Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Monochrome Wines; Silver and Blue Fox; Theatrical Cocoon; Green and Houndstooth Shop

Happy weekend, my friends - let's get right to the outfits, as it's been a busy few days. 

Here's Friday's outfit. I knew I was going to be assembling two floor lamps, and putting together at least one shelf for the office, so I needed clothes I could do physical work in. 

It was cloudy in the morning, so my picture turned out blue. Sure!

• Cardigan - Jacob, thrifted; last worn here (2nd outfit) in February 2018 for another physical workday
• Tux blouse - no label, thrifted; last worn here layered under a velvet dress in January 2019
• Jeans - L'Wren Scott for Banana Republic, thrifted; last seen here (3rd outfit) in June for Book Club
• Shoes - Napoleoni, thrifted; first worn here in October for my birthday week with Lacroix
• Coat (below) - Forever 21, thrifted; last seen here in March

I mostly looked like this all day.

All tones of burgundy and wine.

I do enjoy a monochrome look.

I'd forgotten I had this cardigan - I'm shocked that it's been nearly 2 years since I last wore it! Tsk!

I did a front-tuck with the blouse, as the jeans are stretchy and low-rise. There's no way it would stay tucked in while I was building a shelf.

I still have one more shelf to go, so Monday's outfit will also have to be a comfy shelf-assembling-able one as well.

Waiting on the weekend.

I had a haircut after work, and felt quite badass strolling down the street.

Especially with the Grape Ape on!

This is a very snuggly coat (with pockets!). I'd debated keeping it (I only have so many hangers!), but in the end, its faux-furriness won me over, at least for another year.

• Gloves - Parkhurst

The stuff:

Easy shoes for being on my feet most of the day. They are a very deep wine, almost brown.

Minimal bling:

Just plain gold earrings.

• Earrings - Biko, consignment

After a much-needed quiet evening of TV and a snoozy cat on my lap, I was up early on Saturday for my Mental Health Walk (a gorgeous, but cold outing), followed by brunch with L at the Ruby.

Ah, sun! I'm happy I can still get away with wearing a light coat as my outerwear. The bright weather is so lovely.

• Coat - Desigual by Christian Lacroix, consignment; last worn here in April with the jelly-deer and dots
• Sweater - Gap, thrifted; last seen here in August with a colour-blocked skirt
• Skirt - Mexx, consignment; last worn here in September with my Iron Maiden concert tee
• Shoes - Gabor; first seen here in October with a bunch of blah blues

I wanted to wear my snakeskin booties again, so I built the outfit around them.

I only had the jacket off while I was in the restaurant.

But I loved the bright reddy-orange skirt with the grey/black/blue mix.

 We did a few chores after brunch.

Picked up a few groceries.

My outerwear - I adore this coat.

The pattern is all woven, except for the big blue and white circle patterns on the front, which are vinyl and sewn onto the coat.

I tend to wear this with orange and red due to the bits of those colours in the patterns.

 All buttoned up.

I didn't even need a scarf - how awesome.

• Gloves - Parkhurst
• Purse - Danier, thrifted

The stuff:

The booties were wonderful for walking to and from town.

Simple bling:

Just a few of my favourite things.

• Earrings - Tania Gleave, Granville Island
• Lapis lazuli ring/Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

I spent about an hour reading on the couch when we got home.

"You weren't using your cardigan, so it's mine now."

This is what I get for leaving my wool cardi on the chair.

"You just back away, Woman, it's mine!"

You don't get all my cardigans, Vizzini!

I got a good chunk of my book read, and then had to change - Mom and I were off to the theatre!

Play, ahoy! We went to see "Bang Bang" at the Belfry Theatre - it was an interesting production. Local review here.

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

• Dress - Romeo Gigli, vintage, consignment; last worn here in January with a set of blue accessories
• Boots - Lena Parfait Luxury Freeze, Fluevog; last seen here for New Year's Eve 2019
• Coat (below) - Auckie Sanft, vintage 60s, vintage fair; last worn here over my Diwali outfit a week ago

We went for dinner after at the Fernwood Inn - I remembered how cold it always is in there, so I layered up and wore a snuggly cocoon for the evening.

This dress looks like nothing on the hanger, but it's a genuine Romeo Gigli (excellent article about him here, if you've never heard of him, link 'cause I love).

The top is oversized, and the sleeves are enormously long (by about 8"), on purpose. I am wearing a black tank to cover my bra straps, as the neckline is very wide.

The bottom is a perfect fit. I love being able to change up the belt and shoes to make this a new-looking outfit every time.

Since I chose such funky shoes, my outerwear veered into more pink and pattern.

The Fuzzy Flamingo causes a stir wherever she goes! I had to layer the rainbow leopard scarf with it, and doesn't the purse go well?

All buttoned up and snuggly for the walk to and from the theatre.

I always wear something of hers (or Dad's) when I have a date with Mom - the pin was given to Mom by her landlady when she was a teenage teacher in the early 60s.

• Gloves - Parkhurst
• Scarf - thrifted
• Purse - Mademoiselle by Spencer & Rutherford, vintage mall, gift from L

The stuff:

My boots caused quite a stir - they had a gaggle of admirers during the play's intermission, and the waitress at the pub was very taken with them too. And yes, I walked to and from the theatre in them! They are mostly platform and very comfy to wear. I should wear them more!

