Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Plaid Sweater, Tulle and a Teal T-Strap Flashback

Yet another plaid item from me, but I'm all out of plaid dresses, so it's a sweater this time. How exciting.
I played around with it in my closet last night, holding it up to various skirts and trousers to see how it went, wondering what colour to put with it. 

  • Sweater - Marc Jacobs, gift from Rae-Anne; received here
  • Skirt - Trina Turk, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) in July for shopping; Flashback here
  • Shoes - Chanii B; last worn here in March with zig-zags

Once I landed on this lovely navy blue tulle skirt, I was set. 
Although there is no navy in the knit, the skirt picks up the darker black bands in the sweater. Then I spotted these shoes, which perfectly match the teal of one of the stripes, and boom! We have an outfit. 

I liked the sweater - it was nice and warm - but I don't know that it's a long-term keeper.
The colours are not easy ones for my closet. Which sounds ridiculous because yes, I have a huge closet of clothes in every shade of the rainbow!

Sure, there is cream, burgundy, blue...but the other colours in it are barely discernable unless you're close-up. Do you see the lime green, lavender, pink or yellow? Only the pink is really noticeable, and I don't think I would wear pink with it. I hate it when patterns don't come through properly in pictures.
However, I'm not going to complain about a free sweater! But I may just pass it along after a couple of wears. 

Masked up. 
This is a navy blue one with a sparkly silver pattern that Mom made. 

Outerwear - rain, rain, rain. 
I was ready in my fedora and leather coat. 

All done up. 
I got soaked on the way home, but only the ends of my hair got wet (I'd forgotten to clip them up under the brim of the hat). The hat is drying out, ready for another rainy day. 

  • Hat - vintage, thrifted
  • Fur scarf - Danier, thrifted
  • Wool gloves - Parkhurst

The stuff: 
It was dark when I got home, so the colour is off on the "stuff" pictures - the shoes really are a deep dark teal suede. You can see a line where the inner platform is - with the blocky heel, it makes for a very comfortable shoe with not a lot of height. 

Blue bling: 
I kept things simple - I'd intended on wear a couple of bracelets, but the sweater cuffs did not like them.

  • Earrings - thrifted
  • Silver/sodalite ring - Scotland, 1996
  • Lapis lazuli ring/Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes



Flashback: Teal Chanii B T-Straps

I do splurge and buy new things under certain circumstances: it has to be locally-made or designed, a local store (locally-owned, not a chain), and something I just absolutely love. In Victoria, Heart & Sole Shoes on Fort Street carries the Chanii B line (which I now realize I've been spelling "Channi" the entire time I've owned these shoes! For shame!). 
Chanii is a real person, who grew up in Canada, and moved to the UK to start her own shoe company (about her here, link 'cause I love). Like John Fluevog, she uses small family-owned factories in Portugal and her shoes are made to the highest standard. I fell in love with these beauties, and happily forked over $298.00 here in May 2016. 

As noted, there's a hidden platform to make this a net 1" heel, and the suede is so very soft - and yes, that is pink leather lining (a signature of all Chanii B shoes). 

So, let's see how I've worn these! 

I can never wait to wear something new, so I put together an outfit right away in May 2016.
That shirt was by Paul Smith and was narrow teal and purple stripes, but it was very tight and didn't last too long. The skirt is older Mackage - we'll take a gander at it when I eventually wear it again.

The first few months I had these shoes are the only times I've worn them in spring/summer, as they go better with my fall/winter wardrobe. 
They match my vintage dragon jewelry, so I just went with dots and a plain top here in June 2016.

August 2016 - neither the top or skirt survived in my closet. 
That blouse is the wrong shape for me, and the skirt was poorly lined and felt cheap. 

We'll see this deep teal-green sweater a few times in this Flashback - this iteration is from September 2016 - as it matched the shoes perfectly. 
Unfortunately, it finally wore out (I had it for years) this past year. 

This outfit was for a 1930s-themed Urbanite at the Art Gallery in October 2016 - I am wearing as much authentic 30s-inspired as I can, from my marcelled hair to my 30s make-up.  
The fur bolero is a fun piece I pull out every so often (we will see it again in this Flashback), and that amazing burnt orange dress is a Ralph Lauren blue label that I thrifted for only $8.00 (a steal!). 

I wore two outfits for my birthday party in October 2016 - this was the first one. 
That's the one and only wearing of this thrifted BCBG dress. Yes, I am wearing a wig! (I wore a blonde one for the second outfit, and the Ralph orange dress above).

I love how well these shoes go with my embroidered velvet blazer, seen here in January 2017.
I no longer have that suede skirt (I spilled salad dressing on it, boo), but I have everything else! 

