Monday, October 31, 2022

Totally Not a Vampire

Happy Hallowe'en, my friends! 

After two weekends of costume and party and movies and scary things, I was almost all done with my spooky stuff for the year.
Almost! I'm not really in costume - these are just my regular clothes. 

  • Jacket - Simon Chang, vintage; first seen here in February over grey Gigli
  • Blouse - CABi, thrifted; last worn here on Christmas morning, back in December 2021
  • Skirt - Twinset, consignment; last seen here in March for a jungle brunch
  • Boots - 1883 Lucchesse, thrifted; last worn here in March for a Mental Health Shop
  • Sleeveless coat (below) - Only, thrifted; last seen here in May

And just like I explained when we did that photo-shoot back here, I am totally NOT a vampire. 
Lots of people have big floofy black skirts like this one. 

And a cream high-necked Victorian blouse is a wardrobe staple. 
And y'all know I'm a huge fan of plaid. 

I love this jacket - it's woven wool and so well-made. 
The skirt dragged on the ground on the way to work, picking up leaves and sticks and getting caught on my boots. 

I was furious! I wanted to suck some blood! 
I mean, not blood, I mean "drink some coffee," of course - everyone says, "suck blood" when they mean coffee, it's nothing, really. Blood...


Masked up: 
Masks are very good for hiding vampire fangs. Just saying. Not that I know anything about that. 

Outerwear.
It was gloriously rainy and wet in the morning, and then that stupid bright sun came out. No one likes sunny weather! 

Accoutrements:
I was completely covered up. 

  • Hat - vintage, thrifted, Vancouver
  • Scarf - Elaine Gold, vintage 60s, consignment
  • Gloves - Echo, consignment
  • Mask - Lazy Susan's

The stuff: 
Carpathian grey is what I call the colour of those boots, just like the sullen skies of Transylvania.

The stuff: 
Ha, that lion buckle looks like he wants to claw your eyes out! Ha ha! 

  • Belt - Pringle of Scotland; last worn here in March
  • Brooch - vintage fair
  • Poison ring - Karen's
  • Brutalist ring - vintage 70s, vintage mall
  • Earrings - Betsey Johnson, swap from Cat

Just like this little monster! Attack them, my minion! 
"Boo. Give me kitty treats."


Happy Hallowe'en from me, who is totally not a vampire, and my familiar little kitty!

Sunday, October 30, 2022

Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Festive Friday in Copper Lace; Striped Brunch and Massive Fluevog Splurge

Welcome back! I hope you've all had a most excellent weekend, and have been enjoying the spooky days (if you do Hallowe'en). In this post, I have my Festive Friday outfit, plus Saturday's brunch look - and L and I had a big splurge at the Fluevog store, oh boy! 

I always pull this copper lace dress out for this time of year.
Sometimes I wear it as part of a costume, and other years I just bling it up. 

  • Dress - vintage, thrifted in the 90s; last seen here for a zombie brunch in October 2021
  • Floofy underskirt (not shown) - Noa Noa, not tracked
  • Boots - Original Sabado, Fluevog; last worn here (but not shown), and last actually seen here
  • Coat (below) - Baez Leather, consignment; last seen here (3rd outfit) in July

This year was a bling-it-up wearing. 
I twirled for some of my colleagues on Friday. 
It's a full circle of lace, although the lining is not. 
I am wearing a full slip under it, plus my black fluffy underskirt. 

Masked up. 
All thematic. 

Outerwear: 
See? I already have a black hat, so Mom, we should totally just trade (*grin*). 

Showing off the full circle of the leather peplum on this jacket. 
There is also lace applique on it, plus oodles of studs. 

Incognito.
It was sunny and clear all day, but it's supposed to be in "atmospheric river" mode this weekend. 

Accoutrements: 
I will put away the skull scarf and my two Hallowe'en masks once October is over. 

  • Hat - Delux, Saanich Fair, c. 2009
  • Scarf - Metrowear, San Francisco, 2006
  • Gloves - Danier Leather
  • Mask - Lazy Susan's

The stuff: 
I love these boots so much. I walked to and from work in them. 

Black bling: 
The necklace and earrings are looking at you! 

  • Leather obi - thrifted
  • Fang bangle - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Sidney
  • Leather cuff - Guess, thrifted
  • Snake ring - BC Museum gift shop, c. 1986
  • Spider ring - gift from Mom & Dad, c. 1986
  • Jet necklace - Grandma J's, vintage 50s
  • Earrings - thrifted

L and I both napped after work (he was feeling the effects of his booster jab the day prior), then hung out and played board games on Friday night. 

