It's a Major Award!

Since I started this blog last March, I've been presented with a few of those blogging awards that tend to circulate around (rather incestuously, it seems at times). I'm always honoured that these amazing women want to recognize my little corner of the blogoverse, but I never pass them on.

But hey, I also never pass on those "send this to 7 amazing women" emails. Call it lazy, if you wish, I don't mind. I think of it as Economy of Time.

So to everyone who's ever given me one, thank you, from the bottom of my silly ol' heart. You're all wonderful and I'd nominate you right back, but then there's that whole laziness thing.

Instead, here are Major Awards to all of my favourite bloggers, in no particular order, whether you read my blog or not. These are big and small blogs; some get a kazillion comments, some get none. I've embedded links if you care to visit - I recommend it!

The Blog That Always Makes Me Feel Less Alone In The Universe:
PostSecret

The blog that posts anonymous secrets sent in on postcards. It's beautiful, horrifying, tragic and uplifting, and utterly human. We really are not alone. If you've never been to PostSecret, go now. They update every Sunday. Buy their books.

The Fashion Blog That Showed Us How It Was Done:
What I Wore Today

Kasmira, you inspired me and countless others to start our own blogs, and you constantly encourage us to experiment and be creative with what we wear. I love to see what you've chosen, even if it's not to my taste. Every time I wear something a little "out there" to work, I take comfort and confidence in knowing that you do it every day.

Why One Day You Will Read About The Crazy Lady Giving Out Tickets To Poorly-Dressed People:
The Fashion Police

I've always wanted to make up business cards in my printer that I can sneakily plant on unsuspecting sartorially-challenged people. TFP is here to point the way! From Bad Prom Dresses to the Return of the Dropped Crotch, there is nothing their eagle eyes miss.

Everyone Should Dress This Classy Instead Of Head-To-Toe Lululemon:
BlogFashion

The gorgeous and always tasteful Londyn is a shining example of how to look professional, with a twist of fun. She also has an amazing shoe collection. I want to look like her when I grow up.

How To Wear Trendy Clothes And Still Look Like Yourself:
Africana's Wardrobe Diary

Lady D is a beautiful young lady with an impeccable sense of style - she also poses like nobody's business! She's an expert at mixing thrift with what's trendy (and clothing from her native Nigeria!) and always comes out looking completely unique.

Where To Go To Find Out Anything About Fashion:
youlookfab

Angie's a great writer and a professional wardrobe consultant. She has common-sense advice on how to wear trends, and what does and doesn't look good. I read her every morning before work. An indispensable blog if you're timid about getting your fashion bug on.

The Blog That Makes Me Laugh Out Loud:
Go Fug Yourself

Poking gentle fun of celebrities' fashion mis-steps, these ladies are the A+ of fashion critiquing. They revel in the ugly, the mismatched, the Bai Ling and do it in a way that isn't cruel or mean. If I were a celebrity I would LOVE to be featured on GFY.

The Inspiration For Challenges And Making Your Clothes Fun:
WorkThatWardrobe

Jane is a true inspiration! This UK lady is classy, a mom, a writer, a teacher and all-round fun chick. She's the one who pioneered the 10-piece Wardrobe Challenge, and I've loved watching her work her way through her wardrobe as she nears the end of her One Year Without Any New Clothes.

Proof That Style Is Not Limited To The Very Young (Not That She's Old, Of Course) Or The Very Rich:
Della Street Dreaming

Australian Sue is completely out there: her wardrobe is nearly entirely thrifted and her style is ecclectic and frankly, a little crazy. But I love it! She's a teacher - how I would have loved to have been in her class! Please check out the most recent entry on "Abundance Through Frugality" - hilarious!

Greatness Is In The Details, Or Why She Will Make An Excellent Lawyer:
Fickle Brown Sparrow

Erica is a law student who must stick out like a sore thumb (a very fashionable thumb!) amongst all the other students, due to her attention to detail, pattern and texture. Her outfits always show superb planning, and she is a sweet and funny writer (with an adorable dog).

Sass And Talent Will Get You A Long Way In Life:
HoneyChildsStyle

She's got killer style and attitude to spare (and you can buy her amazing finds on Etsy), and her advice on fashion is always bang-on. I wish she posted more pictures of herself in her amazing clothes...if only so I could copy - I mean, be inspired by her ensembles.

