Happy Hallowe'en: Starfleet Alien and a Werewolf of London

Happy Hallowe'en! This is one of my favourite holidays, and if you've been reading my blog for over a year, you know I love to dress up! 

This year, I organized a group costume for my office. I explained it all last year, here, if you're curious, but it's basically a Star Trek theme made super easy. Wear a red top and a black bottom. 

 As I had troubles with tribbles last year, I wanted to do something different this time, so I am a Starfleet alien, the kind Captain Kirk was always making eyes at. A hot babe!

• Cashmere sweater - Michael Kors, thrifted; purchased here in July for $16.95
• Velvet mockneck - Mantles, consignment; purchased here in June for $8.50
• Skirt - Danier Leather, thrifted, Powell River; last worn here (4th outfit) earlier this month with greys
• Boots - Prepare High Adventure, Fluevog; last seen here (2nd outfit) in February 2016 in a nightmarish ensemble for the VFF Gala (worth a look! L and I in costumes!)
• Leather jacket (below) - A&S Selections, thrifted; last worn here in September

I'd considered a Futurama/Leelah mash-up, now that my hair is long, but I didn't really feel like going back to dark purple just for one day.

 I'd resigned myself to just wearing regular make-up (but this same outfit), when I thought of trying to find a blue or aqua make-up that I could pop off my hair. Yes!

I bought this aqua cream eyeshadow (it's by NYX), the green lip cream (NYX) and mermaid scale texture stencil (Marcelle, only $1.99! and it's reuseable) at the drug store a couple of days ago.

 I dabbed the eyeshadow all over my face, neck and backs of my hands with a sponge, then shaded dark green eyeshadow (MAC) as "blush".

Black eyeliner (Marcelle) with a bit of a wing, more dark green eyeshadow, turquoise chubby stick eyeshadow (Rimmel), same type of eyeshadow in purple (Rimmel) for my brows.

 You can see a bit of the mermaid stencil there - I used a whitish-green frosted eyeshadow (MAC) over the dark green, but it didn't have enough contrast.

The eyeshadow was tough to work with - very thick and hard to spread around. I also only had 20 minutes to do my make-up (my usual allotment, interspersed with Vizzini-cuddling). No time to fuss!

 I did a test-run of my make-up last night, same as I did for my make-up in 2015 (here). I learned that this aqua shadow would stay put. In fact, it did not wash off! I tried make-up remover, micellar water, bar soap, foaming make-up remover...nothing worked. That's it, I'm green!

Olive oil finally did the trick. My face felt nice too!

This is the first and probably the last wearing of this red cashmere sweater - at least on the blog! I wear it around the house all the time. It has moth-holes (space moths! my sworn enemy!), which is why it was so cheap in the thrift store, compared to $265 retail.

 But I don't care if I'm at home - there's something decadent about lounging around in moth-eaten cashmere, isn't there? At least I'm not in pajamas or sweat pants!

This is also the first wearing of this velvet long-sleeved mockneck top. Velvet and cashmere are not friends.

 When I test-drove the outfit (I always do this for complicated dress-up occasions!), it was really difficult to get these pieces on! It took a lot of tweaking and fussing to get them to lay right. I took them off as a single piece, which made it much faster getting dressed this morning.

You can see a bit of the green on my hands. I did my nails purple.

 Showing off these awesome boots! Comfier shoes tomorrow, feet, I promise.

Outerwear - totally not needed, and I wore the jacket open to and from work. Cashmere and velvet are warm, who knew?

 We're just going to ignore that my legs aren't green. Heh.

The stuff:

 I always forget about these boots, because they have to be stored away from little kitties that like to eat laces, and of course out of sight, out of mind, oh, Sheila. They're pretty comfy, but I was on my feet all day. Tired feet.

Thematic bling:

 The badge that started it all.

• Earrings - local
• Star Trek communicator badge - MoPop gift shop, Seattle

Timing was everything this morning! L and I got up earlier than usual, as we also had to get his outfit ready. He was a Werewolf of London, from the awesome Warren Zevon song (YouTube link here, 'cause I love). We shopped for, assembled and test-drove it on the weekend, including his make-up, which is when we took these pictures.

