The $0 Wardrobe Re-invention Project: UPDATE!

[ highly suspicious outfit activity... ]

Technically, I should have successfully completed my shopping diet almost a month ago. If you need to know more, read here. Basically, I've grounded myself from shopping for anything frivolous and unnecessary (ermmm, clothes and beauty). Cold turkey, baby. I can only function in extremes.

But guys, I'm going to be totally honest here.

I cheated.

FOUR TIMES.

My "diet" which officially began on June 11 was slated to end mid-August. But bad behaviour  landed me back in the slammer. I added another month to my sentence.

I'm sure it would have been much, much worse, except that my birthday conveniently landed smack dab in the middle of my ban. Mom treated me to a little shopping spree at the new Marshall's (apparently a very big deal in Ottawa, though it's pretty much exactly like Winners). I scored the a denim shirt, ikat/geometric skirt, and green leather clutch. Gifts. Not cheating.

[ yay, mom! ]

Then, my lovely friends lavished me with beauty essentials (girl-crack) and bought me gift cards for Philistine (umm, YEAH, I link to my own articles) and MAC. 

 [ my new philistine "tunic" is a dress on normal-sized humans ]

But still, I fell off the wagon.

FOUR TIMES.

Here are my crimes, petty as they may be:

1. Bowling trip to Vaughan Mills on our July staycay ended in innocent "poking around" in some of the outlet shops. I resisted a French Connection Maxi and deeply-discounted tees with sassy slogans. But a cute pair of on-sale skinnies (photo above) at H&M broke me. I even ignored my "no cheap denim" rule. I was in a bad way. Damage: $20

2. Konad polishes. Cathie bought me the kit, and it kind of became a new obsession. My mom also bought into it (she thinks she's 17, mostly) and we were possibly both a little high on acetone. I beefed up my kit with a new colour and design plate. Damage: $25

3. Joe Fresh. Gets me EVERY TIME. Mom (bad influence!) and I went to grab groceries at the SuperStore while I was in Ottawa in July. In the 'burbs, the Joe Fresh shops are RIGHT INSIDE THE GROCERY STORE. As in, next to lettuce: moderately priced pants. Oy. I genuinely needed new sweats for camping, and I was lured by $6 tees. Damage: $30

4. Maybe I shouldn't even count this one, but in the interest of full-disclosure, I thrifted a like-new J.Crew gingham top for $7 at Value Village. 

 [ cute shirt, right? ]

For me, $82 in almost 2 months wasn't bad. But I'm disappointed that I couldn't make it through. Alas, early parole DENIED! 

Then: I didn't buy a THING in August and most of September. Yay, me!

Today is my new release date. 

Correction: was. 

I almost made it. I could almost smell the mall-smells in my imminent future. New leather and Cinnabon and heavily-perfumed sales ladies. Then, I spied an adorbs pair of cherry-red vintage bowling shoes (in my size!) on Etsy yesterday and just HAD to have them. I don't bowl a ton anymore (I was a league kid), but I'd like to, and maybe these kicks will kick it off. Damage: $40

I need a support group.

Besides my slip-ups, I'm pretty happy with my restraint, and otherwise, my wardrobe reinvention has been coming along nicely. I've tinkered with some jewellry repairs, tie-dyed some tees, reinvented an out-of-date skirt, and altered a pair of pants. I also took home a sweet haul at a clothing swap last month. My biggest projects are still sitting untouched on my sewing table and I'm putting myself on house arrest for most of the month to get things done.

 [ church rummage size-16 midi skirt gets a new life as an above-the-knee size 6 ]

As thrifty and crafty as I may be, though, that last little shopping infraction just cost me another 2 weeks. I'll need the busy-hands distraction.

Plus: I'm currently putting myself through a month-long detox AND Alex and I just drafted up a pretty aggressive budget plan for the next year. Yeah, all at once. Because, well, I enjoy torture, obviously.

