Sunday, April 21, 2024

Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Neon Orange Friday in Stella Pebbles; Brunch Leopard and a Wee Shop; Personal Jesus Dress at Craft

Greetings, my friends! I'm ever so grateful to see you, and for my life in general. I feel very lucky to have had another wonderful weekend full of good people, good times and good outfits. Sit down and join me, won't you? 

Here's Fridays 'Fit - a mix of colour, texture and pattern. 
I missed "shiny", ha ha! What an oversight! 

  • Bomber jacket - Maison Scotch, consignment, Vancouver; purchased here for $59.99
  • Top - Le Chateau, thrifted; first worn here in November 2023
  • Silk trousers - Stella McCartney, consignment, Vancouver; purchased here for $75.99
  • Shoes - Down to Earth Hadfield, Fluevog; last seen here in September 2023 with jeans

As I cast my eyes about my closet for Things To Go With The New Things, I realized these two new-to-me items actually went very well together. 
The bomber jacket and the trousers have two colours in common - cream and dark green. 

I added a little "cake" to all that "icing", in the form of this dark green top. 
I wore the jacket open for most of the day.

I would wear this combo again! 
I fixed the ripped out hem on the trousers last night, which took 10 minutes. 

Pockets galore! 
I loved the pebbled-patterned trousers - they looked even more waft-y after I'd steamed out all the wrinkles. 

I didn't take the jacket off, but I like this look too.
I layered a light sweater-y cami under the green top. 

Incognito, and protecting my neck from cool breezes. 
"I see you left a window open - off to smell."

I had a haircut after work and walked to my appointment like this, then met L at the "Winchester" (aka the Fernwood Inn) for dinner afterward. 

The stuff: 
I walked to work in these floral beauties - they are almost 10 years old! I would have also worn my neon orange shoes with this outfit - next time! 

Orange and gold bling: 
In retrospect, I missed my gold Brutalist necklace with this, and bracelets. This felt a little too minimal for my Stuff As Armour. 

  • Scarf - Smoking Lily, 1996, gift from Janet
  • Purse - consignment
  • Steel/Lucite ring - Calvin Klein, thrifted
  • Plastic ring - Italian, vintage 60s, vintage mall
  • Brutalist earrings - vintage 70s, vintage mall 

I took some pictures of the lush gardens in the Fernwood neighbourhood, as I walked to my haircut. 
Best garden I saw - what a beautiful selection of blooms! 

I love the old Victorian-era houses. Most of these are from the 1890s.
The wild colours are actually typical of how they were originally painted. I spy an oval "Heritage" designation plaque near the front door, so this home retains some of the original construction/interior. 

Tulips and bluebells through a wrought-iron fence. 
This 'hood is full of giant trees and old houses. 

An Arts and Crafts home. 
With the most beautiful purple azalea I've ever seen! 

I stopped in the middle of the roundabout on Gladstone Avenue to take a picture of the cherry trees. 
They are heavy with blossoms - so beautiful. I see the moon up there (it's gibbous). 

After dinner, L and I walked home.
More cherry blossoms, another Victorian home, and the moon again. Yawn, seen it. 

L and I had a couple of rousing games of Ark Nova (a zoo-building/conservation game, very fun). 
"Ahem, I would like to sit on you now."

Our own little animal needed some attention! 

We were up early on Saturday, and headed down to John's Place for brunch - awesome server Deborah treated us for our anniversary, as favourite customers. We tipped her appropriately! So sweet. 
I put this leopard skirt into my fall/winter wardrobe after this one wearing - as noted when I bought it, I have a similar version of this for spring/summer (this one here). 

  • Crinkle top - Baden Baden, consignment; first worn here in March with a Chanel-esque jacket
  • Skirt - Esqualo; purchased here at Dots for $29.99
  • Booties - Truths Suzie, consignment; last seen here (3rd outfit) in December 2023 with mint stripes
  • Leather moto jacket (below) - Banana Republic, consignment; last worn here in February

I only had the jacket off while we ate. 
It's spring, so still chilly enough to need underlayers - I have a camisole and nylons on. 

I love a long "column" look with a maxi skirt and a sleeveless top.
The skirt was excellent - it's bias-cut so swooshed and billowed but still had lots of room for striding about, crouching and trying things on while I shopped after lunch. 

