Happy Hallowe'en! Grim Fandangal!

Happy Hallowe'en, my friends! I hope your weekend is ghoulishly good! 

L called my look "Grim Fandangal", which is a play off Grim Fandango, a PC game I used to have that had a wonderful Mexican Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) design.

• Dress - handmade, no label, vintage 60s; last worn here for Hallowe'en 2011
• Shoes - Half Truth Veda, Fluevog; last seen here for our rock & roll holiday earlier this month

I also wore my fluffy Noa Noa underskirt to give the dress more volume on the bottom - I twirled all over the office.

Pretty standard easy costume.

Add a wig and Vizzini looks at me cautiously.

"Must eat that flower."

This costume actually worked pretty well to function through a work day - I always have to wear my glasses too, so I have to factor that in.

I had a few odd looks while I walked around town

The stuff:

Wonderful shoes. I walked to and from town in them.

Spooky bling:

I wore four spiders!

• Leather obi - thrifted
• Rose - Le Chateau
• Cuffs - Jezebel Charms, gift from L
• Spider ring - homegrown vintage c. 1986, gift from Mom and Dad
• Teeny spider stud - gift from Marian
• Spider earrings - gift from Cindy

If you're interested in how I did my make-up, which was easily the most elaborate part of my costume, get ready for some giant pictures of my face. I did a test run last night to make sure I could do my complicated make-up, and I took pictures as I went along.

Hey if you're not interested, then run away now  - giant pictures of my face!

I didn't really have time for a costume, so aside from pulling stuff out of my regular clothes, I thought I could do a more fun thing and paint my face. I've been watching Face Off, and got all inspired.

I really liked this picture that I found. I had this cool glittery make-up palette that I thought could work, and I bought this two-ended felt/brush eyeliner to make it easier. The eyeliner (Marcelle) was excellent - it was waterproof, so I had no smudging all day, even through lunch. The glitter was horrible.

I started with a clean face and my hair pulled back, and put on a light base of white.

My skeptical face

I hated the feel of the white, but I soldiered on.

I used the brush side to start outlining, to get a feel for the balance on my face.

From there, I tried adding glitter to it, and it was the worst, goopiest stuff ever! I had to scrub my face clean and start over.

Muah-mwah.

Then I tried to shade around my eyes with eye shadow.

Did not like this.

Start over - bare face with some BB cream and powder, not white stuff, and hell, let's try the thick felt tip, shall we?

Hey-oh! Yes, this is much better. The more you try, the more the more you see what works and what doesn't.

I added some shading with grey eyeshadow.

If one eye works on the test run, no need to waste pen on the second eye. I tried this toothy mouth.

Not quite me - how about a little bow mouth?

Oh, yes, I think we are ready!

This is what I used:

My Rimmel BB cream followed by MAC Studio Fix powder for a nice smooth finish. I drew on my face with the felt-tip end, shaded with my MAC dark grey eyeshadow (spider web and jawline), plus a bit of blue from my MAC Toledo special edition blue for the flower on my chin. All reds supplied by a nice matt lip gloss (I forget which one).

Et viola!

A totally fun make-up look in less than half an hour. Thank goodness for the test run!

Hey, Sailor! Hello, Captain!

Woo, it's late and I'm tired. And I still have to do my test-run of my Hallowe'en make-up for tomorrow. 

I saved my sailor-girl pin-up dress for today, so that I could wear it to my WW meeting - I like to wear something aspirational.

• Dress - Tatyana "Captain" dress; purchased here in Nashville last week
• Shoes - Poetic Licence; last seen here (5th outfit) in October 2014

I loved wearing this Tatyana dress (linking here, 'cause I love). I had loads of compliments on it. Although it's a pin-up styling, and quite body-con, it's not too low-cut and the dark navy blue helps keep it work-safe.

I trashed the crappy belt that came with it and swapped out this obi - I loved how that pulled it away from a more costume-y "sailor" look that this easily could have been. And can we talk about the shoes?

The stuff;

My background table is in use

I love these shoes so much! But I'm shocked to see that I haven't worn them in a full year! That's some major oversight right there. They were actually comfy all day, for a walk to/from lunch, and for wearing for a couple of hours at WW. I went to a movie after that, but by then had switched to my runners.

• Obi - Smoking Lily
• Earrings - Aldo Accessories

And now, off to make sure I can do my Hallowe'en make-up quickly and efficiently in the morning before work! Always do a "test drive"!

Pumpkin and Tweed, Plus Ear-Balls

Oh, what a week...I am barely ready for Hallowe'en, not that we're doing much. Some themed things at work on Friday, and a couple of friends over for scary movies on Friday as well.

