Long Weekend Wrap-Up: Brunching, Shopping and a Grand Party Outfit

I'm baaack! Did you miss me? I had a lovely sort-of quiet long weekend, starting with a fun US Thanksgiving day of football on Thursday. No outfit pic as I was in my around-the-house clothes and a football jersey all day.

On Friday, L and I went for brunch with Nick. The weather's been quite warm, so I went with a lighter dress.

I love the colour of this so much - chartreuse is a favourite of mine.

• Dress - Mary Jo Bruno, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) in August
• Boots - Prepare Guide, Fluevog; last seen here for Tie Thursday in October

I have been enjoying playing with cool and warm colours, mixing them for unexpected contrast. Grey is a new favourite neutral of mine (well, it's back in favour with me, not like I suddenly discovered grey).

Groovy boots, man!

Of course, I wore a coat and scarf and gloves. The Blue Fox (awesome local breakfast/lunch place) is small and crowded, and we always have to wait in line at least half and hour (so worth it).

"Hello!"

My Muppet scarf is so nice and cosy.

The stuff:

I saved a couple of magazine and roll them up in the boots to keep them from flopping over - I don't store my boots that way, but they display better for pictures.

Badass bling:

So. Much. Shiny!

• Necklace - gift from blogger Tina
• Earring/cuff/chain - Claire's
• Stud earring - don't remember
• Spinner ring - local
• Bronze ring - P. Sarpineva, vintage 70s, vintage fair
• Abstract ring - POLY, vintage fair
• Crystal ring - Uffizzi Gallery gift shop
• Shield ring - Nine West

That's a lot of finger hardware.

On Friday night, L and I hung out and played a few games of Arkham Horror - good times. During the night, we had a surprise - it snowed! In Victoria! In November! This is practically unheard of.

It cleared up by morning and has been freezing and blindingly sunny for the past couple of days. It wasn't a lot of snow (less than a centimeter), but still - snow! L and I walked to town for lunch at Floyd's Diner.

Trying not to freeze!

Eek! Bright and sunny!

• Sweater - Banana Republic, consignment; last seen here earlier this month with grey
• Skirt/cape - Smoking Lily, thrifted; last worn here in January for my "Come Shopping With Me!" thrifting expedition
• Boots - Doc Martens, consignment; last seen here (3rd outfit) a couple of weeks ago for a shopping day

I layered a vintage half-slip and a vintage camisole underneath everything for extra warmth.

Good walking shoes for not slipping on snow-strewn sidewalks.

Bundled up for the cold with fur, thickly-lined leather and cashmere. I could have used a toque as it was a bit windy, but I just coloured my hair (freshened up my blonde streak too) and I wanted to show it off.

Until we went on our trip to Italy last month, I had considered getting rid of this purse, but it's now one of my favourites.

 The stuff:

I will wear these Docs until they fall apart.

• Cuff - SkinZnHydez
• Earrings - gift from L

I had a little browse through a few thrift shops on my way home. I found the exact same blue scarf as the green one I bought a couple of weeks ago. Same store, same brand, identical scarf.

And the Hospice Store had a 50% off sale, so it was actually only $2.50, not $5.00. Score!

I had a good browse at the WIN Warehouse store, and found a lovely blue cashmere sweater.

I've been looking for this shade of blue for a while. The brand is Simply Cashmere and this was $21.50 - not exactly thrift store pricing, but still, it's for a good cause (WIN = Women in Need), and it probably cost more than that new.

I always love poking through the vintage section, and my luck held. Check out this fabulous 60s dress!

It fits me perfectly and is gorgeously made. I love the collar.

It's a 3D fabric:

Raised Vs of soft green, edged with turquoise shiny thread.

Sweet vintage label.

Styled by Adrian, "First name in dresses", Toronto. And only $14.50. Crazy!

I raced home after shopping and got ready for my company's annual Holiday Gala dinner and party. I had to be there early to meet and greet (and feed my boss everyone's names).

I was super-excited to finally wear this awesome dress!

Bam! I felt so awesome in this outfit all night, and got tons of compliments. This is also my entry for "Visible Monday" over at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style. Get over there!

Also linking up to Judith's "Hat Attack!" over at Style Crone!

• Dress - Eliza J, consignment; purchased here in September for $54.00 
• Shoes - Jessica Simpson; last seen here in October 2012 for my birthday party

I loved how this fluffy fascinator worked with my hair - so fun! 

"Hmm, a cat could hide under there..."

I love the mermaid shape of this dress - it just hugged everywhere perfectly. I might have to repeat this outfit for New Year's Eve!

It was hugely dramatic to walk and swoosh about in this!

I wore these silver gloves for some of the evening, but they interfered with my rings and bracelet. They were good for staying warm, though!

The little rabbit fur coat was last seen here (2nd outfit) in August. It's by Bebe and was purchased on consignment.

The stuff:

The shoes are fun to wear but very high - I bought them for my 40th birthday party and keep them because they are excellent party shoes.

