Bigass Birthday Weekend Wrap-Up: Birthday Velvet and Ayers Flashback; Brunch Suit; Leopard in the Park: Thanksgiving With Mom

Hello, my friends! I hope you've had a wonderful weekend, and a very Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers!

We're starting with my actual birthday, which was Friday, and what I wore to get my haircut. That was really the excitement of the day - I spent the earlier part of my day doing the accessory swap-over and blogging, and post-haircut, L and I ordered in dinner then played board games.

However, it was my birthday, and therefore, dressing up was required!

This is also my very first official outfit for fall and it's 100% Klassy velour! 

• Bomber jacket - Zara, consignment; purchased here for $22.00
• Wool top - Eileen Fisher, thrifted; last seen here in March with pink and pearls
• Skirt - A New Day by Target, thrifted; purchased here for $19.95
• Shoes - Wonders Ayers, Fluevog; last seen here in November 2019 with all greens

When I bought this lovely jungle-printed bomber jacket last week, I had forgotten about this glorious pleated skirt. 

It was a lovely surprise when all the stashed-away clothes came tumbling out of my closet when I did the swap-over. 

I immediately knew I wanted to wear them together. 

The weather was fairly clear on Friday, so I just wore a sleeveless wool top underneath. 

The skirt has an elastic waist, so I tucked the sweater in, and put a belt over it. 

The skirt is very full and swooshed deliciously as I walked. 

Done up with the pockets unsnapped. 

And in my mask (courtesy of Mom), which was left on for two hours while I walked to town and back, as well as during my appointment with Sophia. 

I added my new olive green wool fingerless gloves and a chocolate brown fur scarf for warmth. 

I even changed my purse (aren't you proud of me, Mica?). 

• Fur scarf - Danier, thrifted
• Gloves - Parkhurst
• Purse - Banana Republic, consignment

The stuff: 

Yes, I walked to town and back in these (about 2.5 km) - that is a great heel for walking, although I don't ever wear these for shopping due to two buckles per shoe (very finicky). We'll be having a Flashback on these shortly, as they have an interesting history with me! 

Gold bling: 

Taking full advantage of my fall accessories coming back and wearing a bunch of them. 

• Belt - vintage 80s, consignment, Powell River
• Necklace - Givenchy, vintage 80s, vintage fair
• Chain/leather bracelet - thrifted
• Chain brass bracelet - Club Monaco
• Spinner ring - Twang & Pearl 
• Bronze ring - P. Sarpaneva, c. 1970, vintage expo
• Jade/brass ring - vintage 70s, Mom's
• Amber ring - c. 1996

Flashback: Wonders Ayers, Fluevog

I bought these amazing shoes in October 2011 (here, way down, enjoy my "The Birds" Hallowe'en costume!) with a gift card from my Winesday Women. They were marked all the way down to $99.00 (link here, 'cause I love, although these shoes and the Wonders Family is discontinued). 

This is the first pair I bought - as my gift card was for $100.00, I only had to pay the tax and shipping (which I don't include in my costs), so they were free. HOWEVER...these are not the only pair I bought! 

When I bought these, I was in the middle of my 30 For 30 For 12 Wardrobe Challenge (visit my "About Me" tab to scroll down and read about it, here), so I didn't wear them until I was in my final month of January 2012. 

I wore them four times that month, with this outfit above being the first time. I had several olive pieces in my limited colour-way in January that I coordinated to the shoes. 

You might remember this outfit from my Flashback on this Smoking Lily jacket (and of course, you can visit any of my Flashbacks in their tab here). The bits of olive in this outfit are in the t-shirt and the knee-high trouser socks. 

I enjoy the creative push that a reduced wardrobe gives me, but I can't even contemplate doing a challenge this massive again! Phew, it was so much work! 

This is the same olive blazer as the first January 2012 outfit. 

The "skirt" is a Smoking Lily cape - I've had a few of them over the years. 

Worn here in January 2012 with the t-shirt again (which I now sleep in), for my last January outfit. Note my unhappy face and pointing finger. 

I'd left my closet doors open, and was late getting home to feed Vizzini...and he ATE two of the straps - one from each shoe. 

The evidence! You can read about my extreme rage here (I threw my shoes at Vizzini), and my plans to have the shoes fixed by a cobbler. Eventually, I farked these up myself and dyed them pink (pictures/read about it here) in 2014, and I did wear them as pink shoes for a while before I finally donated them (they never stayed on properly with the missing straps). 

I ended up buying another pair, because I really needed a pair of olive shoes in my wardrobe, plus $99.00 wasn't too much for me to spend on a pair of shoes I knew I already loved. Strictly speaking, I got 4 wears (plus however much I wore the Vizzini-fied ones) out of shoes that cost me $0, but I'm going to include all of the wears in one, because this is my blog and I can do what I want, heh heh. 

