Pix-Elated

I'm enjoying everyone's style reflections and figured I'd start some of my own.

My goals last year were essentially to keep on keeping on. I didn’t want for much, so I made just a few select spring/summer purchases.. But in the autumn I did another major edit, and then a major refresh of my knitwear when I discovered knits in more current styles and in colours I had not been able to source for at least 8 years. So my in and out numbers ended up typical for me — 30 in, 35 out. This has been pretty consistent for years. It’s interesting — my wardrobe is considerably larger than Carla’s but our cycling of items is similar.  Also like Carla, I wore every item in my closet at least once. Admittedly, that is partly because I edited out anything I was not wearing. 

Colour Story: My colour of the year last year was white and I did indeed purchase (and wear) new white and ivory items (esp. in spring/ summer). But white contains all the colours of the spectrum, so it is fitting that I was also able to purchase blue and red and violet and fuchsia and green and yellow and mustard items this year to round things out! :)

Besides white, my other neutrals are navy and grey and I continued to buy items in those neutrals this year, especially to replace core essentials that were well past their prime. But the boost of colour is so welcome in what has proved to be a very dark wet winter so far.

A few highlights:

Most fun (and practical) trendy purchase: jorts from Zara (got another pair from H&M in a more faded wash but still prefer the cut and colour of the Zara)

Most comfy and complimented footwear find: Silver sneakers from Cole Haan

Most special dressy winter additions: silver boots from Camper, raspberry red lace shirt, Boden. (Both were splurges, even on sale. Both are also comfortable and should have closet longevity.)

Most instant workhorse new items: Zara jorts (summer); red merino polo sweater, (winter). Also, new sunnies (not in Finds).

Most wildcard: green leopard print sweater, Boden; citron sweater BR, mustard pants, Zara.

Best new online shopping source for me: Simon’s.  

Highest joy per wear items: Silver boots, silver sneakers  (new), red plaid boots, red velvet pants, flocked wide leg pants, longline navy coat, Paul Smith jacket (older). 

Thanks for looking! I'll add my goals and plans for 2026 in a separate post with colour and word of the year. 

After an unintentionally low buy year and major edits in spring and fall, I suddenly bought a lot of new items in the last few weeks! Quite a few from Canadian retailers but quite a lot also from Banana Republic. My knits in particular were in dire need of an update and the sales and easy returns if things did not work out overpowered my buy Canadian rule. At least the warehousing is here. If that counts? 

Here are a few of my new items with reviews. I'll post the rest as I wear them. 

1 - 4. Oversized cashmere sweater in burgundy. I took my usual size. Reviewers complained about the neckline being fussy but I did not find that. The cashmere is soft and I like the cut. I don't know yet about pilling of course. This one fits the way that gorgeous blue sweater from Simon's should have fit. Wearing it with Zara jeans, La Canadienne boots (last year) and a new puffer from Peak Performance. I love the bright red interior with dark red outer side. 

5-8. Cashmere turtleneck in charcoal. I love the boxy cut with the slits. Unlike the other sweater it is not truly oversized -- the shoulder fit is very neat. I took my regular BR size. I am also wearing light grey wool wide legs from BR. I love their lightweight wool pants and wear them for WFH as well as teaching days. These ones are fun because you can casualize them by wearing the tie waist out, or dress them up by pulling the strings in. 

I would highly recommend these two sweaters. The grey comes in many colours. The burgundy comes in several other colours as well. 

Apologies for the lighting. I know you all get it! 

After an unintentionally low buy year, along with a major closet edit, I've started to replace some of my knitwear. I was hoping to stick to Canadian retailers as much as possible. I was also craving colour. 

So I took a risk and ordered some things from Simon's. I'm quite delighted with the experience. First, I got free delivery and I also get free returns (because I was a member). Second, the web images matched the colour of the articles, the descriptions were quite accurate, and the fits on the whole were consistent with what it said on the sizing chart. Delivery took one week, which for the Island, isn't bad. (Things always take longer to get here than they do to the mainland.) 

These aren't really properly styled in outfits, just thrown on with a few options, but you get the idea.

1-3  A polo top in red merino. Nice fine gauge knit, fairly classic cut but classic with deference to the current, if that makes sense. It is not as cropped as some more  fashion forward sweaters but it is fluid and the fabric behaves well. (The skirt is from BR -- another post!)  I am enjoying the possibility of creating tonal red outfits. 

4-5. Cashmere Johnny collar sweater. A little looser. Nice quality. Not cheap, but not insanely expensive. 

6  Classic crewneck fine gauge merino in a bright berry tone. Like the red merino, this was reasonably priced. 

7. A hoodie in Lenzing-Ecovero Viscose -- first experience with this fabric and it is really nice! Drapes beautifully. This was an inexpensive item, and a bit of a HEWI. I have been looking for a comfy casual lounge-type hoodie for several years now. I have ordered and sent back dozens. 

