Bigass Long Weekend Wrap-Up: Friday Hollywood Tiger; Blue Velvet and Ruffles Brunch (and a Week Shop x 2); Unsafe Tiger and Sequins; Grocery Shop in

Welcome back Gentle Readers! What a lovely long weekend that was! And I can't wait to tell you about it! 

Here's Friday's work outfit - guess which new-to-me piece has me the most excited?

Hmmm, whatever could it be?

• Sweater - Kenzo, thrifted; purchased here for $44.99 but paid for with a gift card
• Skirt - Ralph Lauren, consignment; last worn here in November 2023 with olive and chains
• Boots - Prepare 2.0 Tracker, Fluevog; last seen here in December 2023 with neoprene and plaid
• Leather coat (below) - Banana Republic, consignment; last worn here in January

We had a lovely pink sunrise.

Gorgeous light on the Castle. It was bright and sunny all day, but cloudy and cold by the evening (of course!).

Blurry, but you get an idea of the high level of SHINY I wore. 

Colleague Nour was impressed with how the gold skirt actually works as a neutral to tame my tiger sweater. 

I was absolutely tickled to wear it and showed the sweater to everyone in the office (not many on a Friday pre-long weekend). 

I had a haircut after work, so came home, fed Vizzini and walked to my appointment. I met up with L for dinner afterwards at the Fernwood Inn (aka the Winchester). 

I had many admirers of my outfit "in the wild" as I swooshed along through the wilds of Fernwood.

It's all about the tail. 

Outerwear - more colour! 

I hopped a bus home after work on Friday and a person seated near me said, "You look very Hollywood, like a screen goddess." 

That's me. 

No autographs, please. 

Accoutrements:

I happily realized that my King Tut scarf was a perfect match to the Kenzo tiger sweater, so I pulled aqua and gold out for my accessories. 

• Beret - consignment
• Scarf - Eagle's Wing Scarf, MMA, vintage 70s, thrifted, Seattle
• Gloves - Parkhurst

I loved how well these pieces worked together. 

The stuff: 

I did a lot of walking in these boots - they are big honkin' platforms, but only a net 1-inch heel. Shoe Math! 

Gold bling: 

None of which is actually gold. 

• Bangle - thrifted
• Brass/glass ring - Rafael of Canada, vintage 70s
• Brass ring - vintage 70s, vintage mall
• Leafy bracelet - thrifted, Sidney
• Necklace - Givenchy, vintage 80s, vintage fair
• Earrings - Biko, consignment

L and I had a blast hanging out on Friday night, listening to music and playing boardgames, but we were up early on Saturday to grab breakfast at John's Place and run some errands downtown before meeting up with our awesome "chosen family" for a long weekend visit at Christie's Pub in the afternoon. 

I'd put together some pieces in my closet earlier in the week, so grabbed at this jacket/bottom combo to start. 

This is my new-to-me jacket (and silver necklace) from Powell River last weekend, plus my new-to-me cotton turtleneck picked up a few days ago.

• Jacket - Royal Underground, consignment, Powell River; purchased here for $65.00
• Sweater - LL Bean, consignment; purchased here for $15.00
• Skirt - Anna Sui, thrifted; last worn here in January 2023 with teal and black
• Boots - Ishshoes Chatterbox, Fluevog; last seen here in March 2023 with a favourite skirt

I unzipped and flipped back the cuffs on the jacket for a bit of "pirate-tude". 

I forgot to unstitch the jacket pockets before wearing it. 

I unpicked them while we did our errands. 

This jacket plus the cotton sweater were warm enough for a bit of walking around downtown after brunch. 

I didn't take the jacket off, but I thought you'd want to see the sweater. 

Love that colour and love the slim fit. 

It's a keeper! 

The skirt and boots are also keepers, even thought I haven't worn them in ages - it's about time I did! My love for them both was renewed! 

All done up - this is how most people saw me. 

L and I both had tons of compliments on our 'fits - we usually garner a lot of attention when we're together! "Stylin' couple!" a man shouted at us.

Accoutrements: 

Some badass bits there. 

• Purse - Danier, thrifted
• Zipper rose brooch - Victoria & Albert Museum gift shop, London, 2010
• Gloves - Danier Leather

The stuff: 

It was nice wearing these boots during the day outside, so that the rich blue velvet could be properly seen - they often read as black in photos. 

