Midweek Double-Shop and Kitty Shenanigans

Hello, my friends! Welcome to the last post of the year from me - another year in the bag. I'll be posting on New Year's Day with my final look, and my Book List of what I read in 2021, as I traditionally do. 

L and I have been laying low, watching TV, Netflix and playing boardgames, with the occasional nap and bout of reading with music on. It's been lovely. 

However, by Wednesday, I needed some "me" time, so I put the call out to my gals to see if anyone wanted to join me for a shop down Oak Bay Avenue. Yvonne opted to come along, and an adventuresome shopping expedition ensued! 

It's been cold-cold-cold and we woke up to more cold with some sun. 

• Dress - Hallhuber, consignment; first worn here in June with yellow shoes
• Turtleneck - Jacob, thrifted; last seen here layered with silver pants a few weeks ago
• Shoes - Steve Madden, thrifted; last worn here in November with a similar jammy dress
• Coat (below) - Mallia, consignment; last seen here last week for our trip to Courtenay and back

I dressed for shopping (jammy dress, tights, a thin top and slip-on shoes) and for walking, as I was going to go whether anyone else went. Dammit, I need a shop! 

But it was fabulous to have company - Yvonne is one of my favourite shopping people and we always have a giggle or three. 

It's a great dress, isn't it? I love the symmetry of the pattern and that the fabric is woven. 

And the giant pockets! 

Masked up. 

Cases are soaring, but I'm very careful. 

I looked like this while shopping. 

I bagged my hat whenever I got too warm. 

Outerwear - fully bundled up. 

I'm ready for winter - bring it on! 

Accoutrements: 

I went all-out and changed my purse! 

• Purse - Rebecca Minkoff Mini Mac, thrifted
• Hat - M&S, consignment, Powell River
• Wool/fur gloves - vintage, thrifted
• Fur scarf - thrifted
• Mask - by Mom

The stuff: 

Jane at Turnabout admired my shoes. They were great for shopping, but after 5 hours, my feet were ready to sit. 

• Earrings - thrifted
• Brooch - Mom's

We started at Good Things Consignment Vintage, which resells furniture, china, housewares, a few books and accoutrements (scarves/purses), and jewelry. 

I found a small bowl by the Indiana Glass Company, in the diamond point pattern and some Shoelicks.

This is the footed bon bon bowl in amber. It is from the 1970s. 

It was $8.00, which is about right. I collect this pattern and colour, along with the "kings crown" pattern in the same amber glass. I've acquired a lot of pieces and I use them every day!

The Shoelicks were intriguing. 

This pack is from the Victoria & Albert Museum and is in the "Pomegranate" furnishing fabric by William Morris - and they're made in England! 

You trim them to fit the soles of your shoes, and voila! Your shoe soles are all fancy.

Look how excited those shoe-fans are! 

I appreciate the easy instructions.

And that there's a nice note for the perfectionists (*ahem*nonotme*ahem). These were $3.00. I'm excited to put them on a pair of otherwise boring shoes! 

From there, we strolled down to House of Savoy to say hi to Emilie and Zenija. We spent about an hour and a half, going through everything. HoS is about to close to undergo some renovations, as it's never been done in my memory, and I've been shopping there since the 90s. Exciting! 

Yvonne found a ton of stuff, including a sweet pair of short cowboy boots, a fabulous dress, and other stuff I've completely forgotten. I found this dark wine jacket. 

It's a short cut, with bracelet-length sleeves. 

I like the waist detail - it creates a peplum effect at that back. 

It's by Teenflo, made in Canada.

You can see the nice weave of the fabric there. 

It's 100% wool. 

According to the CA number look-up, the parent company of Teenflo is Judith & Charles, and this number is from 1991. It was $70.00. 

Another lovely silk scarf was the wrapping for my new jacket. 

I love the colours and handrolled edges. Yvonne got a Pierre Balmain one!! Wow! 