8-11 an oversized boatneck blue merino pullover. I really like this in theory but it is too big so it's going back. (Yes, I know it's supposed to be oversized, but...) There is no smaller size. The quality and colour were lovely though! 

I will certainly order from Simon's again. I know Dee is a loyal customer and now that I have tried them I feel more confident ordering from them again. 

So, here are some photos of stuff I ordered to try from Zara at home. I am not going to keep all of this, no way, and so I need to make some decisions. 

Pic 1: First, the cotton-linen pant and vest. The pants are still too long for me, alas. I hitched them up a bit on one leg with paper clips (could not find my fashion tape) -- they could easily be shortened in this way. But it means the "balloon" part of the pant perhaps falls slightly differently than I think it is meant to. Still, maybe that does not matter. They are so lovely and lightweight and non-wrinkling. 

Pic 2-3: I worked out that the vest should actually be a bit shorter, too -- and it could be altered, as most sleeveless tops can, by simply taking it up at the top shoulder, but it's lined, which might increase the alteration cost. (The lining is cotton -- so perfect for high summer!) Adding alterations to both pieces of this outfit may just make it too pricey considering the amount of wear it would or would not get in my life. Despite my love for the fabric, I'm likely to send it back but I will keep an eye on the summer sale. And I'm happy to be talked out of this decision, too. It's possible it could be a sleeper workhorse for me, separately or together....

Pics 4/5/6: The pants thrown on with the top I happened to be wearing and then with the little white lacey burnout tee I wore in the last post with the jorts. I think I will keep the tee -- I have been wanting more texture in the closet. 

Pic 7.  A blue textured sweater. Cotton. I quite like this but worry it might be bait for my kitty's claws, so need to deliberate some more. Excuse the wrinkles on white jeans! Need to iron. 

Pics 8/9: Another vest I am trying. This one has princess lines. Linen but alas the lining is poly. I do like it a lot, though and like the fit -- though again, it needs to be taken up at the shoulder to fit me properly. I ordered the matching pants but they have not arrived yet. 

Pic 10: Wild card mustard viscose pants and another tee. 

Pic 11: With a vest. 

Pic. 12: With the more cropped pinstripe vest. 

Pics 13/14/15: with yet another vest -- this one knit. It is not a summer weight item in my world and the buttons are gold, so I would need/ want to change them out. Being knit, the fit is more forgiving. 

Pic. 16: Pair of grey pants I'm not keeping as I they need hemming and I don't like the fit as well as the mustard ones. 

At the moment, I'm inclined to keep the tees, the mustard pants, and maybe the vest with princess lines, especially if the pants turn out to work as well. But I'm open to conversations about all and any of these! And I will take a few days to think this through before boxing things away. Would love any thoughts! 

Last week I ordered some jorts to try. Unfortunately, Zara recommended the wrong size for several items, so the below the knee ones I'd really been aiming for do not fit. I will try them in another size and see, but my hopes are not super high. 

Zara recommended two sizes for the shorter version of jorts, and one of those sizes fit, so I threw them on quickly with a few things to try. My conclusions? When rises/ proportions change, you've got to think through how you'll wear the thing....no throw on and go until you've got that sorted! Unless the new look is a slam dunk for you, it is going to take some time and consideration to make it work. 

The jorts themselves are nice quality denim with a raw hem and a cute little buckle detail in the back (which unfortunately would prevent one from wearing a belt). They have a button fly and (most significant) a slouchy mid-rise -- coming just below my navel. They are baggy, so are super comfortable, and would be much cooler than snug denim. 

To my eye, the proportions are not right... or at least I'm not comfortable with them, in any of these combos. It could be a question of needing my eye to adjust. It could be a question of my always having had preferred higher rises for correcting my natural proportions (i.e. for figure flattery reasons). It could be that I don't have the right items to pair with them, or didn't choose the right items from my closet. 

Either way, despite the practicality these would have in my life, I think I'll send them back and keep searching, or simply look for very lightweight long pants for summer wear. I'm not so inclined to expose my legs these days anyway, so summery long pants (available now as never before) could be good to stock up on.....

How about you? Are you making the switch to mid-rises? Or lower rises? Will it come with costs or benefits for you? 

I'm in Vancouver for a medical appointment and when I finished at the doctor's I stopped in at Zara for some try-ons. Thought I'd show you! I did not purchase anything but am debating on the first set. 

Outfit 1-6 is a short vest, pants co-ord in very lightweight linen-cotton. The quality is actually quite nice! The fabric is thin but not see through and very comfortable. Vest is cotton lined. Pants have a really cool shape -- sort of a tuck at the bottom, a bit like Janet's Nili Lotan's...but these are drapier. They are a bit long on me with my flattest shoes but would work with my higher sneakers and sandals. Zara calls them mid-rise but on me they were ultra high rise! 

