Bigass Anniversary Long Weekend in Vancouver: Friends, Fun and Fashion

Welcome back, dear friends! As some of you may have guessed..."Hmmmm...doesn't Sheila usually go to Vancouver for her and L's anniversary? When is that happening?"

We usually make this trip closer to our actual anniversary in March, but had pushed it back due to L possibly having to travel at that time. We enjoyed the better/warmer weather of April, and had a rollicking good time catching up with all of our Vancouver pals. This is a picture-heavy post, so settle yourselves in and get ready! 

Photo by Melanie (follow her on Insta here, all links in this post 'cause I love). 

And because this is ostensibly a Fashion Blog (very important, hee hee), let's talk clothes. As previously noted many times, I'm a surprisingly light packer when it comes to travel. 

I wore the same outfit on Friday (travel, hang out/shop, dinner), Saturday (breakfast, all-day shop), and Sunday (travel), with the only variations being my accessories and the t-shirts. 

This is my entire travel wardrove (not showing underwear, tights, etc.). 

I packed/wore the yellow velvet dress for Saturday dinner. 

• Jacket - Zara, consignment; purchased here for $38.00
• Tulle skirt - Adidas, consignment; last worn here (2nd outfit) in September 2023 for a mall shop
• Velvet dress - French Connection; first seen here for 2023 New Year's Eve
• JJ Wilde tour shirt - first worn here in July 2023 for the Winesday Women Trip to Vancouver
• White t-shirt - Karl Lagerfeld, thrifted; purchased here for $10.95
• Acid-wash vest (not shown) - Chiqle, thrifted; last worn here in February for a Mom-Day
• Mother Mother tour shirt - thrifted; purchased here for $9.95

And the stuff/accoutrements: 

I wore these shiny gold sneakers all weekend, including with the yellow velvet dress for dinner. We did a lot of walking, and these acquitted themselves well. 

• Shoes - Findlay, consignment; last worn here (3rd outfit) in March
• Purse - Lodis, thrifted
• Scarf - fake Louis (Lewis!) Vuitton, thrifted
• Gloves - Parkhurst

Gold bling: 

I meant to wear the big yellow/crystal necklace with the yellow dress, but we were in such a hurry I forgot to put it on when I changed clothes! 

• Gold chain necklace - Givenchy, vintage 80s, vintage fair
• Black eelskin bracelet - vintage 80s, thrifted
• Amber ring - c. 1996
• Ear-balls - Dior, consignment
• Gold bracelet - thrifted
• Necklace - consignment; purchased here for $16.00
• Crystal earrings - thrifted
• Crystal ring - Uffizi Gallery gift shop, Florence, Italy

I took lots of pictures of people, and not as many pics of outfits, aside from these that I took on Friday morning before we left the house. 

The weather was all over the place, so I had to dress for chilly, windy, sunny, warm...all of it! 

I was DEEPLY disappointed to discover that the back of this faux leather jacket's collar is all peeling off! It was not visible behind the hanger when I bought it.

I layered my denim vest's collar out overtop of the jacket's collar, so that the peeling wasn't visible. 

I had considered leaving the jacket behind in Vancouver when we returned home (as I often do - it's a good way to free up room, and to let go of ratty/old/unloved clothes), but had so many compliments on the colour, I decided to keep it and just manage the peeling. I'll either keep it covered up with my hair/a collar or will fark it up in a crafty kind of way. 

All packed up with my mostly-empty back-pack. That's it - that's how I traveled. 

We arrived early for our 10:30am flight. The Coho ferry is in (the big boat with the rest stripe - it goes between Victoria and Port Angeles, Washington in the USA), and we flew in a similar float plane to the one shown. 

I booked us in a Twin Otter (twin propellers, less turbulence). 

And a mere 35 minutes later, we could see Vancouver below us. 

The seaplanes only hold about 12 people and they are TINY, like cramming everyone into a mini-van. 

Downtown Vancouver looms. 

We're docking near the white pointy structure near the propeller, Canada Place (famous from the Vancouver Olympics). 

We headed straight for Maxine's (link here), where we met up with Melanie! 

Hugs, pictures and mugging for the camera ensued. 

This comes naturally to us, I assure you. 

Hee hee! We had a delicious lunch, drinks, and chats with our lovely server. We're the type of people who engage when we dine out. 

From there, we walked back to our hotel, checked in and left our bags, then walked down to the Fluevog Gastown store...where my gorgeous niece Zoe joined us! 

Fresh off work, but still willing to hang with her weird aunt and uncle. Aw, what a lovely human she is, in all ways! 

She and L ganged up on me, as I tried on "ugly" runners (which I did not buy - I'll wait for them to go on sale, ha ha!). 

