Monday, August 31, 2020

Optic Cardi and Pink Leather Flashback

Happy Monday, my friends! 
I hypnotized myself into being happy about a Monday with my optic cardigan.

  • Cardigan - Jean-Paul Gaultier Soleil, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) for a Saturday Zoom call in May
  • Sweater - Bleu & Gray, thrifted; last seen here with a very fall-ish outfit in June
  • Skirt - Evan Davies, vintage 80s, thrifted; last worn here in March with McQ tweed and pearls
  • Shoes - Pegabo, consignment; purchased here for $28.00

Just kidding, I'm never that thrilled about a Monday. 
I do like a nice funky, slouchy cardigan though. 

And I love hot pink leather! 
We'll have a wee Flashback on this vintage 80s leather skirt shortly, even though I'm not really showing it off well in this outfit - it's just functioning as a pop of colour against all this black and pattern.

I love the pattern on the cardigan - I'm a sucker for an optic print. 
I also love that the fabric is centered and cut perfectly symmetrically, even on the sleeves. This is not a cheaply made garment, even though it's made of a mesh fabric. 

Masked up.
I like that this mask has pink and gold in it (as well as black, white, and bits of red and aqua). 

Buttoned up for the slightly chillier mornings and in the shade. 
Brrr. I'm going to have to start looking at proper jackets soon. 

The stuff: 
I actually built the outfit around these new-to-me shoes - I'm happy to report that they were awesome and very comfy to wear (barefoot!) in the office. 

Gold bling: 
I did matchy on my metals. The earrings were a pain with the mask (I work with the mask dangling off one ear), but eh, whatever. I SUFFER for fashion! 

  • Leather/chain wrap - local
  • Earrings - Biko, consignment
  • Chain bracelet - thrifted


Flashback - Pink Leather Skirt

I found this lovely soft pink lambskin leather skirt at the Patch, way back in July 2014 (here), for $24.95.
I've never found anything about Evan Davies, but there are lots of late 80s/early 90s pieces of leather by him out there. My skirt has a very high waistband, so I'd say it's from the late 80s, after the Great Size Shift, as the sizing is close to a modern size 10 (vs. a vintage 10 which equates to modern size 6). 

I wore it twice in August 2014 - the first time, I paired it with this denim bustier that I'd purchased the same day. 
I still have that blouse, but I mailed the bustier to Shelley many years back. 

I love this look, later in August 2014, with this sequinned blouse, but I remember that it was so scratchy on all the edges. Gone - I can't have scratchy clothes! 
Ugly shoes. Glad those are also gone. 

New shoes in December 2014. I didn't keep them - that weird vamp has never really worked for me. 
I'm wearing my vintage Sherman pink crystal necklace/earrings set (still have 'em), and I still have that stretchy metal belt. I'd forgotten all about this jacket, which I didn't own very long. 

Oh, my sweet, trusty cream brocade blazer - I'm looking forward to seeing it again soon. 
This outfit is from January 2015. Those shoes broke mid-last after only having them a year or two, sadly. I really loved them. 

My fruital blouse got an outing here in May 2015, with a black sequined vest over it. 
The pointy blue Fluevogs didn't work, so I gave them to Cat. 

I wore the skirt again in May 2015 with a vintage 90s "cold shoulder" blouse. This was just as the last round of cold shoulder tops was becoming trendy - we didn't call them that back in the day, though. 
I love the pops of yellow with the pink, and my hair is REALLY purple there - must be freshly coloured. 

I paired hot pink with chartreuse in August 2015. This lace top was so pretty, but the front buttons popped open all the time. 
I found out later that this was actually one of Karen's tops that she'd consigned! How funny that I'd bought my friend's blouse. 

Looking funky in purple and teal here in May 2016.
Cat lurking in the background...

More fruital in July 2016 - I wore that blouse so much, and passed it along a couple of years ago.
That is the one and only wearing of those purple leather mules - I'd heard rumours that the style was coming back (and now it is firmly a trend once more!), and wanted to try it again...but I hate the THWAP THWAP of the heels slapping on my feet. *shudder*

This outfit was for Star Wars Day, May the 4th, 2017.
Note my/L's Darth Vader tie, and my Star Wars shoes. 

I packed this skirt away for fall/winter for a few years, and it started only getting worn once per season. 
This was in June 2018. I still have that top and the shoes. 

I liked how the pink leather went with this teal colour and the mixed patterns in my shoes (which are Fluevogs). This outfit is from August 2019 - note my tiger shoulder brooch. 
However, the proportions are off in the outfit overall - this is why I passed that blouse along to Vero this year. I am on the lookout for a new teal blouse. 

I kept this skirt out last fall/winter to give my wardrobe an injection of colour, and it worked, since I wore it in November 2019. 
Sometimes I highlight the high waist, and sometimes I don't. 

This outfit from February 2020 is one of my favourite outfits I've ever done. I know, strong words! 
But the colours, the gold, the patterns (those tights!). They just make my heart sing. 

This outfit, not as much, but I still like it. I only got one wearing out of this tweed/embroidered jacket before packing it away for spring/summer. 
This was the last time I wore the skirt, in March 2020, about a week before lock-down. It seems so long ago! 

Mathy stuff: I didn't actually realize that I've had this skirt for 6 years, so I was very surprised to see that I've now worn it 16 times. Our cost-per-wear is a mere $1.56! 

