When you were a kid, did you have paper dolls or Barbies or those Mattel Fashion Plates? I sure did and I loved them immoderately. I loved the idea of different clothes for different activities; I loved putting together the outfits and imagining what the doll would do in those outfits. Gardening! The opera! Or, in the case of my Princess Di paper dolls, dancing with John Travolta or heading to Balmoral for some kind of Scottish holiday! In my world, Princess Di was free of crushing sadness and eating disorders; her life was non-stop fun and excitement, and there was an outfit for every occasion.
What I’m saying is that I love clothes, then and now. I love my own clothes and I love other people’s clothes, too. I admire other people’s style, even when – maybe especially when – it is really different from mine. I love the thought of expressing oneself through one’s clothing, I love looking at new fashion trends, even when I have no intention of incorporating them into my own wardrobe – I’m looking at you, balloon leg jeans – and I absolutely LOVE accessories and how easy it is to add flair to an outfit.
To that end, I follow a number of fashion bloggers, from a woman in her 30s to a woman twice that and everything in between, and the blogs all have one thing in common: they are aspirational. I mean, one of them JUST posted about what to wear in St. Barth’s. Like, this isn’t information I NEED, but I like it. I love looking at the fashion blogs, with their gorgeous scenic backgrounds and their perfect clothes, but rarely do the outfits resonate with me in a I could wear that kind of way. Almost never do I see an outfit and think that it could fit into my life.
Also, I’m not going to St. Barth’s anytime soon, but if I do, I will know what to wear.
I am not a trendy woman in any way, nor do I believe in the Fashion Police, but I have one very strict rule that I follow when it comes to clothes, and that is that I should always feel good in my clothes. When I get dressed every morning, I want to feel happy, comfortable, and cute. If I don’t, something is wrong with my outfit. This is a very important distinction: something is wrong with my OUTFIT, something is NOT wrong with ME.
It is really important to me to get dressed in something that makes me feel good, every single day, no matter what the day has in store for me. That’s why I decided to write about all the outfits I wore last week, why I chose them, and my feelings associated with them. What else is there to write about in February? The snow? As a note, it’s winter here and currently very cold, but last week the temperatures are what I think of as mild winter temperatures – hovering around the zero mark, give or take a few degrees.
In the spirit of keeping it real, I have had photos taken at various places in my home, which is where I am most of the time, so no pretty backgrounds for me. Not interested in clothes? Skip forward to this week’s reading; I have a couple of great titles and one not-so-great title.
One Week Of Winter Outfits
Monday
This was Valentine’s Day, and it was also a teaching day, so I festively decided to wear my pink pants, which I bought in the 2016 Boxing Day sales; the tank and legwarmers are even older than that. The long-sleeved top is new, purchased online, and this was its debut. Regrets, I have them. The trouble with online shopping is that it’s so hard to tell what an item is going to look like. I expected this to be at least waist-length, but it barely covers my ribcage, not that I’m going to wear it without a tank underneath, but still. It’s short. It’s also really open in the back:
It turned out to be comfortable to teach in, but I would only wear this in a class with female students; I prefer a bit of coverage for the few older men that are in my Thursday class. So that I didn’t freeze for the rest of the day, I put on this tunic that I bought at Jacob many years ago, Jacob having gone out of business in 2015. I love this tunic, and I love these super-tall boots – they zip up the side so I get the funkiness of laces without the bother of laces.
Tuesday
I don’t normally have class on Tuesdays, but I was teaching a one-off for a friend, and so I put on this, which is one of my very favourite outfits. The sweater and legwarmers are so cozy, and I love the light grey long-sleeve top for extra coverage while teaching.
Plus, polka dots!
Wednesday
Wednesday is Grocery Day, and it was quite cold, so I layered up. I think I bought this sweater in about 2013 or 2014, and it’s still in great shape. The most sustainable fashion pieces are the ones that last forever, in my humble opinion.
The kitchen is my habitat for a good portion of the day, and a good portion of that portion sees me chopping vegetables. Please note that my hair matches my wall colour quite nicely; THAT is how you coordinate, people.
Thursday
I teach on Thursdays, so I slipped on this long cardigan to match the stripes in my tank top. I teach in a very chilly community centre, so I put on a long-sleeved tee and legwarmers. For fun I added my mala made for me by my friend Amy (HI AMY), although I’d never wear it to teach – the risk of getting smacked in the face is way too high.
All of these pieces are at least five to seven years old, but I think that the leggings and tee are much, much older. The tee is from Jacob and I’m sure I wore it in our annual family photo in the fall of 2010.
Friday
An outing! I had an outing that wasn’t a class OR groceries! I took the car for an oil change. You only live once, people.