Proof That Stay-At-Home-Moms Can Still Have Rockin' Fashion:
Fashionably Later

Kayleigh burst onto the blog scene and has quickly become popular, partly because she puts together great outfits, partly because she's a dedicated bargain hunter (Target!), but mostly because she is such a genuinely sweet and kind person. Rock on!

The Kindred Spirit Who Reminds Me Not To Lose My Rocker-Chick Roots:
Memos from the Bat Cave

Leigh-Anna is a bit gothic, a bit punk and a whole lotta fun. She's got great fashion style with a rocking edge that I love....and who else do you know with a clockwork heart tattoo and a skeleton on her Christmas tree? I only wish she posted more.

The Most Foul-Mouthed Self-Promoting Funny Woman Ever:
Wendy Brandes Jewelry

Did I mention Wendy was talented? Do great b*tches wear red lipstick? Ha! Do yourself a favour and check out her funny blog...and cross your fingers that you have enough dough to buy some of her amazing one-of-a-kind jewelry.

Proof That Thrift Clothing Is Pure Gold - And That One Day When She's Published We Can Say We Knew Her:
a cat of impossible colour

She even spells "colour" right. Andrea is possibly the most photogenic and creative person I've ever "met" in the blogoverse. She thrifts the most amazing clothing and accessories, and puts them together in the most wondrous ways. She also has very cute cats.

The Blog For Drooling:
ShoeLove

Can you ever get enough shoes? Can you ever look at enough shoes? Dumb questions! Of course not! Get thee to ShoeLove and love the shoes! Love them! Don't forget to check out Londyn's guest blog entry!

The Bold, The Ecclectic, The Quirky...And That's Just Today:
Thrifty Muse (edit: link fixed -sorry, gals!)

It's actually two muses: Lisa and Cat. Between the two of them, I see an amazing ability to cut through the BS and put together some chic and classic styles. It's a pretty new blog - I can't wait to see what they do in 2009.

Fashion Is So Not Just A Woman Thing:
fashion du jour

Iain's a local guy who was named "Best Dressed Man" in our city. His blog's pretty new to me, but we all know the format. Awesome taste and style...in a guy! He elevates menswear to a new level with his awesome Geek Chic combos.

The Most Talented Woman I Actually Know:
Carollyne's "Art of Consumption"

How can you not love someone who idolizes Wonder Woman? And I did I mention her amazing painting talent? Check out the squirrels! The big-eyed women! Buy a print!

Photos And Random Thoughts On Life:
Chicken-Scratch

My good friend Xine's blog, which is just not updated enough (but maybe this will encourage her, heheh). I just love to look at the pictures of her house and garden...so peaceful.


That's it - I hope you enjoy these great people and read what they have to say. Have a very Happy New Year, everyone!

I Like Your Sleeves...They're Real Big

That's what my husband said when he saw this outfit - ha! Silly man.

Someone actually asked me today if this is what I'd be wearing for New Year's Eve.
Like, duh, NO. I dress up for New Year's! At least, a lot more than my work clothes!

The new item here is the dark red cardi - don't you just love the big pouffy sleeves? I love having something to wear my red patent Fluevogs with. Oh, and the earrings are new. A close-up:

The shoes are divine. I'm sorry, I do get a little silly about my shoes.

Speaking of, here's a couple of shots of yesterday's shoes, so you can see the full platform (the burgundy blended into my jacket) and the soles before they wear off (blurry, but you get the -pun intended- picture):

*drool*

Oh, so pretty!

Cardigan (I.N.C.), turtleneck (Smart Set), skirt (Kensie), shoes (Fluevog), earrings (Plum).

The Best Shoes Ever

I'm sure you are thinking, "She can't possibly have the best shoes EVER." But you would be so wrong! I do!
Oh, that - that's today's outfit. I am still going whackadoodle over-the-top in protest of my company's "Casual Month" (ending on Jan 19th, thank god!).

New stuff from my shopping blitz: the blue top. I am loving this slinky viscose stuff - it's the same material as my Hollywood gown from our Christmas party (scroll down, I'm too lazy to dig up the link). Also new: the necklace, the belt and the skirt.

But the newest and brightest jewel:

They are by Poetic License, and I bought them with my She She Shoes gift certificate on Saturday. One look and I was in loooooove. The glittery purple inside, the purple soles (sorry, forgot to take a picture of them), the multi-tones and the bows, the bows! Grey, white, navy and burgundy, oh my!

The other stuff:

Also, the brooch Mom gave me for my birthday.

