Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Muppet Armour; Snow-Day Shopping; Kitty Shenanigans

Welcome back, my friends! It has been a thoroughly relaxing and chill - and CHILLY! - weekend. I'm eager to burrow back under some blankets with my tea, so let's get to it! 

Friday's outfit was for the predicted weather - the Muppet Skirt! 

 I'm also clad in my shiny chainmail armour sweater. It started snowing overnight and we woke up to a bitterly-cold winter wonderland.

This is my outfit for "Visible Monday" over at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style - I was very visible in the snow!

• Sweater - Jay Jays, thrifted; first worn here in December 2018 with red suede
• Skirt - Joy Nilsson, vintage, thrifted; last seen here in December 2017 for Christmas Day
• Boots - Prepare Guide, Fluevog; last worn here (2nd outfit) in December 2018 for my WW dinner
• Coat (below) - Rodarte for Opening Ceremony, consignment; last seen here in December 2018

My view of the Castle - the trees are a slight blur in the wind that was light in the morning, but gusting up to 90 kilometers an hour by evening. Brr!

 I love the spooky branches of the Gary Oak trees.

I layered a tank top under this sweater for extra warmth, but overall, I was quite well-insulated over the day.

 Isn't the skirt astounding? The bright neon in the stair picture is the most accurate representation of its colour.

It's very, very thick, 100% mohair knit, and it's HEAVY.

 But it's still very soft and snuggly to wear! I layered a half-slip under this and also wore thick grey tights.

I overheated a few times in the office, and had to hike the skirt up around my thighs to cool off.

 However, I adore this skirt, and I'm always happy when it's cold enough to wear it.

Outerwear - I rode the bus to and from work (my Friday treat) and also ventured out into the wind and snow to pick up my lunch (another Friday treat).

 People loved this look - I had several shouted comments on the street and from people in stores (not shouted), as well as big smiles on the bus. I did need to gather up the skirt away from the wet ground when I was outside - the skirt sucks up water (and collects sticks and garbage).

• Fur toque/scarf - Danier Leather
• Leather gloves - consignment

The Ringmaster Coat is such a perfect finishing piece. It really wasn't warm enough for being outside longer than 15-20 minutes, though. I was always happy to get back indoors!


The stuff:

 Because the skirt is so long, I have to wear a good platform. I love the woolly texture of these grey boots.

Shiny bling:

 A pop of bright pink in the earrings to match the skirt, and a few simple shiny bits.

• Earrings - consignment, Vancouver
• Silver/gold cuff - JPL, vintage fair
• Crystal ring - Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy
• Amethyst/gold ring - Frances Jewelers, c. 1965, Dad's

When I got home, I quickly stepped back out and took a picture looking down our street.

 Most of the neighbourhood has been really good at salting/clearing their sidewalks - thank you!

On Friday night, L and I hung out and played board games for the evening. Vizzini was happy to have us around.

We were up early on Saturday, ready to go for breakfast. It was even colder and windier!

 Pretty sure my teeth are chattering there! I was meeting up with Winesday girlfriend Sarah for a thrift-shopping expedition afterwards, so I needed to be warm, fashionable and also dressed to try things on. A tall order when it's -10!

• Sweater - Club Monaco, thrifted; last worn here in December 2018 with silver pants
• Skirt - TKStyle, thrifted; last seen here (3rd outfit) in October 2018 for a weekend shopping trip
• Boots - Ash; last worn here (2nd outfit) in December 2018 for our last brunch at Floyd's Diner
• Coat (below) - Tahari, thrifted; last seen here last week

Vizzini has been very vocal about not enjoying this cold. He ventures out from the closed-off, heated bedroom to the rest of the house to meow at us.

"See how cold my ears and toes are, Woman? I'm licking them just to warm up!"

This is my "monkey arm" sweater (note the strip of faux fur along the tops of the arms) - it's thick and woolly (I also have a cami on under it), but not too bulky.

"Yes, look at me when I am talking to you."

The skirt is nice and stretchy, and also thick and snuggly.

Giving my chilly kitty a warm hug.

"Are my fans out there?"

These tights are thick - I'm always surprised at how warm a lacy tight can be.

Fortifying myself to face the world.

 Thanks to L for keeping his "little dragon" happy. A peek at my white sport sock (KLASSY!) inside my boot.

