Skulls and Bows

It's Monday, which has never been my favourite day of the week. I didn't like my outfit today either. I love the parts of it, but not the whole: Sorry about the light - it's the time of year. This is my skull sweater previously seen here, and this is a new blue skirt. I fell in love with the colour and the pouffy shape, but I think this outfit needed a belt to define the waist.

The cardigan got baggier as the day went on.

The stuff:

I love the shoes - they are so comfy. This is my second wear of them (last seen here).

Some new sparkly bits:

Jacob had a bunch of their jewelry on sale. The bracelet was $9 and the earrings were $3.50.

Cardigan (Kersh), skirt (Fenchurch), shoes (Jeffrey Campbell), jewelry (Jacob).

Dots, Circles and Spheres

After yesterday's Smoking Lily jacket, I was inspired to wear my lovely Smoking Lily dress today: Inigo barged into the shot - I didn't know he was there until I felt him rub my leg.

I haven't worn this dress since August! The short sleeves make it pretty much a warmer-weather outfit (I froze in the AC in the office today). I wore my burgundy vintage flounced slip with this (last seen on Valentine's Day).

It was a bit too full to wear under the dress, but I didn't mind.

The stuff:

Second wear of my gold shoes (last seen here). They were much more comfortable this time.

I love the circle pattern in this fabric, and decided to wear "ball" jewelry with it:

That's my Grandma J's necklace (it's Anne Klein, and I think it's probably from the early 80s), my cheap-o gold ball earrings, my fake Gucci eelskin bracelet and a bigass costume ring.

Dress (Smoking Lily, consignment), slip (Suzette Lingerie, vintage, consignment), shoes (Aldo, consignment), necklace (Grandma J's, Anne Klein, vintage), bracelet (Italian, gift from Mom and Dad), earrings (Aldo Accessories), ring (retro).

A Spring Bouquet

I felt very Spring-y today, although the weather did not cooperate. I got soaked when I headed out at noon to go do my Tuesday WW group meeting.

I liked that there are really no neutrals at all in this outfit: I got the top a couple of weekends ago. Normally, I would shy away from Tabi (isn't that an old-lady brand? No offense to old ladies, hee, I'm well on my way!), but I was really attracted to the abstract paint-y look of the pattern. It reminds me of tulips and poppies in the rain. How apropos, considering the weather!

It's a cotton/Lycra blend, and is a wrap cut (my favourite, works great on me). I think it was $14.98. I liked how it looked with this bright purple skirt (first seen here): I've only worn the skirt once because it's not lined and it's also a cotton blend. I did have a bit of hosiery creep with my nude microfishnets today. Most annoying.

I love how this all looks with the bright blue shoes. Stuff:

These are one of my very favourite pairs. Good thing they didn't sustain any damage from the rain.

A close-up:

The pewter rose has a wrist-strap and is made of leather. I bought it in a consignment store for about $15.

Regarding Fluevogs, because I have been blathering about them for a couple of weeks now, the lovely Terri of RAGS against the MACHINE asked me yesterday, "Can you remember how and when you first discovered fluevogs?"

Terri, I can't actually remember NOT being aware of Fluevogs, at least since I was a teen, back in the mid-80s. It was the height of the punk era, and supremely pointy-toed shoes were everywhere, and the brand everyone wanted was Fluevog.

My best friend Lynette and I went to Vancouver, to the original Granville Street store, just after it opened in 1986. We couldn't afford anything (I recall that we ate at McDonald's and I bought this vintage bathrobe - yes, that's me in about 1986-7) except our ferry fare there and back.

I remember walking up Granville (it was pretty scuzzy back in the day, with peep shows and head shops) and then gasping at the window. Flames! Pointy-toed shoes with chains that went from the toes to the ankles (oh, how I wanted those)! They were the most amazing shoes I'd ever seen. The store wasn't open (must have been a Sunday), but we pressed up against the glass exclaiming over the wild styles.

I lost touch with Lynette, I worked for minimum wage for over a decade, had an ex, and then I met L back in 1995. Fluevogs remained unattainable - and not just because only one store sold them in my town. I just couldn't afford them. Then about 5 years ago, when I first got my last job, L and I went to Vancouver for our anniversary, and the first of our annual pilgrimmages to Fluevog was born. L bought me the pair I wore yesterday, and he's been steadily buying them for himself over the years (I think he has 6 or 7 pairs). We always go to the Granville Street store, and every time I remember that very first trip to Fluevog.

