Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Zoom Baby Blue Flashback; Happy Hour Zoom; and Book Club in the Park

Hello, my friends! I hope you're all having a marvelous weekend, doing fun (and safe) things! It's been a relatively busy weekend for me, with two Zoom calls, and Book Club...in the Park! I also have a Flashback lined up on a regret-me-not blouse, so some fun outfits to gaze at. 

Are you fortified? Grab something to drink and get settled - here we go! 

After a late evening of board games on Friday night, I was up early to get dressed and dolled up for a Zoom call with Cat (here in Victoria, at her mom's place) and Elaine (in Hamilton, ON). We three are the original Vintage Fair-goers and Sidney Shoppers, so it was so nice to catch up together. 

Here's what I wore. 

I spent some wonderfully frivolous time in my closet the other day, making outfits. When I had about six looks ready, I stood back and thought, "When am I going to wear all of these?" as I had far too many for my upcoming work-week. Why not wear one for a Zoom call? 

• Baby blue blouse - no label, vintage 80s, thrifted; last worn here in July 2019 with my stained glass dress
• Skirt - Noa Noa, thrifted; purchased here for $12.50
• Shoes - Poetic License; last seen here in July 2020 with ruffles (Flashback of them there too)

My friends are special and deserved a nice outfit, and I felt so springy in my blues and greens. 

This outfit features this blouse, which I recently pulled out of the giveaway pile - I needed to make sure I wouldn't regret putting it there, so I gave it another shot...and loved it anew. It is back in the closet - it's a regret-me-not! We'll be having a Flashback on it shortly. 

It worked SO well with this stunning green/olive/blue leaf print skirt that I found at WIN on my last (very successful) expedition there. Not bad for something I couldn't even try on! 

I love the A-line cut, and the knee-length hem. It wrinkled like mad when I sat for a while - that's the nature of this silky viscose, though. 

I took all these pics before I sat down! 

I'm excited to wear all of these elements again...hopefully, I'll be able to squeeze in another wear from them this season. 

The stuff: 

My lovely fuzzy "Kermit" shoes. The dots are raised, and the entire outer portion is wool. Plus aqua crystals! 

I had a question from reader/blogger Sam about my shoes (link here to her blog, 'cause I love): 

Question about shoes. Do they get more than the one season, or do you completely put your fall and winter shoes away, and now only use spring summer?

Yes...and no. It depends on the shoe, Sam. I keep some of my shoes out all year round; some are strictly fall/winter shoes, and others are strictly spring/summer. When I had fewer than 100 pairs of shoes (that's about how many pairs I have), I kept them all out all the time, even my sandals (in winter) and boots (in summer), but since I've started doing a seasonal swap, I now put away shoes/boots according to season. 

• Spring/summer: bright colours, summery styles (eg. sandals, more open strappy shoes), shoes that can be worn barefoot.
• Fall/winter: darker colours, warmer materials (boots with thick lining), shoes that need tights. 

I kind of go with the flow when I'm deciding. Sometimes these green Kermit shoes stay out all year, and sometimes I bring them out only for spring/summer. They tend to be warm-weather shoes now, even though they are wool, as I have a lot of green clothes/accessories as well as more turquoise in my spring/summer closet. They don't go as well with my winter clothes (a darker palette/fall colours), although I have worn them in winter plenty of times. 

It's also a space thing; shoes that are specific to a season get packed away, leaving room for other shoes to come out to play. 

Green bling: 

I've been wearing a lot of my green accessories lately!

• Belt - Mom's, vintage 70s, modified by me c. 1985
• Necklace - Mom's. vintage 70s
• Green crystal bracelet - Mom's, vintage 60s
• Lemon-lime crystal brooch and earrings - vintage 60s, Grandma S's
• Glass bangle - thrifted
• Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes
• Turquoise/silver ring - local

Flashback: Baby Blue Blouse

I'd seen this blouse at the Women In Need (WIN) warehouse store near my old office and didn't buy it. I obsessed over it for a few days, then dashed in after work on a Friday...and it was still there! 