I haven't even been able to muster up enthusiasm for a costume this year. I'll be appropriately dressed, but I've put very little planning into my Friday Hallowe'en outfit.

• Blouse - Antonella, vintage 80s, thrifted; first worn here in September with locks and keys
• Jacket (below) - Precis Petite; last seen here (3rd outfit) in November 2014 for a shopping expedition
• Skirt - Precis Petite; last worn here in November 2014 with a leather shirt
• Both pieces worn together as a suit? Last time was for my 2012 Hallowe'en costume (I was Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds") here.
• Shoes - Bruno Magli, vintage 80s; last seen here in February with a barn skirt

I kind of look like a pumpkin, right? Does that count?

I am so happy that this suit fits me properly again! I can't believe it's been 3 years since I wore it together as a suit.

I didn't actually wear the jacket all day - it functioned as my outerwear. It's still not very cold out, although a little rainy...which reminds me that I left my umbrella at work. Arg.

The stuff:

Sweet 80s shoes! These are shockingly comfortable.

Ball-y bling:

Another jewelry piece that I'd forgotten I owned: this necklace. I bought it at Plum at least 10-12 years ago. It came with crochet-covered balls on it, which I removed immediately.

• Necklace - Plum
• Ring - consignment
• Earrings - Dior

Speaking of balls, this is what the Dior ear-balls look like on:

Cool, eh? They were very comfortable to wear and felt very secure. Would you wear these?

Big Red and Plaid

Okay, two days down, three to go. I'm finally starting to get caught up on the emails at work - tomorrow, I'll tackle the two giant envelopes of mystery documents/mail that await me.

It felt like a RED day, a really REALLY red day.

• Blouse - Levante, thrifted; purchased here for $6.95
• Skirt - Bianca Nygard, thrifted; last seen here in August with primary colours
• Shoes - Marc; last worn here in July with a navy sailor dress

I loved wearing this blouse - I was a little leery of it being silk (since I'm sweaty), but it actually breathed wonderfully.

Yikes, this skirt is big on me! I've lost a few pounds again from being sick, and I had to adjust my blouse to not be tucked into my hosiery or the top of my control tops would be showing. Heavens, we can't have that!

The stuff:

Big clompin' red shoes! To go with my big red blouse.

Simple bling:

Not like anything could distract from all that red!

• Earrings - Joyce's
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes

I need to get some Hallowe'en into my wardrobe soon! Maybe some orange tomorrow?

Blues for a Manic Monday

Holy smokes, it's so dark in the mornings now! It didn't seem so bad when I was sleeping in till 8 or 9am, but when I get up at my usual time of 6:30am, you really notice how dim it is! 

Waited until the last second before I left to get the stair shot.

• Dress - Max & Co.; last seen here in August with gold stuff
• Shoes - Jeffrey Campbell; last worn here in March with a mishmash of pink things

First day back at work. I was missed (I always am), but it was "head down, get through these emails" for me. I had over 1,700 emails! That's nuts.

Knowing that my day would be crazy, I went with a really simple outfit: dress, tights, belt shoes. Done.

The stuff:

I love these shoes, but they are really scuffed. Let's pretend they're not, okay?

Here's my lace wrist-wrap on:

Since I have really small wrists, I love it when I find a piece that doesn't slide around. I enjoyed wearing this, and I love how it looks on.

Bling got the the blues:

Well, the obi and the ring are blue.

• Obi - Benetton, thrifted
• Wrist-wrap - Nashville
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes

I hope your Monday was better than mine!

Vacation Week Round-Up: Much Red, Shopping, Chilling, and Visibly Victorian in the Unsafe Ocelot

Hello, my friends! Vacation is nearly over, and I can't say I'm excited to go back to work, but eh, it pays the bills and supports my real life, am I right?

Despite being sick (gah) and my ear still blocked up, I've managed the very important job of doing Not Much Of Anything on my time off, aside from hanging out with assorted fun people, shopping and taking many naps. Ah...naps.

Here we are at last Wednesday. I met up with Mom for brunch out and a wee shop in Oak Bay. 

I am having such fun delving into my fall/winter wardrobe again! I forgot I had so many of these pieces!

• Top - Jeanne Bekker, consignment; last seen here (4th outfit) back in March for a Grand Limo Adventure with my Winesday women
• Skirt - Gunex, thrifted; last worn here in August with modness
• Shoes - Down-to-Earth Hadfield, Fluevog; last seen here earlier this month with yellow and a chunky sweater

I love this comfy top. It was one of the things I was excited to see again - oh, yeah, I forgot about it!

It was a little grey out, but I didn't wear a jacket.

The stuff:

I was trying on shoes in a store, and someone tried to nab my Hadfields away from me! Back off, sister, those are not for sale!

