First up, here's my Casual Friday work look. Guess what I built the outfit around?
If you guessed my Picador skirt, you get a gold star!
- Jacket - Adidas, consignment; last seen here in July 2024 for a walk at Beacon Hill Park
- Top - Baden Baden, consignment; last worn here in December 2024 with my fringy kimono topper
- Picador skirt - vintage 50s, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) in March 2024 with a green sweater
- Shoes - Vogettes Pina, Fluevog; last worn here in February with a shared brocade blazer
- Sleeveless coat (below) - Only, thrifted; last seen here in February
I thought I would go "Weird Adidas" on it, and pair it with this cropped orangey-red jacket to bring out the red tones in the skirt.
My colleagues were impressed by the skirt.
You don't see too many pieces of clothing with bullfighters on them...
...much less a picador actually stabbing a bull! Blood is depicted!
Coworker Camille was impressed by the thickness of the cotton textile. You don't see heavy cotton like this anymore.
Outerwear!
Matchy matchy.
The stuff:
More comfy shoes - these were lovely to walk in all day, but I can't make a habit of walking to and fro in them or they'll wear out.
Oh, 1950s, what a strange time you were.
A good look at the full circle.
I was warm enough walking, although it got very gloomy by the end of the day.
Accoutrements:
- Silk scarf - Halston, vintage 70s, thrifted
- Wool beret - Parkhurst, consignment
- Wool gloves - Parkhurst
Bold bling:
The denim is very stretchy - good for clambering in and out of tiny float planes.
I wore my Frank Turner pin on the coat.
- Grommet leather belt - gift from Ruth
- Plastic chain necklace - consignment
- Leather/stud cuff - c. 1998
- Leather cuff - Guess, thrifted
- Frank Turner cassette pin - concert merch, 2024
- Silver/green stone ring - thrifted
- Silver/lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
- Silver/kyanite ring - consignment
- Silver earrings - Brenda Schoenfeld, 1992, vintage mall
After a fun evening of board games and chilling with Vizzini, we were up early to fly to Vancouver for a concert! So exciting! We only go to the mainland for concerts if the band is REALLY special, and this time it was The Handsome Family (this here* is their best-known song, from the first season credits of TV show True Detective).
*YouTube link, all links 'cause I love
We had very wet weather the entire time, so I prepared accordingly and armoured up in my most comfy Rockstar Armour: my red leopard denim suit.
It had plenty of admirers all weekend, from random people, folks in shops and fellow travelers.
- Blazer/pants - Smashed Lemon; last seen here in full suit mode in October 2024
- Denim vest - Chiqle, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) in September 2024 with Run DMC and Vivienne Westwood
- T-shirt - Platinum Blonde, vintage 1986, consignment; last worn here (4th outfit) in December for brunch
- Sneakers - Converse; last seen here in January for a Mom-Day at home
I have the cuffs rolled here, but most of the time, they were down.
The extra layer of the denim vest was very much needed - it was chilly while we walked around on Saturday in the rain.
I only took the jacket off while we dined and at the concert.
My outerwear was just my hat, gloves and scarf, all of which got fully soaked.
But, hey, at least I looked great!
Accoutrements:
These were all perfect for the weekend - everything dried overnight, and they were small enough to shove in pockets.
- Hat - Babaton, consignment
- Scarf - Zadig & Voltaire, consignment
- Leather gloves - Danier Leather
The stuff:
These sneakers were amazing in the rain - the sealed rubber platform sole kept my feet dry and very little damp got through the top.
Badass bling:
Some of my best armour.
- Belt - gift from Ruth
- Snake brooch - thrifted
- Studded leather cuff - c. 1993
- Leather cuff - Guess, thrifted
- F-This, F-That - free Fluevog button
- Celtic S silver pendant - UK, gift from Mom & Dad, c. 1995
- Silver chain ring - Mexican, consignment
- Silver/obsidian ring - consignment
- Silver/crystal ring - Soul Flower
- Silver earrings - Israeli, consignment
I always take a picture of Vizzini so I can look at him while we're away.