This sweater and these jeans are fairly new. I love the cozy warmth and the fit of the sweater, and it’s so soft. I have it layered with a long-sleeve tee underneath, naturally.
Jeans! I have things to say. So, in the last six months or so, my body has changed. I am not going to tell you in what way it has changed, nor will I assign a value – positive or negative – to that change, but I am going to tell you that my jeans, purchased in 2014-15 no longer fit the way I wanted them to. I no longer felt cute or comfortable in them. I bought these jeans, and another pair, last Black Friday online, which sounds more bold than it really was, as I had tried on jeans from that store, Bootlegger, only a month prior. I am SO happy with them. They are a perfect fit, and they feel great.
I am not interested in judging changes to body shape, either my own or someone else’s. Body shapes change, and that is a neutral statement, it is not something we need to celebrate or condone. It just IS. And sometimes, that means new jeans.
This is my reading chair, where I spend a lot of my non-kitchen time. Please note cute and fuzzy companion, where he spends a lot of his time.
Saturday
I spent most of Saturday afternoon – surprise! – in the kitchen.
Very long time readers will recall my gig as a food writer over at YMC – all my recipes can be found here, if you’re interested – and at my time there, I amassed a number of very cute aprons, of which this was one. Also, shout-out to my Lee Valley apple corer/ peeler. I baked a pie for the boys, riffing on Jessica Seinfeld’s recipe for apple blackberry, and I am always grateful not to cripple up my hands peeling apples. Look at how silly it turned out!
Doesn’t it look like it’s winking and sticking it’s tongue out? Sassy thing.
Anyway, during my non-baking hours, I wore my other pair of new jeans, along with a black sweater over the stretchy grey top. Comfy and cute, and I actually had my hair down. The girl who cuts my hair chided me, saying that wearing it in a bun all the time causes breakage, and I promised her I would try to wear it down more often, which means, apparently, once a week.
Sunday
For me, Sunday is a day for long walks and cooking, and so jeans, a long warm tee (from Jacob again! RIP Jacob), and a nice thick black sweater from the Gap was just the ticket. These are the jeans I bought that ended up having too much stretch to them, and so I always wear a long shirt to cover up the inevitable sagging that occurs by early afternoon.
You can probably deduce for yourself that my general esthetic is a) lots of layers, b) cozy and comfortable pieces that I’ve had for many years, and c) black and grey. It works for my life, which may not include trips to St. Barth’s (YET), but is pretty cheery and pleasant nonetheless.
Pandemic Reading
The Art of Forgetting. Hmm. Well. I went in with decent expectations, as I’ve read a few books by this author – one last week! – and I have enjoyed them. However, this was…not good. I found the characters unlikeable and there was just so much about body weight, dieting, and “getting fat” talk. It was like Mean Girls, but grown up, and not funny. The author tried to tie together traumatic brain injury with empowering yourself, but most of the time I just found myself reading with a furrowed brow. Not great for my facial lines, save yourselves the trouble.
The Choice. Wow! This book! I cannot say enough about this incredibly inspiring memoir. The author is a Holocaust survivor, and she’s still alive today; she wrote this book at age 90. She was imprisoned at Auschwitz at age 16, and from there was marched to a number of work camps, and then subjected to the Death March and was found in a pile of bodies at the end of the war by American soldiers. She was an accomplished dancer and gymnast – she was cut from the Olympic team because she was Jewish – but when she was found after the war, she needed to learn how to walk again, she was so broken. Not only did she survive, but she thrived, immigrating to America with nothing, and building her way up to become a renowned psychologist, working with patients with traumatic stress disorders. This book is nothing short of incredible.
The Gift. This book was written after The Choice, and is more self-help than memoir. It is a wonderful book about seeing your darkest moments as your greatest teacher. It is inspiring and empowering.
How do you feel about fashion? Do you love getting dressed in the morning or is it a chore? I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my clothing life and, by extension, my home! xo
Today I am wearing an outfit that the first time I wore it a few years back, North classified as “middle-aged lesbian in December”– red and black checked flannel shirt with tan corduroys, though I think I had wool clogs on that day and today I have black low top canvas sneakers. I guess it works in February, too.
Well, you know, other than more daylight, February is not that different from December (here, at least). North cracks me up!
Listen, I feel that the internet is telling you to get up to speed on St Barth’s fashions for a reason. Who knows where this will lead???
I have a very strict pandemic dressing schedule. When I start work it’s business from the waist up and sweatpants on the bottom until noon. Then I get into jeans for the first dog walk of the day and stay in them until the final dog walk after dinner. It’s a good life!
Life is good! Hey, you never know, maybe I WILL be in St Barth’s! I do believe in signs, so….