After a lovely sleep-in, we met up with Nick for brunch at the Ruby. I didn't feel like going costume-y, but I did go thematic. 
Daxon at Fluevog said I looked "Beetlejuicy" in my stripes. I'll take it - especially because L and I once did Beetlejuice and Lydia Deets for Hallowe'en (go here to November 2014 to enjoy our costumes).

  • Turtleneck - Yest; last seen here in March with cowgirl spots and boots
  • Skirt - Tibi, consignment; purchased here with a gift card for $149.99
  • Jacket - Frank Lyman; last worn here in March with drapey plaid
  • Boots - Prepare 2.0 Tracker, Fluevog; last seen here (2nd outfit) in February with denim acid-wash

Time to wear this new-top-me striped skirt! 
I'm thrilled to report it was awesome - not too clingy, and it did not ride up or bunch. 

And although it looks snug, it's a very thick stretchy knit, so I was able to stride about.
It doesn't really have a waistband, so I let my red turtleneck peek out at the bottom. 

Without the jacket.
I took it off while we ate. 

Masked up. 
This is how I looked while we shopped. We also made a stop at the Hudson's Bay Co. to get L a new whack of underwear and socks. 

Done up.
All ready to go! 

Accoutrements:
First wearing of these new-to-me wool fingerless gloves. I've had a dozen pairs of these over the last decade-plus. 

  • Purse - Danier Leather, thrifted
  • Scarf - Metrowear, San Francisco, 2006
  • Gloves - Parkhurst; purchased here for $21.00
  • Mask - by Mom

The stuff: 
These boots are so comfy - and of course, I have to wear a pair of Fluevogs when I go shopping there! 

Snaky bling: 
I do tend to repeat my favourite jewelry over and over.

  • Glass pendant - Venice, gift from Mom
  • Earrings - Red Sky, local
  • Snake ring - BC Museum Gift Shop, c. 1986
  • Spider ring - gift from Mom & Dad, c. 1986

L's outfit was definitely blog-worthy. Pose!
Looking fine, my love! We had many compliments from people as we were out and about. 

Are you ready to see what we both bought at Fluevog? A warning: their shoes are expensive, so your jaw may drop when you see the prices. And although I don't need to justify how I spend my disposable income, and we both had gift cards to spend, we still blew a lot of money. 

These are the Marquess Swordfish Ozzy in blue (link here 'cause I love - and you'll start seeing Fluevog ads everywhere, so clear your history if you visit their site).
I have been drooling over these myself, and although they are men's shoes, I tried them on as well. 

They were too big and clunky-looking on me, though - SIGH. There is a bootie version for women, but the heels were far too high for my battered feet.
But these looked spectacular on L! 

The classic Swordfish sole. 
These were $699.00. 

L has had some professional success lately, so I encouraged him to buy two pairs. You deserve it! Treat yourself! 
These the Imperial Swordfish Lestat (link here) in slate grey. 

I like the sparkly metal mesh trim. 
L has an earlier version of these in black leather with silver heels (old Fluevog listing here, and a blurry pic of L wearing them for New Year's Eve January 2016 here). 

Same Swordfish sole. 
These were $399.00. 

And now, my purchases. I had $450.00 in gift cards - with thanks to L, my Winesday Women and Mom! - so that came off the final price. It was still a LOT. I won't be buying new Fluevogs again until our anniversary in March.

I've seen these boot many times - they have them in oodles of alternate colour-ways at the Victoria Fluevog store but these ones are not online, so they must either be brand-new or a limited colour-run for our Victoria store. 
They are the Warhol F-Trip boots, in black suede, cream patent, burgundy and orange (link here, for blue/lavender/green and yellow/black/lavender/orange).

They will go with SO MUCH in my wardrobe - I can't wait to wear them. 
They are insanely comfortable - no more torturous heels for me! - and as soon as I put them on, I was all, "Weee! I love these!" That's how you know when you've found a "forever" shoe.

The classic F-Tripp sole. 
"Take an F Trip." These were $749.00, and you can drool over them here.

These are the Slacker Vagabond in lime green (link here), and they are - happy sigh - just perfect in every way.
The soles are 70% recycled rubber (note the flecks), and the boots themselves are a supple and soft leather. 

