Sunday, December 22, 2024

Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Fancy Friday Pink, Gold and Black; A Pop of Neon for Brunch; Sequin Party Dress and Chartreuse Cape; Family Christmas at Mom's in Vintage

Welcome back, Gentle Reader! How was your weekend? This kinda felt like a regular weekend - the not being at work part of it hasn't really sunk in yet. 

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).
I have three pairs of glasses now with a vague "cat's eye" frame - it's a style that suits my face. 

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. 
Many of the management team was at the office, and they very kindly dropped off a card and a Fluevog gift certificate for me as a holiday thank you. I love my VPs! 

This suede and leather blazer was comfy and I liked the boxy shape. 
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. 
"That top was made for those shoes!" said colleague Kristina as she admired my outfit (thanks for the cookies/treats - they were delicious!). 

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! 
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

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. 

Black and gold bling: 
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. 
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. 

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. 
I stripped down to this at John's Place - they had the heat cranked! I was glad I'd worn the crystal/metal belt "just in case"! 

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. 
The pops of neon with the pale pink and grey really ring my bell. 

Accoutrements: 
I love long gloves - so classy! 

  • 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. 
He's one of the most stylish people I know. LOVE this, all of it!

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.
This is a vintage 80s cotton dress covered in hand-sewn sequins. 

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! 
All my work of straightening out the sequins was for naught, as I had to bunch it up to pull it over my head. Noted for next time! 

  • 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.
Coloured tights are having a bit of a comeback (what? they were gone?), so I put on a pair of cobalt blue ones to contrast with the pink shoes. 

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'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. 

  • Dress - Verona Knits by Leon Cutler, vintage 70s, thrifted; purchased here for $8.00
  • Boots - Clarks; last seen here in September with Kenzo and Dame Viv
  • Coat (below) - C&A Golden Gate Collection, vintage 80s, thrifted; purchased for $20.00 and first seen here last weekend

I had already lined up these caramel boots to go with the brown knit stripe.
I played with my brown belts until I found one that worked - not too thin, not too wide. 

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.
I clipped my hair up to let this snuggly faux fur collar give me a maximum hug. 

Accoutrements: 
My niece Hannah (a fellow Libra) coveted the little leather purse. "That's sick!" 

  • 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: 
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.
Yay, it fits, and the pockets are big enough to hold her cell phone zipped up. 

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. 
My big thanks to all. 

And lastly, me and L.
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. 

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! 

18 comments:

  1. OOoh, so many gawjus outfits!
    Let's start with the amazing sequinned dress- wow, SO much work in that- it looks superb!
    I must comment on L's amazing look- that jacket is gorgeous and the hat is a triumph!
    The tabard and cape combo worked with it well too!
    The first pink, gold and black outfit is brilliant! I especially love the Fluevogs!
    The black dress outfit you wore for the Christmas meet up is my favourite though- it looks so pretty and I would definitely wear that!
    Wishing you a Merry Christmas to you and Logan!xxx

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Kezzie! Yes, L's quite the dapper dresser! He could do his own fashion blog! I'm reconsidering the black vintage dress - so many compliments, and I did enjoy wearing it.
      Happy Holidays, my dear friend!

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  2. Happy Xmas dear Sheila, L, Helen and Vizzini!
    As usual you've dressed impeccably, every outfit looks amazing especially that Klassy-with-a-K black knitted dress which I'd wear in a heartbeat - it sounds like I'd have to fight Kezzie for it.
    L's hat is a triumph, what a clever idea to pimp it up like that.
    Your three nieces are gorgeous, you've got great genes in your family!
    What fantastic gifts, especially the cats paw bookmarks and those pretty earrings.
    Sending loads of love from me, Jon & William. xxx

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    1. Happy Xmas and Happy Silly Season to you, Vix, and Jon and William! I know you hate this time of year, ha ha!
      Aw, thank you so much - I'm reconsidering that dress now that everyone wants it!
      I felt very proud of my idea for the hat, and it very much suits L's aesthetic.
      It was lovely seeing my fam!

