Birthday Shopping in Bold Brights

Mom cancelled our planned adventure - she's worn out after all the excitement of her brother's visit and woke up tired. Rest up, Mom! Dr. Sheila prescribes a long nap and some chocolate. 

It ended up working out well, as I needed to do some shopping for L's birthday next week. 

I walked to town, and spent over 5 hours going through some stores, trying not to shop for myself (I did get a few things, spoiler). 

• The Completely Impractical Raincoat - Animale, thrifted; last seen here in August 2025 with bright florals
• T-shirt - Adidas Farm Rio, thrifted; last worn here (4th outfit) in June 2025 for a games night
• Nylon skirt - Love Tree, consignment; last seen here in June 2025 at Elk Lake with Mom
• Sneakers - L'intervalle, consignment; last worn here in December 2025 for shopping with Emma

It was supposed to be a hot day. 

Hideous castle view! 

I only had my orange cropped jacket off when I tried things on. 

This was a nice comfy outfit for a lot of walking. I ended hopping the bus home. 

I love the extra low cargo pockets on the skirt - I stashed my sunglasses in one. 

I prefer wearing my cross-body purse UNDER my jacket, so as not to ruin the lines. 

Voila! This is how most of the world saw me. It was a gorgeous day - I hope it holds up for the Annual Day of Indolence tomorrow! 

I had some lovely interactions while I was out and about. Hello, if any of you made it here!

The stuff: 

I played around with the brooch placement on the jacket. 

• Leather purse - Fossil, consignment, Powell River
• Wood/metal brooch - Aarikka, Finland, consignment
• Enamel cat brooch - gift from Yvonne

These sneakers are awesome, but my feet are still tired! 

Bold bling: 

Just some favourites. 

• Black and white cuff - vintage fair
• Bakelite red/black cuff - vintage mall, gift from L
• Silver/green stone ring - thrifted
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
• Silver fingerprint earrings - Daisung Kim, MoMA gift shop, thrifted

I got all kinds of goodies for L, which I'll reveal AFTER his birthday. I always find a few things for myself while I'm out and about though...

This polyester shirt is from the early 80s - it's got matching shoulder pads, and that stand-up collar reminds me of blouses I wore as a teenager. 

Of course, I adore the red/black/yellow plaid. 

It's by Compositions and was marked down to $10.00 at Luna Boutique. 

It's fun and will work with a lot in my closet. 

I found this dress at Flavour Upstairs. 

It's a double V neckline, with inline pockets - do you see them? 

They're massive! 

And so perfectly sewn in! 

I was thrilled to find another Babette! This dress is an X-Large, and made in the USA. 

100% polyester crimped into pleats with giant vintage presses. Amazing! I love the colour.

Very detailed washing instructions. 

Style# 001! This is a much earlier piece than my previously found skirt, probably from the 90s. 

It was marked down to $22.99. 

I know one of my friends will LOVE this dress! It will be in my next Limbo sale, if not loaned out before then. 

I fell for this amazing rock and roll blouse. 

I adore the louche vibe and the ruffled down the front (two rows!), and the way the sides dip down. 

Big ruffled sleeves. 

The dominant accent colours are yellow, pink, red/orange and purple. 

I can think of a few things to wear this with. 

It's by Nicole Benisti, and I'm sure it's 100% silk - it's so soft. It was $34.99.

I had a quick look through the big WIN store (I had a coupon about to expire!), and found this skirt for myself - at least for one wearing. I do have a lot of black skirts, and I have a black tulle that already fulfills this "full long black skirt" slot.

This is a really heavy piece, with lots of swing in the pleats. It feels like quality. 

I didn't realize until I got home that it has a wrap/cross front. 

However, I wore it around the house and it doesn't open up - I might need to wear shorts if there's a heavy wind! 

It's a Uniqlo collaboration with Theory. 

I was surprised to see it still on Uniqlo's site, on sale for $59.99. I paid $14.95. 

I'll be back in a few days, my friends, but I'll leave you with some kitty pictures. 

Me and Whateley out on the deck (glasses off for reading). 

A visitor while I talked to Mom this morning. 

He snuggled under the covers up next to my legs. 

Then he kicked all my little socks out of their storage bag and slept on it. 

"Deal with it."

Barnabas is always so cute. He goes into this pose when we come near him. 

My friends call him Burt Reynolds. 

Diving off the ledge. 

He's been patrolling, watching the starlings and seagulls nesting. 

Also checking me out. 

"That cereal bowl needs inspection, ma'am."

Ha! 

See you soon! 

A Near Match: Red, Pebbles and Same Leather

When I put this outfit together, I was sure that it was a 100% duplicate outfit - a rare thing for me! 

But as I looked up each piece, I realized that I've worn them all but not in this exact combination. 

• Cotton/linen tunic - Miting, consignment; last worn here in April 2025 with the same sandals and trousers
• Silk trousers - Stella McCartney, consignment, Vancouver; last seen here (3rd outfit) in September 2025 for a Turnabout shop (same scarf and flat shoes)
• Wooden/leather sandals - Faith Low Reumah, Fluevog; last worn here in July 2025 with a fall-ish outfit
• Leather shoes (below) - Down to Earth Hadfield, Fluevog; last seen here in April

That tells me my wardrobe works - big swaths of things just mix and match. A near match means I have a good formula. 

The silk pants are a favourite summer/hot weather pair, being featherweight silk. And pockets! 

The shape of this bright red tunic is so interesting, and it looks good with both swooshy pants and swooshy skirts. 