And a close-up of my patterned nylons. Why go plain when you can go patterned?

Ah! The shoes!

Jacket (Nygaard), cowl t-shirt (Oxmo), skirt (Tobias), shoes (Poetic License), belt (Suzy Shier - $3!), hose (Hue), pin (gift from Mom), necklace (Plum).

The Painty Skirt and a Cream Jacket

[insert theme from "Welcome Back, Kotter"]

I'm back! The snow's almost melted away and we're back to slush and rain - ah, real West Coast weather. I've been out in it for the last few days, bargain hunting and stocking up on some basics, so I'll be rotating all kinds of new stuff into the outfits. Oooh, exciting!

Today:
The jacket was a bargain at Jacob: $29.99. I like the velvety thin-wale corduroy and the slightly military cut of it. It has a belt in the same colour, but I swapped it out for the brown belt this time.

I love this skirt - it's so pretty and painty.

The jewelry:

A Christmas gift from a few years ago from Mom - it's Avon. I haven't worn this set much before, because the dangly parts just don't sit right. Think I might find it a new home.

This is the Shi Studio necklace and earrings Mom got me this year:

They are pieces of silk pressed behind glass and framed like stained glass. Pretty! I love the shape of them and the gorgeous fabric. I want one of their belt buckles...

Jacket (Jacob), blouse (Mexx), cami (InWear), skirt (Nine West), tights (Hue), boots (Roberto Vianni), belt (Plum), jewelry (Avon).

Special Occasion - Christmas Fun

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. As usual, L spoiled me. I'm so lucky. These are my presents:
Books/graphic novels/reading material: "Darkly Dreaming Dexter", new Stephen King short stories & "Duma Key", "Let the Right One In" and another vampire book, "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and 3 graphic novels in the "Criminal" series, and a crossword puzzle book, Australian Vogue. Also got "The Dark Knight" and "WALL*E" and a computer game that looks like a blast. Also, little flavoured vodkas, chocolates, a necklace, the new Killers album and a magnet.

And this necklace and earrings set:

We also got a digital photo frame, a Chapters gift card, a movie gift card, some frames and canvasses for painting, a puzzle book, some sticky notes and...my mom is so sneaky. She was with Elaine and I at that charity auction over a month ago, and she bought a gorgeous set of necklace & earrings by Shi Studio. Knowing she was bidding on them, I stayed away (but I was envious, because what a beautiful set!). Well, she gave them to me! She's the best.

I also got a gift certificate to a very chi-chi shoe store, so I will be hitting the sales tomorrow. Today, I'm going to hang out and read...bliss.

Anyway, yes, I got spoiled and I am so looking forward to having some down time and enjoying all these lovely gifts. This is what I wore for Christmas Day:
Isn't that the craziest skirt? I just love it. I picked it up about a month ago for about $30. I'm wearing my waterproof walking boots, since we walked to my sister-in-law's (about an hour), then walked to the bus stop from Mom's place after dinner (about 35 min in deep snow and very slippy roads!).

A close-up of my new necklace from L, and my old Guess ring:

I bundled up with my leather jacket, my cream fuzzy bucket hat, my long black leather gloves and my Smoking Lily scarf:

Bugs!

Wishing you all the best for a peaceful and happy weekend!

Turtleneck (Smart Set), skirt (Kensie), tights (Hue), boots (Cougar), necklace (Caracol), ring (Guess), crystal stud earrings, gloves (Ricki's), scarf (Smoking Lily).

Merry Christmas!

Hooray! Work is done until the 29th for me, so this will be it until after Christmas (well, I have an outfit planned for Christmas, so I'll probably post a picture of that on the weekend).

Today: Casual with velvet and satin.
I don't have my boots on in this picture, because they are wet. I'm much shorter without them!

My Christmas pin, a gift from my boss from the Christmas store:

Thanks, Ev. You were a great boss for all those years.

Best wishes to my fellow bloggers! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, no matter how and when you celebrate it.

Blazer (RW & Co.), blouse (La Classe Couture), jeans (Esprit), boots (not shown, Cougar), pin (gift).

Purple and Black

I felt like wearing purple today. This is one of my favourite blouses - I don't usually do ruffles as I don't really need extra emphasis on my chest, but I just love this blouse. The big belt is totally kick-ass too.

