Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Friday Armour; Pastel Cowgirl and Shopping; Steel Party Gown

Hello, my friends! This weekend marks the start of our holiday party season - it's always busy with things to do, people to see, events to attend. I like it, but I also have to mentally prepare myself for it. 

 That means "Clothing As Armour" - and for Friday, I wore chainmail and suede.

• Sweater - Jay Jays, thrifted; purchased here for $6.95
• Suede skirt - Holt Renfrew, vintage 90s, thrifted; last worn here in August with ruffles
• Shoes - Irregular Choice Star Wars collection; last seen here (3rd outfit) in October for a shopping expedition
• Coat (below) - Denny Rose, consignment; last worn here in November

We've had a run of good weather this week, but you know what they say about "Red sky in the morning"...

..."Sailors' warning." Look at those pink clouds framing the Castle.

First wearing of this fun brushed-steel knit sweater. I wore a black cami under it for extra warmth.

 Shiny but simple. My tights have a cable-knit pattern on them (visible in the stair picture), which echoes the knit texture of the sweater.

The skirt is a lovely soft suede in a nice cheery seasonal red.

 I met L after work for Thai food (yum!) and then we walked home in the brisk evening - the rain held off, thank goodness.

Ready for the weekend?

 I totally am.

Outerwear. I love this coat! Can you tell?

 L and I had several smiles from people as we walked through town - he's always dapper in his suit and overcoat.

• Hat - vintage, thrifted, Vancouver
• Fur scarf - Danier Leather, thrifted
• Gloves - Cejon, thrifted

The stuff:

 I heart Star Wars! Comfy loafers to baby my feet and delight my coworkers.

Sparkly bling:

 More sparkly bling to come in the next few weeks!

• Earrings - vintage fair
• Silver/crystal ring - Soul Flower

Blooper!

I had zoomed in for the Castle picture and forgotten to reset the focus for my stair picture. Ha!

Our usual Saturday - time for brunch at Floyd's! 

 Despite the colourful skies of the previous morning, it was sunny for a while.

I'll just lean against the wall.

 All the better to show off my groovy tights!

• Mohair sweater - no label, thrifted; first worn here in October with black and cherry red
• Top - Jacob, consignment; purchased here for $15.95
• Skirt - Talbots, thrifted; last seen here in October with some funky blacks
• Shoes - Half Truth Veda, Fluevog; last worn here in October with a Hallowe'en dress
• Coat (below) - Pioneer Wear, vintage 80s, thrifted; last seen here in February for an 80s Urbanite (I dare you to look)

In my mission to Wear All The Tights, my eyes settled on these lovely florals. I actually thrifted these - something I normally wouldn't do, but they were still pressed flat and didn't look worn. I suspect they are high-end (maybe Pamela Mann).

 Well, of course, I had to pull out the colours from the tights into my outfit! This is the first wearing of this subtly sparkly black turtleneck, which is layered under this sheer mohair sweater. It felt like quality - very soft.

Since I had planned shopping after brunch - my mental therapy in preparation for that night's company party - this was actually a bad combination for trying on clothes. I ended up having to try everything on over top of them, as I quickly realized that they had fused together in a mohair cling-fest.

 I'm a big fan of this lavender wooly skirt. It's a bit hard to see here, but it has a nice fuzzy texture as it also contains mohair. I'm a fuzz-monster!

Outerwear for the win! Why hello, yes, I am wearing a lot of fringe.

 I'm a pastel cowgirl!

I just adore this coat - the fringe along the arms has multi-coloured beads as well.

 Shake it, baby!

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

Didn't need much outerwear, just my gloves.

L has chosen a pair of shoes. 

This coat is a glorious piece - and so fun to wear.

• Gloves - Parkhurst

The stuff:

 Easy walking shoes. These are quite loud when I plant my heel - you could hear me coming!

• Earrings - gift from Sherri
• Lapis lazuli ring/Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

So, shopping! I went to Flavour Upstairs and to the WIN store on Pandora (check my favourite local places here, reviewed by me, just for you), and had just a quick browse in each of them.

At Flavour Upstairs, I found this wonderful bolo tie and a pair of gold dangly earrings.

 The earrings were $5.00.

Look! It's a cowgirl!

 It's a fun vintage fabric behind glass.

Only $7.00 - felt like a bargain!

 As for the braided piece, I don't think it's leather, but it is fairly soft.

I strongly suspect that this piece is from the Shi Studios' run of vintage cowgirl and cowboy fabric.

I bought the belt buckle at a studio sale around 8 years ago - their buckles currently run from $69.00 to $150.00. I'd guess that the bolo tie would have been about $65.00 new.

I also bought this blue shirt, possibly for L, possibly for me.

 I like the deep colour, and the red knit stripes up the sides of the body and across the shoulders.

A close-up of the knit part.

 The body is nice-feeling fabric.

It's a cotton blend. And it's Jean's Paul Gaultier by Jean Paul Gaultier, just like my fun vintage jeans (here)

 Seeing that this is made in Tunisia, I'm guessing it is more recent JPG than my jeans, which were made in Italy in the 90s.

Nice detail on the buttons.

It has a label on the back of the neck as well:

No worry that I will forget who made it.

