Spring Velvet, Old Obi and Pink Menagerie

I actually built this outfit around a new-to-me item... and ended up swapping it for a different piece.  

See if you can guess which one!   

• Faux leather jacket - Only, consignment; last worn here in January with houndstooth and lime
• Menagerie top - vintage, Vancouver; last seen here in July 2022 with pink and blue
• Skirt - Linda Lundstrom, vintage 90s, thrifted; last worn here in August 2022 with a split kimono
• Shoes - Sol Sana; last seen here in June 2022 with brown floral

The sun's rising on the Castle and Bert and Ethel, a mated seagull pair, are back for another year on "their" nest, the heat vent for the apartment building next door.

Did you know that seagulls can live for 20 years? Fact. 

I have a collection of Interesting Blouses With Short Sleeves - when I spotted this patterned top in Vancouver last year, I grabbed it. 

It's a menagerie of animals! I see an elephant, butterflies, a squid, a flamingo and a monkey. 

The long swooshy skirt is silk velvet, the perfect weight for spring. 

It has a weird hem because it's nearly one full piece of fabric, sewn on the bias. 

It takes some expert skirt-wrangling, but I'm long accustomed to the perils of offices.

I wore a full vintage slip under this. 

My outerwear also functioned as a blazer in the chilly office. 

I wore it for the afternoon. 

Bundled up for the spring chill. 

The pops of pink make me happy. 

Accoutrements: 

I need to dig out my big spring scarves still, but I welcomed the warmth of the snuggly boa.  

• Fur boa - thrifted
• Gloves - consignment

The stuff: 

If you guessed the shoes as the item I swapped out, you are correct, well done. I'd planned around these new-to-me flats, but these soft pink beauties called to me. Double velvet! 

The stuff: 

The swap to the velvet shoes also inspired me to wear one of my old obis. I went through a massive Smoking Lily (local, handmade, screenprinted clothes and accessories - link here 'cause I love!) phase from 2008 to around 2013 and I bought a lot of their clothes second-hand. I've moved along most of those over the years, but have always kept my obis since they don't take up much room. My recent accessory re-org (here, scroll down) inspired me to put my obis out to where I can see them, with my Smoking Lily scarves. I have 5 obis and four scarves.

• Earrings - consignment
• Silk obi - Smoking Lily, c. 2009, consignment
• Steel cuff - thrifted
• Hinged silver cuff - thrifted, Powell River
• Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes
• Balls ring - Sidney

Check it out, I found a post from August 2009 here and from October 2009 here with me wearing this specific obi. Wow, 14 years ago...