I fell hard for the ruffles and the tux front pleating. It was mine for a whopping $8.95 back here in March 2016. No label, but this is classic early 80s. I wore blouses like this to junior high with wide-legged high-waisted wool trousers, very much a look that is back in style! 

I wore it right away in March 2016 with some of my favourite items, which have all been Flashbacked (jacket here, skirt here, boots here). 

I've worn this blouse layered under this leather jacket four times - it's a winning combo with the ruffles at the neck and at the cuffs. Note the sneaking kitty in the background, heh. 

I wore it to Vancouver in March 2016 as my travel outfit for our anniversary trip.  

I let go of these houndstooth skinny trousers this year as they are a bit tight - they are in the giveaway pile. I don't have to decide about them now, and can always change my mind. Shoe Flashback here. 

I bought these shoes on that trip to Vancouver (they looked so good with this blouse!), and wore the two together immediately, also in March 2016. 

Shoes Flashbacked here. That skirt had a black stripe down the sides and flecks of blue in the pattern - I had it for a couple of years. 

I really like this outfit from April 2016, but I no longer have the ocelot cropped jacket or the black skirt. 

The jacket was difficult to style, and I upgraded the skirt. Shoe Flashback here. 

I went matchy with a deeper blue here in August 2016. 

I like the simplicity of this look - I wore this to work. I gave those shoes to a coworker, and let go of the skirt years ago. 

I frequently have worn this blouse layered under my collection of funky dresses, as here in September 2016.

Dress Flashback here. The shoes are in my "When Fluevog has a Swap Party again" bag - I wore them hard, but someone might want them for a swap or a few bucks. 

My "stained glass" dress is incredibly beautiful, but I haven't worn it for a while (it has a small rip in it that I have yet to repair). 

This was in December 2016. 

Deja dress - this outfit is from March 2017. 

Those boots were too big - got rid of 'em. 

Stained glass again in April 2017. 

Same shoes as above, and a disinterested kitty licking his paw. 

I let go of this "eyeball" dress a few years ago, seen here in October 2017.

It was always a bit on the boob-smushing side, fit-wise. 

There's that awesome jacket-blouse combo again - this time in April 2018. 

That's the third time the blouse has been worn with these shoes. 

I really broke out of the "wear it with black or layer it" mindset here in July 2018, worn to work for Pride Week. 

I am a rainbow of inclusion! Skirt Flashback here; shoe Flashback here. I can't wait to wear that skirt again! I love this outfit. 

Back to neutrals and layering here in September 2018. 

My metal dress will be worn again this year (Flashback here). I let go of those shoes. 

I also said goodbye to this overwhelming jacket - it wasn't me - seen here in January 2019. 

I still have the Pants of Unusual Size (POUSes) and those t-strap shoes were just Flashbacked here not too long ago. 

There's that leather jacket again in March 2019. 

Although it's cute in this outfit, that skirt was really hard to style - the colours were too limiting to me. Boots Flashbacked here. 

And here's the last and third time I wore the blouse under my stained glass dress, back in July 2019. 

I put the blouse in the giveaway pile that September, but it called to me a few times, and I ended up pulling it back out. 

Mathy stuff: I've worn this blouse 17 times in 5 years, which is awesome. From my original $8.95 that comes to 53 cents per wear - a mere pittance! It is starting to wear out a bit with a few snags, and darkening in the 'pits, so I'm not sure that it will last another 5 years, but we'll just have to wait and see. 

Do you have a favourite? Have you worn a blouse like this?

After a leisurely Saturday afternoon, I got dressed up in another outfit for our evening Happy Hour Zoom call with our friends. 

I didn't feel like doing too much, so just a simple blue dress - and a top hat! 

• Dress - Calvin Klein, thrifted; last seen here in November 2020 with space boots
• Boots - BCBG Max Azria; last worn here in September 2020 for a downtown shop

Nothing like a nice bright dress to do all the work for me. 

Now that I have two pairs of OTK (over the knee) black leather boots, this pair is my spring/summer and the other pair is for fall/winter. 

Nice zip detail on the dress. 

It's a very stretchy fabric, so comfy for sitting in while we crack jokes and all talk at once. 

Ah, I'm looking forward to parties in person again. Not too long now - L and I should be able to register for our vaccinations within the next week or so. Yay! 

