Blowing my own horn

The end of the year/beginning of a new year means performance reviews at work, and I sat down to have mine with my now-former manager last week. Nobody likes doing reviews (the process is so long and drawn-out), but there is value in them, particularly in the sitting down with the boss and talking about how things went. And it did reinforce something I already knew about myself: I am not very good at self-promotion. I scored myself low on my self-review, and my manager kept asking me why I didn’t score myself higher. Part of it is that I don’t want to get shot down, but mostly I don’t want to seem like I have a swelled head. Personally, I despise arrogant, cocky people, even if they do have the goods to back it up (but a lot of them don’t).

I’ve said this before, but I’m totally a girl of contradictions. I aim for modesty in my life…but here I am, with a personal style blog where I take pictures of myself and put them up on the interwebs.

Nobody really knows about it, because I am afraid that friends and colleagues will think I’m incredibly vain and I’m all “LOOK AT ME! I’M SO PRETTY!” because that’s not who I am. It’s hard to reconcile…but I’m going to keep taking pictures of myself and blogging anyway.

Anthro Drape & Twist Tee (Postmark) | J.Crew Jenna’s Cardigan | ayala bar necklace | Anthro Sumukhwa Skirt | Wolford Satin Opaque tights | Michael Kors heels

And as for self-promotion at work…I know I have to get better at that, because if I don’t blow my own horn, no one else will.

Anthropologie catalogue: January 2012

January 2012 – cropped cable pullover, dappled sea blouse, AG leopard leggings – I’d love to be on a deserted beach somewhere right now. It doesn’t even have to be hot. Sweater and jeans weather like this would be fine.

tie-front buttondown, blue rainier cami – "and when I lay with you, I could stay there, close my eyes, feel you here forever, you and me together nothing gets better."

patched heather hoodie, blue rainier shorts; curved stripes dolman, stand-in slip – I don’t really know what the clothes really look like from these shots

slim bubble wrap vase, glebrook bed, cockatoo duveet cover, flutter sheet set, bowled over lamp base, linen ladder curtains; badminton maxi chemise

scuffed stripes pullover, pleated optic palazzos, canvassed cork wedges, awash rug, illusion bench – oh hey, that’s Victoria’s Secret model Behati Prinsloo.

crushed rose mini-dress; crepe myrtle shirtdress, tortoise cirque belt

pink cottage blouse, tortoise cirque belt, citizens of humanity fusion wide-legs, diamond-sliced wedges; breezed crochet pullover, kudzu skirt

en pointe flats; pulled tides wedges, diamond-sliced wedges; tied-shoulder tank, yarn plumes skirt;  tufted dots sweater, longtail tee, current/elliott stiletto crops; tape yarn pullover; square gradients tote, grass court dress

cropped cable pullover, dappled sea blouse, AG leopard leggings

bike lane dress, scalloped perimeter belt

industrial stitching floor lamp, hidalgo bed, camille duvet cover, camille sheet set; sundown crochet maxi dress, diamond-slice wedges, cordoba bench

gilded raffia necklace, pleated optic maxi dress

cropped keyhole cardigan, dried larkspur skirt, camille duvet cover, camille sheet set

chiffon swing dress – lots of lying in bed in this catalogue…I like it.

crest-cut wedges, pierina bow pumps

Black and… white?

I wear a lot of black. The staples in my closet a black sleeveless top, a black pencil skirt (I have two, actually), black tights, and a black cardigan. But white is not a colour I wear often.

Club Monaco dress | J.Crew Jenna’s cardigan | Wolford Satin Opaque tights | Michael Kors heels

I don’t have any rules about wearing white in the winter or anything like that (although I do tend to feel a bit “bridal” in all white), I’m just clumsy and I can’t keep anything white clean. Black is so much more forgiving for a spaz like me.

Keep calm, and carry on.

I’m already putting my motto to good use this year, and it’s only January 9.

Or in my case, maybe it should be “keep calm and wear a nice outfit.”

Anthro Echoing Folds Cowlneck (Bordeaux) | J.Crew Jenna’s Cardigan | Ayala Bar necklace | Anthro Sumukhwa Skirt (Maeve) | Wolford Satin Opaque tights in Admiral | Miz Mooz Felicity Pump

(Note: couple of new pieces here, but new to the blog, not new to me this month. I bought the skirt a while ago and haven’t worn it yet, and the shoes are also from a while ago but just haven’t been worn in pictures. I’m still committed to my one-item-a-month shopping pledge.)

My boss dropped a bombshell on me last week: I’m no longer on his team, I’m moving over to a new team, and I’m going to be doing something new. I’m pretty sure my jaw hit the floor and my eyes got as big as saucers. Wha??

