First up, the outfit.
- Sweater - Karl Lagerfeld, consignment; last worn here (3rd outfit) in March for Saturday brunch
- Skirt - Gunex, thrifted; last seen here (3rd outfit) in that same outfit in March
- Boots - Babycakes Mini, Fluevog; last worn here in October 2022 for my actual birthday
- Plush Tsarina vest - Buffalo by David Bitton, consignment, Powell River; last seen here (2nd outfit) in March for a different Saturday brunch, a Reader Request
I've worn all these components together before - but with different boots.
I had tons of compliments on the vest all day.
It's rather fabulous.
I've always loved embellished clothes. The entire lining of this is thick teddy-bear plush. So snuggly!
Without the vest, which I took off while we had lunch at the Beagle Pub in Cook Street Village.
I love that brown is trending fashion-wise - everything comes around again.
This heavy cotton sweater is always a challenge to wear - those ginormous cuffs don't fit under any of my coats.
My bark skirt is an old favourite, going back to when when I thrifted it in 2014, nearly 10 years ago. This is its 20th wearing!
It's a full circle skirt, see?
Forget "bark", it's more like a stump!
I looked like this while I had a browse in the Velvet Crease and MONA.
This was not a good shopping outfit (too many layers, hairclip and necklace), but that forces me to only try on the best things that I really like.
It's very swooshy.
It's soft, and yet it can stand on its own.
This is how I looked as Mom and I walked through Beacon Hill Park.
I was good while we were in the sun, but chilly in the shade.
I should have worn a long-sleeved tee under the sweater (I had a regular tee under it).
These were good boots for a slow, chatty stroll around the park, followed by a couple of hours shopping and a short walk home.
I was glad I'd worn thick socks over my tights!
Accoutrements:
Some old faves.
- Purse - Ted Lapidus, vintage 90s, vintage fair
- Silk scarf - Pierre Balmain, vintage 80s, thrifted
- Velvet gloves - vintage 00s, thrifted
The gloves were not warm enough.
The stuff:
Brassy bling:
Mom liked how the necklace picked up the greens in the vest.
- Necklace - Plum, c. 2010
- Brass/wood earrings - LA Express, c. 1994
- Jade/brass ring - vintage 70s, Mom's
- Silver poison ring - Mexican, Karen's
- Brass ring - vintage 70s, vintage mall
- Brass/copper cuff - Karen's
- Brass/leather cuff - vintage 70s, Mom's
She spotted "her" stuff right away.
Before Mom picked me up in the morning, I had some time after the cleaners finished up, so I dug out my three bags of winter coats I'd had in storage.
My coat closet before.
I remove about 10-20% of my coats per season, just the thinnest and thickest ones.
A pile waiting to be folded and bagged.
I reserve the right to change my mind, and add any back, or put more away. See you in 6 months, coats!
Coat closet after.
I spy my Halston and the Grape Ape!
And then Mom arrived, and off we headed.
It was such a lovely day, and so good to spend it together.
We parked near the petting zoo, and headed straight into the park. What a gorgeous blue sky!
That redwood is the Family Tree - we have lots of pics of generations of our family sitting in the branches.
We headed for what I will always think of as the Rose Garden (they moved the Rose Garden years ago, but the brain persists).
We could see a bunch of peacocks gaggling on the far side, near that green bench.
We paused to look at the sundial.
I tried to get both our shadows in.
A woman settled on the bench and dug into her bag.
The peacocks came! I think they know her!
More of them came out of the wooded area behind her.
She fed them from her hand. The birds are rather drab this time of year.
Mom and I skirted the bench and headed into the trees.
Beacon Hill Park is a roughly sculpted park - not as fancy as Butchart Gardens (which was a Jeopardy clue this past week, link here, all links 'cause I love). I always recommend it to friends who come to town.
Another peacock dashed past us, accompanied by a bouncing black squirrel.
We saw tons of squirrels, digging around in the ground. Many of them approached us.
There are a few roads through the park, for maintenance only.
Lots of paths, some paved, some not.
Hey, Mom, someone's following you!
"Hey, lady, got any acorns?"
We approached one of the lakes and could hear the ducks long before we could see it.
They were squawking and splashing.
Some of the wild areas, full of indigenous plants.
I love the Garry Oaks, the very twisty tree on the right.
What a pretty view.
The fall colours were fading, but there's still lots of green.
The house I grew up in had a giant weeping willow that draped into our backyard, and I've had a fondness for them since.
Lily pads and an arched bridge. The two apartments buildings in the background are up for redevelopment, sigh. They'll probably put in 20-storey towers.