Here are the NEW pair of shoes, first seen in March 2013, when I went through a month of having blonde hair. 

The shoes are all I have left of this outfit. 

Back to red hair in April 2013.

I have a thing for velvet blazers and loads of buttons. 

This is the same olive blazer (I had it for quite a while) as earlier, and my long-gone "mushroom" skirt, in May 2013. . 

I think the shoes are, once again, the only thing I have still. 

In August 2013 - I kept these out all year-round, but they were strictly fall/winter after their first full year. 

Mom's choker is all I have left here. 

This was a "Monochromania Week" (link here for the full week) in September 2013.

That same blazer again! 

I experimented with layering an olive cardigan under this plaid dress in October 2013. 

I still have that dress (and the leather obi) and I'll be wearing it soon! 

Again in October 2013, but this is a hideous outfit that you should quickly scroll past. 

I still have the belt and you might recognize that necklace. 

The shoes reappeared in late March 2014, worn with the same olive suede skirt as above. 

I no longer have it, but I do have that brocade blazer and I'll be wearing it soon too. 

I have funky hair here in December 2014.

That sequined black dress is still in my closet - I usually wear a blouse under it. 

I have a new olive blazer in March 2015.

The only thing I have left now is the fur brooches. 

With Mr. Vizzini in November 2015. 

I miss that dress (dang that buttered potato!), but I still have the belt (and the cat!). 

With a lovely vintage top (still have it) and my wonderful "bark" skirt in October 2016. 

My frequency of wearing my shoes does drop if they are seasonal, but that just means they'll last longer! 

I like this classy suiting look - look at me, ahead of the trend, wearing wide-legged trousers in November 2016!

I have that jacket still - it's a suit, with a matching skirt and that faux fur collar is detachable. 

This is my current olive blazer, a swanky long-line one by Helmut Lang. This is one of its first wearings in February 2018. 

I don't have that skirt anymore (it was quite worn out), but I have everything else. 

Ah, here's the tweed skirt that goes with the blazer two outfits earlier - this is in October 2018.

That lovely green Lacoste sweater has been passed along. I can't abide wearing logos on my chest. 

I adore this amazing velour Betsey Johnson dress (which I still have), worn for a Vintage Fair in November 2018. 

It's a very low neckline - it was a challenge keeping it work-friendly during the day, I recall. 

With a now-gone sequined-collar khaki shirt in January 2019. 

And a previous leopard skirt (I found the perfect one later that year). 

My Lang blazer makes another appearance in October 2019. 

I adore that bronze skirt - we'll be seeing that again soon too. 

And here's the last outfit with these shoes, worn in November 2019. 

I'd forgotten all about that velvet devore skirt! I'll have to wear it again soon too. 

Mathy stuff: Pretending that I've only had one pair of these shoes for the past 8 years and paid $99.00 for them, I have now worn them 24 times, bringing me to a very reasonable $4.13 per wear. I anticipate lots more wear out of these in the coming months too. 

--------------------------------------

When L got home from work, I got my birthday presents from him. 

An expansion for the Dominion card game (a favourite), two books of Cthulhu Mythos short stories, Amor Towles' first book, and an omnibus of books by female old-school sci-fi writer C.L. Moore. 

I knew that I was getting the two pieces of jewelry, as I'd picked them out at Vanity Fair Antique Mall a few weeks ago. This is carved amber, set in silver. 

The chain is a box-style, and is made in Italy. 

I am also adding to my small Robert Larin collection of mid-century jewelry (I have this pewter necklace here, and this gold-plated necklace here).

About Robert Larin (source here, 'cause I love):

Relatively little is known about the life of the Canadian designer Robert Larin. He produced exceptional examples of modernist jewelry in the mid-20th century. He produced complicated, unusual and striking jewelry in his workshop on the rue Papineau in Montreal, QC. In its heyday, there were 25 employees working of whom the most were hard-of-hearing and they communicated with sign language, especially necessary against the noisy background of the workplace (noisy machines). All Larin work was designed and produced in the years 1968 to 1977, the year in which his workshop was closed. Larin made bold creations using Pewter. To achieve the highest level of quality he used the "lost wax process" for casting his pieces. This process was usually used for nobler metal. After pouring the ornament was hand finished and sometimes (partly) gold plated and finally polished. Larin also uses oxidation techniques and "overlay" techniques to achieve a dramatic and robust effect. Robert Larin work is becoming increasingly popular with collectors who are increasingly discovering the great mid-century Canadian artists.

They are fairly pricey in the Vintage Mall (the bracelet was over $250), so thank goodness I have a very generous and awesome husband. Lucky me! 

