Last Day of Wardrobe Freedom!

Well, this is it: the last time I'll wear something that isn't in a one-month capsule wardrobe for quite a while. I'm trying to think of it in just 1-month chunks instead of the overwhelming thought of a full year. I know I have enough clothes to do this without overlapping - my current wardrobe of shoes and clothing items just in my closet is over 200 items, and come March 31st, I'll be digging out those big plastic containers that I stored all my Spring/Summer clothes and shoes in last October and packing away all my Fall/Winter clothes and boots.

But enough of my jibber-jabber! The last outfit is...

I see a kitty in the background

Not terribly exciting. That's my semi-sheer kimono top, last seen in August (3rd outfit down), with my olive skirt (also last worn in August).

I really wanted to wear my Miz Mooz boots one more time.

Maybe they will be in March's 30 items?

The stuff:

Inigo goes in for a sniff

I adore those boots. I get so many compliments every time I wear them.

The jewelry:

Inigo guards my necklace from Vizzini (out of frame)

Tomorrow is my company's big 2nd quarter meeting and luncheon, which I'm helping organize. Some bigwigs will be out here. I hope they like my colourful outfit!

Top (Mexx, thrifted), cami (InWear), skirt (Club Monaco, consignment), boots (Miz Mooz), necklace (vintage 60s, Mom's), cuff (SkinzNHydz, local).

Crazy Monday With Cranes

Well, only 1 outfit left after today that I can just randomly pull out from my wardrobe! I am so excited about my 30 For 30 For 12 Challenge - it's just unseemly how excited I am. Ha, but ask me again in 7 months (or 2 months, who knows?), and I'm sure I'll have a different attitude.

I wasn't all that happy with today's outfit. But it features this new-to-me thrifted skirt, so what the heck:

This is SO close to how I've worn this top/cami/shoe combo before - check it out. It made me realize that, despite how much I love the shiny (shiny!!) and swingy (swingy!!) houndstooth skirt, I already have a houndstooth pencil skirt. Do I really need another one? No, not really. I'm going to wash this and give it to a co-worker. It was only $4.00, anyway. And she loves swingy skirts.

This is my crane cardigan that I love.

I had planned to do this red/white polka-dotted shirt under it, but the skirt sat too low on my hips to tuck it in, and there was too much shirt hanging out to leave it untucked. This cami's not much better, but at least I knew it would be adequate.

The stuff:

These shoes have been on the chopping block for a while. Do I keep them? Do I get rid of them? I already have many, many pairs of red shoes...but after wearing them today, I've decided to hang onto them because they are so incredibly comfortable. I never thought I'd say it, but comfort is quickly becoming the number one quality I look for in shoes.

A close-up of the lovely embroidery on the sweater:

Such a pretty design.

Cardigan (Lucky Brand, consignment), cami (Ricki's), skirt (Yedina, thrifted), shoes (Feet First, thrifted), bracelet & belt (Plum).

30 For 30 For 12 Challenge

Some years back, I noticed a lot of fashion bloggers doing a "30 For 30 Challenge." It was started by Kendi of Kendi Everyday (her rules here). It was really interesting to see how bloggers came up with new outfits and flexed their creative muscle to stretch their wardrobes.

Lately, I feel like I've missed out on some outfits by not wanting to wear things too frequently, and I've been wanting to do another long-term challenge, like the one I did in 2009 where I only bought second-hand/thrift/non-brand-new clothes and had a "one-in, one-out" rule in effect (rules here, summary and recap here). I've done lots of little fashion challenges (links here), but I want to really push myself to rely on what's already in my closet. Because, let's face it: I have an awesome wardrobe!

Sooooo...here's my spin: I'm going to see how long I can do 30 For 30, month after month after month. The goal is to do it for a full year, so till the end of next January.

