Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Three-Hour Dress, Flashback, and Cat Pics

Due to yesterday/Monday being a stat holiday, and finicky things with how I submit my timesheet, I had to go into the office today to make up a portion of my weekly hours.
Only working for 3 hours? A dress is the way to go!


  • Dress - Desigual Gracey, vintage expo; last worn here (2nd outfit) in May 2019 to the Ulti field
  • Shoes - Camper; last seen here in April with green and orange
  • Coat (below) - Tangerine Jill, thrifted; last worn here earlier this month


I have been disappointed in Desigual's new output in the last 10 years or so, as their clothing quality seems like it's deteriorated: cheaper fabrics, not putting print on the back (I loathe dresses/skirts/tops with plain black backs!) and overall less well-made. I have several older pieces of theirs that are superbly made, so when I spot one, I tend to buy it.
I found this at one of the last big Vintage Expos we went to at the Crystal Gardens, back here in early October 2016, for $30.00. It's so not vintage! It's probably from the early to mid-00s.

There were only 3 people in my office for the three hours I was there, so thank goodness I didn't have to go through the usual question: Is this a top and skirt? No, they're really all connected.
One sleeve is a different fabric too - the whole dress is a silky polyester, with a cotton lining that clings to tights, so this dress is now spring/summer only.

Pockets! This is the first time I've rolled the sleeves up and buttoned the tab - that took me back to the mid-80s, as I had a teal shirt that did that.
"Where did the Man go?"

Vizzini tried to escape into the hall again this morning. Little devil-cat!


Flashback!
Before we get to today's outerwear, here are all the ways I've worn this dress before (again, I haven't linked to the previous posts; if that's your jam, then use the the "last seen/worn here" links above).

October 2016: Since the dress has a lot of colours, it goes with pretty much any pair of shoes and belt. I'm pleased that I have done so many variations!
For its first wearing, I layered my dark red vintage slip under it, with a matching leather obi. I miss those boots - I wore them to death.

January 2017: The dress originally came with a matching mixed pattern sash belt - it has two same-fabric belt-loops - but it was missing when I bought it. I find the belt loops are set too high for me, so I like a belt to lower the waist to a more comfy point.
I mixed my belt and shoe colours here as well - I need to fix those orange shoes still (they are badly stained). This belt would not normally be in my winter wardrobe; I must have just gotten it from L for Christmas.

May 2017: I went all matchy with my turquoise accessories here, including these shoes.
As turquoise is one of the prominent colours in the top half, it works well with stuff in that colour.

August 2017: Red is also a dominant colour in the pattern. Red accessories and green/black shoes, even though there is very little green in the pattern.
It took me nearly a year to grow my hair out, and even here, it's still pretty wispy at the ends.

January 2018: I kept the dress out for winter, and layered a vintage slip (the orange bits at the bottom) under it, and wore my baby blue studded jean jacket over it for warmth.
I stayed with the stud theme and wore my grommet belt, and vintage black Versace pumps (these are archived; I rarely wear them - this is the last time I did).

March 2018: Matching oranges - there's today's belt.
 I spy a navy blue vintage slip hem peeking out.

July 2018: This outfit was for Pride Week, so I piled on colourful accessories, none of them matching. I'm a rainbow!
I have blue and green earrings on, a yellow/black/white fabric obi, a purple cuff, a red cuff, blue and turquoise rings, and lilac and mango shoes.

May 2019: And the last time I wore it, last year.
I thought the pink belt was red when I put it on; like the green shoes, it didn't quite match, but it still goes!

Today's outfit is the 9th wearing, so my cost-per-wear is down to just over $3.00 a wear. Not bad!

End Flashback


And here's today's outerwear. This linen/cotton coat is so nice and bright.
By the time I left the office, it was lovely and sunny and warm out.

The stuff:
Since my orange shoes still need some TLC, these were the next closest: orange heels and soles! The red went well too.

Orange bling:
My "sets" make for easy defaults when I don't feel like putting in a lot of effort in.


  • Belt - vintage 80s, thrifted
  • Cuff/ring - vintage 60s, Italy, vintage mall
  • Earrings - vintage expo


The earrings are clip-ons, and are wood. They are very light and comfortable to wear.

Last night, I couldn't find Vizzini. Finally, I spotted him, melting on the deck.
"This is my new favourite spot."

He likes that the chair gets part shade, part sun. Temperature control!

When he wants full sun, he sits on his big post. I caught him just as he woke up.
"First, a good upper body workout."

He usually jumps to the ground from here.
"I can exist on two levels at once."

I'll have to see if I can cajole him into a cuddle while I read this afternoon. Here, kitty, kitty!

32 comments:

  1. It's such a fun dress and you wear it so well! It's a shame the quality of the brand isn't what it used to be but it's nice that you are able to find older pieces! :)

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    1. Thanks so much, Mica! Yeah, a lot of the stuff I see by them is very cheaply made, both in construction and fabric. I'm glad there are always second-hand things out there!

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  2. It's like you're wearing stained glass - love it!

    I think it must be the time of year or something because my cat has become a flight risk also. We've ordered a cat harness for him so that he can safely come outside with us. In the meantime we have to lock the screen doors because he knows how to open them. Little devils indeed.

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    1. I love that: stained glass. Thanks, Nana! Vizzini has zero interest in going outdoors, but he really wants to go into the hallway of our condo. He's only figured out how to open closets - thank goodness he's never been able to open cupboards or anything else.

