Bigass Long Weekend Wrap-Up: Funky Friday in Leather Upgrate and Leopard; Mental Health Shop in Heavy Leather; Family Day Leopard

Welcome back, my friends! It's been a wonderful weekend, and I still have a few precious hours before I got back to reality, so let's not tarry - to the clothes! I got dress three times, treated myself to a Mental Health Shop of regret-me-nots and enjoyed a long weekend Family Day gathering with the Family We Choose. 

Funky Friday! 

This outfit was hugely popular in my office - I had a boardroom of 20 people invading my desk area for the entire day, which was both disruptive and welcome. I've missed people! 

• Studded jacket - Michael Kors, consignment; purchased here for $61.00
• Sweater - Tabi, thrifted; last worn here (2nd outfit) in December 2022 with gold and a yeti
• Skirt - Rena Rowan, thrifted; last seen here in January 2022 with a different green sweater
• Shoes - Half Truth Tanya, Fluevog; last worn here in October 2022 with a digital dress
• Coat (below) - Terry Lewis Classic Luxuries, thrifted; purchased here for $64.95

First wearing for this new-to-me gorgeous studded leather jacket. It is my upgrade from my old cropped leather jacket (this one here). 

My old jacket was worn a whopping 37 times and I paid $58.98 for it, for a very respectable $1.59 per wear. 

It was getting a little worn and a mite tight, so when this lovely studded jacket came my way, I followed my own advice: Always Be Upgrading. 

I love that the studs go all the way around on both the hem and the neckline. 

I took the jacket off a few times when I overheated from exertion and/or hot flushes. 

The sweater is a true emerald green. 

The skirt is very strokable - it's a thick pile, almost like a plush. 

I'm happy to be fitting back into it - it's very high-waisted, as it's a vintage piece from the late 80s. 

Zipped up. 

I only did this to put my coat on. 

Voila! Outerwear! 

I had to wear my new-to-me gold leather trenchcoat! 

I loved wearing it - it was very comfy. 

Nice deep pockets. I had a haircut after work and showed it off to Kaitlyn who oohed and ahhed over it, and the rest of my outfit. 

Accoutrements: 

First wearing of this lovely vintage scarf from Mom's closet. 

• Scarf - Pierre Cardin, vintage, Mom's - acquired here
• Hat - Club Monaco, thrifted
• Gloves - Parkhurst

It was snuggly warm! 

The stuff: 

I love these green shoes - I have had them forever, going on 10 years. 

Bold bling: 

All favourites. 

• Silver/amber necklace - vintage mall, gift from L
• Crystal studded cuff - Juicy Couture, consignment
• Silver/malachite bangle - thrifted, Sidney
• Poison ring - Mexican, Karen's
• Smoky topaz ring - Anneli Neuman, Sweden, vintage mall
• Earrings - thrifted

L picked me up after my haircut and we spent the evening playing boardgames and listening to music - my favourite kind of weekend date! 

I skipped brunch in favour of running an errand I'd completely whiffed on last weekend - buying my dear friend Cat's birthday gift card from the Winesday Women. Twist my rubber arm - I had to back to Turnabout! 

I also had a specific piece stuck in my head that I's seen twice at Fort Street shop MONA, so I hoofed it to town first,  hoping it was still there, then walked all the way to Turnabout in Oak Bay (with a stop in at House of Savoy for another regret-me-not from last weekend). 

• Coat - Gianfranco Ferre, Spring 2003, consignment; last worn here in February 2022 with this same skirt
• Sweater - Jean Paul Gaultier, vintage 90s, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) in October 2022 for brunch with bright yellow
• Skirt - Marc O'Polo, thrifted; last worn here in February 2022, with this coat!
• Boots - Aldo, thrifted; last seen here in January at Elk Lake with Mom

I love this coat - it is very heavy as it's covered in hundreds of custom bronze safety pins. 

It had a ton of admirers as I was out and about - it is rather spectacular. 

The back seams are held together by more safety pins. 

I'm done with this leather skirt, however- I bought it for $29.99 in October 2019 and have worn it once per year (4 times) with this same safety pin coat every time. It doesn't inspire me, so I'm fine with $7.50 per wear and will pass it along to someone else to enjoy. 

I took the jacket off to show the Gaultier sweater to Emilie at House of Savoy. 

I bought it there, in July 2017, for $38.00. 

All done up and showing off the generous slit in the skirt. Scandalous! 