My loosey-goosey-there-are-loopholes rules for 30 For 30 For 12 are:

• Pick 30 items of clothing, including shoes. Wear those only those for one calendar month.
• Accessories (belts, tights, jewelry), outerwear, and any layering pieces that I wouldn't wear solo (things like my underskirts, long-sleeved layering tees, camisoles) don't count.
• I can repeat any number of items the following month if I feel like it.
• Newly purchased items (of clothing or shoes) will have to wait until the month is up; no swapping in new items.
• Damaged, stained or otherwise ruined clothes may be substituted for a like item (i.e. a stained shirt can be traded for another shirt).
• One "Wild Card" outfit may be selected out of the rest of the closet in case of a party, wedding or other special event. 
• My hang-around-the house clothes don't count (I don't photograph those anyway).

I've already built myself a nice little spreadsheet to track my outfits and see what I'm really getting mileage out of. At the end of each month, I'll post a summary of the outfits and my analysis, and you'll get a chance to vote on your favourite outfit!

I'm actually pretty excited to get this started - Wednesday, February 1st will be my start day. And without further ado, here is my February wardrobe:

Pants, skirts, tops, jackets. I wasn't in the mood for dresses, so there aren't any. There are 5 new-to-me items that I'm incorporating into February's wardrobe.

And here are the shoes:

One new-to-me pair of shoes, and a mix of flats and heels.

Exciting! 

If you're interested in participating, please feel free! Let me know in the comments along the way if you do a 30 For 30, and I'll include a link to your blog in the month-end summary.

What a Weekend! Casual Friday, An Art Event, A Blogger Meet-Up and Winesday

Well, it has been a Very Busy Weekend. As I want to hang out with L and play Arkham Horror, I haven't got a lot of chit-chat. 

Casual Friday:

The cream layering long-sleeved tee is new-to-me. It was $16 on consignment, but free with my credit trade-in. It's Noa Noa, and it's much nicer than my old cream layering tee, so that one has gone to the charity pile.

My silver and gold tee, my purple velvet skirt (and tights), jazzed up with a few rocker-ish accessories.

Of course, I wore my purple coat:

Stripey scarves rule! As do my wonderfully comfy black boots.

Black tee (BCBGMaxAzria, consignment), cream tee (Noa Noa, consignment), skirt (Cappopera), boots (Gabor), belt (swap from Ruth).


Later on Friday night, we headed down to G++/Limbic Gallery for the launch of Atagamaton, an interactive media installation. I was pretty tired, so I went for a comfortable but quirky mix:

A grey layering tee, with my olive corduroy vest, and my Smoking Lily Periodic Table of Awesome skirt.

I layered my black Noa Noa underskirt, wore heathered grey tights and my Victorian walking booties:

And my "teeth" necklace! Rar! Shout out to artist Gregory Ball, with whom I had an excellent chat. He's currently featured in the LAB at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. I can't wait to go check it out!

Tee (Mexx, consignment), vest (RW & Co., consignment), skirt (Smoking Lily, consignment), boots (Marc Soft Walk), necklace (The Bay).


On Saturday morning, I strolled down to my local diner to meet up with with fellow Victoria blogger Lorinda! Go say hi to her!

I wanted to be comfy for shopping (easy on and off clothes), but also look nice. Lorinda is a friend of a friend, so the pressure was on!

And the weather was nice, so I got a staircase shot in there!

My Upper Playground tee from London, same grey layering tee from Friday, my Desigual skirt, same grey tights as Friday and my comfiest boots.

I kept the outerwear simple:

Tee (Upper Playground), tee (Mexx, consignment), skirt (Desigual, thrifted), boots (Aldo, consignment).


Lorinda and I hit it off well - we have similar shopping methods, which was great. I would pull out stuff for her, she'd pull out stuff for me. We had very good karma! We went to two thrift stores and one consignment shop.


Self-portrait in the fitting room mirror at the consignment store:

The fake redhead (me) and the natural redhead (Lorinda). I love her hair!

