Lumberjack Wrap, Sailor Jean's and Star Wars Flashback

It felt so weird to be at work on a Thursday! Now, just a short few hours tomorrow and the long weekend will be here! I celebrated by wearing a new top. 

And one of my best vintage finds ever, these fabulous jeans (and no, that's not a punctuation error in my title).

• Top - Urban Outfitters, consignment; purchased here for $23.99
• Cami - not tracked
• Jeans - Jean's by Jean Paul Gaultier, vintage 90s, vintage shop, Vancouver; last worn here in November 2019 with vintage Balmain
• Shoes - "I Know" Star Wars by Irregular Choice, gift from my mother-in-law; last worn here in May with a cape and linen

I have fallen in love with this lumberjack wrap top.

 I love the fit and the big long ends - perfect for a dramatic sash!

And because of the slightly cropped effect of the wrap, I was able to wear them with these fun sailor pants.

 They lace up the back! I love the orange stitching.

 Big copper snaps!

The lined bits are done in neon orange! These pants are really special, so we're going to have a look at them in the Flashback below.

The stuff:

Speaking of special, my "I Know" Han and Leia shoes! We're also going to have a peek at how I've worn these before.

Silver-blue bling:

My clothes have enough ornamentation - just a few simple pieces.

• White gold earrings - Frances Jewelers, 10th anniversary gift from L
• Lapis lazuli ring/Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

Flashback #1!

These wonderful pants/jeans are vintage 90s Jean Paul Gaultier. I did not know that his 2020 runway collection was actually his last, as after 50 years he retired. If you're not familiar with Gaultier as a designer, I found a lovely Vogue note here, including a slideshow of his 1997 runway show (wow, some very cool stuff I would wear!).

Purchased here in March 2018 on one of our anniversary jaunts to Vancouver for $55.00, it was one of those times when you find such a treasure that you run out of the store giggling, hoping they don't realize their error in selling them to you. Those moments are rare!

They were upstairs in a very crammed and disorganized vintage store, tucked behind a bunch of pants in a corner, barely visible, but I spotted the orange stitching on the cuff.

They are a beautiful black-ish blue 100% cotton, with a velvety finish. They are quite thick and don't wrinkle. The copper snaps on the front are how you get them on and off - it's an adventure in the bathroom! - and there are 10 snaps total.

I love the lace-up back - so late 90s/early 00s. It can be tightened up for a snug fit. They are very high-waisted.

I've had these for two years, but today was the first time I realized that there is no outside seam down the leg - they are made of only two pieces of fabric! Aside from the the linings and pockets, each leg is one single swath of material. That is some impressive design! 

See, this is the Jean's reference - they're his jeans, Jean's jeans, get it? I love the little skull and crossbones - the entire waistband has this ribbon. 

They were made in Morocco, and are washable - and with the amount of wear on the tag, I'd say they've been washed a fair bit. I've washed them a few times, no problem.

A good look at the back.

I just love that orange thread. Awesome label - it says "Haute Jeanerie - Tailored" and that's the Eiffel Tower behind the word "Jean's".

The rivets say Jean's Gaultier.

 As do the snaps.

You can see the nice tight twill weave of the fabric there too - it feels expensive. They are such nice quality. What a find! 

I wore them right away, in April 2018, embracing the sailor-y aspect of them. 

I wore an orange leather jacket over this too. Matchy!

Deja shoe! There are today's shoes in my Star Wars Day outfit in May 2018. Awesome leather jacket on.

I rarely wear jeans, but I love the special details and that little bit of zing that these bring to an outfit.

This was in August 2018, ready to head out to a movie with Elaine.

The style was a bit challenging for me at first - wide-legged cropped pants are not something I gravitate to, being 5'4".

Double Gaultier! This shirt is a menswear Gaultier that I picked up for $7.99 on sale at Flavour Upstairs - I think this the only time I wore it. It's one of Yvonne's favourites now.

 I wore this to bother peacocks in Beacon Hill Park with my Edmonton coworker Ann in January 2019.

Another striped top (I have two that are nearly the same) and discovering that this cropped silhouette works with the pants.

 I wore this to a vintage fair in June 2019.

Another outfit - this one from September 2019 - showing my bright outerwear over my cashmere tee.

 PANK always adds so much joie de vivre!

And this is the last time I wore them, in September 2019.

I matched eras, with my late 90s/early 00s vintage Balmain shirt.

Mathy stuff: Including today's outfit, I've worn them 8 times in a little over two years. That works out to $6.88 per wear. Awesome!


Flashback #2!

These wonderful shoes are called the "I Know" (referencing the classic line in The Empire Strikes Back) and were a gift from my mother-in-law Louise here in May 2016 for $219.95. I was drooling over them in She She Shoes, and she insisted on buying them for me.

Would I have bought them otherwise? Probably not. Aw, Han and Leia! I love the flowers (pansies!) embroidered on the toile background.

The soles, preserved only in this picture.

Shoes are for wearing! Some of the images have worn off (most of Han's face, sorry, Han).

I was so thrilled with them, I wore them right away that weekend, while Louise was still in town.

So that would make this May 2016. I still have those pants!

I had to wear them to work to show off to my geeky coworkers.

This was also in May 2016. I might still have those earrings.

In February 2017 they added interest to this slightly odd outfit.

 I still have that blazer and skirt (it has pockets).

I love this outfit that I did for Star Wars Day in May 2017.

That's L's Darth Vader tie, a gift from me before we were married - it's nearly 25 years old now.

You might remember this outfit from the Space Pants Flashback.

 I tend to put blues with the shoes to go with the bits of blue in the print.

