Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Friday Lace, Denim and Tweed; Brunch in Fancy Designers (and a Wee Shop)

Welcome back, Gentle Reader! L and I enjoyed one of the last quiet weekends for the next two months, and I'm eager to get back to what's left of it, so let's get started, shall we? 

Here's Friday's outfit, a playful confection. 

Leg curtains, marble print and a camisole on the outside! Heavens! 

• Silk camisole - Adagio by Patricia Fieldwalker, not tracked
• Mesh top - Soya Concept; last seen here (2nd outfit) in August with this same skirt
• Tweed/faux fur jacket - no label, thrifted; purchased here for $38.20
• Denim skirt - Free The People, consignment; last worn here (2nd outfit) in August with the same mesh top
• Leather boots - Matisse, consignment; last seen here in March with creepy-crawlies

I laughed when I came back inside from doing the Stair Picture. Look who's in my spot!

And yawning, to boot! Although he does look like he's having a laugh at it all. 

I love this silk camisole, but it's too open/sheer/low-cut for my taste to expose, and it's a shame not to show it (the hem is also lace on the sides). 

So why not wear it over another top? Who says I can't do this? 

I totally whiffed on taking a picture with the jacket on  - I didn't think I'd be wearing it as part of the outfit, but I underestimated the office AC.

The full outfit was inspired by the Ralph Lauren runway show at New York Fashion Week, link here  ('cause I love) to the WWD slideshow.

The specific look is this one, slide 29: 

Right? Jeans and a fur-trimmed jacket? Only mine is faux fur and I thrifted that jacket for less than $40, AND my "jeans" are a patchwork skirt with leg curtains.

Incognito: 

I walked to and from work like this! 

The stuff:

I liked the touches of turquoise. 

• Leather belt - Brave Belts, thrifted
• Leather purse - Roots, consignment, Powell River
• Silk scarf - Alexander McQueen, consignment, Vancouver

Busy bling: 

I've always liked lots of necklaces - the more the merrier!

• Multi-strand necklace - Nine West, thrifted, Sidney
• Semi-precious stones/silver bracelet - Salt Spring Island, gift from L
• Silver/turquoise pendant - Karen's
• Necklace w/crystal - FAC Fifth Avenue Collection, thrifted, Sidney
• Silver/brass earrings - consignment
• Lace cuff - Nashville
• Silver/turquoise ring - consignment
• Silver/smoky topaz ring - Anneli Neumann, Sweden, vintage mall

Our pals Cat and Ross have a reciprocal cat-care deal with me and L. We took care of Mabel this weekend, and I had a rare sighting: 

Ooh, she is a good Guard Cat! Very fierce!

I'm terrified! 

Yes, ma'am, I'll be out of your long hair very soon! 

My boys were so happy to see me. 

Did you miss me? 

Barnabas? 

You could at least wake up and say hello! 

After a chill evening of board games and music, L and I headed out for brunch at John's Place on Saturday moring, followed by a wee shop and then our weekly groceries. 

I felt like wearing all of this - nothing new, just old favourites. This is, however, going to be the last wearing of these sandals. 

• Cotton "mummy" jacket - Jean's by Jean Paul Gaultier, vintage 00s, thrifted; last worn here in April with Friday's denim skirt
• Cotton top - Atelier Delphine, thrifted; last seen here in May with teal leopard
• Skirt - Vivienne Westwood Anglomania, FW 2011, consignment; last worn here in June when I met up with Substack reader Terra
• Sandals - Faith Low Reumah, Fluevog; last seen here in May with red and pebbles

I didn't take the jacket off at all, but here's the underneath look.

I like the "step" hem of this cotton top - it shows off the belt nicely. 

Demonstrating the correct position of the twists in the skirt - they look best in the back. 

I liked the gold-printed tights with this outfit - it adds a little bit of fall to the look.

Barnabas coming in for a cat-bomb.

Blurry boy! He's having a good stretch. 

Incognito. 

I tied the scarf shorter in real life - it dragged on the ground. 

The stuff: 

In addition to saying goodbye to the shoes, I'm also letting go of this wicker bag. I rarely use it, and it doesn't hold things well (no pockets inside). 

• Wicker purse - Streetwear Society, thrifted
• Silk scarf - Ralph Lauren, consignment
• Cat/mirror brooch - JJ, vintage 90s, Mom's

After brunch, we headed over to Ditch Records, Dots and Russell Books (all on the same block) for a browse. After less than an hour on my feet, my dogs were howling. I bought the sandals in 2012 for $54.00 and wore them 23 times - that's $2.35 per wear, and I am totally happy with that. 

