Ginormous Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Tiger Bomb, Mel in Van, 19th Anniversary Shoe-Vogs

I hope y'all are in comfy chairs - this is a bigass weekend wrap-up! I'm back, I'm sick (why do I always get sick on vacation), and I'm tired, so let's give 'er! 

Firstly, much love to my dear husband, L. 

Maybe I did coordinate my blouse so that my camera would blend in for a selfie...or maybe I'm just lucky.

 A very happy 19th anniversary to you, my love. Thank you for being my partner in life.

Photo by Melanie K

Rock on! Damn, we're a fine-lookin' couple.

Okay, so before all that business happened, there was Friday.

Friday before vacation means I am getting all up in your face with a tiger. Rar!

• Dress - Kenzo, thrifted; purchased here for $24.95
• Shirt (worn underneath) - Tommy Hilfiger, thrifted; first worn here in January with colours
• Boots - BCBG Max Azria; last worn here with baby blue and gold

I think I made every single person in my office feel how thick this pink fleece was.

I also played "Guess the Brand." Heh.

The fleece is not stretchy at all and it's quite boob-mashy across the front. I didn't mind too much until I got sweaty. This dress is HOT. It will not be in my summer wardrobe. I desperately needed to reapply antiperspirant, but it would have necessitated basically removing the dress to do it. Nope, gonna have to live with pitsing, gah.

Aside from that, it was a delight to wear. Can you see my purple tights in the top picture? They match the purple in the embroidery.

I liked how the white collar just peeped out at the top, so that the overall outfit didn't look too girly. Also, why not add a yellow leather jacket?

Overall, a fully fun badass outfit! This is how we kick off a long vacation weekend!

The stuff:

Wonderful boots - I'm so glad I go them.

Big bling:

Ooh, shiny.

• Pin - The Bay, about 15 years ago
• Ring - Soul Flower
• Earrings - vintage fair

I dashed home after work and had a quick nap. Then up and get ready for Urbanite! Time to party at the Art Gallery!

I felt awesome in this lilies and berries dress all night.

• Dress - no label, thrifted, vintage 70s; first worn here in August 2015 for another art opening
• Shoes - Tod's, thrifted; last seen here a few weeks ago with Lacroix
• Jacket (below) - Kimchi Blue; last worn here (4th outfit) for Cat's birthday

Can you tell I am feeling the vibe?

 Such a killer dress - I love the length of the pattern. They just don't make 'em like this anymore.

"Did I hear the kitty-treat bag?"

It screams "quality" - I got tons of compliments on it all night.

"Dear god, woman, do you have to wear that fuzzy monstrosity in public?"

What other coat would do this justice? I mean, really.

And even though I cut his head off, no other man for me than my awesome L.

I remember my aunt used to do this crazy leg kick pose back in the 70s when she kissed my uncle. So weird.

Speaking of weird, this guy is the best kind of weird!

I love that L loves dressing up as much as me. He is fearless!

The stuff:

I walked both ways to the Art Gallery and back - we call that "stagger distance."

Simple bling:

Groovy and simple, man.

• Purse - fiveleft
• Ring - local
• Earrings - vintage fair

Well, that evening went on rather long, and both L and I were feeling the effects of only a few hours' sleep, but we dragged our butts out of bed bright and early Saturday morning.

Feeling adequate, lookin' classy.

• Jacket - Danier Couture, consignment; last seen here a week ago with the first wearing of spots
• Blouse - no label, vintage 80s, thrifted; last worn here with this same jacket
• Trousers - TopShop, thrifted; last worn here (3rd outfit) with lace
• Shoes - Half-Truth Veda, Fluevog; last worn here in February with lilac leather and keys

These were my travel clothes; I wore this all day Saturday and Monday till early afternoon.

I just love this baby blue blouse - the way the little ruffled cuffs stick out, the high neck. It's fabulous.

I'm still getting the hang of pants, after a very long absence of them in my closet. These were actually worn all weekend, during the day, including Sunday.

We knew it would be cloudy and rainy, but not too cold in Vancouver this weekend.

A furry circle scarf and leather gloves will do.

The stuff:

I swapped the Vedas back into my capsule for this weekend. I know they can stand up to rain, lots of walking and lots of standing around.

• Earrings, ring - local
• Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

If you've been reading my blog for more than a year, you've probably noticed that L and I go to Vancouver every year for our anniversary. Get ready, there are a lot of pictures!

I live on an island: Vancouver Island (not to be confused with Vancouver the city. Different places, named after the same guy). It's a big island, around the size of bottom of Florida, but most of the population is on the west coast and the southern tip of the island (Victoria, where I live).

There are no bridges (we live in an earthquake zone), so the only ways to get on or off the Island is by plane, like the float planes above, or via one of the two major airports. Planes take 35 minutes or so to get to Vancouver on the mainland.

Or, you can take the ferry. Ferries take several hours: driving to the terminal (45+ minutes), waiting in line (limited sailings, or tourist season, can mean a few hours' wait), then a 1 hour, 35-minute sailing, then another 45+ minute drive to downtown Vancouver.