"I know you're leaving me."
Uncle Ross gave him lots of love while we were gone.
Waiting at the Harbour Air terminal for boarding.
Rock on, L! Thank you for another amazing music experience!
I always enjoy the novelty of flying in a tiny plane from the water.
Harbour Air docks, looking at the oldest part of the city.
I was sitting on the right side of the plane, so got views of Washington State.
A freighter in the distance, the Olympic Mountain range.
And only 30 minutes later, we approached a drizzly Vancouver harbour.
It rains a lot more there than in Victoria.
Landed, and taxiing into the dock.
We checked into our hotel (the Blue Horizon - we love the Blue!), and wandered down to Gastown to have lunch.
We walked around a few blocks, looking in secondhand shops. We spotted a sign leading to a pop-up in this old building.
A wild staircase!
Nothing jumped out at me, so we headed back to the room for a nap before getting a quick dinner at Earl's before the show.
I was sitting on the bed when I realized...Someone was watching me from the balcony!
This seagull has been fed from this balcony!
"Hey. Hey. Gimme food. You. Food. Now."
Not afraid of us at all.
"Come on. Food. Now."
Pull the curtains! That's a creepy bird!
We Ubered to the Biltmore Cabaret - we were stuck in traffic for a long while.
A glimpse of the Science World dome through the rain.
We were too late to grab some of the few seats, but two lovely ladies graciously let us share their big red velvet booth. Thank you to Jen (sitting here) and Jolaine!
The Handsome Family's music is aptly described as Gothic Country - Rennie writes the (very creepy) lyrics and Brett does most of the singing.
That was our view for most of the show - we were close, but not great sightlines. "The booths are a trap!" I hissed to Jen.
That's Rennie and Brett Sparks, plus an invisible drummer and a seated gent who played all sorts of instruments, including a Theremin-type of thing.
They played for an hour an a half...and then the show was over!
It joins this excellent specimen of bathroom art, here, from a Vancouver trip in 2016.
But we have all of their albums and love their sound/art, so well worth it. We were able to pick up their most recent album, t-shirts and a book of Rennie's short stories (as creepy and odd as you might expect).
I was in the loo and nearly barked out loud with laughter at this.
On my way back, I realized I had a good view from backstage.
L will be doing a review of the show along with their newest CD soon!
Brett (Rennie was nowhere to be seen) hung out at the merch table after and took a shine to L, talking his ear off.
A very garrulous man! Thanks for the show! We loved it!
We deliberated picked a later flight home to avoid fog due to the time change (ugh), but it was still pretty grey by the time we walked down to the docks after having brunch.
Rain rain rain.
But we boarded! We're leaving, hooray!
Home, here we come!
My partner in crime, love you.
May we always be mistaken for rockstars!
But no, we had to turn around due to the heavy cloud cover/low ceiling. We waited an hour for it to clear, then tried again.
Salt Spring? I don't know. Maybe Galiano?
Success! Phew - I hate having to cab/Uber to the ferry, then cab home from the terminal. It's 4-5 hours, vs. 35 minutes by seaplane.
We were flying fairly low, so had good views as we went over the Gulf Islands.
Vic West in the centre, with James Bay and the Inner Harbour to the left. This is the most southern part of Vancouver Island.
So happy to be home.
A little Water Taxi chugging a long.
I like riding in those - must do it again when the weather's better.
Someone was very happy to have us home. 
Kissy-huggy time!
A little Water Taxi chugging a long.
"Oh, were you gone?"
He drooled all over me.
This is the tee that I bought - L got the same one.
I assume Rennie drew it (she had some art for sale as well). It says "The Handsome Family" at the bottom. I love the owl! L bought this for me - I don't know how much it was.
"Okay, I might have missed you a little."
And now, my friends, off to spend my waning weekend hours with my guys. Thank you for stopping by!
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