Boho bling:

The big belt is so cool. I found myself thinking of my packed-away brass jewelry as I pawed through my accessories - looking forward to having that back! 

• Belt - vintage 70s, consignment
• Eelskin bird bracelet - vintage 80s, consignment
• Brass/copper cuff - Karen's 
• Klimt wooden ring - consignment
• Square ring - sidewalk find
• Amber ring - c. 1995
• Leather/bead choker - vintage 70s, Mom's
• Gold hoop earrings - 5th anniversary gift from L

I had a wee browse in Dots, looking for good quality textiles or things that caught my eye. 

Honestly, there wasn't much! So many plastic/polyester garments, yuck - they feel so bad. These olive cargo-pants are a cotton/tencel blend and are nice and soft, but still have good weight and structure. 

They have big zippered pockets, plus two snap pockets on each leg. 

I was shocked that the back flap pockets (with snaps) are also REAL. Six pockets?? 

Take my money! 

These were actually half off, so $17.49. The original retail is shown on the yellow tag: $88.00. 

I spotted these gloves on their lonesome on top of a display. 

Purple? Hello! I like the patent black fingers. 

It looks like I dipped my hand in black paint.

I dug around in the seams until I could verify that they were indeed leather - not bad for $9.95!

While we were gaming, the boys were up to mischief:

First, Barnabas jumped up because, duh, it's a BOX. 

Whateley didn't like that (he hates Barnabas getting our attention), so he jumped up on the back edge of the chair. 

And if Whateley is doing it, then Barnabas has to as well! 

Dudes, you are not kittens! 

I don't think there is enough room there for you both! 

And so Whateley jumped off. 

Ha! I love the feet! 

Sending you all purry vibes and hope you had a great weekend. Thanks for being here! 

Two-Fer! Missed Vest, Tulle and Star Wars, and Mom-Day in Sidney in Big Sleeves and Post-its

Hello, my friends! Welcome back, and YES, I can once again upload photos. This time, it was not a "me" problem, but a Blogger issue. Sigh. 

But I get what I pay for, which is...nothing!...so can't really complain, right? Anyway, this is Wednesday's work outfit. 

• Vest - Indochino menswear, consignment; last seen here with ruffles and velour in August
• Silk shirt - Evidence, vintage 80s, consignment; last worn here (3rd outfit) in July for a VV shop with Emma
• Tulle skirt - Taba, thrifted; first seen here in a half-right outfit in July
• Cotton blazer (below) - Club Monaco menswear, thrifted; last seen here in June for a Mom-Day with copper
• Luke/Yoda shoes - Irregular Choice Star Wars collection; last worn here in July with a striped shirt

I wanted to wear this thrifted tulle skirt again, having not really liked the previous look. This was better.

This blue silk shirt worked well with it, and then I added the vest and then that lead to the Star Wars shoes. 

I needed the blazer in the morning, and thought I might want to wear it in the office, but I only had it on briefly. 

Can't see the vest, but I know it's there. 

Incognito. Whateley was lurking around. 

I felt vaguely superhero-ish in this, which was appropriate as we cheered on folks rappelling down my office building as a charity fundraiser. My work-pal Ariana did it and so did colleague Carol! Woo! 

The stuff: 

I forgot I had the Star Wars belt on! 

• Snake brooch - thrifted

The shoes in action: 

It took a while to break these in, but I walked both ways comfortably. Don't they go great with the skirt? 

Weird bling: 

This belt will be forever worn with one of my pairs of Star Wars shoes. 

• Star Wars seatbelt belt - Buckle Down, consignment, gift from L 
• Cat pin - gift from Yvonne
• Steel cuff - Lakeland Art Metal Works, vintage 70s, thrifted
• Carved faux cinnabar bangle - consignment
• Jet/crystal necklace - Grandma J's, vintage 50s
• Silver earrings - Israeli, consignment
• Silver/enamel ring - antique shop, Sidney
• Silver/lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes

In the above pictures, the necklace is lost under the collar - I didn't have time to fix it before I left, so when I got to the office, I quickly hacked it.

Good ol' paperclips, right up there with staplers, erasers and safety pins. 

See? It sits much better. 

My office bathroom and my much-repaired phone case with Wonder Woman sticker.

If you're gonna lurk, I'm going to pick you up. 

He loves a cuddle, likes sitting on my chest (briefly) when I read in bed.

Looking pretty on the deck. 

