Welcome back, my friends! What a wonderful weekend, we've had! We had brunch out with Nick, followed by my late birthday party, and I have many pics and fab outfits to show you, so buckle up and grab a beverage!
L and I hung out and played board games on Friday night - that's good quality couple-time, unwinding after a busy week for both of us. I slept in a bit on Saturday, then got ready for brunch.
October's just flown away from me, and I've barely managed to wear all of my thematic clothes for the season! This tentacled/skull-ish sweatshirt is a newer favourite for this time of year.
- Sweatshirt - The Kooples, thrifted; last worn here (2nd outfit) in January for a casual Saturday
- Sparkly turtleneck - Jacob, thrifted; last seen here earlier this month
- Silver leather skirt - Cynthia Steffe, vintage 90s, consignment, Seattle; purchased here for $56.00 US
- Boots - Original Samedi, Fluevog; last seen here (2nd outfit) for Rifflandia in September
- Sleeveless coat (below) - Only, thrifted; last worn here in September
Time to break out the new-to-me silver leather skirt that I found in Seattle earlier this month.
Because it's loose, it sits lower on my hips, making the length better.
I layered a black sparkly turtleneck and a pair of lacy black tights underneath.
We had gorgeous sunny weather all weekend, but brrr! it's very cold.
I had a lot of compliments on my hair while we were out - the purple boots emphasize the colour.
"Go purple, you'll never go back," I advised a fellow silver-haired person in the grocery store.
Outerwear. You might notice I'm wearing black lip-liner with purple lipstick.
I'm such a rebel.
Incognito. My sleeveless coat was just right for brunch and a grocery shop.
I did pop into the thrift store while we waited in line, but John's Place is super-fast for seating and I didn't see anything...this time!
Accoutrements:
I love my skull scarf - it's 17 years old!
- Purse - Rebecca Minkoff, consignment
- Scarf - MetroWear, San Francisco
- Gloves - Nepalese, fair trade
The stuff:
Bigass purple boots. I could wear them every day!
Snake and spider bling:
I keep acquiring more and more spooky jewelry.
- Fang bangle and earrings - Alexis Bittar, consignment, gift from L
- Spider brooch - vintage mall, gift from L
- Snake brooch - c. 1986, gift from Mom and Dad
- Snake bangle - vintage mall
- Onyx/silver spider ring - Mexico, gift from Mom and Dad, c. 1985
- Silver snake ring - BC Museum Gift Shop, c. 1985
- Silver/obsidian ring - vintage mall, gift from L
- Silver/concrete ring - Raul Caballero, Oui Jewelry
- Glass snake pendant - Venice, gift from Mom
After grocery shopping, I spent the afternoon getting ready for the October Party, celebrating me and my friends with October birthdays - this year, that was me and Randall. I prepped all the party food (veggies/dip, fruit and cheese, candy, chips and nuts, all the basic food groups!) and then did the rest of my Hallowe'en decorating.
I started last week, putting up bits and pieces over the week so that it was less of a strain on me, and then took pics after I was done.
Welcome, and enter...IF YOU DARE!
A dragon door-knocker (which is there all year) and some caution tape - it's easy to remove and is reusable.
I added some more caution tape to the entrance to the kitchen (high enough so the tall folks wouldn't catch on it) and a spider web.
The needlepoint picture is a quote from the movie "Shaun of the Dead", given to us by friend Missy many years ago - it is part of our regular décor.
More caution tape at the other end of our galley kitchen, and more spider webs on the left.
I haven't cleaned off the hall bench for coats yet - I see me in the mirror, waving. Hello!
The scotch bar is decorated with glittery green/orange/purple/black garland, a sparkly Darth Vader card (upper right), and a grinning chocolate box (empty).
There are also scattered sparkly mini gourds and little tea lights all over. The lights are on the bar all year-round (battery-operated).
To the left of the kitchen - I decorated on top of this cabinet with black fabric roses, spiderwebs, and a black ceramic skull I've had for over 30 years, brought back from Mexico by Mom and Dad. It didn't make it home intact in their luggage - I glued it back together then and it's held every since.
More sparkly gourds, plus my awesome cast iron gate candleholder (c. 1995ish).
A close-up of the dish with my recently thrifted cat candleholder. I thought it looked like it's yakking up a hairball...
"Huh-RURRKKKK! I threw up some yummy treats for you."
Those are Reese's Pieces, my faves.
To the left of the cabinet is our built-in bookcase, which I covered with a string of tiny orange battery-operated lights that I bought for half-price at the drugstore earlier this week, along with a purple set and a spider web.
The lava lamp is warming up, and there's a nice cozy spot for people to rest their tired feet.
I bought two more gold tinsel curtains at Dollarama last week, and put them in front of the purple curtain lights (up all year), effectively blocking off the dining room window. I draped a few strands over my gargoyle, Smaug. We had more food on the bookcases in front of him.
