Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Blue Dress and Mixed Metals

I don't know what motivated me to wear this dress today. 
I just spotted it in the closet last night and I knew. This blue dress! 

  • Dress - No. 6 Store, consignment; last seen here in September 2022 for a trip to the periodontist
  • Shoes - Pegabo, consignment; last worn here in September 2022 with gold and chevrons
  • Leather coat (below) - Danier, consignment; last seen here in February

I adore the rich colour and the unusual brown flowers (there's also some dusty pink in there). 
Pockets! 

It's a lovely swooshy silk. 
I layered a dusty pink vintage slip under it. 

I like the double V neckline. 
Especially one that doesn't slide around. 

I was putting my outerwear on to actually leave when I realized I hadn't taken my picture. 
Stocking feet! 

Must have my shades, and now I have my walking shoes on. 
"And I'm about to give you 5 minutes of panic."


I did not know Vizzini was there until I uploaded my photos! As he's done before, he hid deep inside L's closet. He loves his hidey-holes. 

Accoutrements: 
My coworker Jessica gasped at my Celine scarf and admired all the equestrian details. 

  • Silk scarf - Celine, thrifted
  • Leather gloves - vintage, thrifted

The stuff: 
I wanted a flat dressy shoe today. 

Mixed metal bling: 
I've had this ginormous leather belt for years. Those flat pyramid studs are all metal, a mix of gold and silver. 

  • Belt - BCBG Max Azria, consignment
  • Steel cuff - thrifted
  • Silver/gold cuff - JPA, vintage fair
  • Earrings - Biko, consignment
  • Lapis lazuli/Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Alaska Murder Blouse and Cowboy-Adjacent Boots

I had an office full of people today for a lunch meeting. 
Time to debut the Alaskan Murder Blouse! 

  • Top - Irving Nadler, vintage 70s, thrifted; purchased here for $16.95
  • Skirt - Mexx, thrifted; last worn here in December 2022 with business leopard on top
  • Boots - Coach, consignment; last seen here in April, with my PANK dress
  • Cape (below) - Arola, vintage 60s, thrifted; last worn here in March

A lovely view of the Castle today. 
Windy, though, which is why my hair is bouffed out in the Stair Picture. 

As I was browsing through my wardrobe on the weekend, planning outfits, I discovered two things. 
One is that the red in this skirt is actually orange. Blood orange? Maybe! 

The other thing is that this top is one big square of fabric.
 There's no shoulder seam, just black trim around the hole in the middle, aka the neck. 

A proper look. 
Dark skies, blood red clouds outlining the mountains, spiky icebergs, blood ocean. Right??

Angry skies on the back. I enjoyed seeing my coworkers' reactions to this blouse - most of them saw mountains and icebergs. 
This dark orange skirt is excellent quality: thick fabric, fully-lined, little pockets. 

I needed outerwear due to that pesky wind. It's cape weather!
Showing my little bag - my daily knapsack doesn't fit or look right under any of my capes. They are really meant for handbags or small cross-body bags. I carried my boots in a cloth bag. 

Fully incognito. 
I put my bracelets over my long leather gloves. That always feels extra Klassy to me, although some find it tacky (don't care, haha!). 

Accoutrements:
This purse has been such a good buy - I have easily worn it 20+ times since I bought it.

  • Silk scarf - Smoking Lily, vintage 90s, consignment
  • Leather gloves - Echo, consignment

The stuff:
I had a lot of comments on my "cowboy" boots. They're cowboy-adjacent, I'll give you that, but they're not full-on cowboy like these boots here.

Round bling: 
Some of that looks murderous! A snake, prison stripes, chain, circles of blood and some rather sharp blade earrings.