They're going to freak out when we close the deck doors for the season.

We still have several weeks before they are fully locked down.

No need to look so cranky. 

And now...here's Mom-Day! I bussed out to Mom's, and then we drove to Sidney to check out her art cronies' show, and go for lunch.

Such an awesome day! The last time we were in Sidney was here in September 2024, when I bought a painting and multi-media picture from this same art group. 

I wanted to wear this "Post-it" skirt again, so I paired it with...what I wore with it last time! This same t-shirt! 

Not terribly creative, but I did layer this yellow blouse under that for Drama and sun cover. 

• Cotton blouse - Zara, consignment; last seen here at Beacon Hill Park in May with Mom and Brian
• Banksy exhibit tee - thrifted; last worn here for the Day of Indolence in May
• Skirt - Tangerine Jill, consignment; first seen here also on the May DOI
• Duckie shoes - Catalyst Shapers, Fluevog; last worn here on a Treat Herself Mom-Day in August

When I got on the bus downtown, a funky-looking human caught my eye. I gave her the up-down "I see this outfit, yes!!" pointing and a thumbs up. 

And she did it right back! The youngs, they're just like us. 

Mom's seen all this before, but I dressed to be artsy and "out there."

The art ladies loved my Banksy shirt ("Art against fascism!" I said), and as Mom and I entered Jack's pub, a person leaving shouted, "Your skirt! Jesus Christ!" 

I mean, it's quite a skirt. I get it. 

It was fun to wear it again. I'm looking forward to pairing it with boots and sweaters. 

The stuff: 

This leather purse was excellent! The front pocket held my iPhone and my sunglasses/glasses. The thick leather tassels were a tactile delight. 

• Leather purse - Roots, consignment, Powell River; purchased here for $47.00
• Silk scarf - Alexander McQueen, consignment
• Pins - freebies from Fluevog
• Cat skeleton pin - whatserface, Vancouver

Turquoise bling: 

My turquoise makes me happy. 

• Stone cuff - thrifted, Sidney
• Silver/turquoise bracelet - consignment
• Metal earrings - thrifted
• Gold-tone/turquoise ring - consignment
• Silver/turquoise rings - both consignment

After hiding under the bed from the cleaners all morning, Whateley came out with his big eyes, begging me not to leave. 

Or maybe it's, "Feed me"? I'll be home soon! 

Barnabas was inspecting the carpets for cat-toys they'd batted under the couches. 

I laughed at the Whateley ears behind the stool. 

And now, pictures! I walked to town - it was a beautiful day. 

The way to Mom's at the end of the bus-ride. 

Looking through the Garry Oaks at the pine and fir stand where the owls live. 

This is a very bird-rich environment. 

Nothing new, but I did watch this immature Cooper's hawk soar and land on this branch. 

See her? Right in the middle. 

Mom's started a new puzzle. 

It's the front porch of a log cabin with a dog. 

We hopped in the car and headed out along the highway. 

Michell's Farms - look at all the pumpkins! All ready for Thanksgiving and Hallowe'en!

We arrived at the ArtSea Gallery.

It's a lovely area. 

Hideous views, hee hee. 

I see Mt. Baker in the distance (almost at the far left). 

I'll zoom in a little closer: 

One of those clouds is a mountain, I swear. 

I was charmed by this fat seal carving. 

I've seen many seals like that, back in the days of marine parks and entertainments. 

Mom and I had a look around. 

Amazing work. I really like that rainy painting in the middle. 

Mom's looking very spiffy in her spotted pants, palm leaf sparkly tee, and this teal blue jacket. 

We had a good look around. 

I liked this painting and the accompanying real chrysanthemums. 

The blue table's pretty good too. 

A selfie with that seaside background instead of the parking lot. 

It smelled good and salty, and the sun was warm. 

Going down the main street, Beacon Avenue. 

It ends at the ocean. 

We went to Jack's Pub for lunch. 

Pink hydrangeas, and sea views. 

Mom's been paying attention to posing! 

That's an utterly charming picture, and you look so beautiful, Mom. I love you! 

We drove home after a delicious lunch, and worked on the puzzle for half an hour. 

I finished the border - go, me! After my sleeves dragged the corner apart, I called it - time to go! 

I arrived home after two buses to an ecstatic reception. 

Don't get up or anything, Barnabas. 

Forced lovin' for Whateley! 

He did not want to do a selfie. 

And there we are, Gentle Reader, time to sign off for the weekend. Please stop in on Sunday for tales of adventure! Have a great one, and thank you so much for being here.