Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Friday Velvet, Shop Therapy, Neighbourhood Walk, and Cat Pictures

What a lovely relaxing weekend! I hope yours has been chill as well, my friends. This is a bigass post, so let's get 'er going - here's Friday's outfit. 

 I kept this lovely little silk/viscose velvet dress out in my fall/winter wardrobe exactly for this kind of layering - one of the last unworn pieces for the season.

• Top - Express, thrifted; last seen here layered under velvet again in January
• Dress - BCBG Max Azria, thrifted; first worn here (way down at the bottom) in September 2017 for the theatre with Mom
• Boots - Effortless Sophia, Fluevog; last seen here (2nd outfit) in January for...the theatre with Mom!
• Cape (below) - Coracle Clothes, vintage 60s, pass-along from Sheila A; last seen here in January in the same outfit as the boots above

 On Friday, giant boxes of coat racks arrived in the office! More unpacking to do! I kicked around cardboard and carried the racks down stairs.

Velvet and lace means business!

 I really liked all the tones of purples and wines in this outfit.

Outerwear - it was crisp but sunny - spring is definitely in the air! My cape was in order.

 I had lots of people giving me the eye and/or giving me compliments in this outfit, so this is my look for "Visible Monday" over at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style. Get your fine self over there!

• Leather gloves - Danier

The stuff:

 I had a haircut after work, and Sophia's moved just out of town, so there was much standing on buses, walking in the bright sun, and standing about looking fabulous. These boots are stars.

Simple bling:

 I'd considered a floral necklace with the dress/top, but didn't like how fussy it looked. I stuck with a few nice pieces.

• Earrings - Aldo Accessories
• Silver/amethyst ring - gift from Dad, c. 1987
• Gold/amethyst ring - Frances Jewelers, c. 1965, Dad's

While I was at work and getting a trim, L was at home recovering from his morning tattoo session. Vizzini "helped" while L used the computer.

"Man, let me sit on your lap!"

 He was trying to get up on L's lap by jumping through his legs.

"Nearly there!"

There may have been some cuddling. 

L and I hung out on Friday night and played board games. We were up early on Saturday, St. Patrick's Day, for a stroll to Floyd's Diner for brunch. 

 Of course, we wore our green for St. Paddy's!

• Velvet blazer - Boden, thrifted; last seen here in November 2017 with a "nope" skirt
• Sweater - Tatyana, thrifted; last worn here in February with a chevron skirt
• Skirt - Li's, thrifted; last seen here in a soft goth outfit in October 2017
• Shoes - Half Truth Tanya, Fluevog; last worn here with that chevron skirt again

I wore the jacket the whole time we were out, except for while I was sitting at the table at Floyd's, but here it is.

 I always wear this sweater and shoes together!

I loved the swoosh of the skirt while we were walking around.

 Great shoes for walking too!

It was sunny and warm enough just to wear this light silk velvet blazer as my outerwear.

 L wore his green shoes and a green Pogues t-shirt for his nod to the day. He's testing his bowler here.

Nope, instead he went with a ball cap.

 And I added a bright yellow brocade purse because why not!

All cross-body'ed up for walking.

And sucking down the last of my "home coffee" so that I'm civil to everyone. Heh. 

The stuff: 

Shoes for walking...and shopping! I plan for these things, you know.

This lovely bag has been sitting in my closet since I bought it here for $22.98.

It's nice and roomy, with a magnetic clasp. I loved carrying it! 

• Bag - Aldo, first wear
• Earrings - consignment

After brunch, I headed off for a wee look around at some of my favourite shops. I popped into Dots and found this amazingly gorgeous dress: 

 It's a stretchy black micro-netting fabric, one shoulder, ruffled asymmetrically on either hip, is lined to just above the knee, and has two big slits in the front. DRAMA!

Retro 90s print in a modern fabric.

 You can see some of the ruffles there on either hip. I'm thinking of how nice this is going to look with the platform sandals I have stashed away!

It's by Kimchi Blue and was made in the USA!

 So nice to see that - especially when I'm (sort of guiltily) shopping retail.

It was only $29.99!

Felt like a bargain, but more importantly, I felt like a million bucks in it. I can't wait to wear it! 

I popped into the Patch, but nothing rang my bell. From there, it was a quick jaunt to the WIN store on Pandora. First stop, the accessories, where I found these sweet metal tassel and faux pastel pearl earrings. 

 Only $5.95, works for me.

I always have a good paw through the vintage accessories - many treasures lurk there.

 Like these butter-soft leather gloves, for only $5.95.

Which fit me (and my long skinny fingers) perfectly!

 Lovely cut-out detail with sewn edging.

There is stuff stamped inside the cuffs, but I can't make out what it says.

 But I think my glove size is 7/2.

I was ecstatic about these wool-blend fully-lined cropped plaid pants.

"I'm less enthused. Nothing to chew on."