The laces can be adjusted to your perfect calf size, and then you just use the inside zip to get them off and on. 
I prefer the laces tied around the shaft - it's a punk sort of vibe that I love. I adore this colour (they also come in black and embossed tan), and am excited to play with this unusual hue. I have a feeling they will be surprisingly versatile. 

"Take it easy, Let it be, Trust."
The other sole says, "Relax and be who you were meant to be." These were $529.00. 

We stopped on the way home briefly for cat litter (Vizzini) and rum (L), and I popped into Rich Rags while L was shopping. 
These beautiful, butter soft thin purple gloves called to me. $20.00 and they were mine! 

Whew, I needed another nap after all that shopping - I was spent in more ways than one! 

We had Cat and Ross and Nick over for our annual Scary Movie Night. We watched Crimes of the Future (a David Cronenberg movie - very weird and cover-your-eyes body horror), and Men (directed by Alex Garland - creepy with some grossy body horror near the end). 
"I didn't like the scary movies, but I liked all the chip crumbs that you dropped."

I also watched Teeth, about a young woman with vagina dentata who...uses 'em, shall we say? on my own after our guests left and L was snoring on the couch with Vizzini sprawled on him. It was much more comedic in tone (with some male genital gore).
"That's a big bunch of nope from me."


We spent Sunday watching football while it rained outside. A perfect day! 

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! 

Thursday, October 27, 2022

Mom-Day Adventure: Hallowe'en Hang-Out in Red and Black, Plus a Wee Shop

Hello, my friends! Welcome back to another Mom-Day Adventure. 

The weather was inclement today, so we hung out together at Mom's house, and I helped Mom get ready for her trick-or-treaters this weekend. 
It was a lovely relaxing day. Thank you, Mom! I love you! 

Outfit-wise, I fell back on a duplicate outfit.
This is the same shirt, vest and suit as this outfit here, from December 2020, but I wore different shoes and accessories today, including an extra piece of outerwear. 

  • Denim suit - Smashed Lemon; last worn here together (4th outfit) in July to go to the movies
  • Shirt - Yest; last seen here in September with my black suit
  • Paillette vest - Bianca Nygard, thrifted; last worn here in December 2021 in a disco outfit with boss pants
  • Booties - Go Groovy Husymans, Fluevog; last seen here (2nd outfit) in September for brunch
  • Poncho (below) - Bodybag by Jude, consignment, gift from L; last worn here (2nd outfit) for an outdoor Winesday in June

That was an excellent outfit that was well worth repeating. 

It was sunny in the morning, cold (still hovering around 8 degrees!), and was supposed to rain all afternoon - which it did! 
I have lots of layers on: a long-sleeved plain white shirt, the knit pailletted vest, and the denim suit jacket. 

Funnily enough, most of my outfit is store-bought retail - so unusual for me! 
I bought the suit at Dots, as well as the white shirt (a bear to find second-hand in good condition) - both are sales samples. 

As noted the suit is red denim - so nice and thick - printed with red leopard. 
The pants have deep pockets, and the suit's pockets are real too. The small hook-and-eye closure on the front of the jacket fell off, and I haven't gotten around to re-sewing it. 

Without the jacket, although I never took it off. 
The back of this sparkly sweater vest is plain black, which I usually loathe - it's such a fun piece, though. I forgive it. 

Outerwear - the "hat off" version. 
I love this poncho - it has a ginormous pocket in the front, where I stashed my sunglasses. 

Masked up and incognito. 
Ooh, I'm looking a little scary here! No wonder people were looking at me on the bus. 

Oh well, this is me and it's nearly Hallowe'en. 
Deal with it. 

Accoutrements: 
The hat is a little big on me, but it kept the rain off. 

  • Hat - Zara, consignment
  • Purse - Rebecca Minkoff, consignment
  • Leather gloves - Echo, consignment
  • Scarf - Metrowear, San Francisco, 2006

The stuff: 
Good walking shoes - it's about a kilometer to the bus stop from Mom's, then I bussed to town and walked home from there. Did you notice my Fluevog socks that I wore under them? 

Black bling: 
Mom bought me this Venetian blown glass snake pendant in Venice for my 49th birthday. 

  • Belt - gift from Ruth
  • Pendant - Venice, gift from Mom
  • Snake pin - c. 1985, gift from Mom & Dad
  • Spider ring - c. 1986, gift from Mom & Dad
  • Silver/onyx ring - Toccara, vintage fair
  • Cat earrings - Winnie Tam

Mom and I were not on the same wavelength for our outfits this week. 
She hasn't fully transitioned to fall clothes yet. This sudden change in weather has shocked us all.

