Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Secret Satin, the Unsafe Ocelot, and Tian Art Flashback

Another day, another outfit. I noticed yesterday that I still had a couple of tops that I had bought and not yet worn, so I took this new-to-me pink lined tank and prowled in my closet until I found something to go with it. 

That resulted in me pulling out this amazeballs (do people still say "amazeballs"? I have no idea!) jacket which had not yet made its annual appearance, and that led me to a Flashback. 
But where is the other pink in my outfit, you may be wondering? It's secret...


  • Jacket - Tian Art, thrifted; last worn here in January 2020 with pink and blue
  • Top - Willow & Thread, consignment; purchased here for $12.50
  • Trousers - J. Crew, thrifted; first worn here in November 2020 with all the dots
  • Shoes - Napoleoni, thrifted; last seen here in November 2020 for brunch and a shop
  • Coat (below) - Hilary Radley, thrifted; last worn here in February 2020


Another wearing of these spotted woven-pattern trousers. 
They just reek of quality - such nice fabric. 
Isn't the jacket cool? We'll take a good look at the details in the Flashback. 

I like that the jacket has split sides, so that when/if I fasten the little knotted buttons/frogs, it keeps the fabric from bunching up when I jam my hands into my pockets. As one does. 
I love the jacket done up, but it's still a smidge too snug to be worn like that. Danged chocolate...

So here's the secret pink - it's the satin lining! 
I did this to my colleagues that I saw today - PINK, in your face! 

Masked up - it's the speckled pink one from Mom. 
Outerwear - it's the return of the Unsafe Ocelot! 
Did I hear that faux fur is a "thing" again? When it is NOT, I say!? 

All bundled up with my accoutrements - I thought it was going to be a lot colder than it was today.
I ended up taking off the hat, scarf and gloves on the way home. The Unsafe Ocelot, she is a warm coat. 


  • Toque/scarf - Danier Leather
  • Gloves - Parkhurst


The stuff: 
I don't think I've ever noticed before that these shoes are nearly the same colour as the jacket, a rich browny-burgundy colour. Matchy gold heels! 

Gold bling: 
A few simple pieces. 


  • Necklace - vintage, thrifted
  • Earrings - vintage, thrifted
  • Gold/amethyst ring - Frances Jewelers, c. 1965, Dad's
  • Crystal ring - Uffizi Gallery gift shop, Florence, Italy



Flashback: Tian Art Satin Jacket

I found this gem at the now-closed downtown St. Vincent de Paul thrift store - that store was the best for finding treasures! 
It was $8.00 and I purchased it here in September 2013 on a bit of a spree. 

Look at that hot pink satin lining! 
The designer of Tian Art is Dr. Flora Cheong-Leen, and although Tian Art doesn't have its own website anymore, I did find this article here (link 'cause I love) about her. She's a true Renaissance Woman!

The jacket itself is a deep burgundy and the embroidery is in shades of red, white and blue, edged with gold. 
The embroidery is on the high stand-up collar, the cuffs, and the hem, as well as the back of the jacket. 
There are some overlapping "smoke" or "cloud" forms in a rusty-burgundy shade as well. Oh, that detail makes my heart sing!

I wore it right away in September 2013 with a hot pink skirt (it has a red giant skull on it).
Due to the palette of burgundy, red, blue, white and pink, I tend to wear those colours exclusively with it, although I have dabbled in black and grey. 

Ah, back in October 2013, when I could not only do it up without it gaping in the boobular region (it has zero stretch), I could also belt it. 
I still have that belt and those shoes! 

In January 2014, I wore it with my red leather jeans (which I no longer have). 
I wore it fully buttoned up that day, so showing you the back view (and the cat view), so that you can admire the additional embroidery again - it was easier to see the back of the neck when my hair was short. 

I first wore it open/unbuttoned here in January 2015. 
I like the matchy hot pink/red/blue combo - so vivid! Shoe Flashback here

Another red skirt and another pair of red shoes in September 2015.
I tend to keep it out only for fall-winter these days, and get in my one wearing per season. 

With my red leather jeans again in February 2016. 
Vizzini doesn't seem too impressed! Shoe Flashback here.

I've nearly put this jacket in the giveaway pile a couple of times - it's very tricky to style. 
I tried it with black, blue and pink in January 2018. Shoe Flashback here; dress Flashback here.

I struggled with this outfit quite a bit, changing up elements - ironically, this is one of the looks I like the best! 
This was in November 2018. I need to wear those shoes again! 

And this is the last time I wore it, in January 2020.
I didn't like this outfit at all - the pants and shoes are now gone (but I kept the turtleneck). 


Mathy stuff: Overall, I haven't worn this as much as I thought I had, but then I only paid $8.00 for it! Today's look is my 10th outfit, bringing me to a very respectable 80 cents per wear. I am totally okay with keeping it as a special item that gets worn once a year. In a wardrobe the size of mine, sometimes that's all I can fit in, especially this past year when I have had two fewer work outfits per week. 

How would you style this? Do you have a favourite look?

26 comments:

  1. Ha ha I love the idea of you prowling through your closet - amazeballs. Yes it is a fab word.
    That jacket is so versatile as you photos show.
    And the pink lining - Wow!
    Not to mention that fab coat.
    Strangely enough I have blogged about pink today.
    Great minds!!!

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    1. Excellent - I shall keep using that word, then. Thanks, Jane! It's an amazing coat.