As of October I can spend (and drink and eat junk!) again, but I think the break from my toxic ways has been so positive that I'm going to be smart about falling (purposely) off the wagon. Using my credit card for anything other than emergs? Never. Doing shots on a work night? Rarely. Midnight burritos? Well, sometimes.

You know how much I love getting into trouble. This is hell. But worth-it hell. 

(Right?)

(I need a bloody drink.)

The $0 Wardrobe Re-invention Project!

I am on a shopping diet.

It's self-imposed, but will happen under the judging, disapproving eye of my minimalist husband. He doesn't actually have a say in my purchases. My money is my own, and I'm currently the winningest bread-winner in our duo. However, he definitely has a right to pipe up about this shoe purchase or that new shirt: my closet is just the worst. I ran out of hangers. Again. And have I mentioned that I share the lone (and tiny) storage space in our whole apartment with that poor, poor man? My skirts constantly taunt his slacks. My blouses bully his shirts. His wardrobe ends up huddling together at the very edge of the rack, hoping for a safety-in-numbers approach to survival.

It's not just a space issue, though. if I'm ever going to pay off debts and save up for grown-up purchases like houses and cars and Airstreams and hot tubs (and tattoooos!), I need to curb spending.

So here's my challenge: no new clothing/shoe/accessory/jewellery/beauty/non-essential spends for 2 months. Nothing frilly. Nothing frivolous. NOTHING.

 [ oy, can someone puh-lease get me another beer? ]

I actually started (officially) last Monday, so I'm already more than a week in!  

Exceptions: a proper haircut, non-vanity products (deodorant, toothpaste, sunscreen), underwear if needed (needed), and a nude strapless bra (to replace the one that exploded while on my body in the middle of the No Frills produce section).

Oh yeah, and the necessities of life: tacos and beers and the like. Duh.

Yikes. I might wilt and fade and die without chameleon-like style-self-expression. How, oh how, do I reinvent myself each day with the same old pieces from last year? #firstworldproblems 

It's doable with a little resourcefulness, a mess of creativity, and a good pair of fabric scissors. Luckily, I have all three. But even the DIY-challenged can breathe new life into last season's rompers, pants that fit a much-skinnier former self, and dresses hoarded since high school. Without spending a dime. 

Wardrobe CPR:

1. Trade. Have you not yet discovered the wonder of clothing swaps? Sister, PLEASE. I have a friend with a bit of an attitude about used clothing, but these are your FRIENDS, girl. Surely you will not contract imaginary/worst-fears-come-true parasites if the hand-me-downs come from a friend who shares your personal hygiene OCD. I have gleaned many an amazing piece and have peacefully parted with gems I couldn't bear to drop in the big metal Goodwill bin. 

 [ swap scores: vintage teal petal-print skirt // denim jacket // chevron tank ]

2. Revive. Dye, tie-dye, paint, embellish, restring, stamp, re-purpose, darn, mend... I actually darned socks once, during my poor student days. I felt all wartime-y. Like I was doing my part for my country. Of course, said socks did not end up on the feet of soldiers. Also, they were red with monkeys on the ankles. A girl with an actual salary can probably stand to avoid darning, but I'm excited for some more interesting revitalization projects. I restrung beads from two vintage necklaces to make this one. I'm inspired to make more!

 

[ $80 at asos.com or... I could DIY my plain white chucks with some easy stamping ]

3. Layer, mix, (mis)match. Not a new concept, and really my all-the-time M.O. I just need to start getting a lot more creative in the next 8 weeks. Example: I have this midi-dress in white with crocheted bits. I have worn the shit out of it. The top is a bit ill-fitting now and the armpits reveal many a sweaty summer bike ride. But the skirt portion is pretty lovely. Throw a light gauzy tee over the whole mess, and voila! I considered converting it to a skirt, but the top portion is perfect as a layering cami. Win-win.

4. Nip & tuck. You don't have to be a master seamstress to make quick alterations to your too-big, too-small, outta-style pieces. There are plenty of great online tutorials, some not even requiring a machine! See P.S. I Made This and A Beautiful Mess for some fun examples. My new projects for the coming weeks (if I can ever find time to do anything hobby-ish) are to convert two dresses into skirts. 

