Bigass Vacation Week Wrap-Up: Floral Elf, Pack A.D., Last Loafers and Thrifting, Party Dress and Grocery Clothes

Ah, I'm back. What a lovely extra-long weekend I've had. Let's have a little recap, shall we?

Thursday was football all day - L and I had Nick and Chris over for beers and chili while we watched. I still had to do my WW meeting that night, so no drinks for me until I got home. 

I walked there so I went with super-casual shoes - my WW group was delighted with my floral combat boots.

• Blouse - Elite, vintage 80s, thrifted; last seen here in September as business on top
• Dress - The Limited, thrifted; last worn here (3rd outfit) in October 2015
• Boots - Doc Martens, consignment; last seen here in October for one of my tattoo sessions
• Coat (below) - Forever 21, thrifted

I think this blouse is too big on me - the shoulders are too wide. I'm going to keep an eye out for a replacement. Mental note.

This dress has pockets in the front seams (you can see my hand in one above), and is a thick wool. So cute!

Outerwear is the Grape Ape coat.

I'm still not 100% on cream tights. Not sure how long these will last with me.

The stuff:

I subbed in the matchy tie that the blouse came with for this nice floral silk one.

• Scarf - Ralph Lauren, consignment
• Earrings - thrifted

L and I spent Friday on the couch recovering from the previous night's fun and games, then got ready for two events that night. We went from super-formal to super-casual venues, so it was tricky to pull that off.

Yes, Wonder Woman is always appropriate in every situation!

• Coat - Noa Noa; last worn here in January 2015 with purple leather
• T-shirt - DC Comics, thrifted; first seen here in August with pouffy black leather
• Skirt - Danier Leather, thrifted; last worn here (3rd outfit) earlier this month for a shop with Simona
• Boots - Adrian Agnes, Fluevog; last seen here (3rd outfit) in January for a surprise cowgirl birthday

Our first stop was the Union Club, a very hoity-toity uptight place. Our friend Norm is moving to Saskatchewan, and this was our final chance to wish him the best. L was wearing a jacket with a skull and crossbones on the back and they made him take it off(!). I buttoned my jacket all the way up to hide my WW tee (no kinds of logos allowed - yes, seriously) and my leather skirt.

But there is no stopping Wonder Woman!

After the stuffiness of the Union Club, we grabbed a drink and some pizza before meeting up with a gaggle of friends to go see The Pack A.D., a Canadian duo from Vancouver. Link here (linking 'cause I love!) - if you like the White Stripes, they are very similar, with two women who are wickedly good at what they do. There are videos and links to their songs - please check 'em out!

I have to share this from their website, because Sugar Nightclub (where we saw them) is one of those venues with sticky carpet (ew).

The Pack A.D. is also one of Canada’s “must-see” bands. Be it a massive stadium or the slightly seedy bar where everybody’s shoes stick to the carpet, the Pack A.D. have owned every spotlight and stolen every show they’ve ever played. Becky and Maya are relentless and riveting, playing with the kind of fuck-off freedom that makes everybody in the room vicarious rock stars, even if it’s just for the night.

It was a moshin' good time! I would go see them again in a heartbeat. We also enjoyed the two opening bands, Vancouver Island group Malahat (kind of a cross between Led Zeppelin and death metal, link here) and Smash Boom Pow, another Vancouver duo, featuring two brothers (link here). I preferred Smash Boom Pow - too bad they didn't have any merch for sale or I would have bought their EP.

*ahem* Back to clothes! I haven't worn this cotton pin-striped coat in a long time - nearly 2 years! It's such a cool piece, but is a bit tricky to style.

Sugar Nightclub makes you check your coats, so I wore outerwear accoutrements that I could stuff in my purse. Screw you, I don't check my coat at seedy nightclubs. Wool fingerless gloves by Parkhurst, and a thrifted fur boa.

And lest you think I looked classy (hee) all night, this is when I got home, a bit wet from the rain, and all tuckered out from the music.

These tights were purchased on clearance at the Gap many years ago.

The stuff:

These boots are still very stiff after a few years, so I only wear them when I'm committing to having them on for a while. I walked to and from town in these, and basically hung out in them for about 9 hours total.

