can i let the trees do the talking?

Leather Aviator Jacket: Vintage | Sweater: Aerie (old) | Jeans: Free People | Booties: Jeffrey Campbell Stillwell boots

It may officially be May, but the flowers have yet to bloom here in Toronto. Instead, we’re still getting a lot of the leftover April showers. Some days are nice and sunny, but others are clouded by grey skies resulting in cold and wet days.

Case in point last weekend. Last Saturday was cold, dreary and dark. But it was also the perfect opportunity for me to finally take this amazing vintage leather jacket that I purchased while thrifting in NYC this past January out for a spin (check out my haul from that trip here).  I had actually been wanting a brown leather aviator jacket for a while so when I just happened to stumble upon this one in such good condition and for only $40, I knew it was meant to be!  I feel like this jacket is either a hit or miss with most people – you either love it or you hate it.  I love it, perhaps because it reminds me of a “Dad jacket” – pretty much what I imagine a Dad in the 70s/80s to have worn. I’m pretty sure my Dad even had a similar jacket when I was growing up in the 90s.

I feel like this oversized jacket is such a statement piece, so I wanted to keep the rest of my outfit quite simple and not overwhelm my frame. I paired it with these Free People blue denim skinnies with rips in the knees (I obviously love these jeans since I wear my black ones ALL the time!) to keep the outfit streamlined. Since it was pretty cold out, I had to wear a sweater underneath. I think grey goes so well with brown, so I opted for this super soft, grey, cropped mockneck sweater. To finish it off, I wore these brown leather Jeffrey Campbell booties on my feet. The colour of these boots are literally the exact same colour as the dark brown cuffs and waistband on the jacket, perfectly tying in the whole outfit together.

To go along with the mood this week, I thought it would be appropriate to feature the song The Listening by Lights. I’ve been listening to so much older music lately. Not as old as what my parents would’ve listened to back in the day, but I mean music that I used to listen to when I was in high school. The Listening is off of Lights’ debut album of the same name which was released in 2009. I remember being OBSESSED with this album back then. At the time, I was really into pop punk and alternative rock music, so having this Canadian female synth-pop artist come along (aka Lights) was music that was new to me, but I was hooked. Beneath all the catchy hooks, her songs still have an underlying tone of sadness, which my moody self resonated so much with at the time.

Have you ever said something to a loved one in the heat of the moment, and it came out all wrong because you weren’t in the right state of mind? I’m pretty sure you have. I’m sure we all have. This is pretty much what The Listening is about, more or less. Whether it be an argument we’re in the middle of, or the chaos and stress of our day to day lives, our minds are constantly clouded by so many different emotions that it’s hard to think straight at times. In times like these, it’s easy to let these negative thoughts and emotions take over and we let it out on those we love the most. We know that those who love us will understand and will be there for us even after all is said and done.

I’m guilty of letting my emotions get the best of me and taking it out on my loved ones quite often. One thing that I find helpful when I find myself feeling this way is to just take a moment to myself to just breathe. A small little meditation session perhaps, even if it’s just for a couple of minutes. I’ll close my eyes and just focus on my breath, every inhale and exhale. I always feel so much better afterwards and find that this helps me move forward with a clear mind. If you’re ever feeling this way, I suggest you try this little technique as well! Spare your loved ones the heat of your wrath – they did nothing wrong to you.  Hopefully this helps you out just as much as it has helped me.