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  3. Another fan of the black knitted dress here :-)
    Both Friday's and Saturday's outfit too are fabulous too. Loving the matching top and shoes as well as the layered necklaces in Friday's and marvelling at the chartreuse/pink/grey combo in Saturday's. Although I'm kind of hearing you on the grey skirt, I would wear it in a heartbeat!
    But there's no getting around the magnificence of the outfit you wore to Nick's Christmas party. Although I'd obviously seen the dress before, my jaw just dropped when it appeared on my screen. And I'm positively swooning over your vintage chartreuse cape! L.'s outfit is fabulous too. What a stunning pair you make!
    Wishing you, L. and Vizzini a Merry Christmas and a relaxing break! xxx

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    1. Yup, I'm reconsidering in view of all these lovely compliments on the black dress - sometimes others' eyes are better than our own.
      Thank you, Ann! I like that grey skirt, but I prefer my other ones, so it's time to move it along.
      Aw, that is too kind of you, thank you! It was wonderful to have that time with our friends.
      A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, Jos, and Bess! <3

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  4. It's Christmas Eve! We awoke to a gentle snow and of course HAD to take a walk and hold out our tongues to catch the flakes. :-)
    Your glasses, the necklace, the pink skirt, the sleeveless top, the boots, LOVE them all. The blazer is a wonderful combination of material. Absolutely, positively, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the STAR of your weekend outfits is the BRILLIANT colorful sparkly hand-sewn perfectly proportioned sequined dress!!!!! It is a magnificent piece and the blue tights, red shoes and your new glasses simply add to the magic! What a perfect surprise to have the low back, not necessarily expected and adding a dash of WOW to an already perfect dress! (Is it possible to get any more excited over this outfit. ;-))
    The crystal Swarovski cuff is graceful and elegant and the ring with the round blue stone is a perfect color for this lover of blues. You and L, with assistance from Vizzini, are festively dashing. :-) Chuckling at how you are blocking his old 'Vogs! Ahem, next time the picture needs to include his dress shoes on his feet!
    I love the black dress and think it looks just right on you but, as with the occasional other pieces that you decide to pass along (and I think you should keep ;-)), you need to do what works for you AND you have plenty of other clothes to fill its place.
    JOY for your family, the photos, and the perfect selfie of you and L bedecked in your new glasses. Merry Christmas to ALL of you!
    Cheers, Laurie

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    Replies
    1. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas, Laurie! I so appreciate you, your wonderful comments and your friendship, and wish you and Fred and Robin and family all the best for 2025! <3
      I don't envy the snow, we had our own weather challenges as you'll see/may know.
      I'm so glad you enjoyed the sequined dress - I felt spectacular and amazing and honoured to wear such a work of clothing art.
      He didn't have the wasp shoes on till we arrived at the party, and by then, we were fully distracted by the festivities.
      Yes, you are right...but in light of all the kind words...I am reconsidering the dress. It does look good! I may end up moving it along, but maybe not just yet, ha ha.
      Much love to you, my dear friend.

      Delete
  5. Dressed to kill (or thrill) as ever!
    That sparkly dress is a work of art! You both looked amazing.
    Gorgeous gifts - especially the pretty earrings.
    Happy Christmas all! x

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  6. I hope you are enj these days to the fullest, but nu the looks of it that will happen! I love these days of dressing up and enjoying time with friends and family. Merry Christmas!

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    1. Thanks so much, Nancy! These are precious times and to be enjoyed to the fullest.

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  7. Loved the first outfit with the pink skirt. Really good. Also the black wool dress is right up my street.
    Glad you got time to spend with your family. That's where we want to be at Christmas, right?
    Greetje

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    1. Thanks so much, Greetje! Happy Holidays to you and Ron!

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  8. I love all of your outfits, but the one with the pink maxi skirt is my fav!

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