The Wednesday Group, a Crazy Aunt, and Sad Shopping News

As well as my Tuesday At Work group for Weight Watchers, I'm taking on a Wednesday group until I have a full-time job again. Since both meetings are at lunch and only take an hour, I'm sure I can negotiate maintaing at least one of them while also working, and just make up any extra time I need to.

Anyway, I accompanied the Wednesday group's leader to the meeting and introduced myself as their new leader. "But Kim's like our big sister!" they protested.

"Just think of me as your crazy aunt, then, " I said. We'll see how it goes, ha!

This is what I wore: I knew I'd have to wear low heels, as I had to run a few errands. I thought I'd go with a safe pencil skirt like I did on Tuesday, but went with a bold plaid this time (last seen here).

I wore the jacket unbuttoned whenever I had my outerwear off:

I love my shiny ruched brown blouse - it's machine washable!.

The stuff:

Plaid-y goodness!

Accessories:

I do love a thick leather belt.

The earrings are from Plum - and on Tuesday night, I got the bad news: my local Plum store is closing!

I've gotten so many lovely items from them over the last fifteen years (I shopped there when I was 50 lbs heavier too), and I am going to be so sad to lose their presence in my city. I have always supported them as a Canadian-owned company that sold Canadian desiged and made clothing. A fond farewell to all the staff, too - they always knew my name and recognized L when he came in shopping for gifts. That's quality service. Goodbye, Plum!

However, theyare going out with a bang (like I did) and have a clear-out sale on - and of COURSE I stopped by yesterday and spent my Christmas money from my dear inlaws. I'll have to be making special trips to Vancouver now to feed my addiction!

Jacket (Jacob, consignment), blouse (Esprit), cami (InWear), skirt (Casual Corner & Co., thrifted, vintage 80s), shoes (Outline, consignment), belt (Gap), earrings (Plum).

Out With a Bang! - Colour Explosion

Today's outfit is a little more conservative than the other outfits this week (yes, I planned them all on Sunday), due to going to a WW at Work registration today at noon. I get my first little group of victims in the new year! I mean, clients, yes, that's what I meant.

However, I am proud that this outfit contains NO neutrals:
All remixed stuff: this skirt is my "mystery" skirt - I got it thrifted in Seattle in autumn 2009, and the only tag is a leaf symbol (previously worn here and here). It's a wool and silk (I can tell by the feel) tweed.

This top has only been worn once (here) because I find the shape challenging. I'm very used to clothes that work with my figure (I'm hourglass) and have a defined waist, so this dropped waist always prompts a few "hmmmm"s when I'm planning around it.

It's a silk blend, so nice and warm. I was very pleased at my solution for what to wear under it. I wanted to bring out the yellow of the flowers in the skirt, but I don't have a yellow cami in that colour, plus just a cami feels a little too bare and open on its own with this. So I layered this tie cardigan (worn here and here) underneath and safety-pinned the ends in the small of my back. Voila! I'm so clever.

Here's a look at the top:

I like the little blue sequins on the sweater.

No pic of the shoes, but they are these ones. I did my photos this morning before work. I walked to work, but didn't want to carry my knapsack, so I wore my clothes with runners - how 80s!

Sweater (The Limited, thrifted), yellow cardi (BCBG Max Azria, consignment), camisole (Smart Set), skirt (unknown brand, thrifted), shoes (Feet First, thrifted), necklace/earrings (Lavishy).

Plaid Pants and Dinner Out

Today was another nice weather day, so I decided to wear green. Green for growth, and a reminder of change.

I got these new pants at Dots the other night, and I also wanted to wear them.
They replace these pants, which were a little too wide, light-coloured and also unflatteringly had a habit of wedging up my butt (sorry, for the indelicate image, hee). I like the darker plaid and the slightly slimmer leg on these much better. They were $29.99 with 30% off.

In the theme of "keeping busy", tonight we were supposed to go for dinner with another couple, but sickness forced them to cancel at the last minute. However, we still had the reservation, so we're headed out shortly for Thai food. Yummm....my favourite!

We're going to walk to the restaurant so that L can have a beer with dinner, and my pants are too long to wear with walkin' shoes, so I changed the bottom half:
A nice thick brown ultrasuede skirt and my brown low boots. Perfect!

