Sunday, February 28, 2021

Weekend Wrap-Up: Special Vintage and Cat's 50th Birthday!

Hello, my friends! I hope you've all had a lovely weekend! There are signs of spring, and it feels like there is a little hope in the world. 

This weekend marked our dear friend Cat's 50th birthday, so I hope y'all will forgive my indulgence in sharing a ton of pics with you. We planned a very big surprise for her!

Let's kick it off with what I (and L) wore for brunch, and for Cat's surprise birthday, and for the Zoom Happy Hour on Saturday night. 
I had to share this new-to-me special vintage skirt right away! 


  • Velvet jacket (below) - Talbots, thrifted; last seen here in December 2020 with shiny paisley
  • Blouse - Nygard, consignment; last worn here in October 2020 with casual plaid
  • Skirt - Arola, vintage 70s, consignment vintage; purchased here for $23.00
  • Boots - Mini Babycakes, Fluevog; last seen here earlier this month with vintage mermaid

I also wanted to showcase some of my special vintage copper pieces - I have quite a collection and I'm wearing a lot of it in this outfit. 
I did this sheer dark green pussy-bow blouse to both go with the turquoise accents in the jewelry and to bring in that really 70s colour palette. 
I just loved wearing this skirt - I had it on for close to 10 hours, including sitting on the couch reading/napping in the afternoon (I divested myself of the accessories/belt/boots for that). 
That is a solid copper - yes, metal! - belt that I'm wearing. It's a special vintage piece too. 
Trying to show my copper cuffs, which kept slipping under the blouse. 

I have a full vintage slip on underneath. 
Plus fleece-lined tights. Despite the skirt being wool, it's not that thick - I was just right, temperature-wise.

Masked up. This is a pinecone pattern. 
This velvet blazer was my outerwear, and gave me the opportunity to add another piece of my copper collection with the lapel brooch. 
All done up. 
Adding a faux fur scarf and matching gloves for extra warmth. 
And of course, my copper leather purse! 
We drove to Pluto's due to the tight timing to get home and be ready for our part in the surprise. 

Outerwear stuff: 
I love the bright shiny leather of the purse. 


  • Purse - Arcadia, consignment
  • Scarf/gloves - Parkhurst
  • Mask - by Mom


The stuff: 
Although I love these boots, they won't be worn with that skirt again - the buttons on the sides ripped out several of the wool loops of the fringe on the skirt hemline. There's three of them there beside the boots. 

Copper bling: 
Isn't that belt spectacular? I bought it for $40 at a vintage fair years ago. Money well spent!


  • Belt - Renoir, vintage 60s, vintage fair
  • Feather cuff - thrifted
  • Enameled cuff - Matisse by Renoir, vintage expo
  • Copper/turquoise pendant - vintage 60s (Vix's twin!), consignment
  • Copper/turquoise ring - vintage 60s, Grandma J's
  • Copper brooch - thrifted
  • Copper earrings - vintage expo
  • Copper necklace - vintage 60s, Grandma J's

L dressed up too. 
A thrifted patterned cotton shirt, a Syrian brocade vest and Etro wool trousers (purchased in Florence, Italy). 

L went full 70s too with his wolf-fur trimmed leather coat. 
So badass. 

Now, time to share all kinds of pictures from...

Cat's 50th Birthday Surprise


The four other core Winesday gals - that's Yvonne, me, Caro and Vero - had been plotting for about a month, in consultation with Cat's husband Ross. We booked a Zoom call on Saturday morning for Cat's birthday reveal. We're all at various states of morning readiness, including Vero, who just taught a Zoom exercise class (that was attended by Cat, well done!). 
I'd created a Top Secret document, which you can see Cat holding, containing a musical card (re-used from Ron's 50th!) with heartfelt sentiments from all of us, cut out and pasted in by Caro. She got it to me last week, and I arranged a drop-off with Ross a few days ago, all ready for him to hand over the big envelope for Cat to open onscreen. She was completely surprised! 

We're still under our non-socializing measures, so any kind of party or gathering was out of the question for Cat's 50th. Instead, Caro had the brilliant idea to give Cat a two-hour limo tour of the city, with four stops where small groups of her friends would be waiting for her. We emphasized safety and wearing masks, and maintaining our distance, with a 20-minute limit per stop. Safety first, kids! 


Stop #1 - school parking lot

This was my and L's stop, along with Nick and Casey. We arrived to find the Daimler pulled up and our Birthday Queen waiting for us with her driver, Gilles. 
Cat's wearing a lovely vintage faux fur coat (courtesy of a swap/donate from Caro), with a burn-out velvet floral dress, and her "Bonnie Henry" Fluevogs. 