The vest would need at least a tank under it for me to feel comfy in it because the armholes are just a bit low (I think). I could also wear it with a shirt underneath or a tee. I just tried it with the top I happened to be wearing as my first option.

Thoughts? It's very comfy. Definitely a summer item. Items could be mixed and matched. The vest worked with my Dries pants, which I was wearing -- but I forgot to snap a pic. 

The next set was great in theory -- not so much in real life. Vest is fitted but the body is too long for me (same problem Janet often has) and darts are in the wrong place. You can see from photo 8. It could be adjusted but the quality of the item is not worth it in my opinion -- the fabric is a bit scratchy, there were a lot of loose threads, there was a colour imperfection on the front of this vest, and I didn't like the pants as much as the other pair, either.

Also, OMG those little buttons!! SO cute but such a hassle to do up and undo every time!! It's a woven item so you can't just pull it on!

But I do like the idea of a high necked vest and/or a fitted vest so might keep experimenting with that. 

Open to your thoughts! 

Hi, all! I'm slowly transitioning into "spring" mode as our weather finally warms up a bit. My main requirement this year (at least so far) is  a white denim refresher. 

I ordered two pair of jeans from Zara. High waisted crops, and mid-rise baggy selvedge.  They aren't really mid rise on me, but more medium high rise, which is fine. 

1. The high waisted crops are, alas, not cropped on me. And it might be difficult to alter them because of the way they are sewn -- they have a deep seam allowance that might be tough to pick out and re-jig for the length I need. I guess my seamstress will be the best judge of that, but I've tried to show what I mean in pic 3. 

Also visible in pic 3, they have a really fun seam down the front, making them more like "sailor pants" -- a little dressier than regular jeans, in my mind. They are true optic white. 

Alas, they hit just at the top of my shoes right now, the sort of bothersome length that makes you feel you are catching them up in your shoe as you move, you know? They're a bit better with the sandal, but still not great. 

Thoughts? 

2. The other jeans are a slightly softer white. I like them but don't know what length I would go with. I'm unlikely to wear them full length and I'm not sure they work that well as crops. I can easily send either or both pairs back and try again elsewhere. My other white jeans are an off-white pair of barrel jeans from Zara. I could probably manage with two pair. 

Apologies for the photo quality. For some reason they came out as portrait so they are a bit blurry in addition to being strangely lit, as always....

I was so excited about Brooklyn's cotton-linen Grace Kelly tops that I did a search and ordered them (on sale!) to see if they might work for me. 

Alas, 'twas not to be. The green (which is gorgeous, by the way, and I think suits me -- though you can't really tell it is green in my photo, it's a lovely dark forest) is the correct size, but proportioned wrong for my short body. The neck part is much too tall (it might be hard to tell from the photo, but I assure you, it's true) so the back sort of sags, while the bust was snug, and the bottom part of the wrap was also snug because it was coming down too low over my shortish waist. 

Meanwhile, the white one had a defective zip, so I couldn't even try it on. :(   I am sad, because they could have been perfect for me. But such is life. 

I also tried a skirt -- a version of which I had in the 90s. I love the idea of this (cotton-linen, gored) and don't even mind the colour (though I might have dyed it) but the fabric was too thin and didn't feel like good quality. 

Finally, a pair of oyster white PJ style wide wale cords. Like the top, these are technically the right size (though a bit long) but I don't like the fit -- too snug in the thigh, just not comfy. So back they go. 

Onwards! But I do encourage others to try the tops if they are of interest -- on the right person, these would be fab, as we've already seen! I think if I were even an inch or two taller (or longer waisted) this would have worked great. 

Or, what I wore to look like Santa....  :; 

This is my last purchase of the year and I thought I would review it on the off chance that anyone is in the market. Earlier this year Angie mentioned that the Athleta puffers were looking good. When this one went on sale for half price and I also had some rewards $$, I decided to pounce -- and get it at approximately 1/3 original price. 

It's the Downtown puffer. And I really like it! For me, the colour was one of the main draws.  (A white coat is really practical for me because I walk in a dark suburb in the night throughout the winter.)

Features that add to its appeal: 

• Removable hood. 
• DWR coating (which works -- I was out in the rain all afternoon and did not get wet.) 
• Pockets lined in flannel. 
• Deep side slash pockets. 
• Inner pocket for phone. 
• Two way zipper; zipper does not catch. 
• Zippers on the sides to open it further for movement. 
• Cuffs. 
• Knee length (good walking length). 
• Washable.

