Weekend Outfit - WW Meeting

Went to my regular WW meeting for the first time in a couple of weeks. As always, I wore something nice and lightweight:
My new-ish teal cardi (last seen here, ha, with the same tights), my bright orange corduroy skirt (last seen here, scroll down - I am wearing that same necklace today, too), and flat shoes for walking.

I also wore my chartreuse jacket (last seen here) because it went so well with my new purse.

I also had long brown leather gloves on for the morning.

A shot of the purse:

The handles and the bottom of it are wood. It was on for 50% off, so I got it for $12.50.

Check out the cool pattern:

I think that green blob is supposed to be a dragon - rar!

Jacket (Alison Wonderland, consignment), cardigan (Kersh), skirt (Jacob Connexion, consignment) , shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction, swap from Cat), necklace (Lavishy), earrings (gift from L).

Well, my exciting news for this weekend was going to be that we got a new kitten companion for Inigo, but it was not meant to be: no kittens at the SPCA for another month. I'm disappointed, but we'll go next month and get a new family member.

In the meantime, as I type this, Mr. Drooly-pants is sitting on my lap. Here he is when we got home last weekend and unpacked our Fluevogs:

Kitties and tissue - an unbeatable combination.

Heh, he's digging for mice:

There must be one there somewhere, buddy!

Tuesday WW Group - Coral for Spring

Ah, my last day off before I get back to the ol' grind. I'm excited/nervous about starting fresh - I'd been at my old job for 5 and a half years before they outsourced us - but with Spring finally arriving, everything feels like a fresh start!

I even decorated my flip charts for today's meeting with shamrocks and tulips. Unfortunately, I got caught in a flash rain storm on the way home and got completely soaked - at least it was warm!

Anyway, I have all these lovely Spring-y things I've thrifted and nowhere to wear them (yet!). First up, this new cardigan and skirt:
The skirt is almost a neon coral - it's a linen and nylon blend, so it feels luxurious but doesn't crease! It was all of $5 in the thrift shop a few weeks ago. I vaguely recall that coral is an "it" colour this Spring, so woo!

The cardigan is also new-to-me - it was around $18 on consignment.

I love the big ruffles on it.

The blouse is one I've had for years - last seen here. Ha, I always wear the same accessories with it!

I can't wait to start building some new outfits for my new job...I have my clothes already selected for My First Day tomorrow, but how about a game? Let's see who guesses the closest to what I'll actually wear. Here's a poll - you can pick more than one item.

What Will Sheila Wear For Her First Day of Work?
	Trousers
	Mini skirt
	Pencil skirt
	Long skirt
	Dress
	Blazer
	Cardigan
	Blouse/Shirt
	Menswear-inspired
	Preppy
	Rock-n-roll
	Floral girly
	Multiple bright colours
	Primary/basic neutrals
	Pattern mixing
	Strapless
	Sheer fabric
	Bright legs (tights)
	Dressy boots
	Casual boots
	High heels
	Low or kitten heels
	Flat shoes
	Subdued jewelry
	Bold jewelry
	Belt
	Scarf
pollcode.com free polls

The stuff:

Lovely orangey-yellowy shoes. The buckle on the belt that came with the skirt is actually made out of bamboo!

A close-up:

I usually toss these belts, but I am going to keep that one. You never know when I might need to go on safari.

We donated a huge amount of stuff to charity lately. Inigo is very happy that he has his box back:

Lovey eyes!

Cardigan (American Rag Cie, consigment), blouse (I.N.C.), skirt (Rocket, thrifted), shoes (Tsubo "Erebus"), cuff (thrifted), earrings (Foxy).

The Unseen Outfit and My First WW At Work Meeting!

Woo, I've had a couple of crazy days! My first Weight Watchers At Work meeting started this week, and I have been scrambling, trying to get all the materials together, not mention I just got trained for this yesterday! Yes, yesterday!

Gee, you'd think they'd launched a new program, or something, haha.

I had to run up to the local centre yesterday afternoon to grab supplies and beg for presentation material, so I made an effort to get dressed.
It was trying to snow out, so I went with layers: a cami, with the leopard shirt (last seen here), and this navy cashmere sweater that I haven't worn since I got it last December (shocking!).

The skirt (another long one!) was just last seen a couple of months ago (here). A few people have asked me about walking in long skirts - I find that as long as they widen out just above the knee, they are totally comfortable. I really like the A-line or mermaid shape in my long skirts because of this. I have various thicknesses (from denim to leather to this faux thin suede) and they can be stiff or they can be drapey. This one's really flowy. When you try one on, stride around with big steps in it to see how it feels. I also sit down in them to see how they drape.