From House of Savoy we crossed the street and perused the sale at Turnabout. Yvonne did fantastic here as well, as did I. I had tried this dress on a few months ago, and it was marked way down, so I bit. 

I am a sucker for a plaid. This buttons down the entire front. 

More of that nice dark red. 

Real pockets, because yes, that's where I want to put my hands - right on my boobs. Um, how about on my hips??

It's by Zara Woman, so not a high-end piece. I do like that it's a woven fabric - not printed. It's a thin flannel. 

It had been tagged at $37.99 but was marked all the way down to $11.40. How could I say no? 

I've been on the lookout for tops in this deep rich teal for a while, so of course, I had to buy this silk tunic. 

It's open and quite drapey, so I'll need to wear a tank under it. 

It has a sewn detail down the front. 

And as noted, it's 100% silk. 

It's by Olivaceous, a brand I've never heard of. 

This was $29.99 with 50% off, so $15.00. 

This leopard top will be an excellent layering piece that I will wear a TON. 

Yvonne noted that the furry part of the pattern comes up my neck "like a real leopard." Ha! 

Made in Canada. 

I like that! 

It's by Gilmour (carried by chi-chi boutiques around here) and was new with tags! 

Original retail of $70.00 - but it was marked down to $12.00 from Turnabout's original $39.99. 

Turnabout marks their stuff down based on how long it's been in the store (I love this method), so the September stock was 70% off the original, October was 50% off and November was $20% off. 

This wrap-style snakeskin print top was a September tag, but hadn't had the physical price marked down - so it had remained on the racks unnoticed as a 70% off item. 

I know those initials: DVF. 

I'm imagining Nancy getting excited about now, hee hee. She's a massive DVF fan.

This is the New Jill Top. 

And it's 100% silk jersey knit. 

Of course, it's Diane Von Furstenberg. 

And it was reduced to $27.00 from their original $89.99. The python print was exclusive to Neiman Marcus (their site link here - the top is sold out - and link 'cause I love, of course). It would have sold for between $200-300 new. 

I probably would not have bought this garment if it wasn't marked down. I can't resist a weird piece! 

It's...a cape! The front of the body is this crackled fake leather, and the back is a thick boucle wool knit that matches the cape's "wings". 

The two "wings" overlap at the back. 

That fur trim was noted as "faux fur" on the sales tag, but it's actually real fur. I dig down in the seams so I can see the back/root of the material, which was leather. 

It has no tags on it. 

The front opens sort of like a motorcycle jacket. Nice black hardware and metal zippers. 

The inside is really well-finished. 

Showing the split. 

The colour is a blackish green. 

That's the back of the body. 

I'm looking forward to trying this out - it will be nice in the office, I think. 

It is a really good quality fake leather. I checked all the seams and even tested it with water (and I tasted it! ha ha!) to see if it was real leather. 

But it's not. It was a mere $21.00, marked down from $69.00. That was good enough for me. 

This is probably my favourite piece of the day. I saw it and was all, "Oh hell, yes, this is mine."

Hee hee! It's an Adidas tulle skirt - with the three stripes! 

Look at that! 

I am going to have fun with this. I may even wear it to the Ulti field next season! 

It's from 2019, as we can see from one of the tags. 

It's not even old! 

It even has the tags still on.

I found mention of it on a blog from April 2019 (here) noting it retailed for $70.00 (US). For me, it was my most expensive item from Turnabout for $29.00, half off the listed $57.99. 

We had a laugh when they tallied up my savings. 

Then we applied my $100 gift card (Merry Xmas from L!) and I had $15.00 in rewards points that I redeemed. All of that cost me only $5.19! 

Here I am, immortalized by Yvonne, about to pay for my pile of goodies! 

Those are Yvonne's incredible studded rock star booties on the counter - they are velvet and covered in buckles and studs and crystals. I swooned and am insanely jealous! 