 They're by Talbots.

 Classic plaid!

And the flower punch in the card means that these were half price!

 $12.50 for wool blend, lined pants? Okay!

My eye was caught by the buckles and harness detailing on this interesting top.

 It was filed in with the dresses, but that tie actually pulls it up to the waist, making it tunic-length.

I think I could layer this over a t-shirt or a long-sleeved top.

 I noticed that the tag said, "Dry clean only by Leather Specialist."

 So...that's leather trim! Nice!

And I know this brand: L.A.M.B. is Gwen Stefani's brand.

 Hard to see that!

Even the stud on the back of the harness is custom.

 All good indicators of quality.

I'm pretty sure this would have sold for more than the $5.00 I paid for it.

 Hurray for half-price!

I am a sucker for a swooshy maxi skirt. Mica, I thought of you!

 This is an A-line shape, fully lined, and very long and with a Swoosh Factor of 10! I can't wait to wear it!

Another 90s-inspired floral.

 Make it a painty-floral (I can't resist those either), and I'm sold.

Seriously, this wasn't in the boutique section!

 It was only $6.95. I had to buy it!

I've sort of been looking for an acid-wash denim skirt (I used to have one, seen here in July 2010), and all the ones I've seen have been just WAY too 80s.

 This one had some interesting details, like the fading and the distressing, that I really liked.

Add some good pleating structure, and a random loop here and there.

 I like the soft chambray fabric.

 It's thinner and softer than "traditional denim."

This was a whopping $3.50.

 I know this brand from Dots, where they sell samples. It probably would have been around $30 there, but substantially more at retail.

This was a "why not?" blouse. Why not pale pink equestrian stretch silk?

 It screams Quality. Look how the pattern is lined up - even the sleeves have the pattern balanced!

The back too!

 Lining up the pattern = waste of fabric = expensive garment.

Metal buttons.

 It's by Cache (cash-AY!) and it was half price at $10. Ten dollars! What a steal!

This linen dress made me catch my breath. It was that special.

 A classic wrap top (but it's not actually a wrap-around), and a fit and flare shape. Totally classic, femme shape.

A beautiful painty floral pattern with all my favourite colours for accents.

 I hesitated at the size 10, but gave it a shot - you never know with sizes.

Metal "cuff-links" on the sleeves are adjustable into either set of buttonholes, so you can make the sleeves longer or shorter with a flipped cuff.

 A great quality detail.

This was one of the more expensive pieces, but worth every penny.

 $28.95 for a gorgeous dress?

Can you tell I love this piece?

 It zips up the side seam, and has two ties that wrap around the waist. This is going to be wonderful in the warm weather!

I actually squealed out loud when I spotted this red leather skirt.

 It's heavy red pigskin suede.

And it's by Holt Renfrew Studio - and only $34.95.

 I'm blurry because I'm so excited!

That red jacket I wore the other day - this is a SUIT!

"Well, I'm gobsmacked."

I can't believe I got the two pieces two weeks apart! I have a red leather suit! Squee!!

Fresh from trying on my finds again for L (and Vizzini), we all chilled out in the living room. Vizzini kept an eye on things. 

"You may refer to me as "His Lordship."" 

He likes to be at the centre of the action. 

"All the action revolves around me."

He watched us play board games and generally made his presence felt. 

Today, I walked to town to get groceries, then walked over to My Sister's Closet, where they have their winter clearance half-price sale on!  

 Another bright and sunny day - a tiny bit chilly, but warm enough to just wear a light jacket as outerwear.

• Jacket - Club Monaco, thrifted; last seen here in October 2017 with a mod purple outfit
• Sweater - Lacoste, vintage, thrifted; last worn here (2nd outfit) with the dragonscale skirt in February
• Skirt - Dolce & Gabbana, vintage, thrifted; last seen here in November 2017 with soft greys
• Shoes - Michael Kors, thrifted; last worn here in January

I only took the jacket off when I was trying on clothes, but this is what was under there.

 All my name brands: Lacoste, D&G and Mr. Kors. So klassy!

 All easy-on, easy-off. I don't like fussy things when I'm clothing shopping for myself.

All ready to walk around town.

 I liked how the butterscotch gloves went with the yellow bag. Why not!?

The stuff:

 Wonderful comfy shoes.

• White gold earrings - 10th anniversary gift from L

My Sister's Closet frequently has dead stock from stores that have closed, so you can buy new items there at substantial markdowns sometimes. They had a big table of shoes where I found these brand new Fly London blue suede shoes.

 Now, those look like some nice comfy walking shoes for spring! I love the peep toe, the adjustable ankle and the perforated leather.

These were $69.98, but I know Fly London shoes sell for a couple hundred dollars normally. I'm thrilled with these lovely blue shoes. 

I always take a turn around the store to make sure I don't miss any accessories. 

These no-label suede gloves are lined with warm fleece - they will be wonderful...next year!  They were $6.50.