The shrug kept me nice and warm. Of course, I had to wear the Purple Ruth Shoes:
Pretty Pearlized Purple Shoes! They (and the shirt) are more purple than they look in that picture. My lovely husband got me that bracelet and earring set for Christmas last year.

And look what arrived at the office for me today from my favourite real estate broker:

A big basket! It was loaded with chocolate, cookies, cheeses, crackers, fruit (including a whole pineapple, kiwifruits, apples, pears, bananas and oranges), teas and coffees. What an amazing gift!

Shrug (Debut), blouse (Esprit), suit pants (Max Studio), belt (some tourist store in Times Square, NY), shoes (Bronx), jewelry (Fossil).

Green and Velvet

Only a few days to go...I just have Christmas and Boxing Day off this week, and man, I need a long weekend!

Still in the spirit of sparkly things and festive fabrics, here's today's outfit:
The skirt is black velvet and so comfy. I was totally sweating by the time I got to work, slogging through the ice and over 1 foot of snow (!!) in my Very Unattractive Parka. I actually walked around for a few minutes in my cami (which is on under the sweater, under the jacket, for warmth).

I was looking forward to having some fun with my new legwear:

It's plaid madness! I think I might do a regular shoe with the tights instead of the booties next time, though.

The sparkly accessories:

Wee! Only 2 more sleeps...

Sweater (Plum), jacket (Guess), skirt (Armour Jeans, consignment), tights (Voila!), booties (Rinaldi), pin (The Bay), bracelet (silent auction), black stone earrings.

Party - Our Christmas Party!

The weather turned into a blizzard! We haven't had snow like this in years - easily 12 years. So grateful to have friends who will trudge through this to come to our party. They all rock in the best kind of way. I am truly lucky to have such wonderful people in my life.

Everyone got home safe and sound, the last person left at 4am. Ah, another successful party!
I got this dress about 3 months ago - I've been saving it for this party.

I love the dusty purple colour - the grey cami underneath is a separate piece I got to go with this dress. I felt like a movie star from classic Hollywood in this.
Sorry about the pictures of my feet - I was rushed. Rockin' my Jessica Simpsons:

The jewelry set is one of my most prized possessions:

That's the original purple velvet box, straight from my Grandma J. I was so happy to get this. This is signed Sherman, a famous Canadian jeweler who specialized in these crystal pieces in the 50s - the crystals are Swarovski and the metal is gold plated. The finish on them is called "aurora borealis".

Dress (Oxmo), beaded cami (RW & Co.), shoes (Jessica Simpson), choker, bracelet & earrings set (Sherman, Grandma J's).

Party - Our Open House!

Whew! I'm reminded why I only do Christmas every two years. Two parties in one day is exhausting!

The Open House: Great to see you all: Mom, Cindy, Dave, Zoe, Hannah, Angie, Natasha, Eddie, Emily, Jean, Michael, Kieran, Chelsea, Isabella.

This is what I wore:

This is my $20 dress. No kidding - it's Nine West, it's new, and it was on a rack with a ton of other dresses for only twenty bucks. Sweet. And it's washable (of course, I spilled stuff on it - ha!).

My groovy shoes:

I found these at a consignment shop I don't usually shop at (the clothes are way overpriced) about a year ago. They're a little tricky to walk in. But they look great!

The accessories:

Shiny!

Four hours later, it started to snow. We tidied up, had a nap (ah, such luxury), had dinner and prepped for the evening party.

Dress (Nine West), shoes (Hale-Bob, consignment), bracelet (Melanie Lynne), earrings (Plum).

Casual Friday - Mad for Plaid!

I must confess: I wore my denim cropped jacket over this outfit all day, it was so darned cold out!

This is one of the dresses I got last weekend.
I totally love the style, colour and cut of this dress. It has a faint reddy-orange stripe (you can see it better in the close-up below), so I went festive with my red tights. The only downside is that it got very wrinkly over the day from sitting in front of my computer.

Mom gave me her other 70s choker last weekend - thanks, Mom! I'd always wanted it.

She bought it from some hippie in the 70s, who told her it was from Egypt (right off a camel). It's sandalwood and amber beads.

Jean jacket (not shown, Ann Taylor Loft), plaid dress (Vero Moda), tights (Merona), shoes (Unlisted), belt (Plum), choker (vintage 70s, Mom), gold hoop earrings (gift from L).

Casual Thursday - Faux Fur, Tweed and Denim

Brrr! More snow overnight meant I had to get out more of the warm stuff in my wardrobe. I'm starting to feel Christmassy!