• Scarf - Ralph Lauren, consignment
• Cuff - thrifted
• Earrings - local

I got a gift certificate from my Winesday gals for my birthday, so I had to spend it right away. It'd be rude not to, right?

I have missed my ear cuff that went missing last week, so I was thrilled to replace it with two new ones, both locally made. They were $19 and $21.

I also stocked up on some hosiery.

Plaid tights, sparkly ankle socks and some over-the-knee black/burgundy socks. Hurray!

I dragged Mom to a twee consignment store that I don't visit very often (expensive) - she found two gorgeous blouses for less than half what they would cost new.

I found these Dior double-pearl earrings for $28.00.

The big part hangs down on the back of the lobe. They had them in mint, white and pearl.

Marked Dior

I liked this marigold yellow colour - it's just a little different, you know?

The store had some shoes marked down from summer still:

What a fabulous colour! I love this minty green shade. There's a hidden heel, wrapped in the suede.

They're by Franco Sarto.

And as you can see, they're barely worn. Not bad for $24.00!

I hemmed and hawed over this red dress.

Eventually, I gave in. It is just above the ankle, swooshes beautifully and it has pockets! I'm in!

And never worn! Tags still on.

Regular $178, marked down twice - I paid $40.00 for it on consignment.

I like the textured fabric.

I might sew up the keyhole at the back of the neck. Those shoelaces aren't very classy.

A mark of good quality:

That's a bra strap holder! Gotta love that.

The belt was very shoddy.

Considering that this dress has never been worn, that belt is in rough condition. I tossed it into the giveaway pile immediately. I have way better belts.

On Wednesday, L and I were waiting for our cleaner to show up, but we'd missed a message that she needed to switch days. I was all dressed to go out for dinner anyway, so we headed down to the pub after sorting out the new cleaning time.

Red is always good.

• Sweater - Lord & Taylor, thrifted; last seen here in September with classic black 
• Skirt - MNG, consignment; last worn here (3rd outfit) in March with plain black
• Boots - Marc; last seen here a couple of weeks ago with D&G and black leather

I just thrifted this sweater in the summer (always shop off-season!), and I adore the classic cut of it. Merino wool, too!

The skirt is so fun - it's been in my wardrobe for several years, due to its cool "ribbon" texture and uneven hemline.

Outerwear? Outer-there! (that joke never gets old).

Orange and red are awesome together! This is a Danier Leather jacket that I bought on consignment a few years ago.

The stuff:

Magnificent boots.

• Earrings - Glee

I don't make much effort on accessories when I'm on vacation. Heh.

L returned to work on Thursday, so I had two lovely "me" days where I slept in and then did whatever the heck I wanted.

That usually means shopping!

• Blouse - no label, thrifted; last seen here in August with the bark skirt
• Dress - The Limited, thrifted; last worn here in January for Team Spirit day for our stair challenge
• Boots - Ash; last worn here (3rd outfit) in September for grocery shopping

I planned to meet up with Elaine after work for a shop and dinner - she'd missed my birthday party, so I wanted to connect with her.

I strolled to town and had a little shop around before meeting her.

Mr. Vizzini was being cuddly - very rare for him.

"If you stay home, I won't eat your shoes."

He loves when we're off - he turns into a total snuggle-boy.

The stuff:

I love these boots - I just want to clomp around in them.

Plain bling:

Scarf for warmth under my leather coat.

• Scarf - thrifted
• Necklace - thrifted
• Earrings - local

I found this awesome bow-front silk blouse at the WIN Warehouse store.

Yup, more red! I need to stop buying tie-front blouses now.

However, at only $6.95, how can I resist?

I like that it's sized, vs. a medium.

It's by Levante (never heard of them), so it's probably an old 80s brand, long gone. I will probably machine wash this (as opposed to dry clean, ugh), since many 100% silk items are fine on delicate.

Elaine and I went to Flavour Upstairs, one of my favourite places for vintage clothes. I found an amazing faux fur ocelot coat...that I put back. Do I really need another faux fur coat?

"I am all the fur you need, woman."

I did find the above chartreuse paint-splattered shirt for L for $14.95, though. Not bad.

On Friday, it was sunny, so I made myself leave the house and get a walk in.

It will soon be too cold to wear these thin pants.

• Sweater - Talbots, thrifted; last seen here in August for my pre/post-Ulty outfit
• Pants - Zara, consignment; last worn here in July for the amazing 40+ Blogger Meet-up
• Shoes - Two Lips, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) in January for a casual weekend look

I was wearing this sweater when I originally bought these pants, and loved how well the blues matched. I love me some matchy!

I am on the lookout for some good flat black tall boots - I have limited shoes for walking all day.

Outerwear? There!