And speaking of, here is my amazing L, and his "helper" while we tried out the new Dominion set on Friday night. 

"You should play THAT card next, Man."

Vizzini likes to help. 

"I'm really only here in case there are elastic bands."

We have to watch to make sure he doesn't run off with them. 

On Saturday, L and I met Nick for brunch at Pluto's. 

I wore my birthday suit (har har!). 

• Suit - Part Two; last seen here during a very entertaining "Men in Black" interlude in April
• Sweater - Wanko, thrifted; last worn here in March with my Beene suit
• Booties - DKode, consignment; first seen here in February with tweed and a fin

We had a lovely warm morning, with lots of sunshine. 

After brunch, we walked to town for some errands, then strolled home. 

It feels good to be out and about in my fall clothes. 

Without the jacket. 

I belted the pants (hooray, they still fit!). 

But I wore the jacket the whole time. 

I finally gave in and unstitched the pockets. 

Masked up (grey snakeskin, courtesy of Mom). 

And my gold leather bag again (it was my go-to bag all summer). 

• Purse - Banana Republic, consignment

The stuff: 

These booties are so fun - I wore fleece-lined knee highs with them (you can see them in the stair picture). That's a good walking heel for me. 

Vintage bling: 

Of course, I had to wear my new birthday cuff right away! And I paired it with my Robert Larin necklace, which was a Christmas gift from L a few years ago. 

• Belt - Bianca Nygard, c. 2009
• Pewter necklace - Robert Larin, vintage 60s/70s, gift from L
• Pewter cuff - Robert Larin, vintage 60s/70s, gift from L
• Earrings - Glee
• Silver snake ring - c. 1985, BC Museum Gift Shop
• Silver/onyx spider ring - gift from Mom & Dad, c. 1987

Here's some detail on the cuff. It's stamped twice (red circle). 

The cuff hinges, and locks closed with this pin threaded through. 

The stamp on the other side: 

Totally authentic. 

I always take a really good look at things, and wondered why this hole was here. 

I mean, I know why the other hole is there: for the security chain so that the pin doesn't get lost. 

And then I realized: the two halves of the cuff are identical. 

See, same features exactly on both sides! So they cast two of these, so both sides got that hole, although it was only needed on one. Mystery solved. 

When we got home, Vizzini was so happy to see us. 

"Oh, it's you."

I gave in and added my mohair cardigan to His Lordship's chair. 

"This is all as it should be."

After a brief respite, we geared up and headed out to Beacon Hill Park, to do a physically-distanced outside gathering for my and Randall's birthdays. 

Whoa! I'm half in shade. Let's try that again. 

There we go. 

We expected clouds and rain later, and the sun is now setting around 7:30pm, so I dressed accordingly. 

• Coat - Cache, consignment; first worn here in June for lunch with Betty and to run some errands
• Sweater - Wanko, thrifted; last worn above in the morning's outfit. 
• Skirt - Mexx, consignment; last seen here (5th outfit) in February for a Saturday shopping expedition
• Boots - Steve Madden, vintage mall; purchased here for $69.00

Although I left my hat on the whole time, here's the early version of the outfit with my jacket undone. 

I had to plan to walk (so, good walking shoes or boots) and to be warm. 

I added the hat for warmth, and in case it rained. 

Isn't the coat amazing? 

I love the superb leopard print, but this is strictly a "shoulder season" jacket. It's far too thin to wear in winter. 

Without the coat so you can see my new-to-me belt swagged over my hips. 

I buckled it in the back (since no one but you folks are seeing it), secured by my klassy elastic. 

And here I am, all ready to go! 

As I planned when I did my closet swap-over, I fetched my big velvet scarf, and my vintage muff. 

• Scarf - c. 1999, Fairweather
• Muff - vintage 1930s, vintage fair
• Purse - Ted Lapidus, vintage 90s, vintage fair
• Hat - Dex
• Gloves - Parkhurst

I wore my matchy leopard mask, and my red wool fingerless gloves. 

All bundled up and snuggly warm. 

The muff was amazing! My hands were so warm in it. We did have many chuckles over my "sheared beaver muff."

See how big the velvet scarf is? 

It's silk velvet, very soft and warm. 

The stuff: 

Over-the-knee boots are awesome with mini-skirts for keeping one's legs warm. Next time, I need to remember to wear thick socks with them! My feet were freezing after standing around for 3+ hours. 

More vintage bling: 

First wearing of my new-to-me belt (purchased here for $13.00) and my silver and amber necklace. 

