Monday Musings: Fraxel, Floods, and the Canadian Tuxedo Debate
Happy Monday, ladies. I hope the weekend treated you gently and gave you at least one good laugh—or at the very least, a piece of chocolate.
My own birthday last week was… let’s just say, memorable. It began with my physical therapist working me over (they call it “manual therapy,” I call it sanctioned face-pummeling). I’m still faithfully scraping away with my gua sha in the hopes of loosening what feels like a jaw carved from granite. Add in a washing machine that decided to flood the apartment, plus a couple of unexpected family health curveballs, and the day felt a little less “Happy Birthday” and a little more “Are you kidding me?”
But my family rallied. They took me out, made me feel celebrated, and yes—chocolate was involved. That part made everything a bit softer around the edges.
Fraxel and the “Muzzle”
I also had a Fraxel laser treatment last week. My dermatologist casually referred to the area we’re treating as “my muzzle.” I nearly snorted tea across the room. Technically, she’s not wrong—it’s the space around the mouth—but still. Nothing like being compared to a schnauzer while lying under a laser.
We’re targeting solar elastosis, the sun damage from my carefree younger years when sunscreen was optional. The saving grace has been my daughter’s ice roller, which she keeps tucked in the freezer. I’ve borrowed it so often it’s basically mine now. Honestly, it’s the only thing keeping my face from looking like I spent the weekend in a boxing ring. Puffy? Absolutely. Close-up ready? Not yet.
Home Decorating Adventures
Meanwhile, decorating continues for my daughter’s home. She finally chose a beautiful chandelier she loves and a set of handwoven rattan arm chairs with a European cafe vibe… to pair with the antique table she found months ago. These chairs are gorgeous– a Danish/Japanese design from Sika that she has been keeping an eye on for a while. They go very well with this gorgeous French vintage-inspired mirror she has had for several years. We’ve been musing a lot about how to mix antique and modern pieces so her home feels elegant, modern, and just eclectic enough to be interesting. I’d love your take—do you enjoy blending old with new, or do you prefer a single style carried throughout a space?
The Canadian Tuxedo Debate
And finally—outfit controversy. I wore denim on denim the other day. The full Canadian tuxedo. Now, I actually like the look. Done well, I think it feels polished and modern. But something about my version just didn’t land, and I can’t quite put my finger on why.
Maybe the washes were too close, maybe the proportions were off—who knows. I have my suspicions, but I’d love to hear yours. Do you wear double denim? And if you do, what makes it work for you?
Be honest, but please—be kind.
What about you—did your week hold any surprises, big or small? And where do you land on mixing antique with modern—or the Canadian tuxedo?
Wear a different colored shirt-I like a long tee shirt or a slightly fitted tunic that peeks out from under the jacket with my denim. And wear a long necklace. That breaks up the denim and adds some color to your look, I wear double denim a lot and do that because the denim just blends in together and doesn’t look interesting!
I have tried denim with denim with limited success. Kind of like it when the denim colors are different. One a dark wash, the other a lighter wash. Makes me feel better about it. Think maybe if your jacket were not oversized it would have worked better? The answer often varies on body type, the vibe you are trying to achieve etc. Honestly, it was not that awful. Sometimes even a different tee shirt might make a difference. We certainly all have had epic fails. Wear what makes you feel good! If it doesn’t work-try again!
My guess is that it is a more masculine look. The jacket is very straight and a little oversized and the jeans are also a loose cut. Maybe a pop of color in the shirt would help? But, I think it is mainly the cut of the jacket.
Would’ve looked better with shoes that didn’t match so well. I envy those sneakers but not ready to spend so much for Paul Green shoes.
The denim pieces are great, maybe it’s the blue tee. Try with another color!
I rarely wear denim on denim. I will wear a chambray shirt with blue jeans, however.
Concerning what’s “off” with your outfit, could it be that there is no contrast? Everything seems to be a similar shade of blue.
I have learned so much from your posts, thank you!