Some more spiderwebs on the picture of the Queen, my little metal tree and decorations, and assorted skulls, glitter gourds and spiders stuck on the walls with Scotch tape (I cut up a big garland so that I could play with the orange and black paper glitter spiders separately).
The left wall of the living room - the family gallery - got the spider and web treatment.
And the shiny chrome landline phone (our actual phone) is joined by the glitter rocket, purchased for last year's Space Party (
here).
Turning and looking at the rest of the living room area, lit by a crystal vase filled with purple lights. I bought the fuzzy bat on the left at Dollarama, which is also where I found the black paper chandelier (assembled earlier this week).
The pink glitter spider (Dollarama) lurked over a veggie platter - I can't put the food out until guests arrive, as Vizzini goes after it.
I added a few odds and ends to the TV area - a metal spider web, a fun gift bag, a couple of skulls, and two styrofoam grave markers. You can also see my rubber skull coasters on the coffee table.
We put the fireplace heat on for our partygoers - it was snuggly warm in our house. The big pillow is on the floor in front of one of the deck doors to discourage people from using that door, and to keep Vizzini away from the tinsel curtains.
A little vignette of Lord of the Rings on the floating shelf, plus Hallowe'en.
More sparkly gourds with my two ceramic ghosts and metal web (both c. 1992).
My cast iron candelabra was bought at the same time as the gate candleholder, ordered wholesale when I worked at the year-round Christmas store, sometime around 1995.
I used the recently-thrifted wooden sparkly skull wreath as a base. It didn't work anywhere as a wreath, but it fits perfectly here.
The two deck doors and corner.
Caution tape on the discouraging door. Our guests cooled off from dancing via the right door.
I had to wait until the sun was nearly down to take deck pics. Two silver curtains covering the deck doors on the left - I'm sitting in the chair at one end of the L, looking at the corrner.
The battery-operated purple lights line the bottom of the windowsill. Some of my solar lights have come on - they don't get too much juice this time of year, so they don't last very long.
This is my new battery-operated spider web, complete with three spiders.
Found on clearance for $9.95 - bargain!
Looking from the corner of the deck to the other end.
More silver curtains on this side where Vizzini won't nibble on them. I enjoyed a few quiet moments out here with friends, chatting and enjoying all the sparkly lights.
My new fuzzy purple spider supposedly glows in the dark, but I don't think he got much sun during the day.
"No glow for you!"
The theme of our party was "Fancy" - dress fancy, whatever fancy means to you, including wearing a costume if you feel like it. L had already planned out his clothes, and while we chatted with Nick at brunch, we came up with the idea of doing "Ace Frehley Eyes" - Ace being an original member of the band KISS, a longtime favourite band of L's and mine.
This is Ace's make-up and these are the two images L gave me for copying.
On the left is Ace's solo album as a KISS member (fave track
here, enjoy while you read, link 'cause I love), and on the right is a much more mature Ace. L told me that Ace always did his own make-up - inspiring!
For practicality's sake and because I also had to get ready for the party, we scaled back on the design. No white background, no black lips (eating/drinking) and no extra blue line/eyebrow, as L really dislikes stuff around his eyes. "How do you do this every day?" he asked me as I worked on his face.
"You get used to it." I mapped out the zig-zag shapes with eyeliner dots to make sure it was symmetrical.
I then coloured in the shape with silver make-up powder, outlined L's eyes with black eyeliner and thickened the black outlines. Woo, that's scary make-up - I did a good job!
It was easy to correct any spots or blurs with a damp Q-tip afterwards, and L just washed it all off with soap and water. It was rather blurry by 3am when we finally went to bed!
L's fabulous Fancy outfit started with his forest green velvet bespoke Dolce & Gabbana blazer, purchased secondhand.
He wore his "Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll" shirt, BOC pin, a thrifted guitar buckle, a sword brooch and a Fancy pair of Fluevogs.
But I know you're all dying to see what I wore! Because, of course, I changed outfits - I always do at least two. Doing two or more outfits for one event requires a "Test-Drive" to make sure everything works, and that's when I did the pictures. I redid my make-up prior to the party, so I had a more glam look - party pics below.
This is Fancy Outfit #1.
Both L and my girlfriends thought I'd worn this dress before and that this was a re-wear - the fabric is very similar to this dress
here from way back in 2013. It obviously made an impression and I do lean towards this pattern/colour palette.
- Dress - Marfil Barcelona, thrifted; purchased here for $14.49
- Shoes - Melissa + Vivienne Westwood, consignment; last worn here in March 2020 for some early-Pandemic weekend silliness - disco-themed!
I knew all along that I'd wear this dress for this party. I had had thoughts of adding Hallowe'en make-up (an autopsy scar on my chest and dead make-up), but by the time I did my Test Drive, taken pics, and finished with L, I just had time to redo my make-up before our first guests showed up.
Besides, I look amazing.
What a gorgeous dress - I wore this for the first 3 hours of the party.
