Weekend Wrap-Up: Visibly Booted, Kitty Shenanigans and Thrifty Bonanza

Where does the time go? It's like someone waved a magic wand and the weekend was over. 

This is Friday's work outfit. 

I was highly visible all weekend, but this is my entry for Patti's "Visible Monday" over at Not Dead Yet Style - get over there!

• Jacket/coat - Desigual by Christian Lacroix, consignment; last seen here in April with polka dots
• Sweater - Ralph Lauren, thrifted; last worn here in September with mod leather
• Skirt - Quilaree, consignment; last seen here in June with Chinoiserie
• Poufy underskirt (not quite visible) - H&M, thrifted; last glimpsed here in the same outfit as the skirt as above
• Boots - Adrian Agnes, Fluevog; last worn here in March with the last of the snowflake skirt

"Hmmm...what can I eat down the hallway?"

Done up as a jacket. I was really pleased by how these patterned tights went with the coat. They are by Look of London, I believe; I've had them for a couple of years.

I mostly wore this outfit like this, except for a few times when my internal temperatures fluctuated.

Such a cool piece! I had to quickly sew a button on right before I left though. I wish buttons would never fall off.

I went with patterned tights so that the outfit worn without the jacket would still be interesting.

Colour, pattern, texture, shine!

The stuff:

I lurve these boots. I feel very badass in them.

Blurry (but shiny!) bling:

My biggest honkin' earrings.

• Earrings - vintage booth downtown
• Crystal ring - Uffizi Gallery gift shop
• Death Star ring - Soul Flower

I met L after work for a slice of pizza (dinner), then we walked home - we had an event to go to on Friday night. 

Oh wait! First, a kitty interval! 

On Thursday night, L had some buddies over - I was working on my blog when I heard something. 

"This could be you if I don't get my kitty treats NOW."

He's disemboweling a rag. I laughed so hard, he scooted away at top speed. 

Anyway, Friday night, L, Elaine and I went to Urbanite! Party clothes!  

This is what Urbanite is all about (from the AGGV site here*): It began with a concept to present art in a new, exciting and engaging way! What resulted was an event that surpassed our expectations and continues to grow with each occurrence!  People young (but not too young, after all, there are cocktails!) and old have quickly embraced this phenomenon so far out of the ordinary it's never coming back! URBANITE is one of Victoria's most unique events, and one that you won't soon forget. As part of the Gallery's adult programming, every part of the evening is inspired by our current exhibitions. Experience art through custom cocktails, exhibition tours, slightly twisted visuals, live local music and hands-on activities. Held 3 times a year, URBANITE invites you to get a little crazy and forget everything you were taught about art. 

*linking 'cause I love, in all instances in my post, of course. 

I'm so tall in these boots, my fascinator is cut off

It's a 3-hour party at the Art Gallery!

You may recognize this repeat outfit from Vero's birthday party (here) in September. I wore all the same stuff.

• Dress - handmade, no label, thrifted
• Boots - LA Malibu, Fluevog
• Coat (below) - Forever 21, thrifted; purchased here for $8.50 last weekend

I had fun playing with my make-up. I took some bathroom selfies.

The Urbanite was for the ongoing exhibit about Anna Banana (info here), so no way was I wearing anything to do with a banana or yellow. All the other colours, yes.

Pretty lids. I love aqua eyeshadow!

Because I wear glasses, I can get away with heavier eye makeup.

I look very smug there. I'm really not!

"Hey, Elaine, come on in!"

Love those leopard pants! 

"Don't mind me, I'm just finishing my pictures!"

Yes, well, now I'll behave.

"And this is my outerwear."

I didn't care about the clashing patterns (isn't leopard a neutral, anyway?). I had to wear this lovely little furry jacket!

Look, I can stand on one fooooo-!

 ...No, I can't. Those are very high boots!

The stuff:

Oops, forgot to photograph my purse. I thrifted it about a year ago - it's very 80s.

And there's the fascinator!

My gloves were also thrifted - they are 100% fine wool.