  • Striped bracelets - consignment
  • Snake bracelet - vintage mall
  • Silver chain ring - Mexican, consignment
  • Silver/enamel ring - antique store, Sidney
  • Silver earrings - Israeli, consignment

Monday, May 29, 2023

Thrifted Gaultier, Black Silk and Pops of Red

Happy Monday! Here's an outfit. 
I couldn't wait to wear this new-to-me vintage Jean Paul Gaultier top. This is up there with my long-ago $3.99 Prada top (here, from 2010) for Best Thrift Ever.

  • Top - Jean Paul Gaultier, vintage 90s, thrifted; purchased here for $6.95
  • Skirt - Ports 1961, thrifted; last worn here in May 2022 for a Mom-Day at Abkhazi Gardens
  • Shoes - Sol Sana; last seen here (2nd outfit) just over a week ago to the theatre
  • Thermoplastic jacket (below) - Adidas X Fiorucci, consignment; last worn here (4th outfit) to see a movie in April

I paired it with this black silk skirt (with pockets!). 
It was a quiet day (yay), but I missed being able to crow about my $6.95 thrift find. Gaultier! $6.95! Thank goodness for all of you out there!

I wore a camisole under it as it's rather boobtastic otherwise. You can just glimpse the peek of stripes along the front and back V-neckline - same fabric as the rolled-up sleeve lining.
I can picture it off-the-shoulder with a red lacy bra hanging out - it's very much that late 90s/early 00s worn-with-low-rise jeans vibe. 

Ah, those were fun times, but that's not my style anymore (and it wasn't then).
But I will put my hair up on the next wearing to show off the neckline better. 

Red really pops against it. 
I ended up chilled in the office and wore my thermoplastic jacket for most of the day. 

Incognito. 
I discovered that this jacket is excellent against strong winds as I walked home. It also heated up in the sun.

The stuff: 
The Gaultier top has more of a cream than a pure white, which is why I did these shoes. Plus I love them, duh. 

Tri-colour bling:
I had to take the bracelets off to put on or remove the jacket. 

  • Crystal heart pendant - found
  • Red/black Bakelite cuff - vintage 60s, gift from L
  • Black/white cuff - vintage, vintage fair
  • Silver/red enamel ring - antique store, Sidney
  • Silver balls ring - Sidney
  • Earrings - thrifted

Sunday, May 28, 2023

Weekend Wrap-Up: Princess in the Pea; Psychedelic Brunch Photo-Bomber

Welcome back, my friends! This was a weekend for battery-recharging, as we're about to go into a flurry of social activity and shenanigans over the next few months (as I'm sure many of you are as well). It's taking me a while to get used to getting back to "normal" - I need to do lots of down-time in preparation, so I took advantage of this quiet weekend to do not much of anything. 

Clothes always help me cope, so let's put some armour on! Here's Friday's funky outfit, featuring my pea-green dress. 
Once I paired it with pink, I immediately thought of "The Princess and the Pea" by Hans Christian Anderson (a VERY quick read, here, link 'cause I love). 

  • Jungle jacket - Adidas, consignment, Vancouver; first worn here in April with green lace
  • Dress - Trina Turk, consignment; purchased here for $45.00
  • Shoes - Seychelles, consignment; purchased here for $57.99

I'm not that delicate, but I do like this dress. 
It's the perfect match for this Adidas jungle bomber jacket, and I wore it like this for most of the day. 

See? 
Such a good match. 

With dresses like this, where you'd have to go braless or wear a strapless or some other such torture device, I say, eh, just layer a thin top under it. 
In this case, a white t-shirt. I cannot be bothered with complicated bra shenanigans. 

The dress is big ol' sack, but it's the cutest sack I've ever owned. 
I like that back detail. 

It looks like a pea pod when I put my hands in the pockets. 
Interesting pleats. 

Incognito. 
I had a plethora of pockets! 

The stuff: 
First wearing of these shoes, and I loved them! They were cushy and soft, and that was not a high heel for me. I was worried the leather straps would be stiff, but I could feel them softening over the day. Hooray! 

Pink and green bling:
This necklace was a perfect match too. 