There was an especially heavy mist as I walked to MONA on my mission (my hair turned into a cloud of fuzzy waves), but it cleared up later in the afternoon. 

Accoutrements: 

I loved how well the scarf and purse went together. 

• Purse - Ted Lapidus, vintage 90s, vintage fair
• Silk scarf - vintage, thrifted
• Gloves - Principles, vintage 90s, thrifted

The stuff: 

Good walking boots, which I fortunately never had to take off - no zips! 

This was my prize from MONA - I put it back twice when previously shopping there, but I couldn't get it out of my head. 

It's a red plastic Adidas jacket! 

But not JUST Adidas...Fiorucci X Adidas.

The 3 Stripes are in tone-on-tone red fabric down the shoulders and sleeves. 

All the buttons are stamped and logo'd.

Fiorucci's collaboration with Adidas lasted a few years - this is from the 2019 collection and is called the Kiss Jacket. 

There's our date proof, plus the Adidas x Fiorucci site still exists here (and there's my jacket - better bust out some 80s shorts!).

It's definitely plastic. 

Thermoplastic polyurethane. Could be sweaty to wear! 

I love the classic label. 

It's an oversized cut - XS fits. Deanna kindly gave me 10% off, so this was $125.00 - still not cheap but I really love it, and the original retail was $350.00. 

I also picked up this linen top for $38.00.

It has a cool silver finish on it, almost like rubber. 

I was surprised to see it was linen. 

I've seen Kokomarina (a French company) clothing in various boutiques around town. 

This would have sold for $75-90 new. 

Real shell buttons! I'll be saving this for summer. 

L was horrified when I showed him this dress from House of Savoy that I'd gone back for. It had stuck in my brain from the previous weekend. 

I know, the colour! So neutral! "Oatmeal is for eating, not wearing," is a phrase I often say. And here I am buying oatmeal. 

But it's going to work well with tops/blouses/sweaters underneath it, plus I adore the tactile experience of it. 

It is a long fuzzy plush, almost like a very long velvet or short fur - I love he feel of it. Sometimes the texture really matters! 

It's by Magic Yous. 

All I was able to find out about it is that it is/was a Korean brand. Emilie at House of Savoy generously gave me a 10% discount, so it was $50.00. 

I popped into A La Mode consignment store deep in the heart of Oak Bay Village (link here, but I don't list them in my "Favourites" here). I very rarely go in there, but I have bought 4-5 things there over the past 15 years. 

This was on the sale rack out front. 

"Haven't you already reached Peak Leopard Skirt?" asked L when I showed this to him. 

I have the fuzzy leopard pencil skirt above, as well as this awesome denim leopard skirt here. This is a bias-cut satin midi-skirt. Totally different! 

It's by Scotch & Soda by Maison Scotch ("l'amour toujours" - always love), a brand I'm fond of. This was new with tags for $49.00, marked down half price. 

The original price is right there: $189.00. 

After a stop in at Rogers' Chocolates for long weekend chocolate, I finally made it to Turnabout, where I bought Cat's gift card for her right away. I then had a quick look around - I'd tried on an amazing Kenzo leather jacket the weekend previous that I was having twinges of regret over...but it was gone. 

I consoled myself with this lovely marled grey fleece skirt, that I'd tried on previously. It has the fullness and swooshiness that I like in my bottoms, without the overly twee/girly vibe.

It has interesting pleated details at the waist, plus big orange-lined pockets.

It was on deep clearance, for a mere $27.00, regular Turnabout price $89.00. 

It's by Eliza Faulkner and it was made in Canada. She was featured in Elle Canada as a "designer to watch" (article here from 2019 - she's from Vancouver Island!).

The linen versions of the Winnie skirt (which is what this is) sell for $220.00 so it was originally at least that. 

I bought this snuggle of a dress for wearing around the house. It's a poly/acrylic blend, so the moths won't feast on it. 

I love the thick knit, which is not a print - that's the way the wool is coloured that creates the striping. It reminds me of the sweaters that I just got from Mom! 

It's called the Kadera Knit dress, and the colours are toffee, chalk and grey. 

It's by Kaffe and retailed for $150.00 - it was new with tags. I've seen this brand around town in chi-chi boutiques - it's also sold at Dots. 

How did someone not want this snuggle-licious cuddle of a dress? I wore it multiple times for gaming over the weekend, and it was fantastic. Very warm and soft.

