Be it social conditioning or simple repetition, in the new year I can get lost in thoughts of what’s new, what’s over, and what will stay the same. I try not to fall into the full-on sure to set oneself up for failure, “New year, new me,” mantra, but I’m likely splitting hairs. All that to say, come the new year I pose the following question to myself: what is new in the world of fashion in 2023? 

It’s that time of year again. Shop, shop, shopping. With the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations humming alongside the best sales of the year, it’s easy to get white hot this Black Friday week(s). Like hidden underneath the Christmas tree flat as a ginger cookie caught up.

It’s been a minute since I have posted. I’ve been racking my brain trying to articulate exactly why that is. Sure work gets hectic and you always have the demands of home life and loved ones. Usually sharing my thoughts is a priority. It’s not hard to see that even that truth is shifting.

Okay. A reminder that first and foremost, fashion is a buffet. You don’t have to like everything let alone eat everything or pay. And second, American fashion is inherently tacky. As is America. This year’s theme explores this notion at its most formal event: the Metropolitan Museum of Art Fashion Exhibit Annual Fundraising Gala where the 2022 theme was: Gilded Glamour.

I’m stoked to be chatting with the gals at Wine, Women, and Well-Being YYC this Thursday March 24 at The Brownstone. It will be my first, in-person speaking gig since January 2020. Wow. That really hits.

Being a Pisces, I get all sorts of reflective come this fishy-featured season. All sorts of signs of renewals or important days cluster together for me: my birthday, the day I married my partner, forthcoming family get togethers, spring is nearly here but not quite yet, fashion weeks, and International Women’s Day celebrations. All that to say I’ve been sensing a shift.

Preparing for a holiday away from home is a feat all in its own. Thankfully I have had lots of practice. My recommendations include shipping all gifts not going to that location by December 01, personally packing really light, and wrapping the final gifts once you get there.

It’s no secret that Corporate Social Responsibility is a business strategy must these days. No one likes a business that is not is the business of giving back. Whether it is a percent off of a sales promotion that goes towards a worthy cause or actually giving time and/ or funds to said cause, one is expected do something altruistic for the community.

Yep, I’m about to be that person. You know the kind. They say they’re all about one thing, one true love – for me, fashion – and then they date someone new, or get a cat, or have a baby and suddenly there’s not as much room for you in their life.

I have been an adult for coming on eighteen years so I feel like my body has had plenty of time to settle in and be what it is. I’ve be fortunate to not have any surgeries, significant illnesses, or put my body through childbirth – unless my own nearly 36 years ago counts? It doesn’t.

When someone asks me what fashion or style mistakes I’ve made in the past, I usually comment on wishing I bought things I didn’t – especially in this flexible retail world of doing a simple return if one changes their mind – instead of buying something. I do, however feel regret for things I have worn.

As vaccinations continue to go into arms and spaces open up in Alberta, I’m actually starting to think about getting together with people, in public, and possibly indoors for the first time in a very long time. But what shall I wear?