Welcome back, Gentle Readers! How was your weekend? I hear some of you have gotten snow already, ack! It's been mild and cloudy here, for the most part, which is fine by me.
It's been a mix of quiet and social this weekend, with our brunch out and a Sunday jaunt to Turnabout with pals to spend our saved-up gift cards, and I have lots to show you, so let's get started.
Here's Friday's work ensemble, not particularly colourful, but well-received nonetheless.
My stylish colleague Stefanie admired my black dress. "Pockets!" I exclaimed and showed her.
- Blouse - Halston III for JC Penny, vintage 70s, thrifted; last worn here in February 2023 with orange corduroy
- Dress - Motion, vintage 90s, consignment; first seen here in September with pink and leopard
- Boots - Aldo, vintage 00s, thrifted; last worn here in October for a Mom-Day at Gorge Park
- Leather trenchcoat (below) - vintage 70s, thrifted; last seen here a couple of weeks ago
I wanted to wear my JC Penney 1970s Halston blouse, and was pleased with how well it layered under the dress.
I adore the big pouffy bubble hem.
I'd planned a little shopping trip after work with my coworker Jaber, who's new to Victoria, to show him a couple of my favourite secondhand shops, so I dressed for walking around.
We visited WIN and Rich Rags - didn't find anything for either of us, but I'll continue promoting local, secondhand shops over online shopping.
It's hard to see, but the pattern on the blouse is tan H's - H for Halston.
I didn't feel like carrying my shoes so wore comfy boots I could walk in.
Outerwear - hooray, it's Friday!
Giving my new cream beret a spin.
It's smaller than my other berets, so I didn't get great rain coverage, but eh, whatever, it's only water.
I had to resew one of the buttons on my coat - it was nearly falling off.
Accoutrements:
The wrist elastic has blown on these gloves - time to move them along.
- Wool scarf - Metropolitan Museum of Art "Eagle Wing" scarf, King Tut exhibit, 1970s, thrifted, Seattle
- Wool gloves - Parkhurst
- Wool beret - thrifted; purchased here yesterday for $9.95
The stuff:
I love the distressed finish on the boots, and of course, the studs on the heels and toes.
Triangular bling:
I also have a mixed cat theme going on - you can't see it in any of the pics, but I wore leopard tights too. By the way, this is the reverse side of the necklace with the bits of blue that I wore
here with the Frankenskirt.
- Belt - Pringle of Scotland, vintage fair
- Necklace - Stella & Dot, thrifted
- Plastic cuff - thrifted
- Brass/leather cuff - vintage 70s, Mom's
- Brass leopard ring - thrifted; purchased here yesterday for $7.95
- Brass ring - vintage 70s, vintage mall
- Bronze ring - P. Sarpaneva, Finland, vintage expo
- Earrings - Alexis Bittar, consignment, gift from L
- Collar points - vintage 80s, consignment
My lion rampant belt is a treasure from a long-ago vintage fair. Many of my coworkers admired the new leopard ring.
After a joyful evening of board games and music, L and I were up early to meet up with Casey and Nick for brunch at John's Place.
I pulled this outfit from one of my pre-done ones in the closet - I'd put the jean jacket, suede skirt and these spectacular boots together, so just added the t-shirt.
- Jean jacket - Ricochetjackets, upcycled, consignment, gift from L; last seen here in April with neon green and purple
- Iggy Pop tour shirt - 2023 Rifflandia; last worn here (2nd outfit) to see Ice Cube in concert in April
- Skirt - Kelco Leather, vintage 70s, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) in April for shopping with Jessica
- Boots - Lena Parfait Luxury Freeze, Fluevog; last worn here back in October 2021 with neoprenes
I'd call this a successful outfit - people stopped me multiple times to tell me how much they loved the whole look.
This upcycled denim jacket has three brooches that I've added to it permanently.
The suede skirt is made up of odd shapes, but they are mirrored, front and back.