• Gloves - vintage 60s, vintage fair
• Fascinator -  local
• Purse - gift from Megan
• Bracelet and earrings - vintage 60s, Sherman "Aurora Borealis" finish, set in gold; part of a set from Grandma J
• Ring - Melanie Lynne
• Crystal ring - Uffizzi Gallery gift shop

Major bling:

The fascinator can be worn as a brooch as well as in the hair.

Sorry for the blurry pics - I was rather muzzy-headed this morning. Heh.

There was a photo booth set up at the party, so L and I had a bit of fun.

We are both a couple of hams!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend!

Shiny Thursday - Wearing My Heart

And here we are, the eve of my extra-long weekend! I'm so excited I'm shining!

Yes, that is a very shiny dress! It's not quite as shiny in person - the overall effect is shiny, yes, but the turquoise and purple of the pattern are more obvious.

• Dress - Max & Co.; purchased here in Florence last month
• Shoes - Pearl Hart Bellevues, Fluevog; last seen here in July with watercolours and bark

I liked how the blue tights pulled the shoes and the dress together, and the cabling pattern of the tights echoed the pattern of the dress' fabric.

Wah! Contrast-y back! People were constantly ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the dress. Wearing shiny is fun!

The stuff:

Lovely shoes - I walked several blocks in them, and worked late (again). No foot pain.

Gold bling:

I can see myself in my heart (that sounds more profound than it is). I had fun showing people my "boyfriends" inside it, hee hee (click here if you don't know what I'm talking about).

• Belt - vintage; gift from mother-in-law
• Heart necklace - local; gift from L
• Lapis lazuli ring and Fulvia ring - the awesome Wendy Brandes
• Earrings - local

And now...I'm getting my long weekend on! It's our big company Christmas party on Saturday night and I have an awesome outfit planned! Enjoy your Thanksgiving (my US friends) and have a lovely week and weekend, my other global comrades.

Green and Gold, and Grey Lace

Today was grey and rainy - a typical West Coast day, and I don't mind the rain (I was born here, after all).

And rain means it's always green here, and isn't that just a little ray of sunshine, when you think about it?

I tell myself these things and it makes me feel better. The rain is my grey dress, the green is the grass buried under all the leaves, and the gold is like the leaves themselves.

• Dress - Banana Republic, thrifted; last seen here in July with weekend hair
• Shoes - Half-Truth Tanya, Fluevog; last worn here (6th outfit) earlier this month with green velvet

One of my coworkers said to me near the end of the day, "Every time I look at you, I feel happy. This [he waved at my outfit] makes me happy. I don't know why."

I like that I can inspire this reaction in people. Personally, I think it was the scarf in the hair (referred to variously as my headband, my head-thing, and "that thing in your hair"). There just aren't that many people who wear scarves in their hair these days.

I was exceedingly pleased with my gold and grey combination. It was like the first time I mixed metals in my jewelry. I've worn gold jewelry with grey before, but with more neutrals. Green - not a neutral!

The stuff:

I had all of the outfit put together (it was built around the scarf and the necklace, believe it or not), and couldn't figure out which shoes to wear! I have 3 pairs of green shoes, but these kitten heels were the closest to that rich 80s emerald.

Bold gold bling:

• Scarf - Vera, thrifted
• Belt - thrifted
• Necklace - consignment (one of many items in a $10.95 grab bag)
• Bracelet/earrings - vintage 60s? Mom's, liberated from her jewelry box in the early 1980s

I liked how the square shapes on the necklace, the rectangular "tiles" in the bracelet and the earrings, the squared buckle of the belt (yes, that's an elastic on the belt - I am klassy all the way), and even the squared heel on the shoes (and the buckles) all went so well together. So many parallelograms! And it contrasted nicely with the organic shapes of the not-really lace of the dress.

I like when all those details come together, even if I'm the only one who notices them.

Dark Florals Redux

Woo! This is a short week for me! Although I am a 3rd generation Canadian, L and I sort of do the US Thanksgiving (as we are NFL football fans) and we both always take the Thursday/Friday off.

I decided to do a minor Dress Week of sorts this week to celebrate. Sure, turkey, football, dresses...why not?

I totally cheated and nearly completely copied an outfit from this time last year. Check it out: October 2013.

• Jacket - Le Chateau, consignment; last seen here in September with chrysanthemums
• Dress - Laura Ashley, vintage 80s, consignment; last seen right up there last October
• Shoes - Sencha Teapot, Fluevog; last seen here with pink plaid in August

Things I did differently: no brooch (necklace instead), lacy tights and different red shoes swapped for the red boots.

I've had this dress for a very long time (in my closet that means over 10 years) and I really liked how this outfit turned out last year. So why not repeat it, with minor variations? I still like how this looks!

The stuff:

Gawd, I love these shoes - they are so comfortable.

Red bling:

And an octopus, because octopus?