Outerwear - bundled up for icy winds!

 My hair is clipped up and secured under my cashmere toque. All of my accessories easily fit into my bag or pockets while I was shopping. I hate bulky stuff.

• Toque - Club Monaco, thrifted
• Fur boa - Danier Leather, thrifted
• Gloves - Cejon, thrifted

The stuff:

 Our new photo-editing software has some fun filters that often improve on my own craptastic photos. This one nicely shows the artfully battered look of my studded boots. I love these.

• Earrings - Glee

As L was lacing his boots up, someone decided to investigate.

"There were rumours of kitty spaghetti."

L's boots are Fluevog - excellent in the snow and ice!

Vizzini loves to go after shoelaces.

"Just waiting for the right moment..."

He's eaten many - we have to hide our guests' shoes from him.

Fortunately, L and I are skilled at keeping him from chewing on them.

"Curses! The hand again!"

We gently, but firmly, push him away.

"Lunge! Bite! Claw!"

But he is a very fast cat.

We lost power a few minutes after I took the above pictures! Good thing we'd already planned to eat out! Our restaurant of choice had also lost power (we saw people inside hurriedly eating in the dark), so we ventured further into town, looking for another spot. The power was out for about 4 blocks! We ended up at a placed called Artisan Bistro (I think) that had just opened - we had a wonderful breakfast and then parted ways.

I headed down to Dots for a good look around. I don't really shop retail anymore, but Dots is a clearing store for wholesale samples and store clearances - there are often unusual brands there, including ones that are made in Canada, the US and Italy, so I don't feel too bad about buying one or two things once in a while.

I found this lovely white lace/embroidered tunic jacket.

 It's slit up the sides to the cuff level; the cuffs, collar and front button placket are solid fabric.

Although the pattern isn't fully symmetrical, it's not wildly off either.

 I'm looking forward to wearing this open in spring and summer, but I will give it a go once for winter before I stash it for warmer months.

It's by Lysse, and was marked down to $19.99.

 It's an Australian company, and yes, $125.00 is the retail price.

After Dots, I walked over to the big WIN store to meet up with Sarah. She's going back to work after mat leave, and needed a blazer and some work clothes. We found her a bunch of stuff, including a blazer and a fabulous jumpsuit.

I found myself this felted fur hat!

 It's very Mad Hatter, shaped like a rounded-top top hat with a slightly curved brim. It's very wacky.

The wool felt stamp inside. I can just make out "Canada" in the small banner at the bottom.

 Mousse HB? Sure. An image search reveals oodles of similarly furry-textured vintage hats, not surprisingly.

The hattery is Boutique of New York and Montreal.

 I like the added gold vintage rick-rack trim. This was only $4.95. A steal!

On the way home, I stopped in a Rich Rags for a quick peek. I spotted these acid yellow fine-wale corduroy cropped pants on the $10 sale rack.

 They are super-stretchy.

And are by Banana Republic. They are the Avery cut, and these are from Fall 2017, according to the tag.

 $124-110 regular price. These are also very spring/summer, but again, I'm going to style them once for winter.

I am always on the lookout for a good gown for holiday parties and special events. A leopard gown that looks amazing on? YUP.

 It's a strapless, ruched front (very well-boned and supportive), with a bias-cut flowy skirt, fully-lined in black. And it has a matching long scarf for DRAMA.

Big swooshy skirt - it doesn't look very impressive when it's hanging, but trust me, it is Swoosh Factor 8.

It's 100% silk. The price was $99.00 - Rich Rags marks down to 50% once items have been in the store for a month, and this would have gotten knocked down next Friday. However, I know I would have kicked myself if I missed out on it, and with Valentine's Day looming, I think there's a good chance that this would have sold.

So I went for it - and the lovely lady there gave me 30% off, so it was $69.00 after all. Totally worth it!

It's by Chetta B Evening by Sherri Bloom and Peter Noviello.

 I think this is probably from the late 90s or early 00s. The sizing is modern. This probably would have been $200+ new, easy!

After another quiet evening in on Saturday, and a brief foray out into the gusty winds today, it's time for me to spend more time with my guys.

"Wishing all my fans a warm snuggle."

Thanks so much for stopping by!