The stuff: 

This hat has some history. Twenty years ago - around 2000 - L was helping his boss take some donations out of his car's trunk and this hat was in there. It belonged to his boss' wife, she decided to part with it, and it caught L's eye. He asked if he could have it for himself, and his boss said sure. He brought it home, and I grabbed it - it's obviously a woman's top hat, I exclaimed. We had to go down to Roberta's Hats and buy L his own top hat within the week. 

• Cage cuff - Bauxo
• Bracelet - Fossil, gift from L
• Earrings - Fossil, thrifted
• Shield ring - Nine West
• Silver/crystal ring - Soul Flower
• Hat - vintage Le Chateau

It's a vintage Le Chateau, probably from the late 80s, both from the shape (which is an exaggerated, curved form) and from this old woven label. 

Made in Canada too! I don't wear this too often these days. I think the last time was here (2nd outfit) in October 2016 when L, Elaine and I went to see Alice Cooper in concert. 

I used to wear this to Swan's Pub on our usual Friday night gather, which we did for well over 15 years. I felt so fancy in it! Bonus: here's a picture of a an actual photo of me right after I got it, all dolled up for either Swan's or a house-party. 

I'm wearing a purple stretchy burnout velvet dress (short!), Nine West pumps (from Eaton's), and my long black velvet gloves, purchased from Fairweather, where I worked for 2 years in 2000-2001. 

Following our Happy Hour, L and I played boardgames late into the evening. I set my alarm to get up in time to make us our usual Sunday Big Breakfast and get ready for Book Club. 

Knowing we'd be sitting/standing in the park for a couple of hours, I wanted to wear something warm and comfy. 

• Dress - InWear; purchased here for $37.49
• Boots - 1883 Lucchesse, consignment; last seen here in February for a Mental Health Shop
• Coat (below) - Danier Leather; last worn here in February

Isn't this dress cool? 

I am a big fan of stripes. I wasn't sure about the dropped waist, but I actually quite like how it looks. The proportions are right. 

It was awesome to wear, not too warm or cold, very soft. 

It's a bit of a hypno-dress. Are you feeling sleepy...? 

Sunday was the first day of our expected run of higher temps - but it was still cloudy with some wind. 

Better wear my leather. Leather weather! 

I have nylons on to keep my legs warm, and thick socks with my boots. 

Outerwear - all done up. 

I took the poncho both for wearing or sitting on. 

I rolled it up and stuffed it in my backpack. 

Masked up and ready to walk to the park. It was a beautiful day.

I like the option to wear the poncho if I get chilly, but I didn't end up doing this (I sat on it as my blanket) as it was mostly sunny.

The poncho is by Ralph Lauren - I don't track it as it's my computer blanket. I wear it over my lap while blogging/reading the interwebz/during Zoom - it's snuggly warm and very soft. 

Outerwear stuff: 

Warm gloves. My hands are cold well into summer. 

• Gloves - Roeckl, consignment
• Mask - by Mom

The stuff: 

These boots are the most comfy shoes I own - they're the pair I'll be grabbing when the zombie apocalypse happens. Today is their 66th outing (Flashback here for a LOT of outfits). 

Red bling: 

Some old favourites. I need a red ring - must keep my eyes peeled. 

• Leather/steel cuff - Rimanchik
• Earrings - Tania Gleave, Granville Island
• Klimt ring - consignment
• Silver/onyx ring - Toccara, vintage fair

I walked to and from Book Club, and we hung out in the park for around two hours, chatting, laughing (and crying) and discussing our last book (“Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Janaki's very first pick, and much enjoyed) and getting our next: “Promise at Dawn” by Romain Gary, an autobiography selected by Mindy. It was so great to see all my literary ladies. 

Vizzini was happy to see me when I got home. He missed me! 

"Lies, I have been sleeping on the Man."

He was begging for tummy rubs - he is not a "Venus Fly-Cat" full of teeth and claws fortunately, and loves having his tum petted. 

"Just feed me, Woman."

Can do, bud! 

And now I'm off to enjoy the rest of my weekend with my little fam. Thanks so much for reading!