Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Pattern-Mixed Bomber and the Perfect Houndstooth Pencil Skirt Flashback

My first few weeks of my spring wardrobe can be a little overwhelming - there's almost too much to choose from! 
Such a terrible dilemma, right? I alleviate it by incorporating my new-to-me items into outfits right away, like this lovely green patterned bomber jacket. 

  • Jacket - Diane von Furstenberg, thrifted; purchased here for $28.95
  • Sweater - Tatyana, thrifted; last seen here layered under brocade in January
  • Skirt - Nygard, consignment; last worn here in April 2020 with neon orange bookends
  • Shoes - Zoomies Ishshoes, Fluevog; last seen here in September 2020 with red, black and grey
  • Coat (below) - Jeno de Paris, vintage 70s, thrifted; last worn here in March

You may be having some deja vu - yes, it's another houndstooth skirt! This is a very old one in my wardrobe - I've had it nearly the entire time I've been blogging, which is coming up on 13 years. 
"Not impressed. I can't believe you're leaving me."


Vizzini was super-cranky with us this morning, meowing and trying to get us to stay home with him. 

Anyway, this is my old houndstooth pencil skirt, and it's made the cut through many a cull in my closet. We'll be taking a Flashback look at all the ways I've worn it in a bit. 
Oops, I didn't line my seams up! That back slit should be centered. I've always liked how flattering my back view is in this skirt. 

I loved how the two patterns went together. Houndstooth is a classic for mixing with other designs, especially if the second pattern also has back and white in it. 
This outfit would have been WAY too adventurous for me back in my early blogging days! I was scared to try new things - pattern-mixing was way too, "Whoa! Other people! Not me!"

Masked up - and how things have changed. There's another pattern right there in my mask! 
The jacket zips up, but I probably wouldn't wear it like that - this was just for my walk to and from work today. 

Outerwear - oh, I'm Klassy today, folks. It's been very windy and rainy all day, so I couldn't wear one of my fedoras (I don't fancy chasing my hat in traffic). 
Instead, I did the Movie-Star-Wrap and secured my hair with my silk scarf. It poured on me on the way home, and I was shocked that my hair stayed dry! This actually works! 

Outerwear stuff: 
I love wearing a swanky designer scarf in the rain. 

  • Silk scarf - Lanvin, vintage 80s, vintage mall
  • Leather gloves - Roeckl, consignment
  • Mask - by Mom

The stuff: 
I'd planned on a pair of black and white shoes with this outfit, but then changed my mind last night and went with these chunky wedges. They are insanely comfortable, not that I did much standing/walking in them today. 

Green and black bling: 
One of my colleagues on a Teams call today commented on my green jacket, and of course, I had to show off my necklace...and bangle...and ring...and my green eyeshadow too! 


  • Necklace - vintage 70s, Mom's
  • Crystal/Lucite bangle - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Sidney
  • Glass bangle - thrifted
  • Aventurine/silver ring - consignment
  • Silver/onyx ring - Toccara, vintage fair
  • Earrings - thrifted


You might recall that when I bought this bomber a couple of months ago, it had been marked down in the thrift store multiple times due to the white spot on the front. 
See the little wee spot? It looks like something was on the fabric when it was printed originally. It's not a spill or paint or anything, just lack of dye. 

I touched it up last night with one of my Zentangle paint pens. 
You can hardly see it! Ta-dah! 



Flashback: Nygard Houndstooth Pencil Skirt

First featured here in my first year of blogging, in September 2008 - I'd bought the skirt a few weeks earlier, on consignment. I remember that it was the Velvet Crease's old store, and it was likely around $30.00. I didn't go much over $40 back then. 
For a skirt that has now been 13 years with me, and was probably around 8-10 years old before I bought it, it's in remarkably good condition. These two pictures were taken yesterday. 
The fabric is acrylic, and it's a woven design (not a print). No fuzzing, and the weave is lined up nicely (look at the hem). I love the length of it (just past the knee), even though it's labeled a Petite. 
 
It's by Nygard, a good quality Canadian department store brand, whose founder has been accused of some pretty horrific things recently which I am not linking to. I bought it second-hand so I didn't give any money to him, only the store I bought it from. 

The skirt was an early purchase of good quality that I immediately recognized as being the Perfect Houndstooth Pencil Skirt. I have never seen its equal in all my years of shopping, and I'm ever in "Always Be Upgrading" mode when I shop.
This is the first time I wore it, in September 2009. I thought this was a very preppy look at the time - look at that sweater vest! Those are an old pair of Fluevogs that I gave up for being too painful. 

