First of all, I hope all my US friends had a very Happy Thanksgiving. Here's a lovey Vizzini face for you.
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| "I appreciate my fans." |
We've had a wonderful quiet weekend, which I'm sure I will look back upon fondly and longingly as we roll into heavy-duty party/event season over the next five weeks. We've played tons of board games, had several naps, and watched a lot of football, and Vizzini has been very happy to have us at home.
We spent our Thursday off watching US Thanksgiving NFL, eating chili (there might have been naps and doziness at various points during games), and hanging out with long-time best friends Nick and Casey.
I was up early on Friday and off to check out the Black Friday deals at local consignment stores Turnabout and House of Savoy (check out my favourite local shops
here). I'd always rather shop local and second-hand.
I dressed for a chilly day (it's very bright, but very cold) and for shopping.
- Wool dress - Club Monaco, thrifted; first worn here (3rd outfit) in March for Winesday
- Shoes - Matisse; last seen here in September with a bunch of pattern-mixing
- Coat (below) - Donna Karan, consignment; first worn here last weekend, the day I bought it
It's a pretty basic black dress - I'll have my coat on while I shop, so functionality is key.
Funky thick tights for warmth and visual interest. I tossed these at the end of the day - I realized that they'd faded to a weird greeny colour.
I owned a cocoon-shaped sweater dress like this back in the 80s (in yellow!).
It's such an easy piece to wear.
Getting myself caffeinated up to face the world, and interact with people after a day of just my closest friends.
Outerwear - there we are, all bundled up.
I washed this coat a few days ago, and let it air-dry - I was terrified that the little hard pockets of feathers wouldn't re-fluff, but they have expanded perfectly (with a 10-minute pouff in the dryer to help, when things were still a bit damp).
My angora toque is from the 90s, complete with the little fabric and plastic flower. By the way, "toque" is the name for these hats - it's pronounced to rhyme with "kook." How has this word not caught on? I hear/have read of these hats referred to as "knitted caps", but "toque" is so much easier. And it's only one word!
My big scarf is silk on one side and wool/cashmere on the other.
- Toque - vintage 90s, thrifted
- Scarf - thrifted
- Wool gloves - Parkhurst
I was snuggly warm without being too sweaty.
The stuff:
Good walking/standing shoes. I spent two hours in Turnabout and about an hour in House of Savoy, going through every single thing in the store. Phew, shopping is hard work!
I did have to remove my earrings while at Turnabout: they were catching on clothes, so I just zipped them away for the duration.
At Turnabout, I found these lovely patent leather loafers.
I've been on the lookout for a flat solid blue shoe for a while - these have that nice "special" element (the patent) that I wanted.
They have a good heel - not too flat, which can also be painful - and a nice profile.
These will look good with skirts and trousers.
Not a lot of wear on the soles.
They look like they've been worn maybe 4 or 5 times.
My guess at leather was confirmed by the content tag (leather inners and uppers, synthetic sole), and they're by Shoe the Bear, a brand I've seen at select boutiques around town.
These probably would have been around $200 new - they were $53.99 (an extra 10% off the marked $59.99). I know I'll wear these a lot, so I'm good with paying a bit more.
I really liked the asymmetrical hemline of this wrap skirt, although the pattern plays games with my eyes. To me, in this picture, it looks like brown shapes on a tan background, outlined in red or rust.
But in this picture, I can see that there's no red.
And here, it looks like dark blue on tan, outlined in black...which is what it is! Tricky, tricky Zara!
This was $23.39 (extra 10% off $25.99). It was probably around $70 new. I did "test-stride" it, taking wide, fast strides around to see if it would open up on me, and it stayed put. Wrap skirts can be a pain that way. Fingers crossed on this one!
This skirt made me gasp and giggle when I put it on - I even came out of the fitting room and twirled for the staff.
It's a ginormous 4-layer tulle maxi skirt!
It's a fine, soft mesh with black "dots" (they are more like blobs) all over it.
It has an elastic waist - no pockets, though.
It's by Twinset and was new with tags. It's marked at $515.00, which (viewing their site) is about right. Wow, I'm glad I didn't pay that much.
This was a "Black Friday" item, marked down 50% - it was originally $155.99, so only $78.00...which is still expensive, but I do really love it. I can't wait to swoosh around in it!
I might have to wear it with this piece of badassery!
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| "I'm assuming you're talking about me." |
I had to get the skirt far away from that little monster, who wanted to chew on it.
Anyway, the coat! Check this out: red faux fur, faux leather, and all the straps and buckles a girl could possibly want. And pockets.
The whole thing is lined with faux fur, right down the sleeves too.
It's the most snuggly thing ever.
It's by Topshop and would have been around $200 new.
I got this for a STEAL - it was another 50% off item, marked down to $35.00 from $69.99.