Check out this awesome 100% cashmere sweater she found for $32.00: 

Talbots! So nice!

She made me promise never to wear these fabulous pearlized flats with tights.

Yeah, that's just not good. I'm putting those away until summer. Lorinda's wearing pink and purple plaid sneakers - so chic!

I barely had time to have a nap after shopping before I had to run for a bus to go to Winesday. It was very chilly out, so I wore this new puffer coat that Lorinda had spotted for me:

Now I know it's not to everyone's taste - but a red satin puffer coat with bigass bell sleeves and a ruffled collar? Oh, I am all over that!

Check out the back:

It has a bow! I might belt this to give it more shape if I were out shopping or something, but I really loved it just on its own.

It was brand new, tags still on:

Marked down from $129 to $77, I got it on consignment for $65. For a warm winter coat, that was a good deal.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

I have some exciting news coming in the next couple of days: I'm doing a long-term fashion challenge starting February 1st! Details to follow soon.

An Unfortunate Cropping Incident

Entirely my own fault, although I could blame the wine! No one made me drink it, though. When I upload my camera pictures, I crop and resize my photos before uploading them. This involves a "Select All" (for the resize), but tragically, last night, I applied it to the crop function instead.

So, you get a rather odd series of pictures of my outfit from Thursday. Hopefully you can figure out what the overall outfit looked like from these!

This is a new-to-me leather jacket that I got with my clothes trade-in on Sunday:

Vizzini was rubbing my legs in the uncropped version.

It's a Le Chateau, and was marked down to $20 - of course, I got it for free with my trade-in credit! It still had the "Real leather" tag and extra buttons attached to it, so I'm sure it's never been worn. I've had my eye on it for a few months, knowing it would be marked down due to the colouration, which some would say is ugly or weird.

That's my cream velvet "jean" skirt, which is in the giveaway pile now. I didn't like how it rode up all day.

Giving Vizzini a cuddle:

Inigo was watching from the background, sadly, a victim of the cropping.

Vizzini is such a splayed-leg kitty. He lounges about with his back legs open. It's a little disconcerting. He is becoming much more affectionate with us, and submits to cuddle attacks. It's nice.

You can see the odd colour on the jacket there - it's a cream leather that's been soaked in green dye, that looks like it's been set out in the rain. The green is very streaky. It appeals to me, although I can see why it didn't sell. The jacket has a gorgeous brown satin lining, which I showed off with the turned-up cuffs.

The stuff:

I's nearly impossible to tell that I was wearing this sequined top underneath. I pinned one side to my bra so that I wouldn't have any slippage during the day (it's a one-shoulder top - picture here).

My shoes were highly uncomfortable and I'm going to give them to my friend, Cat. They were too tight in the toes, and that elasticated heel made big dents on my feet. It was odd, because last time I wore them (last outfit down), they were fine! But anyway, I already have a zebra-print low heeled shoe.

My lovely Shi Studio belt:

I was going to just a plain brown belt when I remembered this fab buckle. Look how nice the green goes with the jacket!

Another pair of earrings from around 1994, when I worked in a trendy little mall shop for a year (my fellow Canucks might remember LA Express, former sister store of Suzy Shier).

These are so light to wear. I love a big earring that doesn't stretch my earlobes!

Jacket (Le Chateau, consignment), top (Express, thrifted), skirt (B.U.M. Equipment, consignment), belt/buckle (Shi Studio), shoes (Aerosoles, consignment), earrings (LA Express, 1994).

A Pop of Yellow

I don't think I could pick a favourite colour, but this yellow is darned close.

I always think of this as my Megan skirt. After I found it cheapy at a consignment store, I bought her one at the store it was originally sold at (they had a bunch of small sizes on the clearance rack). Now we're twins!

That's my olive sweater, last seen here (last outfit).