I nearly wore the skirt to this suit, but decided at the last minute to do the jean skirt.
The Return of the Brown Belt from the first wardrobe challenge! It's necessary because I lost the middle button off the jacket and I can't find the spare one. I have a huge tin of my spare buttons (I even have the extra one for the Pink Jacket for you, Jane), so you'd think it would be there, but no. I guess I could sew on a funky one.

The soft, fuzzy collar kept me nice and warm all day.

I love this necklace but it's tricky to find things to wear with it.

Green wool/silk tweed jacket (Precis Petite), brown sweater (no label, consignment), jean skirt (Smart Set), tights (Hue), boots (Roberto Vianni), belt (Plum), necklace (Le Chateau), crystal stud earrings.

Casual Wednesday - Denim and the Boyfriend Cardigan

My work is doing yet another "Casual Month" so we have the option of wearing jeans if we want to. As we still have snow, and as I type this it is snowing yet again, and I didn't plan my outfits this week, I decided to take advantage of this.
My H&M blouse, and some pretty jewelry that L got me for Christmas a few years back:

I seem to have a boot theme going on this week, also due to the craptastic weather.

A better shot of the jewelry:

I now have to venture out and get party supplies. L and I are hosting both an Open House AND a drunken revelry party on Saturday (one daytime, one nighttime). This requires supplies.

It also means I'll get to wear two party outfits in one day! And I've been saving a few things just for occasions such as these.

Sorry for not getting around to everyone's blogs lately! It's been a very busy week.

Cardigan (no label, consignment), blouse (H&M, consignment), black cami (InWear), belt (Tommy Hillfiger), jeans (Esprit), boots (Rinaldi), jewelry (Le Chateau).

Wardrobe Challenge - Dress Like a Song

Today's Wardrobe Challenge is brought to you by Jane at Workthatwardrobe.

My song is "Short Skirt, Long Jacket" by Cake. This is a great song and a fun band.

The outfit:

That's my new black brocade jacket (as one of my co-workers pointed out, it would make a good vampire jacket!), and my blue wool suit skirt (the shortest skirt I own).

Here's the song, if you aren't familiar with it:

I want a girl with a mind like a diamond,

I want a girl who knows whats best,

I want a girl with shoes that cut,

And eyes that burn like cigarettes.

I want a girl with the right allocation,

Who's fast, and thorough, and sharp as a tack.
She's playing with her jewelry,
She's putting up her hair,
She's touring the facility and picking up slack.
I want a girl with a short skirt,
And a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong jacket.

I want a girl who gets up early,

I want a girl who stays up late,

I want a girl with uninterrupted prosperity,

Who uses a machete to cut through red tape.

With fingernails that shine like justice,

And a voice that is dark like tinted glass

She is fast, thorough, and sharp as a tack,

She's touring the facility and picking up slack.

I want a girl with a short skirt,

And a long, long jacket.

I want a girl with a smooth liquidation,

I want a girl with good dividends.

At Citi Bank we will meet accidentally,

We'll start to talk when she borrows my pen.

She wants a car with a cupholder armrest,

She wants a car that will get her there,

She's changing her name from Kitty to Karen,

She's trading her MG for a white Chrysler Le Baron.

I want a girl with a short skirt,
And a loooooooooooooooooooooooong jacket.

My husband likes to sing this to me. I wish my fingernails shone like justice and my eyes burned like cigarettes! Ha!

Jacket (Rainbows), turtleneck (Reitman's), skirt (Le Chateau), tights (don't recall), boots (some cheap brand), necklace (Melanie Lynn), earrings (don't recall).

Wooly with a Belt

Thank goodness for belts or I would just be a big lump of sweaters! It is so cold (-13 with the wind-chill this morning) that I have on 3 layers. It feels very bulky.
That's some attractive helmet head I've got going on! I had a toque and the hood of my parka pulled up, so not really surprising that my hair is all flat.

Not a terribly exciting outfit, just trying to stay warm! I have a t-shirt on underneath this, an extra layer of tights, and wooly socks under my boots.

Accessories:
Ah, you can see the blue of the sweater better. The black necklace is jet and crystal (Grandma J's), and the rhinestone bracelet is a Christmas gift my brother and I bought Mom back in the early 70s from Birks.

Cardigan (Jacob), sweater (Tobias), skirt (Lipton's, consignment), belt (Plum), tights (Hue), boots (Expressions), necklace (Grandma J, vintage), bracelet (Birks, are the 70s vintage??).