I had to put it on.
I am looking forward to wearing this!
From my successful haul at Turnabout, I crossed the street to House of Savoy, where I found a couple of things that I really liked.
The rust colour and A-line shape appealed to me with this skirt. It's also real leather and was only $32.00, marked down 50% from $64.00.
A nice big side zip and a snap at the top.
It's fully lined.
I was a bit surprised that it was H&M...
...until I remembered my black peplum top (
this one), which even has the same bigass zipper up the back. I bet they are the same season!
I spotted these green earrings - the mod shapes really appealed to me.
I think they are cut out from a flat sheet of acrylic vs. molded in that shape.
I like that they are not symmetrically shaped.
It's easier to see when the backside of one is turned over (it's also slightly darker). These are super-light to wear - also a nice bonus. They were $12.00.
Vizzini, which is your favourite?
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| "My choice is made." |
My favourite is the bigass black tulle skirt - what's yours?
On Saturday, I was up early for my Mental Health Walk - it was -3 this morning, with lots of frost, and it was COLD down near the ocean! I was very happy to jump in a hot shower after that!
As you can see, it's really bright and sunny out! I'm bundled up for a walk to Pluto's and then to get groceries.
- Teddy faux fur top - H&M, consignment; last worn here in December 2018 with my Christmas tree skirt
- Grey turtleneck - Bossini, thrifted; purchased here for $7.95
- Skirt - TKStyle, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) in February for a snowy shop
- Boots - Truths Teah, Fluevog; last worn here (2nd outfit) in October for a closet clean-out
- Coat (below) - Donna Karan, consignment; last worn above
I layered my new-to-me grey cotton top under this faux fur top.
I dressed to be snuggly warm!
I'm a fan of this olive green pull-on sweater knit skirt. Why?
It has a fin! It's one piece of fabric that wraps around, then is sewn together with the leftover fabric flapping. I love fun details like that.
I have thick grey tights on under this.
And there's that snuggly down-filled coat again.
No scarf (I regretted this on the way home, with the cold breeze in our faces!), just gloves.
- Wool/faux fur gloves - Parkhurst
The stuff:
These are fabulous boots for walking. I love the steampunk vibe.
Heavily-ringed bling:
Load it all on!
- Silver/gold cuff - JPL, vintage fair
- Bracelet - POLY, thrifted
- Necklace - POLY, thrifted
- Steel earrings - gift from Lise
- Bronze ring - P. Sarpaneva, c. 1970, vintage expo
- POLY rings from two vintage fairs and the Hamilton Art Museum gift shop
- Two-stone silver ring - vintage mall
Vizzini was in a snit this morning, stubbornly sleeping on the top of his post in the living room, between the deck doors. Our deck is not insulated; this is NOT the warmest spot!
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| "I'm staying here until it gets warmer, and that's that." |
He's going to be disappointed and cranky when he wakes up and it's even colder.
I happened to notice something on the trees from the bedroom window.
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| "Buzz off, lady." |
Great Scott! It's a squirrel!
He looks cold, doesn't he?
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| "Nah, I have a fur coat on." |
We have quite a few squirrels in our neighbourhood, along with raccoons and urban deer.
On Sunday, my colleague Simona picked me up and we went for brunch at The Village, as a thank you from her to me for my shopping expertise. Aw, that's so sweet.
Simona was impressed that I was dressed up: "You're even wearing jewelry!" Not many people dress for brunch, especially when it's chilly out.
- Mohair sweater - thrifted; last worn here in September with autumn pastels
- Wool dress - Dolce & Gabbana, vintage 90s, thrifted; last seen here in June with loads of bling
- Boots - Prepare Guide, Fluevog; last worn here for a snowy day in February with my Muppet skirt
- Suede coat (below) - Prosper & Devine, vintage mall; last seen here in March
I dressed for warmth - it was still pretty early too (10am!), so the fuzziness of all of my pieces was soothing.
From my fuzzy pink mohair sweater (layered with a pink cami under it)...
...to my fuzzy wool vintage D&G lingerie-strap dress.
Outerwear:
Dressed for more fuzziness (the fur boa) and only being outside for a few seconds.
I refer to this suede jacket as my Tentacle Coat.
It's very fringe-y! I get a lot of side-eye when I wear this.
- Fur boa - thrifted
- Leather gloves - Danier
The stuff:
Behold, my fuzzy wool boots. They are lined in leather, but all that grey is wool. They are getting a bit moth-eaten; Vizzini is a very poor moth-killer.
Colourful bling:
Brunch deserves a bigass necklace, don't you think?
- Necklace - thrifted
- Earrings - can't remember
- Lapis lazuli ring/ Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes
I'll be joining Patti over at
Not Dead Yet Style once "Visible Monday" is up! See you there!
