Vacay Daze: Birthday at the Mall(!) in Neon; A Day-Trip to Sidney

Hello, my friends! Ah, I could get used to this "holiday" stuff! Both of us are starting to relax and let the cares of work fade away. 

On Monday, L's actual b-day, we got dressed and went to the mall (I KNOW! the mall!) to spend some found Indigo gift cards (a total of $80!). I like to stand out at the mall, amongst the Lulu-clad hordes. 

I was excited to style my neon jeans, can you tell? 

• Jacket - Stella McCartney X Adidas 2014, consignment, Vancouver; last worn here in May 2023 with chartreuse and black velvet
• Top - Adidas Farm Rio, thrifted; last seen here in February with these same sneakers
• Jeans - Mac Jeans; purchased here for $29.99
• Sneakers - Adidas All Stars, thrifted; last worn here in April for a Mom-Day at the Gorge

This outfit has three Adidas items in it. 

My Stella McCartney daisy bomber jacket is from 2014 - it's 10 years old now! 

The tee is white with a mesh layer over it. 

I'm sure it must go with neon green! 

I loved wearing these - they weren't as repellent to L as I thought they might be. 

I had a lot of admirers of my outfit from the mall store workers. 

Add a pop of orange.

We had lunch at the food court (KLASSY), then had a wander through the mall. 

The stuff: 

My third Adidas items is my shoes. Very comfy! 

Purple and grey bling: 

Minimal things. 

• Purse - consignment
• Belt - B-Low the Belt, thrifted
• Leather/metal cuff - thrifted
• Metal/purple stone bracelet - Maltese, vintage mall
• Purple glass earrings - consignment, c. 1996
• Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
• Silver chain ring - Mexican, consignment

We opted for the food court at Mayfair Mall. I got sushi and edamame and people-watched while L stood in line at A&W for a burger. 

That guy is intently peering at his phone. I like that you can see the sky there - the tree was waving madly in the wind (a very breezy day). 

L looks thrilled to have his Uncle Burger and tots from Taco Time. 

In his lovely leather moto jacket (it's an All Saints one, picked up recently in Vancouver), and his Molly Tuttle tour shirt (a birthday gift from Casey). 

I bought myself "Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close" by Hannah Carlson. 

I also found these funky Converser at one of the mall stores, marked down to $56.99. I'll put a pair of sport insoles in them, and they'll be awesome. 

We spent Monday night playing boardgames and listening to music. School night, SHMOOL night! 

I've been wanting to go to Sidney for a day-trip for ages - I missed when Cat, Yvonne and Caro went (we were in Powell River), so it's been over a year. L and I made it a day trip, and spent some time exploring the thrift stores, as well as having lunch at the Surly Mermaid Pub. 

• Wool jacket - Gap, consignment, Vancouver; last worn here in April with this same tee! 
• T-shirt - Blondie, thrifted; last seen here in that same 'fit
• Skirt - J. Crew, consignment; last worn  here in September 2023 with these same shoes!
• Shoes - Homers; last seen here here in that same 'fit

That's funny - I've mixed and matched the top and bottom of two different outfits. I guess my wardrobe is still working well for me! 

I love wearing my rainbow skirt - I wanted to have it blowing around in the wind as we strolled around Sidney. And it did! 

So rainbow-y! 

But it's hard to match any of these colours exactly. 

I usually wear black or white with it. 

I carried a gold purse around.

Jacket off. 

Nothing fancy. 

Incognito! 

I was recognized by the lovely lady at the House of Lily Koi. 

The stuff; 

Comfy shoes, only to be worn on non-wet days. 

Silvery bling: 

I wore the Fluevog buttons on my jacket lapel. 

• Buttons - free at Fluevog
• Filigree cuff - St. Paul's Cathedral gift shop, London
• Crystal heart cuff - Juicy Couture, consignment
• Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
• Ball earrings - vintage fair
• S pendant - gift from Mom & Dad, c. 1992?

We started at the REUZ Room, a new-ish shop (I've never seen it before), where I spotted this tube-shaped purse covered with UK-themed signs and logos. 

I also bought a ring there. 

The bag is by LeSportsac, which I remember being A THING in the 80s. 

Apparently it was also a thing in the early 00s (a GQ article here, all links 'cause I love, pondering if they are ready for a comeback). 

LeSportsac hasn't been made in the USA since the early 00s when it was sold in 2005, so this is from pre-2005. 

"Carefully made in USA." It was $45.00 which is a little pricey, but I love the cute print and am looking forward to swanking around with this. 

I don't know what the stone in the ring is. 

It's not malachite - too translucent. 

But it is sterling silver - .925 right there. 

$35.00 is about right. Done! 

We popped into the Beacon Community Services Thrift Store on Third Ave (there are about 4 of these in Sidney, and this is the same little chain as my John's Place regular thrift shop). 

I spotted this wooly leopard skirt a mile away. 