Dr. Bonnie is our Provincial Health Officer, and has been our voice of calm and reason in this pandemic for the past year - she was featured in the New York Times (link here) and John Fluevog created a shoe in her honour (here; she often wears Fluevogs in her nearly-daily news conferences). 

Even Cat's mask is stylin'. She bought it and the dress on our trip to Sidney last fall. 
Of course, Ross was included! 
His mask has roosters on it. 

We placed her gifts and kept our distance. 
All of us posed. 
Oops, Casey is hiding behind Cat. 

I've lost track of who took what pictures! This post has something from everyone - thanks, gang! 
There's Casey - so good to see him! It's been months. 

Nick and Casey. 
Keeping our distance. 

We were so lucky to get a sunny day! 
Thanks for the pictures, Nick! 

Ross, strike a pose! 
Yeah, man! 

We caught up, and chatted for a bit. 
A few more pictures. 

L and Casey were wearing the same pair of Fluevogs. 
L's (the red ones) are an older version - they've tweaked the style slightly for the new version that Casey bought this year. 

So dashing! 
Nick's hair is getting long. 

L is so snazzy. 
His mask has an elk on it (Mom made it). 

Ross and Nick with the driver, Gilles. 
He was apparently very entertaining, with loads of interesting stories. Link to his company here (all links 'cause I love, of course). 

This limo belonged to the Mayor of Birmingham. 
It was only appropriate that it took up both the Vice Principal's and the Principal's reserved spots! 
What a sweet ride! Cat and Ross had champagne on ice which was topped up at the other stops. 
Cat was so awed and happy about the whole experience. 

And after our 20 minutes were up, we bid farewell...
As they headed off to the next stop. 


Stop #2 - St. Ann's Academy

They're here!
Who are these suave and obviously important people? 
Where are our peeps, waiting to surprise them?
Here they are! 
Yvonne in the orange raincoat (that used to be mine) and Caro (floral coat) and Ron (orange jacket) are waiting under the tent. Randall took this picture. 

Flowers, more champers and a golden tiara for the Birthday Queen! 
Balloons too! 
Randall is very dapper with his knit scarf. 

Aw, yellow roses! 
So pretty! 

Why yes, more champagne is needed!
Distancing was observed and as it was windy out, masks were off. 
This looks like a raucous stop! 

The chill couple. 
Hey, gang! 
Aw, my gals. 
I wish we could have all been at the same stop, but this is the best we could do. 
Ron's got this - they must be using the timer, as they're all in the shot. 
Wait, should we have more champagne?
Signs point to YES. 

And before they knew it, their 20 minutes was up.
Off to the next stop!


Stop #3 - Chris and Ali's

They're here!
I think Chris' Tesla is jealous of the Daimler - or maybe not, as it's a bit of a gas-guzzler! 

Milady - a good shot of her dress' pattern. 
Chris and Ali, and Tracy who was also there, but no pics of her (but she took lots, thank you!), made pizza and had more drinks and gifts for Cat.
That looks like one of Chris' special hi-balls. 
I bet the pizza was good - he's a great cook. 
Hey, I know you! 

Ross and Cat spent some time chillin' with the gang there. 
A masked bum-rub hug. That's two meters!
This makes me laugh. 

Pandora is eyeing the pizza. 
Not for you, little kitty! 

Excuse me, Birthday Queen, it's time to go!
The time flies, but one more stop! 


Stop #4 - Rainbow Park

Aw, there's Sarah on the left, with Vero and Justin behind her. 
Sarah and her wee son Magnus made that sign. It says:

Happy B-Day Cat
COVID [two thumbs down]
We love you, you triple rainbow thumbs up pizza champagne queen!!
Sarah Jim Magnus

Brad and Linda showed up at this stop (on the left), and there's Sarah, Vero, Justin and Ross. 
Django the dog is in the middle. Looks like more champagne was had! 

After a whirlwind of driving and seeing everyone, Cat and Ross headed home. Much love to you, Cat!
From Cat:

I am overwhelmed with gratitude and love for you all. I feel so fortunate to have you amazingly thoughtful, generous, beautiful and exuberant folks in my life. This morning, I couldn’t have imagined a better day than the one you all gave to me. Seeing you all in person was just what I needed. Using Yvonne’s words, my cup is full.

We laughed so much during the day, and had a hilarious (and drunken) recap that night on our Happy Hour Zoom. 

And now, off to enjoy the remnants of the weekend. 
I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Stay safe, be calm and be kind. May all your cups be full. 

