Casual Friday - Uniform, and Special Occasion - Ronnie's 40th!

Friday was a busy day! First of all, I had some GREAT news: the project that I have been doing at work that was hugely stressing me out for the past 3 months? Tanked! Gone! I am back to doing what I am good at, what I get results at. I am so relieved.

I also really liked my outfit, my usual casual uniform:
Long sleeved tee: check! Graphic tee: check! Denim pencil skirt: check! Funky leg look: check! Great footwear: check! Polished but cool accessories: check!

I added a tweed blazer and fun bag (it was very warm all day - this is the only outerwear I wore):

I think I could put this look together in my sleep now. Heh. I used to really struggle with finding a casual look that suited my personality (a little bit of rocker chick, slightly sophisticated, yet polished), but this uniform is very comfortable and fits the bill.

These low boots worked great for showing off my knee high socks - and yes, I am bare-legged!

Friday night was our friend Ronnie's 40th birthday party. Happy Birthday, Ron! Ron's a good ol' boy, a real down-home Canadian, and he's married to my dear friend Caro. If you wanted to meet someone really Canadian, Ron is it. Hockey jerseys, jeans, and lots of beer and distilled liquor - that's a typical Ronnie party.

But of course, I prefer to stick out in a crowd:

That's my new green satin off-the-shoulder Club Monaco dress - it was $40 in one of my favourite consignment stores. Isn't it gorgeous? It looked like nothing on the hanger - that's why you need to try stuff on!

The back:

You know, I love this new lighting technique from Kasmira, but now you can see how pasty-pale I really am!

I did do a little dancing in the kitchen once I had some wine in me:

Rebecca, I don't recommend you wear shoes like these! Those heels are 6" less a 3/4" platform.

Shout out to Anita, a lovely woman I met at the party...one of those kindred spirits.

L also dressed up, although not as much as me. He did his rocker look (as demonstrated in "How to Dress Up Your Man"):

Rock on, love!

He's doing a dark blue velvet blazer, a patterned shirt, his naughty lady belt buckle, distressed jeans and red Fluevogs. Doesn't he look great?

Tweed jacket (Jacob Connexion, consignment), graphic tee (Truly, Madly, Deeply..., consignment), skirt (InWear, consignment), socks (don't remember), boots (Hispanitas, consignment), necklace (Plum), belt (gift from Mom), earrings (Plum, gift from L).

Dress (Club Monaco, consignment), fishnets (Hue), shoes (JLo), earrings (Plum, gift from L), bracelet (The Bay), ring (Sarah Coventry, vintage 70s).

Catching Up: Thursday, Friday, Saturday

It's been a crazy week! On Thursday, I met up with my ex-coworkers for dinner and drinks. They've seen this outfit before (similar here), but not these shoes:
I see a kitty!

This is my trusty shrug (last seen here, for last Canada Day! too long!), and my gorgeous silk blouse (last seen here).

I've had this black pencil skirt for about four years now - on my last closet purge (closet shots here, for those of you who have asked recently) I cleaned out a bunch of my black pencil skirts, and this one made the cut. It's got pockets and a relaxed front. Love.

I took the first picture in the morning (around 7:30 am), and the outside shot at 7:30 pm after I got home:
See? The third floor light is on.

As promised, last time I wore the shoes, here's the close-up:

Oh, man, those are sweet. They are super comfy too. Also check out the bigass red ring in the corner. $8 at Aldo Accessories.

Shrug (Debut), blouse (I.N.C.), skirt (Kensie), shoes (Locale), ring (Aldo Accessories), gold hoops (gift from L).

On Friday, my work had a corporate golf event, so I went a little conservative/casual, since there would be boss-type people there, and I didn't want to frighten anyone from our other local office.

I needn't have worried, although I got a few comments about my shoes on the golf course. Hey, at least I didn't wear massive heels!

I forgot to take my picture before work that morning, so the above shot is at 10:30 at night, after 4 (light) beers and 40 minutes on the bus. I'm tired!

