Flowers and Denim on a Weekday (Oh, and A Butt Shot)

Today, there were glimpses of sun, and not just on my lapel:

I do like to make my own sunshine. And as you can see from the glare on my picture, it's actually light outside! Will wonders never cease?

This jacket is new-to-me: it's another Smoking Lily item (I adore their clothing - here's a post with links to my Smoking Lily items). It was $26.95 in a consignment store and you can bet I snatched it up! It's a stretchy denim with aqua denim piping all around the edges, and aqua on the cuff linings:

The skirt is my mystery skirt - I thrifted it in Seattle a few years ago. It doesn't have a label, just a little tag with a leaf on it. I love the heathery green tweed of it and the embroidered flowers on the bottom.

I'm wearing a red top underneath to tie in with the red in the flowers. My second day with no neutrals! Colours are the new neutral!

Detail of the jacket:

Hand silk-screened detail on the inside back.

The stuff:

I would love to show when I last wore these, but it's nearly impossible to search on a brand called "Me Too". Actually, I think I remember when I wore them last...yup, here. Hmmm...I need to wear that skirt again.

A close-up of the bits:

That is a most excellent flower. The earrings were a gift from my dear friend Sherylyn.

Note: no kick-backs from Smoking Lily - I link because I love.

Jacket (Smoking Lily, consignment), top (Planet), skirt (mystery, thrifted), shoes (Me Too), flower (Roberta's Hats), earrings (Shi Studio, gift from Sherylyn).

Oh, and yes, that is my butt over on Wendy Brandes' blog, doing an imitation of a Loverboy album cover. I was browsing online late the other night and well...the rest is history:

I guess you could say I got lucky!

Leather for Work, and What I Didn't Wear on Friday

I'm on an emailing list from Dots (one of my favourite stores) and this week's email was "$20 for all winter dresses." Well - I'm not one to turn down a deal like THAT! I headed there after work on Tuesday and scoured the dress section. I must have tried on 2 dozen dresses, but I found two that I really loved.

This being one: I love the taupe colour (yes, I know, a neutral, how unlike me!), and it's got pockets, and it fits great. And it's leather! As I'm the Queen of Sneakily Inappropriate Workwear, this was right up my alley. The leather is "like buttah."

I layered my favourite floral silk blouse (last seen here), with my new olive sequined cami (thrifted for $8.50) underneath that. I think the floral and the drapey lines of the blouse helps soften the more severe dress.

The dress came with its own belt, but I didn't like it, so I swapped in my darker brown one to go with the boots.

These are my classic brown boots that I've had for over 3 years. Worn them a billion times, easy!

But it does my thrifty little heart so good to know I've gotten a bargain on something, so check this out:

The dress's original price tag. It sold for $499.00 CAD (Canadian dollars)! And Dots was selling it for the relative bargain of $149.99...but I got it for $20! That's a 96% discount off the original price - score!

The stuff:
Slightly blurry - I was in a rush to get to Book Club.

Blingy stuff:

Uh-huh.

Dress (Truly, Part Two), blouse (Kaliko, consignment), cami (Esprit, thrifted), boots (Roberto Vianni), belt (Plum), earrings (Plum), ring (some vintage store).

L needed the camera today, so my plan was to put together today's outfit last night when I got home from Book Club, take a picture of it, then just wear it today. We're going to Sherylyn's for dinner tonight (she of Yummyland fame, and the foot-shaped cheeseball), followed by a concert to see Dan Mangan, so I won't have time (or the inclination) tonight to do my Friday outfit.

Well, that was the plan.

So this is me after 4 glasses of wine at Book Club:

I didn't wear that today. Well, I wore MOST of it - everything but the skirt (which I've only worn once, here). I couldn't handle wrestling with a pair of tights this morning, so I wore jeans, and did a different belt. If I'm still awake tonight when I get home, I might take a picture.

Anyway, just picture this oufit but with jeans on the bottom! That's what I'm REALLY wearing.

The plaid tweed jacket is new, by the way - I got it last Friday in a consignment store I don't go to very much.

It's a nice mix of browns and camel (no actual yellow in it, but I liked how the yellow cardi looked) - it was $22.99 and is Zara. As we have no Zara store here, I always wonder what travels my clothes have taken before they get to me.

I'm also cheating by wearing the exact same cami as yesterday. This is the jewelry (I wasn't up to taking a pic of it last night). I've worn the boots several times (seen here).

Mr. Purry wanted some lovin':

Aw, what a cutie! Inigo is the best accessory of all.

Jacket (Zara, consignment), cardigan (no label, consignment), cami (Esprit, thrifted), belt (not shown, Plum), jeans (not shown, Esprit), boots (Hispanitas, consignment), necklace/earrings (Plum).

Old Lady Chic?

I found this awesome skirt in a thrift shop on Friday afternoon. It's Precis Petite, which happens to be the same brand as this jacket (I have the skirt that matches the jacket too - seen here with the same blouse, belt and flower). This lovely camel skirt was only $7.50, which is oh, about $150 more than what I paid for the jacket/skirt suit and they were on sale 70% off!

