I wore my re-lensed purple Rapp frames on Friday - some of you longtime readers might remember these. I'd missed having them available since the Great Nail Polish Remover Catastrophe of April 2017 (described here, which is the last time I wore these).
And here's my Fancy Friday outfit, not looking as seasonal as I often do this time of year.
I like the classy mix of pink, gold and black. I had several compliments on my overall look (mostly of the "WOW!" variety).
- Suede/leather blazer - Marquis, vintage 80s, thrifted; first seen here in February over Urban Camo
- Top - April Cornell, vintage 90s, thrifted; last worn here (3rd outfit) as part of my Nadja the Vampire Hallowe'en costume in October
- Wool-blend skirt - St. John, thrifted; purchased here for $34.99
- Boots - Jubilee Gladstone, Fluevog; last seen here with PANK in September
- Sleeveless coat (below) - Only, thrifted; last worn here a week ago
This St. John skirt was marvelous to wear - you can't see the side slit here (it's on the non-facing side), but I was happily able to take my usual giant strides.
This suede and leather blazer was comfy and I liked the boxy shape.
"That top was made for those shoes!" said colleague Kristina as she admired my outfit (thanks for the cookies/treats - they were delicious!).
I appreciate having the big pockets for carrying my work phone around too.
I didn't take the blazer off, but I know y'all like to see the base garments.
Bundled up - we had spitty rain off and on. It will not be a White Christmas here on the We(s)t Coast.
I wore my sleeveless coat over the blazer.
Voila!
The stuff:
I have two pairs of Fluevogs with this pink velvet brocade fabric - I ended up picking these boots, so that I could walk to and from work.
I remembered to put my gold Christmas tree pins on the outerwear this time.
Accoutrements:
I do love my pink. It wasn't cold enough for a toque, and I don't care if my hair gets wavy from the damp.
- Fur boa - thrifted
- Leather gloves - thrifted
Black and gold bling:
I'm helpfully demonstrating that this thin Stella McCartney X Adidas jacket has four pockets - one hand going in from the top, one from the side.
I loved how the layered necklaces worked with this outfit - the yellow "stones" blended right into my top.
- Black/gold buckle belt - Sangiorgio, vintage, consignment
- Gold/crystal tree brooch - Keyes, vintage 80s, gift from Ev
- Small tree brooch - Avon
- Leather/chain wrap - local
- Gold/Lucite hinged bracelet - Alexis Bittar, consignment, gift from L
- Yellow/crystal bib necklace - thrifted
- Black/crystal necklace - J. Crew, thrifted
- Brass leopard ring - thrifted
- Brass Brutalist ring - vintage 70s, vintage mall
- Earrings - thrifted
I picked up a few odds and ends on the way home, then spent the early evening getting all my present wrapping done. I'm DONE! L and I played boardgames till the wee hours, decompressing from our busy week.
We were up early on Saturday - L had to pick up his new glasses and had another appointment, so I met him at John's Place after getting ready and doing my pictures.
I had fun putting my outfit together, starting with the boots, then picking out the matchy neon green turtleneck, adding pink and then grounding it with shades of grey.
- Pleather jacket - Only, consignment; last seen here in July
- Nylon jacket - Stella McCartney X Adidas, thrifted; last worn here (2nd outfit) in August for Book Club in pink track pants
- Turtleneck - Zara, consignment; first seen here in September for a Mom-Day Adventure
- Skirt - Eliza Faulkner, consignment; last worn here in March with blues for another Mom-Day
- Boots - Slacker Vagabond, Fluevog; last seen here (2nd outfit) in October for brunch and a comedy show
I enjoyed having a bit more play-time to experiment in the morning, and changed up my usual layering tactics. I'd normally wear an acid-wash denim vest with this outfit, but I dabbled in adding a more sporty element instead.
Rock on, my friends!
I always try to take pictures the way I think I'll end up wearing my outfits, but it doesn't always worke that way. I didn't wear just the grey jacket like this at all.
Showing the fleece lining of this thick, bulky skirt, and my vintage slip layer with these spectacular boots.
