Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Two-Fer: Winesday Women; Picnic Plaids and Pink; Earhart Flashback

Hello, my friends. It's been a hard week: our dear Karen is not doing well, so the core group of Winesday Women gathered to support her with our love and sisterhood, possibly for the last time. 
Clockwise from me: Yvonne, Vero, Karen, Caro and Cat

We all expanded our COVID bubbles for her and Nick - there haven't been any cases in Victoria for a month, and there's no way I'm not going to be there for and with my best friends.

It was a mixed day, and my outfit shows it. 
I cried all my make-up off - I did skip the mascara, though. 

  • Vest - Religion, consignment; purchased here for $44.79
  • T-shirt - Ted Baker, consignment; first seen here in April 2019 with an iridescent skirt
  • Culottes - Topshop, thrifted; last worn here in January for the Year of the Rat
  • Shoes - Sam Edelman, thrifted; last seen here to visit Mom in April, with leopard trousers


I'm not feeling this tee. It'll go into the "stuff I sleep in" collection where I will whittle it down to pennies per wear. 
It's very soft and I like the pattern, but t-shirt dressing is just not my thing.
I'm also not in love with these cropped trousers, even though the colour is fabulous. Into the giveaway pile with you!
I loved the vest, though. I like the boxy cut and the ragged edges.

Without the vest.
Nah. I have better things that I love more.

The stuff:
Like these shoes! They are great for walking.

Shiny bling:
 A little more armour. We're all feeling very tender right now.


  • Cuff - thrifted
  • Crystal cuff - Swarovski, consignment, gift from L
  • Silver/crystal ring - Soul Flower
  • Crystal ring - Uffizi Gallery gift shop, Florence, Italy
  • Ear-balls - Swarovski, consignment


In the face of death, everything else feels very insignificant.
But the flowers keep growing.

The sun shines.
Life continues. The world turns. 

We hung out with Karen for a couple of hours. It was a mix of crying and laughing and just being there with her. Every moment is precious.
Thanks to Rob for taking these pictures of us. I'm a weepy person, so I look on the verge of bawling at all times. 

Today, I had a haircut after work, so I wanted to look fabulous for Sofia. I may have cried into my mask, sorry, honey. I'll show off my haircut in the next post, but I did the same "long bob, chunky layers and curtain bangs/fringe" as I did last time I got it cut, back here in February (only my bangs are longer now).
I really loved all the colours in this and the pattern mix. 

  • Jacket - Marc Cain, consignment; purchased here for $45.00
  • Blouse - Talbots, thrifted; last seen here in December 2019, layered under a sweater
  • Skirt - Banana Republic, consignment; last worn here in August 2019 with more navy and white and my Darth Sheila duster
  • Shoes - Big Presence Earhart, Fluevog; last seen here in May with copper and a Miami print

More Clothing As Armour - expect a bit of that in the coming weeks, for sure. I hope you'll bear with me as we go through our grieving for Karen - we've been friends family for 25 years, so there's a lot of love there. 
First wearing of this new-to-me jacket, and I loved it. It would be better if those were real pockets and not just fake flaps sewn on, but I'll let it slide. This time.
It did snag on my office keys a bit, but it's hardly noticeable in the jumble of colours.

My picnic plaid skirt is a favourite - it is navy blue and white check. It's a stretchy cotton.
Jacket done up (2 out of 3 snaps down the front).

I'd been waffling over this pink blouse as I hated the whole outfit the last time I wore it, but the colour was perfect with the jacket.
Sometimes you just need a solid, although the viscose fabric actually has a woven snakeskin pattern in it.

The stuff:
I adore these shoes - I would never have thought this would be a useful shoe in my wardrobe, but it is! We'll check them out in the Flashback below shortly.

Sparkly bling:
My rings are like comfort food. One from when L and I were dating, one that my Winesday Women "bought" me in Italy for my birthday, and my Dad's ring. 

