Welcome back, Gentle Reader! We had a somewhat quieter weekend (hence the lack of "bigass" in the title), and in fact declined two events that would have been so much fun to go to! But our batteries were seriously low, and it felt like we hadn't had any time together in a long while.
However, that doesn't mean lack of outfits! Here's Friday's casual ensemble.
- Bomber jacket - Adidas, consignment, Vancouver; last seen here in August 2023 for a Mom-Day and the Barbie movie
- Top - Le Chateau, thrifted; last worn here in April with another bomber jacket
- Jeans - Articles of Society, thrifted; last seen here (3rd outfit) in September 2023 with my embroidered black denim coat
- Shoes - Asos, consignment; last worn here (3rd outfit) in December 2023 with red lace for Nick's birthday party
I have a lot of clothes - it's hard to get to them all!
Pink, white and green are such a nice combination.
My eye's gotten used to wider leg trousers now.
I'm going to keep my eyes out for wide-legged white jeans.
But I do really like these ones - they have some built-in distressing.
Incognito.
Pockets! Did I mention these jeans don't have front pockets! Outrageous!
The stuff:
Will this be the last wearing of these shoes, now that I've upgraded to a suede studded pair? Signs point to maybe.
Bold bling:
I am rather fond of these lightweight plastic earrings.
- Belt - gift from Ruth
- Crystal heart bracelet - Juicy Couture, consignment
- Steel cuff - thrifted
- Earrings - consignment
- Silver chain ring - Mexican, consignment
- Silver/crystal ring - Soul Flower
A quiet Friday night was in the cards - L and I hung out, listened to music and played board games till the wee hours. Heaven! After a bit of an extra snooze on Saturday, we headed to John's Place to join Nick for brunch. I remembered it was May the Fourth (aka Star Wars Day, for "May the Force be with you", har har), so I wore my Star Wars shoes.
- Vest - Lola Jeans, thrifted; purchased here for $14.95
- Top - Jean Paul Gaultier, vintage 90s, consignment; last worn here in January with denim and plaid
- Skirt - INC Stretch by International Concepts, vintage 90s, thrifted; first seen here in November 2023 for a Mom-Day Adventure
- Shoes - "I Know" Star Wars collection, Irregular Choice, gift from Louise; last worn here (3rd outfit) in April with mixed blues
I had a few people comment on my style while I walked all over downtown.
First wearing of this new-to-me denim vest after picking it up just a few days ago. I loved it - it will be a fun addition in my wardrobe.
The sheer top is Gaultier - the pattern reminds me of galaxies spinning in space.
I added a cosmic swirl brooch to play with the space theme.
The surprise of lace on the back.
See? Why leave the back boring?
This is how most people saw me in the wild.
There were lots of tourists around - I tried to be patient as they lollygaggled on the sidewalks.
The stuff:
I showed off my shoes to the folks at John's Place - they were very popular.
- Purse - Roots 73, thrifted
Thematic bling:
I liked the lace cuff as a nod to the vest.
- Cuff - handmade, Nashville
- Studded leather wristwrap - Kipling, thrifted
- Silver/kyanite ring - consigment
- Fulvia Ring/lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
- Silver/sodalite ring - Scotland, 1996
- Brooch - Sara Coventry, vintage 70s, vintage fair
- Earrings - local
I did my usual 5-minute shop at the Beacon Avenue Thrift Store, and came up with a couple of winners.
I think it's probably from the 00s. It doesn't have much age on it.
$4.00 seems like a good deal.
I picked up this tie for a dollar.
I like the colours, but unfortunately, they look like a soup of brown to L, who is tragically colour-blind.
It's by Giovanni of Milano, and likely from the 90s.
I can picture it with a baggy grey suit.
Pal Chris is buying this quality orange-on-orange shirt.
Hawaiian shirts are plentiful in the thrifts, but there's a lot of crap out there.
Ooh, I spy a 100% silk label hiding under the hanger.
And a copyrighted print, you say?
Yes, it's Tommy Bahama! This silk shirt has a woven-in pattern, plus this gorgeous hibiscus and palm pattern down the front sides.
They retail for $178+, so Chris was very happy to pay me $10.00.
I fell in love with this little leopard.
It was $18.00 which felt a bit pricey, but it's a good cause.
It is indeed by Park Lane, and I see a loop on the back, so that you can wear it as a pendant.
