My story is going start by sounding very stereotypical: I live in Calgary, Alberta, the cowboy capital of Canada. One of the main attractions in Calgary is the Stampede, an annual 10 day celebration of western culture. Of course, the majority of residents in Calgary own at least one pair of cowboy boots.

My favourite outfit isn’t really an outfit at all, but a pair of shoes. Adidas sneakers to be more specific.

I don’t think this outfit is particularly unique or fashionable, but I feel very safe and secure when I wear these two pieces. First is the denim jacket that I bought about 8 years ago in Vancouver. I decided to move to to BC to take a fashion design program after I learned that my boyfriend was cheating on me. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason I went, but it was the last push I needed to remove myself and take some time to figure out myself.

Confession: I’ve never worn this outfit before. But when I started thinking about what my favorite outfit was, these two pieces kept popping into my mind. Then I realized “Hey, those would look great together!” So really its not cheating. Individually these are two of my favorite pieces, this just so happens to be the first time I put them together in an outfit.

My favourite outfit is a red dress that I bought a few years ago. I’d like to say that buying the dress was a big deal for me, but I’m sorry to admit that it languished in the back of my closet for some time. I felt like it was too “bold” for me to actually wear, and so it hung there like a sad reminder of the outgoing person I wanted to be.

I first spotted this beautiful jacket in the window of a thrift shop on my bus ride to work. I passed it every day, each time thinking “I really should get off the bus and try that on sometime.”

I’ve always been a lover of comfort. Style is of course important, but comfort, for me is usually number one. When I first started working at Fresh Collective on Toronto’s Queen Street West back in September 2014, it was right when all of the Fall/Winter lines were starting to come in.

“Everybody needs a dress that’s RED!” That is one of my favourite lyrics from our song, “Red Dress.” All 4 members of Rosie & the Riveters have a red dress and we feel absolutely smashing when we wear them!

Allyson is an avid thrift lover; I have the attention of a 5 year old and can rarely shop for more than 5 minutes. When she came out of the fitting room, I secretly wished it would be mine but didn’t even try it on because I assumed it wouldn’t fit it for long (I was in my first trimester), plus Allyson looked amazing in it. I insisted she take it home with her.

Wearing 1940s and vintage inspired clothing can sometimes be a challenge when you’re looking for garments that you can wear to perform on stage. The necklines were often higher and skirts tended to be a little bit more fitted than in later decades and that doesn’t often leave room for a lot of movement.

This dress is a true Nelly Don gem. Nelly Don was started in Kansas by Ellen Quinlan, who started making dresses in the attic of her home in 1916. By 1953, the business had grown to become the largest manufacturer of women’s clothing worldwide.

At the time that I designed and made this dress, I wasn’t wearing much of the clothing from the line. It sounds absurd, but I only started wearing Birds of North America in early 2014.

Oh, the things this green sweater has seen. Professional wrestling matches. Both islands of New Zealand. So, so many graduate school classes. Baby goats. Approximately a million backyard bonfires.

You know those short periods in your life that are incredibly transformative, but you don’t realize just how many things were changing until you look back later? For me, the biggie is spring/summer, 2012.

Here is my favourite outfit. Well, my favourite jeans really. I call them my PhD pants, which is fitting because I purchased them for the occasion of my dissertation defense. Some ladies wear dresses to this kind of event. Others wear power suits. I wore PhD pants. I paired them with a blazer and felt comfortable, confident, and even stylish.