The stuff:

The shoes don't match but they go. That necklace is my other gift from the company (from the Visa gift card I won).

A close-up:

I love the green enamel.

The other side is turquoise with a bird:

Pretty!

Sweater (Max Studio), cami (Esprit), pants (no label), shoes (Fire Trap, consignment), necklace (Lavishy), skirt (Liz Claiborne, thrifted), boots (Miz Mooz).

Anything But Casual Monday (More Interviews)

So, today was the 4th - and as it turned out, also the 5th - interview at the company I want to work for (last discussed here). In keeping with the last interview outfit, I also kept this one pretty low-key: My grandmother's necklace is the only bling (I'm wearing crystal stud earrings), and I kept the colour palette in a nice autumn mix.

Edit: this skirt is a real workhorse in my wardrobe. Last seen here, here, here, here and oh, too many more times before that. I wear it about 5-6 times a year.

I really like how this jacket fits:

Lock and load!

The interviews went well, I think. Hours, when I can start and salary were briefly discussed, so this seems promising. After a total of five interviews, with 9 people, I sure hope so! Fingers crossed!

The shoe business: And my pretty necklace.

Jacket (RW & Co., consignment), sweater (Jacob, consignment), skirt (consignment), shoes (Guess), necklace (vintage '50s, Grandma J's, stamped "Lisner," info about it here).

Interviews Done - and Found Pictures

The interviews are over - and holy moly, those were arduous! I had two interviews with two people in them each (this was what I wore to their Job Fair last month), then a writing test, a search online and get info test AND a typing test (60 wpm - woo! I still got it!).

And I know you've been dying to know what I wore:
It's pretty conservative for me - but since the job is at a casual-dress environment, I thought I'd punch up the standard suit (which would be inappropriately overdressed) with some colour and by doing a funky little jacket instead of black.

I ended up wearing the jacket open all day. Of course, this morning I didn't think to take a picture of that, but here's the look without the jacket:

I have very leaky 'pits so I didn't want to take the jacket off!

Anyway, I think the interview went well. I am doing it all by the book and have handwritten two little thank you cards (a yellow zebra pattern card and a blue celtic knot pattern card) to send to each of the interview pairs, thanking them for their time. I know they're interviewing a lot of people, so I want to make a positive impression.

The stuff:

I thought blue suede shoes would stand out and be memorable, without being too scary, like these or these! I'll save those for when/if I get hired!

I kept the jewelry to a bare minimum, just wearing my good luck rings:

The silver one is one I bought in Scotland before L and I got married, and the gold one is my dad's. I always wear it when I feel like I need him looking out for me.

Thank you everyone for all your good vibes, wishes of luck and your general support. Fashion Blog Nation is truly full of wonderful, generous people. I'll keep you posted if I hear back.

Jacket (Smart Set), blouse (Esprit, consignment), skirt (Kensie), shoes (Feet First), silver ring (handmade in Scotland, 90s), gold ring (Frances Jewellers, vintage 60s, Dad's).

Change of track...

L often needs to use our camera to take work pictures - he usually takes it to work and downloads the pics there. Last night I asked him to just take the memory card out so that I could use the camera to do my pics before work this morning...and we found some pictures on the camera's built-in memory. These were taken just before I started blogging in the spring of 2008.

Aw...our kitty, Othello. He's sitting on the back of the chair (L is playing X-Box, cropped out). He always liked to just hang out near us.

We called this "sneetching" - a kitty position that reminded us of Dr. Seuss' sneetches.

I got a little tear seeing those. I miss my cranky ol' kitty.

Purple Pops and Some Catching Up (and a Book Blurb)

Okay. The Dolphins are playing right now, so this is going to be fast! My birthday is this week (Saturday!), and so I'm going to be wearing some of the my favourite things this week, as well as some gifts.

Today, I wanted to wear these purple shoes that L got me for my birthday last year (well, a gift certificate - I bought them):
Eeee, purple goodness! I'm also wearing a new purple cami under this wrap top - it's getting its second wear (last seen here, also with purple - ha!). And I do love this skirt.

I've worn the skirt a couple of times since I got it (here and here). Both it and the top were thrift store finds - a total of $20 for them.

The stuff:

A bit of a drool over the shoes when I first got them here (have you been doing your push-ups?).