"Egads! There's a werewolf in the house!"

You'll note the following details in L's costume:

• The Clash's "London Calling" t-shirt
• Sherry's London striped classic boating blazer (purchased in Sherry's London, Carnaby Street, London, 2010) 
• Balmain zippered jeans with strips of faux fur from the costume box tucked into the zips
• Wolf ears made from hot-gluing parts from a couple of fur hats (thrifted) over a cheap cat ears headband 
• Tail poking out on the right, faux fur loosely sewn over a cheap cat tail, safety-pinned to L's jeans
• Faux fur at the t-shirt neck, safety-pinned (klassy)
• "Hands" made of the flaps from a hat, thrifted

 Oh, and big paw slippers, found at the drug store.

"Wait, is this the Man? What strange sorcery is this?"

We also have references from the song:

• A menu from Lee Ho Fook's (with beef chow mein). A pastiche of a real menu, the original cover from Lee Ho Fook's Dim Sum, and a couple of joke references.
• A pina cola, of frozen pina colada mix and Sprite, with a sword skewer of a marachino cherry and chunk of pineapple. L took a pitcher of it to work and served pina coladas to his coworkers - we also made coasters from Trader Vic's, and a Happy Hour sign from Trader Vic's.
• We also did business cards for "Luke N. Thrope, tailor" for the line, "I'd like to meet his tailor." By reference only, of course!

I did L's make-up, he grew his beard out (I darkened it with mascara).

He carried the giant paw slippers to work

We also did his nails with black polish (which I like, but he hates). It's all about the details.

I cropped out L's coworkers, but he's menacing a Little Red Riding Hood, who is being protected by Superman.

 HA! I love playing dress-up, don't you?

Happy Hallow'en, my friends!

I hope yours is safe, fun and full of candy. I'll be back on Sunday with tales of adventure! Happy weekend, everyone!

Vintage Hallowe'en Dress

What a difference a day makes! Here's my stair picture at 7:30am this morning. 

 I have the flash on, but it's basically dark out!

And here's the light when I got home from work at 5:15pm.

 It's like...night and day! This dress is very much a Hallowe'en dress - I almost always wear it around this time of year.

• Dress - handmade, no label, vintage 60s, thrifted; last worn here for Hallowe'en in October 2015
• Floofy underskirt - Noa Noa; seems I gave up tracking it!
• Shoes - Half Truth Veda, Fluevog; last seen here (3rd outfit) as my alternate shoes for my birthday party earlier this month
• Coat (below) - Rodarte for Opening Ceremony, consignment; last worn here in early October

I've had this dress for a long time - it's pre-blog. I think it was under $10 at Value Village sometime in the late 90s or early 00s. I never wore it until I started blogging, though (you can track back through all the outfits in the "last seen here" above if you feel like seeing my tattoos disappear and my hair change drastically).

"No one cares about your dress, although it is tasty."

 For some reason, Vizzini wanted to chew on the hem of it. Little monster.

It's a very scritchy layer of stiff black lace woven with orange/copper lame (lah-MAY!).

 A very full skirt! It's lined, but as it's handmade (complete with metal side zipper), the edges of the lace are very itchy. I wore a black slip under it, plus my floofy Noa Noa underskirt layered for extra floofiness.

I don't usually show my underwear, but here you go.

Vintage slips are awesome for making scratchy seams bearable. And who doesn't like a floofy underskirt? No one, that's who!

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh in the dress...

 I am so swooshy!

Outerwear - time to break out the Ringmaster coat!

 It's the perfect way to show off that full skirt.

• Fur boa - thrifted
• Wool/fur gloves - vintage, thrifted

Tails and all.

 I was nice and snuggly in the gloom today.

"Where's Vizzini?" asked Ann.

"Busy tasting things, Ann."

 He's chomping on my earring! This is a usual post-work cuddle situation. I get purr therapy, he gets to bite my earrings.