Aside from L at home (with very attractive socks on, sorry, love), it ended up that no one saw me - I kept my coat on everywhere - so this is what I wore on the bus and at the grocery store afterwards.

My awesome thrifted coat, my faux fur gloves and brown velvet hat - I look like a Hussar!

The stuff:

These Clarke's Indigo boots are my best walking heels I own, hands down. Love 'em!

A close-up:

I've been grooving on hip belts lately. I got these earrings on 1/2 price sale at Plum for about $7 a few weeks ago.

Sweater (Land's End, consignment), blouse (Planet, consignment), skirt (Marc D'Alcy), boots (Clark's Indigo, consignment), belt (Anne Klein pour Caleche, consignment), earrings (Plum).

Kitty interlude!

I hate when the recycle bin is full, but at least Inigo has a box to sit in:

He's upset because we finally flattened his boxes that he plays with in the dining room, in preparation for New Year's.

And...back to fashion. (ahem)

Today, I put a lot of thought into my outfit for my first At Work meeting. I really wanted to highlight my figure, but look professional and competent (ha, the opposite of how I felt!). And of course, I wanted to look funky!

Did I succeed?

I adore this cardigan so much (I last wore it here) - cranes! I love picking out the red and green in it.

I'm not usually a fan of skirts that hit this low on the leg, but the shape of this one is so perfect (it has a couple of deep box pleats right behind the knee). Last seen here.

The meeting went well and even though I feel like I screwed up right and left, I'm sure no one but (perfectionist) me noticed. But gads, so much paperwork involved! WW, you need to streamline some of your processes!

I was thrilled to see when I weighed myself (to test the scale) that I've dropped a pound and am once again below my goal weight - I've been really struggling with that lately. Getting back to tracking on the new program (although I didn't track at all while away this past weekend) is really helping me get myself under control again.

The stuff:

I would usually hesitate over these shoes with this because the laces are more of a pinky-burgundy than a bright red (and you know I like the matchy!), but I think they go just fine. I also wanted to wear a low-ish, more comfortable heel, and you can't go wrong with a good Fluevog (I last wore them here).

A close-up:

Another new piece of jewelry from Plum - the red stones are actually stone, and I love the weight of them.

Cardigan (Lucky Brand, consignment), cami (Smart Set), skirt (Precis Petites), shoes ("Sumatra Coffee" Fluevog), bracelet (Plum), earrings (Aldo Accessories).

I Get Back Up Again - A Musical Interlude

I've had that old Chumbawamba song going through my head all day. You know, THAT one - it's right up there with "The Logdriver's Waltz" (oh come on, you know you want to watch it) for being an insidious earworm.

Anyway, I felt a lot better today. As Cat at Thrifty Muse reminded me in yesterday's comments, I once said a couple of years ago, "When you're feeling sad and blue, wear a dress." So I did.My Banana Republic dress (last worn here) that I bought two years ago in Vancouver with Ruth, AND my Fluevogs that I bought on the same trip. Worn those lots of times - they're actually getting worn out!

My Noa Noa wrap cardi on top (last seen here): "Yes, my sleeves are big, what of it?"

The stuff:

Nothing terribly exciting.

My cuff and earrings:

Blurry...was in a hurry.

Dress (Banana Republic), cardigan (Noa Noa), shoes ("Ivanna Listen Up", Fluevog), cuff (St. Paul's Cathedral gift shop), necklace (Plum), earrings (Aldo Accessories).

Cranes, Lack of Purple and a Third Interview

Note: edited this post to correct it - it's cranes on the sweater, not storks! Thanks, Steph!

I really wish there was more coordination about these "Wearing of Purple" days and such. I hate being the last to the party - so I will be wearing my purple tomorrow in support of LGBT folks.

Anyway, moving along, all sort of good vibes have been thrown my way lately, and I appreciate it so much. Thank you to you the wonderful readers, co-bloggers, Style Nation, what-have-you, and my dear friends, for all your suport and encouragement - I got a third interview!

I also think a contributing factor that pushed the vibes over the edge was this ace interview-ish outfit I wore today:
Seriously, I wish I could wear this exact outfit to an interview, but I'm sure I can find something else for my interview on Monday - it's not like I have a paucity of clothing, hee hee, oh no.