The jacket, top and belt are all new-to-me. I got the jacket (Bianca Nygard, $9.50) and top (Jana, $4.50) at the same thrift store. Neither of them have been worn before (the jacket still had the stitches on the rear splits, and the top still had the original tags on it), so hurray for thrifting new clothes! The belt was $6 on a recent consignment expedition.

The cropped jeans are my freebie swap from Caro, as are the shoes! So, not counting my gold earrings ($250), my diamond earrings ($500) and my rings ($2,000+), my entire outfit was only $21.00. Not bad! And of course, you can see I know where to invest my money: good jewelry!

The stuff:

I love all the studs and embellishment on these pieces.

Jacket (Bianca Nygard, thrifted), top (Jana, thrifted), jeans (Jackpot, swap from Caro), shoes (Wild Diva, gift from Caro), belt (consignment, no brand).

Today, I dressed up for WW, lunch, grocery shopping and my niece's dance recital (shhh...it's this afternoon, it's going to be a surprise!).

I felt very "rowr" in this. I love this cardigan (first seen here) and was happy at how it looked with my orange corduroy skirt (last seen here).

I wanted to wear my fringed shoes again too:

And I have my bigass leather rose on my wrist.

I snuck outside early for my stair shot:

Legs McGee in the house!

I last wore those shoes here (shot of the leather rose there too) - I am a total convert to Kenneth Cole Reaction shoes now. So easy on the feet!

It was raining (*sigh*) when I left the house this morning, so I trenched up:

My awesome hat (it's made of paper!) and my real Burberry trench (detail pictures here).

Cardigan (Twelve Layers, thrifted), skirt (Jacob Connexion, thrifted), shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction, consignment), earrings (gift from Megan), trench (vintage Burberry, consignment), hat (Delux).

Last Post of the Year!

And another year is almost over! How...expected.

This will be my last outfit post of 2011, but I'll be posting my New Year's Eve outfit sometime this weekend. I'll also be doing my annual Major Awards (check out the sidebar for the past 3 years of them).

Today I went for comfort:

Someone's lurking down the hallway...

It appears to be Flower O'Clock! That's my awesome denim skirt (3rd outfit down), a layered long-sleeved tee (seriously, I have long-sleeved tees in about a dozen colours) with my bird t-shirt, and my tweed jacket.

I'm wearing my Skagway boots again.

Vizzini came in for a rub

I can't get enough of these boots! They are so comfy and they just rock my world. Love!

I haven't worn my faux fur vest in ages:

I think this is the last year for it. I haven't worn it much and it adds a lot of bulk to the boobular region.

The stuff:

Mom bought me this lovely necklace and earrings set for Christmas! She knows me so well - I do love the leopard and now I have it in my jewelry! It'll be perfect for the next Leopard Week.

Vest (Esprit), scarf/gloves (Parkhurst), jacket (Jacob Connexion, consignment), long-sleeved tee (Press), bird tee (Truly, Madly, Deeply, consignment), skirt (InWear, consignment), boots (Skagway, vintage 70s, thrifted), belt (Shi Studio), buckle (She She Shoes), necklace/earrings (gift from Mom), leather rose cuff (consignment).

To all my dear friends, have a very Happy New Year! 

Be safe, have fun and see you next year!

Challenge Week! Friday: The Casual Uniform

And we're done! Challenge Week is over, and thank you to everyone for your rockin' suggestions. I liked all of them, and I might do a special post in the next few days to show how some of them would look or my interpretation of them.

This is a long weekend (Thanksgiving) in Canada, and it being my birthday on Sunday, I took Tuesday and Wednesday off as well. So, I won't have as many posts next week, and I might need to shake it up and have fun on Monday. We'll see.

Anyway, today's winner is Christine Priem! She said, "I recommend your black & gray striped long-sleeved shirt with a burnout print tee on top (a while ago you had one that was watercolorish with a gray and black abstract design) with your orange denim skirt (if you still have it!) and tall black boots. I love how you layer tees!"

Well, I don't actually have this tee anymore, Christine (it was always a little tight in the boobs, so I gave it away to a friend), but I have everything else! Here you go: Gray striped tee, layered t-shirt (my Leonard Cohen "Beautiful Losers" tour shirt) - both worn together for the first time here, in 2009 - my orange cord skirt (third outfit down), and tall black boots.