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  3. What a fabulous dress! It can do no wrong. You can just pull it on and run, if only all our clothes were so well behaved. Your glasses are great with it.
    I love that pic of Vizzini in the sun. I have a matching coloured dog with Vizzini and she snores in sun patches all day.

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    1. Thank you so much, Juliana! It's a true jammy dress in that aspect. Just put it on and you're good to go!

      Aw, our furry fam is such a source of happiness, isn't it? I'm smiling just thinking of your dog.

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  4. That's a fabulous dress, I loved the earlier Desigual pieces, one of my friends had a particularly wonderful caot with an eye on the back back in the noughties. Most of it is made in India and a lot of the roadside stalls in the tourist areas sell it, some good but mostly mediocre.
    Love all the ways you've worn it over the years and watching your style evolve. I adore those shoes!
    Look at Vizzini in action! It's been gloriously hot here and the lads are loving it. xxx

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    1. Thanks, Vix! I have a dress with the eye on the back of it, bought in London in 2010 - it was only a few years later that they started with all these cheap t-shirt fabrics.

      I'm envious of your heatwave! It's all over the place here.

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  5. I agree with you on the quality decline of Desigual. I stopped buying it too. No second-hand shops here really, that are worth going to. Although I am a matchy/matchy person I prefer your outfits with a different colour belt from the shoes. Funny that is.
    Greetje

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    1. It's a shame when a company that's known for the detail and quality of their goods starts to cut corners.

      That is funny!

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  6. No matter how many times I've seen that Desigual dress, it still fools me into thinking these are separates! Sorry about that :-) But I do think it's totally fabulous, even though I'm not a big Desigual fan. Partly to do, I think, with their Antwerp shop, which I absolutely hated going in to. Long gone now, by the way. Back to the dress, which looks brilliant with the orange belt and the sleeves rolled up. One of the best ways you have worn it. Lovely to see your cheerful bright pink coat again too. Cats eh? Phoebe just cannot abide closed doors. We're so lucky she is a bit of a scaredy-cat, though, and would never venture beyond our front door! xxx

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    1. Ha ha, no worries, Ann! They do look like separates! Oh dear, was it a bad shop? I have only been in one shop of theirs, in London in 2010 - the other pieces have been from boutiques who carry a partial line, or second-hand.

      Vizzini is also a scaredy-cat, but thank goodness he doesn't bang on closed doors (our old cat Inigo used to do that - it drove us nuts).

      Thanks so much!

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  7. I love the dress with the slip under neath. But also without it, it's a lovely and interesting dress!

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    1. I like it that way for the extra length - I needed the slip to keep the lining from riding up. Thanks, Nancy!

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  8. Cute dress. Isn't it weird to go into offices and not see crowds of people?

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    1. Thanks! It's been so long being in my empty office that it feels weirder now when people come in.

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  9. Such a versatile dress and it looks lovely all the ways you've styled it.

    When's Vizzini going to do his lower body workout?
    xxxx

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    1. Thanks so much, Vronni! Ha, he is a good jumper and he runs around quite a lot!

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  10. I'm loving your dress in every color combo and enjoying the multiple accessorizing possibilities!, so versatile and cool!. And I totally agree that Desigual clothes quality has plummeted (and their prices have remained the same). Many other brands have been losing quality too. Which is another reason to keep loving vintage!
    besos

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    1. Thank you so much, Monica! It's been a really versatile dress so far. It's a shame when a good company starts going cheap, isn't it? Thank goodness there's so much second-hand and vintage out there!

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  11. First of all, I love this dress. It's surprisingly versatile, isn't it? The contrasting prints make it so cool. Another thing I find interesting is how it looks different in all of these pics, sometimes it is due to different amount of light that make certain tonalities stand out more and sometimes due to the way you styled it. Awesome throw-back looks. It's also fun to see your many hairdos.

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    1. It's really versatile! I have been pleasantly surprised by how much it has gone with. I'm happy you enjoyed the flashbacks - I'll be doing more of them (as the item warrants).

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  12. That's a fantastic dress! Print-heavy dresses can seem difficult at first but like the person above noted, they're so versatile. I love figuring out all the different ways to style something like that.

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    1. Thanks so much, Ashley! Yes, they really are very versatile, and can be a great spring-board for mixing and matching different colours.

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  13. I'm not a big fan of Desigual designs, and the only two pieces I've owned by them I've ended up giving away. That said, I really like this dress. There used to be (and may still be) a Desigual store in LaGuardia Airport and the quality of the clothing was not good, but the prices were very high.

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    1. I like some of their things - the coats and the "patchwork" dress I have by them are amazing - but so much of it is crap. Sad.

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  14. I love to see that you've gotten some good wear out of this beauty, and I agree Desigual is not maintaining the quality they use to have.
    I see Vizzini has taken over his throne :)

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    1. Thanks, Lorena! It's been a good purchase overall. Sad to see them decline - their stuff used to be amazing.

      Oh, yes, he owns all the comfy chairs!

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  15. How to tell that one is from BC? When I read "vintage expo", even though I know what they are, and have both been to and sold at plenty of them over the years, my mind still instantly zipped back in time to Expo 86. 😂

    Autumn Zenith 🎃 Witchcrafted Life

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    1. Ha, yes! I remember that - it was the year after I graduated from high school. I didn't go, though.

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  16. Plain backs always seem so shoddy - there's rarely any reason for them beside cheapness (on the manufacturer's part). I won't buy them either.

    That dress is lovely.

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    1. I so agree, Mim. Like, did you not think we'd be seen from all sides?? It's just a cost-cutting and indicates shoddy workmanship to me.

      Thank you!

      Delete

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