The cream cowl-neck sweater is new-to-me. It was marked at $20 but I got it free with my trade-in credit (I still have over $150 credit with Annie). It's a 50/50 wool and poly blend, which I like because it's not as itchy as 100% wool, and it will hold its shape when I wash it. There was also a very pale pinky-beige one and a black one, but I needed a cream layering piece for the cold weather. I loathe the choking feeling of turtlenecks, so this is a good compromise. I also really like the slight bell to the sleeve. Club Monaco, again. Such nice quality.

The shoes were actually an afterthought. I was going to go with black and then thought, "Why not?"

They're pretty freakin' fabulous. They were actually pretty good all day - I ran up and down the stairs between floors at least 10-12 times today and the rubber grip was very sturdy. I did use the handrails, though.

The stuff:

You know I love to do the bigass accessories. That's another Club Monaco piece, the giant black chain necklace.

A close-up:

I like that cuff. It's nice and heavy.

Cardigan (Kersh, consignment), sweater (Club Monaco, consignment), skirt (BB Dakota, consignment), belt (Gap), shoes (Guess), necklace (Club Monaco), cuff (Aldo Accessories).

In other news, I got tagged by Ki by one of those "spread the love" thingies. And Megan tagged "everyone." It's like the flu: everyone's gotten it! So, what the heck...

Here are the rules:
1. Post these rules
2. Post 11 random things about yourself
3. Answer the questions set for you by the tagger
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you have tagged to answer
5. Tag 11 'peeps'

1. Check.
2. Okey-doke, here you go:

1. I have really strong fingernails. Like Wolverine, only not adamantium. In high school, I wore them long and planned all my week's outfits around what colour nail polish I did on Sunday. I did very elaborate manicures and my nails looked great. Now, I wear them short and never polish them. 
2. I was a metal chick in the early 90s. I met and hung out with Alice in Chains in the band loft at a local bar in '91 or '92. 
3. I don't call my friends, or text them (I don't have a cell phone). I organize things, like Book Club and Winesday and Art Gallery openings and parties, so that I can see them and catch up in person. 
4. I'm naturally introverted and shy. My extroverted manner was learned during my 14-year stint working in retail. My motto is "fake it till you feel it!" I've become very good at being social over the years, but I still have times when I need to be by myself.
5. I can do mirror-writing easily. It's nicer than my real writing.
6. I believe in ghosts and aliens. I have never had any kind of encounter.
7. My hair is probably more than 50% white. I haven't seen it in its natural state or colour since 1994.
8. I have freckles on my nose. My Grandpa J called them "fairy kisses." That's one of the best memories I have of him. 
9. I am very good at mechanical things. I can fix any jammed photocopier. Bring it on, mechanical beast!
10. I cry over anything. I'll cry during the Super Bowl. I cry at commercials. I cry when I read books. Don't even get me started on the Rainbow Bridge (I warned you). It kills me.
11. I like to sprint through crosswalks just when the "walky man" has turned to "the hand" and arrive at the other side not out of breath. I imagine that the people in the cars see me and admire how fit I am. I feel like Wonder Woman. (Yes, I'm careful and watch the traffic).

3.a. Ki's questions:
1. Paperback or e book reader? Paperback (and hardcover).
2. Skirts or pants? Skirts!
3. Coke or Pepsi? Gross, neither. Tea, please.
4. Summer or winter? Autumn, preferably a warm and sunny October.
5. If you had to learn a foreign language which one would it be? I can already speak enough French to get by. I'd like to learn an endangered language like Votic or Walloon.
6. What is your comfort food? Popcorn and tea. I'm having some tonight!
7. Which fashion trend would you never wear? Not a fan of anything with a dropped crotch, tube tops, or ultra-huge shoulder pads. However, never say never!
8. What is your dream job? To not have to work! I only work to support my hobbies.
9. Which is the next place you would like to travel to? I'd like to take the train to Montreal, then fly to Halifax. I'd also like to go to Italy.
10. What are your wardrobe staples? All my leather, my Fluevogs, dresses, skirts.
11. Who is your most favourite person in the whole world? My best friend, Logan.

