Mom-Less in Mixed Metals, and a Mental Health Shop

Greetings, Gentle Readers - I'm afraid there's no Mom-Day Adventure today, as Mom is conserving her mental and physical energy for an art show she's in this weekend. She's fine - and we've both had a long week with other things on the go - but just needed a break.  

I had planned to drop by the Fluevog shoe store anyway, as my gift cards were burning a hole in my pocket. I dressed for rain rain rain. 

I'm also sparkly head to toe in mixed metals and metallic fabrics. 

• Sparkly turtleneck - Jacob, thrifted; last worn here last weekend
• Sweater - Luisa Cerano, thrifted; first seen here in August with soft pastels
• Skirt - M by Missoni, consignment; first worn here in March with bronze leather
• Boots - Truths Teah, Fluevog; last seen here in October 2022 with teal suede
• Leather raincoat (below) - Terry Lewis, thrifted; last worn here in October

Seeing as I thought it was going to be cold and rainy all day - as it was in the morning - I layered up. 

A sparkly turtleneck, a sparkly sweater (it's covered in sequins), gold thread in my tweedy skirt, sparkly tights (recently thrifted), and my silvered boots. 

That's a lot of sparkle!

Two of these things - the sweater and skirt - have only been worn once, just after they were purchased, either at the end of the last fall/winter season (the skirt) or out of season (the sweater). 

I only took my outerwear off when I was trying things on. 

But I liked this outfit overall. Would wear it again! 

Outerwear - I've got a scarf, and my toque to keep my head dry. 

And a clear purse (you can see my orange in it, which I ate while I was out shopping). 

All bundled up. I walked to town like this...as the rain tapered off, the clouds cleared and the sun came out. I stuffed the gloves in my pockets.

I was roasting hot for most of the afternoon (oh, how terrible, ha ha), and stashed my hat, scarf and gloves in a shopping bag. I missed my sunglasses! 

Accoutrements: 

My definitely-not-for-shopping purse was actually fine for shopping. 

• Purse - Hermes knock-off, vintage 1998, thrifted, Vancouver
• Scarf - gift from Mom from Italy
• Gloves - Thinsulate, thrifted
• Toque - gift from Tammy
• Brooch - Monet, vintage 80s

The stuff: 

I don't wear these boots enough. They are almost 5 years old and I've worn them a dozen times - but I can do better! 

Mixed bling:

Mom was with me in spirit - her jewelry gave me a mojo boost. I had a great shopping day! 

• Earrings - Bermuda, Mom's
• Brass ring - vintage 70s, vintage mall
• Anneke and Lars ring - vintage mall
• Necklace - Mexican, vintage 70s, Mom's

My first stop was Flavour Upstairs, which used to be my favourite store, but then went through a lull. I haven't been there for a long time, and I was very pleased with the fullness of the store and the variety of things. I found loads of treasures.

Starting with these eggplant purple ankle boots! Dig that awesome platform. 

I like the angled zipper.

I love getting a bit of height without actually being in a heel. 

There's extra support for my arches on the inside. 

That's a nice detail. 

The heels are round, like columns. 

As you can see, they are by Ecco and they were $44.99. These are called the Shape Sculptured Motion, and they are still on Ecco's site - regular price $280.00, on sale for $189.99. I got a good deal - these are barely worn! 

I had a poke through the men's section, and found a work shirt for L (he likes plain shirts for wearing with his suits for work). 

This is a gorgeous pink, with a small woven pattern. 

It's hard to read, but that says Prada. It was $34.99 - but is is really Prada?

There are no other tags or labels, and after a bit of research on the interwebz (here, all links 'cause I love), which tells me that their font is very distinctive - and this label failed on the "R". That's still a good price for a nice quality shirt, though. 

Yes, I like white topstitching! This is yet another piece from the 90s when everything was topstitched. 

It's a low-slung lightweight denim skirt that does up with the front snaps (which all open). 

I love the zippered pockets. 

They're a good size. The skirt is fully-lined - you don't see that much anymore!

It's by INC Stretch, a division of International Concepts, which was sold at Eaton's/The Bay for ages. 

Made in Taiwan - that's also a classic sign of the 90s. It was $24.99. 

This skirt caught my eye due to the interesting fabric - it's 100% cotton and that wavy zig-zag pattern is woven. 

All those buttons are how you put it on - it's unlined, but full, and hits mid-calf. I'll be stashing it away for spring/summer - it's too cold to wear this now.

Look at that lovely weave! 

My hand is in one of the two side pockets. Love! 

