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).

The Mystery Jacket and My Scuba-Suit

Today's outfit features my new jacket that I got at a thrift shop on the weekend:Also, my ribbon skirt, which I've owned twice, once in a size 12, when I was losing weight, and this one (a size 6). I packed up a new pair of brown fishnets to put on at work, since I popped a hole in my last pair when I wore them to Ronnie's party.

Little did I realize...scuba suit!

Okay, maybe I'm dating myself here, but do you remember the scene in "St. Elmo's Fire" (I've been having John Hughes nostalgia since he died, and didn't you love that part of the Oscars? *sigh* Molly, you look gorgeous!) between Rob Lowe as the rebellious sax player and Mare Winningham as the dowdy girl who secretly loves him? They're sitting on the back stairs at night and he makes a move on her to push her skirt up her thigh and he encounters the 80s version of Spanx and he says, "What's this? A scuba suit?"

I died a little inside for her, poor Mare. I know, I've worn the control garments too! Heh, everytime I went to the bathroom or changed to go for a walk today, there was my scuba suit.

The stuff:

Yup, done all these before, good wardrobe stalwarts all!

But back to the jacket. It was $13.50 (steal!) and was in the vintage section of the thrift shop. It's a wool blend, but no labels at all, not even evidence that a label was ever in it (not on the side seam, or at the back of the neck).

The neckline is perfect. Is this not the prettiest neckline?

There's a teeny shoulder pad in it (not a bigass 80s shoulder pad, and not the little pillow pads that 50s/60s stuff has). The lining is all hand-stitched into place along the bottom edges, and in the sleeves at the cuffs. The serged edges of the hem underneath (what I can see) have been hand-stitched down in a different coloured thread.

I think this is either a hand-made garment, OR it's been shortened from a longer style.

Either way, it's beautifully made. Look at the lovely hidden buttons! There are three up that seam and one at the crossover - and they aren't vintage buttons (and again, the thread is the wrong colour). I can't find any evidence that there were ever buttons on the front of the garment - I doubt this was ever worn (no armpit wear).

Anyway, I absolutely love the colour and the cut - and it's like it was made for me! But it will have to remain a mystery.

Jacket (thrifted, no label), skirt (Ricki's), shoes (Bleka), belt (Plum), earrings and cuff (Oscar and Libby's).

The Mysterious Green Tweed Leaf Logo Skirt

Today's outfit was built around the new-to-me skirt I got in Seattle: $12.50, people! Do I rule at quality bargains? Why, yes, I think I do!

Here we go: The Infamous Wendy B. cardigan makes another appearance, but the skirt is the star.

However, it has me stumped for a few reasons. It has no slit, which makes for a wicked sexy pencil skirt, but also makes it unusual - almost all pencil skirts have slits. It zips on the right side as opposed to the back or left - check your skirts, chicks, it is super rare for a skirt to zip on the right! It has no label, and no content tag (it's a silk/wool blend. I know this as I am able to ascertain the composition of nearly any fabric just by feeling it due to my Mad Skillz from when I worked in retail women's clothing). It doesn't feel old or vintage, in fact, I'd say it's barely been worn. It has off-centre seaming, too - a nice detail - done with a zig-zag stitch. The waistband is neither high nor low, just in the middle.

Oh, here's the back:

It also makes my bum look good, but no mystery there, hee. The cardi is a little boxy, so I borrowed Kasmira's trick of putting a pin there to gather up some of the excess fabric.

Back to the skirt. The only marking on it is this little bitty tag of a leaf:

What the heck? Does anyone know what brand this is? I Googled a bunch of stuff and got mostly pot leaves, ha! Put on your Sherlock Holmes hats - we have a mystery on our hands!

The stuff:

My lovely neutral nude shoes and check out the lovely embroidery on the skirt. The embroidery is machine-done, not home-done (I was in Brownies and Girl Guides, I know this).

A close-up:

The colours are a little more vibrant "in person" - you can definitely see more of the green in the leaves (the pic of the tag shows the greens in the tweed most accurately). I pulled out the bright green in the leaves with my green cami, which I wore underneath my blue silky top.

Cardigan (Wendy B., consignment), silky top (Tristan), cami (Esprit), skirt (leaf!, thrifted), shoes (Seychelles, consignment), brooch (already forgotten, either the Bay or Plum), earrings (Plum).