Good news: I still have a job. He was quick to assure me of that. Also good news: my new boss is the nicest guy in the world, or so everyone tells me. But it’s all very uncertain (I don’t even know what my new role is) and it’s not something I particularly wanted – I’ve only been in this job for 7 months, I really liked what I was doing, and now it’s like they’ve pulled the rug out from under me (side note – how many clichés can I fit into one post? or parenthesis?). I don’t deal well with change at the best of times, even when it’s change I’ve initiated (I come to the change and think “why did I want this??”), and this is out of left field (ooh, there’s another one). I’m putting on a brave front – “I’m not going to go with the flow, it’s going to be great, it’ll be great to do something new” – but really I’m freaking out a little. No, a lot. I hate not knowing what’s going to happen, and I always think that it’s going to be something bad. Who knows, maybe it will be great.

2012: pretty good year?

I don’t think 2012 has gotten off to the best start for me. New Year’s Eve was a bust; after dinner I broke out into hives (nothing too serious, but still) followed by stomach cramps and a headache, and when I lay down I fell asleep and slept through midnight, then woke up the next morning with back, shoulder, and neck pain. I think I’m okay now, two days later (though I am suffering from post-holiday, back-to-work blues), but it wasn’t an auspicious start to my year! I’m hoping that it can only get better from here.

That’s my motto for 2012. Not that I’m expecting a personal equivalent of WWII, knock on wood.

I am one of those people who make New Year’s Resolutions every year and then promptly forget about them by January 21. But I still make them every year. And I don’t know, things feel different this year (let’s see, I’m not sick, depressed, or feeling hopeless in my job, for a start), I feel positive about my chances for lasting change in my life. I’m up for a challenge!

In 2012, I will:

1. Be financially responsible. I am terrible with money, I am not a natural saver and budgets are a mystery to me. A year without shopping is unrealistic for me, so my plan is to put away the plastic (cash only) and limit myself to one item a month (much like Dea). This is a tough one for a spender like me, but I’m pretty excited about it. I think I’ve come to a point of closet saturation and I don’t really need anything else, so that one item will have to be something I love. I really hope that when I look back again on December 31, 2012, I’ve kept this resolution, even if it’s the only one.
2. Exercise at least once a week. It doesn’t have to be in the gym. Walking 5km (just over 3 miles) home from work counts.
3. Be tidier and eliminate clutter. I think shopping less will definitely help with that.
4. Cook/eat at home at least four times a week. Leftovers count. I actually think this one will be the toughest, because as much as I love to eat, I don’t actually like to cook.
5. Put the iPad down and read more. I always say my M.A. in English Literature killed my love of reading, but I graduated almost 10 years ago (June 2002). That’s not an excuse anymore. It’s terrible that it took me 6 months to finish one book (actually, I was only halfway through after 6 months when I decided I had to finish it before the end of the year, and read the second half in two days). I’m hoping for at least one book a month. Rereads count. It’s only January 3 and I’m 3/4 of the way through my first book of the year, so I have high hopes for this one!

And the less tangible stuff that I aspire to…

via

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I’m really looking forward to this year.

So that was 2011

Yesterday when we were leaving at 11:30a.m. (hooray for leaving early on a Friday before a long weekend), my coworker said, “Only one more day to go in 2011! From January 1, this year was just crap.” I looked at him and asked, “Didn’t you get married in January?” He backtracked and said “Well, there were some definite high points, but on a whole, 2011 sucked.”

When I look back on 2011, I see the opposite. 2011 was fantastic, with a few low points. Especially compared to 2010, this was a freaking awesome year.

The low points first:

• The first three months of the year at my previous job, they were some of the most horrible months in my working career. When I look back now, I can see that this job was causing me so much stress I got sick from it.
• Losing my job (well, not technically, my contract ended, but there was always the option to renew it) just when we’d bought our condo.
• Still some family drama that caused me a lot of stress in November.
• Weight gain – not much, but enough to notice. Too much damn ice cream.
• A few too many shopping mistakes and regrets, and a bit too much shopping as a whole. My usual goal of shopping more consciously and responsibly didn’t exactly pan out.

Now all the good stuff:

• Becoming a homeowner for the first time. Will and I closed on our uptown Toronto condo on February 9, and it’s been great since. We love our place, no regrets.
• Being on vacation for 6 weeks when I was unemployed. I didn’t think it was a such a good thing at first, but in the end, it was what I needed. I was able to “detox” from my old job, relax, and get my health back in order. What have I said about crisitunity? I did wear an awful lot of elastic waistbands though.
• Getting my new job in the same company. It’s been amazing. Of course, there are still days when I don’t want to go to work, but those days are few and far between. My boss is great, my coworkers are great, and I’m very happy. As much as I said in my previous job that “it’s just a job,” I spend most of my waking hours at work, so if it sucks, it’ll inevitably spill over into the rest of my life.
• Feeling better again. I spent most of 2010 with health problems, but I’ve been much, much better this year. If I make it through today, I’ll have made it through 2011 without ending up in the hospital with an asthma attack (my last bad attack was June 2010). It doesn’t sound like that much of an accomplishment, but I was hospitalized twice in 2010. Small victories are still victories.
• Going to NYC for the first time in 5 years. It was nice to be back after a long break.
• As usual, spending great time with family and friends. Will and I have been together for 12-1/2 years and still going strong, even if he does hate sharing a bed with me after sleeping in his own bed for almost two weeks at his parents’ house in BC. :)

Like most people, I spend too much time dwelling on the negative. I think things like “yes, I have a good job, but it’s still an entry-level job.” “Yes, I’m a homeowner, but it’s just a tiny condo.” I’m tired of the buts. So I think my overall goal for 2012 is to focus on the positive and leave those nagging tiresome buts behind. Let’s see if I stick to that!

