Two-Fer: A Copper and Turquoise Potato Canvas, and Oh, Deer; Orange, Blue and a Cream Cape Too, Plus a Closet Moment

This is a busy week, so here's a Two-Fer - that's two outfits for ya! 

Monday's outfit was picked out on Sunday - I was hopeful that this brown faux suede dress would join the legions of Jammy Dresses in my closet, but...

...I felt good about it until I saw the photos. Do I look like a potato? Do I care? I did love wearing it...

• Dress - Kaffe; purchased here from Dots for $22.50
• Top - For Love & Nancy, thrifted; first seen here (2nd outfit) in July over my Laurie Dress
• Boots - Donald J. Pliner, vintage 90s, consignment, Sidney; last worn here in March with turquoise and brown leather
• Poncho (below) - Welsh, thrifted; last seen here in April

For a change of pace, I layered my cropped cream top under the dress. 

It felt a little puffy in the top area - must do a thinner layer next time.

I do like the bubble of sleeve sticking out. 

And they match with the cowboy boots. 

The back view is...fine. It's a brown box.

Maybe it's the colour - it's a rather spud-y shade.

It was soft, stretchy and easy to wear. Big pockets are a definite plus.

It's a good canvas for my vintage jewelry too - I always appreciate that. What do you think?

Incognito in a cape. 

I used a little purse, and carried a tote bag with my boots and lunch supplies. 

Accoutrements and stuff: 

Such sweet boots - I only keep them out in warmer weather, due to the canvas body. 

• Purse - Day + Mood, thrifted

Copper and turquoise bling: 

This is all of my turquoise and copper. Vix and I have the same necklace - thinking of you, honey! 

• Necklace - Bell Trading Post, vintage 60s, consignment
• Squash blossom cuff - Bell Trading Post, vintage 50s, consignment, Powell River
• Enameled cuff - Matisse by Renoir, vintage 60s, vintage expo
• Rings - consignment
• Brooch - thrifted
• Earrings - Matisse by Renoir, vintage 60s, Grandma J's

I remember my grandma wearing these earrings when I was a child. 

When I left for work in the morning, this fellow was chomping down on the bush at the end of our driveway.

Be my guest. 

The next morning, a doe blocked the drive. I gently shooed her onto the grass by clapping lightly.

And then I spotted two young deer nibbling at a different bush. I think our condo must be a top-rated Deer Restaurant! 

For Wednesday, I had a different top and shoes in mind, but when I awoke to a gloomy, rain-promised day, I switched to a cotton sweater and tall boots. 

We had a noon potluck in the lunchroom at the office - so many of my lovely colleagues were there! 

• Sweater - J. Crew, thrifted; last worn here in February with a Limbo'd mini (Ali bought it!)
• Skirt - H&M, thrifted; last seen here (3rd outfit) in July 2023 for a planning meeting for our Winesday trip last summer
• Boots - Matisse, consignment; last worn here in May with my Just Cavalli "critter" dress
• Cape - Dafydd Snowdon, Wales, vintage 70s, thrifted; last worn here in March

My orange and blue colours and the skirt were the hits amongst my colleagues. I always feel good in orange!

My entire outfit is second-hand today, including all of my jewelry. Gotta love that! 

This is a 2012 J. Crew sweater, purchased four years ago for a whopping $9.99. 

It's an excellent piece of "cake" in my closet - it's such a bright, vibrant colour, the cabling is perfect, and it's not too bulky. It goes with many of the crazy "icing" skirts I have.

The skirt is probably from a few years earlier than the sweater, around 2010-ish - I had a few mini-skirts cut in this full, extra-pleated "bubble" front (they all had pockets too). I recall a silvery-grey velvet one (this one here, in Feb 2012), and a wine brocade one (this one here, from Jan 2011).

This lovely blue skirt is by H&M and it's fully-lined, with ginormous pockets, and even a tab at the top of the zipper! The pattern is birds and flowers. 

Incognito and caped. 

The inner part is connected to the cape at the neck, which means I have a full fitted layer around my core with a cape over that. 

Accoutrements: 

Another "real" purse during the week! Shocking! 

• Scarf - Metropolitan Museum of Art "Eagle Wing" scarf, King Tut exhibit, 1970s, thrifted, Seattle
• Purse - no label, consignment

The scarf was not needed on the way home. It's not fully autumn yet! 

