Sunday, March 24, 2013

Anniversary Trip, A Bag and a Beret, Fluevogs and Flights

And...I'm back! Friday was our 16th wedding anniversary, so as is our tradition, L and I headed off to Vancouver to visit friends and make our annual pilgrimage to Fluevog. Here are pictures from the 2012 trip, the 2011 trip, and 2009 trip. I'm not sure what happened to the 2010 trip. Hmmm.
I intended to wear the same outfit for 2 days straight, so I went for comfort and ease. We did a lot of walking. I'll be posting all the outfit photos, then the stuff I bought, then my travel pictures. All links are because I love - I received no compensation, freebies or any preferential treatment.

This is my silk kimono dress, purchased at Century 21 in NYC when Mom and I went in 2007. It's one of the oldest items in my wardrobe - I had actually given it away to my girlfriend Caro, and she wore it for a couple of years. When she was tired of it, she gave it back to me - it only goes out on loan. It's an incredibly beautiful dress, even though the cut is not 100% on me. I don't intend to ever get rid of it for good, so it's not up for voting.

I last wore it in July 2010 for my niece's birthday, and before that in May 2009 for Caro's birthday.
 The trousers are my tux pants, previously worn here with my blue and white silk blouse.

My square-toed loafers were just right for all the walking we did.
I wore them five times in the November 2012 capsule (recap here).

Dress (Hale Bob), trousers (handmade, thrifted), shoes (Two Lips, thrifted), cuff (Guess, thrifted), ring (Wendy Brandes).

L and I always take the float plane to Vancouver now - it's so much faster than the ferry, with all the driving - we left Victoria in the morning and arrived just in time for brunch with one of my favourite fashion bloggers. Can you guess who it was?
She gave us this lovely tin of chocolate sardines!

Yes, it was Melanie of A Bag and a Beret!
She is just as fun and amazing in person as she is on her blog! L and I spent a few minutes just circling her and admiring her outfit.

We did our Fashion Poses. This is "I have a headache."
Um, yes, we may have been drinking 
We went to Medina for a delicious brunch, and lingered over coffee to chat about art, fashion and music. She's such a sweet and intelligent lady - I am so honoured to have met you, Melanie!'

This is our "Oh, I have a tummy-ache" pose:
I think I took that too literally - I look like I'm going to vomit
We goofed around in the restaurant lobby, with L as our photographer.

This is the "My back is sore" pose.
What a riot!

Melanie wore her incredible Muppet jacket. Move over, Lady Gaga!
I think Melanie looks like Annie Lennox - so beautiful. And check out her heart bag!

She took this one of L and I:
If you look carefully, you'll notice that all three of us are wearing long, square-toed shoes - it was meant to be!

The above picture was featured by Melanie on her street-style blog, Culture Serf - wow, how cool! Isn't L the most stylish man?

This is one of my favourite pictures:
The expression on Melanie's face is priceless - and yes, I am grabbing her bum!

On both Friday and Saturday nights, I wore the exact same outfit:
Since we saw different groups of people and went to two different restaurants, I figured, "What the heck." Besides, I needed to save space in my knapsack for shopping - the one downside to traveling by float plane is that you have a weight allowance!

Meow - this sexy outfit is my very "Visible Monday" choice. Check out the gang at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style!

Three items are up for voting.

The skirt is by Floating Gold Iceberg, and was purchased here in October 2012 for $18.00 on consignment. It's a bright coral and is made of t-shirt material. It has a silkscreened design of flowers and stars on the back, near the kick-pleat.

Coral Pencil Skirt (Floating Gold Iceberg): Outfit #1
Coral Pencil Skirt (Floating Gold Iceberg)
  
pollcode.com free polls 

I carried my little silver metal mesh bag (perfect for travel, since it's so small) both nights as well. It garnered a lot of attention (check out here how it opens). Thank you again, Megan, for the lovely gift.
You know I had to show off my ink
The grey wool bustier, purchased here on consignment for $24.98, is being worn on its own as a strapless peplum top. The entire upper back section of it is smocked for a perfect fit. It's by Mondi and was made in Germany.

Grey Bustier with Peplum (Mondi): Outfit #1
Grey Bustier with Peplum (Mondi)
  
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I also finally got around to wearing my Vivienne Westwood "Anglomania + melissa" shoes:
These are called "Dragon Lady" and I bought them or $43.00 on consignment here in December 2012.

I previously wore them for a few minutes for Megan Mae's birthday party (here), but this was their first actual outing. I walked several blocks in these, and they were great. L kept checking on me to see if my feet were hurting - the shoes just look uncomfortable.