I love the faux wrap, high-low hem, the perfect hip/waist fit on me.
The top is a bit big, and presented a bit of a challenge. I tried to do bra shenanigans (stick ons, strapless, adapters and even braless) but nothing quite worked.
So in the end, I wore my ultra push-up Fanciest bra, and let the strap show.
I couldn't see it, so it did not bother me. Besides, I needed that bra for the next outfit...
The stuff:
These are very high heels that I don't wear very often, but they looked best with the dress and I loved seeing them and giving them some love after three years. I switched to lower heels for the latter half of the night.
At 10pm, when all of our wonderful Chosen Family had arrived (so that everyone could see Outfit #1), I changed into Fancy Outfit #2, which wowed the crowd.
When I played with my new purchase, I quickly realized how sexy and fabulous it would be for a party outfit. I hadn't been feeling inspired for a second outfit - Shopping Karma comes around!
- Suit - Only, consignment; purchased here a few days ago for $60.00
- Shoes - Super Fine Cardinal, Fluevog; last worn here last week with mustard and brocade
Va-va-voom! I glittered up my cleavage and wore my prettiest bra. My friends loved it.
This is what 56 looks like! I was showered with compliments on my pleather suit and overall look. This was everyone's favourite outfit.
I slightly changed up my accessories by swapping to gold earrings, and adding my gold snake necklace.
The gold shoes were much admired too.
The suit is a perfect fit, and I loved wearing it.
I'm excited to style it for everyday wear - I will definitely wear it to work, with a top underneath!
The stuff:
This lower heel allowed my feet to recover from the previous higher shoes - going straight to flat would stress my feet more. I lasted until 2am in these, dancing and laughing the night away.
Snake bling:
This is everything from both outfits. "Perfectly styled!" said Vero.
- Snake cuff - Whiting and Davis, vintage 1970s, vintage fair
- Gold bracelet - thrifted
- Gold earrings - Biko, consignment
- Snake necklace - vintage 80s, vintage expo
- Amber ring - c. 1996
- Snake ring - consignment
- Snake earrings - Red Sky, local
And now, some party pics courtesy of my dear friend Randall. Thank you!
Casey (incredibly dapper in a navy tux he bought at Turnabout) and Greg. Rosanna wasn't feeling 100% so didn't join us - missed you, honey!
From left: L with his Goblet of Rock; Ross, wearing a Vivienne Westwood blazer, bought by L at Turnabout in Vancouver; Cat, in a gorgeous Kate Spade dress, bought at House of Savoy with me; Justin in a skull and crossbones tie with red crystal eyes (so Fancy!), and Yvonne, in head-to-toe consignment (with me).
Cat and Yvonne were wearing the same Fluevogs in different colours! Yvonne had red booties and Cat was wearing black with floral tights. My friends are so Fancy!
Now with 100% more Randall!
Looking fine in his green suit! Love the pocket square.
Cat and me! Aw, love this pic.
The lilies in the background were a gift from Caro.
The Winesday Women, friends for nearly 20 years.
Cat, Vero (in a gorgeous yellow dotted thrifted wrap dress and combat boots), Caro (in a thrifted dress, vintage boots and a pass-along Halston blazer from her mum), me and Yvonne. Love you all so much.
I got presents! A wonderful card ("Just buy the f**king shoes.") along with a very generous gift card for Fluevog from Alison and Tony.
A vintage 80s salamander brooch from Cat - I love it! And my annual Winesday Women gift card, also to Fluevog. I see shopping in my future!
And now, Gentle Reader, back to my real life - watching football and eating leftover party food with a kitty snoozing on my lap. I hope you had a wonderful weekend - thank you so much for stopping by.
I also wore contacts, which disconcerted a few of my coworkers. "Something's different..." I lasted for half of the day before I put my glasses on, which I'd had the foresight to pack. 
This was a very comfortable costume to wear and work in, and quite a simple one. I knew it would take a lot of energy for me to be "on" all day again after years of quietude, so I was kind to myself and didn't overreach. 
Such a lovely coat - it's a Welsh wool weave called Eclipse (hence it's the Eclipse Coat). 
Nice big pockets! It was brisk but not too cold, and sunny all day. If I were a kid, it would be a perfect night for trick-or-treating. Instead, I shall stay inside and watch scary movies. 
I had to wear Mom's "Hallowe'en" scarf - this used to be in her dress-up bag! Pierre Balmain is rolling over in his grave! 
I made paper versions of my communicator badge with my company's logo in the middle, and gave them out to everyone who came into the office. 
There's a squirrel in the Garry Oak tree. They've been dislodging all the leftover acorns and burying them in the garden. 
Watching a food delivery guy. 
That deer might try to steal the acorns! 
The velvet on his antlers is probably itchy. 
Get those acorns down! Bury them!
It's a blur! 
He's looking for food, having eaten all our flowers. Ah, urban wildlife.
