottoms to make three outfits and called it a day! Done and done.
Love and gratitude,
Irene
I apologize for the photo quality of this newsletter, especially the email version. Once again, ran up against the Substack email length and had to shrink my photos (which in turn, lowered the resolution on them). I love posting visual content, so I'll keep tinkering with it to get it right!
Thank you my dear friend 🙏🏻