I wear these boots all the time. I decided to do my over-the-knee socks with this outfit instead of tights. For one, that's a more "out there" look for me (especially now that I am nearly an old bag of 44, hee), and it's good to push the envelope that way. For another, I liked how the stripe on the sock echoed the stripes in the long-sleeved tee.

Wait, I need more cat with this ensemble!

Inigo was actually very lovey with me. He gives good snuggles. Vizzini wanted to join the party, but I can't hold both of them.

I added my leather python print jacket for my outerwear:

I last wore that jacket in February (2nd outfit down) - I can't believe I didn't wear it all spring! And my grey fingerless gloves. As you can see the danged socks slipped down really fast!

Christine, drop me an email and we'll start the conversation on what your prize will be from my closet! Thank you again for the awesome suggestion.

Jacket (Bebe, vintage, thrifted), long-sleeved tee (Majestic, swap from Caro), tee (Leonard Cohen tour shirt), skirt (Jacob Connexion, thrifted), socks (Steve Madden), boots (Aldo, consignment), belt (Gap), necklaces (Plum, Jacob, Lavishy).

Late Weekend Edition and a Book Blurb

I had a really busy weekend, following an exhausting week. I need another weekend!

Getting some catching up going on here, this is what I wore to Weight Watchers, brunch out, and to Winesday with my wonderful gals:
It was still a little chilly on the legs but not too bad. That's my corduroy skirt that I last wore here.

Long-sleeved top (Mexx), t-shirt (BCBG Max Azria, consignment), skirt (Jacob Connexion, consignment), socks (Hue), books (Aldo, consignment).

Yesterday I had "Day with Auntie Sheila" - I do this for my nieces (the two eldest ones) every year on their birthdays. I had my day with Hannah (8 years old) a couple of weeks ago, and yesterday was Zoe's turn (11 years old).

We did High Tea at a local swanky old hotel, so of course, Crazy Auntie had to get her funk on:
My fab Betsey Johnson dress getting a daytime workout (previously seen here, here and here).

I had fun adding the double-layered tights with it:

They were a little on the warm side later in the day, though.

Dress (Betsey Johnson), t-shirt (SportMart), belt (gift from Ruth), boots (Aldo, consignment), necklace (The Bay).

I finished another graphic novel a few weeks ago and forgot to write about it (I've been "off" reading the last little while and have been doing crossword puzzles to make myself dozy before bed. I go in cycles this way).

Kelly lent me this one (he's been reading my Sandmans) after he read my Jeff Loeb Batman titles. It's "Arkham Asylum: Living Hell" by Dan Slott and Ryan Sook:

I enjoy the newer Batman series (much like the new series of "Batman" movies, they are darker and not as campy as the originals). This one actually barely features the Caped Crusader.

Stats: Uh, it's a graphic novel, so about 4 comic books' worth of pages. Started around October 1st and finished a couple nights later.

Blurb: As I mentioned, this novel really doesn't feature Batman (he makes a token appearance near the end). It takes place almost entirely within the walls of the infamous Arkham Asylum, which is where all the psychotic bad guys in the Batman universe end up if they have good lawyers (if you saw "Batman Begins", the Scarecrow ends up in Arkham). The plot of this story revolves around a rich tycoon who decides that pretending to be insane is going to be easier on him than going to jail, after he's caught as a criminal. Bad idea. Very bad idea.

I found the story interesting and full of little twists and turns - but be warned, it's violent. The illustrations are very well done and evoke the minds of the madmen; slightly warped and askew versions of reality. If you enjoy the re-booted Batman, this is a fun side-story.

Fancy Outfit, a Casual Outfit and Book Blurbs

We went to a special event at the Art Gallery on Friday night. As usual, it was full of arty types (many being obnoxious twits) - I enjoy wandering through the Gallery and checking out the exhibits, but my favourite thing is checking out all the outfits. I spotted 12 pretentious hats and one hat worn non-ironically (our friend Ross, who wears his ball cap everywhere).

