Monday, May 25, 2020

Vexing Velour and Tri-Tone Boots Flashbacks

Today was a frustrating and annoying day. I'm glad it's over. 
My vexation - a good part of it - was caused by this velour dress that I shopped from my giveaway pile last month.


  • Dress - Ichi; last worn here (2nd outfit) in February for a quick Valentine's dinner
  • Boots - Effortless Sophia, Fluevog; last seen here in September 2019 with soft pink and ruffles
  • Leather coat (below) - Jeno de Paris, vintage 60s, thrifted; last worn here in April 


Although it's a lovely soft velour (KLASSY), it's not a nice-feeling synthetic. It feels cheap.
I have a purple camisole on under it to go with the boots. None of it really goes. I wasn't happy with this.
I had not actually planned on wearing this dress, but the skirt (this one) of the outfit I had planned was feeling just a smidge too tight (no, I do not regret all the sugar I ingested on the weekend).
So, I made a quick change to a jammy dress - what could go wrong?? - and then hated it all day. Gah. 


Flashback Interlude!

Before we say our final "au revoir", here's how I wore it. I paid $49.99 for it at Dots, and wore it 6 times total. Not my best buy ever. 

For Ronnie's birthday party in February 2017. 
No camisole (va-va-voom!), contacts instead of glasses, and all copper accessories.

Later that week for Valentine's Day 2017 at work.
All burgundy accessories with it that time.

Summer 2018, with cream/white accessories.
 And a cat who's watching the ties on the shoes.

December 2018 for a dinner out with coworkers.
 All grey accessories. And that cat again.

This past Valentine's Day 2019 - the 3rd year in a row!
And a blurry cat! All grey/black accessories there. 

I don't hate those outfits, but I kind of feel like I've run out of things to wear with this dress, and with today's annoyances, I'm really done with it...so off it goes, back to the giveaway pile. One of my friends will love it, I'm sure. 

End of Flashback!


Back to today's outfit. Thank goodness that this coat was longer than the dress and covered me, as the dress vexatiously rode right up to my waist! Another strike against it...
It was supposed to rain today, so I wore my hat and scarf. It didn't rain. I was a ball of barely-contained rage (I blame hormones).


  • Hat - Edward Mann, vintage 60s, thrifted
  • Silk scarf - thrifted


The stuff:
These tri-tone boots were part of the original outfit, and as I frantically cast about in my closet this morning for something to wear with them, I realized that I've gradually phased out all the clothes I used to have that went with them, patterned skirts and blouses, mostly.

Silver bling:
Rushed accessories too. Eh, they're fine.


  • Belt - thrifted
  • Silver cuff - thrifted, Powell River
  • Steel cuff - thrifted
  • Silver necklace/earrings - M&M, consignment, Vancouver
  • Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
  • Silver/gold ring - Frances Jewelers, Dad's, c. 1965


Tri-Colour Boots Flashback! 

As I realized that I have nothing to wear with these boots, I thought I should revisit some of the ways I've worn them for inspiration. They used to go really well with my purple hair...which I also no longer have!
That's a picture from when I got them in March 2017, for our 20th anniversary, at the Gastown Fluevog in Vancouver. They are patent and non-patent purple leather with lilac-y pink backs. Tricky tonal colours.

I wore them in Vancouver twice the weekend I got them, once with lacy tights and my purple suede dress and floral blouse.
That's quite a terrible selfie-mirror-in-a-hotel-room picture, sorry! I passed along that dress a while ago; same with the blouse.

I wore them again on the float plane home that weekend, with grey wooly tights and a grey sweater.
I bought a lot that weekend, so I had to wear as much bulky stuff home as I could - there are weight allowances and limits on luggage when you fly on tiny float planes. This was a purely functional outfit.

My first "real" outfit was in April 2017, when I wore them with this crackle-pattern skirt and an indigo sweater.
I no longer have either of those pieces.

I layered the same blouse as the initial two wearings under this pleather dress.
I didn't keep the dress, and the blouse is long-gone. This was in May 2017.

In September 2017, I wore them with that crackle skirt again.
That wonderful top finally just shredded apart on me. So many gone items...

I paired them with my "stained glass" dress and an orange blouse in January 2018 to go to the theatre with Mom.
 I do still have that dress, but the blouse is a distant memory.

This is the first time I wore them with this silk velvet dress, in March 2018.
I liked them with that dress so much, I wore them twice more together!

This was in September 2018.
 That dress went to the great giveaway pile in the sky (see: Issues With Velvet).

This soft pink blazer matches the back of the boots perfectly; this is the top half of what I'd planned to wear today. I had to skip the jacket because I couldn't find another skirt or bottom to go with it in the 2 minutes I had to get dressed. Panic!
This was in April 2019. I gave that skirt to my coworker Emily, as it was a size 0 and I'm wearing it nearly unzipped here.

