Jungle, Lace, Dots and Elf Shoes

Aside from whatever I wear out to brunch on Saturday, this is my last spring/summer outfit of the year. I think it perfectly encapsulates everything that I love about clothes, fashion and style. 

And if I have to pick an outfit to represent this last 6 month season, this is as good as any.

• Jacket - Vero Moda in Blue, thrifted; last seen here (3rd outfit) earlier this month with this same top for shopping with Jenn
• Lace top - La Vie 89, thrifted; last worn here (3rd outfit), same time as the jacket
• Skirt - vintage 80s, Pierre Cardin, vintage store; last worn here in June with Shoes My Husband Loves
• Shoes - Prepare Guide, Fluevog; last seen here in August with a stained glass dress

What I love: the textures (quilted cotton, smooth silk, nubby lace), the patterns (jungle, lace, dots), the cuts (puffy jacket, cropped top, long lean pencil skirt), and the colours (turquoise, red, white, hints of peach and orange). And it's just so fun!

Everything in this outfit is getting packed away for 6 more months, including the shoes. I just don't have room to have everything out, plus these are very much warm weather weight garments.

The stuff:

Another year of my lovely blue elf shoes. I wore them seven times over half a year, which is pretty good, when you consider how many pairs of shoes I have (less than 100, but not by much).

Simple bling:

I'm feeling like I want to start piling on the bling, like, scads and scads of necklaces, rings and bracelets. Must be a fall thing!

• Earrings - thrifted
• Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

Adieu to my spring/summer wardrobe!

Tomorrow night is the annual Vintage Expo at the Crystal Gardens, so I won't be posting - however, I will be dressed for the occasion! I'll have loot to share with you all (I'm sure!). This weekend is also the closet swap-out, and I'll be taking lots of pictures. See you all later - have a fabulous weekend!

A Last Gasp of Pink and Yellow

Another outfit filled with things that are going on vacation in big plastic tubs under my bed for six months. 

I'm debating whether the blouse will stay out or not (Emily, your vote for "stay out" has been noted).

• Blouse - Tory Burch, consignment; first worn here in August with yellow and gold
• Skirt - J Studio, vintage 80s, thrifted; first worn here in August with dotted shoes
• Shoes - Big Presence Desmond, Fluevog; last seen here in August as a pow of yellow
• Leather coat (below) - Danier Leather, had for 6+ years, originally purchased in May 2010, here, for $149.00

The pattern on the blouse is actually birds in flight. I love how they swoop and soar across me.

Such a fabulous skirt. Wool, lined, POCKETS, made in Canada, less than $13.00.

Every time I wear this leather jacket, people comment on it. It's been over 6 years, and I've worn it dozens and dozens of times. I'm sure I'm down to around $2.00 a wear or less.

Yeah, I walk to work in sport socks and runners. I am classy as heck.

The stuff:

Lovely yellow waxed canvas goodness. I wish I had these shoes in every colour Fluevog made/makes them in.

Bright bling:

I hugged Simar today, to thank her again for these awesome earrings.

• Belt - Liz Claiborne, vintage 80s, thrifted
• Earrings - gift from Simar

Vizzini mad at me because L is away. It's like he thinks this is my fault.

"I demand the Man."

Enjoy the deck while you can, Vizzini - it's getting chillier.

Mullet Outfit: Business on Top, Party on the Bottom

I make up the titles for my posts at some point during my day, based on how I feel about my outfit, things people (coworkers, strangers, weird shouty people) say about and sometimes it's a pun or bit of wordplay around the colours or style of a piece. 

Today, I thought "mullet outfit" on the way home, eating a slice of pizza (followed by an apple).

• Blouse - Elite, vintage 80s, thrifted; last seen here in July with chrysanthemums
• Skirt - Joe Fresh, consignment; first worn here in August with baby blue
• Shoes - Fugitive, thrifted; last worn here in June with fluffy leopard
• Jacket (below) - Lord & Taylor, thrifted; worn yesterday, here

I'm all business on the top: buttoned up, tied up, big full swoopy sleeves and tight cuffs. No way, I have tattoos??

They're actually (very) slightly visible through the blouse, ha!

I wanted to get another wear out of this skirt before I pack it away. It's lined, but it's a cotton lining. I have lacy fishnet tights on (visible in the top picture) and the skirt clung to them all day. Lacy skirt, lacy legs - party on the bottom!

Freakin' heck, I love this jacket.

One of my better thrift purchases - my cost per wear is dropping every day!

The stuff:

I didn't do the "mod" look as much this year as I have in previous summers, so these shoes have only gotten 2 wearings. I still love them, though, so they're keepers.

Blue bling:

Yup, those are blue.

• Earrings - Caracol
• Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

Greensleeves and Jungle

You'll be seeing a lot of repeat wearings of my long-sleeved blouses this week as my tattoo heals up. 

Deja vu, anyone? I wore this same top for my first work day after the line-work in August. It's good for showing off the ink before it starts getting all flaky and dry.