Colourific bling:

The accessories make the outfit when the rest is just a grey dress. 

• Leather obi - locally made, gift from L
• Flower brooch - Mom's, vintage 60s
• Tassel earrings - consignment, Vancouver
• Crystal ring - Uffizi Gallery gift shop, Florence, Italy
• Amethyst/gold ring - Frances Jewelers, c. 1965, Dad's

On Sunday, we had an extra hour's sleep due to Daylight Savings. Off to get groceries, followed by a deep dive at the Patch. 

I'm dressed for trying stuff on. No one saw me like this.

• Sweater - Tatyana, thrifted; last worn here with linen in June
• Skirt - Tribal, thrifted; first seen here in May with ruffled shoulders
• Shoes - Half Truth Tanya, Fluevog; last worn here (2nd outfit) in September with sequins for brunch
• Coat (below) - Zara, gift from Dominique; last seen here in March

I just wore pieces that would go off and on easily.

I spent about 2.5 hours going through everything in the Patch. It's a huge store, and stuff is just crammed into the racks, so it's exhausting.

Shopping is hard work!

Bundled up in my baby blue cocoon coat.

This coat is a tricky one to wear due to the shape and the short sleeves.

• Gloves - thrifted
• Scarf - fake Louis (Lewis?) Vuitton, thrifted

The gloves felt too big on me so I gave them to L when I got home.

The stuff:

Trusty walking/shopping shoes! These are awesome!

• Earrings - thrifted

Did I have any luck shopping? I sure did! I lucked out on a bunch of blouses, and a few things that made me catch my breath.

First up, a silk and Lycra blouse in hot pink.

It has full sleeves with elastic cuffs. I like the gentle ruffle along the wide V neck - it's very flattering.

It's by Tahari and was $14.95.

 A long-sleeved Tahari blouse like this would retail for about $245.00 US. Score!

I loved the bright tangerine citrus orange of this blouse.

 It also has slightly gathered cuffs.

It's by Zoe & Sam, and was made in the US.

 It's 100% silk and was $16.95. This post from 2012 (here, link 'cause I love) notes that this is a "bogus" designer brand, made in an LA factory, and falsely sold with mark-downs to make it look more chi-chi than it is (I've seen that happen in brick-and-mortar stores too - stuff comes in already marked down). Still, a silk blouse second-hand is better (and probably cheaper) than new.

I fell hard for this beautiful silk tunic-length mauve silk blouse, even though it looks like someone ate a messy meal in it.

It's covered in little food bits. Yuck.

However, it's by Eileen Fisher, and is 100% silk.

And at $19.95 for a 100% silk blouse...

...that's machine washable?

Yeah, I'm in. Especially since this would have cost $250-300 new!

Cashmere sweaters are out in full force in the second hand shops now, and you can find them for $26.00 and up second-hand. This one caught my eye due to the pattern.

What a gorgeous autumn-y pattern of chrysanthemums - this will go with tons in my closet.

It's by Talbots (that label is hanging on by a thread!), and it was $29.95.

 This is the Audrey sweater, and it sells for $169.00 (looks like the pattern changes every year).

I love the soft pinks, wines and browns in this.

So pretty - can't wait to wear this.

I waffled over this skirt, but ultimately, I really wanted another leopard skirt in my wardrobe. It's' a classic piece for me.

 I love the natural-looking pattern - this is a high-waisted cut.

It's by Rena Rowan, and was $19.95.

I've seen this brand around, but have never owned anything by her - here is a link to the Wall Street Journal obituary for her (she died in 2016). What a fascinating lady!

Based on the info in the article, this is probably a vintage late 80s piece (that's a vintage size 10 or modern size 6).

Look at that plush texture - this is so soft and fuzzy and lovely to wear.

I'll be putting away these trousers for summer.

They are a putty-grey colour, and are a high "paper bag" style of waist. They also have pockets.

They are by Lina Kraun, and are handmade in the EU.

They were $22.95, which felt a bit pricey, but they fit me perfectly and they'll be awesome in hot weather.

As you might have guessed from all the wrinkles, they are 100% linen.

 There's no working website for this company, but they have a few things listed on their FB page. Looks like trousers run around $130.00 new.

I can't resist an olive green burnout velvet maxi skirt.

 So it came home with me! This is a bias-cut (meaning: extra swooshy!) silk blend skirt, fully-lined.

It was $19.95 and it's by Banana Republic.

It's likely from the early 00s, and would have been about 10 times that new. I look forward to swooshing about in it!

And lastly, the most expensive item, but the one that really made me catch my breath: a black dress!

"I was not expecting that."

So not like me, but this is a super-fuzzy knitted angora/wool dress. I plan to layer blouses and sweaters under it.

It's Ralph by Ralph Lauren and you can see the nice fuzzy knit a bit better here. It was $49.99, but I love it!

The Vintage Fashion Guild (link here) identifies this as late 90s, and I agree. Compared to the junky Ralph Lauren stuff that you see sold now, this is much higher end designer quality. It was made in Hong Kong, which had a booming manufacturing industry (mostly high-end clothing) for decades until it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

And now, I need to give Mr. Kitty some love.

"I demand that you sit on the couch and let me crawl under your blanket."

I want to do that, so I'm off! I hope you all had a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by.