High-Low Outfit: Helmut and Avon

I tend to save up my vacation time for the end of the calendar year - the down-time helps me cope with my stress. One of the biggest things I've done for myself this year is to really pay attention to my mental health. That said, I'm on vacation for a couple of days, and part of my mental health care is to step away from the interwebz.

You can see the nice drape of the leather-lined lapels here on the jacket

My "Friday" outfit was worn on Thursday, since I'm off Friday/Monday. I also tend to save my favourite planned outfits for my WW meetings - I also had Book Club last night.

• Jacket - Helmut Lang, thrifted; purchased here last weekend for $19.95
• Sleeveless sweater - Dana Buchman, thrifted; last seen here in October in a very lavender-y outfit
• Pants - Mark. by Avon, thrifted; purchased here for $4.00 and worn on the weekend too
• Shoes - Guess; last worn here in October with a tweedy dress
• Coat (below) - Hilary Radley, thrifted - aka "the Unsafe Ocelot"

I had many compliments on the trousers and disbelief that they're by Avon (yes, that Avon, "ding-dong, Avon's calling"). Also, four dollars! They were a little "plumber's crack"-y, so I had to watch when I sat at my desk chair.

I unstitched the pockets in this Helmut Lang jacket - I don't think the previous owner knew they were there! This is also with the top hook done up at the neckline. I wore it undone all day/evening, though.

"No one cares about your stupid jacket."

Since I have bright purple hair, I like to either wearing something fairly matchy or else go the opposite and wear neutrals. This is a bit of a change in my personal style over the past year. Don't worry, I won't stop wearing colour!

I just realized that none of the pictures of this jacket show the zippers on the backs of the sleeves - but they are there! The entire bottom half of the sleeves is very soft, thin leather (goat leather!). Only a few people at my work and at my WW meeting knew who Helmut Lang was, but those who did were seriously impressed by the fabulous quality and design of the jacket. I gave it a gentle steaming the night before, and it fell beautifully when I wore it. The draping is so nice, but because the jacket is black, it doesn't photograph that well (especially when it's dark out!).

Outerwear!

A cold snap is upon the Pacific Northwest, so time to really bundle up. My fur toque and scarf (Danier Leather), plus my mustard wool fingerless gloves (Parkhurst) kept me snuggly warm, as did this wonderful coat (it's got a padded lining). It rained on the way to my WW meeting after work - but the furry toque was dry by the time the meeting was over.

The stuff:

I had a lot of compliments on these shoes - they are getting old, and the lining is starting to flake off, but I love the witchy shape of them.

Silver bling:

I opted for really simple pieces to let the jacket and the pants shine.

• Spinner ring - Twang & Pearl
• Snake ring - c. 1986, BC Museum Gift Shop (where I volunteered)
• Earrings - Frances Jewelers, gift from L

I'll be back on Monday - enjoy your weekend, my friends!