48 comments:

  1. Oh She, I love this review of the big day. It was just so much fun all around.
    The long wool dress looks amazing on you. Fits you to a tee!
    The pick of you three against the central school wall is so good. Orange was definitely the colour of the day:)
    Off to have a nap! Caro

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    1. Thank you so much, sweetheart! It was such a great idea that you had, and we made it happen!

      Thanks - I hope I'll get another wearing in of it before I do my closet swapover.

      I like that pic too - that was Ross, I think?

      Delete
  2. Happy Birthday to Cat! It sounds like you all had a wonderful celebration. Have a great week ahead!
    xoxo
    Lovely
    www.mynameislovely.com

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  3. What an amazing birthday! That would have been a great day even in non-pandemic times - very cool! Pandora is a twin for my cat, Mr. Kitty.

    I wasn't sure how you would style the new 70's skirt, but I love what you did with it and the shape of the skirt is very flattering.

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    1. It was so fun, Nana! I've done a limo ride/tour with my Winesday gals before, years ago, and it's even more fun when you can all gather afterwards and hang out. Isn't Pandora a sweet kitty? She's so funny.

      I'm glad you like it! Be assured, I don't buy things that don't fit and flatter! ;)

      Delete
  4. Love the colour of your new skirt - glorious! Lise

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  5. I love how you wore the skirt and how you all came together to make such a special birthday as special as possible even with restrictions! :) So fun seeing the pics!

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    1. Thanks, Mica! It was the most amazing and special thing to do, even under our current situation. Glad you enjoyed it!

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  6. I can't get over how fantastic that skirt is! You styled it beautifully. But even better was that amazing birthday celebration you created for Cat. What a truly lovely circle of friends.

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    1. Thanks so much, Linda! I loved wearing it all day. Cat was so touched and we all just felt so full of love for her and each other. Best birthday-in-a-pandemic ever!

      Delete
  7. I love how you showed the progression of your outfit and it is spectacular! Looks like a fun celebration and a wonderful group of friends!
    www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

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    1. Thank you, Mireille! I like to show all the components - some people like all the details (I do!).

      It was incredibly fun, and I'm so glad it worked out.

      Delete
  8. That vintage skirt is fabulous. I love the boots as well, but better not to wear the two together if they are not compatible. Some fabrics don't play well with certain boot designs. You look fabulous in that look.
    So nice to see you all having fun. Happy birthday to your friend. The photo of that cat wanting to eat something of the plate made me giggle.

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    1. Thank you, Ivana! Yes, I will not be wearing the boots with the skirt again - danger! I have a few skirts and long pieces that don't work with certain shoes, due to snagging on buckles and buttons and things. Add this one to the list!

      It was so fun. I love that picture of Pandora too, ha ha!

      Delete
  9. Well, of course you had to wear that fantastic skirt immediately! Your styling is absolutely fabulous too, with that dark green pussy bow blouse and oodles of copper! And aren't fleece lined tights amazing? I don't know what I would have done without mine during our recent deep freeze temperatures. L.'s outfit is absolutely stunning too!
    And in spite of socializing restrictions, Cat's 50th birthday was definitely celebrated in style. What a fun day!
    Wishing you a great start to the week. I'm working a 3rd day as from this week as it's crazy busy at the office. The end of an era :-( xxx

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    1. Of course I did, Ann! Thank you! I wanted to make the skirt the star, and I loved how the green went with it. And of course, I love wearing all my copper stuff. L has as much fun as me when it comes to dressing up!

      I am so happy that I picked up so many pairs of fleece-lined tights - they've been awesome this year.

      I'm so glad we were able to do something special for her, and still observe our restrictions.

      Wow, that's wild! Good luck being back another day! My office will likely not see our people return until the fall.

      Delete
  10. What a wonderful outfit!!! I ADORE that skirt! It's such a wonderful colour and shape and it fits you to a tee!
    You did SUCH a beautiful thing for your friend! She has the same birthday as me- exactly 10 years older! That's so cool!
    She looks like she had an amazing time and I love that you organised something so fantastic whilst keeping within the rules!!! Happy birthday to Cat!
    By the way, L would make a wonderful Doctor Who! I bet he could wear any of his wardrobe and look like one of the Doctors! This outfit looks like an amalgamation of the best of the Classic Doctors!!!xx

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    1. Aw, thanks so much, Kezzie! It was really fun to wear. I also adore the skirt!

      Oh, I thought your birthday was Tuesday - how funny that you and Cat are exactly 10 years apart!

      I agree - L is always up for costumes too! Thank you!

      Delete
  11. Now THAT'S a party. Guests in fabulous outfits, great car, well-planned celebrations and birthday girl looking tickled the whole time.

    And non-stop champagne never hurts, does it?

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  12. What an amazng celebration. Loved seeing all the photos! And your outfit with that fringed skirt is gorgeous.

