Summer Solstice Rocker Floral and Velvet Shoes Flashback

Happy Solstice, my friends! I had high hopes for warm weather today - it being the first day of summer and all - but it's stubbornly refusing to obey my whims and is cloudy and windy. 

I wore a thin floral summery dress anyway. 

• Dress - Sundance, consignment; first seen here in July 2021 to see a movie at the drive-in
• Shoes - Sol Sana; last seen here in September 2021 with a coral dress
• Jacket - Only, consignment; last worn here in April for a Mom-Day Adventure on the Lochside Trail

I have only worn this dress once before, last summer when it was hot and we joined Cat and Ross for dinner before seeing "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" at the drive-in.

It's a lovely dress with a matching slip, but it's extremely sheer. 

I wore a camisole under the top, but I need more coverage.  

Other than that, it's a very fun and swooshy dress to wear. 

I haven't been feeling the frilly clothes lately, but this dress makes the cut. 

It's a super-flattering shape on me, and the brown background helps de-cutesy-fy the florals, which are in shades of pink, green and blue. 

I don't have a mask that goes with this dress. 

This one's good enough for the few people I saw. 

I love the tough vibe from the pink moto jacket. 

Voila! Rocker floral. 

Accoutrements: 

When this scarf was bundled around my neck, you couldn't see any of the detail, which was fine by me. I needed the neck warmth! 

• Scarf - Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier, vintage 00s
• Mask - by Cat

The stuff: 

These ae such pretty shoes and they're really comfortable. We'll have a wee Flashback on them shortly - I haven't had them that long, but I've worn them plenty. 

Matchy bling: 

I liked how the green and metal bracelet went with everything.

• Bangles - vintage, Lazy Susan's
• Earrings - Vancouver
• Swivel ring - consignment
• Silver/sodalite ring - Scotland, 1996
• Bracelet - vintage 1930s, vintage mall

Flashback: Pink Velvet Sol Sana Shoes

We are lucky to have a ton of really good shoe stores in downtown Victoria, and every so often I pop into Footloose on Fort Street to see what's in the "last pairs" section. Footloose tends to carry really good quality, well-made shoes, and I like supporting my local businesses. I don't shop retail often, but when I do, it's usually shoes! 

I'd been stalking these shoes for months, waiting for the original $215.00 price to drop. 

They are by Sol Sana, a brand I've had good luck with. I also own these white spotty shoes (pic here), this lovely silver and black pair of sandals (pic here) and I used to have these bootie things (pic here) but they were too ugly for me (I bought them on consignment for cheap, $29.00). 

I popped into Footloose on a Friday in January 2020 (here) and there they were, marked down to $79.00 in the last pairs section, just waiting for me! 

I love dusty pink...and ankle straps...and velvet. 

Although it was still January 2020, I wore them right away to make sure they would work. 

I gave this skirt to my coworker Flavia - it wasn't really me. I still have the silk equestrian blouse and that lovely belt. 

And then the pandemic hit! I'm a big fan of this April 2020 outfit. The jacket is the perfect match for the shoes.

Both the skirt and pink jacket are wardrobe favourites, but I let go of the denim top, which was nothing special. 

In contrast, I loathed this outfit so much - also from April 2020. None of it felt right together. 

I do have slight regrets about letting go of that magnificent 80s skirt, but it didn't work with anything in my wardrobe. That cardigan became an around-the-house item. 

This June 2020 look really stands out. For one thing, I have pink hair. 

For another, I'm wearing solid black - very unusual for me. I gave it away recently - it was fine, but I didn't love it. 

This outfit, I love. It's a year later, May 2021, and I'm playing with my hair colour (smoky blue).

I need to build an outfit with that funky Ted Baker skirt again soon. 

Maybe I should pair it with this jacket? I've never actually worn them together. 

This outfit is from July 2021, and is showing off the then-recently thrifted swirl-printed suede skirt. I let go of the boxy beaded top, which was not a great cut on me. 

Oh, I've cut all my hair off, here in September 2021. This is the last time I wore these shoes.

I adore that dress, and need to wear it again! 

Mathy stuff: Today's outfit is the 8th wearing of these shoes, so we are still very early on in their tenure with me. That works out to $9.88 per wearing, and I know I'll be wearing them loads more in the future.

I've been working on the Autumn Jacket (last update here), and am almost ready for another update. As I tried to finish the front (all the blacking/linework is done) last night on the deck, I had some company. 

"Get your own sunny spot, Woman."

He's so happy to hang out there with me. 

"Whatcha working on? Is it tasty?"

 He sat with me to cool off and then hopped back down to lay in the sun again.