I decided to go with black, even though 90% of the women there also wear it. Last time, I wore a very bold outfit, but the time before I did black as well. This is my 3rd wearing of this dress in 3 years (last time here, with pants). That's pretty pathetic, but it's a tricky dress to wear. You can't do a necklace because of the funnel neckline, it's REALLY short, and its's 100% wool, so no stretch. Not exactly versatile.

I do regret walking the 3 blocks to and from the Gallery. My feet really hurt by the end of the night, and no amount of fancy cocktails numbed that.

Dress (Studio Holt Renfrew, consignment), shoes (JLo), earrings/ring (Lavishy).

What I wore to Weight Watchers yesterday: I also wore it out for lunch and for a wee shop around town with L (I bought my winter supply of tights). I wore my black leather jacket overtop.

Sweater (Press), skirt (Jacob Connexion, consignment), tights (Hue), shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction, gift from Cat), scarf (Metrowear).

I finally finished my book yesterday, and read another comic: Magic Teeth Dailies #37 by Gareth Kyle Gaudin, and "Farewell Summer" by Ray Bradbury. Magic Teeth Dailies #37
I have been collecting Gareth's daily comics pretty much from the beginning (I bought issues 1-4 at the same time, and have been picking up the rest since they've been published). I am a big fan of the Perogy Cat, and of Gareth, who is a nice guy (as is his lovely wife and mum, both of whom I know, although I have not yet met his daughter, Enid). All of my copies are signed by Gareth when I buy them, and a few of them have personal inscriptions to me. Someday, they'll be worth something!

Stats: Read this in about 30 minutes November 7, 2010.

Blurb: Same as the other MTDs, the cartoons are typically one-offs. Hilariously foul, inappropriate and funny as heck. Love.

Farewell Summer
I have been a fan of Ray Bradbury since I was a kid. I have 25 of Mr. Bradbury's books and love most of them.

Stats: Hardcover, 210 pages. Started Oct 19th, finished Nov 7, 2010.

Blurb: This is the 50 years later sequel to "Dandelion Wine" the now-classic coming-of-age book that Bradbury is probably best known for. It's a pretty slim sequel (apparently it was originally part of "Dandelion Wine" and his publishers told him to drop this section), but as viewed as part of DW it makes more sense than if read alone. Although I love the feel of his books, this was not his best.

I fall into Bradbury's language and cadence very easily (he is a big influence on my own creative writing), and blasted through this in about an hour yesterday. The only reason it took me so long to finish is that I have been doing crossword puzzles before bed instead of reading.


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As I will be officially out of work next week, and not dressing up on a daily basis as much, I'm open for questions, suggestions and requests! Tell me what you'd like to see, throw some questions at me, and I'll do my best to create an outfit, answer your request or address your burning questions in a post!

Red Fringed Suede and Tweed

I think my second-hand acquisitions of leather and suede are becoming something of an obsession.

I now have nearly 20 leather and suede items - that's dresses, skirts, pants, vests and jackets (not even including shoes!) - that I've mostly thrifted and picked up second-hand. I have bought a few pieces in actual stores (my yellow jacket, my $20 dress and my suede jacket).

The most I've ever paid was $59.99 (my leather pants and this leather dress), and the least I've ever paid was $10.00 (this skirt). My newest purchase is right in the middle of that range at $38.50: But it's got fringe! and it's red! and it's entirely fabricated of AWESOME!

This was thrifted at the same time as this orange suede skirt.

I love red, cream and brown together, especially this deep ruby red:

That's my thrifted blouse, leather vest (last worn together!) and my tweed jacket (I had to roll the sleeves up to show the red lining). I haven't worn this jacket in so long that I couldn't even find it on the blog. I question why it is still in my closet...

And this is a very rambunctious kitten:

He's attacking my necklace. I noticed later on in the day that there are a few pieces of fringe that have a distinctly gnawed-on appearance, so this skirt has to be hung up higher, away from little chew-meister kitties.

