Etro Afternoon: Retail Therapy and Flashback

It was in the cards for me to go visit Karen this afternoon, but it was not meant to be. I did my Mental Health Walk early in the morning, had brunch and a shower, and then walked to town to get groceries. 

I'd planned my outfit for the potential visit, both with super-comfy walking shoes and a dress I could sprawl out in on a bed. Instead, I went for a bit of a wander on Fort Street instead of walking to see Karen.

• Dress - Etro, vintage 90s, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) in May 2019 with yellow flats
• Cardigan - Ports, vintage 80s, consignment; last worn here in April with primary and madras
• Shoes - Born, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) in July 2019 for pre- and post-Ulti

I adore this stretchy soft dress - isn't that an amazing print?

It actually has tiny "Etro"s all over it, so I know that they created this fabric themselves. It's nylon/elastane but is soft as silk, and was made in Italy.

I'm wearing a navy blue vintage slip under it for smoothing and a bit of extra warmth.

It was sunny today, but not too hot, just below 20 degrees.

I hate wearing sunblock, so I'll always try to find a jacket or something to cover myself. I did 'block up my chestal region.

Also, this lovely vintage cardigan/dress is like wearing a security blanket. It's a wooly hug.

I tied this vintage hand-rolled silk scarf and used it to cover my chest from the sun.

Ready to go be around people! Keep your distance!

The stuff:

I've had these shoes for over 6 years and wear them frequently in the summer. Shoes that work barefooted are the best.

Blue bling:

Some favourites.

• Eelskin cuff - vintage 80s, thrifted (mine, donated decades ago, and re-found!)
• Glass earrings - local
• Lapis lazuli ring/Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

I had a good look around Vanity Fair Antique Mall on Fort Street - it's full of cases of things that local folks and vintage dealers sell. There's a mix of jewelry, household items, clothing and memorabilia and collectibles. It's a wondrous array, and I nearly always find something.

I spotted these black leather boots and gasped. My size! Also, that is a GREAT walking boot.

Over the knee and covered in buckles and zippers, be still my heart. I know, I have OTK black leather boots (these ones), but they're a dressier style, and are slippy to wear in the rain.

These have been resoled with Topys, either from wear or to keep them from being too slippery.

Their previous owner also loved them, obviously. Based on the style, I think these are from the early 00s. I used to have a very similar pair (not over-the-knee) of black leather boots from Aldo that I bought second-hand and wore until they cracked.

Here they are on. They are going into the fall/winter stash for wearing with tights and miniskirts. The outer zipper is decorative (the inside zipper is for getting them on), and the upper buckle is adjustable.

 They were $69.00 and are by Steve Madden. I'm sure they would have been well over $300 new.

I'm begrudgingly giving L first dibs on this suede coat.

On me, it's a bit big in the shoulders, long in the arms, loose in the chest, but snug in the hips.

It's totally going to fit L. SIGH.

 Aren't the details amazing? Very cowboy-ish vibes. I'd rock this, right? Maybe it won't fit him.

Snaps down the front.

 Pretty!

This dotted trim is a kazillion little metal studs.

 More snaps on the cuffs. SWOON.

It's by Cripple Creek, which is still around. This label was created in 1994, and they specialize in Western-themed apparel.

I'd place this as being from the 90s. It was marked at $125.00 but the lovely lady discounted it to $95.00. I'm quite sure it retailed for about 5 times that. Fingers crossed that it doesn't fit L!

Edit: Dang, it looked amazing on him. Well, Happy Birthday, love!

Flush with my therapeutic time looking at glittery rhinestone jewelry and other pretty things, I strolled home in the sunshine to blog. Blogging gives me routine and a sense of normalcy - it's a happy habit.

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Flashback! 

We're going to look at all the ways I've worn this dress since I first bought it here in October 2016 for $6.00. Yes, ETRO. They're one of THE big names in fashion and their dresses start at over $1,000 and go up to $4,000...I did not add an extra zero. I freaked out when I found this at the St. Vincent de Paul - I knew the name because I already had a jacket by them (this one).

It did not have an entirely successful first outing in October 2016.

The fabric is really stretchy, bouncy jersey, and doesn't work well for layering as structured as this vintage blouse. Those shoes were a Fluevog Fail - they killed my feet, and were too high.

Trying again in April 2017. Because this dress has so many colours in it, it's really easy to pick out different ones for matching to it.

 I still have that cardi, but gave those shoes to Cat, who wore them till they fell apart (awesome).

I often wear it with yellow - this is in June 2017. I'm wearing my navy vintage slip with it and ended up hoiking the dress up all day. That's a big neckline (very 90s).

We saw this outfit in the yellow Desmond Flashback (here).

Because it's a very light fabric, I only wear this in spring/summer.

This was in August 2017. As I discovered in the prior outfit, it's a very "Boobs Ahoy!" dress, so I usually wear a cami under it that covers me up, especially if I'm wearing it to work.

You'll recognize this from the Earhart Flashback (here) yesterday. This was in July 2018.

I picked a picture with my outerwear so you can see the full walking-around ensemble.

In September 2018, with my blue velvet boots.

"I protest the lack of Cat in this post."

I wore this outfit for a Winesday, and wore today's cobalt blue cardi with it.

And finally, last May 2019.

Another pair of my walking flats - this must have been a non-work outfit, as I'm cleavage-ing.

Including today's outfit, I've worn this dress 8 times, bringing it to 75 cents per wear. It still has lots of wear in it, though!

Before I left the house this afternoon, I went looking for Vizzini.

"WHAT IS IT, WOMAN?"

Ooh, someone's cranky! How about a nice head scritch, bud?

"Oh, very well."

I'll be back on Sunday - have a lovely weekend, everyone! Thank you so much for stopping by, and also big hugs for all your support and love. Much appreciated.