  • Necklace - thrifted
  • Earrings - Kate Spade, consignment
  • Gold/amethyst ring - Frances Jewelers, c. 1965, Dad's
  • Olivine/coral ring - Hawaii, c. 1977, Mom's

L and I don't see much of each other during the week (he works brutal hours and has to travel often), so we deliberately didn't plan anything outside of our usual Saturday brunch with Nick. After a late evening of board games, we strolled right into the Ruby and enjoyed our brunch. 
These fabulous psychedelic jeans are right up my alley. I let them be the star. 

  • Blouse - Nanette Lepore, thrifted; last seen here as part of L's Hallowe'en costume (Galileo!), and on me here in September 2022 under a jumpsuit
  • Jeans - Sun,Deh, consignment; purchased here for $25.00
  • Shoes - Chie Mihara; last worn here (2nd outfit) earlier this month with orange leopard

I have a small collection of plain white tops for letting "bossy" pieces take over. 
Who doesn't love a rock star blouse? 

I like the classic stove-pipe silhouette on the jeans. 
It makes them less costume-y than a flare. 

A good bum. 
Also essential. 

Incognito. 
I didn't realize until I uploaded my photos on Sunday that I'd had a photo-bomber! L is looking dapper in his Kangol hat (in Dolphins colours), vintage Hawaiian shirt, orange khakis, and two-tone Fluevogs. 

The stuff: 
All favourites here. We walked over to Ditch Records and Dots after brunch, then grocery shopped. 

  • Wicker bag - Street Level, thrifted

Boho bling: 
The choker ties the whole outfit together. It was given to me by Mom - she bought it in the 70s. The sandalwood beads still faintly smell. 

  • Belt - Shi Studios
  • Buckle (removed from its belt) - Zara, thrifted
  • Brass ring - vintage 70s, vintage mall
  • Bronze ring - P. Sarpaneva, vintage 70s, vintage expo
  • Silver/amethyst ring - Frances Jewelers, c. 1965, Dad's
  • Gold chain bracelet - Dad's
  • Chain/leather bracelet - thrifted
  • Coin earrings - vintage 70s, Mom's
  • Choker - vintage 70s, Mom's

I "liberated" the coin earrings from Mom's jewelry box in the early 80s, and converted them to pierced with a couple of shepherd's hooks back then. 

L and I played more boardgames on Saturday, accompanied by lots of music and Vizzini (who is enjoying the gorgeous weather we've had all weekend). 
"Rock on!"


My silly, wonderful man. 

I hope your weekend was fulfilling and fun! Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Mom-Day Adventure: Gorge Waterway in Spring, Plus a Wee Shop

Welcome, my friends! Mom and I happily resumed our Mom-Daughter Adventure days with a trip back to Gorge Waterway Park, last visited here (scroll down) in February with L, and with Mom here in September 2022 on a silver anniversary.
Check out the snazzy new chapeau! Mom wanted to catch the red horse-chestnut tree in the background with the pink flowers. 

I have loads of pics to share, plus I had a successful shop (including one gasp-worthy treasure), so fortify yourself accordingly and let's go! 

Outfit. 
Nothing new at all in this outfit, all shopped from my closet. 

  • Jacket - Animale, thrifted; last worn here in September 2022 over a shiny spleated outfit
  • Top - J. Crew, thrifted; last seen here in September 2022 for a trip to Powell River
  • Skirt - J. Crew, thrifted; last worn here in June 2022 for the Day of Indolence
  • Shoes - Karl Lagerfeld; last seen here (2nd outfit) earlier this month for the theatre

I like to try to put together outfits of things Mom hasn't seen before, including my Completely Impractical Raincoat. Worst raincoat ever. 
It has a ginormous collar...but it's not big enough to cover my hair. 

And as you can see, it's cropped and has elbow-length sleeves. 
It's fine in warm weather, though. 