The park was full of people enjoying the sights, and taking pictures of the wildlife. See the person in the blue coat on the far side?
Aren't the willows amazing?
Some ducks came over to see if we had any food.
Sorry, guys.
It was far too cold to see any turtles this time of year, and we didn't see a single heron.
I saw a bald eagle circling as we were driving into the park, though.
This poor tree has seen many declarations of love.
Some people...
I tromped over the mushy grass to see what all the little lumps were near the water.
They were tree roots.
Looking back at the stone bridge, another site of Angsty Teenage Poetry-Writing.
Beacon Hill Park is a great place to just go and sit.
This is the turtle log (pic here from March).
This time, only ducks were on it. That swirl of ducks on the left were diving underwater, one after the other.
The sun hit just on the fountain.
Those are the trees we saw the herons in last time. No herons in October!
Looking back - ahhhh, such beautiful colours.
I'm so lucky to be able to visit here whenever I want.
Thank you for suggesting it, Mom!
She's posing at the Emily Carr bridge - this is where Emily would cross to go from her house in James Bay to spend time in the park. About Emily here.
These two ducks were sleeping at the lip of this small waterfall.
The mallard cracked an eye at me.
A picturesque trickle of water amongst the cedars.
So pretty.
A bench for viewing the Moss Lady.
The what?
The Moss Lady.
She's not very mossy right now.
Such colours.
My stomach's rumbling, time for lunch!
We ambled back to the car.
A big cluster of cedars.
And a fat black squirrel, giving me the eye.
"You may pass."
We crossed the grass - it's easier to walk on than the hard concrete.
So much beauty around us.
This peacock wouldn't pose for the woman on the right.
But he headed right over to Mom and me.
Look how close!
He's nearly standing on my shadow.
Mom at the pub. This is another new top of hers from a recent shop. It's Wedgewood blue, with full sleeves in a nice silky knit.
The neckline is trimmed with bugle beads, and has a tie to play with and adjust the neck. You look awesome - I love you, Mom!
Mom dropped me off near Fort Street and I had a poke through the Velvet Rose consignment shop. They still have 20% off everything, with some 50% off items. I got these old new-in-package nylons for $2.40 a pair.
The Life brand ones on the right are from Shoppers Drug Mart.
The Cameo brand pair (which are in an "oyster" shade) are quite aged.
1991! Ha! I wonder if the Lycra has any zing left?
I also found this gorgeously tactile VELOUR top.
It's a slightly cropped shape with a wide neckline.
The sleeves have been ruched/elasticated not once but TWICE!
Bastard massive sleeves!
It's by Juicy Couture and retailed for $79.00 (it's a modern design, not vintage).
I paid $34.40. I love it - it's the cosiest, thickest velour ever!
I nearly put this back. "I have an awesome orange blazer already," I thought. But I don't have an orange faux leather SUIT, do I?? Nope, I do not.
The pants are pull-on and more like a legging with a seam down the front. Note the splits on the front of the hem. These look very cool with some of my funky shoes.
This is also current merchandise - proof you can find recent/on-trend clothes second hand. This is an oversized blazer, but in a size small, so it's more of a snug fit.
Real pockets, and a generous size too! There are no pockets on the pants, boo.
A brown button. I am not usually a fan of faux leather, as it doesn't age well, but this is really nice quality.
Both the pants and the jacket were new-with-tags, never worn. The lining is made from recycled polyester.
It's by Only, and was originally $105 for the blazer, then marked down to $42.96.
The pants are a size XL, which I like so that they are not skin-tight (which I do not like).
They were originally $59.00, marked down to $29.96. I did the math and pointed out to the lovely lady helping me that the Velvet Crease was charging MORE than these sold for retail. "But you're getting an extra 20% off!" she said - and so this suit was only $60.00. I'm not complaining - I'd rather support a local business any day!
I had a quick schmooze around in MONA next door and fell in love with these glorious pistachio trousers.
They are modal and polyester and have massive wide swooshy legs. There are two side slash pockets (yay!) and a pocket on the bum that's stitched closed (I'll leave that done up).
They're by Zara and they were $36.00.
They're very thin and flowy, so they've been stashed away for next spring - they'll be a nice surprise when I pull them out of hiding!
Speaking of hiding, someone retreated under my bathrobe all day...
"George and I are having a moment, do you mind, Woman?"
George is the hot water bottle - it was like a sauna under there! Stay warm, Vizzini, we're in for freezing temps!