It was mine for a mere $35.00, marked down from $69.99.

L and I spent the evening playing board games until the wee hours, while we listened to music - we both really needed the time together, and the long weekends are so precious to get that down-time. 

On Sunday, we lounged around in the morning, then walked to town to spend the afternoon with the Family We Choose (aka the crew), just like old times - in an actual pub! 

Getting a wearing in of my new leopard skirt right away. I dislike the white on the back of the print, but it's not visible unless I'm sitting like this. 

• Acid wash vest - Chiqle, thrifted; last worn here in December 2022 over lace
• Burn-out velvet top - True Religion, consignment; last seen here with spooky suede in October 2022
• Skirt - Scotch & Soda, consignment; purchased above for $49.00
• Shoes - Marquess Swordfish, Fluevog; last worn here (2nd outfit) in December 2022 for another shopping trip
• Leather jacket (below) - Banana Republic, consignment; last seen here in December 2022

I just loved this outfit - this feels so much like me right now. 

Without the vest. This silk velvet burnout (devore - de-VOR-ay, if you're classy) top hits that sporty look that I've been vibing on lately, plus it has Secret Skeletons. 

You can just see one of the skulls in the centre of my back. 

Vest on. 

Studs, pocket flaps for brooches, real pockets. 

And acid wash! 

The skirt was just lovely to wear, although I did need a slip underneath (I'm wearing a vintage Dior half-slip). 

Outerwear - this leather biker jacket reads a very orange-y red, and went perfectly with the skirt. 

It was an added bonus that the soles of my shoes are also an orange-red! Matchy! 

Ready to go, my love? 

"I'm with Cowboy," I said to our server multiple times at Craft, which is the old Canoe Club pub we've visited many times in the past.

Accoutrements: 

It was windy and chilly out - we walked briskly to town. 

• Purse - Rebecca Minkoff, consignment
• Hat - Delux, Saanich Fair, c. 2008
• Silk scarf - Alexander McQueen, consignment, Vancouver
• Leather gloves - consignment

The stuff: 

These are good walking shoes, very comfy, utterly cool. 

Amber bling:

I'd forgotten that I'd unearthed this old kilt pin, which is from one of Mom's kilts from back in the day. I "liberated" two kilts from her closet in the mid-80s, and this was on one of them. I wore it pinned on the vest. 

• Studded cuff - homegrown vintage 90s
• Crystal bangle - Juicy Couture, consignment
• Necklace - vintage 30s, vintage mall, gift from L
• Fur rose - consignment
• Anneke & Lars ring - vintage mall
• Amber thumb ring - consignment, Sidney
• Silver/onyx ring - Tocara, vintage fair
• Bronze ring - P. Sarpaneva, vintage 70s, vintage expo
• Amber ring - Past Times, 1996, gift from L
• Kilt pin - vintage 50s, Mom's
• Earrings - vintage 1920s, vintage mall, gift from L

I was fully armoured up! 

You'll forgive my indulgence in posting a bunch of pictures of our crew - every time we gather is a gift. 

These pics were by Yvonne. From left: Vero, Caro, Ross, Nick, Justin, L, Randall, Cat, me and Linda. 

"Now with me!" said Yvonne.

"Wait, you missed Linda!" I cried. 

Here she is! But where's Vero?

Much hilarity ensued. 

I love my friends so much. 

Great tights, Vero! 

We were in the upper area of Craft. 

I wasn't super-impressed with it overall, although it's nice to look at. 

But it's the company that's important. My ninja pics. 

Ross in a contemplative moment, Nick, L and Randall. 

My darlings Yvonne and Caro. 

Love you two beauties! 

Linda, the artistic soul. 

She made her dress, which is printed with moon phases. 

Cat's birthday is coming up, so she got her gift card (I also bought her a cool scarf) from the Winesday Women. 

She's also a talented sewist - she made her top and mustard corduroy trousers (not shown, but awesome). Happy early Birthday, hon! 

We headed home in the early evening to feed our little furry family member. 

"I'm part of the fam too."

I got up to get a drink while we were enjoying a bonus evening of games and music, and came back to find he'd stolen my pile of cushions. 

"You warmed them up for me."

My couch is squishy, so I like a bit of extra height while I'm gaming. We have room to share the cushions, Vizzini.

"But I want them all to myself!"

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Thank you so much for visiting my wee corner of the Blogoverse, my friends!