Patterned purple tights and a black dress at night

I totally didn't intend for the title of this post to rhyme, but the fact that it does nonetheless pleases me. A few days back my gorgeous, lovely and thoughtful mom came for a visit, armed with the basket full of brand new tights of every colour and pattern imaginable (perhaps that's an exaggeration, but she did bring a lot). As I've stated before, anyone who knows me well knows that winter does not exactly deter me from wearing skirts and dresses on a regular basis, and as such tights are a necessity for me to live my day to day life happily and comfortably; the fact that I can get creative with such tights and, as is the case of today's outfit, even have them be the focal point of whatever I'm wearing is just one of the pros of my tights bias.
This little black Erin Fetherston for Target dress was purchased almost one year ago to the day on a trip to Michigan for American Thanksgiving. I've determined that it is entirely impossible for me to go to the U.S. without visiting at least two Targets along the way, and this unfortunately always tends to remind me of how bleak life in Canada sans Target is.

I'm a big fan of this dress (and the rest of the $500+ haul I pulled out of such suburban Michigan Target), and was glad to have the opportunity to wear it last night when G took us out for a romantic pizza and wine extravaganza at a nearby Italian restaurant. We did, of course, take photos on the way - G really seems to be mastering this new 'night photography' business, and I must say it's quite fun to carry around a big external flash and witness the befuddled looks of passerby wondering what I'm doing standing there with it in an alley doorway! Fortunately for us, most people are too self-interested and/or too cold outside to really care.

Wearing

- The black babydoll dress is Erin Fetherston for Target. And, while I'm on the topic of designer collaborations with chain mass-retailers, who else had a mini-stroke when they heard that Matthew Williamson is next up for H&M? I believe I've mentioned in the past that I don't line up for things, but this announcement is seriously making me reconsider my stance on the matter.

- I forget which brand purple floral printed the tights are, and I've already thrown out the packaging they came in. Oops.

- The black platform shoes are vintage. I really, really have a thing for black platform shoes.

- My large white quilted bag is, of course, the Chanel that I seemingly cannot go a week without using.

Utilitarian Chic: breaking up the monochrome with pink tights and a cozy hat

The grungier and more dilapidated an area is, the better the chance that G and I want to take photos in it. Such is the case for today's photo set, and it worked out inadvertently brilliantly for us; there's something very post-communist Russia about wearing an expensive fur hat in an abandoned tennis court...
The weekend was entirely wonderful, the pinnacle of which was unearthing two mindblowingly amazing 1970's patterned jersey maxi dresses at the St. Lawrence Market yesterday morning. The first is from Saks Fifth Avenue circa 1974, and I have a nagging suspicion that the second is an actual Ossie Clark...oh, and both were acquired for a cool $35 sum total! The woman selling them obviously didn't recognize their value, but that works for me so I'm not going to complain even for a moment.

I know that it's unbearably geeky to admit to this, but I'm going to anyways so you can make fun of me later in the comments section if you must: the first thing I thought of when I awoke this morning was the aforementioned dresses, and moreover was sickeningly excited to run over to my closet and look at them in all of their glory. They're currently hanging in what I like to refer to as the closet's 'place of honour', which is where all of my new purchases that I'm to-die-for-in-love-with are placed prior to the first time they're worn.

Anyways, more on what I'm actually wearing today, as the dresses are quite obviously too special to be worn on a predictable Monday (I assure you that their coronation into my wardrobe will be far more grand than that). The black and white flats I'm wearing were purchased earlier in the week out of nothing less than complete desperation on my part, as I had been stomping about the city in 4 1/2 inch heels for hours upon hours and had stupidly forgotten to put flats in my bag before I left the apartment. Thankfully for me, Urban Behaviour exists and sells adorable little shoes like these for no more than $9.99 a pop.

The rest of today's outfit is pretty standard for me, but I will admit that I do enjoy breaking up my usual head-to-toe black ensembles with fun coloured stockings like these fuchsia ones. What I enjoy even more, however, is a gigantic mug of coffee early on a Monday morning...

Wearing

I own a million black turtlenecks, but this wool knit DKNY one is by far my favourite of the bunch.

The black skirt is actually American Apparel's high-waisted Interlock skirt/dress/thing pulled up to be a tube dress.

My fuchsia stockings were purchased at Winners, but are the Hue brand.

The ballet flats, which strangely remind me of a delicious chocolate-dipped macaroon were an Urban Behaviour purchase.

The little box handbag is vintage Ralph Lauren, and something I love but definitely don't find the opporunity to carry around often enough.

My fur hat is vintage.