Nice quality wool, a pretty little built-in slip. 

I recognized that trim on the slip - I used to have a skirt with that same lining. 

It's by Marc Cain. 

Ooh, knitted in Germany. Also, it's a size N6! It's wool, virgin wool and nylon. 

For a mere $4.50. Really! 

Marc Cain knit pencil skirts run between $231-350 new! What a score! 

I also grabbed this vintage knit dress. 

It's a mid-calf length, with knit-in decorations on the top. 

Red/orange, sparkly gold and bright blue zig-zags. 

The orange and white dots are knots. 

The little red tabs are blown glass dots. 

And metal gold leaves are sewn under the white knots. 

Look at that awesome label. "Styled in Italy, Verona Knits by Leon Cutler, Made in British Crown Colony Hong Kong." Wow! 

According to this thread here from the Fashion Guild, Leon Cutler is a Melbourne, Australia label, prolific in the 60s-80s. I think this is probably from the late 70s or early 80s, based on the style. For $8.00, I was thrilled. I saw other Verona Knits by Leon Cutler selling online for over $129! 

I grabbed this wood bead necklace while waiting in line to pay.

I love all these colours - the tiny orange beads are glass. It was $4.00 - hands off, Ann! 

Another thrift store that I'd been to oodles of times had closed...and a new vintage shop had appeared in its place (and I have spaced on the name...). 

I spotted this bejeweled cuff and the silver "S" cuff. Both are winners!

The jeweled cuff has round and baguette-cut crystals, plus one ginormous coral-coloured crystal in the middle. I recognized this brand! I have this cuff here by Loren Hope that I bought at Turnabout for $49.99. 

This was $34.00, a bargain for a piece handmade in the US. Their cuffs run between $150 and $300 new. 

I gasped when I saw this thick, heavy hinged cuff. 

It has that mid-century Brutalist look I like, plus it has an S on it! 

Lots of stamps - this is from Taxco, Mexico, and it is stamped for sterling silver. 

Similar - but simpler! - cuffs like this sell for $500+ online! I usually can't afford them when I see them, but this was $105.00 - still expensive, but doable. I know I got a great deal on this.

From there, we went to House of Lily Koi (where I found my Halston Ultrasuede shearling coat) - I always find good things there. 

This patchwork-printed dress fits me perfectly. The prints are varied patterns, including money. 

The overlay is a fine mesh, very much of the late 90s era. 

The uneven hem also screams early 00s to me. 

It's by Desigual and we know it's old because...

...a) the label has been washed a lot! and b) it was made in Spain. 

It was $58.00 which feels okay. 

Not cheap but a fair price. 

I did splurge on these for $38.00 apiece. 

What ARE those, you may be wondering? 

They are hand jewelry! 

Gold skeleton fingers! I can't wait to wear these over a pair of black leather gloves! 

From there, we went to Connections consignment, where I found a t-shirt. 

The stripes are woven, not printed, and that's a pink and blue soup can on the front. 

It's metallic printed, and it's meant to look a little blurry. 

And of course, this is a collaboration with Any Warhol's estate. 

And Uniqlo, our usual suspect. 

The first collection from SPRZ NY (Surprise New York) with Uniqlo and Andy Warhol was in 2019, so this is from sometime between then and now. 

They sold for $14.50 USD, so this is pretty close to retail. I did spot the same one on Grailed for $58.00. 

I grabbed this bag immediately! Oh my gosh, I love this! 

I know Pringle is Pringle of Scotland - I have this belt here by them with a lion buckle. 

This reminds me of those bigass vintage vinyl travel bags from the 70s. This bag is fully trimmed with white vinyl (the red is also vinyl). 

A zipper compartment in the back. 

With two pulls that have our lions rampant on them. 

I do love a nice little logo like that. 

The front flap is held down with two tabs of Velcro, then there is another flat pocket at the front, a large centre section and a zipped wallet pouch. 

Pringle seems to have done an entire line of "vegan leather" (ha haha) bags and purses with plain colours and large logos like this at some point - there are a few of them on the interwebz. 

I spotted a similar one selling for $140.00 US. 

I knew $29.98 was a really good deal! 

There was another little vintage shop next door to Connections that I had a quick poke in, and I was glad I did! 

This long, colourful belt joins my collection. 

I'm always excited when I find a good belt - the colours on this one will work well in my wardrobe. 

I know, I feel like that too! 

It's by Desigual also (so weird!), and for only $8.00 I was not leaving it there! 

Their belts are very pricy (over $100) so I know it was a deal. 

I spotted this copper hinged bracelet in the case. 

It was $14.00 - a very good price, as you just don't see a lot of copper out there. 

The lady in the store told me it wasn't copper. "I think the top is plastic." 

It most certainly IS copper! It's likely from the 1950s or early 60s. 

And there you have it, a successful two days of Vacay Daze! I'll be back soon with more tales of adventure!