Thursday, September 23, 2021

Mental Health Shop: Fall-ified Maxi

Since I woke up to a sunny morning, I decided to do a Mental Health Shop after my groceries. 
I'm mentally ready to switch my wardrobe over, but I have to plan when I'm going to do this - it basically kills an entire weekend, normally. 

  • Cardigan/dress - Ports International, vintage, consignment; last worn here in February with some fab plaid
  • Tank - not tracked
  • Skirt - LA Hearts, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) in June for a Zoom call with Mom
  • Shoes - Miista; last worn here in August for another Mental Health Shop

I'll be spending this last week of my season revisiting some of my favourite pieces that will be packed away for the next six months. My wardrobe is too big for me to keep it all out all year (I'm a maximalist, I know you're shocked). 
I will be packing away the maxi skirt - the blue/aqua/coral mix of it says "summer" to me. 

I fall-ified it by wearing my long 100% wool vintage cardigan/dress over it - my first wearing this season! I had a feeling I'd want it. 
It breathes, but gives me nice warmth and coverage. And pockets! 

Plus, it's a glorious colour and it's swooshy! 
The skirt also has a nice Swirl Factor to it, so as I walked the movement of my clothes made me happy. 

While it was warm out (in the low 20s), there's a chill under it - more fog is expected tonight. 
I didn't want to overheat, so I wore my little pantaloons with bare legs. I also wore fishnet socklets so that my feet didn't rub in the shoes. 

I'm ready to shop! 
The Flirty Butcher appreciated this look - it took him a minute to recognize me due to my haircut. 

  • Mask - Lazy Susan's

Incognito - a scarf in case my neck got cold. I wore it in the morning only. 
A little cross-body bag for hands-free shopping. 

  • Scarf - thrifted
  • Bag - Danier Leather, thrifted

I didn't need the scarf by the time I walked home in the afternoon. 
So I just tied it to my bag. 

The stuff: 
I often find good shoes or pants when I wear lace-ups - it's like a law. If you wear something complicated, you'll need to deal with it. I did take them off once, but no luck on finding shoes or pants! 

Turquoise bling: 
I took the opportunity to wear my new-to-me turquoise earrings. What a perfect match for the necklace and ring! 

  • Necklace - thrifted
  • Ring - Glee
  • Lapis lazuli ring and Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes
  • Earrings - thrifted; purchased here for $7.95

I put my turquoise away for the fall/winter so this will be the only wearing of these earrings until I pull them back out next March/April. Yes, I swap over my jewelry as well as my clothes! 

After grocery shopping, I hopped the bus from town to Oak Bay Avenue as I was tight for time - less walking means more shopping! My first stop was Good Things Consignment (link here, all links because I love), which carries a mix of housewares, collectibles, and odds and ends. I spotted this copper set in the jewelry case. 
I love the tiki-ish shape and texture of these - they have a very "Mad Men", mid-century modern vibe.

Renoir - it's always nice to see the stamp. Both of these pieces are in pristine condition with very little age on them. They've likely been sitting in a jewelry box in the dark for decades, poor things. 
This is the copper brand I collect, inspired by my Grandma J's set that she gave me in 1986. I don't buy every piece of Renoir I find, just the ones I really like. 

The earrings are stamped too. 
I like that the cuff is narrower at the closure. 

This is a hinged "clamp" style of bracelet, and it's from the early 1960s.
The cuff was $16.00 and the earrings were $10.00. I couldn't find this design online at all, so it seems to be fairly rare. 

From there, I continued up the block to House of Savoy (link here) and said hello to Emily and her business partner Zenjah. I had a good poke around and found a few awesome things. 
I fell hard for this Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier silk scarf - it was $32.00. I recently read this excellent article here, from InStyle, about the real Ed Hardy and his battle with Audigier (who died in 2014) in the mid-00s, and the commercialism of his tattoo art (Hardy has long since retired from tattooing): 

Don Ed Hardy, as he's sometimes known in real life (aka not on T-shirts) is a surf bum slash art prodigy who sold his first gallery piece when he was still in high school, and later attended the San Francisco Art Institute. He is an artiste, a trailblazer of both postmodern art and tattooing, a contemporary of greats like Warhol, de Kooning, and a dozen others you studied in art history class.

 

It's one big long scarf - this is the back. 
I love the dagger going through the rose. 

This is classic tattoo art - look at those roses! 
The content tag had been cut off, but I can tell by feel that it's silk. I can't wait to wear this! 

I found this pink top on the sale rack for $15.00.
It's the exact same colour of pink as my Big Boss Lady Pants. 
It's by Denver Hayes, and is cotton with a touch of Lycra. It will be a good layering piece. 