• Blouse - Alfani, thrifted; last worn here in August, yup, post-tattoo
• Skirt - Mario Serrano, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) in July with orange, and these same shoes
• Shoes - Half Truth Tanya, Fluevog; last worn here (2nd outfit) with the same skirt in July
• Jacket (below) - Lord & Taylor, thrifted; last worn (but not seen) here last week; last seen here the week before with purple

 It was a crazy Monday. I ended up working late (moving another desk). I'm tired. And hungry.

Last wearing of this jungle skirt for the season; it's too thin (cotton, lined) for winter. Plus I have many other fabulous winter skirts to wear! You have to rest seasonal things in order to appreciate them again later.

And there's the jacket. We're still having lovely mild weather, so nothing heavier's needed, although this topper is also going to get packed away for the season.

The stuff:

Perfect Monday shoes. No thought involved.

Green and blue bling:

Just chandelier earring for every day wear, as one does.

• Earrings - thrifted
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes

Linking up to Catherine's "I will wear what I like" linky party over at Not Dressed As Lamb! 

Weekend Wrap-Up: Spotted in Lilac; Bronze Shoes and Inked In Tattoo; Theatre With Mom; and Camo and Florals (and Cat Pictures)

I wouldn't describe this weekend as a whirlwind, as everything has been rather mellow; however, many things happened! 

First up, I missed what may have been our last Ulti game of the year to get my tattoo coloured in (line-work done here back in August). I've been so excited to get this done! 

I wore clothes that were loose, comfortable (lots of stretch) and good for lying on a table.

• Kimono top - Urban Renewal; last seen here in June with Shoes My Husband Hates
• Sleeveless sweater - INC, consignment; first worn here in August with a "flame on" outfit
• Skirt - Un Deux Trois, thrifted; last worn here in July with orange
• Shoes - Chi Mihara; last seen here (4th outfit, after all the travel pics) with yellow and the last of a silk dress

This lilac kimono top/jacket thing doubled as a blanket for me while Mason worked on my arm - I'm always cold when I'm just lying there.

I just can't go for a tattoo in yoga pants and a tank top (as most people do, I've observed). I still have to dress nice! And good thing I did, as you'll see shortly!

The stuff:

Comfy shoes for walking to and from my session. A stretchy belt for easy removal (I admit, I forgot about this, and discovered it while rooting around in a hatbox).

• Belt - thrifted
• Necklace - thrifted
• Earrings - thrifted

While I was getting ready in the morning, Vizzini was proclaiming dominion over my closet.

"This is my space, full of good things to eat."

He is not allowed in there unsupervised.

As mentioned, good thing I dressed up! Sharon - a lovely long-time reader of Ephemera - spotted me in Floyd's dinner, having my pre-tattoo breakfast fuel-up!

Her husband, Paul, took our picture. They are visiting Victoria all the way from Canberra, Australia! What great timing and awesome that they went to Floyd's (because they read about it here)! Thank you so much for saying hello, Sharon, and so nice to meet you both! I felt like a celebrity, and had a glow all day.

I was a few minutes early for my appointment with my tattooist, Mason LaRose at Painted Lotus, so I quickly popped into Footloose Shoes to see if any of their "last pairs" called to me - would there be anything? Um, silly question!

These wonderful bronze leather beauties were regular $228.00 marked down half price to $114.00 - the toe on one of them had a scuff where the bronze patina had worn off. I knew L and I had some antique gold model paint, so I daubed a bit on and you can't even tell there was a scuff.

These are by Miista, and they are incredibly comfortable.

I can't wait to wear these! L was jealous, as these are right up his alley, too.

Almost 3 hours later, here we go, right arm coloured.

The brightness of the colours will tone down a bit over the next couple of weeks as it heals up, but I am thrilled with it. I love how the blue pops the yellow, and the soft terra cotta colour on the banner.

While I was being worked on, I took my glasses off (ah, fuzzy world, so nice) and watched the clouds scuttle by through the skylight in the roof. I saw a helicopter go right over us - I realized later that it was probably the Royals (Kate and Wills, news link) flying right over me! They flew from the downtown helijet pad to Government House's private pad to avoid clogging up residential neighbourhoods (like mine - thank you!).

It's looking pretty good, healing-wise, already, not a lot of plasma weeping, although my arm is quite swollen.

I'll be wearing clothes that cover it up all week while it heals, until it's in a state for public viewing. I have my next session booked for the left arm's line-work!

Saturday was a rush. After that trauma (I say trauma because tattoos DO hurt, and it takes a toll on your body), I had 30 minutes to get changed to go to the theatre with Mom.

I had trouble getting the jacket on, but the tight sleeves helped me keep my arm rigid during the play.

• Jacket - Comrags, thrifted; last worn here for Canada Day in July
• Sleeveless sweater - INC, consignment; same as above
• Skirt - Alex Coleman, vintage 70s, consignment; last seen here (3rd outfit) in July with lace for brunch 
• Shoes - Wonders Ayers, Fluevog aka "the Fluevog Vizzinis", customized by Vizzini and me; last seen here in June with pink paisley

The play was the Belfry Theatre's production of "The Last Wife" (local paper's review here), based on Catherine Parr's marriage to King Henry VII, but modernized in setting, costume and dialogue (noted as very colloquial in the reveiw). Both Mom and I really enjoyed it. But it was 3 hours, and that is a long time - every so often I was distracted by a wave of pain.