I was shocked to see that it's by Arola, a Finish company I've been collecting over the past couple of years. I had no idea they did cotton. 

I started collecting with an orange vintage maxi skirt (pic here), then found a black and white wool cape at WIN (pic here), and then thrifted a plaid vintage skirt (pic here).

This is a later piece than the other ones I have, which are certainly 70s (the cape and maxi skirt) and early 80s (the plaid skirt). 

I'm pretty sure this is from later, as this is a very 80s style. Regardless, $22.99 felt like a good deal. 

I nearly put this dress back. 

"I'm going to regret it if I don't get it," I said to one of the lovely staff at Flavour Upstairs. 

It's two separate shades of knitted blue, and goes around to the back - one side is cobalt and the other is heathered blue.

It has an asymmetrical hem with a slit. 

And a peek-a-boo window for my shoulder tattoos to show. 

It's a fine woolly-ish knit. 

It's by...

Ris...

...a J. 

I found nothing online for Risa J. 

I think the percentages here are...

30% wool, 45% nylon, 25% acrylic. It definitely feels like it has wool in it. 

This vintage black leather dressy jacket made me gasp. 

It has big shoulder pads so is probably from the late 80s, and it's a cropped fit, hitting right at my waist.

The sleeves look like armour or maybe some sort of insect carapace. 

They are separate pieces of leather, and the sleeves are short, bracelet-length. 

Pretty buttons. 

They're a little loose - many of the threads are - so I may need a session of sewing or I could lose a button. 

The inside lining is textured, and all of the buttons are backed so that they don't tear the leather. 

It's by Luna and was made in India - I couldn't find anything on the brand. It was $59.99, the second most expensive thing I bought all day. 

I popped into a local collective shop that carries loads of local artists' works next. 

These golden snakes are by Mystical Mind Jewelry. They are light as feathers, and will go well with my golden snake jewelry. 

They were $32.00.

Not bad for locally made. I like the earring backers - I won't lose one. 

I had a good browse in Vintage After Death, and came up with two accessories. 

Spotted arm sleeves and a wool beret in cobalt blue. 

The arm sleeves are for keeping your arms warm, or safe from the sun - also handy for keeping your tattoos from getting blurry. 

"The package is going like, "you hoo..." They were $12.00 and are by Nicoh R. 

"Every day can become happy in this arm cover." I hope so! 

I like good labels. 

The beret is by Parkhurst and was $26.00. 

They are $32.00 new - Parkhurst still makes them, all made in Canada too. "When it rains, it pours."

And I saved the best for (nearly) last - I went to Fluevog and spent my gift cards! 

When I saw this colour - an emerald green suede - I knew I had to have them. 

They are practically flat, with a good inch-plus platform. 

Dani helpfully punched another hole in the vamp buckle (I have skinny feet). 

Here they are in their box, all wrapped in tissue. 

Oooh, ahhhh...

The soles. 

"F-shoes."

This colour is a collaboration with Anna Sui the designer, for her Fall/Winter 2023 collection (link here), called "The Peppermint Twist."

I can't wait to wear them! 

They're called the F Sole Hi Bond Girl Engineer Boot (link here, they also have brown and black suede and black leather), and that's a classic John Fluevog design that goes back to the 90s. 

The original price on them is $599.00 - BUT, I had a 10% discount on my file for any non-sale pair of shoes (because I was a nice person when they messed up one of my online orders way back in January 2020 (here, scroll down for the saga). 

The last time I was in, Dani reminded me that I had that discount still unused, so I finally applied it on these and saved $60.00 - and then I paid $500 in gift cards to the boots (thank you, Mom, Winesday Women and Alison for the birthday boots!). They only cost me $103.00 in the end. 

I was laden with my boots and clothing purchases, so headed home. I did a quick stop in Cheers, another collective of vintage clothing sellers. I scored right away in the scarf bin. 

I love the orange, brown and golds in this scarf. 

It's very...royal! 

A fancy crown in the centre. It was $15.00. 

The edges are rolled and hand-stitched and it's obviously silk. 

Jay Sutton - there's nothing online about him. 

I spotted this scarf immediately - I like the rough stripes and the thicker "buildings".

The colours remind me of sunsets. 

It's by Halston - and it's real! Silk, with hand-rolled edges. 

For $5.00! Amazing. I strolled home with my goodies - all shopped out. 

Vizzini, what's your favourite? 

"Whatever's in my dish."

Or whatever he can chew on! 

I hope your rainy days turn sunny, my friends. I'll be back on Sunday with tales of weekend adventure! Take care, and thanks for stopping by.