Special Occasion - Lawrence & Carollyne's Christmas Cake Party

It snowed last night which, contrary to what you might think you know about Canada, is very unusual for this part of the country. We do not get snow here very often - once a year, if that!

While it is very pretty, the novelty quickly wears off and the practicality of gettting out and about rears its head. It isn't a far walk to Lawrence & Carollyne's house, but I had to wear something warm:
Layers are the key: I have a t-shirt on underneath this. I put the shoes in my bag and walked in my boots, but unfortunately, it was a "no shoe" house, so I had frozen toes for a few hours.

A close-up of the vintage jewelry:

Both the necklace and the bracelet are by Coro. The necklace is from the late 50s, I think (Grandma J's) and the bracelet is from the late 60s (Mom's).

Sweater (Tobias), skirt (Nygaard, consignment), tights (Hue), shoes (Wild Diva), jewelry (Coro, vintage).

Shopping Clothes - Cold Weather

Brrr! Freezing (literally) today! Elaine and I planned this shopping trip ages ago, and wouldn't you know, the stupid weather predictions for cold weather (chance of snow tonight!) came true?

This calls for warm clothing, but since we planned to be trying stuff on, it still had to be practical for taking on and off all day. Solution: Sweater dress, tights and motorcycle boots!
Feeling a little silly this morning, haha!

I bought a black jacket, a plaid dress, a brown vest, some funky tights and a Betsey Johnson dress (it was almost 1/2 price) for New Year's Eve. Elaine got two gorgeous dresses, and a cami. I also bought a Christmas present for L, but mostly it was stuff for me. How bad am I??

Dress (Vero Moda), tights (Hue), belt (Jacob), boots (Cougar), scarf (The Bay).

Special Occasion - Theatre with Mom

Mom and I did dinner last night, followed by a play at the local theatre. The temperature has rapidly dropped in the last days, from a balmy 6 to 10 degrees to 0 to -6. Yikes! We delicate West Coast flowers don't do well with extreme temperatures!

Anyway, I did a dress with tights and boots so that I'd be warm:
Sorry it's so dark - I have no natural light anymore for my pictures. The dress is actually blue with a black pattern on top.

Dress (OC for Oleg Cassini), tights (Hue), boots (Expressions), black choker (Grandma J's), black stone earrings.

Casual Friday - Blue and Grey

Carrying on my theme of Sparkly/Shiny for the holiday season, I am wearing my metallic gladiators from Fluevog and this blue satin blouse.
Not terribly exciting, but a comfy, casual look. The jacket was on a clearance rack last spring for $39.99.

A close-up of the accessories:

The shoes are NOT that colour - the overhead light really wonks the colour in some of my pictures. That's the blue blouse underneath. It's not grey!

The necklace above is one of my old favourites from about 8 years ago when I worked in a clothing store.

Lady D: here's a shot of this bag - you wanted to see a better picture of it. It's dark burgundy faux croc.

Stuffed full of clothes that I took to work and gave away. Ho ho ho!

Jacket (RW & Co.), blouse (Tristan), cami (InWear), jeans (Esprit), black bead choker and black stone earrings, shoes (Fluevog), bag (KGB Studio).

Party - Joanne's Christmas Party!

My boss, Joanne, always throws a fab Christmas party every year. Thanks, Jo!

I've been saving this dress for a party since I bought it in September. Isn't it gorgeous?
Would you believe it was only $29.99?? It came with the cream satin slip - and I just love the way the brown ribbon frames the waist and accentuates the shape of the skirt. So retro!

Naturally, if I'm doing a retro dress, I've got to do pearls:

Yes, all of them. Heh heh.

The costume pearl earrings I wore for my wedding (12 years ago); the vintagey-looking multi-strand necklace was $2 at a thrift store about 15 years ago; the thick "woven" collar is about 8 years old (it had a matching "woven" bracelet, but the elastic blew badly so I tossed it) and was around $6; the double strand is from Grandma J (1980s vintage); and the other two strands were purchased from the Bay in about 1987 for an outfit I wore to a friend's wedding - I believe both of them added up to less than $20 because I was quite poor back then! I'm wearing the long strand as a bracelet.

A close-up of everything on:

I believe in excess!

Dress (Raindrops), shoes (Jessica Simpson), necklaces and earrings (as above, a mix of costume, vintage and Grandma J's).