Dandelion Head and Three Verdicts

Happy weekend, everyone! I am off to hang out with my Core Four Winesday gals for lunch, having had a marvelous time at the G++ Gallery last night, for the debut of "fish.e"*, an interactive art and light installation. L and I always like to get dressed up and meet some of the fun arty people in Victoria - a bunch of our friends were there too, so it was a blast to hang out, have a few drinks and dance in the gallery. 

*linking to support my local arts community, yo!

We also debuted our new specs:

L is such a stylin' dude

L's are metal and mine are plastic. Mine are the "Rosalind" by Rapp* of Toronto - they are made in Canada! Yay! I had fun bouffing up my hair to go with the over-the-top look of my glasses and outfit. It was super windy and rainy so the hair stayed intact - it felt like I had a big dandelion puff on my head.
*linking 'cause I love

I wanted to wear this olive dress again. It's by Adrianna Papell and I bought it in December 2011 at Winners for $25.00. I have only worn it the one time (here). It didn't get worn as a Wild Card outfit during the Capsule Challenge, and it's not an appropriate day-dress, so it got a quick "Like it or Lose it" from me last night.

I'm wearing a black slip underneath for warmth

My verdict: Lose it. Not a flattering style on me - I do look better in fitted clothing than baggy stuff. Off to the donation bag with you!

My wonderful Mini Babycakes Fluevog boots, brown tights and brown leather gloves kept me snuggly and warm for the walk to and from the gallery. I last wore the boots here, with the now-gone black sack dress.

I bundled up in my Smoking Lily octo-coat:

And a good time was had by all!

Dress (Adrianna Papell), boots (Mini Babycakes, Fluevog), earrings (Aldo), gloves (Club Monaco, consignment), coat (Smoking Lily), bag (fake Jil Sander, consignment).

Let's get on with...the Verdicts!

Brown Lace Skirt (Planet):

I wore it here, here and here. The votes are:

• Like it: 139
• Lose it: 41

A fairly large margin for the Like It camp! My verdict: Like it. I'm keeping it.

Opinions were really mixed on this - some didn't like it, didn't think it was "me" enough, and some loved it. Not a lot of in-the-middle! One of the things I noticed is that when I really made an effort in the outfit, that the positive votes went up. The first outfit (which I admit was the weakest of the 3) garnered a huge amount of Lose it votes, while for the other two (better) outfits the Like its easily outpaced the Lose its. It's not just about the pieces alone - it's about how they work in your wardrobe, and how you style them.

The skirt on its own is fantastic. It is sexy as hell when I walk in it (it has no slit, so really accentuates the hips and legs), which doesn't come across in static photos. I have always loved this skirt and continue to love it. It's the best chocolate brown skirt I've ever owned.

Next up: Red Dress (Calvin Klein):

I wore it here, here and here. The votes are:

• Like it: 118
• Lose it: 17

It's a blowout for the Like its. My verdict: Like it.

I feel like I've been looking for that perfect red dress for my whole life - this is as close as I've ever come. I like the exaggerated shoulder detail, the pleats at the front and back and the beautiful seaming through the waist. I was concerned that the dress would pill near the boobular region, but it held up very well. I love the vivid colour too!

And last but not least, the Lilac Greyhound Tee (Smoking Lily):

I wore it here, here and here. The votes are:

• Like it: 113
• Lose it: 14

Another landslide! And my verdict is: Like it.

Of course I like it! It's an awesome tee. However, it's not going to be in regular rotation as I did find it to be a bit too casual for work/everyday styling. Each of the outfits is a casual or weekend look (two Casual Fridays and a Saturday outfit), which is fine. It will be worn around the house, as a layering piece or in the summer on its own, but you probably won't see it in many outfits going forward. 

Over the last year, I have come to realize that the casual side of my wardrobe isn't where I want to be in terms of my own style. I can have fun doing a rocker look through accessories or a strong statement piece like my leather pants, but t-shirts aren't really part of that any more. 

So! Agree, disagree on any of the verdicts? Feel free to air your thoughts - I really do like to hear your feedback! 

Tomorrow will be the results of the voting for the Capsule Challenge's Favourite Outfit of the Year - have you left a comment with your top 3? It's not too late! Go here and have your say.