Rear view. Yup.
I like having seasonal "pairs" of pieces that are basics in my wardrobe...like a leopard skirt. 

I'd hoped it would be warm and sunny enough to skip a jacket, but no such luck.
It got progressively windier and cloudier as the afternoon went on. 

Feeling snazzy.
This leather jacket has lots of pockets, and the colour is a very tomato-y, orange-y red.

Incognito. 
My outfit got a lot of love from strangers. 

Yeah, this is just how I dress. 
Nothing to see here. 

The stuff: 
Comfy shoes for a 3-hour shop, followed by a walk home in spitty rain. 

Bold bling: 
I love being able to tell folks that every single thing I'm wearing is second-hand. 

  • Purse - Rebecca Minkoff, consignment
  • Snake belt - vintage 80s, thrifted
  • Fang bangle - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Sidney
  • Red enamel/silver ring - antique shop, Sidney
  • Silver/onyx ring - Tocara, vintage fair
  • Bracelet - consignment
  • Earrings - thrifted, Seattle

I did my usual 5-minute shop in the Beacon Ave Thrift Store, but only found wacky CDs for L (did not take pictures). L and I also did a massive shop to replace his underwear, undershirts, workout pants, and running shoes at the mall. Ugh. 

To cleanse my palate from all the plastic-smelling clothing at the mall, I had a thorough go-through of the big WIN (Women in Need) store on Pandora Ave. 
I'll never say no to cheap nylons - $1.95 is fantastic. They are ridiculously expensive new - $8.50 is cheaper than I've seen in stores. 

Same with good quality white t-shirts - I go through one every couple of years. 
I like the "girly" cut of this one. 

It's by Denver Hayes and was $3.95.
That's $24.95 at Mark's Work Wear House. 

I recognized this shoe vibe - I have these pink shoes (here) from House of Savoy that I paid $65 for last summer.
I've been on the lookout for an upgrade from my other studded flats (these here) which are not leather and are wearing out. Always Be Upgrading! 

Aren't they lovely? These are suede with metal studs.
They're nicely padded inside. 

By Sam Edelman, and for only $24.95.
That's a great deal! There is a little wear on the soles, but they are otherwise in very good condition. 

This was my gasp-worthy find of the day. 
The fabric is a very soft and silky nylon, with pockets on the front and a metal zipper. 

There are nice folds on the backs of the sleeves so that it hangs well. 
It's a little sheer - you can see the hanger through the back fabric. 

Whoa! It's Adidas! 
When I showed the jacket to L, he said, "Where's all the Adidas sh*t?" Ha ha! 

I noted that the pockets are double-duty. 
You can put stuff/your hands in the side...

...or in the top! 
I love pockets like that! 

There are little elasticated pulls at the neck and at the dropped waist. 
Very nice hardware overall. 

It's from 2010 - I found the same one on a resale site for $300! 
That's close to the original retail price. 

It's my second Adidas X Stella McCartney piece - I also have this daisy bomber jacket here (enjoy the Flashback)
That's the rubber patch on the upper back. 

I certainly scored with this - that heart punch on the WIN tags means it was half price. 
So I paid $13.47 for it. Deal! 

After I got home, as I was uploading and editing my photos (an ongoing blogging thing), I felt someone's eyes upon me. 
"FEED ME."


I got right on that, as Vizzini was 2 minutes away from knocking everything off the desk! 

And then I dressed for our evening event, our pal Mac's birthday party! 
I had to wear this new-to-me dress before the weather turns for the hot.

  • Dress - Alessandro de Benedetti, "Gothic Western" dress, consignment, Vancouver; purchased here for $79.99
  • Coat (below) - River Island, consignment; last seen here last week
  • Boots - Coach, consignment, Vancouver; last worn here in February with black and blue

Since I saw very few of our usual circle of friends, now I need to wear it AGAIN so my besties can experience it in person. 
I hadn't check on pricing for Alessandro de Benedetti's clothes when I was hunting for this gown - his long dresses retail for between 790 and 980 Euros, which is $1,150.00 and $1,430.00 CAD. 

Zoiks, that is a lot of money for a dress! 
I felt like a ROCK STAR in this outfit, and L was very appreciative of it. 

Note the cream-black patterned "fin" or train on the side/back.
Hee, I love that the print is Depeche Mode lyrics (to "Personal Jesus", YouTube link here, enjoy, link 'cause I love, as always).