Will and I are planning to spend New Year’s Eve pretty much the same as we did last year, a nice dinner at home and then out to the movies (we’ll probably see Tintin). So I’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, all the best in 2012, and thanks for reading my little blog!

xo
Rachel

Best of 2011: Outfits

A year in outfits again already? I hate to trot out an overused cliché, but time really does fly. Here’s my top 11 for 2011.

 
L: Aggressively ruffled. Still a favourite sweater, I was wearing that outfit today.
R: Older Anthro: I picked up this Lithe top from Roxy. Unfortunately, I wasn’t into Anthropologie when they were carrying Lithe, so I missed out on some great pieces.

 
L: An example of making something work. I do love this outfit, but this dress was also a regret purchase of 2011 (it’s a little short, even for me).
R: Getting reacquainted with an old dress. I’ve had this striped Club Monaco dress for three and a half years, and I really don’t wear it enough.

 
L: Orange and blue – a colour combination that was the cause of an argument with a friend. I still say it works.
R: My first outfit for summer 30 for 30, and my go-to dress for the summer.

 
Still one of my favourite dresses, part of my summer 30 for 30.

 
 
Same skirt and top is the same anyway, calling this a tie to sneak an extra outfit in. I picked up the Winged Victory Top from Roxy too, and it’s a favourite in my closet now.

 
L: The elephants! It’s a great dress and I’m happy I picked it up.
R: Thanks to Bailey 44, it doesn’t get easier than this.

 
…and here's fall

It’s a very different set than last year's, but there are still two repeats. Things change, some things stay the same. Curious to see what 2012 will look like!

Best of 2011: Bought

I always say this: I can’t believe it’s [insert holiday/time of year here] already. So I can’t believe it’s the end of 2011 already. It’s a time for reflection on the past twelve months and a time to look ahead to the coming year, and to eat as much ice cream as possible before New Year’s Resolutions kick in (at least for the first two weeks of January).

I say every year that the coming year will be a year of restraint, but it never quite works out that way. I shopped a fair bit in 2011; here are my top 12 (because I couldn’t keep to just 10) favourites, in no particular order.

1. Anthropologie Liquid Acres Skirt (Tabitha)

I bought this skirt during my personal shopping experience at Anthropologie at Rockefeller Center, in August. I’m surprised at how versatile it is and how many different outfits can be made with it. It’s the kind of piece I go to Anthro for; a classic piece with an interesting/slightly quirky print that still works well with the rest of my wardrobe.

2. Anthropologie Sumukhwa Skirt (Maeve)

I snagged this on sale a while back, but I haven’t posted any outfits with it yet. I love the colour combination and the print. It was one of the those pieces that I felt really strongly about; it was a must-have for me. Again, one of the pieces I go to Anthro for.

3. Tory Burch Reva Ballet Flats

I just picked these up on my Christmas trip to Boston, but they’re definitely a favourite, a can’t-go-wrong/wear-til-they-fall-apart shoe.

4. Miss Sixty Tracy Shoes

Not very practical, but definitely fabulous.

5. Anthropologie Cirque A-Line

I agonized about whether I was too old to buy this dress, but in the end I’m really glad I did, even if I don’t wear it very much.

6. Anthropologie Bette Cardigan (Sparrow)

I love cardigans; this was a good one.

7. Anthropologie Verdant Slip Dress

It was the perfect summer dress for me.

8. Club Monaco Celia Skirt

For those days when all I wanted was to wear leggings or yoga pants and I couldn’t. Bonus points that it’s cute too!

9. Club Monaco Misty Top

Knits are a staple in my closet, and this is a very flattering one.

10. Banana Republic Ruched top

(with Matsu aventurine necklace, Club Monaco Celia Skirt, Wolford Satin Opaque tights, and Michael Kors heels)
My new favourite top. I’ll be wearing it a lot this winter.

11. T3 Single Pass Whirl

I’m so hair-incompetent, but this has given me a whole new set of hair options!

12. Apple iPad 2

I love love love my iPad. I was initially planning to buy a new laptop after Will spilled beer on my keyboard, but this is so much better.

Bonus: My uptown Toronto condo.
Definitely the most expensive and most important purchase this year. No buyer’s remorse here!