On Saturday, L and I went for brunch.

A nice stroll to town in a light rain. 'Tis that time of year - rain.

• Dress - Desigual by Christian Lacroix, thrifted; last seen here (3rd outfit) in late March 
• Shoes - Two Lips, thrifted; last worn here in December 2015(!) with shiny and brocade
• Coat (below) - Danier Leather 

I left these uncropped, as I like L getting ready to go in the background.

I love this dress. The chunk of design up near my face is all beaded and embroidered over the printed pattern.

I'm shocked that Vizzini isn't pouncing after L's shoelaces. He must have been sulking under the bed.

Outerwear:

Just my Parkhurst mustard yellow fingerless gloves, but I wished I'd worn a scarf or hat, since I got caught in the rain in the afternoon.

The stuff:

This is the last wearing of these long-toed loafers. They rubbed and were not comfortable. Funny how shoes that once were just fine can go to being just a big "no."

• Earrings - local

I paid $2.00 for these leather, Italian-made shoes, purchased here in September 2012. Let's go for a stroll down memory lane and see how my cost-per-wear has been - I suspect very good.

• Last seen here in December 2015
• In October 2015 (here, 4th outfit) with patterned trousers
• In January 2015 (here, 2nd outfit) for TV-watching with my gals
• On Christmas Eve, December 2014 (here), of course, being very Christmassy
• In November 2014 (here) with a whole lotta pink
• In August 2014 (here) with a chambray dress
• In June 2014 (here) for a day of indolence
• In April 2014 (here, 3rd outfit) for some shopping
• With red leather pants here in December 2013
• In March 2013, for our trip to Vancouver here (the first time we met up with Melanie!)
• Worn 5 times in the November 2012 capsule during my "30 for 30 for 12" challenge (November's recap here)

So, including this weekend, that's 16 wears - that's about 12.5 cents per wear. Thank you, tan loafers for four years of good use. Time for you to go to a new home.

After brunch, I went for a little thrift shop. It feels like I haven't shopped in a while, and I wanted some "me time" and retail therapy. My first stop was the St. Vincent de Paul, where I found these fabulous cotton/lycra leopard-print skinny cropped pants. 

I love them. And for $4.00, they were mine.

HA! I just discovered that the brand Mark. is by Avon! (link here, 'cause I love). Oh, Avon.

I popped into Head Over Heels, a local shoe store, because it was Shop Local Saturday, and they had 10% off everything. I get a lot of my locally-made jewelry there - very nice quality stuff. Link here.

This bracelet is by Glee - it's a very small bangle (yay!). I have very small wrists, so it's always a bonus to find a bangle that won't go flying off. This was $18.00 + 10% off.

I strolled in the rain over to the WIN Warehouse store, where this grey wool hat hopped into my cart.

As you can see by the spots, I wore it immediately both to keep the rain off me, and because, well...it's cool.

It was $12.95.

And it's by Liz Claiborne. The brim can be flipped up (as shown), or angled down, which is a nice dramatic look.

I found a pair of brand-new textured tights from Ann Taylor Loft for $7.95, still in the package.

Regular price was $14.95.

I fell for this lovely silk skirt - it's by Jones New York and was $15.95.

"I'm here so that your readers can see your ugly slippers and the steamer hose."

I love the subtle red/blue/yellow/white plaid. It's almost a painty texture.

The outer layer is sheer, and the inner layer is thicker, but still plaid and still silk.

I don't know what drew me to these, but when I put them on (I was wearing the "how did this happen" uncomfortable loafers, remember), my feet were all like, "You should buy these."

Oh, man, they are comfy! These are Sperry Topsiders and I don't know if they've been worn more than a couple of times.

Barely any wear inside (love that shiny tie fabric!).

They are a lovely maroon leather.

Good tread for walking - again, barely any wear.

I'm having a 90s flashback. I wore the imitation version of these back then (I think mine were cheap Hush Puppies!).

And yeah, these were $22.95. Well worth it! Sperry doesn't seem to have this style right now (penny loafers with this thick lug sole), so I'm guessing these may well be vintage 90s shoes. They were pretty dusty when I got them.