We picked up three of her paintings from a local retirement home, where she and other members of her art club exhibited for the past month.
Mom's are the blue-arrow ones. This show's over...

But now Mom has to prep for her next show! 
She's been painting madly to have new ones ready in time. The ones on the studio walls behind her are from over the years, just ones that have stuck around. 

A redo on this scene. 
Vibrant! 

The cedar tree painting behind this photo is an oil painting in progress.
Mom's explaining her plans for the next painting, which will be a cropped version of the water lilies in the centre. 

This painting will be in the show. 
I like this one - the light is so good. 

Mom wanted to show me how she'd cleaned out her coat closet. 
"I have a lot of coats!" said Mom, pretending her to be ashamed. Heh heh, like mother, like daughter. 

We had bagels and cream cheese for lunch, followed by "dessert." 
What's that you've got up in that high cupboard, Mom? 

Holy smokes, that is a STASH of chocolate. 
Ha! I count 15 bars! I guess you'll be laughing if there's a shortage! *snort*

After lunch, we put up Mom's Hallowe'en decorations at her front door. 
A ginormous spider web and some massive spiders! 

This one's fuzzy and purple. 
Eek! Its eyes are glowing red! 

This spider was really realistic. 
That's going to traumatize some kids, for sure. 

We decorated the little fake trees on either side of the front door. 
Spooky! 

Throw it all on there! 
That's a sad ghost. 

Oh my GAWD, Mother, what the heck are you doing? 
"Come and get some candy," she cackled. Oh yes, there will be shrieking children this Hallowe'en.

I was shocked to see that Mom's Hallowe'en scarf is actually Pierre Balmain! 
Hand-rolled edges, 100% silk, made in France, and you have it crumped in your bin of Hallowe'en decorations. You should give it to me.

We made up goodie bags for the trick-or-treaters.
Mom gives out fun things like jewelry and pencils instead of candy. She also gives out Hawkins Cheezies (link here 'cause I love), which are Canadian classics (you can only get them here!)

We both like our bling.
I would have loved to get shiny beads, big rings or sparkly pencils instead of candy when I was a kid. 

As I got ready to go catch my bus, I discovered someone had found my hat! "It fits me perfectly!" she crowed. 
Fine. I'll trade you the hat for the Balmain scarf! 

After such a hilarious afternoon, I strolled through the woods behind Mom's house to get back to civilization. 
It was quiet and smelled like fall. 

Another Woolly Bear Caterpillar! 
Uh-oh, this one has a lot more black...that means a harsh winter. 

The trees are turning. 
That vivid yellow took my breath away. 

I like this farm. 
I see sheep! 

I zoomed in and caught this sheep having a chat with a raven under the grapevines. 
They must be gossiping. 

My bus dropped me off in town and I walked past the big WIN (Women In Need) store on the way home. Well, of course I had to go in! I did a really fast look around, just running my hands along the racks and looking for good stuff. 

I was thrilled to find a replacement for my long-gone grey pleated Marc Jacobs skirt (last worn here, when I spilled oil all over it). I washed that skirt but never got the stain all the way out; I later donated it and actually saw it for sale at this same store! 
This is a dark heathered grey with pleats. It's very swingy.

It's by Babaton, a chi-chi brand sold at Aritzia, a chi-chi Canadian store. Note the nice thick elastic waistband.
I knew this would have sold for around $120+ new, so didn't mind paying $24.95 for it. 

I took a risk on these teal dress pants. 
They are a skinny pant, but I still have room in my closet for those - this will be good with longer tops, jackets or sweaters. 

I like this detail at the ankle. 
The fabric is very thick (woven, not knit) and feels like quality. 

They're by Jacques Vert Collection, which has been sold at the Hudson's Bay Company stores locally for at least 20 years. 
Note the side zip with button (and there's a full placket covering the zip inside), plus the finishing on the waistband. And they're washable! That's quality! You could add another 0 to that for the retail price. $19.95 is a steal for these!

I also bought another item, but since it's a Christmas present, I can't show you!
"Is it a present for me?"


No, Vizzini, you don't get presents, remember? Click here for the funniest present Vizzini every got! 

Well, my friends, I'm off for the weekend, so be sure to drop by on Sunday for tales of spooky adventures! Thank you so much for stopping by!