Photo courtesy of Melanie - my hideous shoes are cropped out, ha ha! L ended up getting the purple/neon green pair he's wearing (these ones here, the Twin Turbine 321 Chartres Street). I should say, *I* bought them for him, as we buy each other shoes for our anniversary! 

He bought me these pink leather beauties, which are visible on the table in the above pic with Zoe. 

These are called the Super Fine Countess (they are the same last, heel and toe shape as these ones here and here), link here, and were $469.00

The pink leather is pearlized.

I love that colour! 

All the usual sole stuff. 

Looking forward to wearing these! Thank you, L! 

A couple more pics of me and Mel, goofing around. 

We look positively normal here! 

"The apocalypse is coming!" said L. 

"WHAT????"

Dang, Mel, you need to come visit us! 

While we were out and about, we got a Vizzini picture! 

I spy Cat's socks under the coffee table. Hi, Buddy! 

We posed for Mel in an alley way. 

I like how my jacket matches the mural. Also, kitties! 

Oh, Mel made me pose with a copy of "Tweed" magazine. 

We were also spotted by the staff at F As In Frank (a funky second-hand shop, here), who took pics and reel for their Insta/blog. I don't see anything up there, but that's cool. 

It was still fun to get the "star treatment"! 

Love this pic - thanks, Mel! 

L and I went for dinner with our pal, Craig on Friday night. 

I lasted about 3 hours, then went back to our hotel, the Blue Horizon (link here), and took a couple of pics. This is looking east, along Robson Street. 

Looking north across the water to North Van. 

We were on the 30th floor, and I didn't feel much like being out on the deck! That's very high up!

L and Craig. 

They kept on drinking, and talking hockey (both Boston Bruins fans) and football. 

L and I were up early for our journey to the Main Street shopping area (link here) and breakfast at El Caminos (Latin-American street food). 

It was sunny out, but still a bit windy. I skipped the denim vest for the day, and was ready to strip off my tights if it got too warm (I also have wee sporty shorts on). It did not - the wind was chill. 

A mirror selfie at El Caminos (link here) - we're huge fans of the food (spicy!). 

We cabbed there and enjoyed a wonderful, delicious breakfast and then started shopping. 

We began at Turnabout on Main (link here), where I found a few things. We shopped for L first (I am not posting all of his finds - he got as much as me, though!), and then separated - he went for a fortifying beverage, shopped for new headphones, and met up with mates Spence and Kim (who found me later in the afternoon). 

Here's what I found at Turnabout. I like to splurge a little when I'm on vacation! 

This is a polyester, unlined bomber jacket with a metal front zip and pockets. 

Note the ruffles on the sleeves! 

They are beaded - I love that! 

The print is a little bit Ikat, and a little bit Rorschach test. 

I wonder who it's by?

It's Maison Scotch, one of my favourite quirky brands. This was $59.99.

This was probably around $175.00 new. 

This dress looks utterly odd on the hanger, but great on a body. 

It has a big insert section of taupe, and one of cream. What's up with all the words? 

This is the back. 

More words! What do they say??

What a second...I recognize these...

These are lyrics from "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode! (enjoy it here). I love that song! 

Dare I wear a "Personal Jesus" dress? 

Oh, heck, yeah! 

It's made in Italy, of a viscose/silk blend. 

It's very swooshy! 

It's by Alessandro de Benedetti, a designer I've never heard of (about him here), but he worked for Mugler and was Creative Director of Romeo Gigli.

This was $79.99 and was in his "Gothic Western" collection here (there is also an image of a man on a horse in the print), a blurry pic of it nicked from their site:

I'll remember to be extra-blurry when I wear it! 

I also picked up a new-in-package set of 3 pairs of socks. 

These were $7.99. Bargain! 

From there, I headed back up Main, to Iron Fairies Vintage Bazaar (combined with a couple of other small shops, here), one of our regular shops, where I found this incredible necklace/earring set. 

All new with tags still on! This is by 

Robert Lee Morris (RLM as stamped on the necklace) of Soho. Link about him here - I HAVE heard of his knuckle ring and cuff!

It's all "genuine gold plated".

See? It says so on the tag! 

He's still around, and collaborating with many designers. 

This set was $70.00.

But both the earrings and necklace are still tagged with their retail prices. 

The earrings were $60.00 and the necklace was $94.00. I couldn't find this set anywhere online. 

Upstairs at Bohemia Gallery, I found this silky topper, made of !00% polyester. It has wee pockets near the hem. 

Great colours! I love the purple, red, pink mix. 

Roses, carnations and tulips, with a butterfly here and there. 

This will be lovely in hot weather. 

It's by Buffalo David Bitton and was $35.00. 

That feels about right. 

