Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Birthday Week Kick-Off: Snakes and Rainbow Houndstooth; Shopping Finds; Birthday Party Mixed Metals

Hello, my friends! My birthday is next week, so the Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up officially kicks off Birthday Week, and this weekend that included my birthday party that I throw for myself every year. 

An easy outfit for a busy Friday. 

I loved the bright coral orange and coral red book-ending the rainbow houndstooth pattern of this vintage wool skirt.

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

• Sweater - Lord & Taylor, thrifted; first seen here (2nd outfit) in June with silver pants
• Skirt - Simon Chang, vintage 80s, thrifted; last worn here in February with bad red booties
• Shoes - Truths Pilgrim, Fluevog; last seen here in February with yellow and florals
• Sleeveless coat (below) - Only, thrifted; last worn here in April

This sweater is 100% merino wool - it was perfect for early fall.

I like the boxy cut of the body with the contrast of the tight sleeves.

It's longer in the back than the front.

 Mullet sweater!

The weekend is here!

 In case you're wondering, bare-legged season is over. I'm back to my beige nylons.

This sleeveless coat is awesome for the "shoulder" seasons.

 It's not quite cold enough to need arms on my coats every day.

The stuff:

This heel family (the Truths) are one of my favourites with Fluevog - it's a great walking heel. The lipstick red of these shoes makes me happy.

Snake bling:

 The necklace was very popular at work - I unclipped it a few times to show to people.

• Necklace - vintage 80s, vintage expo
• Cuff - Whiting & Davis, vintage 70s, vintage fair
• Earrings - thrifted

L and I had dinner out after work, then spent the evening chilling out from a stressful week by playing board games and listening to music. My favourite kind of evening!

On Saturday, we were up early for breakfast at the Ruby. I went thrift shopping after, and picked up some extra goodies on the way home for the party that night.

In addition to being nylons season, my tights are back in rotation.

• Sweater - Banana Republic, thrifted; last seen here (3rd outfit) in January over sparkle leopard
• Skirt - Dolce & Gabbana, thrifted; last worn here in February with green bookends
• Shoes - Truths Makena, Fluevog; last seen here on our March anniversary adventure in Vancouver
• Leather coat (below) - Danier Leather; last worn here in April

This sweater falls into the weekend category most of the time. It has lovely knitted detail, and is a medium thickness. I have a cami underneath.

The skirt is one of my best thrift finds: it was $6.00 in the St. Vincent de Paul several years ago.

It's grey wool tweed, lined in silk and trimmed in Persian lamb.

Since I knew I'd be shopping, both the sweater and skirt were chosen for easy-off/on-ability.

I am a gal who plans ahead.

I also planned on wearing a leather coat over this, so I knew few people would see me like this.

I do like colourful outerwear.

 I'm mostly pedestrian, and I like to be visible as we roll into the grey days of autumn.

I tucked my silk scarf into my bag, along with the gloves, for easier shopping.

A close-up for you - I am all about the details. Those are little leather bows on the gloves.

• Scarf - fake Louis (Lewis!) Vuitton, thrifted
• Leather/wool gloves - vintage, thrifted

The stuff:

My uber-comfy shoes are made even more so with the addition of cushy inserts.

Simple bling:

Nothing that can snag or get in the way.

• Earrings - Glee

I went to Flavour Upstairs first.

I checked out the belts and the jewelry case first.

I like this bright red snakeskin belt by Emmanuel. It was made in Canada.

It has a little bit of wear, but was only $12.00 for a lovely leather belt that's right on-trend.

I really like this fun multi-colored floral necklace.

I suspect it is Banana Republic - it has that look. It was only $10! I know the big statement necklace is "so 4 years ago" but I don't care. Look at those pretty colours!

I really like this browny-burgundy coloured skirt. It's not quite pleated and has a lot of movement.

 You know I need my Swoosh Factor!

It has a slit at the side front.

It's 100% polyester but feels very silky.

It's by Club Monaco, and what a score for $17.99!

Add another zero to that for the retail price.

I am a sucker for plaids - this red one reminds me of the early 90s quite a lot.

It's a lovely 100% wool, cut on the bias.

It's by Luisa Spagnoli, and was $14.99.

 Oh, my. Their "tube" skirts start at $289.00 US! I got a bargain!

I also found this wonderful plaid shirt that fits me perfectly.

 It doesn't have a single label on it.

It was $17.99.

It very much reminds me of the Madras plaid I owned in the mid-80s. I will probably stash this right away, into the spring/summer stuff.