Without the awesome yellow leather jacket, for Star Wars Day 2018.

 Deja pants!

I swooshed about in my Armani silk duster in July 2018.

 It makes me feel like Darth Sheila - how apt.

A shopping outfit in May 2019.

 More Darth-y duster action...and more stripes!

Blue and plaid in February 2020.

 A nice simple outfit .

And here's the last time I wore them, in May 2020.

A suspiciously Darth Vader-like cape! I'm sensing a theme here.

Mathy stuff: I've now worn them 11 times, which brings me to $19.99 per wear. They're a shoe I'll have forever, so I expect my cost-per-wear will improve! I also owe to Louise to get my money's worth out of them for her generous gift.


And here we are. I'm going to take a blogging holiday for the upcoming long weekend, but I'll be back on Monday with tales of adventure. Thank you all so much for stopping by! Stay safe, keep calm, be kind.

Blue, Black and White Flashback

This is a weird week for me. I'll be working 3 days in a row, which I haven't done since March! I have to work tomorrow/Thursday, and I'll be doing a half-day on Friday to make up for the BC Day long weekend that's in my very near future.

I'm fine with all of these shenanigans, as it means I'll have 4.5 days off in a row without having to use a lick of vacation time. But enough of work, check out my outfit!

• Top - H&M, consignment; last seen here in July 2019 with pink, bows and polka dots
• Skirt - LS, consignment; last worn here in August 2019 with a silver fox
• Shoes - Sol Sana; last seen here in June with Dries and ruffles
• Jacket (below) - Club Monaco, thrifted; last worn here earlier this month

Both this top and this skirt get worn infrequently - this is only the 4th wearing of the top, and the 3rd wearing of the skirt - but both were only purchased a couple of years ago.

The top is a surprise - H&M! It has a side zip, it's cotton with a touch of stretch, and it came with a lovely black grossgrain tie, which matches the black grossgrain trim on the skirt.

Isn't the skirt cool, though?

I love the bold blocks of colour - very Mondrian-ish. It's a bit limiting for wear: white, black, blue and combinations thereof.

I felt great in this all day, and was able to do my (physical) work in the office in comfort.

And it continues to be hot and sunny, so I continue to cover up.

I'm sure a few people looked aghast at me when I was walking home - all this black! On a hot summer day!

The stuff:

My feet are feeling much better, but I'm not going to push myself into heels or tight shoes just yet. These are fabulous to wear - and although I have only had them for 3 years, we'll have a wee Flashback below.

Black, white and blue bling:

Simple matchy stuff.

• Black and white cuff - vintage fair
• Acrylic/silver cuff - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Vancouver
• Glass/silver earrings - local
• Onyx/silver ring - Tocarra, vintage fair
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes

Vizzini was lurking around while I was doing my pictures this morning. We did a massive clean of our bedroom last night, and he was quite disgruntled about it.

"You disturbed my room, AND now you're leaving me?"

Just wait till I leave tomorrow, when he's used to me being around. I'd better hide my shoes.

"Damn straight, Woman."

Silly boy. And now...

Flashback! 

These lovely shoes are by Sol Sana, and are my 3rd pair by this brand, all purchased at Footloose Shoes in downtown Victoria, a locally-owned and operated shoe store. It's often hard to find good quality shoes second-hand (my first choice for shopping), and sometimes Fluevogs (my second choice) are too over-the-top for a "regular" shoe. 

I bought them here in May 2018 for $120.00. They are leather, super comfortable, and I love that very walkable block heel. I was attracted to the speckled black and white pattern, which is printed onto a raised snakeskin pattern. And who doesn't love an ankle strap?

I wore them immediately in May 2018.

Keeping it simple with a black leather mini-skirt and a big teal silk blouse.

They are an excellent choice when I want a neutral or white shoe, but don't want it to be TOO white or want to bring in just a touch of black.

This is from June 2018. I always forget about that top, but I still have it and the pink leather skirt.

A casual look in July 2018.

Due to having to buckle and unbuckle them, I don't wear them for shopping on the weekends, so they get worn to work more than anywhere else.

A Christmassy look from...September 2018.

I pack these shoes away during the chillier months. Although I don't believe in "rules" like wearing white after Labour Day (seriously, so silly), I don't have much use for white shoes in the winter.

Hey, that skirt looks familiar! This was its first outing, in April 2019.

That's the same top as above with the pink leather, only tucked in. I'm even wearing the same cuff, lapis lazuli ring and earrings!

After I saw Corey Hart in concert with Ali in June 2019, I wore my concert tee to work the next day.

Prim and proper...but also badass.

That white top again in July 2019.

I made a "suit" out of separates.

I keep most of my very-short minis in my cold-weather wardrobe (so that I can wear tights with them), so when I see a mini worn in the summer, I know I've just acquired it.

This was in August 2019.

Three patterns together in September 2019.

And a peeved kitty who won't look at the camera. I have yet to wear both that blouse and those dotty pants yet this season. Soon!

I dressed up for Easter in April 2020, but didn't go anywhere.

Counting the shoes, that's 3 separate dotted items in one outfit.

And here's the last time I wore them, in June 2020.

I love this classy look.

Mathy stuff: Counting today's outfit, I have now worn these shoes 12 times, so I'm down to $10.00 per wear, which I'm really pleased with. I'm always willing to pay for good quality shoes, because they last so much longer - I'll be wearing these for years! Imagine what my cost-per-wear will be then.


I have to go placate our little monster now.

"I will accept kitty treats, lap time and more kitty treats."

He made himself a bed in L's closet, on top of his football jerseys.