The stuff: 

I walked to and from work in my boots. I don't like carrying these - they're heavy, so hard on my back/shoulders to schlep an extra bag. Thus, most of my boots must be walkable. 

Bold bling: 

I don't care that these bib necklaces aren't in fashion right now. I love them! 

• Necklace - J. Crew, consignment
• Orange stone bracelet - Loren Hope, thrifted, Sidney
• Purple stone bracelet - Moda, Malta, vintage mall
• Steel/Lucite ring - Calvin Klein, thrifted
• Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
• Earrings - thrifted

This is another fabulous old J. Crew piece, picked up for cheap at Turnabout.

I happened to have the camera in my hand when Vizzini and I shared our usual after-work closet moment. We sit on the stool just inside the door, facing the mirror, and he looks around and I give him many pats and scritches.

"What is this chicanery, Woman?"

Love his fuzzy head! Mwah! I want to kiss it! 

He's the only cat we've ever had who sees us in mirrors - he understands that he's looking at me. 

"Yeah, I'm smart like that."

I treasure these times with him, and give him as many cuddles as he wants. Aw! 

I'll be back on Thursday - I warned you, this week is very full! - so enjoy my recent adventures and please do pop in again soon. Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Funky Friday in Loads of Layers; Saturday Brunch in Yellow and a 5-Minute Shop; Sunday Blues in a Tutu at Rifflandia

Welcome back, my friends! It's been quite a weekend, and I'm a day late, but I hope you'll forgive me, as we had a jam-packed weekend. I have much to share! 

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Let's get started with Friday's work outfit. I layered the heck out of it, due to erratic weather.

I welcome temps that allow me to wear my boots again - and I've missed tights too! 

• Corduroy vest - Black Sheep, vintage, consignment; purchased here for $40.00
• Top - Alexander McQueen, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) in April 2023 for brunch in leopard pants
• Skirt - Anna Sui, thrifted; last worn here (2nd outfit) in February for brunch
• Boots - Original Sabado, Fluevog; last seen here in June with black and cream
• Haori - vintage, vintage shop, Portland; last worn here in May 2023 as a topper

I keep some of my short skirts for boot weather - with tights, they don't feel so short. 

This thrifted Anna Sui skirt was paired up with the new-to-me corduroy studded vest - this outfit is from playing in my closet a week ago. 

I pair up new things with something older to see how the new pieces are going to work in my wardrobe. 

This vest is a keeper! I found myself stroking the corduroy - a very soothing feel - and the studs fit both my Rock & Roll and my Cowgirl styles that I often play with. 

The vest also had sufficient pockets, and held my work phone, although it slipped out more than once. 

I wore the vest unbuttoned over the blue top all day, only doing it up for my walk to/from the office. 

I had to show off my Alexander McQueen top, even though I didn't take the vest off. 

The cropped length works for me, and I love the structured sleeves. I layered a rose-pink cami under it, matching the pink in the skirt's pattern. 

The haori was the perfect weight for the weather - it's silk but light and airy.

I didn't wear it in the office  - the sleeves are danger-prone to snagging on doors, chairs, faucets, etc. 

Incognito. 

I had to skip the sunnies on the way home in the rain. When did it get so dark out?

The stuff: 

Such sweet boots! These are Forever in my closet - I can see myself clomping around in them when I'm 90. 

Stone bling: 

I'm putting the cuff into Limbo - the quality is not that good. And I have to let go of things if I want to keep shopping (which I do!). 

• Silver/turquoise pendant - Karen's
• Multi-stone silver bracelet - Salt Spring Island, gift from L
• Enameled cuff - thrifted
• Big silver/turquoise ring - Karen's
• Fulvia Ring/lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
• Silver/turquoise earrings - consignment

L and I spent Friday night playing boardgames and listening to music until the wee hours, but we were up bright and early to join Nick for brunch at John's Place. I love playing in my wardrobe on the weekend! 

Re-wearing some favourites - this Vivienne Westwood skirt, for instance - and incorporating a few new-to-me items into the mix. 