Wearing my dragon jewelry again in November 2017, along with my Helmut Lang top which sadly got ripped on a door at work last year.
The skirt is a vintage Gianfranco Ferre that I've had for close to 10 years - it'll get the Flashback treatment. 

I was planning on wearing this to my Weight Watchers staff Christmas dinner in December 2017 - I got dressed and took all my pictures, then started blogging it while I waited for Betty to pick me up...
However, when I looked up the dress for my "last seen here", I realized I'd worn the same dress the year before! 

So, I quickly changed into this mint green vintage dress and raced through  my pictures. 
Despite the awesomeness of this dress, it did not work for me, so in the giveaway it went. 

I picked out the bits of teal in this graphic print - that's a swan on it, by the way. 
This was in February 2018, and I didn't keep the top as the back of it was plain black (arg!). My "bark" skirt, however, is going to be a fun Flashback. 

This is the one and only time I wore this navy wool skirt, in March 2018. I bought it for my coworker (it was under $10 in a thrift store), but it didn't fit her, so I gave it one wear before I passed it on to someone else. 
I truly loved this teal satin blouse, but that shape is not right for me. You'll recognize my copper accessories! 

Another dragon jewelry outfit in October 2018, with my previous perfect leopard pencil skirt (now replaced by my more perfect leopard skirt).
I still have the brown velvet blazer, but not the tee - I do not do tees as "real clothes" very often. I prefer more structure and specialness in my clothing. Tees are for sleeping in! 

I love this pretty teal and grey combo in January 2019. Did I keep this velvet blazer? I did not. I had some Velvet Rage issues with it clinging to my coats. 
I did a Flashback on the skirt here

There's my lovely teal sweater again, this time in January 2019 - vintage sweaters are such a good shape in the shoulders. 
That skirt was only worn this one time - it wasn't special enough and it didn't have pockets! 

I pulled out all the stops for Fancy Friday Diwali in the office in October 2019 - yes, I wore this to work! 
There's that fur bolero again. The dress is beautiful sari fabric - and the hat was custom-made for me. 

There's my velvet embroidered blazer again, also in October 2019. 
I'll be wearing the flamenco skirt soon, and swooshing it for you. 

And the final time with the teal sweater, but a different skirt, in December 2019.
I love interesting shapes in my clothes. 

Speaking of interesting shapes...check out my vintage 90s Real Designer dress and its crazy sleeves. They are supposed to be like that! It's a hallmark of Romeo Gigli's mid-90s designs. 
The shoes match my vintage beaded Birks belt so well, don't they? I wore the above outfit to work in February 2020.

And when I got home that day, I switched up my accessories for a dinner out with friends! 
My pink suede "tentacle" coat is a love-it or hate-it for most people. I happen to love it!

And here's the last time I wore these shoes, right at the start of lock-down in March 2020.
That's my new-to-me Monsanto sweater that I'd bought at the last vintage fair. I'll be wearing it (and that lovely cream pencil skirt) at some point in the next few months. Unlike today's sweater, this one has a nice bold design and easy to see colours.


Mathy stuff: When I pay retail or buy an expensive item, I expect that piece to last! I have years and years of wearing these shoes ahead of me, but at 22 outfits in only 4 years, I'm doing really well - we are at $13.55 per wear now, and that number will drop with every new outfit. 


Do you have a favourite outfit? What would you wear with teal shoes?

18 comments:

  1. You make me want teal shoes! :) My main motivation for healing up my knee is to get back to my range of summer shoes now, haha! I've got it to the point I can go out with the kids and play a little with them without much pain, but now it's summer-like weather I really want to wear all my pretty sandals and so I need to strengthen my knee up a bit more so I can do that!

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    1. I love teal/turquoise anything, really, Mica. Get that knee healed so you can wear your pretty sandals! You can do it!

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  2. so fabulous shoes in a fabulous color!. I love teal and I think it's a really versatile color!, and flattering too!. This sweater is a lovely piece too, lots of colors to play with (even if photos don't do it justice!).
    Love all the fantastic ensembles you've created, your teal tops and the cute fur bolero!, so cool and elegant! and the velvet embroidered jacket is so gorgeous!. I love particularly the last outfit, the sweater and skirt make such a fab combo!
    besos

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    1. I agree, Monica - it's one of my favourite colours (okay, nearly all colours are my favourite, let's be real here). Thank you so much.

      I love looking back at these old outfits - they really are inspiring and remind me of different ways to wear old things.

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  3. Morning Sheila, there is one word for those shoes Divine!! I love all forms of blue and the nvay skirt is so pretty. I have the brightest greeny teal colour top on today and it is true colour lifts the spirits. I can't get over those shoes lol I loved the flashback and my there is a va va voom moment going on with the wig picture lol. Lovely outfits as always have a good day. The outerwear was fab as always too Shazxx

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    1. Thank you, Shaz! They are really gorgeous, aren't they? I have come around to shades of blue a lot in the last 10 years or so. Any shade of teal, aqua or turquoise is great.

