Welcome back, my friends! I hope you're all well and ready for some outfits, and some new Fluevogs! Let's not delay!
Friday's outfit was easy - it's another Jammy Dress, my Bodybag by Jude plaid.
It's lined in a thick satin, with big pockets, as you can see.
- White shirt - Eddie Bauer, consignment; last seen here in July with a denim fin and chartreuse pants
- Dress - Bodybag by Jude, consignment; last worn here (2nd outfit) in November 2023 for brunch and an art gallery wander with Betty
- Boots - 1883 Lucchese, thrifted; last seen here in April for a Mom-Day at Finnerty Gardens
- Suede coat (below) - Mangoon, thrifted; last worn here in June
I like the simple t-shirt shape of the dress - it lets the stunning textile shine.
I layered a white shirt under it to shake things up a bit and keep my arms warm.
I was treated to a late birthday lunch by my boss and another VP - Birthday Month is now officially over.
We talked theatre, politics, travel (my boss had been on vacation), and the state of the world. No work talk at all. It was hard to go back to the office!
Incognito. As you can imagine, my fringe swings madly as I walk.
It's amazing how happy fringe flying everywhere can make me. I highly recommend it.
Accoutrements:
A bit of navy blue and yellow to match the plaid of the dress.
- Silk scarf - Forelle, vintage, consignment
- Fuzzy hat - thrifted
- Wool gloves - Parkhurst
The stuff:
I love the steel blue colour of these boots. They're hugely comfortable.
Black and blue bling:
I like the look of a bigass necklace under a collared shirt.
- Necklace - Heidi Daus, thrifted
- Crystal/Lucite bracelet - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Sidney
- Lucite/gold bracelet and earrings - Alexis Bittar, consignment, gift from L
- Silver/obsidian ring - consignment
- Silver/onyx ring - Tocara, vintage fair
- Silver/kyanite ring - consignment
- Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
L and I were up early on Saturday morning, after a laugh-filled evening of board games and music - the Fluevog Sample Sale returned to Victoria! You might remember the last sample sale,
here, in April 2022 - and I still have all three pairs I bought then.
With $500 in gift cards burning a hole in my pocket, I carefully planned an outfit for walking, standing and trying on shoes.
This is one of my last pre-planned outfits from my closet swap-over, incorporating this ruffled raspberry top into my existing wardrobe.
- Jacket - Frank Lyman; last worn here (2nd outfit) with blue and green plaid for a day shopping
- Blouse - Eddie Bauer, thrifted; purchased here for $5.48
- Skirt - Papillon; last seen here in August with a preppy blazer
- Shoes - Half Truth Tanya, Fluevog; last worn here in March with a blazer and skirt that both went to Limbo
Without the jacket, although I never took it off - showing off the new-to-me thrifted silk/cotton top.
The top was awesome (it's LINED, wow, they don't make 'em like that anymore), and will work well with my rock & roll vibe.
But the jacket was the key piece - it tied the whole outfit together.
I had a ton of compliments on my 'fit.
It felt very "me."
I like my girly elements (like ruffles and pink tulle) mixed with harder-edged things, like a faux leather studded motorcycle jacket.
I rolled with the flowers/roses theme.
Every rose has its thorn...[you're welcome for the earworm!]
All of my colours are mismatched. Although I'm a major proponent of matching, I remind myself (and others)...
It doesn't have to match, it just has to GO.
Rock on!
As we were going to the Fluevog store, I carefully added three Fluevogian elements.
Did you spot them all?
L and I walked to town, stood in line for over an hour to get in, then went to John's Place for brunch after, and walked home.
Accoutrements:
I nearly bought a Fluevog purse, but in the end it was not quite right (and I was nearing my budgeted spend).
- Leather purse - Bruno Cucinelli, vintage 80s, consignment
- Silk scarf - Fluevog
- Gloves - Parkhurst
The stuff:
I had a few admirers of my shoes while we stood in line - I first wore them
here in March 2014, over 10 years ago (you might notice that I'm wearing the same red wool fingerless gloves!).
Rosy bling:
Shoes, scarf and belt - these were the triple Fluevog items. Gold star for you if you caught them all!
- Rohesia Belt - Fluevog; last seen here (4th outfit) in September
- Silver hinged cuff - vintage, thrifted, Powell River
- Leather/steel cuff - Rimanchik
- Silver/red enamel ring - antique shop, Sidney
- Silver/red stone ring - thrifted
- Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
- Roses earrings - Betsey Johnson, swap from Cat
As noted, we stood in line for over an hour to get in. Part of the fun of these events is chatting with other folks in line. A shout out to the lovely Dana and her Goth daughter - we exchanged numbers, and music recommendations.