  • Earrings - vintage market
  • Silver/sodalite ring - Scotland, 1996
  • Silver/amethyst ring - Frances Jewelers, c. 1965, Dad's
  • Crystal ring - Uffizi Gallery gift shop, Florence, Italy

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Flashback! 

Today's Flashback is these Fluevog shoes. They are from the Big Presence family, same as my yellow and orange waxed canvas Desmond (after Norma I'm-ready-for-my-close-up from "Sunset Boulevard") pumps, Flashback'ed here and here; these are called the Earhart (after Amelia the aviatrix) 

These are a really comfortable heel height for me, and I know what size I am (9.5) in this family, so I can buy another pair of Big Presence if I see a pair online that grabs me. I am also a sucker for that sweet pointy toe - I was a teen in the 80s, what can I say? 

I bought these in the after-Christmas sale at our local Fluevog store in 2017, so I've had them for 2.5 years. I paid $169.99 for them here on the "last chance" sale wall, and spent gift cards on them. I love getting gift cards!

I first wore them in January 2018 for a big corporate event. 
Classy all the way! Although they might seem to be a difficult colourway - mango orange and lilac pinky-purple - they've been surprisingly versatile.

I often pick out the orange for matchy purposes, like here in February 2018.
I need to wear that skirt again - it's definitely Flashback-worthy.

Mixed with warm autumnal shades in April 2018.
That patterned top (which was a dress that I chopped in half) had bits of orange and pink in it.

This is one of my favourite outfits with them - although, I do like 95% of my outfits, which is as it should be.
This was in May 2018 - you can see I've loved this flapper-y look for a long time.

Pulling out a bit of orange in this vintage Etro dress - there's some purple in that pattern too.
 I love that dress - another one I need to wear soon! This was in July 2018.

This was also in July 2018, and you may remember this from the dress' own Flashback.
I'm a rainbow for Pride Week! 

I keep these shoes out all year round - here they are in October 2018 with a blouse that has bits of pink and orange in its floral pattern. 
I love that leather dress - I've had it for over 5 years. The belt is Christian Dior (KLASSY). 

With the same blouse ruffling out the front of my soft pink blazer in January 2019. 
The colour of the blazer goes really well with these shoes.

So well, I paired them again here in March 2019. I love pink and yellow together.
 This tweed skirt has flecks of pink and red, which work well with the orange in the shoes.

Another top with a pattern that has bits of pink and orange in it. It's surprising how many patterns these shoes go with!
That's my vintage Dolce & Gabbana 90s wool slip dress, also Flashback-worthy when I unpack it at the end of September. This was in June 2019 - ooh, we must have been having "June-uary", one of our chilly Junes. I would normally not wear anything this sweaty-making in summer.

Pink and orange matchiness here in September 2019.
My orange "jello shot" necklace is a nicely matching accessory - I also wore it with the Etro dress above.

And that brings us back to May, when I wore the shoes with copper and this annoying shirt that is now in the giveaway pile. I'll be pinking up my hair like this again very soon.
Including today's outfit, I've worn these shoes 13 times, bringing them down to just over $13.00 per wear. They are still looking really good, so I can certainly see many more years of outfits with them! 

And now, I need to chill out. 
"Like this?"

Yes, exactly like that. 

42 comments:

  1. You, Karen and her partner have been in my thoughts all week, Sheila. Those photos of you and the Winesday Women are absolutely wonderful, the love between you is palpable and despite her being so ill, Karen looks beautiful, it must be such a comfort to know how much she is loved.
    I like those blue trousers on you a lot and the pattern-mixed outfit really is a work of art, who knew gingham and tweed could look so perfect together?
    When you're dealing with grief everything else feels so insignificent. Cuddle Vizzini (and L)and be kind to yourself, I wish I could be there to give you an almighty great hug. xxx

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    1. Thank you so much, Vix. It's been a really rough time for all of us. We love her so much.

      Thanks, but the blue trousers are done - I like the trend, but not on me. I loved the tweedy outfit much more.