First: my actual wedding dress. Back in tha day, I ripped apart an off-the-rack BCBG dress and re-made it to suit my farm-themed wedding. Now, I'm going to lop off the bodice, slash out most of the lining and turn it into a semi-sheer summer maxi skirt. I'd like to vintage-up the colour but the poly lace won't take to normal fabric dye. Suggestions?

[ before // after... ]

[ after-after? // via chictopia.com ]

Secondly, I have a Won Hundred dress in an awesome pixel pattern, but the bodice won't close over my boobs anymore. I'd like to tell you it's because I'm suddenly a lusty, chesty broad. No such luck. I think I just got too fat in the armpits and back. Joy! This dress, too, is destined for a similar fate: the guillotine!

5. Dress up/down. Also not brain surgery, but think beyond the LBD (that's "little black dress" for the dads/husbands). I'm a firm believer that every dress has two personalities – Peggy by day, Joan by night. I originally bought this Zara pink peter-pan-collared dress for a wedding. I accessorized it with pearls and black patent for a faux-Chanel-Barbie look: sweet, classy & feminine. But I discovered that it can be work/play appropriate, too, with flats and tights! 

Also, I can do pretty much anything in any season with my little green dress (LGD!):

6. From scratch, baby. There are some awesome beginner patterns online that require only the machine basics. I tackled this Victory pattern in a barn in 6 hours.

We'll see if I have any time for even one of these projects. I am WAY too ambitious, pretty booked up socially, and terrible at time-management. I'm not setting any unrealistic goals here. However, I'm pretty confident that I can stick to my shopping diet. It will be tough, especially when I visit my mother next month: "Oh, just buy it!" and/or "It's sooo you." and/or "I'll pitch in half."

What are your secrets? Tell me! Help!

New Orleans Style – Part 2

{ D&G // Gap }

Ooh, surprise! I lied and didn't post Part 2 of my New Orleans style quest before my trip (see Part 1 here). Meh, I was busy. What do you want from me? I'm getting too old to be apologetic about my own inadequacies.

I suppose, though, since I DID do a lot of the legwork, I might as well make this a style-postmortem rather than the informative little packing post I had planned.

So yeah, I didn't really know what to expect, other than hot steamy awesomeness (I was right). I was unsuccessful in my search to find an authentic (and good) New Orleans-based style blog. No help there. So I could only go by my perception of the city based on what I've absorbed through Googling and movies (FLAKES!). Also, my over-active imagination (it likes to make things dreamier than they are).

 { of course, I packed this skirt. but what else? }

What is NOLA style? Bohemian avec bling? Hillbilly-chic? Disco Stevie Nicks? Tragic southern belle?

(I was wrong on all accounts)

I was envisioning a soft 70s thing happening: floppy hats, long skirts. Mostly because of the heat. Fashion forced by necessity. I assumed that the music scene and the french influence MUST have some sort of impact on style. Jazz! Le Français! Bourbon! Heatwaves! Casual but classy. Breezy, effortless, classic (good GAWD, I am none of those things!).

Maxi skirts and sequin boleros! Raffia wedges and multi-strand pearls! Floral tunics and wide-brimmed hats! SO MANY HATS! SO MUCH ROMANCE!

(OK, I was postulating. And setting myself up for disappointment.) 

Whatever. I was NOT going to end up looking silly again. The nun habit and school headmistress gear is collecting dust. If we were gonna spend post-trade-show-floor time sipping fancy bourbon drinks and patting our brows with embroidered vintage handkerchiefs and absorbing some local culture (via oversexed dancing?), I wanted to look the part. Sigh, I romanticize everything.

(In reality, I was drinking king cans of Chelada and ghetto Red Bull-based "cocktails" while attempting to wrangle 5 raucous drunks. It's a living.) 

