Unplanned Weekend Wrap-Up: Confused Dress, Anniversary Ring, W(h)ine-y Leopard Shop, Mall Visit

Hey! I'm still here - miss me? L and I had an unexpected change of plans late Thursday night, and as result we had the entire weekend free. What did we do? Hide from the world! 

First up, Thursday's outfit:

A wee bit blurry early in the morning, and it's still a bit dark out. This is my entry for Patti's "Visible Monday" over at Not Dead Yet Style. Go! Run!

• Dress - Desigual Gracey, vintage expo; first worn here in October 2016 with a red ruffle
• Shoes - Big Presence Desmond, Fluevog; last seen here in September 2016 with lavender ruffles (take note of that jacket shape, we'll chat more about that later)
• Coat (below) - Danier Leather 

I much prefer this styling of this dress than the first time I wore it - I definitely benefit from the shorter hem. The skinnier belt is just right for my proportions as well.

As always, I get much confusion over this - is it a top and a skirt? No, it's all one piece!

Outerwear:

I'm a delicate flower - I still need my Danier fur toque/scarf and matching gloves. Brrr!

The stuff:

I didn't realize that it had been so long since I wore these shoes - they are great for injecting a bit of zing into an outfit. Also, comfy!

Turquoise and silver bling:

First wearing of this gorgeously supple, locally-made leather belt, a Christmas gift from L.

• Belt - Bronsino, gift from L
• Cuff - Glee
• Earrings - thrifted
• Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

After my WW meeting, I went out for dinner with L - we were supposed to be leaving for Powell River on Friday morning, to see his mom for our Christmas visit, but she came down with a nasty bug, so trip cancelled. She is fine, by the way, just bad timing.

But since I prepped to take two days off on either end of the weekend, I took them anyway. L joined me and we spent Friday having a nice day on the town. Then we hid from the world!

All my "go out in the world" outfits require comfy walking shoes now (I don't miss having a car, other than being able to wear some less practical shoes).

• Sweater - Vero Moda, thrifted; last worn here (3rd outfit) for a casual outfit at the end of December 2016
• Trousers - Banana Republic, thrifted; last seen here in December 2016 in a riot of florals
• Shoes - Down to Earth Hadfield, Fluevog; last worn here earlier this month with sparkle and floofy
• Coat (below) - Danier Leather, consignment 

 Friday, we strolled to town and had tacos for lunch, then did some chore-y things (shopping for L).

We swung by the very few cool shops downtown for men, and found some funky new things for my stylin' guy.

I didn't realize this jacket was as bright as the VERY bright pants, so this was a lot of orange! I'm wearing my wooly Parkhurst gloves, and a silk Ralph Lauren scarf (consignment). Mug o' coffee most required.

The stuff:

We went to the store where I found these shoes on our last "L shop", but no luck (for me) this time. L found a really nice fall-winter suit on deep discount, though.

Prickly bling:

No one sees/notices these bits, but I know they're there.

• Necklace - Robert Larin, vintage 70s, gift from L
• Earrings - Glee

We popped into Mango's (one of my favourite local boutiques), and they had accessories on 'buy 1, get 1 at 50% off' - L bought me a couple of things:

 Roses ear-balls! I love them!

I see that the cool kids are now wearing long "stacking" necklace styles. I like this look:

So pretty! The ear-balls were $18.00 (plus 50% off) and the necklace was $30.00.

I also got a Major Gift:

That is my new 20th anniversary ring! L and I will be celebrating two decades of marriage ("mawidge!") in a couple of months, and we'd talked about upgrading my ring. I don't wear my original engagement ring any more (a piece broke on it), and my 10th anniversary band gave up and broke for the 3rd time (I am hard on my jewelry).

We considered a custom ring, but gasped a bit at the prices, and I'm not really an "off the rack" kind of gal for something like this, so I've been poking around in the vintage shops, looking for a piece to jump out at me. This one really did.

Stacked over my wedding band - it holds it in place

It's a synthetic amethyst, set in 14K gold (stamped inside, no other marks). The weird thing is, I think my mom's 25th anniversary ring (c. 1990) is by the same goldsmith. I'll have to take pictures of them side-by-side when I see her this weekend.

We had it sized while we were out shopping, so I'm wearing it right away. I love the free-form shape of it, the big honkin' stone that goes from magenta to violet in the light. I like how it looks on my hand.

And yes, I will tell you the price - it was $650.00, which is a fabulous deal, and a fraction of what we would have paid for something comparable new. And I was thrilled to give that money to my local shop, and even to go to a little local jeweler for the sizing. Thank you to my wonderful husband!

