Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Funky Friday in Elton and Vivienne, Plus a Substack Encounter; Brunch and a Thorough Thrift Shop

Welcome back, my friends! It's been a whirlwind of a weekend, and we have much to get through! I met my first person through writing on Substack, took her on a tour of Victoria, had brunch on Saturday, followed by a bout of thrift shopping, and then rallied to go get groceries on Sunday. 

Let's get started! Here's Friday's work outfit. 

So much for all the professional looks in the earlier part of the week - the office was empty with many folks starting vacations.

• Vinyl moto jacket (below) - Only, consignment; last worn here (2nd outfit) for the VFF Gala in February, as a Pink Lady
• Tour t-shirt - Elton John merch, thrifted; not tracked
• Silk/cotton skirt - Vivienne Westwood Anglomania, F/W 2011, consignment; last seen here in March on a Mom-Day with mixed plaids
• Duckie shoes - Catalyst Shapers, Fluevog; last worn here with my tulle skirt in May

Whateley bombed my photos. 

Showing off my Vivienne Westwood skirt - since I was meeting up with pal Terra from Substack (she's a writer from New York), I knew I had to wear Fluevogs and some swanky designer piece. 

Contrasting that is my thrifted Elton John tee that I sleep in.

And a blurry kitty. 

It was cloudy, windy and chilly on Friday, so I layered up with nylons, a full vintage slip and my pink faux leather jacket. 

I varied jacket-on, jacket-off in the office. 

By the time I met up with Terra, it was freezing out! 

I was really glad I had my scarf! 

The stuff: 

I opened up the scarf and showed it off to Annabelle of Cherry Pick Vintage (hi!!!) - she and Terra were amazed and amused by the fighter jets on it. 

• Belt - vintage 90s, consignment
• Fighter jet scarf - Givenchy, consignment, gift from L

Sparkly bling: 

I love getting in a wearing of my vintage Sherman set. 

• Hinged eelskin bangle - vintage 80s, thrifted 
• Crystal bracelet - thrifted
• Gold/amethyst ring - Francis Jewellers, c. 1965, Dad's
• Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
• Crystal necklace/earrings - Sherman, vintage 50s, vintage fair

Here's me and Terra - of course, I had to take her through the local Fluevog store. 

Even if only to prove...I really do know everyone by name! 

We had a quick peek in a bunch of other lower Johnson Street vintage shops, but many of them close at 6pm, even on a Friday. I saved Vintage After Death for last, as it was open till 7pm. 

And good thing I did - look what I found! 

It's a full-length suede mermaid dress! 

With POCKETS! 

Get out! You never get pockets in long slinky dresses like this! 

I noticed "Dormeuil England" printed on the lining. I had never heard of them, but according to them, they're kind of a big deal (link here, 'cause I love).

They could be responsible for the lining, or even the suede/leather used. 

The label is Kitsch Boutique, and that CA number backs it up: Kitsch Inc. However, that "Inc." has long since lapsed, as it's now owned by a beauty product company. I would guess that this is from the 90s, based on the style - that scrolly font is a very 90s thing.

It was marked down to $67.00, and I do get a kick out of the description, "Has memorized the names of all double-crossers."

I tried it on over my outfit - I know if it fits over my clothes, it will be perfect when I don't have all the layers on. 

A selfie in the mirror while Terra watched amused, as I dropped into my usual pose. 

We walked through Chinatown and Centennial Square, then had dinner at Zambri's. 

We had a lovely time, just talking and getting to know each other. Thanks so much for reaching out, Terra! 

L was out when I got home, and the kittens were NOT amused. Whateley tried to get my attention. 

"I shouldn't be up here."

No, you should not. 

And you definitely should not be reaching for that CD rack, buddy. 

He tried another approach. 

"I must have that candle holder!"

One more try! 

"Can't...reach..."

He finally gave up...or I fell asleep on the couch. One of those! 

In the morning, we were up early to meet with pals Cat, Ross and Nick at John's Place for brunch.

"Okay, bye!"

Whateley was jealous of the attention. 

"The Woman is mine."

I had planned to wear this outfit on Thursday to see Mom, but it was so cold, I postponed it until it was warmer.

It was just right for a slightly cloudy day, spent in the bit WIN store on Pandora Ave poring over the selection for hours and then busing home. 

• Shirt - Topshop Moto, thrifted; last worn here in December 2025 with western boots
• Camisole - Mantles, vintage 90s, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) in May with bigass swooshy pants and denim for brunch
• Skirt - Scotch & Soda by Maison Scotch, consignment; last worn here back in April 2025
• Sandals - Los Cabos; purchased here for $40.00

Brunch first, then shopping. 

The snap-front shirt is great for shopping as I could just whip it off to try things on. I also had wee shorts under the skirt. 

I forgot to take pics with my sunglasses on, but I did wear them. 

I thought I might need the scarf to cover myself from rain or burning sun, but neither appeared. I wore it like this all day. 

The stuff: 

The sandals were good for the small amount of walking I did (to the store, then to the bus stop). My feet were very tired after standing and shopping for 3+ hours, though! 

• Leather purse - Michael Kors, consignment
• Silk scarf - Marc Rozier, consignment

Minimal bling: 

I don't like wearing a lot when I plan to try things on. Even the bracelets were a little much. 