November 2008. My hair is awful in this era - I was walking to and from work in my walking gear (45 minutes each way), and changing into my clothes at work, then again at home to do the pictures. 
I was revisiting my teenage love for long cardigans here and was mad for belting everything, since I'd rediscovered my waist when I lost weight the previous year. I'd totally forgotten about those red Nine West sling-backs! They are very much of that time. 

This skirt tapped into my love of classic and classy silhouettes. I'm very fond of this shape of thin sweater too - it's very pin-up-ish. I had this sweater in blue and red, and I'm surprised I never wore the blue one with it (maybe that was too adventurous for me!?). 
This was in December 2008. A pretty simple look. 

Return of the Sweater Vest! This was in February 2009. I loved this green shirt - I bought it on clearance at the now long-closed Esprit store in the mall in 2007-8. 
I also really loved ginormous heels! I regularly wore 4" heels back then. 

I'd forgotten all about these turquoise shoes - they didn't fit right and I let them go about a year later. 
They were bought in Vancouver on our anniversary trip of 2009 - this outfit is from July 2009. 

I'm back to my red bobbed haircut here, grown out from my previous shaggy/fluffy 'do. 
This was a wardrobe challenge from September 2009. Dig those awesome yellow leather boots! I gave them away years ago - they killed my feet. 

I spy my Grandma J's necklace in this December 2009 look. It will not be the last time - classy skirt + classy necklace! 
I did a lot of single colour outfits with this skirt, but this is a very early pattern-mixing attempt with a red/white blouse under the black jacket (I was afraid to have the patterns side by side!). 

Waggling my spotted scarf at you! This was in April 2010. 
I have no recollection of that jacket whatsoever!

This cardigan was one of my very favourite pieces ever - it had cranes on it, embroidered in wool, and the embroidery went around the back of the neck and on the cuffs as well as the front. I miss it, but it was getting rather ball-y near the end. 
I do love red shoes - I gave these to my coworker Holly ages ago. This was in October 2010. 

L and I dressed for Christmas at my sister-in-law's in December 2010. If you're wondering why L looks so odd, I used to obscure his face by sticking George Clooney over it with my madd Paint skillz. 
Aw, kitty Inigo put his paw out - he was such a lovely boy. 

This skirt was worn three times in my 30 For 30 For 12 Wardrobe Challenge, during the month of November 2012, which was an "all neutrals" month. 
I accented with a purple belt (I think I still have it) and tights. Vizzini ate the strap on those shoes. 

I added a green cami and olive tights and jewelry to this November 2011 outfit. 
Same shoes as previously. I still have that black leather obi and that necklace. 

More purple tights in the last outfit of November 2011. 
I didn't keep those shoes, but I like the strap on them. 

My purple glasses and my blonde hair appear in March 2013. My year-long wardrobe challenge really helped me be more willing to take sartorial risks. I'm glad I did it, but ugh, so much work! 
Familiar items start appearing, like that red leather obi and the shoes (Flashback here). 

This was the one and only wearing of this vintage Oscar de la Renta blouse, in September 2013. It was too much for me! Ruffles everywhere! 
Grandma's necklace noted, and yet another pair of shoes that Vizzini ate - he chewed off and ate all those laces. He's mellowed a lot in 10 years. 

My football team was doing well in November 2013, so I rebelliously wore my Panthers jersey to work on a Casual Friday. 
What a rebel! 

This was a much-loved outfit by my coworkers and blog-readers, from February 2014. 
Something about that lemon yellow with the black and the pearls. 

Changing things up in November 2014. My hair was purple and my style was evolving. 
Oxblood was a favourite colour back then. Those were awesome boots, but I wore them out. 

An early appearance of my green Fluevog kitten heels, in March 2015. 
Caro has that sweater, and Vizzini's going after more shoes! Get out of there, you Shoe Chewer! 

I like this classy outfit from December 2015. 
I still have that tee (I just wore it to Mom's on the weekend!), and the zipper rose brooch. Yvonne has the suit that the jacket belongs to.

Grandma's necklace again in October 2016. 
I gave that sweater to Yvonne as well. Shoes Flashbacked here

This is one of my favourite outfits, in April 2017. 
The purple, the orange, the lace top, the ruffles on the peplum. So good. 

An easing-back-to-work look from January 2018. Turquoise glasses and growing my purple hair out. 
I should wear those shoes again - it looks like Vizzini has his eye on them...

