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!

Dinner Out and Lunch & Shopping with Mom

As I have spent a good portion of my days this week either in my robe or in my "at home" clothes, I'm going for any excuse to put on a "real" outfit. I have a feeling I'll be doing the casual uniform a lot!

Last night, L and I met Casey and Nick at the pub for a few pints and dinner. We walked down, so I picked warm but comfortable pieces:
Hee, see Inigo on the left? He wants dinner too!

This is my olive leather skirt (last seen here), a long-sleeved purple tee and this t-shirt that I wear a lot.

My lovely (and practical) Miz Mooz boots.

Because it's a little chilly out, I did some outerwear stuff:

The olive-coloured hat is a somewhat structured fuzzy angora thing - I found it in a vintage store years ago and always forget to wear it. I'm also wearing my purple scarf and grey fingerless gloves, along with my swag leather jacket.

Hat (Boutique "Katy", vintage), scarf (Fairweather), gloves (Parkhurst), jacket (swag from old job). Long tee (Press), tee (Lisa International), skirt (Danier Leather, thrifted), boots (Miz Mooz), necklace (Foxy), earrings (gift from L).

Today, Mom and I are going to wander down the avenue to another pub for lunch...do a little shopping, get caught up before Christmas. We're walking, so again, I had to base the outfit around the shoes. I totally forgot about these (have I mentioned I need to clean out my closet??):

I got those in the summer at Value Village for cheapy-cheapy ($15), last seen here. I did tones of grey to match the cloud in my head (I am still sick - the hacking cough starts soon).

I am not picking my nose, I'm trying not to sneeze:

The top is cream/grey striped, the tee is multi shades of cream and grey, the skirt is a grey/black herringbone, and the tights are sort of a bluey-grey. Oh, and a first wear for this little thin silver headband - picked it up at Club Monaco some time ago for about $7.

I promise I am wearing my yellow leather jacket (this one) to offset all the grey.

I am so ready not to be sick anymore:

My hair is fading out to a nice colour.

Long-sleeved tee (Majestic, gift from Caro), tee (Plum, gift from L), skirt (Mexx, gift from Celia), shoes (Stonefly, thrifted), necklace (Claire's), earrings (Aldo Accessories), headband (Club Monaco).

Shopping in the Rain - and a Book Blurb

I met Cat and Caro downtown for a quick shop - I also had to get going on some of my Xmas shopping (I'm kind of doing it in dribs and drabs this year) out of the way.

Unfortunately, as I learned from my run/walk this morning, it was pouring out. So I had to dress for the weather:
Combat boots! Like the funkadelic stylings of Rad over at The Cohabiting Closet and Ann at Fashionable Academics, I love the boot/skirt look too. And it turns out, these babies were pretty close to being waterproof (I shouldn't have stepped in that big puddle). They were last worn here.

I last wore the dress here.

I hate carrying an umbrella - I'd rather have my hands free - so I dug through the chest to see what hats I had. I grabbed this fuzzy cream cloche (I picked it up about a year ago in a thrift store) and my cashmere scarf for a fun pattern mix.

I'm also wearing long nylon gloves.

Tossed on my red wool/cashmere coat and I was ready to go!

I did get a bunch of little things, but I need to still do more. Gah! It never ends!

Dress (Papillon), belt (NYC), boots (Penny Loves Kenny), coat (Planet), scarf (Club Monaco).

I have been good and read a book! It's "White Witch, Black Curse" by Kim Harrison:

It's the next one in the series after "The Outlaw Demon Wails" (blurbed here). I was in the mood for some escapism.

Stats: 504 pages, hardcover (I bought it second-hand for $5.50). Started November 21, 2010, finished December 12, 2010.

Blurb: These are currently my favourite vampire, sorta-sexy, sorta-funny, female-driven adventure novels. I've read a bunch of Anita Blake books (by Laurel K. Hamilton), and a few of the Sookie Stackhouse books (that "True Blood" is based on). Harrison's books have a lot of heart - the characters are tough, but struggle with love and relationships; they swear and beat up bad guys, but sometimes the bad guys are...not so bad - it's not all black and white, in life or in magic. If you ask Megan nicely, she might show some of the awesome doodles she's done of the characters.

It's...Leopard Lady!

Did I mention it snowed yesterday? It snowed yesterday! My poor little West coast flower of a city got dumped on - schools shut down, cars slid all over the place, power was out. We are such wusses about snow, but it's fairly rare here (we mostly get rain - hey, at least ya don't have to shovel it!).

