Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Double Gaultier and Peacocks; Silver at the Ruby; Shopping in Bark

After a not-very-restful Thursday evening, I went to work on my Friday off. Not to work (although I had a few things to deal with that put my mind more at ease), but to meet up with one of my coworkers from another city. 

 I am the office manager/receptionist of Victoria's branch of my company - and Ann, who does the same job as me in our Edmonton office, came to town with her husband for a company event. Did we meet up? Of course we did!

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

• Men's shirt - Jean's by Jean Paul Gaultier, thrifted; purchased here for $7.99
• Trousers - Jean's by Jean Paul Gaultier, vintage shop, Vancouver; last seen here (2nd outfit) in August 2018 with Gookey
• Shoes - Down to Earth Hadfield, Fluevog; last worn here (2nd outfit) in October 2018 to get our vote on
• Coat (below) - Danier Leather; last seen here last week

This men's shirt was too small for L, but fit me perfectly, and it was inevitable that I would wear it with pants by the same designer.

Ann and I did some walking around the harbour, and sat and talked shop for the afternoon. We totally hit it off.

I knew I didn't want to be too casual or too dressy. It was a gorgeous day, very warm for January!

 Still a chill in the air at times, though. Leather weather!

• Scarf - Ralph Lauren, consignment
• Gloves - Parkhurst

I mostly looked like this.

 I'm chatting with L there, who was also getting ready to go out for lunch with a coworker. Funny, we went out with different people when we both had the day off! Ann and I went to Pagliacci's for lunch - yum!

The stuff:

 Good walking shoes!

• Gold hoops - 5th anniversary gift from L

Being from Edmonton, Ann really wanted to go to the waterfront, and to see the world's tallest free-standing totem pole. Sure! We walked through Beacon Hill Park, where I took her picture.

 It's always so interesting to meet someone who does exactly the same job as you - it's not like we Receptionists get to travel to other offices at all, at least, not for work! Ann and I have had work contact for nearly 8 years.

It must be peacock mating season. The park was FULL of peacocks, strutting and preening.

"Dude, have you seen any ladies?" 

 No showy tailfeathers spread out, though.

They seemed to know that their pictures were being taken.

"No ladies, bro. Who are all these people taking our pictures?"

Look at this magnificent fellow!

"Don't give away my location, Dude."

No wonder they call that "peacock blue"!

We spotted the peahens.

"Shhh! Keep it down, man! They're mine!"

Quite drab, aren't they? There were peacocks (and peahens) up in trees too - they can fly!

Ann and I were mistaken as tourists with food by this gaggle of mallards and wood-ducks.

"Food? Food? Food?"

So many ducks! Even those ones in the distance came running!

We found the totem. Read about it here.

 That's carved out of a single tree! Amazing!

Of course, when you come to Victoria, you have to touch the Pacific Ocean. And you have to make it real, even if only till the tide comes in.

Sheila! Ann!

As ephemeral as we are.

We had a lovely time gabbing over coffee. I walked Ann back to her hotel, then browsed through the Velvet Crease consignment store on the way home. No luck, clothes-wise, but I did find this awesome silver and aventurine ring.

 I love the way the "branches" splay out on the top and bottom.

The aventurine is nice and clear with a pretty glow.

 The ring is a simple construction. As aventurine is native to India, I'd guess that's where this ring was made.

Handmade, obviously, but the construction is solid. There's the .925 silver stamp.

 This was $40. Worth it! I can't wait to wear it.

On Saturday, L and I met up with Nick and Casey for brunch at the Ruby, which will be our downtown diner of choice until something better comes along.

 We are creatures of habit. It's a longer walk than Floyd's was, and we had a couple of errands to do on the way home, so comfy clothes for me.

• Sweater - J. Crew, thrifted; last worn here (4th outfit) in April 2018 for chillin' with friends
• Pants - H&M, consignment; first worn here in December 2018 with black monkey arms and fringe
• Shoes - Aerosoles, consignment; last seen here (6th outfit) in November 2018 for shopping with Vero
• Coat (below) - Frank Lyman; last worn here in September 2018

I haven't worn this sweater in a while, but I love the rich blue.

 It's quite a thick wool, so perfect for a sunny, but slightly chilly day. I have a camisole on underneath as well.

Stretchy silver pants, because that's what I wear to a casual brunch.

 Doesn't everyone wear silver pants to a diner?

Outerwear - I have clip my tresses up and out of the way of the studs on this jacket, or they rip out my hair. Ouch!

L is doing his Urban Cowboy look

Fully zipped, bundled, locked and loaded.