 And such a bargain, at $7.99. Shirts by him on Farfetched are in the $400+ range!

 I was willing to risk that it wouldn't fit L - and it doesn't - because it fits me! I think it definitely has to meet the jeans, don't you?

From Flavour Upstairs, I strolled through all the festive lights and bustle of people downtown to the big WIN store downtown. Gotta support our Women in Need at this time of year, although I do it all year long.

I fell for these spectacular blue crystal earrings.

 Only $6.25. And they're light!

I found this hugely flattering slip-cut dress. It's a grey woven fabric with flecks of white.

 It's a thick, unlined cotton/poly blend - lots of stretch! It's very much a "body-con" cut, but it's also very forgiving. The slight flare at the hemline is actually double slits. I can stride about!

The structure in the bodice is amazing - you can see a bit how the fabric has been turned and angled.

 It's almost a corset effect. It will look awesome over shirts and tops. A very cool piece.

It's by Geek Boutique, a brand I don't know.

It felt like quality, and for $19.95, I'm a happy camper.

Washable - bonus!

 And made in Canda! I found out from my research that Geek Boutique existed from 1996 to 2005 (source). I'm sure this dress would have been around $200 or more originally.

I found this blouse by feel while running my hands along the clearance rack. Silk!

 I love the soft browny-greys, with the pastel pink and peach roses. The silk overblouse is sheer, and it has elasticated cuffs, a bubble hem and an adjustable neckline with a tie. It needs a good steaming.

It's by Giusy and it's made in Italy.

 It's marked at $18.25, but that heart punch means it was 50% off, so $9.12.

I am not familiar with this brand either, but here she is! (linking 'cause I love)

The lining is a t-shirt-weight knit viscose - very soft.

 And also washable!

Of couse, the sequins on this shirt caught my eye - it was also on the clearance rack.

 Not my usual style, but hey, why not experiment? It's how I learn!

I'm also a sucker for sequins! And it helps that this is a Maison Scotch piece, called "Star de la Saison" (star of the season).

 For when you want to look military AND sparkly! The sequins are black on one side, and silver on the other.

Mine's had a bit of wear, which I'm cool with.

A little extra sign on the side of the shirt (so you don't forget who made it).

 This was marked at $16.25, and is also punched, but in that day's sale, that meant it was FREE. This originally retailed for $120.00 - best thrifting bargain ever!

Flush with my shopping victory, I spend a leisurely hour getting ready for my company's huge swanky holiday party on Saturday night. Throw that hair up, do fresh make up, paint my toenails purple, take pictures, drink tea, play with Vizzini. Take pictures!

 Ka-pow! Party dress!

• Dress - Vince Camuto; purchased here in January for $93.00
• Shoes - Sol Sana; last worn here (2nd outfit) in October with a green dress for Urbanite
• Coat (below) - Apparence, vintage, thrifted; last seen here on Wednesday

When I bought this stunning dress back in January, I knew I'd be wearing it for this party. I'll be wearing it for New Year's Eve too!

I have a TRAIN! I chugged around, showing it off to all of my colleagues and their spouses. It was stepped on a few times.

The top half of this dress amuses me. You can wear it "shoulders down" as I wore it above. Or perhaps with the "shoulders up", thusly.

 I love all the strategic ruching going on in the middle.

Or we could go full-on whackadoo and pull the neck right up!

 Who knows? Maybe I'll try that! I showed this to the group at our dinner table, because I am goofy that way. I think it was too "out there" for them, ha ha!

I bedecked myself in the Unsafe Polar Bear.

 Pink accoutrements, darlings.

• Fur boa, thrifted
• Leather gloves, consignment

Brrr! It's cold out! 

 L and I bused to town, then walked over the bridge to the hotel. Not taking our chances with Victoria's taxis on a holiday weekend.

Of course, I wouldn't be walking in my party shoes and gown like THAT. This is how I actually looked.

 I hiked the gown up to my waist - it stayed put perfectly, due to the snug fit - and put on my socks and silver booties. I bagged my shoes and my purse, in my favourite tote that Ally gave me. We walked home all the way, too!

The stuff:

 I realize you can't see the shoes at all with the dress - it needs a heel, and these wonderful sandals worked perfectly. Due to Platform Math, I was comfy standing for hours!

Sparkly bling:

 I wore my new blue crystal earrings right away!

• Purse - Fairweather, c. 1999
• Cuff - Swarovski, gift from L
• Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes
• Earrings - thrifted - first wearing, purchased above for $6.25

My purse re-org worked - it's been forever since I used this lovely homegrown vintage purse. I bought it when I used to work at Fairweather back in the late 90s/early 00s.

There will be photobooth pictures of us in the next couple of days, but here's a look at L's outfit.

He's so handsome there, swoon, hee hee.

His jacket is Etro Milano, bought on consignment in Vancouver last year. The shirt and suit pants are from his regular workwear wardrobe. The tie is a vintage one I thrifted for a dollar. His shoes are funky Fluevogs, naturally!

A quick selfie of us, cutting L's head off, as always. He's too tall!

 We're usually the dressiest people there - this year was no exception.

And now, off to spend some quality time with at least one of my guys. Vizzini is busy.

"I'm guarding the Man's shirts." 

It's laundry day, his favourite.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!