Last time with this velvet dress - this was in August 2019.
I'm basically not even trying there, ha ha.

I love this outfit - this is the last time I wore the boots, in September 2019.
I still have all of these pieces and could wear this whole outfit again. Phew!

This made me realize that I need to keep my eyes peeled for more patterns with purple and pink in them, so that I can wear these boots more. As we're headed into warmer weather I probably won't wear them for a few months - lots of time to find new tops and bottoms!

22 comments:

  1. I hate it when velvet/ velour grabs other fabrics and rides up. I really liked that dress with the black jeans. The burgundy silk velvet was very pretty too, but yep 'issues with velvet'.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Same, Lynette! Black jeans? None of those outfits have jeans...I'm wearing either black tights with black/silver boots, or grey tights with grey boots (the boots have big wrinkles on the ankles).

      Delete
  2. They are great boots and I know you will find more things to wear with them!

    it's a shame your outfit annoyed you though - I hate when I'm having a bad day and my clothes frustrate me, it just makes bad days worse!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Mica, same here - but I do need to find a few other pieces that go with them!

      I was so frustrated by the time I got home, I balled the dress up and threw it in a corner! Ha!

      Delete
  3. That velour dress does look very klassy, it's had a good life with you though and I'm sure that the next owner will be delighted with it. If it's any consolation I thought you looked fabulous despite the issues.
    Those boots have certainly earned they're keep, they look brilliant and go with everything. Love that plummy velvet smock dress and you know I'm the leather coat's greatest fan!
    Raging hormones be gone! xxx

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Vix. I know, if I hadn't said anything, y'all would be none the wiser, as it mysteriously disappeared. I love the boots - that smock dress was a favourite, but it really didn't suit me overall. I never felt right in it.

      Thank you!

      Delete
  4. I didn't recognize you in the photo without glasses and different-colored hair. Funny how important those things affect our appearance.

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    Replies
    1. I'm a bit of a chameleon anyway! I like changing up my look!

      Delete
  5. So now you know the reason why it was in the giveaway pile in the first place. I can just feel the cheapness of the fabric and the annoyance of the dressing trying to do its own thing and riding up all the time. Isn't it horrible when you have to live with your bad decision all day? Especially now, when we often need our clothes to make us feel better. I suspect that did those raging hormones no good at all. Love the flashbacks of both the dress - it does LOOK nice, you know - and those fabulous boots! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd suspected, Ann, but it grabbed me when I reviewed it. I find that when I buy retail, I always want to keep the items for longer, like somehow those items are "better" than my second-hand ones.

      I know it's not a terrible outfit - and if I hadn't said anything, you'd never know I hated it! - but I'm glad that dress is gone! Thank you so much for the support, my dear friend!

      Delete
  6. But the outfit at Ronnies Birthday party is gorgeous! Very glam! Love that staminee glass dress too. I hope today Will be a better day for you! I hate it too when a outfit doesn t work and you still have to wear it all day!

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, it's a solid party outfit, but I have better dresses...like that stained glass one, for example. Thanks so much, Nancy!

      Delete
  7. Sweet Shelia, I'm deeply sorry that you had such a trying day recently, and hope with all my might that the day end of month unfolds much, much more positively and peacefully for you.

    Autumn Zenith 🎃 Witchcrafted Life

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eh, I'm just whining, Autumn. Many people have it far worse off than me and my outfit grouching! Thank you, my dear.

      Delete
  8. sorry that you didn't enjoy your outfit, particularly the annoying roding up! argh!
    I'm loving your boots, they are so stunning and fabulously Purple!. I've been having a 'purple issue' in my wardrobe too, as many of my purple/lilac clothes had gone and now I miss these colors!
    besos

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When clothes annoy me, they don't last long! Thank you - I adore these boots, but I really need more clothes that go with them! You get it!!

      Delete
  9. It is good that you got rid of that dress. There shouldn't even be a place in our closet for items that don't feel good. We should get rid of them asap. Items that ride up annoy me to, even when they seem to fit nicely- as that dress. You don't have to even feel guilty about getting rid of it, you wore it so many times. I also love those multi-coloured boots- and all the ways you wore them. I got plenty of inspiration from seeing all the way you styled them previously. I love a good pair of boots. I'm always trying to figure out how to wear them in the warmer months.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I so agree - and I don't have a lot of patience for things that aren't working for me.

      I love the boots - they are so fun, but very limiting with their colours. I don't wear boots as often in summer as my legs get sweaty - ick!

      Delete
  10. I confess that the dress you decided to cull is not really me and I can understand why you were MEH about it! The boots on the other hand are COOOOOOOOOOL!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kezzie - I'm happy to let it go (again). Love the boots.

      Delete
  11. It's time for the velour dress to move on - you had some good times together! I'm sure you'll find some more things to wear with those awesome boots.

    ReplyDelete

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