Cowgirl Boots, Flamenco Flashback and Badass Bag Art Project Pt 2

I picked up my new-to-me cowgirl boots from the cobbler on the weekend, having had them re-soled with non-slip rubber, and the hard plastic heel caps swapped for high-density rubber. Of course, I had to wear them right away!

I don't have a ton of turquoise or teal in my winter wardrobe - it's more of a spring/summer colour for me - but I managed to find enough in my accessories to incorporate the boots. 

• Blazer - Le Chateau, consignment; last worn here in January with pink and bronze
• Copper lame (lah-MAY!) top - thrifted, no tags, not tracked
• Flamenco skirt - handmade, consignment; last seen here in January with my Tsarina vest
• Boots - Donald J. Pliner, c. 2000, consignment; purchased here for $128.00
• Leather trenchcoat (below) - vintage 70s, thrifted; last worn here last week

I started with this black skirt as a good neutral base. It's very much a flamenco-inspired shape, with a big rise at the front, and a mullet hem in the back. We'll have a wee Flashback on it shortly to see all the ways I've previously worn it.

The skirt also has gold fabric lining, so it toned well with the browns in the boots, and overall had a nice cowgirl vibe that I'm a fan of. 

My cream brocade blazer is a firm favourite, and it balanced the cream canvas of the boots.

I've had it for 10 years, and this is its 33rd outing. The top underneath is a black sleeveless sweater, woven with copper threads; it adds more of the brown tones, also blending it in with the boots. 

All profesh from the back. 

I belted over the blazer - this was a look I was huge into curing the early days of my blog ("it was the fashion at the time"), and have come back around to after eschewing it for the past 10-ish years.

Masked up in a caramel print. 

When I was on a Teams call, my colleague noticed my turquoise fur brooch. 

Outerwear. We are experiencing another "atmospheric river". 

Rain. Rain. Rain. Rainrainrain. Did I mention we have lots of rain? 

Accoutrements: 

I always prefer a hat over an umbrella. 

• Hat - Edward Mann, vintage 60s, thrifted
• Silk scarf - vintage fair
• Gloves - Parkhurst
• Mask - Lazy Susan's

The stuff: 

Ah, there they are, in all their glory. These boots were a pleasure to wear all day in the office - I showed them off to every person I saw, including hauling my leg up on my desk to show them on my Teams calls! They cost $75.00 to have the soles/heels replaced, but it's worth every penny. I can't wait to wear them again! 

Mismatched bling: 

Look at me, mixing all my metals. Oops, I forgot to take my pinky ring off. 

• Earrings - consignment
• Copper/turquoise cuff - Bell Trading Post, vintage 60s, consignment, Powell River
• Bronze/turquoise cuff - Myka, consignment
• Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes
• Amber ring - c. 1996
• Bronze pinky ring (not shown) - P. Sarpaneva, vintage 1970s, vintage expo
• Belt - Emmanuel, vintage 80s, vintage fair
• Fur brooch - Catawumpus
• Bar brooch - Fairweather, c. 1987

Seven out of 10 of my "bling" accessories have a shade of turquoise in them. And THAT is how you add colour to an outfit! 

Flashback: Flamenco Skirt

I bought this skirt at House of Savoy on a Saturday afternoon here back in September 2019, for $38.00. I am a bit of a black skirt collector, but I won't just settle for any ol' black skirt. It has to have a special element to it. 

It wasn't hard to see that this skirt would be swoosh-tacular, and I loved the high-low hemline. It's sewn in angled strips that coil around the body, giving it a lot of movement. 

Even the lining has a pretty little ruffle. 

I suspect that it was handmade for/by a dancer - it's such a Flamenco shape, that I'm sure someone must have danced in it. 

I wore it right away in October 2019, pairing it with more favourites. 

Both the jacket and shoes have had the Flashback treatment previously (jacket here, shoes here)

This was a shopping outfit in February 2020. 

I have a thin green sweater underneath, and that's my spectacular Rodarte for Opening Ceremony Ringmaster jacket (Flashback here). The shoes are workhorses - Flashback here - and have been worn a LOT. 

Another outerwear look from January 2021. Sometimes my outerwear is fancier than the base "real clothes" layer! 

My patent leather Burberry bronze jacket is a favourite (Flashback here). 

I debuted my Snake Jacket in October 2021, and chose this skirt (and my other cowboy boots, Flashback here) to help show it off. 

I need to wear that jacket again soon! 

And here's the last time I wore it, in January with my Tsarina coat for a Mom-Day Adventure at Swan Lake. 

I love that this skirt can skew cowgirl, frilly or tough, depending on what I wear with it. 

Mathy stuff: I have only worn this skirt 6 times so far, but I haven't owned it very long - and it does only come out to play for fall/winter. I'm at a very respectable $6.33 per wear so far, and I look forward to many more outfits! 

How do you feel about swooshy skirts? Are you a fan? 

Art Project: Badass Bag - Part 2

Part 1 of my Badass Bag is here if you missed it.

I am really enjoying working on this bag in spare moments. I like the smaller size (compared to a jacket) as I can sit on the couch with my blanket on and some music and tea and spend an hour or more comfortably. Vizzini sits on my lap - I rest the bag on his back while I'm working on it. Doesn't that sound awesome? 

My brain just melts away and I get into the details. I started from the top and worked down on the front, darkening up lines, adding shading and outlines. 

I realized quickly that "Lady" needed the extra illusion piece drawn on the flap so that the front looks like a single surface. 

Front done! It's going to look so cool once it's coloured. 

Under the flap - who's that? Boss Lady! 

As with all of my pieces, I make mistakes...and then let 'em go. I accidentally coloured in one entire S. 

I have a tiny bit left on the other side of the bag, but here's what the sides will look like. 

In case you were wondering, I am going to do something on the back of the bag...but it's a secret! I'll reveal it in due time, heh heh.