He's also been very eager to escape into the hallway.

"Open the door, Woman."

 No way, bud. You don't get to go out there.

The stuff:

 Easy shoes in anticipation of heels tomorrow. I like to vary up my heel heights.

Copper bling:

I loved how this amazing belt looked with the dress. It's always a good day when I wear this.

• Belt - Renoir, vintage 60s, vintage fair
• Big cuff - Renoir, vintage 60s, Grandma J's
• Small cuff - vintage 70s, vintage expo
• Earrings - vintage fair

I'll be dressing up for Hallowe'en tomorrow, as will L - I'll have pictures! Do you dress up in costume?

Light Autumn in a Leather Dress

I went through my closet last night briefly, pulling out things I wanted to wear this week, things that felt autumnal to me. 

 No surprise that I grabbed this floral blouse, or this lovely leather dress. It's a light-coloured  combination for fall - I resisted going with black accessories.

• Blouse - Ralph Lauren, thrifted; first worn here in August with more light leather
• Dress - Truly by Part Two; last seen here in January with fruital
• Shoes - Big Presence Earhart, Fluevog; last worn here in July with a paisley jammie dress
• Leather trenchcoat (below) - vintage 70s, thrifted; last seen here in April

The shoes were more surprising to me - I kept them out because of the bright orange stripe (which matches the blouse so well), and the lavender patent leather (to match my hair).

 I never thought I would have a taupe leather dress in my wardrobe, but I've had this for nearly eight years and it's always a keeper.

I just layer different tops under it for a different look.

 And I change up the belt too. I vaguely recall that the dress came with a crappy belt, but I tossed it.

Monday face. Nooooooo...I don't want to go to work!

 But it was a pretty quiet day, after all my whining. Not so bad.

Outerwear - happy to be wearing this amazing vintage leather trenchcoat again!

 I was a little chilly overall today. I think the days of short sleeves are over unless I wear an extra jacket or cardigan!

• Velvet scarf - Dolce & Gabbana, thrifted
• Gloves - Parkhurst

The stuff:

 Such comfy shoes. I'm rather fond of the unusual colour mix.

Gold bling:

I liked how this khaki leather/gold belt went with the outfit - the blouse also has bits of olive green in it.

• Belt - Christian Dior, vintage 80s, vintage fair
• Bracelet - Lia Sophia, thrifted
• Earrings - thrifted

Did you see? My belt is Dior! Super Klassy!

Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Friday Sparkle, Saturday Brunch, Sunday Shop - and the New Couch

It's been a quiet weekend, which I have welcomed. Things will be busier soon enough, so I am treasuring these relaxing times. 

Here's Friday's outfit - in a shocking turn of events, I actually wore jeans to work for Casual Friday.

 I showcased the shiny gold tee, and the super-sparkly loafers. So much shiny!

• Wool cardigan - Theory, thrifted; last seen here in June with loads of pink
• Tee - Calvin Klein, thrifted; purchased here for $15.95
• Jeans - Levi Strauss, thrifted; last worn here (3rd outfit) in September to see Frank Turner
• Loafers - Aerosoles, consignment; purchased here last weekend for $58.98
• Coat (below) - Vassali, consignment; last seen here last week

I waggled my feet at my coworkers a lot. It got sunny during the day and the shoes sparkled like disco balls!

 I did get several shocked reactions to the jeans. I just don't wear them that often - I mostly wear these around the house (I'm wearing them now, as I type this!).

I have two cream wool cardigans, but they are totally different.

 I like that this one has the extra back detail, so that it doesn't look too baggy.

Without the cardigan so you can see this new-to-me top. It was okay. I like the silvery-gold of it.

 I don't like the jersey fabric, though. It feels so fake and plasticky.

Outerwear - I liked all the layers here. Breaking out my spooky skull scarf for the Hallowe'en season.

 Purple accessories for the win!

Joining up to "Visible Monday" over at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style, Go, go, go!