• Fascinator - Funk Shui
• Death Star ring - Soul Flower
• Shield ring - Nine West
• Earrings - Stella & Dot, consignment
• Gloves - vintage, thrifted
• Purse - vintage 80s, thrifted

Urbanite always includes an activity - this time it was button-making, using banana images and pre-cut-out circles of celebrity faces.

Mine is Jane Fonda in "Barbarella" and L's is Cary Grant.

After a bit of a sleep-in on Saturday, L and I headed down to Floyd's to meet some friends for brunch. L had trouble getting his boots on.

"I like your shoe laces."

Vizzini gets in the way.

"I must eat those laces!"

He's very persistent.

"Soon...soon..."

 L is patient but firm at keeping him away from the "kitty spaghetti."

"Curses! The man kept the delicious laces away from me!"

I went comfy and mod.

I love all these colours together! They make me happy. The pops of purple and blue are my favourite against all that caramel.

• Dress - A Dress Town Original, vintage 60s, thrifted; last worn here in September with sandals
• Boots - Indigo by Clark's; last seen here in October for Thanksgiving with friends

It was rainy and a bit chilly out - I figured all this double-knit polyester would keep me warm (it did).

I also knew I'd be going shopping and this would be an easy off-on outfit.

My leather trench for warmth (also, more caramel!).

This is a vintage piece from the 70s - I thrifted it a year ago maybe? It's perfect in the fall. Fingerless gloves for when my hands are cold but I need my fingers.

The stuff:

My feet were a bit sore from walking to and from the Art Gallery in my 6-inch heels - shopping in these for 4 hours and then walking home was maybe not the smartest thing I've ever done. But I looked good, dammit!

Circle bling:

Mom's vintage belt, and hey, I heard big hoop earrings are in...again! They were out?

• Belt - vintage 60s, Mom's
• Earrings - 5th anniversary gift from L

I had a bit of an indulgent "retail therapy shop, and went to four thrift stores downtown, all regular haunts for me.

First, the St. Vincent de Paul. I have quite a collection of little teeny stud earrings, and I have trouble seeing them in my jewelry box.

Close to actual size

This leaded crystal (it's very heavy) 3-tray flat dish was $5.00 - orange tags half price! Score! This worked really well for sorting my odds and ends of little earrings.

I'm apologizing in advance for the sucky dark pictures below - it was nearly dark (at 4pm!) when I got home.

I also bought this dark brown suede A-line skirt - I saw this last time I was at the SVdP, but it cost too much, so I put it back.

It has nice bronze belt loop details, and tonal stitching all around the trim, including scrolly bits on the front at the upper hips (not visible above), and on the two back pockets.

It's sort of a denim skirt styling.

It is by Danier, and ooh, that's an orange tag!

$20.00 seemed high, but $10.00 felt just right. It's still a score - I'm sure this skirt started out at least $80.00 new.

I also couldn't resist this plum-y purple ruffled satin skirt.

Oddly, the front is longer than the back (I know, weird), but it was only $4.00. It's by Jacob.

From there, I spent about an hour in the WIN Warehouse Store, where I had a Shoe Bonanza! Some days, you just luck out on shoes.

I am nuts about these silver pull-on booties.

They aren't leather, but they feel lovely on.

They also look brand new - not a speck on the soles.

They are by Dirty Laundry and were $29.50 - oh, here they are on Amazon (linking 'cause I love). They are the Sada Ankle Boot, and they sell for up to $79.99. So my $29.50 feels pretty good now. They'll be good weekend boots.

These are probably the most-regretted purchase of the day, even though they were only $8.50. They were actually priced at $16.50, but there was another, smaller pair one shelf over priced at $8.50, so I requested that the pair I wanted be re-priced, which they did.

Diba appears to be a cheap Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) brand - a DSW just opened in Victoria, so I expect there will be more of these around in the thrift stores sooner or later.

Brand new, no wear.

I'd still rather buy my shoes from a thrift store - at least my money's going to Women in Need (WIN).

I love these shoes. Ever since my wonderful Hale Bob shoes (these ones) bit the dust, I've been looking for another leopard/animal print flat.