Silver bling: 

The folks at John's Place loved the necklace - so did I! 

• Silver/onyx necklace - Mexican, consignment, Powell River; purchased here for $75.00
• Silver/turquoise earrings - thrifted
• Silver/obsidian ring - consignment
• Silver/onyx ring - Tocara, vintage fair
• Silver/kyanite ring - consignment
• Silver/lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes

I had five minutes to have a quick run-through of the Beacon Ave Thrift Shop next door before L texted me: "We're in!" There's never much of a line at John's, and that's probably a good thing for my wallet, ha ha! As always, all links 'cause I love. 

I spotted this gorgeously soft suede and leather blazer with no tag on it. 

The volunteer there knows me by now (heh) and said, "$15.00?"

"Done!" I said. I mean could I resist this lion-head button? Rar!

Duh, no! 

It's by Marquis and was made in Canada. 

The other tags have been removed, but based on the shoulder-pad-removal surgery this garment has had, I'd say it's late 80s when suede was all the rage (I had two suede skirts then - every store had them! - and they were usually cheap pigskin suede). I spotted a nearly identical one (double-breasted instead of single) on Grailed for $189 marked down from $400. Yikes, my $15.00 was a steal! 

I also found this carved wooden tiki mug staring out at me from amongst the glassware.

Side view, so you can see the handle (glued on). 

It's all one solid piece of wood otherwise, and my research tells me it's "monkeypod wood" which is a real thing according to the Wood Database (also a real thing, link here). 

It was quite dusty inside and looks like someone stored pens or something in it. 

It's signed, "Baby." 

The carver, I guess? I couldn't find anything about that signauture. 

There's our terrifying tiki face! This is a Hawaiian tourist souvenir, probably from the 1970s, when there were direct flights from Victoria to Hawaii (my family went on vacation to Hawaii three times when I was a kid/teen - it's only a 4-hour flight direct from here). 

$2.50 is a bargain for anything "tiki" these days, as it's hugely popular - I spotted versions of this large mug online for between $9.95 solo to $95.00 for a pair! 

While L dashed off after lunch to pick some things up, I had a quick browse at the big WIN (Women In Need) store. 

A nice pair of lacy black tights for $2.95, and a pair of soft sparkly socks for $3.95. 

I had hoped that the socks would fit me, but they are too big, so off to L they go! They're by Marcoliani of Milano - sounds classy! 

Yup, anything with a name...these are sold at Harry Rosen, fine classy menswear establishment, are a pima cotton blend, and retailed for $45.00! 

I hastily rummaged through the scarves, feeling for silk and looking for interesting patterns. 

This lovely scarf caught my eye - I love the bits of emerald green - and note the hand-rolled edges, always a mark of quality. 

It's by Paoli, which the Interwebz seems to agree is from the 1960s. 

It's likely acetate (I found some Paoli scarves online with their content tags still attached) and was probably made in Japan. Not bad for $6.95. 

I knew this skirt would not fit me - I bought it to re-sell/consign it. 

A bold floral pattern on the front...

And a striped pattern on the back. 

It's unlined, but...

Moschino Cheap and Chic is the ready-to-wear version of Moschino (moss-KEE-no), a couture design label, and had their own runways shows until 2014. 

It was $14.95, but the lowest price for a skirt by them on 1st Dibs is $208.00 (and they run higher than $1,000!). I'm confident I can get my money back on it! 

I've already named this blue plaid skirt, "Frankenskirt."

Such cool fabric! It's a bit hard to see but there is a wrap-around draped bit going from left to right. 

See? 

Nice green satin lining too! 

But oh, my, what has happened here?? Some major surgery! 

Someone has reconstructed and altered this to within an inch of its life! I see many undone stitches and many raw edges. 

Some very poor stitching inside - looks like the tension was wrong on the edging. 

At least they used seam tape on the green satin. I suspect this had a tiny waist and may have been ankle-length originally. 

However, it fits me, and I love the colour/pattern. 

So I paid my $9.95 happily. I'm excited to wear this with my green suede boots! 

As I stood in line to pay, I spotted a familiar bracelet in the case - I own this in gold-tone and blue eelskin! Check it out here. 

