Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Blue Plaid Brunch; Shop and Dinner in Roses; Book Club Blues

Welcome back, my friends! I hope your weekend has been full of sunshine, 'cause ours has been wet and grey for the most part. Ugh, when will it ever get sunny? 

I have three outfits to share with you today, and I indulged in a wee shop, so I have a couple of purchases as well to show off. Grab a cup of tea, and join me, won't you? 

I'm having to get creative with layering and digging out some of my spring/fall light sweaters in order to stay warm these days. This is what I wore for brunch at the Ruby with L on Saturday morning (no Ulti again this week, and Nick was busy), and to grocery shop afterwards.

Layers are the key - I have tights and a vintage slip on under this. 

• Vest - Chiqle, thrifted; last worn here in March with plaid on a Mom-Day Adventure
• Sweater - Tatyana, thrifted; last seen here in January with Best Leopard
• Skirt - Vivienne Westwood Anglomania F/W 2011, consignment; last worn here in January with blue and yellow
• Boots - Woodland East End, Fluevog; last seen here with this skirt in January

The green sweater is a vivid emerald green - you can see how gloomy it was indoors. 

The acid wash vest with pyramid studs is not vintage, but I like the element of badassery it adds.

I had several admirers of the skirt - it's almost an iridescent teal/navy in bright light. 

It is one of my second-hand treasures! Real designer Vivienne Westwood. 

Masked up - I'm still being cautious. 

The yellow leather jacket ties it all together. 

Add some more pattern, in the form of the scarf.

And a pop of colour with orange gloves. 

Done up. Note that I did not wear my sunnies, as the sun did not come out until later in the afternoon. Bah!

Small, useless pockets - grrrr. 

Accoutrements: 

I love this gorgeous thick silk scarf. 

• Scarf - Forele, vintage, Lazy Susan's
• Gloves - consignment
• Mask - by Mom 

The stuff: 

I pulled all of the outfit colours from the boots - they are somewhat limiting for styling. I'll probably wear them with this skirt forever - this is the third time I've worn them together. 

Bold bling: 

Square things. 

• Studded cuff - homegrown vintage, 90s
• Bracelet - c. 1930s, vintage mall
• Earrings - consignment
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
• Chain silver ring - Taxco, Charmaine's

After grocery shopping, L and I split up - he met up with Nick, Greg and Arnold for drinks, and I decided to go shopping before meeting up with L for dinner downtown on Saturday night. 

I haven't worn this dress in forever, and it's easy enough to shop in. Plus, I love dressing up for a date with my sweetie!

• Dress - Ted Baker, consignment; first worn here (2nd outfit) in September 2020 for Vero's outside birthday party
• Shoes - Pegabo, thrifted; last seen here in August 2021 for another Mom-Day Adventure
• Jacket (below) - Club Monaco, thrifted; last worn here in August 2021 for a walk with Betty

Isn't it pretty? It's a non-stretchy Ted Baker (good for standing, a bit snug for sitting), completely lined in neon orange. 

Before I decided to shop, I'd paired it with higher heels for dinner, but slotted them back and picked these flats for walking to the bus stop and then shopping for 2.5 hours. 

I have nylons on, although it got sunny in the afternoon. 

I knew it would be windy and chillier later - we live on the water, so there's always a breeze, even in summer (unless there's a heat dome, ugh). 

I appreciated the great print and the good quality of this dress. 

It had a few admirers too. 

But this is how most people saw me in stores - masked up. 

I tied a silk scarf at my neck for warmth, and layered this light jacket, a long-time favourite, going back at least 5-6 years. 

Incognito.

There were a lot of tourists downtown! It felt really weird. 

My long leather gloves kept my hands and arms warm. 

After a lovely dinner at Fiamo Italian restaurant, L and I bussed home. 

Accoutrements:

I'm happy at how much my bag works with in my wardrobe. 

• Badass Bag - thrifted, illustrated by me
• Scarf - Ralph Lauren, consignment
• Gloves - consignment
• Mask - by Mom

The stuff: 

These shoes are maybe a little too flat for me these days - I like about a 1" heel. But they are pretty! 

Mixed bling: 

Nothing matches, but everything goes! 

• Bracelet - Stella & Dot, thrifted
• Earrings - gift from Sherri
• Brooch - vintage 60s, Mom's
• Enamel/silver ring - antique store, Sidney
• Gold/amethyst ring - Frances Jewelers, c. 1965, Dad's

I did a thorough browse in Flavour Upstairs, Vintage After Death and Duchess & Duke (check out all my favourite shops here). I found nothing in Flavour Upstairs, which is sadly, still disappointing - not very much stock, and some of the same things I saw the last time I was in (3 weeks-ish ago). 

I also struck out at Duchess & Duke - I very rarely find things there (too much fast fashion).

However, I did well at Vintage After Death, where I found this gorgeous turquoise shirt. 

It has big sleeves, tight cuffs, and although there are boob pockets, they aren't super-obvious.

I like this waistcoat-style tie for adjusting the fit in the back. 

The sides of the hem scoop up to splits on either side.

Lovely interior finishing. I'm swooning over these seams! The fabric is silk, and still retains a slight slub texture.

Check out the little sling with TWO spare buttons. CLASSY.