It was blustery and windy - we hopped a bus to town and walked a couple of blocks to Craft Brewery. 
This coat gets another wearing soon after the last - there is a very narrow window for it, as it doesn't have any front fastener/buttons/snaps/zipper (just the sash tie belt), and it doesn't breathe. It can't be too cold or too hot out or I'll freeze/sweat.

Accoutrements: 
I missed taking a pic of my scarf, oops. 

  • Purse - Rebecca Minkoff, consignment
  • Scarf - fake Louis (Lewis!) Vuitton, thrifted
  • Gloves - Danier Leather

The stuff: 
I thought I'd style the outfit as...Gothic Western...so these boots worked perfectly. 

Silver and turquoise bling: 
I did a few bits of turquoise (including changing to my aqua glasses) to enhance the Western feel. 

  • Steel cuff - Lakeland Metal, thrifted
  • Lucite/silver cuff - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Vancouver
  • Tall turquoise ring - Karen's
  • Silver/onyx ring - Tocara, vintage mall
  • Silver/turquoise ring - Glee, local
  • Silver/obsidian ring - consignment
  • Earrings - consignment

The earrings whipped around in the wind. Ouch, they're pointy! 

After a few hours, L and I had both eaten and were feeling tired out from a long day, and from socializing with a lot of folks we see infrequently. As we walked out of Craft, we were right on the Inner Harbour. 
Masted sailing ships! Get out the phone and take some pictures! 

We were not the only ones - there were two of these beautiful ships. 
Lots of cloud drama, as they scudded across the sky. 

The Johnson Street Bridge was illuminated for the dark - I love the deep blue lights. 
The little white spot in the sky is the moon! Hello again, moon! 

L called us a cab. I see Petra up in the right side window (the blonde hair). 
L looked snazzy as well, but I didn't catch a picture of him. 

And then we arrived home and settled in for what ended up being a late night of gaming. 
"I hope you're done with all this social stuff now, Man."


Well...not quite! This coming week has a couple of events, sorry, Vizzini! We'll be out again! 

Thank you, Gentle Reader, for reading my post, and for visiting! I know I'm behind on visiting/commenting on your blogs, so I really appreciate seeing you. 

7 comments:

  1. What a wonderful post. So happy you living large.

    One of the many things I admire about you is how you don't just wear something nice; you don't even put together nice outfits; but how you add and integrate new pieces into your vast wardrobe so smoothly. Like a pro athlete you make it look easy. And it isn't. The way you combine fun items like a bomber jacket or a colored moto jacket with feminine clothes is inspired. And to top it all off the fact that your outfits are usually 100% second-hand is amazing. You're a fashion genius. :)

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  2. All of your weekend outfits (Friday included) are delightful to look at: the patterns, colors, shapes, and the way you craft each outfit to be visually interesting. The gown looks fabulous on you, and far better than I imagined when you first shared its purchase! What a nice weekend for you and L (sorry Vizzini).
    Cheers, Laurie

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  3. Hello Sheila love your style. Thanks for posting. I'm here in Colorado on a long long quest to hopefully someday find John Fluevog babycakes shorties in burgundy ♡♡ Still dreaming! If you happen to know where I would sure appreciate it !☆☆☆♡♡♡♡

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading - check out the Fluemarket: https://www.fluevog.com/community/fluemarket/ - it's sellers all over (mostly North America). Good luck on your hunt!

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  4. All of your outfits are fabulous, but my favourite must be Friday's bomber jacket and silk trousers combo, but the "Personal Jesus" dress looks absolutely amazing on you too (I wasn't sure when I saw it on the hanger ...).
    Thank you for sharing those pictures of the lush gardens, Victorian abodes and the harbour. And Vizzini, of course! xxx

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  5. Loving all the outfits especially the long skirt and the fabulous 'Personal Jesus' dress. What a marvellous find that was; the boots were perfect with it and they look very comfortable. I love Victorian houses and you have some beauties in your neighbourhood. Great finds on your shopping trip, too! Hope you have a great week.
    xxx

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  6. I love the bomber jacket in your first outfit and that Personal Jesus dress is amazing! (It helps that I love the song too!)
    As ever, I adore seeing photos of those beautiful Victorian houses. They look even prettier in spring with all of the trees in blossom.
    Hello Vizzini! x

    ReplyDelete

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Sheila