Top (Talbots, thrifted), skirt (Bedo, thrifted), cami (InWear), shoes (Friis and Co., gift from L), earrings and bracelet (Fossil, gift from L).

What I wore to Weight Watchers:

The belt weighs a ton - it's glass beads and is all hand-sewn. Of course, I took it off before I got weighed! It velcros together in the back so you can adjust the length. I paid $20 for it on consignment in Feb '09.

L and I had a memorial service to go to for a gentleman whom we were acquainted with, so I wore a jacket so that my sparkly belt wouldn't be too much:

L wore a suit. When we went to our usual diner for brunch after WW (but before the memorial), our waitress was stunned to see us in "grown-up clothes". Heh, I love messing with peoples' perceptions, don't you?

Very sombre here.

There was a "no snivelling" request in place (the gentleman was quite a funny guy), but of course, I cried. I always cry.

A close-up of the belt:

Pretty awesome.

Dress (BCBG Max Azria, gift from Ruth), jacket (Mac & Jac), shoes (Fluevog), belt (Birks, consignment).

And I finished a book a couple of weekends ago! It's "The Crazy Years" by Spider Robinson:

I've been a fan of Spider's science fiction novels for years (he's a huge Robert A. Heinlein fan, as am I). I've read most of his Callahan novels - they're a lot of fun.

Stats: 294 pages. Started July 12, 2010, finished September 25, 3010.

Blurb: As you can see, this one took me a long time to finish. It's a collection of Spider's short essays that he wrote for Toronto's Globe and Mail newspaper from 1996 - 2004. The essays are grouped by theme (there's a chapter on computers, one on Canada, one on space), and are nice and short - good bedtime reading. Spider is a "small l" liberal, which I like. Although I enjoyed reading these, I read them very slowly, to let them sink in. Hence, the long time period.

I don't read a lot of non-fiction - I like my books to be escapist - but since I love his novels, I thought I'd give his non-novel a shot. I'm glad I did.

My copy is a publisher's advance copy, before the book was for sale. It has a letter in it from the publisher. Cool.

All's Fair

Back to the grind after my nice long weekend!

After work today, I'm headed off to a job fair that a local company is holding. Having done my research on them, I know they have a very casual environment, so I don't want to stick out like a sore thumb in a suit and heels.
Hence, boots, a dress and a jacket. Minimal accessories (earrings and a ring only) aside from the belt. It's still a bit too warm for tights and I didn't want to look like an old lady in nylons (this company is very "young" in outlook).

Practicing my HR pose:

"Why yes, I'd love to work for your company!"

Would you hire me or pass me over, solely based on this outfit? Keeping in mind that this is for an IT-based company, every day is Casual, very laid-back environment. What would you do differently?

Edit: Hey, all, thanks so much for the feedback! I do appreciate it. I did forget to mention in the original post that I had to walk about 1.5 km to get to the job fair, so that's why I went with the low boots - purely functional (and funky).

Also, it was interesting to see how other women dressed for this. It was a mix of jeans/sneakers/hoodies/backpacks and way overdressed (suits and very high heels). I seemed to have made a good impression and many people commented on the bright green of my ensemble. I deliberately chose this dress because of the colour and the ruffles (which, you may recall, I refer to as "lettuce") - it's all about making a memorable impression, right?

Dress (Taylor, consignment), suit jacket (Jacob, consignment), boots (Aldo, consignment), belt (Gap).

Back to School - The Keys to Education

Football season has started, so I must be quick!

New jacket, nice and plaid-y:
The jacket is cotton with Spandex, unlined and really stretchy. I liked that I could shove the sleeves up. It was $6 in a thrift store.

I wanted to wear it done up, but it's been warm today. But see how nicely it hugs?

I haven't worn this skirt since last December! Crazy.

Check out the back of the jacket:

I love how it dips down a bit, like an English riding jacket.

The stuff:

The vintage mink pin was worn on the back of the jacket (see it in the picture above?).

I had many people ask me today if those keys opened anything. What is it about keys?

When I got this jacket, it only had two buttons on the front - and they were held on with safety pins! I rooted around through my button tin (everyone has some sort of button tin, right? Where you put all the extra buttons?) and found these:

The bottom one is an original, the one on the right is brown, and the top button is a dark red (the plaid has a brown and dark red thread in it). I hate sewing, but it was necessary!