• Acid wash vest - Chiqle, thrifted; last worn here (2nd outfit) in May with red leopard and tall boots
• T-shirt - Run DMC, thrifted; purchased here for $19.99
• Skirt - Vivienne Westwood Anglomania F/W 2011, consignment; last worn here in May with an Ed Hardy jacket
• Boots - Doc Martens; last worn here (2nd outfit) for shopping with colleague Helen in July
• Leather jacket (below) - Danier Leather; last seen way back here in June 2023(!!)

I love the look of a graphic/band tee with a fancy skirt, and they don't get much fancier than the late great Dame Vivienne Westwood.

Add an acid wash vest for a jolt of vintage.

Although I don't think the vest is more than 15 years old - real 80s acid wash is thick and bulky.

We woke up to gloom and a chill in the air. I wore tights again! 

Without the vest, so you can see the groovy Run DMC tee. I try not to wear band tees unless I've seen the band live - I'm cheating with this one (and my Blondie tee too). 

Bright yellow, a touch of aqua and red - yes, this will go with a lot in my wardrobe, and I'll wager this is not the only time you'll see this tee with my yellow Docs. 

More yellow! It's Leather Weather! 

Also, I carry my own sunshine. 

Regular readers may recall that I made myself a reminder when wearing this skirt...

She can be taught! 

Rock and roll, baby! There's the criss-cross part - worn in the back! 

I don't wear this yellow leather jacket often anymore (it's a rare retail buy from Danier Leather back in 2010) but when do you see leather jackets in this vibrant shade? Um, never?

If I'm going to wear Westwood, then I need to wear my Carnaby Street LeSportsac bag.

I discovered that it holds a secret!

• LeSportsac - consignment, Sidney

I found a price tag stuck to the inner lining...I did NOT pay $1.50 for this. DANG.

I paid $45.00 for it - but no regrets! I love it, and my money went to a consignment store, locally owned and operated. 

The stuff: 

By the time we finished brunch, it was clearing up - blue skies appeared, and the temps soared from 11 to 18+ degrees. I brought the sunshine - you're welcome. These boots are another rare retail buy (honest, I don't shop retail very often!) from long-time local shoe store The Cobbler, where I've shopped since the 1980s. 

Rockin' bling: 

I needed a klassy elastic on the belt - the end flapped around a bit. 

• Belt - vintage, consignment
• Leather cuff - Guess, thrifted
• Studded cuff - vintage 90s
• Frank Turner pin - concert; purchased here for $25.00 (a set of 3, so one would be $8.33)
• Earrings - consignment
• Silver/jasper ring - thrifted
• Silver/onyx ring - Tocara, vintage fair
• Silver/kyanite ring - consignment
• Silver/sodalite ring - Scotland, 1996

I pinned my Frank Turner concert cassette pin to the pocket of my vest. 

I had five minutes to shop while Nick and L waited in line for a table, so had a quick poke in the Beacon Ave Thrift Shop next door. I was pleased to see that the winter stuff is starting to show up - I'm not a fan of summery clothes in general. 

These unworn brown leather gloves are gorgeous - so soft! And I love the rabbit fur trim. 

No brand tag but lots of other tags, including one with the CA number. 

This told me that these were manufactured for Winners. 

They have Thinsulate lining, which will feel very nice on my often-cold hands. 

For SIX DOLLARS. Why would I ever buy new? 

I am also a fan of anything spooky, or with skulls on it, so this was a gimme. 

As in, "Gimme that!" 

This isn't very good quality - it's 100% polyester and is washable, so there's that - but the backside is white and the sewing is poor. 

But it was only $9.50 and I'll wear it around the house a ton. 

Someone was happy to see us when we got home. 

"Who are you talking to?"

Silly little bub! I popped him down on a pillow in the sun and he slept all day. 

L and I spent a quiet evening at home again on Saturday night, readying ourselves for a long and busy day on Sunday, where we attended Rifflandia again (we went last year for a couple of days, here). 

L and I are ready to go! We spent part of Saturday afternoon planning our outfits - based on last year, we knew we'd be dealing with full glaring sun...and also cold winds after dark. 

The Sunday theme was "Salmon"...I guess because of the band The Beaches? I don't know and I didn't let myself get bogged down with overthinking it. I wanted to wear my tutu! 

So I wore the tutu! I actually built the outfit around the boots. "What are good shoes for walking and standing in for between 6 and 8 hours?"