Same black t-shirt and the green kitten heels also repeat, in April 2018. 
I will be wearing that lace bomber jacket again soon. 

A snazzy shopping outfit from December 2018. My hair's been switched to lavender.
I let go of the jacket, shirt and shoes, but I still have all the accessories. 

And here's the last time I wore this houndstooth skirt, in April 2020. Pink hair, Grandma's necklace, and that's a lot of neon orange! 
Early on in the pandemic - I do look a little "deer in headlights", don't I?  


Mathy stuff: Wow, I've worn this skirt a lot! This wearing marks the 27th outfit, bring me to $1.11 per wear. I see a lot of houndstooth pencil skirts but I have never seen one better in quality, cut or fit than this one. Let's see how low we can go in cost-per-wears. To another 13 years! 


Do you have a favourite? Is there houndstooth (or pied de poule!) in your closet?

35 comments:

  1. lovely fashion flash-back. Today's wearing of your skirt is my favourite although the short belted sweaters or jackets also look tres cool. I've never mixed houndstooth with other patterns. But I will now. Thanks for the tip!!

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  2. Love, love, love the houndstooth. I love how it's so busy it's neutral and seems to go with just about everything. I think my favourites are the orange blouse circa early pandemic followed by the April 2017 outfit (however, they are all pretty nice). I have nothing in my closet that is houndstooth, but I will definitely be on the lookout to add some in the future.

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    1. Thanks so much, Nana! I love regular patterns like houndstooth because they go so well with IRregular patterns, like this floral. I like both outfits you picked too. :) You can't go wrong with a bit of houndstooth!

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  3. That skirt has been worn so well through the years! it's great you've had it so long too! With body changes during pregnancies and after kids I don't have a lot of older pieces in my wardrobe - not sure what my oldest piece would be now actually, you've got me thinking! But it would be fun to be able to do a flashback over such a long period of time - maybe in a few years when I've been blogging for longer!

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    1. I'm really happy I've worn it so much, Mica, and over so many years! I wasn't sure if it would make the cut this year, but it still fits and looks good, and it is in great condition. I loved looking back at all those old outfits!

      Delete
  4. That skirt is glorious on you and the length is so flattering! I cringed a bit when you first mentioned Nygard - you handled that very well. Such a great flashback, I particularly liked thesweater vest and made a note to find mine which is in the back of the closet somewhere. You are so inspiring.

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    1. Thanks so much, Robyn - yeah, I wasn't sure how to address that ugliness, thanks for your support.

      I don't know if I'm up for sweater vests again! However, Never Say Never! Aw, thank you again!

      Delete
  5. Haha, not lining my seams up would be a typical thing for me to do. I might start out with lined up seams, though, but when it's time to take photographs, I'm sure they start living a life of their own. Your rear view still looks great though. And that DVF bomber jacket is gorgeous! Great idea to touch up that spot with one of your Zentangle pens. Also love the klassy outerwear!
    Scrolling through the skirt flashback was a delight. I do have a bit of a headache from constant drilling noises in our neighbourhood, so when I spotted L's George Clooney face, I thought it was time to call it a day and hit the Paracetamol ;-) xxx

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    1. I often forget to line up my seams, Ann - it's a good thing I take rear-view pics in the morning and have time to adjust if needed. Thank you so much! I'm really glad that spot touched up so well.

      Thank you - didn't mean to throw you off over "George", haha! I read about your construction zone! Sorry to hear about that.

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  6. I love the pattern mixing! The black herringbone is such a versatile mix.

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    1. Houndstooth not herringbone- all please ignore my fashion pattern ignorance.Thanks Vix for the right term.

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    2. Thank you, Sam! No worries, all those patterns can be confusing. :)

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  7. Your outfit is great, I love the jacket, you did a good jobe covering the spot. Fantastic photos of different outfits, I think houndstooth will always be popular.

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    1. Thanks so much, Polly! I think houndstooth is like plaid, polka dots or any other classic pattern. They are always in style.

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  8. I love the houndstooth with the floral print, an inspired bit of pattern mixing! Always good to see my favourite leather trench make an appearance, too.
    That was a great flashback especially seeing Inigo and George Clooney! xxx

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    1. Thank you, Vix! I was very pleased with how well it worked with the bomber. I love that leather trench too.

      Ha, I bet you weren't expecting George Clooney! :) Thanks!

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  9. Love this main outfit plus the ones of December 2015 and 2018. In the December outfits it’s the burgundy blazer and boots (ahhhh!) and the intense blues (would wake me and warm me :))

    You are the one who inspired me to pattern mix with plaid. Not quite the same as houndstooth in black and white but such a skirt is now on my radar!

