Lime and Lemon Flashback, and Bandit Caught

Hello, my friends! I have a rather large post for you today, with an outfit, a Flashback, and a wee furry bandit spotted in a tree last night. So, grab a cup of whatever suits you, and settle in.

Citrus brights are one of my favourite go-to combinations for summer (well, any time, really), so it was an easy pick when it came to featuring this new-to-me green blouse.

This whole look has a very "lemon-lime" feel to me. 

• Blouse - J. Crew, thrifted; purchased here for $19.99
• Skirt - Firenze Santa Barbara, vintage 80s, thrifted; last worn here (2nd outfit) in June 2021 with my embroidered coat
• Shoes - Eject, Vancouver; last seen here in June with chevrons

My closet is full of patterns, so I'm always looking for interesting solids to go with them. 

But sometimes I'm less about the patterns, and more about the colours.

Clean lines, simple shapes...

And gobs of jewelry and accessories! 

I usually wear this acid yellow skirt a few times a year. 

It is indeed leather - ah, the 80s! So much leather! I have never done a Flashback on it, so we'll have that shortly.

Masked up. 

There's the pattern. 

Incognito - I dared to go coatless today. 

The goal was to show off my swanky YSL vintage scarf. I'm not really into labels, but I do enjoy it when I have a Real Designer piece.

Accoutrements:

There's that swanky label! 

• Scarf - Yves Saint Laurent, vintage 70s, thrifted; purchased here for $17.99
• Mask - by Cat

The stuff: 

Love these sandals. I never thought a chartreuse platform sandal would be that useful, but I've worn these around 23 times! 

Gold bling: 

First wearing of the giant Brutalist pendant - it's been tricky to style! 

• Brutalist pendant - de Passile-Sylvestre, vintage 70s, thrifted; purchased here for $10.00
• Glass bead necklace - vintage 70s, Mom's
• Gold "keyhole" necklace - Robert Larin, vintage 70s, vintage mall, gift from L
• Gold chain (worn as bracelet) - vintage 80s, Grandma J's
• Mesh link bracelet - vintage 70s, Mom's
• Ear-balls - Dior, consignment
• Belt - vintage 70s, Mom's

I used pliers to open up the smooshed loop at the top of the pendant, and added my own chain (can't remember where it came from). With three heavy necklaces, I was rather jangly! You could hear me coming! 

Flashback: Vintage Firenze Santa Barbara Chartreuse Leather Skirt

I found this skirt at the Patch (RIP!) back here in October 2017 - they always had a rack of vintage leather skirts, so I would check each visit to see if there were any new ones. 

The trick with buying vintage leather is the feel of it. If it's still soft, 40+ years later, it will stay soft. There was a LOT of really cheap leather and suede out in the 80s, and that stuff is hard as rocks now, just utter garbage. Don't buy it. 

This is a slightly pearlized lemony yellow, and based on the size 12...

…this was made before the Great Size Shift of ~1987. It's equivalent to a modern size 8. This was $26.95, which felt like a lot (I get whiplash between stores on prices!).

I remember Santa Barbara being a very swanky brand (that I could not afford) back in my high school years.  

Firenze, of course, means Florence the city in Italy, which is a big centre for leather garments and bags. If you've ever been to Florence, you'll recall the massive number of tourists shops selling leather. My skirt, however, was made in the USA, so maybe they sourced the leather from Italy, or perhaps they were cashing in on the cachet of the city. Firenze = KLASSY.

As I do, I wore it right away, in October 2017.

Still have those shoes and my embroidered coat. That white top is just one of many I've had over the years. 

I wore it again in the winter closet season, here in December 2017, but ever since then it's been strictly a spring/summer piece. I have too many skirts - they can't all stay out! 

It's the opposite for this outfit - nothing from it remains. The blouse pulled apart at the seams, the faux leather vest was gross and cheap, and the lovely studded boots were just too high. 

This May 2018 look features one of my favourite tops (at the time). 

I've experimented with all kinds of cuts and styles, and this "swing" cropped look is not one that I really like on me, although I kept this top for a couple of years before I passed it along. I still have those sandals - that outfit was their first wearing! 

Yet another top and shoes that did not make the cut, from August 2018.

The top wasn't versatile enough (the neckline detail was limiting), and the shoes were too high. 

Y'all will remember my Gookey (fake Gucci) lace jacket, seen for Easter in April 2019.

I wore it a ton, and then recently gave it to Ciara from Book Club earlier this year. Still have those red shoes! 

Another top that didn't work - this is from June 2019.

That shape didn't work for me. I let go of those spotted shoes too - they were too twee for me. Anonymous Commenter wanted to hear more about my move away from twee. Tastes change over time, what can I say? Style evolves.

Such a cute look, from April 2020 - this still rings my bell and I could still recreate this entire look, as it's all still in my closet. 

That silk blouse is the same style as the green one I'm wearing today. 

And here we are, the last time I wore this leather skirt, in June 2021.

All present and accounted for - I could also recreate this outfit. 

Mathy stuff: That's nine outfits in a little less than 5 years, so not too bad! That's $2.99 per wear, which makes me feel better about the original price. It still has loads of wear in it, so I'm sure it will feature in plenty more outfits in the future.

While I was chatting on the phone with Mom last night, I spotted something in the maple tree outside our condo. Caught on camera...

There's something in the crook of the tree...

It's a racoon! 

Or as we fondly refer to them, a trash bandit. 

Keep the lids on your garbage and recycling, this little guy has nimble hands. 

He started to fuss around, and do a bit of grooming while I grabbed the camera. 

A little stretch and a yawn after his nap. 

Sharp teeth! Pink tongue! 

I was zoomed in with the camera, and less than 15 feet away (with windows between us), when...

I've been spotted! 

He did some more stretching and yawning. 

Obviously people don't phase him. 

He turned and started digging at the moss that was growing in the crook of the tree.

He gnawed away at it. 

I moved out onto the deck to get a better view. 

He's looking right at me! 

I waved. 

I see you too, bandit! 

I like this picture. 

So cute! I love the funny long toes. 

Well, are you going to pose some more? 

He went back to gnawing on the tree for a bit. 

Then some people getting out of a car caught his attention. 

Looks suspicious. Must investigate.

And down he went! 

Those prehensile toes are great for going down a tree head-first.

There's a hollow stump where part of the tree was removed decades ago. 

Better check in there. 

Take a look around...

Is it safe? 

He ventured out onto the lawn of our building. 

A dog freaked him out, and he took off! 

So exciting! I haven't seen a racoon in the tree for a long time - August 2021 (here, scroll down) was the last sighting!