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    1. It was so much fun, Cynthia! Thanks, glad you enjoyed the outfit.

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  13. Such a marvelous birthday celebration. Instead all driving by her house, you had her doing the drive-bying. Brilliant!

    Rena
    www.finewhateverblog.com

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    1. Thanks, Rena! It was a great alternative to the traditional house-party gathering!

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  14. Happy Birthday, Cat! I'm so happy she was able to celebrate her 50th in style. That car is gorgeous.
    Your skirt looks phenomenal, the fit is perfect and I love how L colour coordinates with you perfectly.
    Will somebody please give Pandora a slice of pizza! How can anyone resist that curly, furry tum? xxx

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    1. It was so much fun, Vix! Thank you - I love this skirt. Totally unplanned coordination from L! Pandora is in a house of cat-lovers - I'm sure she got some pizza!

      Delete
  15. Ooh, this skirt! And as I've said before, you've got a great group of friends.

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  16. I love your outfit! The colors, the textures, the warmth, the way everything graces your frame! And Fred and I thoroughly enjoyed vicariously celebrating Cat on her birthday. You all came up with a fabulous and creative way to make her day special. ❤️
    We think you and your friends are truly blessed to have one another in each other’s lives, to have spouses enjoy all of your friends, to share so many special times together, and to have traditions like Winesday to gather together.
    Happy Birthday Cat (extending the celebration :))!

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    1. Thanks so much, Laurie! Oh, I'm so glad you and Fred enjoyed the tour along with Cat. It was so special - I wish I could have been at all the stops!

      They really are my family - the Family We Choose! I have missed them all so much during these challenging times, and am hoping we can all gather again soon. Thanks so much for your good wishes, my dear!

      Delete
  17. What an extraordinary lovely birthday treat! That will be a birthday she'll never forget. Everyone looked so happy and so stylish and what a fab group of friends you have.

    Love, love love your new skirt and it looked great with the green blouse and the fabulous copper accessories.

    Take care
    xxx

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    1. Wasn't it awesome, Vronni? I'm so glad we did it for her - and for us! I love my friends dearly.

      Thank you! I felt very swanky all day in it!

      Delete
  18. So...in...love!!! With that dazzlingly beautiful fall hued ensemble, I mean. From the colours to the proportions and everything in between, it is a spellbinding winner and firm fave for me.

    Autumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life

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    1. I thought of you when I put it on - "Autumn is going to LOVE this!" Thank you!

      Delete
  19. I wonder whether this celebration of Cat's birthday wasn't more memorable than any other one. Love the idea and you all executed it so well. Bravo.
    Your skirt is a gem and suits you very well. Love the belt. I would pay good money for it.
    Greetje

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    1. It may well be, Greetje! The things we've done in lock-down will hold greater significance when everything is special because it's been so rare.

      Thank you! I have never seen another belt like this - although I see them online. I count myself lucky to have found it. Thanks!

      Delete
  20. What an amazing idea for a covid-style special birthday! Well done, what great friends. ;)

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    1. We kept it fully secret too, Ashley! She was so surprised! :)

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  21. That is a magnificent skirt - what a fabulous find! What a wonderful idea for a distanced Birthday celebration. She will remember this for years to come, and the amount of thought and time that went into the planning and execution.

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    1. Thanks so much, Shelley! I loved wearing it.

      It was really a memorable birthday, even though it wasn't the "usual" celebration. :)

      Delete
  22. I'm late, but still want to comment about your new skirt. You Rock it with your fab styling!. Love your copper accessorizing!
    Also lovely to see you meeting some friends and enjoying a (distanced)celebration!. Lots of glamour!
    besos

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    1. Oh, thank you, Monica, I so appreciate that. I am in love with the skirt. This was such a fun celebration! I'm glad we were able to do it for Cat.

      Delete
  23. That is a very cool skirt - and it looks very warm and comfy too. The distanced birthday looks like great fun for everyone. (When I first read the header I was a bit confused and thought Vizzini was doing extremely well for a cat...)

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    1. It's not overly heavy (like the Muppet skirt), so I think I will get some good wear out of it in the fall.

      The birthday was so awesome, Mim. Ha ha, yes, that would be a Guinness Book Record for a cat, ha!

      Delete
  24. I love that you two matched! L has great style too! You are great at pairing things I would not guess went well together like green and orange! Those boots are fabulous, what a shame they tried to murder that poor skirt!



    ReplyDelete
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    1. We don't match on purpose, but we often end up looking like we do! L is a very styling guy - I encourage it and love shopping for him. I love mixing colours - I take my cues from nature!

      I love the boots too - but not with that skirt!

      Delete

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