I think I have a black jacket issue, as in, I have many black jackets. Well, here is another one.

A bit hard to see here, but the bottom half of the sleeves and the lining of the lapels (which are uneven) are a butter-soft leather. The rest of it is a woven crepe with a sort-of brocade-like pattern (you can see this better below).

I spent some time in the fitting room trying to figure out how this is supposed to do up.

I took this picture outside the bathroom for better light. What's in that frame on the right? Stay tuned...

There are a couple of handmade silver hooks - one at the upper neck and one in the waist region, plus an inside button. It has side pockets but they haven't been opened.

Wee! It's by Helmut Lang! Made in the USA.

It was only $19.95 due to someone ravaging it with scissors to remove (I'm guessing) the shoulder pads.

Tsk, what a shame. However, I see that Helmut Lang's jackets are around $350+, and this butchery doesn't actually look noticeable when wearing it, so I'm fine with my $20 spent.

I couldn't find this specific design anywhere online so I have no idea how old it is.

Oh, and just for fun, this is what's in the frame where I took the above picture of the jacket.

It's counted cross-stitch and it's a quote from the movie "Shaun of the Dead" (an excellent zombie romantic comedy, aka a "zom-rom-com"). L and I refer to our local pub as The Winchester because of that movie.

I also found this amazing coat. Me and coats...

It's a two-tone cream, with the thicker areas a woven cotton and the thinner areas (the neck and hemline) more like a raincoat material.

The back:

It has a great shape - and the sleeves are only just past the elbows. Time to break out the elbow-length leather gloves, I think!

A bit on the pricey side (but it's a good cause), but their coats tend to be over $1,000.00 (yes, a THOUSAND dollars!), so I'm pretty happy with this. It also looks very cool on.

I'd hoped to have time for a nap after my shopping trip, but no.

Time to get dressed! It's my company Christmas party!

Just enough light to get in a stair picture (at 4pm in the afternoon).

• Dress - no label, thrifted; purchased here in July for $12.95 
• Shoes - Jessica Simpson (had since 2007); last seen here (2nd outfit) in December 2015 with a peach feathered dress
• Coat (not shown) - the Unsafe Ocelot

Yee haw, showing my new ink and rockin' this fabulous dress. 

I had strong positive reactions to my outfit all night - I was on my feet for much of it, dancing, greeting guests, schmoozing. It's what I do.

"There are not enough pictures of me in this post."

That very high slit was needed for walking. I could barely sit in this. No lycra!

But luckily, it's like it was made for me.

The stuff:

I bought these silver leather shoes for my 40th birthday party, back in 2007. Seems so long ago.

Classy bling:

I had to wear my new bangle right away. This is also the first wearing of these earrings.

• Bangle - Glee
• Earrings - furniture store, Brighton

Today's been a quiet day. I did wear the leopard pants right away - I had only tried them on over my tights, so was hoping they'd still be a good fit.

A good grocery-getting outfit for a chilly and rainy day.

• Sweater- Satellite Drive, thrifted; first worn here (2nd outfit) in October for another grocery day
• Pants - Mark by Avon, thrifted; purchased this weekend for $4.00
• Boots - Ash; last worn here in October with my Hallowe'en costume (Furiosa forever!)
• Coat (below) - Smoking Lily 

Not a terribly exciting outfit. The pants were good. I'll be making a work outfit out of them for later this week.

This sweater is officially weekend wear. I'm still wearing it.

My Octo-coat makes its first appearance in a while. I tend to wear it on rainy days - it's the only coat I own with a hood.

Mustard wool fingerless gloves (Parkhurst) and I'm ready to roll. I've had this coat since the Smoking Lily sample sale in February 2012 (here), where I bought it for $168.00. Smoking Lily makes all their clothes here in Victoria - this is called the Pippa coat. It is denim on the outside and fleece on the inside.

The stuff:

No stuff for you, only boots. I didn't wear any jewelry today - and no make-up either!

I hope all of my US friends had a very happy Thanksgiving! Don't forget to check out "Visible Monday" over at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style.