Jacket (Armour Jeans, thrifted), lace top (Noa Noa), cami (InWear), skirt (Planet), shoes (Steve Madden, thrifted), necklace (Aldo Accessories), key earrings (some gift shop), brooch (vintage, thrifted).

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).

Back to School - Oxford Comma

I did say I would participate in the Fashionable Academics "Back to School Conference," but I felt guilty because I'm not going back to school in any way, shape or form. I haven't been a student in over 10 years!

However, this doesn't stop me from playing with a student-y academic theme this week:
I kind of threw everything but the kitchen sink into this. I'm not sure if it works, but I liked it.

I liked the mash-up of the menswear items (velvet vest, button-down, L's bright red tie) and the girlier things (brooch, necklace, bracelet), especially these shoes:

They're the ones I got in Paris in May, and I've only worn them once.

A shot of all the chestal business:

The necklace is a double-strand. I hooked one of the strands through the pin on the cross brooch to evoke a watch-fob and chain sort of vibe.

The stuff:

Funky shoes, eh? I liked all the different patterns and textures in this: the window-pane plaid pants, the deep black velvet vest, the grey striped shirt, the spotted and striped tie, and all the swirly patterns in the jewelry.

A close-up:

The little cross brooch is the other thing of Grandma W's that I took (from her memorial table). It's missing a little seed pearl, but I like the bright blue stone. It's not top-of-the-line quality, but it's a solid little piece and I love it.

Vest (Surrey Classics, consignment), shirt (Club Monaco, consignment), pants (Esprit), shoes (Belle Women), tie (L's, Tommy Hillfiger), necklace (Plum), bracelet (St. Paul's Cathedral), brooch (Grandma W's).

Thank God for Waterproof Mascara

I found out this afternoon why the Boss was in the office: my entire department is being outsourced. They're sitting all seven of us down for "the talk" to discuss our future with the company, which will not be longer than 6 months. I've been with them for 5 years...and ironically, I just got a company jacket this morning as my reward for being there that long. I feel like cutting it up with scissors.

As we sat with the Boss and HR, all I could think was, "What timing! I just bought waterproof mascara!" Funny how your mind goes, isn't it?

Anyway, I'm still reeling and since I won't be there tomorrow or Friday for "the talk", I will find out on Monday what's going to happen with my life in the near future. At least I looked good today:
Yup, a bunch of remixed stuff. Nothing too special.

And I even did my WW pose:

I could use an invisible jet to whisk me away, but instead will be at my in-laws for a few days. I'll be back on Saturday - I've done a couple of delayed posts so y'all don't pine away for me, hee.

The stuff:

My "concrete" Campers, and Wonder Woman cuff!

Bug and bird:

A bit blurry, sorry. We all cut out early and went and drank vodka.

Take care - back soon.

Sheila

Cardigan (Vero Moda), top (Smart Set, consignment), skirt (Nine and Co., consignment), shoes (Camper), brooch (Le Chateau), leather cuff (Shi Studio).

Sheer Monday

Today was definitely a Monday. I felt blah, grouchy, unmotivated and wanted it to be the weekend again! I was certainly dressed to suit my mood:
A whole lotta slate blue. Since I rarely wear pants (meh, just don't like them), this outfit is a bit of a switcheroo for me: first the dull colours, then the pants...what's next? A white button down? What have you done with Sheila, pants-wearing doppleganger?

The sheer blouse is new - I've been keeping my eye out for a nice classic one (that isn't black) for a while, so when I spotted this in the thrift store on the weekend for a measly $6.50, I pounced.

Speaking of pouncing, see the ears in the above photo? Someone's digging for carpet mice!
I kick back the edge of the carpet so that it doesn't show in the pictures, and Inigo loves to dig in the folds.

The stuff:

I've only worn the shoes once since I got them (here) - they're really more of a fall/winter/early spring shoe than a summer shoe, but I liked them with the pants. You can see the nice windowpane plaid on the pants there and bluey shade of the blouse.

A close-up:

My ring from Scotland, my ear-cuff, and my Shi Studio pendant.

Blouse (Express, thrifted), cami (RW & Co.), pants (Esprit), shoes (Max Studio, consignment), belt (Nygard), pendant (Shi Studios).