Blouse (Tabi, consignment), skirt (Jacob), shoes (Feet First), cuff (consignment), earrings (don't remember).

You Know Me So Well!

Today was my First Day at the New Job - and following yesterday's poll, I realized, wow! You guys really know my style!

Here's what I wore:
Pencil skirt: check! (30 votes) Blouse/shirt: check! (15 votes) Belt: check! (16 votes) Kitten heels: check! (17 votes) Bold jewelry: check (21 votes) Also, good job on predicting neutrals and pattern mixing!

I fooled you, too, though. I wore sheer (the shirt) and strapless! The single votes for those are mine - of course, I always vote on my own polls.

The skirt is new - I got it at the same boutique as the fab New Job Jacket.

Oh, and blazer: check! (19 votes):

It was sort of sunny today, and this jacket is a heavy velvety brocade, so I wore it as outerwear (only worn once, here).

I did wear a scarf, because it got chilly!

I walked to one of my company's offices this morning for the HR orientation, then walked about 8 blocks to my main office (it's only about 6 blocks from my old office, so I'm actually on exactly the same route to walk as before).

For those of you who've asked, I will indeed be able to continue doing my Tuesday WW group - I'll just make up the time missed. Pretty sweet!

My first day was good - I liked all the people I met and it seems like the job will be right in my wheelhouse. Lots of different things to do - and you can bet that in a year, I'll be running things like clockwork!

This skirt deserved some detail shots:

It's hard to see but it's a felted wool, with patches of fuzzier wool with loops of yarn felted to it, and random stitches. Above is the front of the skirt.

And here's the back:

I like the pockets.

The stuff:

You can see the nice brocade texture in the jacket there.

A close-up:

Naturally I went with bold accessories: my watch necklace, my silver ring and big white gold hoops.

I also did cufflinks:

These are L's and are 60s or 70s vintage, I think. The silhouette is of Pallas or Athena.

When you open the "lock" mechanism, you can see the "Hickok" stamp on them:

The opposite side says "USA".

Jacket (Nine & Company by Nine West, thrifted), shirt (Banana Republic, thrifted), bustier (Le Chateau, consignment), skirt (Solola), shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction, swap from Cat), belt and necklace (Plum), ring (gift from Cindy), earrings (gift from L), bag (Ollie & Nic).

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).

Good News!

Firstly, I'm fine - we got a 1 meter surge from the tsunami that hit Japan, but no one is hurt, no damage. Thank you everyone for your concern. I live on the West coast, so there is always a risk of an earthquake or a tsunami here, but you can't live your life in fear. If it happens, it happens.

Secondly, much better news! I called the company this morning (and thank you everyone for your encouragement and good vibes) and they sent me an offer this morning. It's a great offer and I'm accepting. I start next Wednesday!

I'm off shortly to drop off my accepted offer and other various forms, and then I am going shopping! I am going to reward myself with one of these gorgeous Desigual jackets (there's a shop in town that carries them).

I'm so glad to have an excuse to wear one of my new items - this lovely skirt:
This was one of the most expensive "thrift" items I bought yesterday at $22.00. But...it's real suede, and it's washable, just like my other suede skirt. I also love the colour - it's a nice sand shade - and the midi length, which I hear is all the rage among the cool kids these days.

I look so happy. I feel happy!

Second wearing of my thrifted Mexx top:
I wore it last here, also with a suede skirt (I'm getting quite a collection!). Also my second wearing of my gorgeous red boots (last seen here).

It's warm enough now to just wear a blazer as a jacket:

Such a nice dark burgundy! Last seen here.

I realized after I took these pictures that I forgot to put my jewelry on! D'oh! Here it is:

Gold hoops and my tree necklace.

Jacket (Zara, consignment), top (Mexx, thrifted), cami (Mexx, thrifted), skirt (Skotts Suede, thrifted), boots (Miz Mooz), necklace (Foxy), earrings (gift from L).

Shades of Green - Interview Outfit

Did I mention I'm also sick? Some sort of sinus/coughing cold thing - gah! Enough already with the sicky-ness! I doped myself up with coffee and cold medication and pretended I was not sick.

So I had my interview - I think it went well. It was for a Project Admin for an IT company. The admin side I'm a pro at, IT not so much, but hey, it's a new challenge, and I do like challenges. We'll see what happens.