• Belt - Mudd, vintage 90s, thrifted
• Cuff - Robert Larin, vintage 60s/70s, gift from L
• Earrings - vintage, gift from L
• Necklace - vintage, gift from L
• Snake/spider ring - as above
• Amber ring - Past Times, c. 1996, gift from L

I repeated my snake and spider ring, and the cuff from the morning's outfit.

I took my camera and snapped a few shots of the 'hood. 

A gorgeous house - those are authentic heirloom colours for heritage houses here. I also like the monkey-tree in the yard - spiky! 

I love this house's front yard - it's always decorated. 

The residents have a skeleton driving a carriage and I love the ghosts in the trees! 

Very spooky! I approve! 

We saw two cats at this house - one jumped off the ledge, but this chonky boy did not. 

"This feels like a jump for a smaller cat."

L and I both said, "Don't jump!" I guess he heard us. 

Look at that beautiful blue sky! It was quite windy out still. 

L noticed this sculpture on the roof of an apartment building. 

We noticed this lady and her daughter walking on the other side of the street - she exclaimed when she spotted us and ran over to introduce herself. Meet Mollie (she was in the news here recently, link here 'cause I love). 

Mollie, your email box is full - drop me a line! Let's do coffee! 

As we approached the park, we spotted our friends in a corner near the trees. 

This area is full of cedars, but right now the chestnuts are in full conker season. 

I love the shiny chestnuts, and the spiky conkers. 

They are a head-bonk risk! Look out! 

We were all bundled up, and were very careful about our spacing, although we were outdoors and it was windy. 

While the sun lasted, it was lovely and warm. 

Vero and Justin brought their dog Django, who patrolled our area. 

"Captain Vizzini will expect a full report."

Suddenly, the rain started - it was a steady drizzle for the rest of the afternoon. 

We retreated under the giant cedars. 

Peering out, where we had a soccer game going out on the field next too us. 

It's sunny, but it's also raining - welcome to Victoria!

L standing under a Douglas fir. 

Hi, Cat! Look at that massive cedar tree! 

Thanks to Randall for this pic of L and I.

Yeah, baby, rock on!

We walked home in the dark past Pluto's...

...and said "adieu" to Cat and Ross as we walked the rest of the way home. 

I got a few more presents from my lovely friends. 

Ottessa Moshfegh's newest book from Cat (we are both fans of her writing), and a card from Casey. 

He also gave me the Duthie Books bookmark above, and a t-shirt from them (below). Duthie Books was an awesome independent bookseller in downtown Vancouver for over 50 years, closing in 2010. 

"Littera Scripta Manet" means "The written letter remains."  I also got a jar of homemade garlic rosemary apple jelly from Linda (and a still-warm apple tart! NOM!). Thank you, my dear friends. 

Vizzini lounged near us as we played more board games on Saturday. 

"Oh no, really, more pictures, Woman?"

He's noticed the temperature change, and has become very affectionate with us. 

"I'm only stealing your warmth."

Probably true!

On Sunday, L and I watched football all day, then I made a small turkey dinner for the two of us for Thanksgiving. 

Our Monday plans changed, as Mom cancelled the usual Thanksgiving/birthday gathering (a Happy Birthday to my nieces Hannah and Zoe!), due to Pandemic Reasons, and instead L and I had her over for a visit. We ordered lunch in - much safer, and easier to clean-up. Plus, none of us really like cooking. 

It's a Monday, a holiday and I'm home. You're lucky I even have shoes on, ha ha!

• Dress - Club Monaco, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) in January for a rainy weekend shop
• Shoes - Hispanitas; last worn here in August with my flamingo top and leather

I wore a new pair of pebbled-texture tights with this soft cocoon of a dress.

The dress is a wool blend, and is nice and soft, perfect for sitting around. 

I threw my hair into some big pin-curls for the illusion of waves (they all fell out within an hour). 

All coffee'd up and ready to be nice to people (L and Mom). 

The stuff: 

Shoes I can wear around the house without annoying our downstairs neighbour. 

Mixed bling: 

I got this speckled enamel and copper set in Portland, Oregon last year on vacation and barely wore it - that's not going to happen this year! 

• Bracelet/earrings - vintage 60s, Porland, OR
• Glass snake pendant - Venice, Italy, gift from Mom
• Silver snake ring - as above
• Snake ring - as above

Mom replaced some of the masks that she'd made for me earlier with new ones that have stronger nose-wire/pipecleaners, plus I got a bag of new browns and greens. 

So pretty! I love the pinecone one on the lower left - it has bits of gold. 

Vizzini hoovered around for a while, looking for food and eyeing the elastics on the masks, before he crawled under a blanket and slept on my lap for over an hour while we all hung out. 

"And now, food."

No, it's not dinner yet, silly kitty. 

And now here we are, the long weekend nearly over! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend, long or short. Thanks for dropping by!