Another WW Meeting...and Lunch Out

WW meeting number two went well - although, wooo...funny how quickly you get out of the habit of getting up at 6am. Heh.


I had another new pair of shoes I just HAD to wear: Plus, I needed to break out the glitzy clothes for late December glamour! I last wore this vintage Alfred Sung skirt here (holy moly, last Feb/March!).

I really loved the neutral metallic colour of the shoes but the floofy bow really pushes them up a notch, so I kept the rest of the outfit (aside from the green lame lace skirt) also neutral.

Sorry, blurry - hard to keep my balance!

I last wore the jacket back in June (here) - it was a little cool, but I have a hard time finding really unique plain brown jackets.

Oh, but I know you're dying to see the shoes:

Pretty sweet, eh? My mom's vintage necklace added a bit more green up near my face (to bring out my green eyes!).

These were the best score of the four pairs I got:
$174.95 and I paid $40.00. Wow.

Mom gave me this awesome purse for Christmas:

I love the colour, and it's a really nice quality vinyl.

Jacket (Pelican Cove, consignment), top (Ellen Tracy, gift from Caro), skirt (Alfred Sung, vintage 80s, consignment), shoes (Jeffrey Campbell), necklace (Mom's, vintage 60s), purse (gift from Mom).

Today, L and I went out for lunch, then bought groceries. Of course I dress nice for groceries!

These jeans are new! I adore black jeans, and these were marked down to $27 at Plum, from $90. They are pretty long on me, but I'll see how they shrink after I wash them. It's not like I suffer from a lack of heels to wear.

The top was last seen here - the bright sunny colours make me feel happy!

I also got some new outerwear accessories at Plum earlier this week:

It's that 80s shade of green - really vibrant. The gloves and scarf are acrylic wool; the gloves were $4 and the scarf was $7. I love long gloves.

And if I'm going to do yellow and green, then I have to wear the yellow leather jacket:

Woo! Bright!

My new little wrist-twist:

I like the neutral metallic leather and the studs - cool clasp, too. It was $7, regular $45 (I hit the Club Monaco accessory sale selection again). Gotta have my rock 'n' roll, man!

I needed a) heels with these long jeans and b) comfy shoes and c) something that went with the outfit. My python wedges fit the bill:

I totally cheated and wore taupe socks with them! Bwahahaha! The jeans were so long, you couldn't see them, even when I was sitting down.

I also wanted to wear this awesome new belt buckle (I just attached it to the belt that I use for this buckle worn here):

I'm a huge fan of pin-up girls - and I fell in love with this lovely beauty. This buckle was 1/2 price for $12.50. I got it at the same store where I got all the shoes.

Top (Liz & Co.), jeans (Dish), shoes (Aerosoles), gloves/scarf (Plum), jacket (Danier Leather).

A very Happy New Year to all my fellow bloggers, readers and commenters. I am honoured to know you all, and thankful for your kind words, encouragement and I celebrate your general awesomeness. I hope you have a safe, happy and fun-filled evening tomorrow night!

I will be posting my New Year's Eve outfit (we're throwing a party!) after the fact...and stay tuned for the 2010 Major Awards!

Casual Friday: Vintage and An Ampersand

And my week of red wraps up with a bit of coral red, in accents. I have been wanting to wear this top again for ages:
I last wore it over a year ago (here), and twice previously, here and here. I don't like to wear my actual vintage too often, as it can be delicate. I also remembered that this one tends to expose me...and with these low rise pants, I had double the risk of having muffin top exposed! I wore a cami under it to alleviate that.

I love the back view:

I feel very Audrey in these pants (always do) - these are just the right width and length on me.

And because it's casual day, I tossed on my jean jacket (I took it off for most of the day, though):

That's my new-to-me purse - also in coral red. I realize now that I'm holding it backwards, so you can't see the ampersand handle properly. Arg.

I got this in a thrift store when I went shopping with Elaine a few weeks back. I spotted the bright colour and pulled it out...hmmm, what's that I see?

That reads "matt & nat - montreal" - whoa! matt & nat are very expensive, as they are all vegan and eco-friendly. Check it out - even the cheapest bag on sale (a wallet) is minimum $45. My bag feels rubbery on the outside, and the inside is very soft, like felt. It closes with two big velcro circles.

And what did I pay? Glad you asked! I paid $4.00.

The stuff:

The bracelet and earrings were "liberated" from Mom's jewelry box back in the early 80s. The ring is new.

Top (Style Rite, vintage), pants (Focus 2000), cami (Esprit), shoes (Tsubos), belt, bracelet and earrings (70s vintage, Mom's), ring (Le Chateau), jean jacket (Ann Taylor Loft), bag (matt & nat, thrifted).

Gold Digger

I was in a huge hurry last night after work - I had to dash to Book Club, so I only had time to take my pictures. I felt very retro:
Do you not love that green skirt? It's a Banana Republic, from Spring 2007, and was $18. This just reminds me of why I love shopping second-hand: why would I bother to go try and find something new when I can find something old? I snicker when the magazines tell me that full skirts are in style...yeah, they've been "in" a few times.