I loved this post! I am SO not in to fashion (and don’t follow a single fashion blogger) but this was just such fun reading.
You seem so confident in your style and that is just very, very refreshing! It also looks like the perfect blend of comfort and fashion.
I don’t mind getting dressed usually – I have very few clothes so it’s a pretty streamlined process. I don’t want to feel “bad” about any clothes I wear, so I’m relatively confident in everything I own, but (as you’ve already read today), I actually care more about my earrings than my clothes!
Thanks Elisabeth! I love that your streamlined process works for you – I’m not surprised! I really loved a peek into your earring collection.
I loved Fashion Plates!! That was one of my favorite toys as a kid. I love your outfits. I’m a minimalist, so I don’t have a ton of clothing, but it’s by choice. I get overwhelmed by choices. I didn’t realize this until I was in menopause. I enjoy clothes shopping (ish), but I didn’t always know what I needed or wanted. Now, I understand why I would feel this way.
I enjoyed Edith Eger’s The Gift.
Fashion Plates FOREVER!!!! This is the thing I’m learning about menopause – we really find out about ourselves at this time of life!
Thank you for the body neutrality statements! There is way too much body judgement and stigma on the internet, particularly when it comes to clothes, and who should wear what. I am not a fashion person, but I have a very clear picture of how I would like to dress. The problem is, I can’t reconcile fashion with comfort! I wear sweatpants almost every day because 1) I’m cold and 2) I don’t like leggings or jeans and what else is there? I need the fashion fairy to visit my house.
I so agree – so many Fashion Police out there, and really, we should wear what we like and what we are comfortable with! I also am so uncomfortable with value judgements based on body shape or size changes – change is part of life! xo
I’ve never been a clothes horse. I attempt to look pulled together wearing what I describe as tailored suburban casual– a relaxed look with some texture & color, but structured, no flower-y patterns, or twirly skirts. I know what I prefer and won’t buy anything that I don’t feel comfortable in. My fashion icon is Ina Garten! Or sometimes Katie Holmes.
Oh lovely! I bet you look incredible. Knowing what you want is the key, I think. I like flower patterns and twirly skirts on other people, but they don’t suit me in the least.
Your fuzzy companion is so adorable – the perfect accessory!
I have worn the same three pairs of pants and half a dozen tops for months. I clearly do not care about fashion – I just want to be warm and not have to change clothes too many times a day. I do appreciate when other people look fabulous, though!
I love that you do you! And yes, isn’t Barks so cute???
I’m laughing at how your hair matches your walls. You are so funny. I love, love the sweater you’re wearing on grocery day, while chopping veggies. You are a smart shopper to purchase clothes that last so long. Well done. I just found a photo of me wearing a plaid sweater in the 90s. I told Mini if I still had that sweater, I’d still be wearing it. She was like WHAT HAPPENED TO IT? Um, it lasted a long time, but the 90s was a long time ago.
You do always look cute. I try to dress in clothes with pockets and that are very washable, beat up, not fancy during the day when I babysit. I make more of an effort to look cute on my non sitting days. I agree though, feeling comfortable goes hand in hand with being happy with how I look.
I told a friend at one of those jewelry shows in someone’s house years ago, that I just don’t really accessorize. Her mouth fell open and she looked at me like I had 3 heads. She asked me, DO YOU TAKE A PILL FOR THAT? I MEAN HOW DO YOU NOT ACCESSORIZE? Ha.
Those last two books sound like something I’d enjoy. Thanks as always for the great recommendations.
Hahaha! You make me laugh. I don’t have anything from the 90s…wait, or do I? I should see if I donated those old platform slides I used to have. I loved them back in the day, would possibly break an ankle wearing them now. WASHABLE CLOTHES! YES! I am a no-dry-clean-anything person.
This was a fun post! I love your wardrobe- it’s definitely my style (although you’re more stylish than I am.) We have a specific shirt we have to wear for work (I’m a massage therapist) but then we can wear whatever pants we want (within reason) and that includes leggings and yoga pants. And I can wear running shoes to work! The comfort level makes up for the blah-ness of wearing the same shirt every day.
The Choice sounds incredible and I have already placed a library hold on it! Thanks for the review.
I think you’ll really like it, Jenny! Yay for leggings and yoga pants, I’d be lost without them.
You look really cute and comfy in all the pics and how everything goes with everything else because you have a clearly defined color palette and style. I particularly loved the pushback against body judgement, Nicole. <3 <3 And oh, I'm in love with your lotus necklace and mala. I don't follow any fashion blogs, but I'm very into fashion. I don't buy as much these days due to sustainability guilt, but I save and wear the heck out of things I bought (or was given when I used to model).