"Anglomania + melissa" Dragon Lady Shoes (Vivienne Westwood): Outfit #1
"Anglomania melissa" Dragon Lady Shoes (Vivienne Westwood)
  
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Bustier (Mondi, consignment), skirt (Floating Gold Iceberg, consignment), shoes (Anglomania + melissa Dragon Lady, Vivienne Westwood, consignment), earrings (locally made), purse (gift from Megan Mae).

But I know you are all furiously scrolling down to see what I got at Fluevog...
Yeah, I know. Pretty amazing, eh? These are the LA Malibu (link). They were on sale for half price - a bargain for such incredible works of art. These will be for special occasion only (and we have several parties coming up!), and as such will not be up for voting. No damned way I am ever getting rid of these!

Check 'em out:
They are surprisingly easy to walk in, but I didn't want to risk wearing them in "it could rain any minute" Vancouver. 

I also wanted to get a picture of the sole before it wears off.
It says, "LA - Rise Above Earthly Contraints" with John Fluevog's signature.

I also got these amazing yellow babies:
They are called the Prepare Hi Steady (link - note that they are much more yellow in person!), and are a higher last and heel than my other Prepares (my turquoise ones and my wooly grey boots). The finish on these is a waxed suede, and the colour varies from a bright daffodil to a more subdued mustard yellow.

The vamp is a nice stretchy elastic, which fans out for a perfect fit on the top of the foot - if you have a high arch, they would be a good solution perhaps.
Posey-poserson
As with the boots, I'm not putting these up for voting - I adore them and can't wait to wear them with all my spring clothes! Speaking of spring, I will be cleaning out my closet tomorrow (I have another day off - woo hoo!) and will be revealing the results of the votes for the grey suede skirt and the burgundy suede pencil skirt then. 

Our awesome Fluevogologist, Wes (he helps us every year - thanks!), pointed out the shadows streaming in the window of the Gastown store onto the concrete floor.
"Change comes from within" - yes, it does.

Curious as to what L got? I bought him these Swordfish Coopers (they are more of a dark brown than black) - Wes actually had a picture of him, Alice Cooper and John Fluevog together. Swoon! And because L bought me my two pairs of Fluevogs, I had to buy him two pairs. He also got these Twin Turbines 65 Water St shoes (that would be the address of the Gastown store) in caramel and black, a limited edition colour run not available anywhere else.

We flew home this morning (Sunday) and went for brunch. I got another wearing in of my Etro blazer.
And the Prepare Hi Steadys, of course.

The skirt was worn 3 times in the August 2012 capsule (recap here). I think it's time for it to go - I have better denim skirts in my spring/summer wardrobe that will work all year.
The red velvet sleeveless cowl-necked top was featured four times in the December 2012 capsule (recap here).

And of course, the blazer. I previously wore it here on Thursday.

Black Blazer with Tie Lapels (Etro): Outfit #1
Black Blazer with Tie Lapels (Etro)
  
pollcode.com free polls 
Everyone was all, "Wow!" when we arrived at the diner!

Blazer (Etro, consignment), top (ACW, consignment), skirt (Bebe Sport, swap from Caro), earrings (Erica Weiner), shoes (Prepare Hi Steady).

Okay, now on to the shopping portion of our program. Heh.

L and I did just Fluevog on Friday, then napped before dinner. On Saturday, we headed out to Main Street in West Van - it's a mecca of local boutiques and diners (you must check out Slickety Jim's - best.food.ever. - if you're in the neighbourhood). We spent a few hours browsing boutiques, consignment and vintage stores, record/music shops and generally just enjoying the sunny day. Then back to the hotel for another nap before dinner.

I didn't find anything this year at the Smoking Lily store; not surprising since I had such a bonanza at their sale this year. However, once again I had good shopping karma at one of my favourite stores on Main: the Two of Hearts Boutique - it features locally-made and -designed clothing.
This is Jenny Yen, designer and creator of the CiCi line of clothing - isn't she gorgeous? We also met Tabitha Savoie, co-owner and also a fashion designer. The store carries several locally-made lines, as well as jewelry. I purchased a few pieces of Raven's Rest Studio jewelry from them last year.

Jenny is holding the dress she designed and made - and I bought! When I decided to get this one (over a couple of others that I'd tried on), she and Tabitha said, "Yay! We won!"
This gorgeous, rich chartreuse shade is perfect for this classically-cut and structured dress.

It's one of those styles that doesn't look like much on the hanger, but is lovely on.
Look at that gorgeous lining! I am so excited to wear this - I will put it up for voting, but I don't think I can wait too long before I wear it.

I found a pair of Scrabble tile earrings by Jennifer Conway of Raven's Rest Studio:
Turquoise plus crows - yes, please!

L also had some good luck shopping - he found some purple socks and an amazing pair of Versace orange trousers. All in all, we bought quality, ethically-made clothing and items that we love.