So, in a totally wild coincidence, I have been reading your blog since circa 2010 (it's been so long that I don't properly remember when I first found it!) and I was also one of the contestants on Tuesday's Jeopardy game who couldn't come up with Butchart Gardens! I'm the pregnant lady with the big beaded necklace and the moto blazer, not either of the two guys. :) When I saw the clue come up I was kicking myself for not knowing it, since I feel like thanks to your mom-day adventures I have a much better knowledge of gardens and parks in Victoria than the average American living thousands of miles away would, but alas I came up short with that one. I'm not generally a commenter, but I read every one of your posts and I figured I had to reach out with this one. Most current fashion doesn't interest me, but you are a perpetual source of inspiration! (And I buy almost all of my clothes secondhand too!)
ReplyDeleteThat’s a trippy amount of coincidences!
DeleteJulie in Melbourne
Holy smokes, Faithful Reader, how FREAKING COOL IS THAT?? Well done on making it on the show!! I don't watch it every night, but it's a favourite with L and I while we eat dinner. I wish Mom and I had gone to BG just so you would have had that extra bit of knowledge, ha ha! Hooray for secondhand shopping, and THANK YOU so much for commenting and for reading all these years! I really appreciate it <3.
DeleteWow! A celebrity. I watch that show every night. Kudos!
DeleteCan't wait to see you on that orange suit! I think peacocks are so incredibly beautiful, such amazing creatures! We have also names for our cats toys. We now have a new toy, Pete, the snake. So funny.
ReplyDeleteWow, the first comment is wild, what are the odds of the Jeopardy contestant on the show you watched being a reader of your blog!
ReplyDeleteIn any case, anytime you mention Beacon Hill Park I smile because you took us there and then Robin, Fred and I returned there on our own. Ha, and I usually leave you a comment just like this one. ;) It is a refreshing, calming, lovely place to walk or to settle onto the grass for a game of cards. :)
Helen I quite like your new top, though had no idea what bugle beads were so had to enlarge the photo to get a close up. They are tiny beads, I think in the same color of your top. Between the beads, the collar, the tie and the off-shoulder seam, coupled with the color, it has interesting visual appeal. So nice on you!
Sheila the orange faux leather suit is…definitely an eye opener! I am curious to see how it looks on, knowing you will style it to take advantage of the two pieces. And I like the red velour top. Anything the provides warmth and comfort with a wee bit of pizzazz is a-okay in my book when it comes to cold weather clothing!
Cheers, Laurie
Oh yes, I do love that furry waistcoat! the sleeves on your jumper are fantastic and I'm amazed by that skirt being able to support its own weight, what an amazing thing!
ReplyDeleteLoved your Mum's Day walk, you've captured some stunning Autumnal images. I was telling my friend Liz about your black squirrels, they look so exotic compared to our pesky (but cute) grey ones! As you know, I love a peacock. I'm impressed with how close they got to that lady.
Looking forward to seeing that suit on you.
How snuggly and gorgeous does Vizzini look in that last photo? William sends his regards to his Canadian virtual pal.
xxx
Totally in love with your Tsarina vest and boots! As a lover of brown, I love it that brown is trending, although I'd still wear it if it wasn't. Can't believe that skirt can stand up on its own!
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking us along to Beacon Hill Park so that I could walk with you vicariously. I really needed that!
As for your coat swap-over, I will definitely miss the Unsafe Polar Bear Unsafe Ocelot, although I am sure you will find worthy replacements.
I can't get over the orange faux leather suit! xxx
Beautiful photos and a peacock! In these fancy sunglasses and coat you look like a famous person trying to go incognito.
ReplyDeleteI love that vest on you and I like that you were able to wear that top with it - statement sleeves look so pretty but make it tricky to layer, this is a good way to do it! And I really like the orange suit, I can't wait to see how you wear it! I know you will look amazing in it :)
ReplyDeleteFlippin heck, that Plush Tsarina vest is A-MA-ZING!!!!! You look so, so beautiful in it and you teamed it perfectly with complimentary garments (of course you did, you are a genius at this!!!!)
ReplyDeleteVery excited by the black squirrel! I saw one in Switzerland 10years ago and it dropped a large pine cone on me that missed me by millimetres! How cool to feed peacocks!x
Love the pistachio pants, a great find! I did not know that black squirrels even existed, so was delighted to see your photograph. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe long vest has such a seventies vibe. I can imagine you got many compliments.
ReplyDeleteThe parks in your neck of the woods (pun intended) are amazing. How nice to walk there with your mum. She did look pretty in her new top.
Thanks for teaching me another English word (lip of the waterfall).
Greetje