The skirt is an interesting length, but I think it's saved by the slight flare at the knee - it reminds me of those 50s "wiggle" dresses. It's a very soft faux suede.

I haven't worn this jacket since last December, as it's rather warm. This is the first time I've done it without the faux fur collar.

I felt a little weird about the leg business, since these are actually...get ready for it...

*gasp!* Knee highs! I'm officially an old lady, haha!

Actually, when I bought these at Winners my intention was to wear them like socks. The cuff at the top is a really nice lace, and the knee-highs themselves are quite thick, without a lot of stretch. Check 'em out:

It's a nice olive green sort-of plaid pattern.

The stuff:

My lovely thrifted shoes and blouse (that was $2 some months ago).

Jacket (Precis Petite), blouse (no label, vintage, thrifted), skirt (Precis Petite, thrifted), knee-highs (Winners), shoes (Steve Madden, thrifted), belt (Nygard), rose (Roberta's Hats), earrings (Renoir? vintage, Grandma J).

Marigold Repeat and Snakes

Even though it hasn't even been a week, I'm wearing this sweater again:
Reason? I only wore it for a few hours on Friday night, the restaurant was dark and dammit, no one saw it. Yes, I'm vain - I have a fashion blog, ha ha! I have no issue with that.

I almost forgot about this skirt - it is one of my favourites and I've only had it a year (last worn here, with links to previous wears). I have a lot of skirts in my closet, so sometimes they get lost in there.

It's a bit hard to tell, but I'm wearing purple tights. Of course.
Inigo and I have a moment.

The stuff:

My fab shortie cowboy boots.

The punky stuff:

Snakes abound! My vintage 80s (*choke* I can't believe I just called the 80s "vintage") ring and pin. I pinned the snake brooch over the tab on the collar of the sweater.

Sweater (Pria), skirt (Le Chateau), boots (Miz Mooz), belt (Jacob), cuff (old), ring (80s), pin (gift from Mom & Dad, 80s).

Grey Monday (and a Bit of Leftover Weekend)

Hey, all, I didn't get the job. Not even after 5 interviews. Back to the drawing board. Now, I'm not fishing for sympathy, but I'm really bummed. So if I seem a little down...it's 'cause I am. Thanks for understanding.

When I didn't hear last week, I thought that wasn't a good sign, but I decided to really "fake it till you feel it" this week. My current work is pretty sucky (I have a week left before I'm officially out of work), so I need to cheer myself up from the outside in.

Today, pink and flowers (not grey - that's my mood):
Very girly. Do I look cheery? Not really - I got soaked on the way to work today (it's rainy season on the West coast).

My thrifted dress I wore here before, my workhorse brown boots. Pretty simple.

The stuff:
I love those boots.

A close-up:

Pretties.

Dress (BCBG Max Azria, thrifted), cami (Jackpot), necklace (consignment), earrings (don't remember), boots (Roberto Vianni).

Forgot about this outfit from the weekend:

Comfy and nice for lunch (and weighing in - the skirt is feather light).

Top (Oxmo), cami (Esprit), skirt (Marc D'Alcy), boots (Le Chateau, thrifted), belt (Anne Klein pour Caleche, consignment), necklace (Foxy).

Girly Florals

I spent some of my birthday money on the weekend at one of my favourite consignment shops. This skirt is one of my finds:
It's silk, and very thin (I have a full-length slip on underneath). I love the two patterns. It was $19.99.

It got a little chilly this afternoon in the office, so I wore my jacket off and on:

I felt very girly in this (without being too frou-frou). Sometimes you just have to wear pink! and bows! and angora!

The stuff:

You can see the two patterns better there. they are separated by a line of irridescent sequins.

A close-up of the accessories:

The earrings that Sherylyn gave me, my Audrey Scrabble tile (it's "A" on the back), and my "S".

Jacket (Club Monaco, consignment), sweater (Esprit, consignment), skirt (Kenzie, consignment), shoes (Kensie), earrings (Shi Studio, gift from Sherylyn), "S" pendant (gift from Mom and Dad in the 90s), Audrey tile (vacation).

What to Wear for a Phone Interview - Also, Gifts Received and Given

Warning: big post, lots of stuff going on.

Firstly, I had a phone interview today with the company whose job fair I attended a couple of weeks ago (outfit here)! Woo! I think it went very well. I should hear by the end of the week if I am going to get an "in person" interview. Fingers crossed!

Anyway, silly thing, but hmmm...what do you wear for a phone interview? This is what I went with:
No rattly bracelets or earrings to distract while on the phone. Solid shoes and a classy look but with a bit of funk (for that confident edge).

I was really pleased with the layering of the navy tulle skirt under this floral one.

I glopped on my strands of necklaces for some bling near my face. Got my haircut last night - man, I need to dye it badly. I have massive roots!