I wasn't that taken with the actual style of this skirt, however awesome it is. The hips are a little roomy (it's an 80s size 12 which translates to a modern size 8) and the butt shot is not the greatest. I suppose I could spend a whack of money to have it altered, but more likely I'll just wear it a few times, then take it to my favourite trade-in consignment store for a big ol' credit.

The stuff:

My good walking boots. I love the pattern in that blouse - so pretty.

A close-up:

I love how that necklace looks under open collars. Of course, I had to to my leather steampunk cuff and my leather rose!

Check out Visible Monday for other fun fashion bloggers!

Jacket (Jacob Connexion, consignment), vest (Cabi, thrifted), blouse (Tommy Hilfiger, thrifted), skirt (Danier, 80s vintage, thrifted), boots (Miz Mooz), necklace (Plum), steampunk cuff (SkinznHydz), rose cuff (consignment).

Casual Friday - Olive, Red and Tweed

Friday's outfit was fun - it felt very funky:
New tweed jacket (how do you not love a dark red lining?), new graphic tee with birds on it, new denim pencil skirt, new giraffe pony hair belt.

I particularly like how it came out with the outer-wear accessories:

My old velvet hat, my Smoking Lily bug scarf, my new long leather gloves (a consignment steal at $35 new - these sell for well over $100 at Club Monaco stores) and my new bag.

I layered my tights: one pair of dark red with a pair of olive fishnets over top:

I matched them with the new bag, which has olive/grassy green lining.

The bag was a pretty good deal - $58 consignment and it probably sold for over $200 new. I'm not usually a bag person, since I use my backpack 4 out of 5 days, but I fell in love with this one. I've seen Matt & Nat bags around (their bags are vegan and eco-friendly)/

I like the little write-up inside:

It says:

choose life choose positivity

choose the golden rule

choose to be at peace with

yourself choose salvation

scegliete di fare uno differenzo

choose to make a difference

choisissez de faire une difference

choose to be different choose to

be a rebel choose to be funky

choose to be yourself choose

to create a fashion statement

Good words to live by. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Jacket (Jacob Connexion, consignment), t-shirt (Truly Madly Deeply, consignment), skirt (InWear, consignment), belt (Dana Buchman, consignment), hat (Shelley West, Roberta's Hats), scarf (Smoking Lily), tights (Hue), shoes (Fluevog), choker (vintage 60s, Mom), earrings (gift from L).

Weekend Outfit - WW Meeting

Went to my regular WW meeting for the first time in a couple of weeks. As always, I wore something nice and lightweight:
My new-ish teal cardi (last seen here, ha, with the same tights), my bright orange corduroy skirt (last seen here, scroll down - I am wearing that same necklace today, too), and flat shoes for walking.

I also wore my chartreuse jacket (last seen here) because it went so well with my new purse.

I also had long brown leather gloves on for the morning.

A shot of the purse:

The handles and the bottom of it are wood. It was on for 50% off, so I got it for $12.50.

Check out the cool pattern:

I think that green blob is supposed to be a dragon - rar!

Jacket (Alison Wonderland, consignment), cardigan (Kersh), skirt (Jacob Connexion, consignment) , shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction, swap from Cat), necklace (Lavishy), earrings (gift from L).

Well, my exciting news for this weekend was going to be that we got a new kitten companion for Inigo, but it was not meant to be: no kittens at the SPCA for another month. I'm disappointed, but we'll go next month and get a new family member.

In the meantime, as I type this, Mr. Drooly-pants is sitting on my lap. Here he is when we got home last weekend and unpacked our Fluevogs:

Kitties and tissue - an unbeatable combination.

Heh, he's digging for mice:

There must be one there somewhere, buddy!

Come Walk With Me

I refuse to be sick, so even though I was exhausted when I dragged myself out of bed this morning, I put on my many layers of walking gear and left the house.

And it was raining. I deserve a medal or something!

It's grey and rainy on the West coast - that's just how it is this time of year. Could be worse: could be snow! I was really happy to see this forsythia trying valiantly to bloom:
And just to completely refute the myth that Canada is covered in snow, here's a palm tree:

I like the twisty gnarled tree in the foreground.