• T-shirt - Leonard Cohen tour shirt, thrifted; not tracked (I sleep in it)
• Tutu - Hamilton's Theatrical Supply, thrifted; first seen here in May 2021 for Mom's birthday (and chucking around a frisbee!)
• Boots - Original Sabado, Fluevog; last worn here in August for a Mom-Day Adventure at Dallas Road
• Suede jacket (below) - Pioneer Wear, vintage 80s, thrifted; last seen here in March when Mom and I went to Beacon Hill Park

I had originally planned to illuminate the skirt with battery-operated LEDs (in PURPLE!), but ran out of time/inclination. Maybe next year! 

Instead, I just rolled with an all-blue outfit and no skirt-lights. The t-shirt is from a concert I was at, but I didn't buy a tee then, so was delighted to thrift one recently. 

I noticed my tag sticking up when I viewed this picture - fixed before I left the house, I assure you. 

I'm a ballerina! Okay, I'm not...but this IS a real ballerina tutu, from a dance supply company. I wore navy blue tights under it - later in the evening, I wished I'd worn a slip or little shorts for extra warmth.

I was Incognito until it got dark.

I wore my jacket on my shoulders for most of the day. 

Jacket on!

I liked all this blue. 

I was fully armoured up - the boldness of the outfit, plus the natural "this is my area" properties of a tutu meant that I did not get jostled or crowded at all while I was at Rifflandia. 

I like how the back of the thick suede jacket sits on the mesh. 

I took a pair of leather driving gloves for warmth.

Not very warm is the verdict. But they do look cool. I really wished I'd had a warm silk scarf - next year!

Wigs are an excellent way to keep sun off your head, and to keep you warm.

Showing off my blue-themed make-up (I'm wearing waterproof eyeshadow on my lips) and sparkly jewelry. 

Matched to my turquoise glasses. 

I last wore this wig here in August 2023 for our Barbie-themed Pool Party.  

Accoutrements and stuff: 

Comfy boots, although my feet were very tired after nearly 7 hour of standing. 

• Purse - Rebecca Minkoff, consignment
• Gloves - Heart's Content, Fan Tan Alley
• Belt - Zara, consignment

Sparkly fest bling: 

All of my best pieces - I needed strong armour! 

• Necklace/earrings - Sherman, vintage 60s, thrifted
• Steel cuff - thrifted
• Crystal cuff - Swarovski, consignment, gift from L 
• Fulvia Ring/lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes

L was a little toned-down this year - his outfit was built around the skinny plaid trousers and the new-to-him fringed leather jacket I bought in Powell River recently (here, for $120.00).

He's also wearing a Bridge City Sinners tour shirt, a pair of Fluevog lace-up boots, and a second-hand blinged-out belt. 

The jacket is amazing, but he was too hot to wear it until the sun went down.

I did hear the people behind him go, "OH WOW!!" when he put it on. At least someone admired it! 

We walked downtown around 2:30pm. 

I had to take a picture - Quonley's Market is closed, on the right (article here, all links 'cause I love). They've been a fixture in Chinatown for decades! I bought dishes there as a young adult, and both my green fan and my paper parasol are from there. 

Another intriguing alleyway that we passed. 

This is Dragon Alley (a good post about a bunch of Victoria's downtown alleys here).  

And then we traded in our tickets for wristbands, and we entered Rifflandia. 

Although it ran from Friday to Sunday, L and I only attended Sunday this year. The full line-up is here, if you're interested. 

As a person with a great deal of anxiety over crowds, it's important to me to arrive early (the doors were at 3pm-ish), and scout out the entire place. I need to know where all the stages are, where the food trucks are, sort out landmarks for when it's dark out, etc. 

This is looking at the main stage. We watched a few bands here. The orange and blue stripes are AstroTurf, to make up for not having real grass, like at Royal Athletic Park last year. 

I like the Dome, but not the thump-thump-thump type of DJ-heavy music. 'Tis not to my taste. 

The tall apartment buildings on the right are visible from our house. I do like a landmark. 

L and I sat at the picnic tables for a bit and people-watched while we waited for a show to start. 

Ali Baba's Pizza Man is made of pizza pans. They make amazing pizza, but I don't come to Rifflandia for something I can get any day I want from their shop downtown (I used to buy a slice - which was a quarter of a pizza back in the day! - when I was at university in the 80s). 

