Welcome back, my friends, did you miss me? Settle in and let's look at outfits.
Friday's work outfit - the office was predictably dead on a Friday before a long weekend.
I changed out the skirt in this outfit three times, and I still ended up dissatisfied with this denim one.
- Jacket - H&M, consignment, Vancouver; last seen here in June 2024 with red and orange
- Sweater - Jones New York, thrifted; purchased here for $5.00
- Re-worked jeans/skirt - Levi's, consignment; purchased here for $15.00
- Boots - Powerhouse Jyoti, Fluevog; last worn here in April in a rock star outfit
Off to Limbo it goes! I liked it, but it's a lot of leg, and I don't LOVE it.
I liked the red of the sweater and boots - they bookended so well.
The pajama jacket is a long-time favourite, rescued once from the Limbo pile.
It was lovely to wear - I'm always shocked that it's H&M.
I'm not keeping the orangey-red sweater. That's not distaste you see on my face, merely being half-asleep.
The turtleneck refused to stay folded, and did all kinds of weird things, and the sweater bagged out while I wore it. Not a good fit, but a great colour.
It was cold and rainy again, so I added my bits.
This looks super, doesn't it? I love red and pink together.
Accoutrements:
I carried these home, hopping a bus with some groceries I picked up on my lunch break.
- Cashmere pashmina - Portolano, thrifted
- Wool beret - Parkhurst, consignment
- Wool gloves - Parkhurst
The stuff:
I walked around the office a couple of times, and ran my lunch errands in these sweet booties. I wish they were an inch shorter...
Colourful bling:
Colleague Viz was entranced by my belt. L helpfully gave me a "fit check" and pointed out that the Klassy Elastic was showing (I hid it behind a belt loop, thank you!).
- Belt - vintage 90s, consignment
- Leather steel cuff - Rimanchik
- Faux cinnabar bangle - consignment
- Silver/green stone ring - thrifted
- Silver/aventurine ring - consignment
- Crystal necklace/earrings - Sherman, vintage 50s, vintage fair
After a fun evening of board games and music, L and I were up early for brunch at John's Place, and a grocery shop on the way home.
I've had this outfit waiting in the wings for a bit, planned around the purchase of the purple-blend mesh shirt.
- Cotton cropped top - Atelier Delphine, thrifted; first seen here in August 2024 with orange leopard
- Mesh top - Soya Concept, thrifted; purchased here for $23.00
- Cotton velour skirt - Sonia Rykiel, vintage 00s, thrifted; last worn here in January with a different mesh
- Boots - Original Sabado, Fluevog; last seen here (3rd outfit) in March for another long weekend hangout
- Linen/silk wrap coat (below) - Theyskens Theory, RTW Fall 2011, thrifted; last seen here in March for a Mom-Day at Colquitz Creek
I love these long-sleeved tops - they are good for layering when I want a bit more coverage. The purple mesh suggested this olive cotton Japanese-made organic cotton top. Note the interesting neckline and hem!
The skirt is an indigo blue/purple, and is Classy Designer Sonia Rykiel.
I layered my Oliver Theyskens linen/silk coat over it - it was raining and sunny and windy for most of the day.
This coat was perfect, just right for the temps.
I like the back of the neck - pal Linda inspected this later on in the day and called it a "squid neck."
Bit slits in the back for movement, and giant pockets for my phone and my sunglasses.
Although we didn't have the top down for our brunch and grocery jaunts earlier in the day, I wore the same thing in the afternoon to meet up with our Chosen Family for our traditional long weekend hangout.
I'd planned on changing into a different outfit for that, but we were running late, so I just tied my scarf around my head (the Movie Star Wrap) for the windy walk to town.
Accoutrements:
The stretchy mesh scarf was excellent for keeping my hair from snarling into a rat's nest.
- Leather purse - Rebecca Minkoff, consignment
- Scarf - Michal Negrin, consignment; purchased here for $20.00
The stuff:
My faithful boots were fabulous for all the walking - we also walked home later in the early evening, after laughing, drinking and eating with our friends for hours.
Silvery bling:
I really liked this mix of bling.