3.b. Megan's questions:
1. How do you take your tea? (Coffee?) I drink herbal tea, mostly licorice, fruit or mint, with nothing in them. I also drink green tea. I take my coffee black with one Splenda packet.
2. Describe your winter coat or jacket. (Pick your favorite if you have it). My favourite right now is my purple wool one. 
3. Give me an adjective! Snazzy.
4. Favorite guilty pleasure tv show (or movie). Buffy the Vampire Slayer (series). 
5. Favorite blog. Cake Wrecks and Maru. I visit them every day. They make me smile.
6. If you found a $100 bill on the ground, what would you do with it? (assuming it belonged to no one, but the finder - you.). I'd keep it and take my husband out for dinner.
7. Would rather receive snail mail or an email? Email - snail mail is usually a bill or something bad. However, packages are wonderful!
8. Do you like patterns or solid colored clothing? Both! 
9. Stripes or Polka Dots?! Both!
10. Have you ever been on a plane? Where were you going? Many times. Last time was in a seaplane to Vancouver in March. The last big plane was when we went to Miami in December 2010.
11. Favorite accessory? My three gold rings and my diamond earrings. I wear them all every day. 

4. 11 New Questions From Me:
1. The Hokey-Pokey or the Chicken Dance?
2. What colour streak would you put in your hair (assuming you would)?
3. What movie did you passionately love when you were younger?
4. Are you allergic to anything?
5. People who stand in the middle of the sidewalk: should they be drawn and quartered or put in pillories and have fruit thrown at them?
6. Tell me the last thing you saw that was live at a theatre, on a stage.
7. What's your favourite piece of art?
8. Do you eat in front of the TV or at a dining table? Is the TV still on?
9. What item that you own would you take to "Antiques Roadshow" for evaluation? How much do you think it's worth?
10. What's on your nightstand/bedside table?
11. You're meeting someone who doesn't know what you look like. Describe yourself in 10 words or less.

5. No, I don't do that. You can play if you feel like it.

A Gothic Snowflake

I've become such a huge fan of second-hand leather and suede! And here's another one for the collection:

I know! I spotted this in a consignment store and prayed it would fit me. It was $42.00. I felt very Gothic in it, kind of like a dark drum majorette. Trystan, this one's for you! I can totally see it being part of a party/costume outfit, or doing it up in a Victorian steampunk style. Ooh, the possibilities!

Check out the nice lines of the back:

Don't you just love how the hem swoops down? So sweet.

That's my snowflake skirt (aka the blue cheese skirt) - today it reminded me of snow. I wanted NOT to wear black with this jacket (just too predictable), and I am happy with how this skirt looks. I think the A-line of the skirt helps offset the V-shape of the jacket.

Because, yes, those are some major shoulder pads!

*Poke, poke*

Actually, I've seen much bigger shoulder pads on leather/suede jackets from the late 80s, so I'd guess that this jacket is a little bit later, probably early to mid-90s (don't kid yourself, we were still doing shoulder pads then...just not on every layer of clothing!).

Here's a look at the jacket:

Inigo eyes the frog closures.

Because of the shoulder pads, and the way the front slightly overlaps when closed, this jacket doesn't hang right when it's undone. I am probably only going to wear it fully done up.

The label is not a modern Danier label:

Everything but the sleeve cuffs are trimmed in this lovely shiny black cord. And don't you love the frogs? One of my male coworkers did not know that these type of closures are called frogs - did you?

I love that my Fluevog Listen Up Audreys are the same dark blood red as the jacket:

A good look at the wonderful texture of the skirt too.

I wore a pair of black stone earrings, and black fishnet tights - with so much else going on visually, I didn't need much in the way of accessories!

Because I had to take my detail shots on the floor, the clothes were fair game for the cats.