It is only 550 fill down, so lighter weight than some, but it feels quite warm without being heavy and some reviewers in Minnesota said they thought it would work for their winters. 

It's a bit fitted through the waist, so not entirely in line with the trend for looser, sack like puffers -- but the side slits make for ease of movement. I suppose I could have sized up for a looser fit but it would have been too big in the shoulders and too long in the arms, so I went with my usual size.  

It comes (or came) in white, a lovely dark green, black and a bright tomato red. Might be sold out now, but might also show up in stores via returns. 

Happy holidays, all! 

PS...while I did get a comment or two about looking like Santa while wearing this, what I got most often was compliments on my pants -- thus proving our earlier point about red standing out more against a contrasting colour than it does in an all-red outfit! ;)

Hi, all -- my wardrobe is in a pretty strong place, but my mission this fall/ winter has been to replace/ upgrade some knitwear. Most of my knit tops are between 5-12 years old. Many are still going strong and I don't intend to let those go, especially the pricier J. Crew and Boden cashmere sweaters, all of which remain in decent to excellent shape. (Yay for relatively non-pilling knits! As we all know, there is no predicting about that, but I have been pretty lucky in many of my choices.)

However, much as I love my older knits and value their durability, I have to admit I'm a bit tired of some of these sweaters. Most are fluid fit/ longer and while they work well semi-tucked as sweater-tees, that's not always the look I am going for with higher waist jeans and trousers. Moreover, I find cashmere a little harder to wear out here on the west coast. Or rather, perhaps it's more accurate to say that my season for cashmere is a bit shorter, especially if it is heavier weight. I often find merino works better in this climate, or other blends. 

Anyway, I've made a few new purchases already this season -- an Ann Taylor cotton sweater and an Everlane alpaca, and a J. Crew polo collar cashmere -- but I have also been scouting sales for a few more options. Here are a few from BR, plus a pair of trousers I'm considering. 

A note: I am not currently at home and only had one pair of footwear to try, and could not do a whole lot of outfit styling -- these are just try-ons, not fully styled outfits. 

First, the Sienna trouser. My review. This trouser is lightweight 3 season wool (in my climate), double pleat, very wide leg, and high waist -- a real Katherine Hepburn type trouser. It is beautifully made, truly, with elastic waist adjustment inside (you can wear it higher or lower on your waist, to a degree) and many other lovely features. There is seam allowance at the hem if I wanted to let these down to become "pooling pants." (They would actually pool on me as is, if I wore with sneakers.) There are slash pockets as well but I haven't opened those up in case I don't keep. These are a tiny bit creased from packaging but if I hung them up, those creases would drop out in a minute. 

Sizing: I took a risk and tried petite (for the length). Typically, despite my borderline petite height, I can't wear petite pants because the rise is not long enough for me, but I figured in a style this loose, that would not prove a problem. This proved true. Also, I sized down. They are a perfect fit. At the sale price, they are a great price. My only question is whether they are just too much! :) 

Note: there is also a pinstripe version which looks fantastic, but it is not currently on sale and reviews suggest that the fabric is thicker and does not drape as well as the solids. FWIW. 

I am inclined to keep...except...if the trend is away from wide legs and high waists, will I get enough wear from these, do you think? Maybe I should put this money into a pair of nice wool cigarette pants. :) 

Merino sweaters. BR currently has a few styles in ribbed merino and they are lovely, lovely quality! Not at all scratchy, and quite warm. They are on the body con side (due to ribbing) and they all have very long sleeves with a sort of V (so it looks like a thumbhole sweater when extended) but you can also easily roll up the sleeve if you don't want that feature. I tried a few styles -- the mock neck and the polo collar. I am considering the colours here. This blue is warmer than I typically wear, but I do think it works, and I like it. I also ordered the red to try, but it has not arrived yet. The mock neck stands nicely on me -- it doesn't collapse, as on the model. The cream is possibly a bit warm for me (thoughts?) and I might want to size up in that style -- so I have ordered grey in a size up to compare. Would love your thoughts! 

Cotton-silk blend sweater. I ordered two of these, one in my regular size in lilac and one a size down in the stripe. At first I thought I would just keep the lilac, but looking at the pics, I'm not sure. The sleeves are very long on these, but the cuffs can be rolled back neatly. In my regular size, the sweater is a bit boxy, but nice. Obviously, I wouldn't wear it out with these pants -- I'd choose different bottoms to wear it that way.

Quality is gorgeous! The silk component makes the sweater drape and gives it a hint of sheen. Now, looking at the stripe, I quite like that one as well -- it looks more like a traditional welted sweater on me, a neater, more tailored fit but also nice? 

I can keep any or none of these -- all are returnable and they are within the budget. I'd love to hear your thoughts! And I hope these reviews may help others in the market at the moment. Thanks in advance!