- Green stone/metal bracelet - vintage 30s, vintage mall
- Umbrella brooch - vintage 20s, vintage mall, gift from L
- Pewter oak leaf necklace - Robert Larin, vintage 70s, thrifted, Sidney
- Amethyst crystal pendant - vintage 90s, gift from Mom & Dad
- Carved quartz bangle - consignment
- Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
- Silver Anneke & Lars ring - vintage mall
- Silver/amethyst ring/earrings - vintage 90s, gift from Mom & Dad
While L and Nick waited in line at John's Place in the morning, I had a 5-minute shop at the Beacon Ave Thrift Shop next door. Weirdly, I bought two pairs of pajamas!
This floral satiny pair were so pretty. You could totally wear these in public in the summer.
They are by Natori, and were $12.00.
Oh, my goodness, these sell for $325.00! *jaw drop*
I had also eyed these men's pajamas a couple of times and finally figured that if L didn't want them, I could re-sell them.
They are cream with navy blue piping and embroidery, with a button-up jacket and drawstring pants.
Lovely embroidery on the pocket.
I got my embroidery badge in Brownies.
I know hand-embroidery when I see it.
A bit of digging around, and I believe these are from the 1930s.
I found this image of a sewing pattern online - it's Simplicity pattern 1617, from 1935.
The design on the left matches almost exactly. It's not a stretch to think that this pattern was based off patterns being made in China for export.
There's a Chinese label on it, which I can't read.
This was $28.00 for the set - I found a similar set on eBay for $88.00. L loved these!
I also bought a beautiful men's striped shirt for $7.00 (all long-sleeved shirts were half-price), but neither L nor Nick liked it, so I gave to Shayne, bus/server at John's, for free. I've had some good karma lately, so it's always smart to keep passing it on.
This was my final purchase at the thrift shop.
A long cotton shirt with a fancy beaded/embellished collar, in a dark grey.
There are deep slits on either side.
I like that kind of detail.
The asymmetrical beading and placement of gems and bits of stones on the collars appealed to me; they are tacked down so that they don't flop around from the weight.
It's by Dorothee Schumacher, a name I've seen at Turnabout. She is a German designer (link
here 'cause I love), and this shirt is post-2014 when she began using her full name on the label. I paid $10.50 for this (long sleeves half off!), and while I couldn't find this exact shirt on her site, a long-sleeved t-shirt sells for $170.00, and I spotted a plain white cotton shirt on Farfetch for over $800!
L and I quickly put the groceries away and headed back to town - walking this time - and stopped briefly on the way to the Garrick's Head Pub. L had a quick browse in Ditch Records (recommendation for those of you who like music: Son of the Velvet Rat), and I had a poke around the sale racks at Dots.
I didn't want to try anything on, so I risked a couple of things and hoped for the best. This jacquard tan/black zebra-ish skirt caught my eye.
Unfortunately, it was too tight (no stretch). It's by Soaked in Luxury, and was only $7.99 so I don't feel that bad. In to Limbo it goes!
I wanted this suit to fit SO BADLY. It's also by Soaked in Luxury.
And it does!! I adore the deep teal colour.
The jacket is double-breasted (with real pockets!) and is an oversized cut.
For only $14.99, with suggested retail of $149.00. Um, YES.
The pants have no stretch, and the only size left was a very small-looking XL - but they fit just right (a little baggy and louche).
And for $7.99 (retail $129.00), I ended up with a suit for $23.00! What a score! I'm excited to wear it.
And now, y'all will indulge me in sharing a few pictures of our day. This is the view of the mall (and the now-closed Hudson's Bay Company) from the view of the big picture window of the Garrick's Head on Government Street.
It's a parade of people - this is the main tourist drag.
Carolyn and Ronnie are headed off on a bike trip in France soon, and Caro had gift cards for Sportcheck in the mall. She was at the store and texted - our girl needed some shopping assistance! This sounds like a job for...me!
She needed sneakers she could walk and bike in, but would also look nice with "real clothes" like dresses and skirts. Those are winners, honey! I love the cream mix, the nubby soles, and the cutaway shape which keep them from looking too chunky.