I am done with the skirt - I don't like the light grey/silvery colour (I prefer a darker grey - and I have two darker grey skirts already), and I don't like the A-shape of this.
Also, the pockets are too shallow - they barely hold my entire hand.
L and I did a quick grocery shop after brunch then fled from the last-minute shopping hordes.
I like this look overall.
I bundled up to walk to town.
Gloves and bushy hat! I really didn't need them, though, and ended up carrying my gloves.
I loved this colour mix.
I love long gloves - so classy!
The pops of neon with the pale pink and grey really ring my bell.
Accoutrements:
- Purse - Rebecca Minkoff, thrifted
- Suede gloves - Aldo, thrifted
- Bushy hat - M&S, consignment, Powell River
The stuff:
These are great boots for walking. I nearly always pair them with pinky tones due to the laces.
Sparkly bling:
I knew that sparkly belt would come in handy!
- Belt - Zara, consignment
- Cuff/earrings - J. Crew, thrifted
- Sparkly brooch - Eaton's, c. 1999
- Silver hinged cuff - vintage, thrifted, Powell River
- Glass tile pendant - Vancouver
- Silver/crystal ring - Soul Flower
- Silver/green stone ring - thrifted
As L and I arrived at the diner, one of our usual servers/hosts, Shayne, was waiting with friends to be seated (you know the food is good when the workers eat there on their off-days!), and he was looking absolutely amazing.
I spent the afternoon pre-blogging, then joined L in watching some football, and had little nap. After a quick dinner, we got ready for Nick's annual Christmas party.
I had already decided to wear one of my favourite sparkly dresses from my archive.
It hasn't been worn for a couple of years, and has been folded in a bag in my Gown Archives.
A Before and After of the sequins - I spent about 30 minutes gently flipping the sequins back down so that they laid flat like fish scales.
Some of the sequins are losing their colour (the cobalt blue), and a few are bent/squished from general wear and tear.
Admire the incredible amount of work that goes into making something like this.
If you're gonna wear sequins, wear vintage ones - there is zero Sequin Shedding from this dress. That thread is still holding up after 40+ years!
And without further ado, here's me in it!
- Dress - Adrienne Vittadini, vintage 80s, thrifted; last worn here (2nd outfit) in November 2022
- Shoes - Effortless Bebe, Fluevog; last seen here in April with red leather and a kimono
- Tabard (below) - COS, consignment; first worn here for a Mom-Day Adventure earlier this month
- Velvet/satin cape (below) - handmade, vintage, consignment; first seen here (2nd outfit) in January 2022 to hang out in Ye Old Pandemic Park
I flat-ironed my nap-creased hair, and amped up my make-up a bit, but otherwise, this was an easy outfit.
A low back, but not so low I couldn't wear a regular bra - this is what you get from a woman designer. Practicality!
Many of my friends remembered seeing this at Linda's birthday party two years ago, but that's okay. It's a great dress and deserved to be seen again.
I really REALLY wanted to wear my vintage chartreuse cape but none of my scarves provided enough coverage under it, when it struck me...
Hey! This is why I bought the tabard! I felt very clever, as you can see.
And here's my vintage cape over it.
It was a very mild night, and we didn't even get rained on.
I did not need my hood on the walk home at 2am, and I was snuggly warm all the way.
We had a lovely time at the party, catching up with Nick and all of our dear Chosen Family.
Accoutrements:
Just a pair of blue gloves (to match the tights).
- Purse - Michael Kors, consignment
- Gloves - Parkhurst
The stuff:
I'm done with these shoes - the pointy toe is too much for me now. I had to take them off partway through the night. I definitely got my money's worth from them. I wore them 38 times and paid $179.00 for them in July 2017, which brings me to $4.71 per wear. I have lots of other pink shoes that don't hurt my feet, and I'm happy to let these go.
Bold bling:
The dress is bold enough - I don't need much else.