We hung out at home, binge-watching "Lost Girl", watching movies and the Australian Open, and playing board games. On Saturday we strolled to town for our usual brunch at Floyd's.

Even though I just recently had a good shop, I just wanted to go roaming around through the thrift shops. So I did! I'm on vacation!

• Top - Edit by Jeanne Bekker, consignment; last seen here in October 2016 with shades of wine
• Jeans - Marc. by Avon, thrifted; last worn here in December 2016 with Helmut Lang
• Shoes - Miista; last seen here with geometrics in December 2016
• Coat (below) - Vassali, consignment

 I also grocery shopped.

I wandered through a few thrift stores and while one or two things caught my eye, it was mostly just about being out and about. Sometimes I like to be around people but not actually interact with them.

Outerwear:

It was a pleasant way to while away the early afternoon, regardless. It was about this time that I started to feel sick. Gah. Yes, I have been sick for half of my weekend. *shakes fist futilely at the fates*

The stuff:

These shoes are getting softer every time I wear them.

Dark bling:

I love my "horrible sanity" cuff.

• Earrings - 5th anniversary gift from L
• Cuff - Jezebel Charms
• Necklace - ElleandEm, thrifted

Items that came home with me, all from the WIN Warehouse store. I always scope out their jewelry section. I found this pendant for $4.00.

I am 99% sure that it is by Christophe Poly (linking to his collections here, 'cause I love). My ring and bracelet by him are very similar to this (picture of them here).

Compare these pictures from his site. On the left, the round sections are the same polished steel domes, the loop for the necklace is the same (and my pendant is perfectly balanced).

On the right, the square bit is set into its frame and appears to be the same lacquer material.

The back of my piece:

That looks handmade - it doesn't have the sloppiness of a mass-manufactured piece. Anyways, I like it! And that's what matters. Now I have a set!

I found another lovely vintage slip.

Very pretty and feels like it wasn't worn much.

Don't you love old labels?

Also, how about bringing back actual fitted garments? This slip is a 34 (same as my bra band!), and as you can see, it was $6.95.

I often despair over finding interesting skirts. There are SO many black skirts. That is probably why I buy any bright interesting skirt I find, even though I cycle through them quickly.

This is a pretty chartreuse/olive green with a blue pattern on it. Pockets!

It's by Noa Noa and was only $6.95.

I'm sure it's silk - it feels like it. Look at that pattern! It's like a spirograph.

The stripe grabbed me on this sweater.

It said, "Try me on!" and I did. It looked great.

I think it's from the early 60s - it has that kind of ski-bunny cut to it. It was $18.95, which is a bit pricey, but it is 100% pure....

...new wool. Also, look at that metal zipper. That is very early.

This would have been an expensive garment back in the day, I'm sure. There are no other labels on this. I checked it very carefully for moth-holes.

This is a vivid dark green jacket. Okay, so that lavender ruffled jacket's shape way up there that I said to pay attention to? This is the same cut, only vintage.

The hem is a double row of lined ruffles, with two bows at the waist on the front. There are shoulder pads, but they're not massive. Guessing this is mid-80s, before the pads got out of control.

It's by Simon Chang and it's a size 6 - that feels accurate, so this is after the Great Size Shift of the mid-80s. I love being able to pinpoint an item in time.

The red star meant it was an extra 10% off, so it was $8.95. I have Plans for this jacket. You'll be seeing it soon.

Sunday was a "go away, world" day and I didn't do much of anything. Sheila sick...

Today, L went back to work and I mustered my energy to go to town and mail L's mom her Christmas presents. I also went to the mall to use my birthday gift card (thanks, Mom!) and to Chapters to spend my Christmas gift card (thanks, Mom!).

Easy outfit, no thinking needed.

• Dress - Dept, thrifted; last seen here (way down at the bottom) in August 2016, coincidentally on the summer version of our trip to PR
• Boots - Clark's; last worn here earlier this month with the same belt
• Coat (below) - Danier Leather 

 Dang, I look good in this dress! How could I ever have considered tossing it?

Vintage slip hem peeking out the bottom.

Outerwear:

I could have used a pair of gloves. Ah well.

The stuff:

Boots made for busing. The mall is in the middle of a huge expansion...and yet it was empty! Stores closing, others closed for months. I bought a bunch of make-up at Mac, my favourite store.

• Belt - Fendi, thrifted
• Earrings - 5th anniversary gift from L

And that, my friends, has been my holiday. No travel, but laid low with a cold. At least this is a short week for me.