Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Friday Spring Stripes, Saturday Scales and Party Velvet, Retail Therapy

My office is moving locations in less than 2 weeks, and I've been hugely stressed by this. I have so many little things to do - I've been dreaming of work! How horrible! 

 I'm trying to wear things that make me feel good, brighter colours to perk up my mood. I'm also trying very hard to remind myself about "First World problems" and to just chill out. So Friday saw me reaching for yellow, my Super-Power colour to make me feel good.

• Mustard cardigan - no label, thrifted; first worn here in January with plaid
• Sleeveless sweater - Eileen Fisher, thrifted; purchased here for $6.00
• Skirt - Dries Van Noten, consignment, San Francisco; last seen here in November 2017 with a tribble sweater
• Shoes - Truths Makena, Fluevog; last worn here in January for a Saturday brunch 
• Coat (below) - Samuel Dong, thrifted; last seen here in January

I spent Friday doing a lot of little fiddly admin-type things - this made me feel better and more chill.

 One day at a time, take it slow.

I liked how the olive green sleeveless wool sweater went with the non-olive in this outfit. I figure the blue in the skirt plus the mustard yellow would mix to make olive.

 I'm a big fan of this circus-stripe skirt.

It has pockets - that's the best!

 Feeling and looking blurry. That's okay.

Outerwear - I foolishly didn't wear any gloves or scarf because it was sort of sunny out! Sunny means warm!

 But not when it gets dark - then it means COLD. After work, I soothed myself with a browse through The Patch, but didn't find anything I had to have. There were things I sort of liked, but there is no room for "sort of" in my closet.

The stuff:

 Weighted down by lead-colouring. Grey is an anchor colour for me lately. It reflects the sky, my mood, but is also calming.

Grey bling:

 I like wearing all of these heavy hematite beads together - when they warm to my body temperature, they feel like a hug.

• Tapered bead necklace - c. 1997, Alaska, from Mom
• Necklace - vintage fair
• Bracelets - thrifted
• Rings - thrifted
• Chain bracelet - thrifted
• Earrings - gift from Mom

L and I hung out on Friday night and played board games, then slept in slightly on Saturday before rousing ourselves for brunch at Floyd's.

 I wanted to wear this skirt again, so the outfit it built around it. It was lovely and sunny out, as you can tell! Spring is on the way!

• Sweater - Lacoste, vintage, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) over Christmas 2017
• Skirt - Strawberry Jill, thrifted; first worn here in December 2017 with shades of brown
• Shoes - Matisse; last seen here in November 2017 with waistless browns
• Leather jacket (below) - Danier Leather; last worn here in December 2017

I knew I'd be covered up for most of our time out - I only took my jacket off when I was having breakfast in the diner.

 I love the dragonscale look of this skirt - so many circles!

Good thing there is no real back-seam, as it spun around as we walked to and from town.

 We did a few little pleasant chore-y things after eating, then strolled home arm-in-arm for a quiet afternoon.

Outerwear - L is picking out his hat (he went with the pork-pie).

 We always look so good together! I love that he dresses up too.

• Fur scarf - Danier, thrifted
• Gloves - Parkhurst

The stuff:

 These shoes were very comfy for walking around town. Most of my shoes are not worn outside, but on a clear day with no rain, I do wear many of my flats for walking.

Heart-on bling:

 I dislike logos on my clothes - even a vintage Lacoste aligator! - so I cover them up with pins. My leather metallic anatomical heart pin is a fave.

• Heart pin - Smoking Lily
• Leather gear cuff - SkinzNHydez
• Brass cuff - c. 1970, Mom's
• Earrings - 5th anniversary gift from L

Still itching to get my retail therapy on, I went to Dots for a browse. I don't shop there often, as I don't like buying new, but I'll make an exception to them. For one, I've been shopping there since the 80s (!!), and for another, it's all salesman samples, so you can find some really unique pieces.

I found two things in the new section (so they were a little pricey), but I love them both so I'm happy.

 These magnificent cropped trousers were a "GIMME" item. I tucked them under my arm as soon as I saw them and hoped for the best. They fit perfectly!