The stuff:

I love those shoes - it's hard to see but they have a black platform and solid rubber heel. I had to be bad, though: I slit the back of the heel because they rubbed really badly right in one spot. So much better now!

The sparklies:

I've worn all of these lots of times before, although the earrings are new. Check 'em out:

Heh, I've got big steel balls. Heh heh.

Sweater (Tobias), skirt (Mexx), underskirt (Noa Noa), shoes (Camper), belt (Plum), rhinestone necklace (Jacob), other necklace (Plum), earrings (Aldo Accessories).

The lovely and fabulous Sherylyn (oh my god, bacon sauce??) gave me a birthday gift today. We meet every Wednesday after work for a walk. She's also one of my Book Club and Winesday Women and is a wonderful friend. Look at the card:

And Shi Studio earrings! My favourite! Thank you, sweetie, that's so generous of you.

Now, if you don't know Hilary, you absolutely should! Go now! Wish her a very Happy Birthday - she is a wonderful Libra just like someone else (ME). And for her birthday, she asked people to post the contents of their daily bags.

Well, honey, I hope you're not disappointed, but I don't carry a bag like most people on a daily basis. This is my bag:

My rockin' red Mountain Equipment Co-op backpack! I've had this one for about a year - I wore my last one out.

It has a rear big pocket:

Emergency tampon and bandaids in the mesh pocket; otherwise empty. That's where I pack my shoes or boots and my clothes/accessories for my work day.

It also has a biggish middle pocket:

Completely empty. That's where my lunch bag goes.

It also has a smaller big pocket that contains this stuff:

Clockwise from top: black make-up bag, blue toque, wallet, Band-Aids and my card-holder.

I have "business" cards in my cardholder:

I give them out when I'm out shopping and the subject of my blog comes up. I made them using Publisher - not bad, eh? I matched the colours to my blog layout.

In the little black make-up bag, I cram all this stuff:

Clockwise from the top: tampon, deodorant, face powder, Clinique bonus collapsible brush and mirror, Avon nail file, mirror compact, more Band-Aids, and tutti-fruiti dental floss.

I love my mirror compact:

It's very me.

The very front of my pack has this stuff in it:

Bus fare ($2.50), my homemade Weight Watchers tracker (I can track a whole week on one sheet), and my key card for work.

The pack also has two mesh side pouches. This is what I have in those:

The yellow thing is my pouch rain protector, and the green thing is a shopping bag. In the summer, I swap out the rain cover for a tube of sunblock. I guess I should have my rainhat in there too, but the weather's been good this week.

That's it! When I have my pack loaded with my lunch and my shoes/clothes, it weighs about 20 lbs. That's a workout in itself.

Did you notice what I don't have? A cell phone! I don't have one. I do carry keys and an mp3 player (not an iPod, I have one by Creative), and lip balm, but I carry those in my coat pockets.

Happy Birthday, Hilary! I hope you enjoyed this little peek into my world.

Pretty Florals with Turquoise

I felt like wearing this dress again (first time worn here):
I needed to wear something a little warmer this time, so tossed on this thin brown wrap (it's like a super-sheer netting material).

The bigass rose is one of my favourite accessories, and these shoes are a long-time fave in my closet:

I liked the turquoise with the pinks of the dress. I have a hot pink lipstick on too!

The stuff:

Mmmm...turquoise shoes. I'll need to replace these...one day. Not quite just yet, they still have lots of good wear in them, but they do kill the bottoms of my feet (and I'm wearing full Dr. Scholl's inserts in them - oh yeah, I'm gellin').

Dress (Merona, thrifted), cardi (Guess, consignment), belt (Nygard), shoes (Le Chateau), ring (Plum), rose (Roberta's Hats), earrings (old, 90s).

A Mess O' Colours

September weather is goofy on the West coast of Canada. It's warm, but it's rainy. It could be sunny one minute, and cloudy the next. It's windy, then it's foggy. The older I get, the more I want to wear my hair really short because the humidy does crazyass things to it.

Anyway, what I meant to get at was that it's hard to figure out what to dress for when it's so changeable.
Blouse, tweed skirt and bare legs. I roasted in my thermal jacket on the way to work (I walk to and from work in workout wear), but was happy to have it when it poured all the way home.

I've worn this blouse twice (here and here (beware, vacation pictures)) since I got it. I really love the cut and drape of it.

Hee, I'm blurry in that picture because I'm waiting for the camera timer to go off. Try holding your balance like that for 10 seconds!

I also like that it has purple, pink, orange, green AND black in it - it's fun to pull out the various colours. I was surprised to see how well it went with this orange skirt, which is an old workhorse in my wardrobe, and the burgundy cami I have on underneath.

The stuff:

I've worn the shoes 5-6 times since I got them.

The sparkly bits:

Got those on sale at Plum many years ago - real gold and crystals.

Blouse (Nolita, thrifted), cami (Jackpot), skirt (Talbot's, thrifted), shoes (Hilary Radley, consignment), necklace/earrings (Plum).