At least I know I looked properly professional:
I liked how the two shades of olive/khaki looked together. Jacket last worn here (ha, for an interview!), skirt last worn here (scroll down).

I'm totally layered up for warmth with a cami, the shirt and the sweater vest underneath the jacket.

Blouse and vest last worn together here.

The stuff:

Of course, I did not brave the snow and icy sidewalks in these shoes! I wore little runners and socks and changed just before I got off the bus. I'm so sneaky!

I only wore crystal stud earrings with this - no jangly bits of jewelry.

Jacket (RW & Co, consignment), shirt (Nicole Beniste for Point Zero), vest (Le Chateau, gift from Ruth), skirt (Club Monaco, consignment), shoes (Jessica Simpson).

Weekend Outfits - and Some New Stuff

Whew! Monday already! Where does the time go?

I got dressed twice this weekend (aside from lounging around in my robe). Once, for my Weight Watchers meeting and weigh-in:
Down 0.6! Woo hoo!

I've worn this dress a billion times...okay, I may be prone to exaggeration. Those are my Tsubo Acreas (last worn back in July). I wore them walking around town all afternoon (I hit two more thrift stores and have all kinds of cheap goodies).

Dress (I.N.C.), shoes (Tsubos).

L was out of town this weekend, so Elaine and I went to see "Black Swan" (I loved the campy, over-the-top feel of it), and then went for drinks after. To go with the overwrought drama of the movie, I went with this slinky sequined tank dress:
It's one of my Plum deals from the clearance - it was regular $129.00 and I got it for $20!

(See who I'm looking at? I see a wee little head just peeking in the bottom of the picture).

I'm wearing a new-to-me cornflower blue cotton/Lycra tee that I picked up in a thrift store for $9.50 (which is probably a bit too much for H&M, but at least the tee has never been worn).

Dontcha just love the ruched sleeves?
Sorry that the photos are dark - black is the hardest to photograph at night and the flash looked ass.

Here's a better shot of the top:

I layered the tee under the dress for a bit more coverage - the necklines are the same.

But I know you're all squinting to see what the shoes look like. These are one of the sale pairs I got for $40 back in December:

Oh, *swoon*! Look at that rich purpley-blue! That part is suede, the black patent parts are patent leather. I love the stitching in the "fan" shape and the black ribbons.

The ribbons end in black leather hearts:

I had to double-knot the bows to make them stay done up.

The original price on these babies:

$139.95! Sweet! This brings my Poetic Licence collection to one, two, three, four, and now five.

Dress (Esprit), tank (H&M, thrifted), shoes (Poetic Licence).

Floaty Blue (and Swords for Megan)

I was asked to fill in for a receptionist at one of the Weight Watchers drop-in meetings today. I'm not trained on it, but I've been shown some stuff and I worked in retail for decades, so I'm fine in a pinch. I got the start time wrong, though, and actually had to RUN to the meeting. I impressed myself: I made it in 10 minutes! I did swap out these shoes for runners (I changed back once I got there).

But woo! What a crazy meeting! Nearly 70 people showed up - it was just non-stop.

Anyway, this is what I wore:
Part of my walking around yesterday was going to one of my favourite larger thrift stores. They had a "buy two, get one free" deal on (I do love a good deal!), so of course, I had to browse around. And of COURSE I found something. A few somethings. I had to get the deal!

This top is by Elie Tahari for Nordstrom - it was $16.95. I checked online and this brand's tops sell at Nordstrom's starting at $168! I've seen Tahari in some of the more expensive consignment shops and they are always way too rich for my blood. I like the cobalt and white pattern, and the pretty pin-tucks. And it's silk! So it was actually warm. The style/pattern was a little iffy for me - do you think it's too old/ageing? I like the tunic length, since I don't have many tunics in my closet.

Megan mentioned yesterday that I looked like Link from Legend of Zelda, and that I just needed a broadsword. Well, Megan, I don't have a broadsword, but I do have swords ("You idiot, we've all got swords!" - bonus points if you know what movie that's from).
This is a replica sword (longsword, I think, but L will correct me if I'm wrong) that L picked up in his Ren Faire days. It used to have a blue hunk of yarn on it as a lady's favour.

This is a replica of a Scottish claymore:

We bought it when we went to Scotland in oh...1996...from a guy in a shop on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh (he was really cute, I recall). We put it in with our luggage and brought it home, no problem, all duct-taped and wrapped in cardboard (it's not sharpened).