Only a limited number of people were allowed in the store at a time, and were asked to not spend more than 30 minutes.
Here's what L found:
These are vegan, so no leather on them. They're no longer listed on the site.
Shoes were $199.00, ankle boots were $249.00 and tall boots were $299.00, plus they had various accessories marked way down as well.
L is happy with these - he wears a lot of blue and orange.
I should mention that I had $500 in gift cards saved up, and I've been curtailing my shopping since I got the email notification about the sample sale. I budget monthly for my shopping, so I felt like I could splurge a little bit. I don't spend any money day-to-day (I don't eat out or buy coffee, etc.), so my choice to spend a chunk of cash is my decision.
I know I don't have to justify how I spend my money, but the Fluevog prices do make people gasp at times. All links 'cause I love, of course.
I scoped out the sale baskets of belts and found two lovely ones.
The top green one is called the Croft Belt (link
here) and it originally sold for $199.00, and is on sale on their site for $149.99. The blue croc print and chain belt is called the Charm Belt, and is on sale for $169.99 (originally $249.00). As you can see, they were $69.00 each.
That still seems like a lot for a couple of belts, but these are small batch manufactures in Portugal, and are all handmade by people who make a living wage.
Wonderful back details, including the John Fluevog signature. I like the piece of leather holding the belt loops down.
I checked out the scarves, and thought this silk fringed beauty would work well in my spring/summer wardrobe, since I have a lot of neon green, pink and yellow.
This is called the Kits Floral Skinny Scarf - it started at $59.00, is marked down to $39.99, and was tagged at $29.00 for me.
I found out when I got home that my friend Cat also has these yellow boots! They beamed right at me and said, "Take me home!" What, like I was going to say no?
These are called the F-Trip Etta and they are on sale on the site
here for $229.99 (regular $499.00). Hey, John, that's cheaper than the $249.00 samples! What's up with that?
Oh well, gift cards make all that grousing go away. It's not like I paid 100% my money.
They are the same heels/last as my swirly F-Trip Warhols (just worn
here the other day), so I know they will be comfy as heck - that's a walkable heel for shorter distances.
Classic soles.
Cat says, "They make a rainy day happy."
I tend to agree! We should wear them at the same time.
Yellow bootie girls forever!
These caught my eye - black leather, black velvet and so many laces and buckles!
These are called the Biblio Austen and they are on the site for $299.99, marked down from $449.00.
I've re-laced them and buckled them to fit my fit perfectly.
They zip up on the inside. No need to do anything else!
These pink beauties also called to me.
These are called the Tudor Fiske (link
here in lavender only) started out at $349.00 - they're on sale for the $199.00 that I paid, so zero savings on the sample, but they didn't sell them in this colour, so okay, I guess?
I love the bright pink, and they are hugely comfortable.
The textile is quilted with a rubbery finish.
"Be Bold, be Strong."
I surely will! I'm excited to wear all of these, so I'll be incorporating all of my purchases into outfits for the coming days.
Flush with our hauls, we walked over to John's Place for lunch. I had five minutes for a peek in the Beacon Ave Thrift Shop next door.
As many of you know, I am a sucker for plaid! This skirt is a beautiful mix of woven boucle (boo-CLAY!) in red, black, green and yellow.
Ginormous pockets!
The shape of the skirt is very high-waisted.
It's by Totonko, a brand I've never heard of.
It's by Totonko, a 90s brand, and was $9.00.
And here's a funny coincidence. Two of my lovely blog-world friends, Ally and Laurie, separately sent me this article from the New York Times (
here, you might not be able to see it, sorry) about a couple who got married during the recent Vancouver Fluemmunity Fest.
We noticed a couple wearing sweatshirts that said:
Boyfriend
Fiance
Husband
and:
Girlfriend
Fiancee
Wife
...and it was Amber and Ron from the article! Congratulations, you two! I hope you have many long years together in your Fluevog shoes. Aw!
As I was writing the other night, I heard the unmistakable sound of someone trying to get my attention.
"What's this? A pen?"
Vizzini, what are you doing?
"Nothing at all, Woman, why do you ask?"
Scritch, scritch...
"Feed me or the phone gets it!"
Gentle Reader, I did feed him.
And there you go, another weekend wrapped up, and although it was fairly quiet, it's been time well spent with my favourite person (L) and roomie (Vizzini).
Sending good vibes to my US friends - I know things are stressful (we're stressed out up here in Canada too!), but hang in there and send good thoughts - and VOTE for women!
Thank you so much for dropping by!
This blouse is still useful to me, but when I retire I'll pass it along. That (retirement) won't be happening any time soon, however. 
I was snug and warm, and the hat stayed on well in the swirling breezes. 
I was holding Vizzini when I took this - I blame his purring for the blurring.