I found this fabulous black and gold sheer skirt.  

 Oh, look at that pouf! My heart sings!

The brand is Pink Martini, a Canadian company out of Toronto.

 This was new with tags on, and was half price at $11.50. Score! The original price on it was $129.00.

I know, yawn, a black top, but this is actually a very fine sweater, and amazing quality.

 The body of the sweater has no seams - that's another mark or quality.

You can't see it in the picture above, but the entire thing has a subtle sheer pattern.

 It's really beautiful, and will be a great layering piece. There is no content label, but it feels like fine wool.

I know that name - Sonia Rykiel, and it's made in France.

 OMG, I just looked at her website, and her sweaters run from $450 to $1,100+! Holy smokes, I guess $20.98 was a good deal?

When I saw this cardigan on the hanger, it looked really boring. The zipper wasn't done up and the cuffs were turned down. But I know the brand - Kenzo - and I gave it a shot.

It has pockets on the front, and the front is longer than the back. I like the sporty vibe of it. 

It's made in Turkey, although the label says Kenzo Paris.

 It has nice little triangular cut-outs in the front and back, along the shoulder seams:

 Colour blown out so you can see the pleating detail as well. This is a wool blend.

Even the hardware is personalized.

 Another sign of quality! Can you see that one side of the zipper is gold and the other is silver? How fun!

The cuffs are woven stripes, but the "Kenzo Paris" is sort of rubberized.

 This was only $26.98! A bit of interwebz research reveals that this sold for $221 Euros which is about $350 Canadian. Score!

I find myself very attracted to things with intricate structure. I'll always give them a try on. Which leads to some interesting purchases, like this...thing. It was in with the dresses.

 But is it a dress? A pullover jacket? The colour is a soft steely-blue/grey. The cuffs are rolled up and it has two slash pockets just off the sides.

And yes, that's a hood on the back.

Note the rounded shape at the hem. 

A nice front area. 

 No label on the neck, so down the sides I went.

Oh, I know this name too: Marni!

 It's 100% cotton, with that parachute texture like this Dries Van Noten top I have, and this recently purchased Theory blouse.

Made in Italy = classy!

 Oh my...now that I have had a browse of Marni's dresses and/or jackets, this would have been around $1,400 new. *choke* I paid $19.50 for it. 

Wanna see it on? Of course you do!

Hmmm...should have hid the toe that popped through my tights

 It's a little crazy, but then...so am I! Woo! I love treasure-hunting!

I'm a sucker for many things (as you have noticed), including forever and always...sweater dresses. I love them. This one is soft and super-stretchy.

 And it's really long - how fun!

It's a black background with white, orangey-red, tan, grey and blue stripes.

 I think I have shoes in all those colours.

The name was vaguely familiar.

 I'm guessing that the size 3 is the UK sizing of a large (0=XS, 1=S, 2=M, 3=L), since this fit me and didn't make me look like a sausage!

It's called the "Clean Stretch" dress, and was from the Autumn/Winter 2014 collection. It was 145 Euros, so around $250 Canadian.

 Another lovely wool blend. This was $29.98.

I love it!

Wonder Woman pose! I'm really excited to wear this. I tried it on with the Marni coat/dress over it, and that was a fun look too. 

Fresh off my amazing haul at MSC, I had a quick peek in Lazy Susan's to see if they had anything fun. 

 Check! Enamel pink earrings from the 80s?

By Kenneth Lane, aw...

These were just $12.00.

I took my little trusty camera with me on today's outing. Enjoy some pictures of spring arriving in Victoria! 

Hello, allergy season!

 Many of the downtown streets here are lined with these lovely trees. They are a mix of plum trees and cherry trees.

Like walking through a tunnel of blossoms!

 The colours range from white to pale pink to deep pink.

 This tree is over 3 stories high, completely covering up all of the balconies of this apartment building.

Look at these big fat blooms!

 These smell amazing! Aaaaaah-choo!

Miniature daffodils blooming in this yard.

 Ferns grow like weeds around here.

More daffodils and the last of the crocuses.

 Tulips will be the next flower, in about 3-4 weeks.

This tree has over a dozen crow's nests in it.

 Once the leaves are out, you won't be able to see any of those nests.

This is just a big house that I like.

 It's split up into condo units. Looks swanky, doesn't it?

There are a few monkey trees in town. I've always liked this one.

 The house it shades is a Victorian-era "shotgun" house (it's long and skinny - you could fire a shotgun through it and hit every room). Nothing grows under monkey trees, so that yard has nice rock and stone landscaping.

And here we are at home: more crocuses.

And me! Hello! 

Back to the important stuff, though. Someone needs some attention. 

"I could use some assistance with my winter coat."

 He's been shedding like mad with the temperature change, so has been getting lots of brushing sessions, which he loves.

"Leave me alone now, Woman."

Wishing you all a lovely week ahead!