• Plastic cuff/ring - Italian, vintage 60s, vintage mall
• Leather/chain bracelet - Jenny Bird, consignment
• Coral/olivine ring - Hawaii, vintage 1977, Mom's
• Earrings - thrifted

Cat and Ross were at the start of a stay-cation, so joined us for brunch! 

What a treat! Great to have you both along with us! 

Nick joined us as well.

And then went home to watch FIFA World Cup. Go, England! 

While L went shopping for new electronics (our stereo equipment is 20+ years old), I enjoyed a long, leisurely browse through the big WIN store.

Here's what I found. 

This ultra-soft synthetic (sigh) pajama/lounge set caught my eye. 

I like the palm trees and the toucans on it.

And the cropped pants have massive pockets! 

It's by Room Service, and I know it's fast fashion crap, but I will wear this for hot weather around the house until it falls apart. 

It was $14.95 for the set; similar ones on their site retail for around $75.00. 

I have been watching for light toppers that I can wear for sun coverage, but still look funky.

I was enraptured by the rich blue of the brocade-woven base fabric, the two front pockets...

And all the embroidery on it. 

It's all hand-done, not by machine. I love the dragon and there are flaming pearls all over. 

A good sized pocket! 

You can see the lovely florals woven into the base fabric. 

It's by Golden Bee, and the faded white tag faintly says 100% rayon. There are a lot of Golden Bee garments out there, many identifying them as silk and ranging from $28-200+ (much fancier).

Mine's been washed many times, and had a lot of love - some of the embroidery is snagged. $14.95 felt like a good price. I'll give this a good steaming and snip all the loose threads off before I wear it. 

This cream, black and red blouse felt like such a treasure. 

The style is unusual: a double-breasted, hidden button fastening, and cuffs that need cufflinks (fortunately, L has a bunch I can borrow). 

It's had shoulder-pad surgery, but I have a camisole with built-in pads so I can give it its original shape back. 

You can see the quality of the print on the silk - the image is nearly as crisp on the back-side as it is on the front. 

A very tattoo-ish looking rose with two little paisleys. 

The "chalk stripe" is diagonal lines. 

The edge of the collar and cuffs is an inserted bumby black trim. 

Such great detail.

I played around with the styling of this - I'm sure the cuffs are meant to be done up like this. 

Whateley in the background "helping." I might play with the cuffs - they looked good shoved up my arms. 

It's by Sung Sport, a division of Alfred Sung, and of course it's 100% silk - it feels very luxurious. And made in Canada! Sung Sport started in 1984 and he was one of the co-founders of the Canadian chain Club Monaco back in 1985. Source here.

Based on the label, this is probably from the late 80s. These resell in the $50-75 range, so my $19.95 was a very good deal. 

I grabbed this amazing soft pink blazer right away. Now that I've re-discovered how much better men's blazers are than women's (pocket-wise and quality), I'm watching for these for myself and my friends. 

None of the pockets on the outside have been opened! All three are real pockets. 

It's not actually a pink, but a weave of rosy red and white.

And made in Canada! 

The main lining is white satin, with this lovely pinstripe in the sleeves.

You know I'll be showing that off! 

Even the buttons show quality. I think they are plastic (not shell).

But that extra wrapping of the thread to make it sit nicely when buttoned? So good. 

Ooh, a label inside one of the inner pockets! The CA number took me to Jack Victor, a Montreal-based company that's been around since 1913 (source here, all links 'cause I love). 

I can also see that it's 54% linen, 18% nylon, 14% wood and 14% silk. 

It's Union made! The "Unite here" has been in use since 1995, and specifically refers to the ILGWU in the Toronto area now. 

I suspect this was made in the last 20 years. 

Let's count the pockets, shall we? In addition to the three unopened ones on the front, we have two more here.

The little one is for your pen! 

And yes, this was $28.95. Wool/silk/linen blazers by them retail at $998.00! 

Landmark Clothiers is a retail store in Kelowna, BC that's been around since the late 80s. And that's two more pockets too - for a total of SEVEN. 

I had a polyester caftan in my cart (always check the swimwear section!), and quickly put it back when I spotted this copper and black beauty. 

This is a giant rectangle, with a drawstring thin pouch all the way around, to fit under the bust. 

It looks navy in certain lights, and the yellow trim is a shiny gold. 

But the copper paisleys! My heart! 

It's in rough condition, likely been washed a LOT. 

It's 100%....

Pure silk! And made in India! 

For only $14.95? Get out! It needs a good steaming and a long spell of trimming all the loose threads. You know I'll be wearing this to the Winesday annual pool party in August! 

I've been looking for simple white/solid colour sleeveless tops to wear under blazers for the office. 

This simple tank has everything I want. 

Sweet crystal snaps at the front.

A nice thick ribbed texture. 

And it's 100% cotton, made in India, very thick and luxe.

Only $8.95 for FDJ French Dressing. What a deal! 

Flush with my victories, I hopped the bus home and spent the night playing board games with L while the kitties lurked around. 

"We're not lurking, we're right here."       "I'm sleeping!"

L sent me this picture while I was out shopping. 

The water is running, so it must be inspected by both boys. 

Well, that's it for my weekend - I'm off to enjoy what's left of it with my fam (human and furry). Wishing you all the best and I'm full of gratitude for your presence. Thanks so much for being here.