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    1. Thanks so much, Laurie! I am on the lookout for burgundy boots again - just haven't found the right pair yet.

      Plaid is great for pattern-mixing too! Good luck on your hunt.

      Delete
  10. You are so right, the patterned jacket works very well with the houndstooth skirt. Or vice versa. Love that outfit.
    I also liked seeing the old photos of you. I don't know whether your style has changed or not. Isn't that odd? Your shoe style has become bolder.
    Greetje

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    1. Thank you, Greetje! I like it too.

      I have different hair, and I'm obviously older, but I think my style has become more adventurous and colourful. I was afraid to stand out in those early pics - now I am much more "out there" with my style.

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  11. Good evening She, I love that skirt on you. Such a classic hmm I remember I had one years ago. I love the green jacket with it and there you go again - the back of your shoes matches the black and white in your jacket (the back shot was so good). I love your jewelry and particulary your Mum's green necklace. I don't have much green in my wardrobe but love green jewelry -weird. I actually did sort my jewelry out last week-end, thinking the silver and blue bits can be for summer. It was a fun exercise inspired by you. This week there has been far too much real life going on so here's to more time to visit blog land next week ha ha cheers Shazxx

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    1. Hello, Shaz! Thank you so much for dropping by. I know you have personal stuff going on, but it's always good to see you.

      Houndstooth is such a classic, isn't it? Yes, even the swirled heels of the shoes match - Matchy-Matchy Forever!

      I have collected a lot of green jewelry for some reason! It's a nice pop against black and white, isn't it? Oh, how fun that you went through your jewelry! Take care, my dear!

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  12. That's a beautiful skirt. Houndstooth pattern is always so gorgeous. I love the print mixing with the jacket. Print mixing is always fun. The bomber jacket you've chosen for print mixing is fabulous. I also enjoyed your flashback. So many possibilities with such a pretty skirt. The edited George face made me laugh, :) but that is a stylish outfit L is wearing. Looking back at your flashbacks, I think I liked the most the outfits where you paired with houndstooth skirt with bold colours such as bright yellow, orange or red. This kind of pattern looks good with all colours because it is so classical, but the bold colours really make it pop. I also like the look with the soft lilac blazer and a white blouse- and the orange heels in that outfit are a fabulous pop of colour. The last look with the orange blouse and shoes is fabulous as well.

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    1. Thanks so much, Ivana! I love the mix of pattern in this outfit. It's a great skirt, isn't it? L is always a stylish guy! I'm glad I can show his face now.

      I also like the brighter looks with the skirt, but even the pastel one is good. Thank you!

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  13. As you have proven here,basically every colour looks good with a black and white houndstooth pattern.

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  14. Isn't it awesome to see how our own styling preferences and level of daring/moxie change over the course of time? One would never know to look at your expertise on that front now that there was once a time when the thought of pattern mixing sent a cold chill up your spine. You excel at it and have surely inspired many of us to embrace this sartorial art form all the more ourselves over the years.

    Autumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life

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    1. It's one of the best things about doing these Flashbacks, Autumn: I love looking back at my old outfits and remembering how "daring" I felt in some of them. I hope it does inpire others to try new things!

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  15. What a wonderfully fabulous and versatile skirt, Sheila! And it definitely flatters your backside even with the seam misaligned! I love that green bomber jacket and all of the stylings of this skirt, most especially the outfit with the green ruffle blouse! So cool! And the one with your Panthers top! How fun is that! Thanks for linking with me.

    Shelbee
    www.shelbeeontheedge.com

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    1. I'm rather boggled on how versatile it's been, Michelle, thank you! If only all my clothes were this useful!

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  16. Lovely to see that you've made the most of this classic piece, sometimes creating some chic outfits, other times jazzing it!.
    I love your Green jacket and the matchy jewellery, and these shoes (so lovely to see them again!). So interesting to see your style evolving and developing a taste for mixed prints!, it makes a difference.
    Totally agree that the purple&orange outfit is a favourite!
    besos

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    1. It's been incredibly long-lasting and so versatile, hasn't it, Monica?

      Thank you! I love all these greens, and you know I love my clunky white shoes! Mixing prints used to feel so "next level", but now I love how much interest it can bring to an outfit.

      Delete
  17. I'm a big DVF fan and am extremely covetous of that amazing jacket!!

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    1. Thanks, Fay! What a great find, and for less than $30!

      Delete

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