- Crystal cuff - Swarovski, consignment, gift from L
- Lucite/silver hinged bangle - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Vancouver
- Lapis lazuli/Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes
- Earrings - vintage fair
I accessorized L's top hat for him with one of the feather picks I bought back in the summer - this is half of a $4.95 pick.
I bent the wire and stuffed it into the hat-band. Cool!
I helped L sort out his outfit for the evening, but someone was VERY interested in the feathers.
"What's this? I smell bird!"
He was persistent.
"Bring that a little closer, would you?"
It was hard to get him to stay still!
L picked up his new Theo glasses on Saturday morning. I love the cream/black blend and the dots on them look like a typewriter.
"Blah blah - I need to be closer to those feathers!"
Testing the outfit with L's thrifted Roberto Cavalli shirt and this woven Etro blazer.
He wore his secondhand Jimmy Choo wasp slippers (these) so wanted the red to be more than just those and the feathers.
He ended up with this burgundy velvet tux jacket.
Here we are, always the most over-dressed, ha ha!
I played with my brown belts until I found one that worked - not too thin, not too wide.
Here we are, always the most over-dressed, ha ha!
I'm blocking his shoes deliberately, as these are an old pair of 'Vogs that L walked to the party in, carrying his delicate slippers in a bag.
After our late evening, we were up early to get ready to go to Mom's to join my family for our Christmas celebration on Sunday.
This was the perfect opportunity to wear this vintage wool dress I found in a thrift store in Sidney back in June.
I had already lined up these caramel boots to go with the brown knit stripe.
Added some jewelry and there you go.
Comfy, warm and seasonal.
I had a black vintage slip under this as well.
Will I keep this? Hmmm...probably not. It's okay, but I have other black dresses I like more.
Outerwear.
My niece Hannah (a fellow Libra) coveted the little leather purse. "That's sick!"
I clipped my hair up to let this snuggly faux fur collar give me a maximum hug.
Accoutrements:
- Leather purse - Isabella Fiore, consignment; purchased here for $35.00
- Leather gloves - Ralph Lauren, consignment
The stuff:
I think these boots are close to 10 years old - what a good investment. That's still a comfy heel for me.
Gold bling:
Yay, it fits, and the pockets are big enough to hold her cell phone zipped up.
Shelley said, "The last time I saw you, you were wearing skulls - this time it's snakes!"
- Snake bracelet - Whiting & Davis, vintage 70s, vintage fair
- Hinged eelskin bracelet - vintage 80s, thrifted
- Glass/brass ring - Raphael, vintage 70s, consignment
- Brass ring - vintage 70s, vintage mall
- Earrings - Biko, consignment
- Belt - Notes du Nord, thrifted
I do like skulls and snakes in my jewelry. Give me a theme and I'll do it over and over!
My brother Dave, with his eldest daughter Zoe.
Shelley's in the blue chair. So good to see them all!
Mom in the red puffer jacket I gave her.
A stack of beautifully-wrapped presents from Dave and Shelley to Mom.
My wrapping did NOT look that good. I have no patience.
Zoe, Dave, Sydney, Hannah.
His three daughters. Syd (in glasses) is the youngest at 15.
The granddaughters with Mom.
Such awesome strong women in my family! Love you all!
Rodney (the neighbour's cat) came over to peek in the window and see what was going on.
"Nothing to see here."
After a lovely visit and catch-up, L and I came home and spent some much-needed downtime.
Generous presents from everyone.
Chocolates, a shopping bag, magnetic cat bookmarks, cat tea-bag holders, and a new picture of the nieces for the fridge.
Zoe and Hannah gave me a pair of earrings by AMLiora Designs, made in Vancouver.
They actually have encased tiny buds from some Queen Anne's Lace.
So lovely and such a thoughtful gift.
Rock on! Sending you all love and happy warm thoughts as the holidays loom. I'm taking off now for a few days, and will be back later this week.
My big thanks to all.
And lastly, me and L.
Merry Christmas!
Happy Hanukah!
Blessed Yule!
Festy Festivus!
No matter what you celebrate - if you even do - I hope your days will be filled with joy and good things. Be merry, my friends!