As promised, here are some travel pictures.
View from the harbour plane, looking back at the other planes, and Victoria's downtown waterfront.

This ferry (the Coho) goes to and from Port Angeles, WA, and Victoria.
It's a car ferry, and is MUCH bigger than our dinky little 10-seater plane - it's very intimidating when it gets close!

Looking down at the Esquimalt waterfront as we take off.
L always lets me have the window-seat, aw.

Looking south, towards Washington State and Seattle.
Friday was cloudy with bright spots, and cold. Brrr!

Looking down at the islands in the Straight of Juan de Fuca as we passed over them.
It looks like it would be fun to explore.

Floatplanes are very small. I could almost touch the pilot.
It's neat seeing all the instrumentation, and watching the navigation screen.

Coming up on Vancouver's harbour.
That's Stanley Park in the foreground.

Over the park, heading towards downtown Vancouver.
Vancouver is so big! I always feel like a small-town hickster when I'm there.

It's only a 30-minute flight from harbour to harbour.
Coming in low, now...and we landed right there by Canada Place (the building with the white sails - it's a conference centre).

This morning, I was fairly dazed with sleep, but did note that hey, isn't that the 2012 Olympic torch?
Yup, it sure is! The mountains in the background are on the North Shore, across the harbour.

Looking north to the coastal mountains - if you've heard of Whistler, it's way up there.
We're flying west here, out of the mouth of the Fraser River.

Looking north, there are a lot of little islands between the mainland and Vancouver Island (which, confusingly, is NOT where Vancouver is).
So pretty. I love the west coast.

Banking in towards the southern tip of the Island:
That's Victoria, and we're now looking east - those mountains in the far distance are in Washington State.

Closer...
Can you see Mount Baker faintly in the background, on the left side? It's an inactive volcano - one day it might erupt like Mount St. Helen's did. Zoiks!

Zooming into the harbour:
Touch down, and we're home! So good to be back...but I can't wait till next year!

31 comments:

  1. Eee! Amazing outfits, amazing shoes - oh those LA boots. If I ever get to the point where I have a pair of shoes to just sit and look pretty in, I want the Silverlakes..

    So jealous of your meet-up with Melanie, but it looks like you two had a ball! You both look gorgeous, and so awesome to see L as well.

    So much gorgeous fashion in one post!

    I'm glad the little bag worked out for you, it's quirky flask style really intrigued me. It's a perfect little evening bag.

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  2. Wow, so much fabulousness here. Happy Anniversary, and it looks like your trip was just perfect. Love all four pairs of shoes, and your new chartreuse dress. Thanks for sharing the joy with Visible Monday!

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  3. Happy Anniversary!! What a great looking trio!! I absolutely LOVE that top dress as a tunic...it is gorgeous!! Such a beautiful look! Thanks for sharing your trip with us. Have a wonderful week!

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  4. Happy Anniversary! What a fabulous weekend you've enjoyed. Great photos and shoe shopping!
    Love those photos of you two fashion bloggers hamming it up in front of the camera.
    I think your blond hair looks tres chic.

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  5. Fabulous looks - love the first floral dress, the bustier and the blazer. I was in shoe heaven here - LOVE THE BOOTS!

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  6. Yay!! What a happy post! Glad you got to travel and meet a friend. And your clothes! Wow. Your first outfit shows off not only your ink but your fabulous shape -- you look great!

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  7. Speaking of bums, wow!, that red skirt shows your bum to perfection! What a perfectly seductive outfit, with the corset worn as a top. Your Fluevog finds leave me speechless. I was in their shop today and noted Logan's Swordfish Coopers in particular. I didn't see your boots(!) there (Granville St. shop, inferior) but was drooling over variations of your shoes.

    I say, when you guys celebrate your anniversary, you certainly do it right. Parties and shopping from sun up to sun down. I am so happy to have met you both. I'm mystified as to why our supermodel poses, headache/stomach ache/back ache, didn't come out quite like the magazine...

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  8. Happy Anniversary, Sheila.
    There are so many cool and interesting things here I don't know what to comment on first!
    Well...I think my favorite picture is the one of you and your hubby. Sweet and romantic...looks like he is your soul mate.
    Ok...now, Sheila...you cannot even think of getting rid of the dragon lady shoes or those incredible boots. They looks so oooh la la sexy with that outfit!
    I love the kimono dress. It looks cute with the silky bottoms, but I would love to see it styled more traditionally...with strappy heels and sparkly jewelry...just to see it worn as a 'dress'. It is beautiful.

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  9. ...also, I forgot to mention that I agree with you; Melanie does have an Annie Lennox look about her....lucky her! Annie is a gorgeous lady and so is Melanie.