Next door, at C'est La Vie, I spotted this faux fur hat on my way out. 

"I need this!" I proclaimed. 

It was also $35.00. 

Nice and quilted inside, with an elasticated section to hold it on my head. 

We met up again at Front & Co., another favourite spot (link here), where I had a bit of luck. 

These are drapey, waft-y trousers. 

With pockets! 

They are pale cream with olive-green "pebbles". 

A side zip, wonderful inside detailing. 

100% silk, nice! 

Oh, there we go, they are by Stella McCartney. 

They were $75.99 - one of the pant legs needs re-hemming, which is why the price is so low. 

I spotted (ha, pun intended) similar for $199-700+! Sure, for 30 minutes' sewing, I'll take it! 

I clutched these Adidas (won't keep you in suspense, ha) track pants to my chest. Mine! 

They are high-waisted, a vibrant magenta PANK (so pink...they're PANK!), and have pockets. 

Pocket verification. 

They're nylon, in that classic "square" weave. 

The cuffs have tabs for ballooning them at the ankle, or having them wide. 

Whatever shall I do? I'm excited to experiment! 

They're from late 2019. 

$38.99 felt like a deal! 

I'm super excited to wear them. 

I always have good luck with my Weird Adidas collecting in Vancouver, spotting this amazing jacket at My Sister's Closet (link here).

It's knit nylon with a fleece backing (very soft inside), and zip pockets on the front. 

A rubber Adidas decal on the back. 

And white stripes on the sleeves. 

I like the little leaf logo on the zipper pull. 

I spotted the same one on various sites...

...priced between $69-110.00. 

I paid $25.00. 

Kim joined me by this point, and we had fun checking out all the goodies. 

I fell for this 80s-graphic sweater. See the lady? 

Jeez, could you spare a little fabric for the back? 

Just plain t-shirt fabric, sigh. 

Details - the front is knit cotton, with random sparkly sequins to give a tinge of glitter.

The gold areas have crystals stuck on. 

It's by Tricotto (a brand I've seen at Dots). 

I bought it because it was cheap enough for me to overcome the boring back - $13.00 is my price point, apparently. 

While Kim was paying for her things, this long crystal necklace caught my eye. 

It was sparkling in the sun! 

I couldn't be expected to leave it behind, could I? 

It was $25.00. 

I don't know a jewelry brand with a "W" logo - do any of you? This isn't high-end at all. 

Our final stop was at Houndstooth Second Hand Boutique (link here).

I found this amazing purple leather moto style jacket. 

I like the unusual cut of the collar and shoulders. 

It has a bit of wear - most older leather gets worn over time, but I don't mind that. 

I liked the gold zips and the dangly pulls. 

A nice detail. 

Made in Italy! 

No wonder it's so soft - lambskin leather! 

It's by Maison Rabih Kayrouz, which has a red beet (?) as their logo. I've never heard of this brand, but he's a Lebanese designer. (link here). Oh, that's a pomegranate! 

I found this jacket in his Fall/Winter 2012/2013 - a video here where my jacket appears at the 4:30 minute mark. I paid $180.00 for this - aside from L's shoes, the most expensive item I bought all weekend. I spotted a couple of his jackets online for between $2,000-4,000.00. No, that's not a typo! 

We had a quick bite to eat with Spence and Kim. 

Hee, you guys are the best! Mwah! 

Kim sent me a pic of her in a black dress that she found while we were out together.

Amazing, honey! It's fabulous on you! 

Spence and Kim gave us a ride back to our hotel, where L and I quickly changed for dinner at Chambar (link here), where we met up with long-time pals Anthony and Laura for a leisurely repast. 

At the end of the night (I'm fading!), posing near their "Waning Light" artsy sign. We decided that was the name of our band. No, we don't actually have a band, although Anthony does play a mean saxophone. 

Anthony and Laura. 

Aw, I remember when you kids got married (in Powell River, back in 1999, I think). 

Later on, we hung out in the lounge at the Wedgewood Hotel (many shenanigans pics here, from 2022).

I called this, "Man Near Fireplace."

Was that crazy painting still there? 

Yes, can confirm! Yikes! 

After a very late night, we Uber-ed back to our hotel and got them their copy of "Tweed" (which we'd forgotten in our hurry), and sent our dear friends on their way. 

We were up early to stroll back down to Harbour Air's terminal. 

Another beautiful day! 

We were home by 11am.

Ross texted us a pic of Vizzini from that morning's breakfast. 

"I accept my new overlord, Ross."

He really did miss us! 

And now - so happy that we both took Monday off! - I'm going to enjoy what's left of my extra-long weekend. I hope you enjoyed our adventures and seeing my purchases! Thank you so much for stopping in!