It's the same company that I interviewed with last week and that had the job fair - however, I didn't get either of the two jobs I applied for.

But they called me today, said they had a little meeting about me and think I would be great in another job, and can I come in for an interview on Monday for that. First, I ascertained that no, I would not have to do another typing test (seriously, dude, I've worked in admin for a decade, I can type), and secondly, I said, "All these interviews - you know, you're going to have to hire me."

'Cause I'm saucy like that. And I really want to work for this company.
I'm showing off the cranes on my cardigan. How much do I love patterns that go all the way around?? This cardi also has detail on the sleeve cuffs. So sweet. Last worn here (same cami underneath), here, and here.

The stuff:The green cami picks up the green in the embroidery, and the shoes go with the itty-bitty red on the crane's head.

Cardigan (Lucky Brand, consignment), cami (Smart Set), skirt (Nygard, consignment), shoes (Feet First, thrifted), cuff (St. Paul's Cathedral gift shop).

Back to School - "A" Student

I'm actually featuring all Oxford-style shoes this week, to go with my "back to school" theme. Of course, that includes these wicked Fluevogs:
Kitty matches!

Nothing new in this outfit; worn the cardigan many times (here, here, and here), and the skirt twice (here and here - getting good value on it, considering it was only $7).

I was an "A" student, by the way. I was on the honour roll in Junior High (grades 8-10), but not in High School (I still got As, though). I couldn't be bothered to work so hard just to get my name up there. I was really good at English, Algebra, French and Art all the way through school - back when we had "enriched" programs, I was in all of them. I also graduated "with distinction" on my BA, meaning that I had an A- average for my courses in university (I even got a couple of A+s that I'm really proud of).

Were you an academic student?

The stuff:
Glorious shoes! I've had these for over 5 years - they are one of the few shoes I have from when I was heavy. They've held up really well over all the wearings.

The jewelry:

My Shi Studios set that Mom gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago.

Cardigan (Future Paradise, consignment), shirt (Vero Moda), skirt (Linda Allard for Ellen Tracy, thrifted), shoes (Listen Up "Harlow", Fluevogs), belt (Jacob), necklace & earrings (Shi Studio, gift from Mom).

Red-Footed Yellow Booby

I pulled this outfit together last night, based on wanting to wear the shoes. Note to future self: this dress needs a camisole for work!

I do like the colours, though:
My nice soft coral-red cardigan, hiked up in front to cover my boobular region, which was in danger of being exposed. Yikes!

This dress makes me want to spin!

Just like Wonder Woman! Only I didn't end up in her outfit, sadly.

But I can pose like her!

The stuff:

My dragon shoes! I need to get the soles re-surfaced, as after 6? 7? years, they are starting to wear down. But aren't they marvellous?

A close-up:

At Grandma's memorial, there was a table spread with all her little cat tchotckes and trinkets and a couple of bowls of her costume jewelry (weeded out, mostly junky stuff). People were invited to take something to remember her by, so I took two of the brooches. The lovely leaf one above is one of them - isn't it pretty? No marks on it, but I like the shape. Thank you, Grandma.

Dress (no label, consignment), cardigan (Kersh), shoes (Aldo), pin (Grandma W), earrings (Plum), bracelet (The Bay).

Weekend Stuff and a Book Blurb

It's been a tiring weekend, and all I want to do is nap.

What I wore to Weight Watchers:
Arms akimo, Wonder Woman! Best news I'd had all week: I only gained 0.2 pounds over the last two weeks!

Dress (no label, consignment), sweater (Jacob), shoes (Wild Diva, gift from Caro).

We had an exhausting game of 4 on 4 Ultimate on Saturday, after which I napped, then went to Winesday. Thank you, Marian, for firing up the hot tub! I really needed that soak.

I wore various bits and pieces of this outfit over the course of the evening, but back to this for the cab ride home late last night.

Cardigan (Express, thrifted), cami (Reitman's, consignment), skirt (Club Monaco, consignment), scarf (MetroWear), boots (Miz Mooz), belt (Gap).

Today, I spent 4.5 hours walking around town:

Inigo waltzed into this - I didn't even know he was there until I felt him brush my leg after the camera went off. Silly kitty!

Dress (Do & Be), shoes (Rinaldi), cardigan (Express, thrifted), belt (consignment).