Based on my speculations, I made a healthy donation to my summer wardrobe in preparation for the trip: kelly green strapless ruffle dress, Costa Blanca cream lace shorts, swishy black racerback tank, platform wedges, H&M denim light-wash sundress, GAP birdie hair scarf, amazing was-$400-on-sale-for-$27 sequin Pink Tartan skirt!

  { costa blanca // H&M }

 { maxi dress, Winners // belt, Zara // bag, Jessica Simpson // sunglasses, vintage Ray Bans // ring H&M }

Despite the awesomeness of my new purchases, I kinda style-failed again, but at least in a direction I can handle. Nawlins is an incredibly beautiful, magical place. But it ain't fancy. I was overdressed. But hey, that's my comfort-zone, and I felt preeeeetty glam under the circumstances. Unlike Vegas, where I felt like a washed-up hag, I felt fresh and noticed. Hey, boys. Little ego boosting is good for the soul, yeah?

My packing advice (oh look, we're doing this anyway!), more appropriately-timed now that I'm a seasoned pro:

• Tiny, flow-y cotton dresses and shorts – casual, people, casual. (I wore sequins, but that's me. I'm arrogant and manage to get away with it.)
• Hair elastics - just put that shit in an up-do, yo. Heat tools and anti-frizz products? That humidity will just laugh at (then annihilate) you.
• Flats. Only flats. A comfy wedge if you have to (I had to) but girrrrl, don't even THINK about packing those pumps. The streets are either cobblestone or in terrible need of construction. And you want to be walking a lot, because it's gorg.
• A light cover-up. You don't actually need to wear a jacket outside. Ever. Even in the rain. But, those folks looooove their A/C and you'll be sorry mid-oyster feast that you didn't plan for frostbite. 

{ ikat cover-up, Everly // iPhone case, Melody Miller for GelaSkins }

{ headscarf, thrifted // necklace, J Crew // dress, H&M }

{ dress, Urban Outfitters // sandals, Zara }

Now that you know how to pack, I insist that you go.

(And, take me with you.) 

New Orleans Style – Part 1

This post is easily 3 weeks in the making. I just can't seem to make time for blogging lately. Ugh. Life. I'm traveling for work in a week and am thrilled that this particular trade show just happens to be located in New Orleans this year. Oh em geeeeee! There are so many pockets of the earth that I've yet to explore, and I'm thankful to get to see at least a little BIT of the world on the company dime. We have plenty of chill-time on this trip, too. Stoked!

So you know I love playing dress-up, yeah? Halloween trumps Christmas in my world. Themes FTW! And since I was somehow terribly ill-equipped wardrobe-wise for Vegas, I'm planning ahead. Dressing the part is a little less straightforward this time around. Vegas = short dresses + tall shoes + glitta, dahhling. Easy (though I failed). But Louisiana? Aside from wearing as little as possible (have you checked out this WEATHER?!), I need to do some investigating on appropriate/thematic style. Of course, this is all just me being a weird-o ("quirky", right?) - any city infected with H&M-itis will likely look relatively every other city suffering from the same, but I'd like to believe there's a hint of unique flavour wherever I travel.

For funsies, I decided to challenge myself with a colour palette. What better hue scheme than one inspired by Mardi Gras? We won't be in Nawlins for the event, sadly. The official colours - kelly green, bright yellow, rich purple - are difficult to cram into one outfit, but if anyone can do it, it's me. I intentionally try to incorporate as many colours as possible into my style-world. I'm hell-bent on abolishing matchy-matchy. Today I'm wearing two pink things, though, and it's killin' me (it's the dog's fault – don't ask). I'm not literally going for a Mardi Gras theme as I shop/pack for the trip, but I'm writing this as a fun exercise.

In Part 2 of this post (coming soon!), I will focus on space-saving packing with smart mix-in-match pieces and my must-haves for hot-hot weather. Basically, my REAL non-fantasy-dress-up travel style post. But for now, let's have fun with this theme. 