Anyway, it's still cold today (and there are still patches of snow and ice all over the place), so I wanted to dress warm. I also wanted to wear this new skirt:
Okay, I have a bit of a love affair with leopard, perhaps only second to Wendy Brandes. This is not news. So when I saw this skirt, I was in looooove. It was only $12.95. Steal.

I'm wearing a long-sleeved thin tee under the thin wool sweater - and the Smoking Lily bug scarf is for warmth!

Look! It's Leopard Lady! Saving the world with leopard print!

The stuff:

Mmmm....Fluevog boot goodness. I can't believe it's been a YEAR since I wore these. Oh, Sheila, for shame! I've also worn them here and here. These are the "Blind Faith Hi, Rebecca" boots.

Check out the nap on the skirt:

It's like a thin plush! Don't worry, it's not so long that it looks like I scalped a stuffy toy. It was nice and warm, though!

The boots are killer to zip up:

My muscular calves means I get a workout (and a squished calf) whenever I wear these, but they're getting softer every time I wear them.

I wore another new pair of tights today too:

Leg on the table shot, hee.

Sweater (Banana Republic, consignment), skirt (S&D, thrifted), tights (Voila), boots (Blind Faith Hi, Rebecca, Fluevog), bangles (Aldo Accessories and some import shop), scarf (Smoking Lily), earrings (gift from L).

Olive Flapper and Yes, More Cat Pictures

Today is a bit of a different look for me - I tend to favour figure-conscious outfits that highlight my hourglass shape. However, I fell in love with this dress:
I know it looks like a big rectangle of blah, but wait! First I have to smell these flowers that L bought me:

Okay, now let's look at the dress. It's long and lean with a dropped waist (the black vinyl "belt" is sewn on and has long fringed ends). It has a high neckline and is sleeveless...yet it's made of wool and is super thick, like a nice blanket for TV-watching.

It also has a wrap-around bottom half:

Showing my navy blue full-length slip and my funky brown lace-net tights. I like the granny boot-ish Oxfords with this ensemble.

I was concerned about being chilled so I took a thin scarf to work:

But wait, there's more! Check out the lovely detail on the bottom:

With my hand underneath to show the cut-out bits. It's sewn in a dark brown. The edging is just stitched (not wrapped over) and all of the seams are totally invisible. I showed them to someone at work who sews and she was VERY impressed.

It was only $26.95 and still had the tags on it!

I couldnt' find much on the brand online, but from an image search, they seem to have been making dresses since the '70s. As this one is size 10, I am wondering if it's actually from the mid- to late-80s (since I am a size 6 in today's sizes, generally). Either way, doesn't look like it's ever been worn!

The stuff:

I've had the shoes for a while (seen here and here) - not sure how much longer I'll keep them as they rub my feet a bit.

The accessories:

Airplanes and swirly patterns. Happy!

Dress (Kenar, thrifted), tights (Silks by Phantom), shoes (Max Studio, consignment), earrings (Plum, gift from L), cuff (Catalyst Reaction Leather).

Did I mention cat pictures? Someone has been playing in boxes a lot lately:

The upside-down box with the red on it has been Inigo's favourite toy for about a month, but last night, he decide to sit inside this box...which is a smidge too small for him.

We had a bunch of friends over - we were all laughing at him:

He looks like a fuzzy gumdrop.

Later on, he just lounged about:

"My box!"

Weekend Wear and Two Book Blurbs

We had a nice quiet weekend - I only went out to Weight Watchers, lunch and a brief foray into one of my favourite thrift stores (new-to-me outfits coming this week!). I like picking a dress for WW - they're nice and light!
I last wore this dress here - but the tights are the scene-stealer for sure.

It was a little chilly in the morning, so I loaded up with my beret, fingerless gloves and cashmere scarf, as well as my leather jacket:

I didn't need the beret or gloves in the afternoon at all.

Dress (Gap, consignment), tights (Trasparenze), boots (Aldo, consignment), jacket (online auction), scarf (Club Monaco), beret (Jacob, consignment), gloves (Parkhurst).

I finished a couple of books this week: "How to Be a Budget Fashionista" by Kathryn Finney, and "Going Solo" by Roald Dahl.

"How to Be a Budget Fashionista"

Ruth gave me this book for my birthday, with a note inside: "Read it, then write your own, Sheila-style!" I have to say...I could do better.

Stats: 218 pages. Started around October 10th, finished early last week.

Blurb: This how-to guide seems to be intended for fashion lovers who have no idea how to shop, don't know their own style and are completely clueless when it comes to fashion. I feel like it missed out on its real target audience: women who already know all that stuff, but who now want to be fashionistas on a budget. Crucial difference there.