I'm telling you now: ferries are for chumps! I'm joking, of course - they are the cheapest way to go, especially if you take public transit on either end, and that's always a factor. However, the time is just ridiculous. For us to take the ferry to Vancouver, we'd have to leave 2-3 hours earlier and we would arrive about 4-5 hours later. That usually means having to stay in Vancouver an extra night to all the things we want to do. And it means the stress of all that travel, eating on the go, and frankly, all that time. I hate the time thing. My time is valuable!

Instead, we pay the premium price (it's about $200/per person each way) and fly the seaplane harbour-to-harbour.

I always recommend this at least once for people new to my neck of the woods. It's an amazing experience to see this.

There's the ferry terminal down there at Tswassessen, south of Vancouver. Enjoy the 45+ minute drive, suckers!

Us? We will be in Vancouver in 10 minutes.

So calming.

Ah, there's the city.

It's pretty cool flying in a seaplane. They only seat about 12 people. You have to wear earplugs because it's so loud, too.

One of our traditions when we go to Vancouver is to meet up with our friends!

Photo by Melanie K

Melanie's featured us on her Vancouver street style blog, Culture Serf. Check us out here!

We always go to Acme Cafe - they have macaroni and bacon!

EEE! There's Melanie! We love hang out with her. I nearly ripped that coat off her - isn't it fabulous?

Why does she always look classy and gorgeous, and I look like a demented duckface?

Or pooping my pants?

And why the leg kick again? 

I blame L. Take better pictures!

We wandered into a hat store and concurred over the difficulty in finding hats that do not squish one's crazy gravity-defying coif. This is a real issue.

Hee, I see myself.

The cloche style is so classy! But then you can't see the hair! Quelle dilemma!

Another tradition we have is going to the Fluevog Gastown store. We missed you, Wes!

L is such a cool dude.

Snakeskin or blue?

The black ones are from a previous anniversary trip, this one from 2010.

L goes right to the men's table, but I have to cruise around the whole store a couple of times and then start narrowing down to which ones I'll try on. I try on a lot, usually about 8-12 pairs.

If you're interested - and these are all links 'cause I love! - this is what I tried on.

• Witchy granny boots - Beyonce wore these in her "Formation" video. They didn't have my size and really, this is not a practical style for me (and they were a little high). I do love them, though. 
• Blue and white dots - Didn't like how they felt, the hand-done screening of the dots was a little messy.
• Purple and blue - These almost made the cut. They weren't quite right, though. I could be tempted if they go on deep clearance sale.
• Purple rock and roll - I loved these - they were incredibly comfortable. I'm going to watch for them to go on sale.
• Black with skulls - I thought I would love these, but they were far too boring for me.
• Black ankle booties - Again, I thought these were going to be me. They were not.
• These rubbed-off red - Too flat. Not different enough.
• Aqua and navy - I have this same heel in orange, yellow and copper, but this variation didn't ring my bell.
• Cream and grey floral - The floral leather appealed to me. Not really my usual style.
• Totally Baroque - L liked these, but they aren't really me, even though they are really pretty. 
• Mod dot ankle boots - Totally worth a try-on, but they stumpified my legs.
• Baby blue and white - This was a pair I'd been watching online. I love the colours.

Photo by Melanie K

Traffic in the store ebbs and flows around us.

Photo by Melanie K

L plans his travel outfits carefully for maximum mix-and-match-ability. Loving his burgundy velvet blazer and the rattlesnake pewter and enamel belt buckle (which I thrifted for him).

Can you tell which shoes I like for him?

Photo by Melanie K

These are the ones he ended up with. They're called the Good Manners Buster (linking here 'cause I love). It's hard to see but in addition to the black and white snakeskin, they also have shiny metallic silver! Shiny!

L also tried these purple ones, but didn't quite love them enough. Maybe when they go on sale?

Not only did was my camera totally camo-ed by my blouse, but these fabulous Mary Jane shoes matched perfectly. Maybe it was fate?

Contemplation in the light.

Fluevogs are tricky shoes - I often end up with styles that I never thought I would like. You have to try them on, and sometimes it's about seeing it actually on your foot before you fall in love. I've been surprised by Fluevogs many times.

So what did I get? These are the Elegant Conversations Kendra (linking here 'cause I love).

These are a gorgeous shoe on. They are comfy, soft and the heel is right in my comfort zone.

I also like how they function as the classic beige shoe without being a big ol' puddle of oatmeal on your foot.

Not too pointy, not too rounded.

"Listen Loudly. Speak Softly."

I like that.

I also like how the heel has a little elegant curve to it.

I'm excited to wear these.

And yeah, of course, I got the Effortless Vivian (linking here 'cause I love).

The baby blue is patent leather, and is a very fine pearlized blue.

The patent leather is a bit stiff, so I will gradually extend use on these until they are fully comfortable.

I can't help it, I had to have them.

Effort.

Less.