I layered a long slip under the skirt, plus fishnet burgundy tights (with socks under them!).
A vase and lips on the back.
The purple fringe trim on the hem and cuffs is my favourite part.
I picked a tee with bright pink to echo the soles of the boots.
Iggy Pop! He was so good in concert - one of the best I've seen at Rifflandia.
Buttoned up and incognito.
It was bright and sunny for a while.
Layered up - this is how most people saw me.
It's a mix of pinks, reds, purples, burgundy - and remember kids, they don't have to match, they just have to go.
Accoutrements:
I didn't really need the gloves - it was warm enough that I just tucked them into my bag.
- Leather purse - Michael Kors, consignment
- Wool blend scarf - Missoni X Target, consignment
- Leather gloves - thrifted
The stuff:
I'm not surprised that I haven't worn these boots in 3 years - that is one high heel, even with the big squishy platform under the toe.
A better look at them - people really gushed over these!
They say "Luxury" on one and "Freeze" on the other. These are the Lena Parfait - the heels look like jars of maraschino cherries, don't they?
Bold bling:
More reds and burgundies.
- Belt - Gap, thrifted
- Crystal cuff/earrings - J. Crew, thrifted
- Fang bangle - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Sidney
- Silver/onyx ring - Tocara, vintage fair
- Silver/red stone ring - thrifted
- Silver chain ring - Mexico, consignment
I did a 5-minute shop at the Beacon Ave Thrift Store while Nick, Casey and L waited to be seated. They had 50% off pink/boutique tags.
This black double-knit polyester is a button-across wrap style, in a slight A-line.
Old tags - I bet this is from the 1970s, when manufacturers were first required to add washing instructions and fabric content. That's also a really early CA number.
It's marked a size 14, but fits like a modern size 10, so that tells us for sure that it's pre-Great Size Shift.
I love that label. It says, "Couturier designs by David Snider, made in Canada." That matches the CA number and the lookup listed their address as being in Vancouver. I couldn't find anything about him online.
This skirt was only $3.50.
I've been on the lookout for another bright pink sweater, since I wore out my last one - it's a useful colour for me.
This one isn't quite Peak Pink Sweater (it's too sheer).
It's by Primark, and not high quality.
But only $6.00.
L had some banking to do, so I popped into Dots and did a bit of Xmas shopping.
This dress was in the clearance section and called to me. I love the colour mix, including a bit of baby blue.
It's by Cream, and was on final sale of $9.99.
That's a very Missoni-like knit pattern. It's lined to the knee, so the bottom of it is sheer.
I peeled off a bunch of the price tags to see the original Dots price ($59.99) and the retail price ($169.00).
Not sure where I'll wear this - I might save it for summer and pairing with my turquoise Fluevogs, or I might just move it along to one of my friends.
On Saturday, L and I hung out again - we have a busy week ahead, so we were recharging our social batteries.
"I love the Man."
Vizzini mostly gets in the way when we play boardgames, but he's so cute.
I was up early on Sunday to get ready to go for a shop at Turnabout with my girlfriends - five of us (four with gift cards!) had planned this, but the gals have been dropping like flies this week with travel, sickness and work stresses, so it ended up being just me and Rosanna. We had a blast and spent three hours going through every nook and cranny.
I dressed for walking there and back, plus for ease of trying on.
- Dress - Marimekko X Uniqlo, thrifted; last worn here in November 2023
- Boots - Groovy Huysmans, Fluevog; last worn here in October with a striped Jammy dress
- Jacket (below) - Tahari, consignment; last seen here in October 2023 for a Mom-Day at home
Jammy dresses are excellent for shopping.
This one's quite a thin wool blend, so I layered a black vintage slip under it.
You can see the lacy hem peeking out.
Isn't this a cool dress? I love the colours and the big S.
Hence, I call it the S Dress.
All my purples matched, even if they look a bit off in some pics.
This jacket is half velvet and half knit (the sleeves).