We moved over to the main stage to watch La Force (link to her website here).

We sat on the turf and enjoyed her show. 

I really liked her red dress. 

A picture of her from the big screen. 

L and I then wandered up to the Philips stage to see Janky Bungag (link here), who described himself as "Good Timin' Outlaw Country Music".

That's him in the ball cap on the left. We enjoyed this, and I predict some albums will be coming into our collection. 

A shot of this stage, which is a bit smaller. 

We got ourselves a primo spot along a raised railing - this was good for me, as I had something to hang onto and I was able to see above all the tall people. 

We ran into some of our friends here - I missed taking a picture of Casey and his two grown kids, and Linda and Joanne and Crystal, but I did get a shot of Ross and Nick. 

And a mermaid! Love her green hair. Nick is wearing a King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard tee, if you're trying to figure out the writing. 

L and our friend Amanda. 

Rock on, kids! 

And me and Cat. 

Gotta take advantage of that waning golden light.

We also enjoyed the Wooden Horsemen, but my solo pic of them wasn't very good. After that, we went back down to the food truck area to get dinner. 

The arrow on the left is pointing at the upper level where the Philips stage is; the one on the right is the Main stage. 

Lining up for the Teriyaki Boys' food truck. 

We both had chicken teriyaki (YUM), and sat and people-watched as we ate. I saw some good style, but not very many people were dressed up. 

We decided to skip the Cro-Mags at the Philips stage and found ourselves a spot to wait for the Crash Test Dummies to start. 

You might remember them from the mid-to-early 90s ("The Superman Song" or "Mmm mmm mmm mmm" - those are YouTube links, FYI). 

They were...okay. 

The Cro-Mags show was amazing, according to Cat and Ross. I wish I'd seen them instead! 

A good pic of L. 

Stay gold! 

The two of us - good thing I couldn't see that crowd behind me! 

We ran into pals Mac and Petra here too. So many friendly faces! 

Back we went to the Philips stage to stake out our primo spot to see the band we were all most excited about - L7! 

Their heyday was probably the early 90s grunge era - you might remember "Sh*tlist" or "Pretend We're Dead." They kicked a** and Cat and I were in heaven. "I want to be in a band!" we both cried! Such a good show - this was my favourite of the entire day. 

I bought (or rather, L bought for me, thank you!) an L7 shirt: 

I love the bony skeletons hands making the L7 sign! I'm excited to wear this.

The Beaches were up next, but we've seen them a bunch of times, including at the Philips' Backyarder last year. 

Instead, we stayed for K-OS, who we'd seen back in 2005-ish, when the song "Crabbukit" came out. You might also know "Man I Used to Be". 

That's K-OS (aka Kevin Osborne) in the white cowboy hat and silver mask (I also admired his poncho). He had a DJ in the back...

...and his own dancer - the guy in the black ball cap. I enjoyed this for a while, but it got a little freeform-jazz-y on us, and we decided to go see The Beaches anyway, since they were running late. 

A peek at the Dome after dark. 

Yup, still not going in there! 

Some of the light installations were doing cool things. 

And there were a LOT more people there! Eee! Lead me through the crowd, L! 

We found a good spot to stand near the back, with a view of the main stage. 

The Beaches always put on an excellent show - they never slack, and are always a great performance.

They hit it big this past year with "Blame Brett" (aka "Blame My Ex"), which led to them opening for the Rolling Stones on tour. Good for them! 

YouTube channel here - I know every song! They were my second-favourite of the day, after L7. Interesting that the two best bands were all women-only. 

The final act of the night was Feist, and although I know a few of her songs - and apparently she's great live - neither of us were up to another hour-plus of standing. Our legs, feet and hips were so sore, we left right as The Beaches ended and caught a cab home, where we crashed on the couch. We could still hear Feist playing, till around 11:30pm. 

Here's to my partner in crime, L, for helping me get through another "Fest" - I couldn't do it without you, my love. 

May we always rock on! 

And that, my friends, was a weekend! 

Monday's work outfit will be a Two-Fer with Tuesday, as I'm very much DONE with this post! I hope you enjoy it! Thanks so much for hanging out with me!