The two outfits above, deconstructed, plus some extra Mardi-Gras-esque goodies:

 

Larkspur and Hawk $1300 // Fulton $95

ModCloth.com // Stylebop.com

 

 LPCollection.com $225 // Dorothy Perkins $17

 farfetch.com $500 // Debenhams.com $95

 

J Crew "Minnie" pants $103 each

 luluguiness.com $495 // Marc by Marc Jacobs $420

 Karen Millen // ModCloth.com

 Steve Madden // Madewell

 oasis.com $100 each

p.s. Archie jumped up on the table and stood on the keyboard when I left the room. This was his contribution to the post: wssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Seasonally challenged

Spring, is that you?

Yes, I'm going though something (what?) but I think it's fair to blame most of it on the weather, yeah? The sun is my mood ring in the sky. She tells me what to feel, but she's clearing going through some crazy mid-30s thing, too. Mood swinging right along with me. Dude, so not helping.

Winter, at least in these parts, was flaccid. If not for two well-timed trips out of the city, my Cougar boots would have seen zero action this season. And that's really no fun at all. I see no practical use for celibacy. I'm not a skier, normally. Nor have I laced skates in recent memory. But suddenly, I wanted these things in my life. Badly. Because i couldn't have them, natch. You want my attention: play hard to get. (No don't.)

(Trading up my cougars for these puppies. But I don't deserve it yet //Keds for Madewell)

Spring just isn't quite so delicious unless it comes on the heels of 3 months of suffering bus-stop waits and near-frostbite due to ill-chosen footwear. This is why I love Canada, usually. Renewal and reward happen naturally four times a year (without asymmetric haircuts or accent walls).

So, YEAH I feel a little ripped off. A bit undeserving of spring. Anticlimax. And you know how I hate straight lines - I thrive on ups and downs and up-up-UPS! Stagnancy is my hell. And well, fall bled into "winter" and suddenly became spring-ish without doing much work at all. Meh.

OK, I'm not really complaining. I see an opportunity for melodrama, I take it. C'mon, you know me by now. In reality, it's having positive effects. It's gorge out this week and even though it doesn't smell like spring or involve any melting whatsoever, it's nice. My soul is getting a little colour. A few extra minutes of vitamin-D absorption and I suddenly feel a renewed sense of motivation and positive energy? Lawd, I'm SO easy.

Honest? I'm in the mood for spring. And love! And change! And bikes! And drinking in the park! And really, whatever it may bring in these globally-warmed times. 

I need this. I'm trading up my drab winter blues for happier spring hues - cobalt  and azure and periwinke, oh MY! Peppered with polka-dots and shots of orangey-red, how can I NOT feel uplifted? Kay, so I'm not allowed to shop right now, but it doesn't hurt to fill up dot-com shopping carts and hover a shaky hand over my credit card before I close the browser, right?

Enjoy some well-seasoned picks for spring (that you'll probably never actually see me wearing). Help a sister out, will ya?

Bling. Mendoza Earrings $635 // House of Harlow 1960 Antler Ring $98

Let's picnic then make out in the sand. 

J Crew Factory stripe pocket shirt // Baggu tote $35

Head scarves. I'll be such a babe in these. Also I may just start a hot-chick bike gang with this girl, because she's on the scarf program too. 

(Elle France / Karen Walker)

Oh hi boys, just goin' to the farmers market.

Pantora chevron dress on ETSY - SOLD while writing this post (frownsy face!) // Baggu tote

Karen Walker

 Jenfashion circle skirt on ETSY $69

Yes, 3rd Baggu bag in this post. But don't you just love these?! There suuuper cheap, too. $35 // Faryl Robin Pump $79

Kathryn Amberleigh T-Strap Pump $139 // Stripe/floral scarf $30

(I feel better already.)

Crunchy leaves & cardis... it's Fall!

My must-haves for fall? Sadly, basics. It's not super exciting, of course, that my wish list is stacked with practical staples and classic/basic silhouettes. It's all about stretching my very limited wardrobe budget, though. My real wish list in the true sense of the term (read: unattainable/only- in-dreams) would be far more daring, bold and fun.  And yes dispensable and expensive. But to even dream about it would be torture. So let's pretend we didn't even go there.