• Beret - consignment
• Gloves - Danier Leather
• Scarf - MetroWear, San Francisco, 2006

The stuff:

 The shoes were fantastic! A+ for comfort and walkability. After work, L and I went for dinner and walked home in the pink sunset - not a single blister or rub with them.

Black bling:

 I enjoyed all the mixed metals in my outfit.

• Belt (not shown) - gift from Ruth
• Chain/leather cuff - local
• Leather stud cuff - Kipling, thrifted
• Earrings - thrifted

We spent the weekend playing board games and watching movies and reading, and of course, playing with Vizzini. On Saturday morning, we did our usual brunch at Floyd's.

 Finally building an outfit around these black and gold printed jeans.

• Top - Hommage, consignment, Vancouver; last seen here in February with my other wallpaper pants
• Jeans - Seven7, garage sale; purchased here for $12.00
• Boots - Matisse, consignment; last worn here (2nd outfit) in September for a weekend shop
• Sleeveless coat - Only, thrifted; last seen here a couple of days ago

I often like to do a solid neutral with a pattern, but the neutral has to be special too, not just a plain top. This funky top features fabric sewn into concentric, irregular shapes that are frayed.

 The more I wear it, the more it sheds and frays. It's a work of art in progress.

The jeans were...too big. I wanted them so bad, that I obviously overlooked that when I tried them on. *sigh* Into the giveaway pile they go. I think they might be perfect for Yvonne...

 They look okay in these pictures, but they felt way too loose to wear - I didn't even have to unbutton/zip them to take them off.

Ready for a brisk walk to town.

 Long gloves to keep my hands warm. The top shed all over this coat, very annoying.

• Suede gloves - gift from Mom, first wearing

The stuff:

 I love these boots. Never thought I would find this colour so useful!

Bronzy bling:

 Cuffs for Wonder Woman super powers.

• Bronze cuff - handmade, 70s, Mom's
• Poe cuff - Jezebel Charms, gift from L
• Earrings - thrifted

Today, I walked to town to get groceries, and browsed in Dots.

 Dressed to walk, shop and try stuff on.

• Dress - Christian Lacroix for Desigual, thrifted; last worn here with green and glitter in March
• Boots - 1883 Lucchesse, consignment; last worn here (2nd outfit) in September to see Frank Turner in Vancouver
• Denim duster (below) - Plum, thrifted; last seen here (4th outfit) in September to the last Winesday

I love this dress and always look forward to wearing it - look at all that wonderful pattern!

 The upper front part is all hand-embroidered and beaded. The rest of it is t-shirt-y, but it's fully-lined.

I shopped for 2.5 hours, and found about 25 items at Dots (three sessions in the fitting room); this outfit was excellent for trying on clothes.

 I don't like the brown tights with it, but they were good enough for a day where not many people saw me.

It was bright and sunny when I left this morning, so I just did this lovely denim duster as my outerwear.

 It's light but has pockets.

Done up.

 A couple of hours later, it was raining. The weather changes every hour at this time of year.

The stuff:

 One of my best purchases of the last 5+ years, easily. I love these boots.

• Ear-balls - Dior, consignment

I ended up buying just one dress at Dots, this lovely deep teal one.

 It's a V-neck front and back, and very little structure, but still skims the body. It is fully-lined and covered in fringed dots.

It's by Part Two, and was $29.99.

 This is a salesman sample - noted is the suggested retail ($199), the alternate colour (black), the name of the dress (Josephine) and the colour (Reflecting Pond).

We bought a new couch over the weekend, to replace our old blue one that's gotten worn out. As we usually do, we bought it second-hand for $399.00 (saving ourselves about $1500.00!). They delivered it and took our old couch away for a fee, but totally worth it.

"Something feels different about my couch."

 L took these pics while I was out (that's why they're fuzzy, ha ha). I avoided the delivery - that sort of thing stresses me out!

Vizzini checked out various perches.

"I could get to like this new couch of mine."

 Hey, Vizzini, how is it for napping?

"Hmm...would be better if you stopped taking pictures..."

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Thanks for stopping by!