Oh, thank you – the lotus is my favourite and I have had it at least 12 or 13 years, I wear it several times a week. I think wearing the heck out of everything is the most sustainable for sure!
Cheers! Cheers for your mindset and success… you look cute and comfortable, all the days of the week.
Thank you!
I like clothes – and really enjoyed getting dressed back in the day (before our company went to casual wear vs business clothes). Even with that, I still enjoyed getting dressed, accessorizing and wearing the perfect shoes (to be honest, I am a huge shoes person. Although, I don’t bother with heels very often any more). Then the pandemic. Well, now I pretty much wear jeans, a long sleeve t-shirt, socks and slippers everyday. Maybe I need to kick it up a notch. Speaking of which, HOW are you standing around in bare feet when it’s ZERO degrees?!
Oh, I bet you have a beautiful shoe collection!
Don’t worry – the bare feet are just for the photo. I have bare feet to teach in, that’s why I wear legwarmers that go over my arches, because it gets cold. When I’m not teaching I put socks on underneath, and I usually wear slippers too!
I love ALL your outfits (and your sassy pie). Plus, I love your neutral view on changing bodies and on how if you feel bad in an outfit, it is the outfit that needs to change, not you. I adore you and aspire to be more like you, in so many ways!!!
The black + grey + jean + legging aesthetic is my chosen aesthetic as well. Love love love.
xoxoxo
I had forgotten about paper dolls. My mother used to get McCalls Magazine (we are talking looong ago) and there was a Betsy McCall paper doll you could cut out- I loved it! I’d never say i’m fashion crazy but it is important to feel comfortable and that I look good. If a clothing item is too tight for example I can’t stand wearing it. I read this while wearing 1 of 5 bathing suits I brought on our trip so maybe I’m a little more fashion conscious than I realize? My clothes do last forever as well. I’ll see a picture from 10 years ago and realize I’m wearing the same shirt I have on! I pretty much live in jeans or leggings plus T-shirt & 1 layer for all my temperature variations. I have to check out those Bootlegger jeans as I’m definitely due for a new pair. I have already put The Choice on hold; it sounds amazing.
You know what, I had those as well – my grandma had saved them! I loved paper dolls!
As to the five bathing suits, I think you need a variety! I 100% support your choices 🙂
You will LOVE The Choice, I just know it.
You are aspirational to me. I love your cozy, comfy and still.very.cute.and.functional outfits.
Also, you always make me giggle. An oil change? That sounds almost as fun as planning a trip to St. Barths.
Also, the pink leggings are everything!
That pie is certainly giving us a look, right?
An oil change, Suz. Don’t be too envious, maybe your day will come.
You’re so sweet – thank you for your kind words!
Over from Ally’s. You gave me an ah ha moment about comfort being the most important aspect of clothing. I love your acceptance about certain articles not working any more and getting new clothes without blame toward our bodies. I need to work on this. The pie looks incredible! Your look is classic and suits you very well.
Hi Margaret! Welcome! I think we all need to work on not blaming our bodies when our clothes aren’t right – it’s a lifetime of conditioning, or at least it is for me. Thanks for reading and commenting! The pie lasted less than 24 hours, the boys hoovered it down.
I love your philosophy that clothes should make you feel comfortable and good. I agree wholeheartedly! Anytime I wear something that’s in my closet that doesn’t make me feel good, in the donate pile it goes! I don’t have time to wear clothes that make me feel crappy. That’s no way for anyone to live.
I love your style, too. It’s casual and comfortable and, more importantly, it makes you feel good!
Now that I work from home, I really enjoy the times when I can get dressed up and make an actual effort with my appearance. I love being able to wear comfy clothes all day long, and it makes me appreciate the times when I get to dress up.
Yes! I do too! If ever I get to get “dressed up,” which, omg Stephany I cannot remember the last time, it is An Occasion To Be Appreciated!
I think you live in Calgary, right? If so, I am freezing just looking at you. Bare feet! In February! Ack! (My sole purpose in dressing is to be warm. Today: fleece top, long sleeved shirt, long sleeved base layer, tank top; fleece leggings, wool socks.)
I am a relatively new reader but love reading your posts. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Anne! Welcome! I do live in Calgary but not to worry, the bare feet were just for the photo, to show what I wear while teaching yoga. I put my socks and fuzzy slippers on right after the photo. And yes, it’s all about the layers and keeping warm!
Oh, I love the leggings and leg warmer look… you totally rock it. Overall, your style is pretty similar to mine…. skinny pants and shirts and cardigans.
And I absolutely second this: 100%!
When I get dressed every morning, I want to feel happy, comfortable, and cute. If I don’t, something is wrong with my outfit. This is a very important distinction: something is wrong with my OUTFIT, something is NOT wrong with ME.