"My skirt!"

He was unceremoniously dumped off it. Naughty boy.

Jacket (vintage 90s Danier Leather, consignment), skirt (J.J.F., consignment), shoes (Listen Up Audrey, Fluevog).

I Couldn't Possibly Guess

One of my favourite things to do when I've had a bonanza of thrifting/consignment shopping is to spend some time in my closet, putting together outfits. I find it very soothing and relaxing.

This jacket is new-to-me:

More detail pictures are below, but look at that shape! I love when a jacket does the work for you. I will buy nearly any colour or pattern of a jacket if the shape is right.

This was all of $7.50 in a thrift store. I may have gasped when I saw it.

The skirt is my burgundy suede one (last seen in March of last year!):

And of course the shoes are my Fluevog Coffee Sumatras. I really haven't worn them since July? Wow.

The stupid tights blew a hole midway through the day.

The stuff:

The shoes are heavenly, aren't they?

Okay, let's have a better look at the jacket:

Seriously, $7.50. Score!

It's a grey plaid with a thread of red in it. The piping is stiff gold material, and the edging is either a very dark blue or black with a blue tint. I love the shiny creamy-gold lining. Look at all those Gs...

Gold buttons! Gold buttons! Big shiny gold buttons!

Caw! Did I mention gold buttons? They have big Gs on them.

Nice back detail:

Did you figure out what brand this is? I'm still trying to guess. (hee hee)

Check out Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style!

Jacket (Guess, thrifted), sweater (Jacob, consignment), skirt (Danier, thrifted), shoes (Coffee Sumatra, Fluevog).

Layer Up Week! Dress Over Pants

What? The weekend's over already? But what about Friday?

Yes, Friday had a theme: Dress or skirt over pants.

The return of the stairs!

This is my plaid dress that I've worn several times, with my skinny cropped jeans with my black walking boots. Pretty simple outfit. 

I went to a couple of my usual thrift haunts that I hadn't been to in a while, on Saturday. I had some good shopping karma! Today, I finally went into my favourite consignment shop and took in my Manolo Blahniks - I got $100 for them in trade-in! Sweet! 

L was off to Vancouver to hang with friends and watch football playoffs, so I enjoyed a weekend to myself. 

Cat and Karen came over on Saturday night and we ate yummy food and drank wine and had a lovely girly time. I wore this same outfit, only with black socks (and my leopard slippers).

It's been very stormy - windy and rainy - all weekend. The snow is all gone.

It's pretty chilly out there, though! Bundle up!

Dress (Kensie), jeans (Jackpot, swap from Caro), boots (Aldo, consignment).

Layer Up Week! Jacket Over Cardigan

Woo! Happy Friday! We're nearly at the end of We Thought This Week Was Layer Up Week! I'm looking forward to checking out the real participants.

Today's theme was "Jacket Over Cardigan." I've done lots of jacket looks, but I don't think I've ever worn a jacket over a cardigan. More uncharted ground - so fun! 

I know it's a bit hard to see there, but that's my black/very dark blue velvet pinstripe jacket (also last worn with the same tights). I've always liked longer lengths on blazers.

This is the second wear of my VV Boutique cardi.

For the bottom half, I'm wearing another vintage full slip (yay for slips!) with my Noa Noa black floofy underskirt layered underneath my fab chartreuse Noa Noa painted skirt.

Inigo is settled on his knapsack to see me off.

On the legs, my pinstripe tights and my lace-up boots.

The stuff:

I really loved how all he patterns and textures went together.

Those boots were so comfortable all day - I even walked home in them!

A close-up:

The pinstripe in the jacket is much more noticeable in daylight. *sigh* When will spring get here? I'm pining for tulips.

Have a great weekend!

Jacket (Ann Taylor, thrifted), cardigan (Attitude, thrifted), skirts (both Noa Noa), boots (Marc Soft Walk).