I love this cobalt blue colour - it's the same colour as the long cardi I had on. 
It's a cropped, lined top - it lands right at the top of my hips. 

The sleeves are also short, and are wide.
Did you hear me catch my breath?

Swoon, it's Alexander McQueen, and made in Italy, so it's early McQueen, likely from 2003-2004.
It's a viscose/silk blend. 

It's a beautiful blue. 
This was priced at $95.00 and reduced to $65.00. It fit me perfectly, so of course I had to have it. The cheapest Alexander McQueen top on their site is $780.00. 

I hesitated over this dress, but I heard L's voice saying, "It's awesome, you have to buy it." At $75.00, it was the most expensive thing I bought. 
ACID WASH! I modeled this for Emily and Zenjah. 

Look at that stitching! And it's got pockets. Except for the "pocket" on the chest, which opens into the actual dress! I could smuggle marshmallows in the top! 
The dress has enormous shoulder pads, and that's a dolman sleeve. The skirt portion is cut like a snug pencil skirt. It was The Fashion At The Time. 

Love the notched collar, so you can pop it without it getting in the way of your banana-clip. Fer shur!
I've been looking off and on for the Perfect Acid Wash...Something. I feel I might have found it!

I don't really do denim, but I will make an exception.
It's missing its belt. I'm sure I have a couple that will work. 

The back slit has a zipper so you can walk in it.
Oh my gosh, this is a piece of art. 

It's made in Canada! And it's fully washable (it's been washed a few times, I'm sure). 
Size 11 means it was cut for juniors. I don't care - it fit! 

It's by Santana Jeans, "The Famous Authentic Jeans"! Welcome to Fashion City! 
The French text below the USA, France, Canada, Italy and UK flags says, "we have succeeded thanks to an artisanal washing process to reconstitute the comfort and the color of a good old jeans".

I remember Santana Jeans being a big brand back in the 1980s. I'm 100% sure this from around 1983-1984.

Flush with my purchases, I crossed the road and spent some time going through Turnabout (link here), which had one rack of final season clearance and lots of new things in for fall.

This jacket caught my eye - look at those sleeves! 
It also looked beautiful on, and I fell for the extreme ruching down the arms and on the lapels. It has belt loops but did not have the belt. 

I love All Saints and have owned many pieces by them over the years. 
I have no idea what a size fourteen is, but it fit. It has a great rock & roll vibe, but also looks classy. 

It's called the "Southwark Jacket".
I could only find one picture of this jacket - the missing belt was just a sash style, so no big loss. Blazer style jackets by All Saints start around $500 new - this was $72.99. Worth it! 

This dress made me happy as soon as I put it on. You might see it as red, coral or orange - yes, it's all of those. 
The cut is a fit and flare (which I love), but note that the skirt is longer in the back, and has seaming that bells it out into a cocoon. It's so cool. 

Plus, POCKETS! 
Yes, yes, yes! 

It's a silk cotton blend. 
It's by COS (Collection of Style), a Swedish company. 

This was $79.99 plus an extra 20% off, so $63.99.
Can't wait to wear this! 

Well, Vizzini, I'm home now. Want to cuddle? 
"No, I want nothing to do with you."


He'll come around once gets cold tonight. My warm lap awaits! 


What's your favourite of my purchases? Are you still fall-ifying your summer stuff too? 

22 comments:

  1. I'm not ready to do my wardrobe swap-over, mentally or otherwise. There's so much of my Summer stuff that I haven't worn. It might be the weather, but it might also be a case of me being a bit too maximalist :-)
    The long cobalt blue cardigan worn over your swooshy maxi skirt is delightful, and in my mind's eye I can see you wafting around in it and attracting lots of attention, not just the Flirty Butcher's!
    Oh my, didn't you do well? I'm loving the Renier set - which is my favourite - as well as the pink top and the cobalt Alexander McQueen one. I'm not really sold on the acid wash denim dress, but I'm sure you'll change my mind once you've done your brilliant styling on it! xxx

    ReplyDelete
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    1. It's going to be harder to do this year, with being back at work that extra day, but I'll manage, I'm sure. That's why I extend my season to the end of September, so that I can sneak in all of my summer clothes!

      I love that cardigan - it is amazing quality. I didn't get many comments while I was out and about, oddly.

      I did so well. I love the Renoir copper. I'll be wearing the acid-wash dress on the weekend, so you can decide after that! :)

      Delete
  2. Oh my goodness, what a fabulous finds! First off all, The Flirty Butcher! Lol, sounds like a episode of a British detective. What did L think of your haircut? I really hope you wear the pink top with the Boss trousers this week, I love those trousers and a monochrome look. And that jeans dress!!!! Can't wait to see you in that one, it's amazing! I'm so excited about your purchases! Haha. Enjoy your weekend.

