The past year has been an exercise in trying to find normalcy during a strikingly not-normal time. Some traditions can’t really be replicated when we all have to stay home as much as possible – but some can, and I’ve been doing my best to seize on all such opportunities.
One annual tradition of mine is taking my mom to see the Ross Petty pantomime at the Elgin Theatre. A handful of Toronto theatre geniuses put a different show together every year, usually telling a traditional story (e.g. Snow White, Robin Hood) through a modern lens. There are always flashy song-and-dance numbers, zany characters, and plenty of topical jokes. This past year, they obviously couldn’t do the show as per usual, so they livestreamed a highly produced holiday special loosely based on The Wizard of Oz. Naturally, I bought tickets for my mom and I as one of her Christmas gifts.
Her in Toronto and me in New York, we both got dressed up for the occasion, sat down in front of our respective TVs, and watched the show while texting each other the entire time. It was almost as good as crowding into front-row seats with her for the closing-day matinee like we always used to do.
What I’m wearing:
- Snowflake-print jumpsuit – graciously sent to me by Shinesty (previously discussed here)
- Pink cardigan – some random Amazon seller, I think?
- Metallic pink cowboy boots – Jeffrey Campbell (more details about ’em below)
- Rainbow striped glasses – from the Zenni Pride collection
- Lancôme Rouge in Love lipstick in “Midnight Rose” (definitely one of my all-time favorite lipsticks – I originally bought it because Christina Hendricks was said to have worn it)
- …& if you’re wondering, the cocktail I’m drinking in that one photo is a Millionnaire, which Matt made for me when I told them I was craving something with nutmeg!
This was my outfit for Matt’s 30th birthday livestream, during which we raised a bunch of money for the Trans Lifeline. Really simple ensemble, but sometimes those are the best ones!
Let’s talk about these boots, though… They are the Dagget style by Jeffrey Campbell, and I first saw them when the notoriously pink-adoring Gala Darling posted them to her Instagram story to ask her followers if we thought she should buy them. I don’t know if she ended up pulling the trigger or not, but I was immediately smitten and filed them away in my list of “things I would buy if I had unlimited cash.”
However, during one of my beloved spouse’s recent stints in chastity, we were both craving some financial domination, so I pulled up my list… and after going back and forth between the boots, a few different bags, and a cashmere sweater, we eventually decided the boots were the right call. I promised I would (lightly) trample Matt with these fuchsia stunners once they arrived, and that certainly motivated them to hit “Add to Cart”! (I was true to my word, if you’re wondering…)
Speaking of “making” people buy me things for kinky reasons… I have an Instagram acquaintance from Germany who has a headphones fetish, and we recently got into a semi-flirty convo about headphones which culminated in him buying me this dreamy pair of Cowin E7s. I was mostly interested in them for aesthetic reasons (I mean, just look at them!) but they’ve actually turned out to be fantastic headphones for my purposes. You can use them wirelessly or wired, they have noise-cancelling functionality, they’re super comfy, and their battery life is epic (as of this writing, I haven’t had to charge them since their first charge about 5 weeks ago, despite near-daily use). Lovely!
What I’m wearing:
- Pink fit-and-flare dress – H&M
- Blue sparkly heart necklace – Tarina Tarantino
- Metallic pink cowboy boots – Jeffrey Campbell
- Bright blue Cowin E7 headphones
- Sparkly blue eyeshadow – Polar by Sugarpill (as with many glittery shadows, I think the best way to apply this one if you want extreme color payoff is to spray your eyeshadow brush with MAC Fix+ or another setting spray, and then dip it into the eyeshadow and apply it)
Sometimes it just feels good to dress up! I bought this dress to wear to a wedding a few years ago, and tossed it into my suitcase on a whim when I was packing for this extended stay in New York. It’s ended up getting more wear than I would have predicted, mostly because it feels definitively fancy and out-of-the-ordinary for me. When you’ve been bumming around in sweatpants and T-shirts all week, feeling increasingly depressed about the world, it can feel nice to throw on something pretty.
What I’m wearing:
- Black and teal floral-print one-shoulder dress – bought at a sadly now-defunct rockabilly store called Loveless Boutique to perform a ukulele song as my cousin walked down the aisle at her wedding in Malta in 2016
- Black cashmere cardigan – the Gap
- Black leggings – the Gap
- Pink metallic cowboy boots – Jeffrey Campbell
- Blue leather collar – custom from L’Amour-Propre
- Black leather crossbody bag with gold chain strap – Coach (a findom gift)
- Big false lashes – the “Halo” style by Sugarpill
I love to go out with Matt, even if just for masked walks around the city. We always have fun together!
This whole post is basically an exercise in re-styling. Since I’ve been living out of two suitcases for the past few months, I’ve had far fewer options available fashion-wise than I normally do – but sometimes creativity comes from limitations. I’ve enjoyed finding different ways to wear just about every piece I brought with me, to make sure I get the most out of them and don’t get bored of my temporarily limited wardrobe. It helps enormously if your wardrobe has an overarching color palette – I have a lot of black, pink, and blue in my wardrobe, for example, so it’s very easy to match things!
Matt’s adorable Mickey Mouse bag is from the Coach x Disney collection, which contains some of the cutest Coach bags I’ve ever seen. Matt is a huge Disney nerd, and bought this one for themself when I pointed it out to them. I like that it’s also nearly the same shade of red as their company‘s logo!
What I’m wearing:
- Black fit-and-flare dress – H&M
- Pink cardigan – Amazon
- Black leggings – H&M
- Pink metallic cowboy boots – Jeffrey Campbell
- Blue leather collar – custom from L’Amour-Propre
- Black leather crossbody bag with gold chain strap – Coach
Fellow fashion fans, what have you been wearing lately?
P.S. Want more posts like this? Check out the “outfit” tag!