It's by Jim Thompson, and is made from 100% Thai silk in Thailand. Jim Thompson doesn't seem like a Thai name...let's see what the interwebz can tell me. Well! He was a real person, an American architect who became interested in costume design and textiles through the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. He worked for a precursor to the CIA, and ended up in Thailand where he discovered an enclave of weavers in Bangkok, and expanded to stores from there. (source here - worth reading, link 'cause I love, as always).

This is wild and would make a great movie/series:

On Sunday March 26th 1967, while holidaying in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, Jim went for a walk and never returned. His disappearance triggered one of the largest search operations in the region, with 400 men dispatched to search. However, the body of Jim Thompson was never found.
Abounding theories surrounded his disappearance, ranging from kidnapping, assassination, tiger attacks and suggestions that he simply lost his way. While Jim Thompson may be synonymous with elegant silk, the name is equally well known for the legendary disappearance that continues to mystify to this day.

Crazy! 

Based on the style, I think this top is from the 90s.  I internally snorted that now I'm a size SS (Super Sheila?). 

I love VAD's descriptions on all of their clothes. "Minimalist Court Jester." It was originally, $30, then $23, then $15, and I found it on the sale rack for $5.00. Jim Thompson is still in business, and and still selling lovely silk clothing - long-sleeves solid colour women's tops by them are $181.00 USD. 

I gasped when I pulled this dress off the sale rack. What a lovely gown. 

The top is ecru in a satin-ish finish; the bottom is chocolate brown velvet. 

The waistband is beaded all the way around. It's fully-lined in cream polyester.

Not a big fan of the light-coloured zipper showing - I will touch that up with a brown felt-tipped marker. 

Here's a look at the beading - it's all immaculate, not a loose thread or missing bead. I bet this dress was maybe only worn once and has been sitting in a closet for decades. 

Some of the bugle beads are discoloured inside, due to age. 

I suspected this was mid-60s, based on the style, and this label actually confirms that it has to be 1966 or later - that's when these washing symbols were introduced. 

The label is in German. "Polyester Faser" means polyester fibre. I'm pleased to see that it's washable! 

What a label! Plutina Pflegeleicht, Diolen Aupart? Plutina is the brand, likely German, and they seem to have been around from the 1960s into the 80s? There is very little on the internet, just a few vintage listings. Pflegeleicht means "easy care" - love it. Diolen is a synthetic fabric (made from plastic) that originated in Germany sometime in the 1950s. 

So although our "Queen of the Woods" gown is noted on the price tag as a cotton blend, it's actually polyester and Diolen. Can you believe I snagged this for $33.00? Marked down from $65.00 - what a score! I modeled it for the proprietor who took a couple of pictures of me - it was a lull in the shop, and it's fun to show off a garment that works out. This dress is a perfect fit, but I need some sort of Heads of State ball to wear it to! 

After a quiet evening of board games, chilling with Vizzini and generally just hanging out and having a fun time with L, we slept in Sunday morning. We had a leisurely breakfast, and then I got ready for Book Club at Mindy's in the afternoon. 

We weren't sure if we'd be sitting outside, so I picked clothes and shoes in case of that. 

• Long cardigan - Ports, vintage 80s, consignment; last seen here in September 2021 for a Mental Health Shop
• Sweater - Tatyana, thrifted; last worn here in January with a slip dress and crochet
• Skirt - Anna Sui, thrifted; last seen here in March with these same boots
• Boots - Official Sabado, Fluevog; last worn here (2nd outfit) in April for a pub gathering with friends

We ended up staying indoors - we even had the fireplace on! It's been a chilly and rainy day, with intermittent torrential downpours.

I did not take the long cardi off at all. 

I love this 100% wool cardigan - it's just gorgeous, very thick and luxe. 

The skirt is thin, but I have a pair of sporty shorts on underneath, over my lacy tights. 

So blue. 

Cat picked me up and we joined Ciara at Mindy's house. Unfortunately, we were down three of our regulars: Janaki (sick), Carolyn (her son's b-day), and Yvonne (back east). We were able to Zoom with Janaki to share our thoughts on her book (it was her pick) - hooray for technology! 

I tied my scarf around my head in case I had to stand outside and wait for Cat. 

But she was early, so I dumped it around my neck. 

It was so wonderful to catch up and chat books. 

Accoutrements: 

I took my mask, but did not wear it. 

• Badass Bag - thrifted, embellished by me
• Gloves - consignment
• Scarf - Fluevog
• Mask - by Mom

The stuff: 

I love these boots so much.

Blue/turquoise bling: 

The stone necklace warms to my skin - it's very heavy. 

• Necklace - vintage mall, gift from L
• Eelskin bracelet - vintage 80s, thrifted (but likely used to be mine from the 80s). 
• Gemstone bracelet - Salt Spring Island, gift from L
• Fulvia Ring/lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
• Earrings - local

Vizzini's all worn out from the weekend and found himself a new sleeping spot. 

"Snerk - what do you want, Woman?"

I lined the top of his bedroom post with an old cashmere cardigan (I cut the sleeves off for arm-warmers). It smells like me and is so soft. 

"Sigh, always bothering me..."

And now, off to chill out and enjoy the last hours of the weekend. Thanks so much for stopping by!