I loved this magnificent shirt.

I had a paisley shirt similar to this in the 90s, but this is not from then.

It's a double-knit nylon, by Lansea for Pant-Man. What a fun label - I love the little red "kiss-print" on the "Man".

 It was $19.99.

We have a couple of clues as to the age of this shirt, aside from that groovy label: one is the sizing, which is pre-Great Size Shift of the late 80s. This 12 is equivalent to a modern size 8.

It also has laundry symbols on a tag down the side seam - these weren't common in North American brands until the 70s, so this psychedelic shirt is likely from the late 70s/early 80s, and I am leaning to the early 80s due to the lack of giant pointed collar. 

I felt this shirt/jacket and gasped. The fabric is amazing.

 I think it's from the late 90s/early 00s.

Remember when we were all into the contrasting backside of the fabric?

It's red with a hint of black on the front, and the reverse is black with a hint of red.

Ooh, nice detail on the back shoulder.

I dig the almost-bell shape of the cuffs too. The back has great seaming.

My eyes opened wider when I saw the label.

Pierre Balmain Paris! For only $22.99! I'm pretty sure it's authentic - Balmain labels have changed frequently over the decades - although I didn't find anything similar to this by searching online. You don't find a lot from the 90s online - we had no computers back then!

The period of the late 90s/early 00s is when Oscar de la Renta was in charge of the House of Balmain. I like knowing that.

It's marked size 8, so it's definitely past the 80s. The care/content/original label has been ripped out, pulling apart the stitching a bit at the neck to the left. I bet it was itchy and bothered the previous owner.

It does up with a series of hook slides up the front. Very 90s.

The fabric is super-stretchy and feels like a polished cotton with a strong dose of Lycra.

It's a snug fit - it looks good worn open.

 I'm excited to wear this!

From Flavour Upstairs, I went to the WIN store on Pandora, and spent about an hour poking around.

I really liked this acrylic cuff. It looks like it's been cut out, rather than molded.

The back is silvery-white and the outer layer is orange-copper.

It was $5.95. I love the intricate design.

I found a great basic piece, this cream turtleneck sweater.

It's not super-exciting, but I'll probably wear it a lot.

It's by Wanko, and was $7.95.

 They appear to be a Hong Kong brand.

This sweater is a wool/acrylic blend, which means it will wash well, even though the label says it's dry clean only. I will risk it!

I did get a chuckle out of the size though: F. Proof that sizing is completely arbitrary.

Tired from my shopping, I had a nap before getting ready for our guests. We had about 20 of our friends over for a night of chatting, dancing and eating and drinking. It was a blast!

I wore this lovely dress that I picked up a few months ago.

I know, black, how unlike me!

• Dress - Simon Chang, consignment; purchased here for $31.50
• Shoes - Sol Sana; last worn here in August with a clash of patterns

The dress is bias-cut so it has lots of room for dancing (and eating chocolate!).

 My closet light is on (I always end up there with a few of my friends!).

Oops, one of the rear straps is trapped on my bra strap.

I didn't feel like a fussy outfit. Just a dress - easy!

Comfy platforms for standing around and dancing. I lasted till about 2am in these.

L and I crashed into bed around 3am. Woo, what a fun evening!

The stuff:

Since the pattern on the dress is mixed metallics, I went with mixed metals in all my accessories, starting with the silver ferns on the suede shoes.

Multi-bling:

I put the new-to-me cuff on to show someone, and left it on all night.

• Fascinator - Heart's Content
• Necklace - Renoir, vintage 60s, vintage fair
• Acrylic cuff - thrifted
• Studded cuff - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Vancouver
• Onyx/silver ring - Tocara, vintage fair
• Crystal/silver ring - Soul Flower
• Earrings - thrifted

My friends were so generous!

So much love! Thanks to my Winesday gals for the Fluevog gift card, Caro for the toque, Terry for the chocolate and Petra for the wooden box and earrings. I also got warm chocolate chip cookies from Sofia, but I put them out for eating right away. Cookies are dangerous!

Petra's husband took the picture on the card.

The earrings are vintage screw-on by Coro.

I am wearing the toque now, while I create this post.

 My team won today!

Vizzini came out late in the party and was lurking around the party food. I think he stole a cracker.

"Lies! I was merely inspecting for quality."

He's grumpy because we've brought his post in off the deck for the season.

"I can't even look at you. I should be out there!"

Sorry, buddy! 

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! Thanks for coming by!