The bracelet is from the mid- to late-80s, as that's when I originally got my blue one. Easy detective work.

It was $7.95. 

The black and gold will be useful in my jewelry wardrobe. 

I also had to have these tiny brooches, which were $5.95 each. 

The little bee has a jade body, and the wee frog is covered in crystals. 

They have identical miniature pin fixtures. 

The bee is a modern (last 20+ years) copy of Victorian or Edwardian pieces (in real gold), and the frog is also a modern, inexpensive piece - although, weirdly, I couldn't find another like it online.

We dashed home and I barely had enough time to change and take a few pictures, before we walked down to the pub to meet up with our pals. 

L's a blur - "Hurry up!" I had planned my outfit around the Unsafe Tiger coat. 

• Coat - Marciano by Guess, consignment, Powell River; purchased here for $180.00
• Sweater - Sonia Rykiel, thrifted; last worn here in January in an all-neutral (with sequins!) outfit
• Sequined dress - Soaked in Luxury; first seen here (3rd outfit) in April 2023 with a tee and black boots
• Boots - F-Trip Warhol, Fluevog; last worn here (2nd outfit) for brunch in November 2023

Without the coat on.

Much as I adore this dress, it's leaving me (don't worry, I only paid $10 for it). 

The sequins shed like MAD (I left them all over the house and at Christie's!). 

And the rough edges completely shredded my tights. Ugh, I liked those tights, dammit! 

But it was all about the Unsafe Tiger! 

I snapped it up to my chin and strolled down the street like a boss. People were impressed! 

Accoutrements: 

Barely time to change my purse, same gloves as the morning. 

• Purse - Arcadia, consignment
• Gloves - Danier Leather

The stuff: 

I liked how the swirls on the boots matched the Unsafe Tiger stripes.

Copper bling: 

Some less-worn favourites. 

• Cuff/earrings - Renoir, vintage 50s, consignment
• "Egg" copper/enamel necklace - vintage 70s, consignment
• Bracelet - Renoir, vintage 50s, consignment, Seattle
• Wooden ring - Dots
• Copper ball ring - consignment
• Shiny copper rings - Glee, local

We drank, ate, laughed and celebrated Family Day with our best friends for several hours, then strolled home in the dark and hung out for another evening of board games and music. It's our favourite thing to do! 

On Sunday, we did a much-needed grocery shop, so I made an effort and got dressed. 

I ran into a work client while in line to pay for the groceries, so good thing I didn't wear my velour lounging jammies! 

• Jean jacket - Ricochetjackets, upcycled, consignment; last worn here in January with orange for Mom-Day at Blenkinsop Lake
• Elton John tee - artist website, thrifted; purchased here for $9.95
• Vinyl skirt - Vero Moda, consignment, Vancouver; last seen here (2nd outfit) in September 2023 for Rifflandia music festival
• Leggings - A, consignment, Powell River; purchased here for $8.00
• Boots - Original Samedi, Fluevog; last worn here (3rd outfit) in January for a shop and Book Club

This outfit felt very "me" - my style is evolving into a more casual rock & roll vibe. 

I was glad I'd made the effort! This one's for Lucy - have a read of her post about styling graphic tees here. I have a good collection and love rotating them into outfits with "real clothes."

The leggings were great, although I won't be tracking them going forward. I'll wear them to death.

I was happy to get a wearing in of this shiny vinyl skirt again - it brought back fun memories of our Rifflandia weekend last summer.  

Without the decorated jean jacket. 

Sir Elton! I'll be sleeping in this tee, as well as styling it up here and there. 

Ready to go.

Pinks and purples make me happy. 

The stuff: 

It's always a good day when I can wear such fun boots. 

Pink and purple bling: 

The security guard at the grocery store admired my flocked velvet earrings. "I'm spreading the love!" I said. 

• Earrings - consignment
• Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
• Anneke & Lars ring - vintage mall
• Gold/amethyst ring - Frances Jewelers, c. 1965, Dad's
• Silver/amethyst ring - Mexican, gift from Mom & Dad, c. 1986

And now, I'm off to enjoy the little time left in this long weekend. 

"Rub my tum, Woman!"

As you can see, I have very important business to attend to! 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, and I so appreciate your comments, your visits, and your kind words. Thank you!