I was having so much fun, I missed taking pictures of half of our group, which maxed out at around 16-18 people at one point. This was after we'd amalgamated to one big table, and were settling up to head home.
Brad, Linda and Randall.
Me, Cat and Nick.
Love you guys!
And beside me, L, Vero and Yvonne.
L's looking very snazzy.
Nick, me and L walking home.
May our shadows always be long!
L and I hung out all day Sunday, doing pretty much nothing, then playing board games and listening to music into the wee hours. I LOVE a long weekend!
I was up bright and early on Monday morning, however, as I'd made plans with dear friend Vero to come over to her house and clean out her closet with her. I offer this to every one of my friends, and so far only Yvonne has been brave enough to take me up on it.
We started around 11:30am, and aside from a break for lunch, worked until 4:30pm. Phew, I was exhausted!
- Ultrasuede dress - Halston, vintage 70s, purchased here for $62.00
- T-shirt - Handsome Family 2024 tour, not tracked
- Jeans - G-Star Raw, thrifted; last seen here in August 2024 for three straight days in Powell River
- Sneakers - Converse; last worn here (2nd outfit) in March to see the Handsome Family in concert in Vancouver
I don't take pictures of closet clear-outs - it's nerve-wracking enough to have a friend go through and paw at your personal things! - but it's a rewarding and eye-opening experience to have someone else assess what you have. And if I've ever offered, you should take me up on it - I'm very kind and gentle.
But my blog-friends, you will get to see what my Substackians will not (until next week, when I summarize). I'm doing a full week (Monday to Sunday) wearing my newly-purchased Halston Ultrasuede dress. Yes, every day! I spent some time on Sunday and created a bunch of looks, and I intend to wear a different one daily.
Dress worn as coat! I took pictures of all of the basic pieces to remind me - I'll add all my accoutrements and accessories either the night before (for work outfits) or day day of for casual.
My formula for a casual outfit - band tee + groovy bottom + fun shoes + a coat.
And there it is! I rolled the sleeves of the coat to show my bracelets.
I threw the dress in the washer and dryer after purchasing and steamed it before wearing this outfit. It washed beautifully, looks like new.
The dress is comfortable as a coat, but the Ultrasuede isn't lined, so I had to adjust my t-shirt to make sure it didn't bunch up in the arms. I wonder if I'll have Ultrasuede Rage with other outfits? I guess we'll just have to wait and see!
Pulling everything out of someone's closet is a lot of physical work. I quickly removed the coat and hung it up out of the way of Ada, Vero and Justin's 5-month old puppy.
Groovy black, tan and white houndstooth pants, and my Handsome Family owl tee.
Vero picked me up - I buttoned up the top half of the dress and left the bottom buttons undone.
The pockets were a pleasant surprise - large enough to hold my shades, and for a phone.
Accoutrements:
The purse was still out from Saturday. Good enough!
- Leather purse - Rebecca Minkoff, consignment
- Scarf - Zadig & Voltaire, consignment
The stuff:
Comfy sneakers.
Silver bling:
All familiar friends.
- Belt - vintage 90s, consignment
- Filigree cuff - St. Paul's Cathedral gift shop
- Crystal cuff - Juicy Couture, consignment
- Silver Anneke & Lars ring - vintage mall
- Silver chain ring - consignment
- Silver Celtic S pendant - UK, vintage 90s, gift from Mom & Dad
- Silver earrings - Israeli, consignment.
Squirrel nest update!
There was a big mound of dead-looking maple leaves that appeared to have been pushed out of the nest, which looks unoccupied.
But today, there was a fresh batch of leaves!
Still no one there. Maybe mama squirrel just uses this as her nap spot?
And now, my friends, I'm off to enjoy the waning hours of this long weekend. Thank you so much for dropping by!
I loved the enormous pockets anew! 
I'd been going all orange, then my eyes alit on this Alexander McQueen scarf. I folded it diagonally, then gently rolled each side toward the centre and then folded it in half - this shows off the pattern the best (and the name!).
Casual! 