They are by Noa Noa - Dots is the only place in town I've ever seen Noa Noa. Every Noa Noa piece I've ever owned has been from Dots.

 Look at that wondrous woven brocade! No print here! I love the beautifully finished seams inside, the double-hook at the top of the fly and the nice gold zipper.

They were $49.99.

 And they are from the August 2017 season, however, I can't find them anywhere online, so maybe this wasn't a colour story or design they ended up going with.

 Their trousers are very pricey new, so I feel okay with $49.99 - I always have a hard time paying more when I've been nearly exclusively shopping second-hand!

I also found this wonderful soft rose velvet dress.

 L and I had the annual Sweetheart Party to go to at Caro/Ron's place that night, and much as I wanted to shop my closet, nothing was inspiring me!

This dress is by Ichi (here it is, if you want to match me! Linking 'cause I love).

 It was also $49.99.

Here's the sample tag:

 I thought this colour might be Barbados Cherry, but the same dress on their site is called "Roan Rouge" so I guess that's what it is! Delivery in stores between October 1 and 31st 2017, and the wholesale price would be $65.00 Canadian. Double that for the retail of $130.00 (not quite the exaggerated $150 Dots has noted on their sticker!).

I like the relaxed fit, that it's short and soft, and the sexy neckline. Of course, I wore it for the party!

 I'd wear a camisole for a non-party look, but I liked how I felt with the low-cut neckline going on.

This is my look for "Visible Monday" over at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style. Get there! Stat!

• Dress - Ichi; purchased same day for $49.99
• Shoes - Big Presence Desmond, Fluevog; last worn here (4th outfit) with a vintage purple party dress in December 2017
• Coat (below) - Apparence, vintage 80s, thrifted; last seen here in January

I felt gorgeous and sexy all night!

 Everyone wanted to stroke the velvet.

 Very soft and comfy to wear. I think I'll be wearing this dress often.

Outerwear - Caro and Ron live longer than a walk away, so L and I took the city bus there and caught a cab home (at 2:30am). What a party!

 Pink accessories, of course!

• Cashmere/silk pashmina - Portolano, thrifted
• Leather gloves - consignment

L and I always make a statement.

 He's wearing a fabulous "leader of the band" jacket that I found at The Patch several years ago, a band tee, waxed red jeans, Fluevog cowboy boots, and a gorgeous top hat from Roberta's Hats (several years old).

The stuff:

 I immediately thought of copper accessories for this soft pink - I love the contrast, and yet how warm the colours look together.

Copper bling:

 Any excuse to wear this magnificent belt! It's a treasure. I knocked on it a few times at the party - yeah, I'm wearing a piece of armour here!

• Belt - Renoir, vintage 60s, vintage fair
• Bracelets - Renoir, vintage 60s, vintage fairs
• Earrings - vintage fairs
• Ring - Vintage expo

On Sunday, I briefly ventured out to get groceries, and stopped in at Rich Rags (hello!) to see if they had anything exciting. I found this lovely summery tank dress for $25.00.

 It's a light sheer nylon netting over a viscose lining. I love the vibrant print and the nice under-bust seaming. I can see wearing this with a jacket or a cardigan come spring.

One thing I do not like:

 Womp-womp. Blah! *inarticulate swearing* Why do companies do this?? Is it really that much more expensive to make a dress with the same back as the front??

However, I soothe myself with the lovely and vibrant tulip print on the front and feel better.

 The dress is by Desigual, a major culprit of not putting patterns on the backs of their skirts and dresses!

I recognized this as being another "by Christian Lacroix" item, so $25.00 was a really good deal for this! It retailed for $165.00 Canadian.

It's the Florecilla dress from the spring/summer 2015 collection, inspired by Mexico - here it is (thank you, Vogue, linking 'cause I love), picture 56, second-last item in their runway show from that season. If you peek at slide 57, you'll see that even on the runway...the back is black!

Today, Monday, is Family Day in BC, so we have the day off! I hope you had a wonderful weekend, my friends!