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  10. Main St. is so much fun for wandering. And mmmm, Slickity Jim's!

    I can't wait to see the mustard dress on you!

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  11. I am in jealous awe! It's been way too long since I've been to Vancouver and Victoria - they are such fabulous cities. And you and Melanie in one place at one time almost makes the world stop turning! Such great pictures, stunning kimono, wonderful shoes - just WOW!

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  12. OMG, hot blogger meetup AND shoe porn!!!
    I feel faint!
    I am seething with jealousy!!!
    O, and lovely ink, darl!
    XXX

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  13. Such lovely travel pics! Looks like you had loads of fun meeting up with your friend too, great pics! :)

    Really like those boots you got, they are amazing! Can't wait to see that dress on you too :)

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  14. Happy Anniversary! Lovely shoes you both picked up. Those LA boots are hot, something I didn't think just looking at fluevog site. They need to be worn to show off their hotness. Can't wait to see your first outfit for them.

    Looks like you had a wonderful time.

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  15. Happy Anniversary! Love the LA boots. Another case where I need to see shoe worn, before I see how wonderful they are.

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  16. Happy anniversary to you and L! I saw your comment that your wedding anniversary was the same day as my dating anniversary with my hubby! That is awesome!

    Looks like you had a fantastic trip! I love the photos of your meetup with Melanie! You two are so stylish and fun!

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  17. wow wow wow!!! What an awesome trip you've had!1 Happy anniversary to you and L!!! The travel pix are just stunning!!
    I am so jealous you got yo meet and hang out with the always awesome Melanie!! The pix of you two together are adorable!!
    I am having serious shoe-envy here!! The BOOTS---thud--drop dead amazing!1
    And the yellow shoes are just --words fail me--wonderous to behold!!

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  18. You look fantastic blonde! I guess I haven't seen you in awhile!

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  19. Happy anniversary! Holy moly, those boots are awesome!!

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  20. Looks like you had a marvelous anniversary celebration. I don't know which I'm more jealous of - that you got to meet Melanie, or your ass-kicking Fluevog footwear! I'm hoping I can get to the west coast to meet her one day. Blogger meetups are so much fun; Melanie is right, it feels a bit like meeting a movie star.

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  21. That's a great kimono dress. Very on-trend, right now, what with all the prints on the runways.

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  22. Happy Anniversary, Sheila and Logan! I love your ritual Fluevog trip. What a lovely happy post to find in my reader. First up, eeee! You met Melanie! And now you are in her cool style blog! Hee hee. The two of you look amazing together, bloggers extraordinaire.

    Second, I salute your single outfit for 2 evenings. If it works, it works... And you look very good, both the skirt and the bustier fit so well. The new boots and shoes, both so good. I will steal the yellow ones, please. I had plastic Melissa VW flats but gave them away as they rubbed - I was wearing them without socks or tights though.

    Finally, thanks for sharing the travelling photos, I find them so interesting. I would like to visit Vancouver - dammit- anywhere in Canada!

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  23. I am giddy just thinking about what a stylish and amazing trio you all are! Meeting Melanie! How fab you both look, tummy, head and backaches and all!

    Those yellow shoes scream Sheila! well not literally I hope- but they have got YOU all over 'em. Rock on.

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  24. Congrats on your anniversary.I can see some great style here and I so love the first dress,I would wear it everyday.You seem to enjoy life and your friends.Well done.

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  25. Happy Anniversary to you! What a fabulous trip and how exciting to have met Melanie. The two of you posing had me smiling out loud. Thanks for sharing the amazing photos and your adventures.

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  26. Love the dress ... as you say, it's a keeper. I particularly like the styling with your sleek black pants, etc. Great pics of your enviable visit with Melanie!

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  27. I thought it must be that time of year again soon! Happy (belated) anniversary to you both! You got some amazing buys and were looking extra fabulous. Those boots.... Thanks for sharing the Harbour Air photos. I really have to try that soon--forget the ferry! xx

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  28. Happy to meet you Sheila! What wonderful rituals you have going. Happy anniversary, fluevogging and meeting up with Melanie. Can't think of a better combination whatsoever! That's one chockful of joy blogpost. So where are you from anyway? Canada? Pacific Northwest? And what is the voting of clothes about? Like voting off the island? I have a lot to catch up on it seems.

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  29. Holy crap I'm so jealous that you bought those boots! So gorgeous! So amazing!

    i went to Fluevog today (my first full day in Toronto) and bought the Swordfish Squishy booties. It was love at first sight.

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  30. Happy Anniversary! So great that you keep up the tradition of Fleuvogs for your gift. :)

    Those aerial shots are AMAZING. Wow.

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