It's not very thick, but I hate shopping in a bulky coat, and I figured walking there and back would keep me warm.
Incognito - it was bright out for my walk down Oak Bay Ave.
I just did thin gloves, and even skipped a scarf.
Accoutrements:
In retrospect, a scarf might have been nice - it was brisk for the walk home in late afternoon.
- Leather purse - Danier Leather, thrifted
- Studded leather gloves - Danier Leather
The stuff:
This short heel was easier on my feet after the previous day's heels. These boots were bought to be worn a lot, and I've definitely gotten my money's worth.
- Silver/green stone ring - consignment, Sidney
- Silver/onyx ring - Tocara, vintage fair
- Earrings - consignment, c. 1995
Ready to see what I found? A reminder that Turnabout is high-end and designer consignment for the most part, so prices are a little steeper than what I'm accustomed to. I was happy to hand over my gift card from L, but I did use up a chunk of my shopping money. But that's okay, that's why I budget for it, and I am planning my next Limbo Sale for January!
I fell in love with this amazing cuff bracelet.
Pale turquoise enamel, gold balls all over, topaz-coloured stones surrounded by clear crystals, and that gorgeous open-work backing.
Two safety snaps.
The top of the push-lock is shaped like a flower.
More flower shapes! This is by Lauren G. Adams, Est. 1988, a brand I've never heard of - it's the work of a Montreal-born designer Orly Orvadia (link
here, and all links 'cause I love).
This is called the "Fresh Fantasy" bangle and it retails for $588.00 (link
here). It was $103.99 - the whole store was 20% off.
I was charmed by this ruffled burgundy velvet scarf - it's really long.
20% silk - it's very soft.
It was $25.59.
This funky one-strap leather purse caught my eye.
I love the black leather cut-outs with the studs.
It's got a custom lining, nice.
All of the zippers are metal and very heavy-duty. The hardware is very good - all the pulls are leather as well.
Straps in back so I can thread a belt through it!
Or I guess I could put my arm through there.
It's by Allibelle. It's called the Mohawk Clutch - I found one listed as "sold out" on the Bloomingdale's website, with no listed price.
It was marked down to $60.00, which feels like a good price for such butter-soft leather.
It's another faux fur hat to add to my collection!
It's dark brown with honey-tan tips, and is bucket-shaped.
Oooh, tangerine lining! And it still has its tag from Nordstrom Rack.
It's by Flag Accessories and was $23.99.
This is a piece of outerwear...I think. It's not a sleeveless coat, it's not an extra-long dickie...It's a tabard!
The sides are open and have adjustable straps.
So weird!
I plan to layer this under my long wool winter coats for an extra layer of warmth.
But I might also wear it on its own, like I wear my sleeveless coat.
It unzips and you pull it on over your head.
It's by COS.
It was $71.99.
And this was my big splurge - it's so cool and looked fantastic on.
Heavy cow leather, in a wonderful rich burgundy red, with bigass gold hinge-style closures.
Two giant patch pockets! The pockets (as well as the skirt) are fully-lined.
What magic is this?
The closures do work, but the skirt doesn't open up.
The care instructions inside mention that it should be cleaned by an expert at waxed leather. So I am guessing it's waxed leather!
It's the Bianca Skirt by Tory Burch and it retailed for $598.00 - I saw them online for $250-389.00.
It was $231.99. But I love it!
And who else do I love?
"Me and only me."
Aw, I have lots of love to share around!
Thanks so much for dropping by, my friends! I hope you enjoyed my weekend shenanigans!
This sparkly top is one of my favourite pieces - the bands of colour go with anything. I usually wear it with pink, purple, grey, black or orange to match.
So profesh! I'm practically the Prime Minister of Canada in this classy 'fit! 
"I love your whole kind of vibe!" said the baker who helped me. Why thank you, lovely person.
Brr! It was 3 degrees this morning - I had to dig out my fur scarf. 