My guy looks so cool - thumbs up!

We had a few stares as we strolled around town. We kind of stand out in a sea of leggings and beige.

The stuff:

 Good walking shoes. I wore knee-high nylons, not bare feet.

Simple bling:

 Plain stuff, but still special to me.

• White gold earrings - 10th anniversary gift from L
• Lapis lazuli ring/Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

L bought me this awesome mid-90s sweatshirt from the Patch! Thanks, love!

What?? A vintage Carolina Panthers sweatshirt! Yeah! Off to watch some football!

On Sunday, we awoke to sunny skies and warm temps - I can't believe it's January!

 Ahoy! I see blue skies!

• Velvet blazer - Talbots, thrifted; first seen here in October 2018 with teal and dragons
• Sweater - Lacoste, thrifted; first worn here in October 2018 with all-green
• Skirt - Gunex, thrifted; last seen here in October 2018 with loads of textures
• Shoes - Matisse; last worn here on another shop in December 2018

I walked to town to do groceries and to spend some of my Christmas gift cards.

I love the fine wool and the soft green colour of this wool sweater.

A scarf at my neck for warmth, and a kitten-soft blazer over that.

 I should have worn a vintage slip under this - I was a little chilly at times.

Another wearing of my bark skirt - it's a very stiff taffeta, woven in dark brown and black. It shimmers in bright light - you can see a bit of that in the stair pic above.

I like the ragged hem and the crinkled texture of the skirt. It's also a billower! You know I love that.

Outerwear - fooled you! I didn't wear a coat!

 Gloves and an angora vintage toque, and I was good to go.

• Toque - vintage, thrifted
• Gloves - Parkhurst

This was a good shopping outfit, very easy for trying things on.

The stuff:

 I have a few go-to shoes when I go shopping - these are so comfy.

• Earrings - consignment, Powell River

My bosses at work gave me a Fluevog gift card for Christmas, so of course, I had to spend it.

 I've had my eyes on these babies since they came out. They are the Truths Teah (link here 'cause I love), and I paid $299 for them - my bosses were generous!

They are a tall, ornate boot - I wanted a to-the-knee boot I could wear out and about and be comfortable walking in.

 But they have such lovely details. I adore the silver brushing all over.

Scalloped trim, studs and buckles, oh my!

 The calves are a bit tight, but they'll loosen up over time.

The toes remind me of suits of armour.

 That's the perfect pointy toe for this chick.

You may recognize the shape of this shoe - I also have these ones and these ones from the same family.

 They have rubber soles too - no slipping! I know I will get my money's worth out of these.

I went to Flavour Upstairs but didn't find anything that zinged, so I strolled up to the Women in Need (WIN) store, where I found two pieces that I forgot to purchase the last time I was there.

The earrings are...maybe Vendome? Or put on a Vendome card to sell them (more likely).

I did learn that Vendome was the high-end version of Coro (a name I know), and only existed until 1979.

 $25.00 would have been pretty pricey back then.

The belt buckle is a modern piece and probably sold for more then $9.95. I gave it to L (it would have been a stocking stuffer).

 Both pieces were in the sale case, so the earrings were $3.12 and the buckle was $5.00.

Sunday's sale was all vintage 50% off. I have been eyeing this autumn-toned wool skirt for a while, and that made me bite.

 I thought of Vix! This screams 1970s to me.

I love how the pattern lines up.

 It's a wool blend knit, and I couldn't find any moth-holes.

The red bits attracted me - I have plenty in my closet in tan, black, brown and red that will go with this piece.

 It's floor-length on me, and the mermaid hem is great for walking (and makes one's butt look good).

It's made in Italy and is 85% wool, 15% polyamide.

 The size 12 is equivalent to a modern size 8, so we know for sure that this is before the mid-80s Great Size Shift. Isn't that a great vintage label? The little white label is in French - possibly this was sold in a boutique in Montreal in the 70s.

It's partially lined, and has a side zip with two hook-and-eyes, but my eye was caught by the two chains at either side of the waistband, meant for holding its weight on a hanger. Nice detail.

 This was $9.00.

I only had about 45 minutes in WIN, so I just quickly went through the racks, looking for the best stuff. The drama of this robe caught my eye.

 It is a silvery-grey floral on a black sheer background. The cuffs are black satin and the ends of the ties are a black tassel.

It's by La Vie En Rose, a mall chain.

 I don't know that I would consider this vintage, but I'll take it at $5.50.

When I got home, I put away my clothes and stood up the bark skirt.

"What magic is this?"

He knocked it over trying to get under it. Such shenanigans!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Thank you so much for visiting.