• Belt - local, gift from L
• Necklace - Raven's Roost Studio
• Spinner ring - local
• Red ring - Oscar & Libby's
• Black ring - homegrown vintage 1985, gift from Mom & Dad

I don't know that I would wear this outfit again, but even if I did, would it be a fashion crime?

Off to watch more football, make dinner and rest my sort biceps/triceps from the gym!

SmallAss Weekend Wrap-Up: Pleather and Houndstooth, and Snaky Dots

We made it! Weekend! There are probably things I should have done this weekend (grocery shopping, going to my niece's soccer game, Christmas shopping).

I didn't do them.

I'm tired. Not of blogging! No worries there - this (*waves vaguely*) is my main creative outlet. Putting outfits together with mindfulness of what I'm doing; looking at the colours and textures, wearing the clothes, seeing how people react to them and me. It's a big social experiment, and I am the mad scientist!

I enjoy the writing aspect, although I've streamlined the "when I last wore it" portion of our program (it's faster for me to look things and do the links all in one go). Sometimes I'm more verbose than other times. As with most of you, I only talk about the surface of my life on my blog. This is no more 100% the real me than the idea you might have about the life of that slightly odd, fashionable lady walking down the street. It's a good facsimile of me, though, at least of my public persona.

My job requires me to be "up" and "on" constantly. I'm very good at turning it on and off, but it's emotionally exhausting (seeing as I'm not an extrovert by nature), and I require a lot of downtime to get my mojo going again. My work has been dominating my life over the past few weeks, since I got back from vacation, but things are easing up...for now. The clothes help me put on a bright and cheery face. "Fake it till you feel it" is one of my mantras.

But enough rambling! The clothes, woman!

• Top - Jeanne Bekker, consignment; purchased here last weekend
• Skirt - Nygard, consignment; last seen here back in February with lemon
• Boots - Miz Mooz; last seen here in February for a blogger tea-time meet-up

I seem to have an affinity for this oxblood/burgundy red lately. It's a good colour on me, and works well as a neutral for popping off jewelry or other vivid textures, like this houndstooth skirt. This is also my second burgundy item that I've purchased that has been made of PVC/pleather. I still don't like the feel of it, but at least it means this sweater is washable.

The skirt is what I think of as one of my "butt" skirts - hee, it does good things for my bum.

My current favourite autumn coat:

I love a long slim coat! The drama of the longer back hem and the velvet mixed with the wool plaid...it just makes me want to stride down the sidewalk with a devil-may-care attitude.

The stuff:

One of my many pairs of red boots - I have a thing for red boots (and shoes!). These are a fabulously girly shape with the folds! and the buttons! and the curvy heel! I also love a narrow ankle on a boot - it's very Victorian.

Big bling:

I got lots of compliments on this necklace (my secret d20s!). Will statement necklaces every stop being a statement?

• Cuff - Midzo, vintage fair
• Necklace - Nygard, consignment
• Spinner ring - Twang & Pearl
• Pinky ring - P. Sarpaneva, vintage 70s
• Quartz ring - Uffizzi Gallery gift shop, Florence

I probably should have gone to bed earlier on Friday night, but L and I were having so much fun playing games, that we stayed up till the wee hours. As a result, I slept in on Saturday.

Gack! Much glariness!

This is my link-up to Patti's "Visible Monday" over at Not Dead Yet Style! Go! Go!

Shade my eyes?

I want to loll in the sun like a cat. Bring me coffee.

• Dress - I'M Isola Marras; last seen here last month in its inaugural wear
• Boots - Ash; last seen here last weekend, with orange

I didn't think I'd be wearing this dress in the fall/winter too much, but it lends itself well as a light daytime piece, as long as I wear appropriate layers underneath.

In this case, it's tights, a black vintage half-slip on the bottom, and a beige vintage camisole on the top.

I wore this for brunch, watching a movie at home and for going to Winesday with the girls.

It's an easy shape to wear, a lovely fabric to touch, and I like mix of dots and vines and abstract patterns with the starkness of the black leather and studs. This is basically a repeat of my first wear of the dress (linked above), but as always, I've changed up a few details here and there.

Same coat, and my burgundy fingerless gloves.

I heart these boots so much. I wish I'd had them for the past 10, 20, 30 years!

The stuff:

These are excellent leaf-kicking boots, by the way. Don't even think about leaving a pile of leaves out there - they're just asking to be strewn about!

Snaky bling:

I wore all my Italy stuff: the ring, the glass snake necklace and the dress. I always have to balance my snake ring on something to photograph it (in this case, the necklace) as it doesn't sit properly.

• Purple cuff - thrifted
• Stud cuff - homegrown vintage 80s
• Necklace - gift from Mom, Venice
• Ring - as above
• Ear cuff/chain - Claire's
• Turquoise stud - local
• Snake ring - homegrown vintage, 1985

And you? Are you in energy mode or recharge mode? I know that US Thanksgiving is around the corner (I'm taking those days off next week). As we head into holiday season, do you do it with excitement or dread, or a bit of both? I'm a bit of both, to be honest.