I didn't wear a sweater with this during the day at work, but it was a bit windy last night, so I chucked on this sweater:

I dug out my summer shoes last weekend, so these lovely ones are reappearing.

The stuff:

They're woven straw with leather accents. Shamefully, I still had my turquoise toenails from our party a few weeks ago. Fortunately, I always stash a bottle of quick-dry nail polish (I love Rimmel's 60 Second) in my desk at work...so *swoop slap* I did my toenails when I arrived at work.

A close-up of the jewelry:

I've had that pin forever. Mom gave it to me (as opposed to my usual "borrowing" from her jewelry box) to hold the neckline of a stripey tunic closed - I was 11 or 12 years old and starting to get my boobs...and feeling very self-conscious about the low slash neckline. I'm wearing it the same way - the "boob button" on the blouse refused to stay shut, so this little shovel kept it secure all day and evening.

Blouse (no label, vintage, thrifted), skirt (Banana Republic, consignment), shoes (Franco Sarto), belt (Le Chateau), cardigan (Express, thrifted), earrings (vintage), ring (70s vintage, Sarah Coventry), pin (Mom's, at least 70s).

Never Seen - Purses!

Since I started walking to and from work 3 years ago, I only use handbags either on casual Fridays, or when I go out. Contrary to what it may seem, I don't go out very often.

Anyway, it's hard to give up old purses, especially when they are cool or odd (heh, kind of like me). In no particular order, this is what's hiding in my closet.

The XOXO purse.
L got that for me when he went to Montreal for a business trip about 5 years ago. I love the yellow with gold design. The interior is lime green!

The vintage gold clutch:

I got this for about $5 in a thrift store years ago. You can tuck the gold chain inside to make it a clutch. I love that it actually has some room in it.

The crazy beaded bag:

This is from when I worked in Fairweather. The beads tend to fall off, so I don't use it very often.

My Audrey bag!

Remember when "movie" bags were all the rage about 5 years ago? This is my favourite movie of all time. I still use this bag when the outfit is right. It holds my lunch and a small pair of shoes (my requirement for middle-sized bags).

This black bag was my old stand-by purse for evening wear for years...easily 2-3 years.
It's got no pockets, just a nice sized small bag with a magnet closure that I can fit a lot in if I have to. I got it in a thrift shop about 8-9 years ago. It's Paloma Picasso:

I keep a lot of the bags (and hats) in velvet boxes in my closet, like so:

Okay, this is the most crazyass purse I own:

It is just insane. It's from the 70s (can't you imagine that this once had a matching dress??), and the lime and yellow with macrame and the flowers are just...yeah...I have no words.

It's so ugly it's hideously amazing. It was given to me by one of L's friends' mother. I've never used it, but I can't give it up.

Speaking of hideous, that same friend's mother gave me this 80s monstrosity as well:

Can you see the black suede panels on either side of the copper leather panel? That's just batsh*t crazy. Who would use that? Answer: not me. Never used it.

But it's mesmerizingly awful and I can't give it up, so in the box it goes:

Back to cool purses!

I've had this one for about 6 or 7 years - my Chinese takeout purse: Real bamboo handle and lovely brocade.

Another little purse that actually holds a lot inside (like a flask of scotch, heh heh, very handy for parties).

I think I may have actually shown this purse on the blog before, but I don't use it very often, so I'm including it anyway. I got this at the Naturalizer store a little over a year ago:

It's a good mid-sized purse. I like the "granny chic" styling and the rigid shape.

Plus, it has leopard interior:

Awesome!

L bought me this purse several years ago (maybe 6 or 7 years?):
It says "So Chic, So Debonair" - and the picture is outlined in beads, with bead details on the dog.

It's actually made out of a cigar box:
I love the gingham interior:

Another one that holds a lot (sensing a theme?).

I found this purse in a thrift store about 4 years ago:

I like the handle - it's half chain, half faux croc. I think it looks very Chanel.

But it's Liz!

Okay, this is one of my favourite small purses:
I bought this in a shoe store from the clearance bin. It was around $16. Who doesn't love martinis?
But the interior is the star:

Hot pink velvet, with mini jewelry tray, mirror and enough room in the compartment below for - you guessed it - a flask. Really, I'm not a lush.

I don't remember where I got this purse, maybe it's a Fairweather one?

I like the fringe. I am all about the details with my purses (like I am with everything, actually). It has a soft body so I can cram a lot of stuff in it.

This one is a Fairweather one:

I love the long beads. It holds keys, ID, credit/debit cards and maybe a lipstick.
This is one of my favourite purses:

I got this at Accessorize (the UK chain) before their store closed here. I love all the shades of silver and grey sequins and beads.

This is what it looks like closed:

Open wide...

It's got a silver lining. Doesn't every girl need a silver lining sometimes?

I don't have enough purses to go with browns:

It's from Le Chateau, I think.

This one's from Aldo:

I love beads and frou-frou.

That's it! Not too many, but they work for me. Hope you enjoyed seeing them.