31 comments:

  1. That Feb 2020 outfit was such a winner! Baroque masterpiece!

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  2. It's a great skirt on you I love how bright it is and it's nice seeing the different ways you've worn it in your flashbacks. I really enjoy your flashbacks as you always wear things so differently, it's really inspiring! :)

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    1. Thanks, Mica! I've enjoyed doing the Flashbacks too - it inspires me as well.

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  3. Morning Sheila, wow to todays outfit. Classy and funky something you do so well! I love to be warm but find it hard to look dressy as well. Those shoes are gorgeous love them. Wow to the favourite outfit I bet that got some comments and compliments. What I have to comment on though today is your hair it does look pretty! have a great day Shazxx ps o apparantly Vix could relate to your earlier comments about when you were younger who would have thought it? you are both so fab!!x

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    1. Hi, Shaz! Thank you so much! Dressing for warmth (or coolness) is always tricky. I was happy with the shoes. I do love that amazing outfit - it felt like kismet. Thank you - I'm struggling with my hair a bit these days.

      I saw that - it's amazing how we are so affected by our pasts. Thank you, my dear!

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  4. I liked seeing your new shoes. The metal strappy thing adds so much. The embroidered coat though! Love it.

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    1. Yes, that's the kind of extra detail I like in my shoes. Thank you, SAM!

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  5. Your favourite outfit ever? I can totally see why. Those tights...! And I've always liked pink leather with silver sequins (?!). Too bad that sequins can sometimes have the scratch factor. Pitui. Another star review. Was it Monday? Is today Tuesday? Will tomorrow be Wednesday? Sigh.

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    1. It's up there, Mel, for sure! I love the sequins, but that was such a horrendous top. I have no idea what day it is!

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  6. Evan's product were/are fab! I used to have some circa 1980s dresses and at least one skirt from that brand. They wore awesomely and held up like steal.

    Autumn Zenith 🎃 Witchcrafted Life

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    1. I didn't know the name, Autumn, and I've never seen anything else by him in the second hand shops.

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  7. I can see why that outfit is one of your favourite ones ever, it's wonderful.
    That pink skirt was definitely a top find and the optic cardi is amazing, you can see the quality by the way the pint aligns. xxx

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    1. Thanks so much, Vix! I love the skirt (duh, leather) and the cardi is so unusual, and of such high quality.

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  8. At the risk of sounding like a broken record: Nice outfit!

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    1. Do kids these days even know what "a broken record" sounds like? :)

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    2. Thanks, Ally! Ha ha, yes, the kids do know that, I'm sure. Vinyl is hugely popular again!

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  9. The new to you shoes are very elegant. I also love the pink skirt. Beautiful styling.

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  10. woww, this leather skirt is a gorgeous piece, and your new shoes look really cool, love the metalic details!, and your matchy accessories!. Earrings can be a nightmare when wearing a mask, I agree!
    Lovely flashback, lots of colors and inspiration!. No wonder that the Feb20 outfit is one of your favourite ones, every detail is brilliant and works so nicely (the jacket, the shoes!!)
    besos

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    1. Thanks, Monica, isn't it fabulous. I love metallic on anything, plus matchy!

      Thank you - yes, it just makes me happy when I look at it. :)

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  11. It's back to work for me tomorrow, so I'll try and take a leaf out of your book and hypnotize myself into being happy that it's Monday ... Looking at your optic print cardigan might do the trick! I'll let you know if it worked :-) But seriously, I'm loving this outfit - and the pink leather skirt flashback - and I'm pleased to hear those amazing shoes have passed the test! xxx

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    1. Ha, good luck, Ann, I hope it worked! Thank you - yes, good news with the shoes.

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  12. The stripy top version of the skirt plus this newest incarnation are my favourite versions of the skirt! You really are wonderfully creative with how you have styled it! Bravo- I love them!
    *Sheepishly shuffles in*- I am so sorry it has taken me so long to come and visit- I have been SO amiss in coming to visit my blogging friends and I just kept wanting to avoid being on the computer for as much as possible-then, the more I got behind and didn't actually manage to read on screen, the worse it got! Also, there's my addiction to the Scrabble Go app...
    I also do not like scratchy tops- cannot cope with itchiness! My Stepmother still shudders over a white scratchy cardigan that I flatly refused to wear as a child or whinged constantly if I were forced into it! She still refers to it as "That bloody white cardigan!"
    Oooh, the optical top makes my eyes boggly!

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    1. I like the more recent outfits too, but at the time, I loved the older looks. My style has evolved a lot over the years, for sure. Thanks, Kezzie!

      Hey, no worries, we all have busy lives and blogs are not always high on the list of priorities. Plus we are living in a stressful time. Just happy to see you here. :)

      Glad I'm not the only one with ultra-sensitive skin!

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  13. Hot pink leather is great - and it looks fab with that cardigan.

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  14. I have always been in love with that skirt, and you wore it in so many wonderful outfits. I remember the denim bustier - I wore it a couple of times and "grew" out of it so I passed it on.

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    1. I think of you when I wear it! I remember that too - I'm glad you were able to wear it a bit!

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  15. Hi She, you have gotten plenty wears out of that leather skirt, I had a leather skirt in high school and barely wore it, I am sure i'd wear it know.
    Now that I think of it I do not own anything that creates an optic illusion, that's such a great cardi, I was just reading cardis and twin sets are back :) However they never left my closet.

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    1. I didn't have any leather when I was younger, but I remember getting my first 2 suede skirts around 1987 and feeling very classy!

      I love patterns that fool your eye - so fun. Ha, oh yes, that twinset look of 1999-2000 - I remember it well!

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