I finished a book earlier this week: Stephen King's "Under the Dome":

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a big fan of Stephen King. I used to buy his books for my Dad for birthdays and Father's Day. Dad was dyslexic, so he struggled to read entire books, but he got hooked on the plots of Stephen King novels so they were easier for him. And once he finished with them, they came back to me. Many of my King books say things like, "Happy Birthday, Dad, love, She" inside them. I have nearly every book he's written.

Stats: 1000+ pages of interesting characters getting up to no good shennanigans. Started August 8th, finished August 17th. I toted this massive lug of a hardcover up-Island and back.

Blurb: As I said, I've been a fan of Stephen King's for ages (since at least the early 80s). I have a new hardcover original of "'Salem's Lot". I expect complicated interrelationships, gory deaths, and seeing what happens to his characters (literally dozens of them in this one) when something unexpected happens to them. Like, oh, say, a dome pops up around a small town in Maine and the bizarre stuff that ensues.

If you like Stephen King, you'll like this one. It's much like "Lord of the Flies" in that it puts people in a closed environment and then sees what they do. I'd say it's in the top half of his books, but closer to the bottom of the top half, if you know what I mean. If you don't like Stephen King, don't bother.

Bride of Dress Week - Casual Friday Goes Cowgirl

Ah, Sunday. I guess I should get off my lazy butt and post Friday's outfit, eh?

This is the 3rd new dress - and I think I saved the most whackadoo for last!

Those are my new boots that I got a couple of weeks ago - pushing my own envelope again by wearing them with this party-style strapless dress. As Friday calls for denim, I tied my denim shirt at the waist...but then I really went cowgirl and added my brown belt (not matching brown and black - I'm learning) and a bunch of chunks of turquoise.

The obligatory Wonder Woman pose:

This is the Pouffiest Dress Ever. It's like tent material, so whenever I sit down (i.e. on the bus, at my desk), it puffs up and I have to pat it down. It also rustles when I walk - you can hear me coming!

The short boots made this extra insane. I got a few askance looks at work, and when Ruth and I went to the mall at lunch. Ha!

This is what the dress looks like on its own (those are my bra straps):

End of the day...cooling off my sweaty feet from being in the boots all day. Someone is also happy to see me.

The back of the dress is a panel of elastic ruched fabric so it fits snugly. Despite this, it slid down constantly. Arg. I also wish it had pockets. It also has a couple of bigass belt loops on either side, which I might remove, since they are lower than the sewn waist.

The stuff:

Aren't those sweet boots? They are Miz Mooz and are leather (they have that awesome leather smell). Very comfy. They were half price: $80.

A close-up:

I adore that belt buckle. I've worn that belt several times: here, here, and I guess for a couple of casual weekend outfits that I didn't bother to photograph...huh, I thought I'd worn it more than that.

The dress was thrifted for $22, and it still had the original price tag on it!

Apparently, it was made in the E.U. (that would be the European Union), manufactured in Russia or some other country that uses the Cyrillic alphabet. It was 165 something, though, possibly dollars. I got no hits for the label or brand at all.

Dress (Vita Boutique Couture, thrifted), shirt (Mexx, consignment), boots (Miz Mooz), belt (Shi Studio), necklace and ring (Plum).

I wore the dress again yesterday for my Weight Watchers meeting:

I wanted to do it more girly this time. I also wore this outfit out for lunch, and for wandering around town shopping in the rain (yes, rain. Thank you, West coast).

I got a lot less askance looks and way more compliments. However, not having a belt on meant that the dress was much more...volatile...in its shifting. I was constantly grabbing at the top and hiking it back up, as well as having to re-align the seams frequently as it tried to rotate around my body.

Dress (as above), cardigan (Guess, consignment), shoes (Expressions, consignment).

Cat picture!

He was being very meowy.

Super Massive

I needed some colour after yesterday, so what did I do? Wore a bunch of black!

Well, I broke it up with a colourful pattern and some bigass shoes:
My sleeves are massive (Anne Shirley would approve and probably swoon), but the heels on these shoes are truly super massive! Five and half inches of red leather goodness, oh yes!

The stuff:

I got those babies in Heathrow airport (only worn once, here). They are actually quite walkable, partly due to the platform and partly due to them being strapped securely to my foot (I went down half a size to a 39 so that there'd be no slippin' and slidin').

I love the pattern in this dress (last worn here) - it doesn't show too well in the top picture because the den's so bright at this time of year.

A close-up of the gold thingies:

Pretty! I do love scrolly and leafy designs.

Dress (Alfred Sung, thrifted), cardigan (Noa Noa), shoes (Carvela), necklace (Foxy), earrings (don't remember).