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  2. Morning Sheila, when I saw today's outfit I could see a sneak peak of the lining on that fab jacket and I thought clever Sheila putting a pink top with it. I then love to read on and see your thinking behind an outfit. Love the Nov 2018 outfit! ahh St Vincent de Paul you take me back to Aussie days as we used to have them over there. "Op (Opportunity shops) = Aussie Chazza(charity shops) = UK Thrift shops - USA and your good selves well whatever you call them I am sure missing browsing them that is for sure!! anyway I will continue to call in to see your lovely postsand Vix too and that will keep me going! Stay safe Shazxx

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    1. Hi, Shaz, oh, you figured it out, good job! I know the lingo for the UK and Australia for the thrifts/chazzas. I'm glad my little corner of the blogosphere is keeping you going. Stay safe, hon.

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  3. I haven't worn any of my work pieces since March last year so I think once a year is pretty good! I really need to try wear them they just seem a bit overdressed to work from home! This is a lovely jacket and you are definitely getting value from it even if it's not frequently worn! :)

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    1. Yeah, so much of my wardrobe is "icing", Mica - special things that are tricky to style, but those are the pieces that make my heart happy. I am fine with being overdressed, but I am going out into the world. Thank you!

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  4. Superb jacket and taking it to 0.80 cents - even in just 10 wears - seems like a great deal !
    Maybe you can try it with black cropped pants or something white at the bottom - although now that I think of it you don't have much white as bottom pieces.

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    1. Yup, I'm really happy with my cost-per-wear, Lorena - it was an excellent purchase. I don't own any black cropped pants (that is a tricky length on me). I have very few all-white pieces, as you note.

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  5. I figure if you and me still say "amazeballs" then it's a thing. I mean, we're trend-setters! :)

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    1. Awesome, I appreciate the validation of my/our archaic slang. ;-P

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  6. It's good to see the Unsafe Ocelot again, fabulous garment that it is! Talking of fabulous the Chinese coat is a lovely piece. I particularly love it with the hot pink skirt and how good the brown satin looks against the vibrant turtle neck in the last photo.
    I've often wondered why we don't have St. Vincent de Paul charity shops in England - they're in Canada, Australia (thanks, Shaz), New Zealand and Ireland, it's not fair! xxxx

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    1. It is! It really hasn't been that cold here yet, so I've been holding off on wearing it. I love the coat but it is quite difficult to style, Vix. That is odd that you don't have StVdeP in the UK.

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  7. So you're a secret matcher too! I knew it was the lining as soon as you mentioned it was secret ... That jacket is indeed amazeballs, whether the word is still a thing or not! And yay, the Unsafe Ocelot returns! The necklace and earrings are a match made in heaven, and how extraordinary are those gold-heeled shoes.
    I loved seeing the close-ups of the jacket's embroidery, and once again the flashback was lots of fun to scroll through. My favourite is the vibrant pink/red/blue combo from January 2015.
    I don't mind keeping things I'm only wearing once again either. I've actually got quite a few of those! xxx

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    1. You know it, Ann! It's a great jacket, as is the Unsafe Ocelot! I was happy to see how well the shoes matched everything.

      It's lovely to have those kind of details on a garment, isn't it? I have a lot of one-offs - they are fun to revisit annually.

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  8. Indeed, darned chocolate, as I like it best done up. Especially the outfit of November 2018 gets my vote. But if you wear it open, I think the necklace you used, pulls the outfit together. Nice pink top. You are going to use it more in summer I bet.
    Greetje

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    1. Yeah, I have to cut back on the chocolate, Greetje! I need my awesome clothes to keep fitting! Yes, that pink top is more of a summery item, but I'm glad to get one wearing in before then.

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    2. I get the idea that chocolate (and coffee) is giving me my headaches. I am screwed. I adore cappuccino and love chocolate.

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    3. I'm not giving up my chocolate OR my coffee! I need coffee daily, but I have been a lot better in the past few months with my chocolate - I fit into another one of my "goal" skirts! Yay!

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  9. I absolutely love that jacket and it was great you did a flashback with it, showing us how it can be worn in so many ways. The embroidery on the jacket is very pretty. The pants you wore with it are fabulous and I like your shoes as well. Your faux fur leopard coat is such a great way to finish this look, such a pretty outfit.
    P.S. Sorry I've been MIA: I'm still feeling down. It's been a hard week for me.

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    1. Aw, I'm sorry to hear you're down, Ivana. Take care of yourself, okay? Hug.

      Thank you! It's been a tricky piece to style over the years, but I'm impressed with the variety of looks I have created over the years.

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  10. So true about the staying power of faux fur. It might wax and wane a little in popularity, but if you ask me, it's been a fashion world staple for several decades and counting now. What an incredible coat that is! Chic, cozy, and off-the-charts pretty!!!

    Autumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life

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    1. I love it - I'll keep wearing faux fur coats as long as I feel like it, on trend or not! Thanks so much, Autumn!

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  11. I still use the word "amazeballs" occasionally for something really special. It's nice to see the unsafe Ocelot again - such an awesome coat! I have always liked Asian style jackets like the one you're wearing in this post, especially if they have nice embroidery like this one.

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    1. Heh, it's not "razz-a-mat-tazz", though! ;-P I am happy to bring out the Unsafe Ocelot, although we really haven't had cold enough weather to wear it. We get most of our winter in Jan/Feb, so I'm expecting to have it in heavy rotation soon.

      Me too! I adore the Asian styles. Embroidery is a bonus!

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  12. That jacket is so lovely - the flashes of pink lining as you move must really pop.

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