The interwebz are chock-a-block with these - they sell for $20 to $69.99.
This is one of those dresses that looks like nothing on the hanger.
I was drawn to the pattern.
So intricate! They're kind of alien-looking flowers.
A little odd and creepy.
Pockets!
That sealed it.
It's by Papillon out of Vancouver.
A dress like this retails for $98.00, so I'm happy with $14.00. It's very swooshy and will be nice in hot weather.
Nick was wearing a shirt I'd thrifted for him many months ago.
"Can I drink my coffee now?"
It's covered with records, CDs and cassettes. Thank you for the pic, Nick!
I headed off to visit some of my downtown haunts. I discovered that Verve has closed their physical location - it was always a little out of town for me.
I had a quick browse through Vintage After Death (too many people), visited the folks at the Fluevog store and looked longingly at my next pair (when they go on sale), then spent some time at Flavour Upstairs, going through the full store.
This absolutely BEAUTY of a suede coat had to come home with me.
It's long, fitted and VERY fringey.
I have boots this colour - expect them to appear together!
It does up with three hooks down the front.
That is pigskin suede - you can tell by the little dots on it.
I love the lining - with a bit of red trim! and was boggled to find pockets inside - there are none on the outside, sigh.
"Wow, just like a man's," joked L when I showed it to him. I do rant about that, heh heh.
The top one has a zipper!
I could put my wallet there!
The lower pockets - there are TWO more.
The back one fits my phone perfectly. Wow, I'm astounded at all these pocket options.
This tag is not helpful.
Knopfe means button.
Thankfully I don't have to rely on that tag, as there is a massive Mangoon label.
I think this is from the late 90s/early 00s. It was $69.99 which felt like a good price for such a nice quality coat.
Some of my coworkers have asked if I've been to the newest addition to Lower Johnson Street, Cherry Pick Vintage (Insta link here, all links 'cause I love), so of course I had to pop in and check it out!
I gasped so loudly when I saw this t-shirt that people's heads turned. Platinum Blonde was a massive band in the 80s in Canada - they were from Toronto. I highly recommend enjoying some of their videos from the 80s here. That was the soundtrack of my high school years!
I actually saw Platinum Blonde in concert at the old Memorial Arena, in 1985, on their "Alien Shores" tour. This t-shirt, my friends, is from that tour.
I was 17 at the time and could not afford a concert tee (she would be thrilled that I can do that now).
I nearly cried - this is a vintage tee from that tour!
There's Victoria!
That's me!
I checked it really carefully - the transfer is thick and I don't think it's been worn much, if at all.
It even still has the copyright information on it.
That is a vintage label - "Electric T" is the brand. It's made in Canada!
I knew this would not be cheap.
And it was not. $60.00...but that's what a concert tee costs today, and this is actually a piece of my history! Sold! I can't wait to wear it!
I also gasped at this jackets. Um, yes, no question - this was coming home with me.
Gold striped trim, gold zippers, custom hardware, and all that embroidery! Even on the sleeves!
This is by Ed Hardy - NOT by Christian Audigier.
Bluebirds! Peace! Honor!
Hearts with a dagger through them!
And rhinestones! The birds and hearts on the back are also blinged up.
I love the sleeve detail.
It's all done on a rustle-y black nylon.
The zipper pulls are a skull with a rose on top.
The snaps have a heart and skull on them.
Red mesh lining throughout.
This was $75.00 which actually felt reasonable.
I popped into Brica Brac Salvage and found a button from my Junior High School teams, the Colquitz Blue Devils.
$3.00 for another piece of my history.
I then walked over to Upcycle Collective, where I found this amazing jacket.
It's soft black velvet! And oh, so much gold cord. Excuse me while I go join the Black Parade!
The gold trim carries around on the cuffs and neck.
I'm excited to wear this.
Another jacket with a red lining, how odd.
This is by Zara Woman, and it was $30.00.
I got home to an ecstatic reception from Vizzini, our little old kitty. He wanted to sit on me, so we had some time on the deck where it was warm.
Aw, all the little bits of white appearing on his face - he's just turned 13 years old.
Pics of him on his first day with us here in June 2011.
"Are you still blathering, Woman? Just pat me and enjoy."
Right, let's keep this in perspective and revel in the good things, like warm days, fun coats and happy kitties.
Thank you so much for visiting, my friends.
