Spring Outfit: Double-Breasted Coat X Faux Leather Pleated Skirt

Agree. This is more like a fall outfit than spring. (Forgive me.) But hey, we wear what we like. And I can restyle this look again come autumn. ;)

How's everything? Have you been active during the lockdown?

Inspired by a number of my friends who lost weight beginning in 2020, I started working out again. Truthfully, I haven't lost the pregnancy weight gain. Shedding it is extremely difficult too -- given my hubby likes to eat -- yup, a lot.

Though I'm burning calories, more are coming in. (Boo.) I wish we could just eat whatever we want without paying for the consequences. Wouldn't that be awesome?

Thankfully, loads of workout videos are available for free on Youtube. Sometimes, I do the routines from PopSugar Fitness. But I prefer Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred and Ripped in 30 programs. It's painful. I haven't progressed to week 3 yet. (lol)

As a great sage once said, in the name of Theodore Roosevelt, Nothing in this world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty.

Pressure is not my cup of tea, however. I'm fine whether I lost the extra pounds or not. I sweat it out so I could function at my best.

Since I'm exercising on the weekdays, plus maintaining an IT job, some things suffer. I haven't been writing as much.

By the way, I've written an article in Shouts of Wisdom about the lesson I've learned after working out again. It's titled Weakened to Be Strengthened. Do check it out.

Let's talk about the look.

I don't publish outfit posts because something is new. In fact, nothing I wore is purchased this month. The top is way back when we still live in Austin, Texas. We move to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 2019.

I wore this chain print top last fall when we visited the pumpkin patch at Miller Farm. It's not obvious in the photos though. I overlaid it with a leopard print coat.

The same goes for the boots, belt (worn here) -- I got it during our visit to the San Marcos Outlet stores -- and sunglasses (worn here).

The double-breasted coat and faux leather pleated skirt are from last year. And my bag is a birthday gift from the husband in January of this year.

About the coat...

This double-breasted coat is made of wool blend fabric. I shared this from my post last week. Before deciding to add a clothing item to your wardrobe, do quality control. Check the material. Does it shrink after the first wash? Does the color transfer? Does it pile? The material reveals the cost of your clothes.

I'm not saying buy expensive clothes all the time. There are affordable items that don't look cheap. Invest in quality. Choose clothes that don't fall apart after each use. It took me dozens of purchases to learn this principle. And I'll probably make more mistakes in the future.

Due to the lockdown, I buy most of my clothes online. Physically checking the material during purchase isn't possible. Thankfully, we can do returns or exchanges.

I got this coat from Zara. It's no longer available. Below are alternatives. Click the image link to check it out.

The faux leather pleated skirt...

I've been on a hunt for a pleated skirt for a while. Most I've seen online are of midi length for regular height people. I'm 5'1". Those skirts usually turn maxi on me. (lol)

While at the grocery store last year, I found my perfect length. Yay! I got mine from Joe Fresh. Again, this is no longer available. I found options for you below.