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    1. Ha ha, it does sound like that, Nancy! L prefers my hair long, I think, but he doesn't really comment on it that often. I do what I want with it.

      I probably won't wear them this week, as I don't have that many outfits to do, but I will pair them together at some point. I hope you liked how I styled the dress!

      Delete
  3. I already read the Friday post so I'm bias toward the orange dress and will say that my fav look. Seeing it worn makes me love it even more.

    The Ed Hardy scarf actually confused me a little. Until I read the text, I thought it was a silk painting you bought, you know like those Asian style paintings that come in scroll form. Well, this scarf is beautiful enough to be hanged on and admired as a piece of art. I love the tattoo art inspired design. I'm sure you'll love wearing it. A great purchase.

    I love the outfit you wore for shopping. I remember that gorgeous maxi skirt, it has the most incredible volume.

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    1. Nice, nothing wrong with a bias when it comes to clothes, Ivana! I love it too.

      Oh, sorry - I did say it was a long scarf. I love tattoo-inspired design, and always liked the Ed Hardy stuff, but it was ubiquitous in the early 00s, so I avoided it then.

      Thank you!

      Delete
  4. Like Melanie, you come up with the best new words: fall-ified. Great, it should get into the dictionary.
    Love your layering, you do that so well. I suck at it.
    The bright blue suits you very well.
    Greetje

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    1. Ha, I'll be penning a letter to the Oxford English Dictionary people, stat!

      Thank you! I appreciate that.

      Delete
  5. I love your maxi skirt outfit, it's so pretty with all the blues! It's nice to see your haul too I so admire that dress when you wore it but I can't wait to see the denim dress on you!

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    1. Thanks so much, Mica! I love blues, and it was a comfy shopping outfit. I hope you enjoyed the acid wash dress!

      Delete
  6. I didn't know all this about Ed Hardy! The scarf is stunning! and I also love your blue animal print scarf as well (been looking for a good blue animal print myself). You look amazing in shades of blue Sheila xx

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    1. Isn't that amazing, Lucy? I was glad I'd read that article - it made me appreciate the artwork so much more.

      I paid $1.99 for that blue leopard scarf! Bargain! Thank you!

      Delete
  7. We are still having temperatures in the low - mid-20's so I can't switch over to fall/winter clothes just yet.

    I'm so envious that you find labels like Alexander McQueen and All Saints in secondhand stores there. I love the sleeves on the All Saints jacket - they would have won me over too. The Santana acid-washed dress is definitely a piece of Canadian 80's denim history - I can't wait to see it on you!! I've seen some of the other pieces by COS and I quite like the styles they sell. The shape of this dress is wonderful.

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    1. Nice, enjoy them while they last, Shelley! I can always make a warmer outfit by layering, and even after I swap my closet, I have plenty that can be worn on a hotter day.

      I know, so lucky! And you know I find so much stuff that isn't my personal style or size too! I am excited about the All Saints jacket. I hope you enjoyed my styling of the acid-wash dress. I am wearing Canadian history, ha ha! I see a little bit of COS here, but not a ton. I love the shape of this dress.

      Delete
  8. I didn't know that's what Cos stood for! You did so well on the purchases!
    I ADORE that first outfit. So long and swooshy!!!!x

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    1. I only know because I looked on the label, Kezzie! Thanks!

      Aw, I appreciate that - I love swooshy skirts!

      Delete
  9. Loving the Renoir pieces - such great prices on them, too. Awesome finds! Copper jewelry and fall attire are a match made in wardrobe heaven.

    Autumn Zenith 🎃 Witchcrafted Life

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    1. Thank you - I know, what a find! Those are very good prices.

      Delete
  10. First, I love that scarf because…roses! Rose was my maiden name, and I’ve got three on my back! Next, you have the best luck…Alexander McQueen? Wow! I can’t wait to see what you do with that! And, last, that jacket with the ruched sleeves? Oh, my goodness! What won’t you wear with it! Such a fun shop!

    http://marshainthemiddle.com/

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    1. Thanks, Marsha - how cool! You should have roses everywhere! Yup, and this is my 4th piece of McQueen I've found too. I hope you like how I styled it, as I've now worn it. I know, I am excited to wear that top.

      Delete
  11. Oooh, you have made some great finds there. I like the mix of simple layering pieces and statement pieces. It must have felt great to pounce on that McQueen.

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    1. It felt amazing! I grabbed it, marveled - marked down??? - and then squealed with glee when it fit! How did it not get snatched up? McQueen!

      Thanks, Mim!

      Delete

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