      It does...but life goes on. Outfits need to be made and blogged, cats need to be cuddled, and such good advice: being kind to myself. I am trying. Hugs to you, my dear friend.

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  2. Dear Sheila, sending thoughts, prayers and love to you, Karen and your circle of friends. 💚

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    1. Thank you so much, Susan. I really appreciate that. *hug*

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  3. Sending a big virtual hug in this difficult time. I am so glad you were able to expand your bubble to allow this awesome group of women to come together for this poignant reunion. Your faithful readers are with you, and will understand if you need to take a wee break when the grieving is hardest.

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    1. Thanks so much, Linda. We would do anything for each other, and since Victoria/the Island have been relatively untouched, we made this calculated risk.

      I actually find blogging restful and soothing. It helps things feel normal to me. Thank you for being here.

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  4. Oh my it’s incredibly difficult when our friends or family are seriously ill. Gathering together is the best way to honour and support them and each other.
    Look forward to seeing your new hairstyle. I am going next week!
    Take care Sheila

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    1. Lesley, thank you - it's been just awful, and has all happened so quickly (less thank 3 months). We've been trying to stay connected as much as we can.

      It felt so good to get the chop again! Now, I just need to colour it. :)

      Thank you, hon. *hug*

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  5. So sad that Karen is doing so poorly. I know what you are going through. As you might know I lost my best friend in March to cancer. Lots and lots of tears. Very good that you all went up to see her.
    As for the outfits (it does seem insignificent but still...) you have such a good eye for colours and shapes. I would not have come up with these shoes in most of your outfit combinations, but they work really well.
    Greetje
    PS Wishing you strength.

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    1. Thank you, Greetje. I remembered about your friend's death recently. It's very hard, and comes in waves. I'm fine one moment and then I remember and the tears come.

      Thank you! I really love the shoes and am surprised at how much they go with.

      Hugs to you, my friend.

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  6. Those photos of your group of friends surrounding Karen choked me up. It's so good that you extended your bubbles to go and see her. That must have been so bittersweet. What a brave woman she is. I'm so with you on T-shirts, and I'm hearing you on those cropped trousers as well. It's at times like these that it seems strange that life in general goes on and that nature seems unaware that something is not right. I remember when my Dad was dying and in hospital and everything felt so bleak while outside the sun was shining. It was the height of Summer and it felt unreal. How lovely that you were able to go for a haircut, and I definitely love the outfit you wore for the occasion. It's a shame they skipped the pockets on that jacket, though! I loved seeing the flashback featuring those drool-worthy shoes. And of course, we'll bear with you. Do take your time and take good care of yourself. And give that man (and cat) of course a good cuddle! Sending lots of hugs xxx

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    1. I know, it's hard for me to look at them. I'll be going back through my photos (real and digital) and will be doing something like a retrospective for Karen in the near future. But right now, it just kills me to think of her gone.

      Agreed, I'm very meh on t-shirts, and although I like the trend of cropped wide-legged trousers, these are not for me. Yes, life goes on...and it sounds brutal and uncaring, but I can't just focus on the bad; I need the normalcy of clothes and this blog, and all of you out there.

      I loved that outfit, and I'm so happy to have my hair cut!

      Thanks, Ann. *hug* to you.

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  7. Thinking of you and your friend Karen. Cancer is such a cruel disease. Sending you lots of love and hugs. Cry as much as you need, cuddle your kitty, hug L. and envelope yourself in the circle of love that you share with you Winesday friends.

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    1. Thank you so much, Sandra. Cancer is just...horrible. I can't believe how quickly this has all happened. I'm being kind to myself, and giving love and seeing friends, and asking for help when I need it.

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  8. How very very sad. I feel so for you because I know how it feels to lose a friend. It's so surreal. I'm glad you all got the chance to be with her.

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    1. I know you've gone through this too, Nancy, thank you. It's just an awful thing. This is the first of our friends to die, and it really makes you look at your own mortality.

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  9. So so sorry for all your pain. Goodbyes are so impossible. Good that you all could visit her.