Melanie left us at that point (adieu, dahling!), and we strolled up the street to La Differencia, another funky shoe store. Linking here and saying hello to the lovely lady there. They have some seriously awesome crazy different shoes there.

These are by Eject and were on the clearance rack for $149.00.

They are soft leather, padded soles and are a metallic chartreuse washed with sort of a "rust" finish.

The studs on the sides really appeal to me - these will be great for summer!

I brought one dress to Vancouver for both of our dinners out.

I'm wearing teal tights but it's dark out (L and I had a nap after all that exhausting shopping). Same shoes.

• Dress - Elie Tahari, consignment; last seen here in February with too many accessories

We met up with our friends Anthony and Laura for dinner at Chambar (link here 'cause I love, and the food was amazing).

We strolled together back to our hotel after a long and delicious dinner. L and Anthony had to pose by a tank. Because men.

On Sunday, L and I usually meet up with Spence and Kim and their kids, but they weren't able to make it this time, so L and I were on our own. We had a reprieve from the rain, and thank you to my trusty photographer for suggesting we go on the hotel room deck.

Same outfit for the other days except for the blouse, which I tucked in once I saw this picture. I liked it better tucked in.

• Blouse - Le Chateau, thrifted; last seen here a week ago being visible

We went shopping around West Broadway (we usually do Main) and Granville. It was one of the areas that we'd explored during last July's blogger meet-up, and I wanted to introduce it to L.

They have a Plum there. We both loved this shirt.

Reminds me of our old kitty Othello. I didn't buy it, or anything else there, though.

We spent a bit of time in Anthropologie (L found a chair, but overall he knows how I shop), and I really loved this thick suede skirt from the sale area.

It was reduced down to $89 from $358. The front opens up and I really like the odd hem. It's really heavy!

We wandered through lots of expensive shops, and didn't find anything else interesting, aside from a pair of super-groovy headphones for L. Oh, and this gnome.

Hee!

We had a mission in this part of town too: to visit the Storm Crow Tavern! Link here 'cause I love - hello, Deborah!

L and Rocket

It's basically a super-geeky Dungeons and Dragons/fantasy/horro/sci-fi pub where you can play games. Everything is nerdy-themed. Needless to say, we loved it.

Cash Bar of Cthulhu: Order below, Human Filth! 

Of course, Han shot first! This isn't even a discussion!

I liked the movie posters on the lit columns, looking to the back of the pub.

You can see the wall of games on the right, and on the left...

Han Solo, frozen in carbonite!

And a Rankor's head over the fireplace (which was full of skulls. As fireplaces are).

These illustrations are straight out of the original DM's Guide!

As murals on the wall! My head explodes!

We both took delight in the bathrooms. I like chalk walls.

Where is here, anyway? You don't want to know.

Ten points if you recognize this as a riff on Admiral Akbar's famous quote.

Yes, I am an 11-year-old.

L and I play a lot of Arkham Horror.

But this is a Buffy quote.

We got a little free swag.

Sweet! Those buttons are totally going on my jean jacket.

After lunch, we headed back downtown, stopping in at My Sister's Closet thrift shop.

I found these sweet Banana Republic "Sloan Fit" trousers in the men's section for $25.00. That seems expensive until I see them on their website for $110.00.

I wasn't really sold on this dress, but the boozy lunch persuaded me otherwise.

It's a very clingy, but thick, t-shirt material, but it looks great on. I also really like the lemon yellow colour and the cowl neck. It's by Fabrizio Gianni, which is made in Los Angeles. It was $30.00.

I spotted this hat at the last minute - it's wool, it's red (very Agent Carter!), and it was only $16.00. Actually, we tipped a dollar, so it was $17.00.

It's by Soprattutto Cappelli and is made in Italy. I wore it home in the rain - gotta love a wool hat!

Sunday night, after another nice long nap, we met up with Craig for dinner.

Look at all the pretty lights along Robson Street!

Up early Monday morning to catch our flight back home. A flight at 10am, and walking in the door at home by 11am. That is way to travel, my friends.

That's looking north, up the coast of BC.

Coming in over some of the Gulf Islands, between Vancouver Island and the mainland.

The large white specks are boats.

There's the ferry, coming in to the dock.

Suckers! I'll be home in less than half an hour!

It's a little stormy down there.

All those white waves along the short mean choppy seas. We had a bit of a bumpy flight in this stretch.

Hey, I can see my house!

Sort of. I know where it is.

Downtown and the waterfront walkway along Dallas Road.

And touch-down!

Just as another plane is about to take off.

Home!

Not as rainy as Vancouver, and not anywhere near as big, but I love my city. I'm happy to be home.

Vizzini has been very cuddly.

"Cat and Ross fed me treats. I didn't miss you people."

We've been enjoying a peaceful couple of days off. I'm not feeling too hot, so I'm going to nap some more.

Linking up to:

• "Visible Monday" over at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style
• "52 Pick-me-up" at Anne's SpyGirl

And how was your weekend?