And it has a pair of pockets, which is always a good thing. 
The skirt is so pretty - that pattern goes with a lot in my wardrobe. 

The blue top was a good match. 
I took my jacket off while we had lunch and bared my blue bra straps (KLASSY). 

Incognito. 
This is how I looked walking home after my shop. 

I wore the scarf while we strolled in the park, as we were often in the shade. 
I felt very springy! 

Accoutrements:
So thrilled to have a yellow purse! 

  • Purse - Julia Sanchez by Vendome, vintage 70s, consignment
  • Silk scarf - Marc Rozier, consignment

The stuff: 
I hear ballet flats are trendy. I've had these since 2017. 

Bold bling: 
Some favourites.

  • Yellow cuff - thrifted 
  • Orange cuff/ring - Italian, vintage 60s, vintage mall
  • Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
  • Earrings - vintage 60s, vintage fair
  • Leather belt - Liz Claiborne, vintage 80s, thrifted

Mom and I parked in the Pavilion lot and walked down to the Gorge.
People were picnicking. 

And kids were playing on the swings. 
There were lots of people around, enjoying the space. 

The waterway is rimmed with white chain "rope" and posts. 
Clusters of trees - willows here - and masses of rhododendron bushes. 

Canada Geese feeding at the water's edge. 
The tide was going out - you can see the sandy bottom here. 

I adore willows. 
We had one in our backyard when I was a kid - my brother and I used to play "Tarzan" on it and swing on the branches. 

I love the contrast of colours here. 
An unoccupied bench! 

Looking behind us. 
What a gorgeous day. 

More lovely rhodos. 
Some of the bushes towered over our heads. 

On the water, a group of novice kayakers are headed for the boathouse. 
They made good time. 

I could see the water streaming past. 
The sea grass was waving, and we saw a small school of fish. 

We're getting close to the narrows, which are reversing rapids. 
The gent on the bench was with a corporate event at the pavilion (to the right here). 

Some twisty branches. 
Gnarly! 

Picturesque. 
I'm amazed there are no people in this. 

Mom and I watched this seagull swoop into the water and snatch up a crab and fly to the shore with it. 
I zoomed in and caught it mid-gulp. 

Ah, there are the rapids. 
We could see kayakers twisting in the water. 

Can't see them here. 
But I caught something else in my pictures that I hadn't realized. 

There was a heron under the bridge, watching! 
You can see one kayaker near the heron, behind the rock, and the other's paddle sticking out from the tree. 

Okay, up the hill to the Japanese gardens. 
That's a very long, steep path! See the two people at the top? 

This is the driveway in.
And some of the amazing rhodos. It was the perfect day for them. 

My favourite bridge.
I enjoy the twisty progression through the garden, as you are invited to look back, pause and reflect. 

"Mom, take my picture!"
Including the beautiful red Japanese maple tree behind me. 

These tiny pinecones were all over the path. 
Such perfection. 

Irises in the foreground. 
Birds twittering, insects buzzing. 

I caught another photo-bomber in this shot of Mom. 
See the white moth? 

Looking down along the stream. 
We'll have the reverse view shortly. 

More cones. 
That's a very fresh, new one. 

I trotted down the stairs to take more pics. 
Mom continued along the upper path. 

Looking back at the bridge at the top. 
A steady trickle of water gurgling. 

A perfect pink water lily.
I looked for fish, but only saw dragonflies. 

The shelter was covered in greenery. 
That's the spot for looking back. 

Bridge, platform. 
Pond. 

A glimpse of Mom through the branches.
I'd better catch up! 

Another lily. 
That cone in the upper right is another bud. 

A secret peek of the platform mid-pond. 
Pink azaleas. 

Mom and I had lunch at Montana's. 
Love that new hat - and that's a very jaunty angle! Thank you so much for the wonderful day, Mom! I love you! 

I bussed to town and walked up to the WIN Boutique on Cook Street. 
Another Jo Nesbo and "Flat-Out Sexy" which the clerk and I had a giggle over.