It's kind of fun to have style with no money - you work harder, but the pay off is awesome ("Guess... just GUESS how much I paid for this!"). Reverse snobbery.

I just want to recreate these. With no budget.

[ Am I too old? Can I pull this off? I'll surely try. ]

 

It's no secret that half my outfits are composed (artfully) with a mish-mash of vintage, hand-me-downs, clothing swap gleans, rejigged last-season pieces, Etsy finds, and a good dash of scores from the sale racks at Zara and FCUK. Eclectic is a bloody cliché term, but I guess it's appropriate in my case.

Anywaaayyyy, I'm stuck with seriously little to spend as the weather cools and I gear up for my favourite fashion season. But Dayna, don't you have a real job now? Yep. But I also have a real musician for a husband. I also have real debt from a year of being between jobs (or as I put it at the time: "freelance"). So yeah, I have to be smart these days. Remember when 100% of your income went to fun stuff? Man, those were the days. The effin DAYS, man.

I'm determined to still have fun with this exercise: stretching my bucks and making practical purchases doesn't have to be as ho-hum as it sounds.

Here's the plan.

My Top Picks for Fall:

1. I'm super set in the leggings department. I happen to own the rainbow. THE rainbow. But I'm kind of dying to make the above-the-knee socks thing work. OK, I don't have the legs for it (anymore) but if I can take just ONE fashion tip from the Hooters gals: double-up on the nylons. I might, just might, be able to pull this off with some serious nylon action to help with the danger zone between the top of the socks and the bottom of the shorts. We'll see.

 asos.com

2. Winter shorts. Cuffed, high-waisted, woolly. An alternative to skirts and dresses and part of my plan to rock the school-girl socks (tastefully).

 asos.com

 phillip lim $445

 top shop $75

3. Easy dresses. Shirt dresses, tent dresses, sweater dresses. Short-ish and perfect for pairing with leggings and boots OR tights and flats.

 stella mccartney $935

 michael kors $135

 river island $70

4. Cardis that pop. Fun prints to break up the neutrals and solids. Ahhh, layering! It's just the loveliest part of dressing. I could go for wide strips or pin dots. Or just wow-colours!

 J.Crew $49

 Madewell $85

5. Chunky knit/wool accessories. Again, practical. 

 asos.com

6. Sensible shoes. In my world that just means "NOT lime green animal print". Simple, neutral (and ideally comfy) leather wedge pumps. Grey, maybe? Also, Simple black ballet flats. But wait. Easier said than done. This style is of the dime-a-dozen variety, but do you know how HARD it is to find the perfect pair?! Hard, OK. Hard. I have slim feet, so I need 'em narrow. I like the vamp to be shallow (i.e. toe cleavage is awesome) and the toe to be that perfect shape between round and almond. Also, structured - not slipper-y. A little bow would be OK. Loving these, but not the price. Then again, it could be an investment, right?

Locale $135

 french sole $155

7. Leg warmers. I'm a TTC-er come November (bye, bye sweet bike) and my above plan to pretty much never wear pants has flaws: I live in Canada. So, leg warmers are on my list. But, yeah, super hard to track down lws that are non-bulky and non-tacky. My personal shopping guru (who last week lamented "Ugh, there's nothing out there!" for the third season in a row) suggested dance wear stores. Maybe I just wanna be a ballerina.

8. Pendant necklaces. I wanna double and triple them up! Scouring the antique markets for some vintage to mix with cheap-o Forever 21 versions. (Just bought these two lockets on Etsy!)

 etsy.com

I have already made a couple tidy little online purchases and will post outfit pics once my packages arrive (Yay, snail mail). Today calls for some actual mall shopping, too (egads! malls!).

In the end, I need big impact for small bucks. Here I go!

Photos via: asos.com, polyvore.com, etsy.com, French Sole, Locale, Madewell, J.Crew.com