Happy Birthday Jennifer! Your face will be lovely once everything heals, sorry it has been so hard to deal with. Sorry the washer flooded apartment. You need a rest I think.
I only do all denim, if it is a dress. I think denim jumpsuits might look good. A tucked in denim shirt with a red belt and a cute neck scarf would look nice , with cute flats.
I do feel the need for a rest! It was quite a week.
Good morning, Jennifer, hope you’re recovering well from the Fraxel. RE: the denim, I’m thinking the blues are too close in shade without matching? Maybe a lighter tee, off-white, gray or silvery, and the pants are a bit long. But I do love the denim on denim look so I’ll watch for the hazards myself. And I also bought those tan suede Vince trainers from your link a couple of weeks ago and I love them too! Comfortable, sleek, and cool looking at a great price. Then I bought a suede cleaning kit from Amazon to hopefully keep them nice.
Thanks. So far so good on the face. They’re great sneakers!! I love mine too.
I normally like a monochromatic look, but I think the denim outfit would look better with a bigger contrast between the colors of denim. Maybe a dark wash jacket with light wash jeans? I really like the color of the t-shirt and sneakers.
I love the European style mix of furniture. Well done.
. Your outfit of double denim, is all matte, and all one colorway, maybe a bit of texture or color addition could help?
Happy belated birthday. Love, love your daughter’s home. Soon as I spied the chairs, knew they were Sika. Mixing antiques with modern makes the home look collected over time and gives it personality. Looking at your denim on denim I did think it was the washes, I also feel that maybe your top under the denim jacket needed to be a different colour. I hope your week has improved.
Thank you Rita. I adore her new chairs.
You always look so lovely. In this case with the double denim, I think rolling up the T-shirt sleeves so you see more of your wrist – more skin – would be helpful. Or a more fitted T-shirt and maybe a different color. But it’s really not all that bad. Great shade of blues.
Hi Jennifer-Canadian tuxedo-white tee and white sneakers or black and black IMHO would have been a bit better. I like the matching denim washes. You are terrific. Thank you.
I would like to see what this outfit would look like with a larger purse in a brown shade (saddle or cognac maybe?) and a shoe that would coordinate with the purse. If that does not land, I would like to see what it would look like with a different colored tee maybe?
Seems to me that the jeans were just a bit too casual with the jacket. Better would have been a crisper and somewhat darker pair of jeans. A white top rather than the blue would have also upgraded the look. Or a ncklace or scarf would have increased the “intentionality”. To me, the impression is one of “I just grabbed what was at hand”. The “effortless” look requires a lot of effort to look good.
I think you look fine in the denim. Maybe a colored shirt underneath the denim jacket or maybe just darker denim jeans would change it up. But I like your denim look.
Good morning and Happy Birthday. Sorry life sent a couple of curve balls on your Bday. I like your Canadian tuxedo. I am from Texas so, this is right up my ally. I love a monochromatic outfit. If you feel “off” maybe just a pop of color (a different color T-shirt or add a scarf or bangles) and a necklace on the outside of the t-shirt. Love the shoes!!
Thank you!
I would go with the palest pink t-shirt and maybe a short chunky necklace. Pink sneakers maybe? I do wear denim pieces together but look for them to be noticeably different washes.
Happy birthday! Glad you were able to feel the love of your family even though other things tried to mess up your day. I love to mix vintage and more modern furniture. Your daughter’s apartment looks lovely. As far as the outfit, for me I think it is the shoes that throw it off. Have a good day!
Thank you. I love the way her apartment is coming together. It’s so “her”!
About the denim on denim look, I suggest wearing a lighter (White?) tee shirt and a darker wash jean.
Mixing and matching furniture…or anything…makes life…and surroundings…more interesting. The chairs and chandelier are lovely and intrinsically interesting. The room looks lovely and the mirror has a great shape.
For me, the one out of sorts ingredient in your outfit is a need for crisp and perhaps color contrast to counter the soft tee and jacket. The pants have a wrinkled, worn look but so do the tee and jacket. Maybe crisp black pants/jeans or just crisp jeans, like trousers?