I had to get another wear out of this fabulous vintage cotton skirt. It's just so gorgeous.

Slits on either side make it great for walking to and from the theatre and pub, where we went afterwards for dinner. I very much deserved a big glass of wine by then!

The stuff:

I'll probably do something else with these shoes at some point (you can find out why I painted a pair of Fluevogs here;why Vizzini's not allowed unsupervised in my closet). I still really like them, so they're keepers and will go in to storage next weekend.

Pink bling:

Matchy! Tassle-y!

• Belt - thrifted
• Earrings - consignment

I was very excited to recognize one of the actors in the play from TV! Sean Baek (IMDB link here) plays Fancy Lee in Killjoys (link), one of my favourite sci-fi shows.

And woo, he is a very handsome man! There was a brief nudity scene near the end of the play, so we got to see his bum, tee hee. *fans self*

By the time I got home it was dark, and apparently, Vizzini had wasted without me at home, and only L for company (I suspect some cudding went on).

"You should give me kitty treats."

Lies! L already gave them to you, Vizzini!

L and I spent a chill evening playing board games, but I was up early Sunday/today to remove all the bandages and start maintenance of my tattoo. I made about a 10% effort with my outfit, but thought I would show you all anyway, as I really liked the pant/boot combo.

I have to wash my arm every couple of hours today, so a sleeveless top was required. I actually sleep in this t-shirt, ha ha.

• T-shirt - Smoking Lily, not longer tracked, had it since January 2013 (here, ha, me with blonde hair)
• Camo pants - Gap, consignment; just worn here on Friday
• Boots - Doc Martens, consignment; last seen here in December 2015 for Christmas shopping in my tentacle coat (seriously, it's awesome)
• Coat (below) - Smoking Lily, not tracked; had it since February 2012 (here, me with dark red hair)

Completely no frills - and no make-up! - but I'm feeling powerful, can you tell? I love how the floral combat boots go with the camo pants. I think I'll have to wear this sweater with this combo, agreed?

It ended up being too warm, but the soft inside fleece of this heavy cotton coat was welcome.

This is called the "octo-coat" because those are printed octopi (or octopusses?) on it.

Boots!

It's been too warm to wear these for months, but I love them and keep them out year-round. I didn't wear any accessories at all - not even earrings!

Vizzini was excited about something on the deck this morning.

"Acorns! They're falling everywhere!"

He seems to think that thumping his tail on the glass will keep the acorns from dropping.

"You get back on that tree right now!'

Linking up to:

• Patti's "Visible Monday" over at Not Dead Yet Style

Camo Pants With Blue

Thank the gods that it's the weekend. I really, really, REALLY needed it. 

I pooh-pooh your Casual Friday, corporation! I wear camo pants with abandon!

• Sweater - J. Crew, thrifted; purchased here for $14.95
• Pants - Gap, consignment; first worn here in August with orange and bronze
• Sandals - Dr. Scholl's, consignment; last seen here earlier this month with a whale
• Jacket (below) - Danier Leather, consignment 

I plan 99% of my outfits the night before, and many of them the Sunday before the start of my week. I really wanted to wear my camo pants again (BECAUSE CAMO PANTS), and I also hadn't worn this new-to-me J. Crew merino wool thin sweater yet.

Isn't that the most glorious shade of blue? It was fabulous to wear too - not too tight (I like the tightness of the sleeves - makes my arms look skinny and holds in my flappy "buh-byes"), not too loose, a good V-neck and the high-low hemline looks great without completely disappearing my waist.

Here's my outerwear today, one of my many leather jackets. Most of them are by Danier Leather, purchased new or on consignment - sad that Danier is now no more. It was a Canadian company, and made many of their things in Canada still. Can't compete with those fast-fashion stores.

I went with purple to a) go with my hair and b) because it didn't overwhelm the camo pants and c) it didn't fight with the blue of the sweater. It was chilly and threatening to rain today, so Leather Weather. You know it.

The stuff:

Last wear of the summer from these fabulous chunk sandals. I am ashamed to say that my "pedicure" on my toes was really half-assed, as in it's the same one I've been wearing for a month. You couldn't tell (I tell myself). Probably the last exposure of the toes till spring, unless party shoes are called for. I always strip all the polish off my toes for tights weather to give my nails a break. Do you guys do that too?

Mixed metal bling:

I had planned to wear my mixed metal chain necklace with this, but I didn't like how it went with the neckline and the length of it. So...out it goes. One of my friends will like it, I'm sure.

• Cuff - gift from Karen
• Earrings - local
• Spinner ring - Twang & Pearl
• Crystal ring - Uffizi Gallery gift shop

I have a challenging weekend ahead: I'm getting the colour done on my tattoo! Which is immediately followed by a 3-hour play with Mom, followed by dinner. I can do it. I can do it. I can do it.

Back on Sunday! Hope you all have a fun weekend!