I did really well, clothes-wise - there was not a single item of stock that I recognized. I like a store with fast turnover! 

This quality sweater called to me. It's a fine-gauge knit.
I like the almost cartoon-like stripes. This will be a good layering piece. 

It's by Theory, a quality label. This is the Kralla SL Prosecco sweater and it originally sold for $215.00.
Into my basket you go, $12.95 bargain! 

Another good find in the boutique top section, this blouse reminds me of a murder mystery set in Alaska. 
Blood spatter! Icebergs! A bloody ocean! 

It is basically a big rectangle. The fabric is that early 80s polyester with woven texture. 
One seam per side to make sleeves. 

But it was the label that surprised me. That looks old! I couldn't find out much about Irving Nadler of Montreal, except that he died in 2008, and that there's a mention of him and picture of one of his dresses in this article here about an Expo '67 fashion exhibit (links 'cause I love, as always).
The company was incorporated in 1949 and seems to have finally faded away in the mid-90s. I would guess this is early 80s, possibly late 70s. For $16.95, I am happy. 

Another pair of white jeans? Why? 
Because Caro is hosting a tie-dye party! 

And these are 100% cotton. 
I wonder who made them?

It might be an unsolvable mystery! 
If only the tags were still attached. 

Or I could find anything on the garment. 
Har har, yes, they are by Articles of Society,

Similar jeans to this on their site are $37.00.
I paid $10.95.

But they were $24.95 originally. 
That feels like a deal. 

I know I already have pink pants, but these ones sucked me in.
I just love that colour, and these are cotton with a touch of Spandex. 

And they are "The Perfect Crop" by Talbots. 
They were the most expensive thing I bought, at $19.95. They retail for between $89.50 and $109.50. 

The boutique is a small space, so it's easy to go through the whole store in less than an hour. I often find good basics when I go through everything. 
Like this organic cotton pale yellow tank. 

It's by Eileen Fisher! Her stuff is usually marked up much higher. 
The retail is $78.00, but for me - $6.95. 

This top is the treasure. It caught my eye right away - of course it did! 

The upper half is lined in the black and white/cream striped knit (not a printed stripe), and is twisted at the top of the shoulder so that the stripes are exposed along the double V neck. 
I turned the sleeves up to show the stripes there too. It's that bouncy ponte jersey on the top, with a thick sweater knit for the bottom hem. 

Hibiscus flowers! What a lovely pattern. The small ones are printed.
The big flowers at the bottom are intarsia knit (not printed, expensive!). This is really good quality. 

The back has this loop on the back. 
I actually have another piece of clothing with that loop...this optic cardigan here, by Jean Paul Gaultier! 

My optic cardigan also has this label. 
Made in Italy, you say? 

Should I be afraid to wash this?
You had me at "whilst."

It is indeed Jean Paul Gaultier, and is from the same era as most of my Gaultier, the 1990s. 
I gasped at $6.95! Second hand sites list tops by him starting at $300 and going up into the $1,000 range! 

I walked home in the sunshine and enjoyed the best treasure of my day, these vintage 80s coffee mugs and matching sugar and creamer. 
Mom found them when she had her house deep-cleaned, and I'd mentioned them (I loved these when I was a teen). 

I always thought it was a wonky T on the bottom, but then I turned it upside down. 
That looks like a "JG" to me. And sure enough, that is Jan Grove of Jan and Helga Grove, local potters. Article about them here, from when they had an exhibit at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. 

Mom remembered buying the mugs (one has been broken at some point, leaving 3) at a craft fair at the local mall back in the early-to-mid 80s. 
I love them and will use them! And not that I'll ever sell them, but the sugar and creamer are worth around $50-75, and the mugs are probably around $30 each now. Good investment, Mom! 

And now, I'm off for an early start to my weekend! Thanks so much for dropping by - I'll see you on Sunday when I regale you with tales of adventure!