I'll have to do a skirt with it again soon. I'd like to get a re-wear in of it this year. 

It billows slightly when I walk.

Every time I wear it, I like it more. 

Incognito. 

I swapped shoes for walking to and from the office. 

The stuff: 

I almost always wear this scarf with both of these pairs of shoes - they're a great match. 

• Silk scarf - Ralph Lauren, consignment

I had enthusiastic company while I took my "stuff" pictures after work. 

Get a good sniff of my shoes, Whateley. I've had those since 2012. Both of these pairs were bought at stores in downtown Victoria, before we had a Fluevog store. That wooden wedge heel is very loud, and surprisingly comfortable to wear. 

Feathered bling: 

I've never worn this necklace with the red tunic before - clearly an oversight! 

• Brass/feather/acrylic necklace - Cinta necklace by All Saints, gift from Dominique
• Carved faux cinnabar bangle - consignment
• Stone bangle - consignment
• Wooden Klimt ring - consignment
• Square thumb ring - sidewalk find
• Silver poison ring - Karen's
• Crystal earrings - Plum

Catzilla returned to nose through the jewelry. Excuse me, sir! 

There's no poison in that ring. 

Woo! I'm on holiday! I'll be back with Mom-Day tomorrow, but my posting will be less frequent as L and I enjoy some much-needed time off. Thank you for being here! 

Tulle, Studs and Amber

I've now worn all of my tulle skirts in less than two months into my half-year season. 

This bodes well for re-wears.

• Shirt - Eddie Bauer, consignment; last seen here in March in my "first day" anniversary outfit
• Cotton corduroy vest - Black Sheep, vintage 90s, consignment; last worn here in February over Halston for Sweethearts Week
• Taupe tulle skirt - no label, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) in January, under my Halston Ultrasuede dress
• Shoes - Catalyst Shapers, Fluevog; last worn here earlier this month with a sheer floral/leopard dress
• Coat (below) - Cache, consignment; last seen here in March

The ever-useful white shirt was a good backdrop for showing off the studded corduroy vest. 

I had company for my pictures this morning - hello, Whateley. Thank you for putting your butthole front and centre. 

He really wanted to be picked up! 

More butthole, sorry. 

Big cuddly boy! 

I felt very much "me" in this outfit, but I need a new white shirt, as this one's stained and wearing out. 

Incognito. You can see a bit of the red coat lining in the sleeve. 

We had rain overnight and more rain in the morning. I went with a bucket hat instead of the silk scarf I'd originally planned. 

Cool pack! 

It's much more comfortable than my leather pack. 

• Knapsack - Craig Morrison Bug Bag, vintage 90s, consignment

The stuff: 

I did not need the hat on the way home - sunny again! 

• PVC hat - Babaton, consignment

I love these shoes - I walked to and from work in them, and they are so comfy! 

Amber bling: 

My amber is always a pleasure to wear. 

• Assorted silver/amber bracelets, earrings and rings - all consignment/thrifted (the drop bracelet was a gift from L)
• Glass stone necklace - vintage 1920s, vintage mall, gift from L

I like how the necklace looks like a tie. 

A close-up of Whateley being cute. 

Aw...and he's still showing his butt. 

He's been very grumpy that I haven't been taking his picture. 

What we call his "alien face." 

This boy, however, is always up for a cuddle. 

Rolling around in our game box. 

Purring away. 

He doesn't go after any of the game pieces - neither of them do. 

Such a sweetie. 

He doesn't stay for long, but I'll take the visit. 

Sequins, Cats and Denim Mermaid

This is a short week, as L and I both launch into our annual vacation week, celebrating his birthday. 

I've got three days to go! I played around in my closet on Sunday, and put together three funky office ensembles. 

• Sequined cardigan - Zara, consignment; last seen here on Christmas Eve in December 2025 
• Sleeveless turtleneck sweater - Contemporaine, thrifted; last worn here under a sporty jacket in March
• Denim skirt - Levi Strauss, thrifted; last seen here in February for a Mom-Day at home
• Shoes - Summertime Moonbeam, Fluevog, consignment; last worn here (3rd outfit) for our Goth Party in November 2025

I wanted to take this sequined cardigan (it's thick knitting inside!) down a couple of notches. Denim does the trick! 

White jeans would work too! I love the flappy noise this mermaid skirt makes when I walk. 

This morning, Barnabas came barging in, doing his Stretchy Kitty thing. 

Such a funny little guy. 

Incognito. 

It rained both ways today - my scarf kept my hair under control and dry. 

The stuff: 

I never use this bag, and that has to stop! I've decided I'm going to shake up my bag/purse game, since I have a lot of them.

• Backpack - "Bug Bag" by Craig Morrison, vintage 90s
• Cat/mirror brooch - JJ, vintage 90s, Mom's
• Silk scarf - Maxine Noel, consignment

Did you see my cat/mirror pin at the top of the neck?

Feline bling: 

Four cats and a cobra! 

• Belt - Leatherworld
• Buckle - Zara, thrifted
• Leather/chain bracelet - Jenny Bird, consignment
• Small crystal bracelet - thrifted
• Silver/crystal ring - Uffizi Gallery gift shop, Florence
• Porcelain cat earrings - Winnie Tam
• Silver/gold/amethyst cobra ring - vintage fair

Barnabas gets all the love today. 

Stealing my spot on the couch. 

Playing with his ball on top of Angus. 

He chases that ball all over the house - it's one of his fetch balls.