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    1. Thanks, Juliana. All of us being together is the best gift we could have given Karen and ourselves.

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  10. When I look at the picture of Karen and her friends I see bravery and love in every face. I wish you all peace.

    Your hair looks great - I hope the process of visiting the salon wasn't too nerve wracking.

    I am amazed at how versatile your orange/lilac shoes are. I would never have imagined they would pair so well with so many things - I'm kind of blown away.


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    1. We're all dealing with it differently, but yes, all trying very hard to be brave, Nana. Thank you, my dear.

      Nope, all good. I wore a mask, Sofia wore a mask, we followed all the rules. I'm so happy to have it cut!

      I know, I didn't think I'd wear them that much, but I love them.

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  11. You have got so much wear out of those shoes - they are really versatile for you! :) I'm so sorry to read about your friend but it's so nice you have those photos and you have been able to gather safely together! Time is so precious and I think we have all noticed that recently but you all must be feeling it so heavily. Thinking of you!

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    1. I know, Mica, and they are still going strong! I'm impressed with their versatility.

      Thank you, my dear friend. I'm so grateful that we had this time with Karen. Our friendship has been such a gift. Hugs to you.

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  12. Sometimes I think the long goodbye is harder than the sudden parting. SO glad you and your "framily" could be together, sounds like you've assembled a fantastic crew to help you get through. Sending the very best vibes to you and your friends.

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    1. I agree, Ashley, but really, there is no good way. I'm so grateful that we were able to see her and be together, likely this last time. Thank you so much.

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  13. That photo of You with Karen and your friends is lovely. Sending hugs, Sheila.

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  14. sheila, i am heartbroken for your friend...it touched me...and i am tearing up...my thoughts with her, her family and you
    xo eva

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    1. Thank you, Eva. We are all grieving here. I appreciate your kind thoughts. *hug*

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  15. What a difficult time for you all. Words seem so inadequate. My heart goes out to you, to her and her family and friends.

    These shoes are in my top five favourites of yours. I do like the unusual colour combination. They cause me to have severe shoe envy.

    Sending you big hugs xxx

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    1. Thanks, dear Anna. It has been so hard on all of us to watch our dear Karen fade away.

      I love them too - they're so fun!

      Hugs to you.

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  16. Sheila, if this is of any help for you to ease your mind, the little flowers groing in the pavement crack are called Heartsease. From a follower from downunder. XXXXX Blessing to you all. Linda.

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    1. Oh, thank you so much for that info - I just thought they were small pansies. I love that. Hugs to you, Linda.

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  17. Oh Shiela, you've brought a tear to my eye. That must be so hard saying goodbye to a dear friend. I love how your sisterhood gathered around her for some love and laughter. What a PRECIOUS group of friends you have. Take care, I will be thinking of you and Karen. X

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    1. It's been really, really horrible, Jess. I would not wish this on anyone. Thank you. *hug*

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  18. You can tell you are on on the verge of tears in the first photo, which caused me to tear up as well. Saying goodbye to someone you love is heartbreaking, but I am glad you and your friends have been able to spend time with her and support each other during this sad time. Vix is right, this is a time for you to be gentle with yourself and accept support from those around you, including Vizzini. Sending a virtual hug.

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    1. I'm a crier, for sure. It has been so hard, coming to terms with this, Shelley. I'm so happy we've had each other to help us through this. Thank you, my dear. Hug!

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  19. There is so much love on that first photograph. One can see how close you all are. It is wonderful you were able to get together with Karen. Every moment is precious but it often takes an illness to make us realize that.

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    1. We are so grateful that we had this time, especially now that her time has come. These wonderful people are my family. It is a real wake-up call when we lose someone - our time is short, make the most of it.

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  20. I am sorry to hear about Karen, it's marvelous you are all there for her.
    What a great group of friends/family you have, she is getting all of this love and support from you ladies, this is priceless.

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    1. It was such a wonderful coming-together, Lorena. I'm so eternally grateful that we had this day to spend with her.

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