Randall and L met us at Christie's Pub after our shop, where we enjoyed some drinks, food and showing off Yvonne's and my purchases, and then L and I hung out and hid from the snow. 

Yup, more snow happened overnight. 

This is the view looking down from our deck this morning. Look at that clean sidewalk! 

Who is that awesome man in the red pants and Bruins jacket, who has also shoveled our driveway? It's L! 

He's having a chat with the neighbour at the adjoining apartment building. 

Our deck's glass roof is covered in snow.

See the icicles?

I am ready for the snow to be gone now. 

Please melt! 

This morning, Vizzini was hiding in L's closet. 

"Go away, Woman."

But I have to have a little visit and say hello! 

"Yes, you do."

It's only fair since he wakes me up at 5:30am. 

Since I'd only spent a fraction of my budget in Oak Bay, I decided to go check out the Velvet Crease and Lazy Susan's and spread some of my economic boost to my favourite local shops. 

More sun! It didn't last. 

• Sweater - Benetton, vintage, thrifted; last worn here in November for a Mom-visit
• Skirt - Dolce & Gabbana, thrifted; last seen here in January with this same sweater (and jacket!)
• Boots - Ash; last worn here (2nd outfit) in April with leopard pants
• Jacket (below) - Danier Leather, consignment; last seen here in November

No one saw me like this. I walked with L to town, where he met up with Nick and Spence. 

I gave Spence a big hug (his 50th birthday was last week, and that got cancelled too) and headed off on my shop. 

I've got my mask, I am ready. 

Outerwear - I loved wearing my sunnies for a bit. 

I was warm for the few hours I was out. 

Accoutrements: 

The earmuffs are perfect for shopping - and they also slightly muffle the rest of the world, which is pleasant. 

• Scarf - fake Louis (Lewis!) Vuitton, thrifted
• Earmuffs - Michael Kors, consignment
• Gloves - Cejon, thrifted
• Mask - by Mom

The stuff: 

Excellent boots for stomping through the slush and snow. 

• Brooch - Eaton's, c. 1999
• Earrings - thrifted

Unfortunately, both stores I'd intended on visiting were closed, but I can't begrudge them a vacation too! Instead, I popped into the Patch (their hours and staff have been very erratic lately) but didn't find anything that I really loved. 

I picked up a few groceries, then had a good look in Rich Rags. This top caught my eye due to the bold pattern (which is perfectly lined up). 

This top fit really well and is flattering, although I don't like the lure of pockets when there aren't any! Those zippers on the bottom lead to nothing! Not pockets. Very disappointing. 

The search on the CA number yielded a hit - this is by Le Chateau. 

Awesome. It's going into my spring/summer wardrobe and will be worn a bunch. It was $29.00. 

I also came away with this amazing wool/angora dress. 

It's that wonderful teal colour that does not photograph right (it has more green in it than this). 

A deep V in the back. 

Someone's removed the shoulder pads. This is totally from 1987ish. 

It has a nice cable down the front. 

"Hey, anything here to eat?"

It's by Jessica, which is likely a little Canadian brand that no longer exists. 

This was $79.00 but he took $40 off due to the moth-holes. I plan to wear this around the house all winter. I can be stylish AND warm! 

And now, my friends, a snuggly blanket and warm kitty await me, but I want to share this little bit of kitty shenanigans that happened this morning while L put his lace-up boots on. 

"Kitty spaghetti!"

Vizzini is always on the alert for shoelaces. 

Such focus. 

A change in position...

Watching as L dangles the laces. 

Attack! 

He's very fast. 

L's contortions became more extreme as he attempted to keep the laces away from Vizzini. 

Hee, look at the mustaches! 

Almost done...

And now it's time to put an end to this. 

"Aha! I got you!"

I love the little white back toes, dug in as he wrestles! 

A very HAPPY NEW YEAR to you, my friends! Thank you, thank you, thank you - I so appreciate each and every one of you for visiting, reading and commenting. Here's to another year - may it be better than the last.