Ta-dah! These are by Kenneth Cole Reaction and are leather inside and out (pony hair exterior), with a lovely little suede ruffly in the ankle. They have a slight heel, which is a bit dinged up on both shoes.

However, they don't show much wear on the soles or inside, and they were only $8.50 - that's a really good deal for that brand.

These are probably by far my very favourite shoes that I bought, though.

They are clearly 80s, but puh-leeze. Bright red Italian leather, inside and out? Pearlized? Faux croc? Ginormous gold buckles?

That sweet squared off toe, and nice heel?

The best. And they feel wonderful.

One shoe says "Ingledews" inside it and the other says "Amalfi by Rangoni," which is repeated on the soles.

They have had Toppys (new non-slip soles) added to them by a shoemaker, and have had a re-heel, but I like that - it means someone loved these and took care of them. I will too! They were only $14.95. I bet they cost their original owner a lot more than that - these are really nice quality shoes. I envision them as Sunday church shoes.

WIN also had a sale on: 50% off anything with a red star on the tag. I'd tried this crazy top on last time I was in and reluctantly put it back.

I'm pretty sure it's from the 80s,with that shape.

Details: snaps along one shoulder.

And as the tag says, "Leather! Mauve! Kind of mesh-like! I dig it." I do too!

It's a lovely supple suede, and it's also made in Israel.

So for $9.00, I'm happy with that.

I am always on the lookout for a nice blouse. I liked the reds, pinks, browns and purples of this one.

It's by Ralph Lauren and is good ol' washable polyester.

And only $6.00! Here, let me throw my money at you! That's cheaper than a beer.

I hate photographing black tops. They never come out right. You will have to believe me that this one is amazing. I'm sure it's early 80s - it has more of a 70s vibe than later 80s blouses. It has thin shoulder pads.

The sleeves are wide with narrow cuffs.

The front detail is beaded in black.

It's by Elite International and was made in Hong Kong.

The bottom has a wide fitted waistband, with 3 black buttons with crystals in the centre.

It was $10.95. I love it!

I couldn't resist this nice dark brown and copper lurex mock turtleneck.

The tags have all been removed - it was $5.95.

After my massive haul at WIN, I popped into the Beacon Thrift Store for a quick look. It's a bit of a squicky store (has that smell, you know), but once a while I find something good.

This was one of those times!

I always check out belts and men's ties, and lo and behold, these were on a pant clip. I'm guessing they thought these were cummerbunds? I knew they were obis as soon as I saw the ribbons, although L is quite enamoured with them, and I'm sure will try to work one into an outfit for himself at some point.

They were a whopping $2.00 each! Both are reversible and are probably handmade.

From there, I made one last stop, at The Patch. I had a $20.00 gift certificate from some of the gals at work, so I wanted to spend it.

Um, yes, this might be another black skirt...another suede skirt...with fringe...The button side is actually the back. I accidentally tried it on with the buttons at the front and wondered why it didn't fit very well. Then I turned it around. Oh.

Little 4" fringe!

That's kitty bait. Better store this up high.

I love the buttons.

So Aztec! I predict this skirt is from the 80s.

Another piece of Pioneer Wear to add to my collection (this turquoise suede skirt, this coat). If only I knew where it was made?

I guess it will forever be a mystery, hee hee. This was $29.95, so with my $20.00 off it was $9.95.

Of course, I did find something else! I'd seen this skirt before but not tried it on, because it was marked a size 12 (normally a bit too big on me).

I should know better! Always try things on! It fit (a little loose, but not overly so), so I bought it for $16.95. It's by Maeve.

It is navy blue with embroidered orange flowers on an organza outer layer. It has a built-in crinoline and is also fully lined, with a grosgrain ribbon waistband.

So pretty! So poufy!

I spent about an hour yesterday making outfits out of all the new-to-me items and accessories I've bought over the last whiles - it came out to about 16 outfits, so I'm set for a few weeks! I can't wait to wear them all!

And now, L and I are headed out to dinner with friends visiting from Vancouver - time to put on an outfit!