I have a thing for twisty trees and other foliage:

Isn't that awesome?

After I did a couple of kilometres through residential neighbourhoods, I finally hit the water:

That is the Pacific Ocean, baby! On clear days, that grey horizon line is the Olympic Mountains, and sometimes you can even see the US city at the base of them. Today, just a harbour plane coming in, and a big barge on the right.

I approach the coast with this on my right/back as I follow the shore turning left:

I love the weathered cliffs and inlets. The tide was really high today, but there's still lots of beach to walk on. I see at least one brave soul getting some exercise down there.

I took this shot looking down from the edge of one of the cliffs:

Oooh, that's a long way down. Back away, Danger-Prone Sheila!

This little point is popular for tourists:

It's also awesome for kite-flying and, when you're a teenager, "watching the submarine races". Heh, heh, which I know my mom and dad used to do. Sorry to break it to you, Mom, but I also parked down here a few times back in the day. Ah, memories.

Looking backwards:

Some days I head that way instead, but there's usually a lot of people out walking their dogs.

Way out in the straights, there's a small island with an unmanned lighthouse.

I would like to live in a lighthouse, maybe for a little while, like a year. Would you? I'd get caught up on all my reading.

This bay was really calm today. The last time I was out here, the waves were almost crashing over the road.

You can see how the driftwood gets pushed up.

The waves push it right up to the left side - there were lots of little bits of wood and kelp there.

Looking back to the point:

Waterlogged cedar and deep orange arbutus tree trunks. That large pebble texture is typical of a lot of beaches on the coast. Not exactly sand, but it's still nice on the feet in the summer.

I liked this long string of kelp:

Kelp's a type of seaweed, in case you didn't know.

Coming up on the deepest curve of the bay:

This is a hugely popular area for tour buses, people showing off our coastline, and exercisers. Not so many today - it was really pouring by now (about 1/2 an hour into my walk - this is the halfway point).

Check out this ginormous tree trunk:

That's a yellow double-decker tour bus coming around the bend. Even in January we have tourists.

Remember the graveyard I strolled through back in June? This is the view from the water:

One day, I'm sure the graveyard will start slipping into the sea - a few good storms should do it.

I watched these little black and white ducks going underwater for up to 20 seconds, looking for food:

Floating log for scale. When I was a kid, those logs were gold - so fun to ride on! But lots of splinters (cedar's terrible for that), and brrrr...this water is COLD.

I couldn't resist this cool driftwood "composition":

On the left is one of several rock berms that were constructed years ago to help keep the bay from eroding and causing coffin catastrope (as noted above).

Looking back at where I've come from:

Because that's always useful to do, literally and metaphorically.

I headed back home through more residential neighbourhoods (nothing exciting), cold and wet but at least I got in an hour's good exercise. Go, me!

We have a brief strata meeting tonight and I'm sure my patient husband is getting tired of seeing me in my robe or ratty jeans, so I dressed properly:

My corduroy skirt (last seen here), a simple top, a tweed jacket (last worn last February!) and tights - it looks deceptively dressy, but the soft shapes are actually very comfy. I did laundry in this (sans shoes).

Added a couple of accessories to amp up the excitement factor ("she's wearing real clothes!"):

It felt weird to be dressed. L was rather startled.

The stuff:

I distributed some of the shoes from my closet clean-out last week - not many of my friends have my size feet (size 9 to 9.5 to 10 or a Euro size 40), so whenever gals that size come over, I give away shoes that I've grown tired of. My friend Alison passed these ones along to thank me. They're Farylrobin (swoon, why can't I have unlimited shoes?). I like the little robin cutouts and the pale pink backing.

L bought me this cool necklace the other day while we were out:

"We'll always have Paris." The other side is a chandelier.

I added one of my new Plum belts to the outfit:

I think this was about $7 on clearance. I love the studs (they go all the way around). The belt's a bit long, so I knotted the long end.

Jacket and skirt (both Jacob Connexion, both consignment), top (RW & Co., swap from Ruth), shoes (Farylrobin, swap from Alison), belt (Plum), rose pin (Roberta's Hats), necklace (Lavishy).