      I know, I was busting (lol) out of that dress! Thanks again, my dear!

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  4. The shoes are great. I liked the with all, but I really like how they were with the all black dress-that pop of color is so fresh. Do you wear heels while commuting, or to you wear flats or tennies and change? I'm always curious. I can't drive in a heel, so tend to bring shoes and change.

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    1. Thanks so much, SAM! Yes, a bright shoe can be an excellent pop against all-black. I took a picture of my commute shoes for you so they'll be up in Friday's post. I rarely wear any of my "good" shoes out in the weather - only if I'm running an errand from the office, or going from a cab to a venue. Otherwise, I'll wear one of my "shopping/weekend" pairs of shoes. I've had various walking to/from work shoes over the years, but I default to my Doc Martens and carry my shoes in a bag.

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  5. I just LOVE that plaid jumper! And I love playing around in my closet, although in my case it means flitting between my various closets. How I wish I had a proper walk-in one! The navy tulle skirt was the perfect choice, and so are those scrumptious teal t-straps. Indeed, apart from the burgundy, cream and blue, I cannot see any other colours. What a pity, as I know this kind of thing is one of your pet clothing hates :-)
    I'm loving your outerwear too: the red leather coat and cobalt blue fedora must have been a sight for sore eyes for any passer-by.
    Once again, it was a joy to scroll through your flashback. Quite a few covetable outfits here, and the zig-zag jumper at the end has triggered an idea for my tomorrow's outfit! xxx

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    1. Thank you so much, Ann! It's a very nice sweater, and I was happy with it, although not entirely thrilled with not being able to see the colours/pattern properly in pictures - you're right, it's a pet peeve. I do feel very lucky to have my walk-in and have all my clothes nicely organized. I do not take it for granted!

      Thank you - I have been stepping up my outerwear game for the past few years, and have amassed a solid collection.

      Aw, thanks - I can't wait to see what you wear!

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  6. I often wonder what my wardrobe would look like if I didn't have a blog, I've got rid of so many garments in the past that I've enjoyed wearing but just didn't photograph well.
    The skirt, the trilby, the leather coat and those fab shoes are perfect with the jumper.
    I love your 30s tribute outfit, those Marcel waves look so good on you!
    I'd wear teal footwear in a heartbeat, it's one of my favourite colours. xxx

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    1. I haven't thought about that - I'm so used to considering how things will photograph, that I'm really strict on what I'll buy.

      Thank you, Vix! I had amazing positive reactions to that outfit from others at the gallery event, but it was very disconcerting as I look SO much like my grandmother there!

      I adore aqua/teal/turquoise anything! It's one of my faves too.

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  7. It is hard for me to "judge" as I hate teal. Because teal looks aweful on me. Which is of course a stupid reason, as it looks good on you. Still I have problems with the colour.
    I am surprised you would wear a coat that is shorter than your skirt when you go out in the rain. Surely the bottom half of your skirt gets soaked? Or am I too practical. And I take it you didn't wear those lovely, expensive suede shoes in the rain?
    My favourite outfit is that solid colour charcoal dress of Feburary 2020 with the extended sleeves (which were hot in 2019 as well !). You look superb in it.
    And your black birthday dress by BCBG in October 2016 was rather boobelicious. I bet you turned a few heads.
    Greetje

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    1. How on earth can you hate teal, Greetje!? What about aqua? Turquoise? There has to be shade that works on you - it's one of those colour ranges that suits nearly everyone.

      Oh, sure, it's just rain - it doesn't hurt my skirt, and surprisingly, not much of it gets that wet. Oh, heck no, I rarely wear my good shoes in the weather! I carry them to and from work, and wear my Doc Martens for walking.

      I love that look too - that dress is one of my favourites, and by Romeo Gigli! Thank you!

      It's very boobtastic, ha ha! My guy friends enjoyed it at the party! :)

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  8. In contrast to Greetje, I love teal, but I rarely find anything in that colour. I have always liked those teal shoes on you - the front design is very elongating. Ah, there's that Romeo Gigli dress I've asked you to leave me in your will ;)

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    1. Yeah, it's a tricky colour to find - it's one I always scan for on a rack. Thank you! Oh yes, this is a gorgeous dress - noted!

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  9. The jumper's lovely, but I can see what you mean about some colours not popping - I had to look closely to see the lime green.

    Those shoes are beautiful.

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    1. I may not keep it very long, just for that reason, Mim. Thank you!

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