Both of our swords hang on the wall in the library. We have other swords and knives as well.

My outerwear:

My blue jacket and grey/black accoutrements.

I'm keeping this outfit on, because I have book club tonight, so no "stuff" photo. Instead, here's the closet shot:

Silver feather earrings, silver filigree cuff and my Scottish ring (hey, I got that and the sword on the same trip! Picture of the ring and how we ended up going to Scotland story here).

Inigo was being very cute:

Look at his little crossed paws. Awwww....

Coat (Mario Serrano), hat (Jacob), scarf (The Bay), gloves (Parkhurst). Blouse (Elie Tahari for Nordstrom, thrifted), pants (Kensie), shoes (First by Feet First), cuff (St. Paul's Cathedral gift shop, London), ring (trip to Scotland), earrings (no brand, local).

Wednesday WW Group - Beech Butt

Today was my first meeting with my Wednesday group, after meeting some of them last week. I was a little sedate (for me) last week. Today, I went "Full Sheila":

Crazy Aunt whackitude! Woo! I felt like some sort of Robin Hood-esque hippie in this, which was fun. It's all about the skirt.

The drama!

Check. Out. That. Skirt. Seriously, isn't that cool? It's Smoking Lily from a season or two ago. I found that in a consignment store for $38.50 (it was on an extra 20% off). Then I walked up the street and found nearly the same skirt in the store for $96. Sweet!

I am planning to include this skirt in the Fourth Annual Capsule Wardrobe Challenge that Jane over at The Small Fabric of My Life is hosting this year. Although there are tons of wardrobe challenges, "diets" and capsules out there (I did my own year of not buying any new clothes or shoes), this has always been my favourite one because it's so few items (10 clothing/shoes, 5 accessories). I've done them all (2008, 2009, 2010)! Are you going to try it?

Oh, and FYI, I'm not getting any kind of kick-backs from Smoking Lily - I just love the quality of their items and own a lot. I have the Chair Skirt, the Dotty Dress, a maroon/grey silk obi, a pink/olive silk obi, and a silk bug scarf by them. Every piece except for the bug scarf was bought on consignment - I even found a black velvet cotton skirt by them with a silk-screened white flower in a thrift shop for $10.50 that I bought for my friend Cat, who shares my love for the Lily.

If you clicked the link for a similar skirt, you'll see that this skirt is actually a cape! Ooh, I can't wait to try that out! Mine is a thick but drapey tweed, and is fully lined in a beautiful, thick pewter satin. I love the uneven hem, the major (may-jah!) zipper, and the silk-screened pattern on my butt:It's a beech tree trunk! While I may never again have a "beach bottom," at least I can have a beech butt, hee hee.

Because of the uneven waist and the fullness of the skirt, I wanted to wear a slim-fitting top with some colour. I started out with the mustard top and trying on jackets over it, but they didn't look quite right. So I layered this long green sweater (last seen here) and loved how it worked. The mustard cuffs peeked out. This was snuggly and warm all day!

It was a bright, crisp day today, weatherwise, so I just wore my suede jacket (last worn in September) over it all:

As you can see my right boot has a habit of slouching, while the left does not (compare in the top picture, which I took first). I wore my brown stripey socks to help it stay up and ensure that even if it didn't (it didn't), I would still have a consistent boot shape there and I wouldn't look uneven. Boots last seen here (4 months ago? that's atrocious!).

Here's a detail of the skirt's pattern:

The name and the flower are silkscreened on the lining at the bottom of the point. For you sewers out there, dig the lovely finish on the lining edges - it's all sewn down all the way around.

The stuff:

These boots are devilish on the bottoms of my feet, and I walked in them more than I thought would have to today, so my poor dogs are howlin'. I put insoles in them when I got home. Low heels tomorrow, I promise, feets.

A close-up:

I've had that necklace for about 7 years - I bought it at Plum. It used to have matching earrings, but they killed my ears so I got rid of them. I also removed the little crochet-covered balls that were in the necklace - they didn't look right.

Coat (B.U.M. Equipment, thrifted), sweater (Max Studio), mustard tee (Mexx), skirt (Smoking Lily, consignment), socks (can't remember, got them at The Bay over a year ago), boots (Le Chateau, consignment), belt, necklace and earrings (Plum).