Another one of my fabulous Danier Leather coats. This one was made in Canada.

The stuff:

I freakin' love these shoes. I still giggle to myself that I only paid $2.00 for them!

• Earrings - 10th anniversary gift from L

I browsed through a few other stores. Didn't see much that I had to have, but I did find a replacement pair of runners for walking to and from work.

Hooray for purple and pink hearts! These are by AirWalk and were $24.00 on consignment.

Vizzini has been very cranky this week (when he's not being lovey).

"I'm pretending this is your shin."

We've brought his post in for the season - it's too cold to have the deck doors open.

"This is outrageous! I need to patrol!"

He's been attacking the curtains, leaping from his post to a nearby chair, and raking our ankles (sometimes with claws, little bugger) when we go by one of his Secret Lairs.

On Saturday morning, L and I went out for our usual brunch.

Um, sure, let's wear all of these things!

• Jacket - Dex, thrifted; last worn here in October with leopard and granny shoes
• Top - Ellen Tracy, swap; last seen here layered in March
• Skirt - Jones New York, vintage 80s, thrifted; last worn here in March with a purple jerkin
• Shoes - Cydwoq; last seen here in March with my given-away purple brocade

L is coordinated in his purple plaid - it's like we planned it!

I didn't really have any reason for wearing any of these items. I'm iffy on the jacket - such a great colour, but the fit is not that good on me.

I love this black wool skirt (I have a vintage half-slip on under it - it's not lined). It has pockets and swirls most deliciously.

The stuff:

The last time I wore these I said that I didn't like them with bare legs. Ha, take that! I had bare legs!

Spectacular bling:

I love these pieces.

• Necklace/earrings - Myka, gift from L

So...that faux fur ocelot coat? I told L about it...I couldn't stop thinking about it! We walked back to Flavour Upstairs after lunch and he bought it for me. Whatta guy!

Yes! Isn't it amazing? It's by Hilary Radley, who is apparently known for her coats. I've never actually seen any coats by her on consignment or in thrift stores, but I have two pairs of her shoes: these green ones and these red ones.

The back:

The belt is faux leather, and it's trimmed with it on the pockets and under the collar as well.

Check out the lining!

Her name is woven into the fabric! You never see that! The interior is fully quilted and so soft.

Seriously, how did I pass this up the first time - it was only $34.99!

As a bonus, the original tags and a spare button were in the pocket. I don't think it was ever worn! These coats sell for about $300 new, so I think this was a good score! 

On Saturday afternoon, Elaine and I went to the Belfry Theatre to see their production of "Chelsea Hotel - The Songs of Leonard Cohen" (link, 'cause I love). I had these tickets as part of my season tickets; Mom doesn't like Leonard Cohen, so I asked Elaine to go. It was a great show - the artists were incredible at singing, dancing and playing a multitude of instruments. I found it a little too literal in interpreting some of the poetry/lyrics, but otherwise it was a fab show. (local review here)

I decided that I must wear All The Ruffles!

• Lace top - no label, Vintage Expo; first worn here in September with a bit of steampunk
• Corset top - Betsey Johnson, vintage 90s; last seen here (2nd outfit) for a Valentine's tea with Mom (another steampunk look!)
• Skirt - Kay Unger, thrifted; first worn here in July with mustard and leopard
• Boots - Velazquez Baroque, Fluevog; last seen here in November 2014 with grey

I know, so many ruffles! After the theatre, Elaine and I bussed to town and met up with a bunch of friends for drinks and dinner.

My outfit got a lot of comments, both from theatre-goers (the layered necklaces, the boots and the outfit overall) and from my friends, one of whom actually unzipped my corset top to check it out! Hey, stop that!

I really loved this outfit, so this is my entry for "Visible Monday" over at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style. Get yourself over there!

I couldn't resist - I had to christen the "Unsafe Ocelot" coat! Can you tell I'm feeling totally badass in this?

I see a suspicious tail!

This joins the Unsafe Polar Bear and the Unsafe Grizzly (hmm...I haven't featured that one previously) coats in my wardrobe. I'm apt to do rash things when wearing them! Follow me at your peril (or risk it and have fun!).

I felt like a crazy diva in this! Love!

The stuff:

It's a crime that I haven't worn these gorgeous boots more often! I resolve to wear them many more times this fall/winter!

Layered bling:

I tried the white disc/crystal necklace with the outfit first, then the pearl necklace...and then I realized how awesome they looked together. Nothing exceeds like excess!

• Pearl necklace - Aldo Accessories
• Necklace - Banana Republic, consignment
• Earrings - all local

Today is the last chillin' day before I'm back to work tomorrow. I'm dreading it - why can't I be a woman of leisure?

I hope you're having a great weekend!