A few weeks ago I met a young woman I had been vaguely aware of (she's a client of my daughter Jill's, and a textile artist whose DIY kit I received as a Christmas gift last year ). I got to meet her in person when I purchased a gorgeous crazy huge 100% wool rug from her and was captivated by her style .  Now of course she's probably young enough to be my daughter, but that aside, she has a really interesting wardrobe and posts OOTDs on IG (she's also a school principal).  I started following her and then became obsessed in about 5 minutes (that's how I roll, no apologies , lol) .  She introduced me to brands ,local makers (all slow fashion) and Canadian retailers I had never heard of .  Lots of clicking ensued and before I knew it , I had ordered a collection of pieces I am REALLY excited about !  My casual wardrobe has been bugging me for a few years as it felt so unoriginal, so boring, and so uninspired - and this was the shot of inspiration I badly needed.  

My friends/coworkers and I lament that it's too easy to fall into being dressed by what's available in the malls  (not literally, but you know what I mean : the same chain stores, same online sites we all use) and then we all look the same!  

Le Bon Shoppe is my new favourite brand, although they are a US company . They do , however, express values in line with mine, and are NOT mass manufacturers. Quite a few of these new Canadian retailers I've found (ad hoc, Hazelwood, TwentySeven among them)  carry the brand, and the quality is top notch. I now have a pair of their raw denim barrel pants, and a washed leopard print canvas bag that is currently my everyday "purse".  I have a washed brown French Terry cotton top and some socks in my cart waiting to be purchased shortly.  

Maison Corazon is a local label - clothing is made as it's ordered. I am picking up a (hopefully!) gorgeous berry/burgundy wool boucle top (with sash) tomorrow , along with a pink/burgundy Mystique Feminin sweatshirt she sold before tariffs became a problem (the owner brought the line in from California)   

My other - mall, hahaha- fall pieces are a pair of leopard print barrel jeans from BR,  a pair of ecru suede/black stripe Sambas, and a pair of leather western-esque croc embossed high shaft booties. I have a new quilted denim wrap jacket in light wash (Free People) and an olive waffle knit oversize top (also FP) to round things out too .I think I'm pretty set for fall now, and will break out the leopard jeans for a hair appt tomorrow.  

And speaking of hair, it's time to go darker again as my summer highlights mixed with more grey than I realized is a MESS.  I'd like to change up my cut too, but need to be convinced these two inspo pics aren't too juvenile for my advanced age.  Appreciate your honest opinions here.  

So - thanks for reading, and I hope you can sense my enthusiasm for all this new-to-me slow fashion/Canadian brands/new inspiration !  I don't have much opportunity to take or post WIW"s because of the lack of proper lighting in my condo (mirror is directly opposite a huge window ) so I've just posted 3 recent selfies with varying degrees of exposure - sorry - and varying degrees of background clutter (not my own rooms)   I know none of these outfits are anything special - they are just representative of what I’ve been wearing recently . The poplin BR top was a summer all star though and I’d one of my fav purchases in ages . The Lulu Dance Studio joggers are an acquired taste, I know , but I love them and don’t care , lol. I will wear them with a black sweatshirt going into fall now ;).

All comments welcome as usual :).