I already know my style (I don't need pointers on how a white blouse and an LBD are essential to any woman's wardrobe) and are there really that many women out there who don't know a bargain when they see one? Do they really need tips like "Shop the sale racks" and "The importance of undergarments"? I don't.

What I would have liked to have read about is more along the lines of "How to find the treasure in a pile of junk at the thrift store" or "How to know when consignment items are overpriced" or even "How to negotiate better deals from stores." There are only 5 pages dedicated to second-hand shopping!

This book is so light it practically floats, and there's a lot of filler like charts (this column is expensive vs. this column is cheap) and little somewhat amusing anecdotes that don't really relate to shopping on a budget. Even the "case studies" are thin - someone looking for ideas on what to wear to a high school reunion is told to wear an LBD and pumps. Um, yeah.

"Going Solo"

Most people know Roald Dahl's children's books ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "James and the Giant Peach", for example), but he was also an amazing writer of adult fiction ("My Uncle Oswald" is one of the funniest, raunchiest novels I've ever read). He also wrote several collections of short stories, which have just been reissued - they are wonderful and well worth looking for. Dahl brings his slightly gruesome and comic touch to everything he writes, and I've collected nearly all of his books over the years.

Stats: 210 pages. Started and finished within the last 2 weeks (early to mid-October).

Blurb: "Going Solo" is the sequel to "Boy" - they are the two autobiographies of Dahl. "Boy" covers his childhood and "Going Solo" covers his experience living and working in Africa before learning to be a pilot and fighting in WWII. His tales are absolutely amazing and are not at all tedious or boring - he is an expert at seeing what is the most interesting in a story and at evoking that experience for the reader. I'm not usually a huge fan of books about war, but this one is superb. Loved it and devoured it quickly.

Prickly Plaid

Continuing my "power colour" theme, today I'm wearing my red plaid skirt:
I managed to actually remember my top this time, which is this sequined one-shoulder thing, last seen here. It's not the same shade of brown as what's in the skirt, but I still thought it went well. It's very prickly. Sequins are not comfortable.

The olive green jacket is new-to-me - I got it over a month ago, but it's been too warm to wear it.
Seeing as "military" is a big look for autumn, this will probably go into strong rotation. I really like the seaming on the waist of it, and the flap pockets (none in the boobular region! hurrah!). I think it was around $18. It also doesn't match the skirt, but it still goes with all the fall colours.

This outfit also has an item that I have had for over 10 years and never worn:

The scarf! Remember around 1999-2000 when it was the "in" thing to tie big fringe-y scarves around your hips, over your jeans? I worked in a women's clothing store back then (Fairweather, when it was good, for you Canuck women who remember those days), and I bought this for around $12. It was clipped on a pant hanger for all these years, getting dusty. I needed pant hangers recently so I tossed it into my basket-o-scarves and what do you know? Here it is.

The stuff:

I kept the accessories down to just the cuff and simple hoops because of all the shiny shiny sequins and shiny shoes and fringe-itude.

Speaking of fringe:

Yes, that scarf has some.

Jacket (RW & Co., consignment), top (Express, thrifted), skirt (Casual Corner & Co., thrifted, vintage 80s), shoes (Jessica Simpson), scarf (Fairweather), cuff (Oscar & Libby's), earrings (gift from L).

Black for Grandma, and the Funky Chicken

Yesterday, L and I spent the day going to to his grandma's memorial. It was a 3 hour drive, then over an hour on the ferry (and of course, you have to wait for the ferry) - each way! We got up at 5am and didn't get home until 10pm. I'm still exhausted.

I like to wear mostly black for memorials/funerals:
I've only worn this dress once (here) - I know, shameful. It's a wicked dress.

Because Grandma was a Wonder Woman, this one's for her!

The dress has a tie belt, which I've tied into a bigass bow. Usually, I toss such belts and use my own, but I really like the look of the bow.

I added the blue suede shoes, my Dad's scarf, and my yellow jacket in case it got chilly:

It did not, but I looked very chic carrying around my yellow jacket all day. I tied the scarf to the strap of my black bag.

Dress (Esprit), jacket (Danier Leather), shoes (Feet First), scarf (60s vintage), earrings (don't remember), cuff (St. Paul's Cathedral, London).

Today, back to work. I picked up this dress for $9.99 at Dots while I was waiting for the bus to get my hair cut on Monday night:

Classic! I am also thrilled that it does not wrinkle (and it's 100% cotton, go figure) across the bum from sitting at my desk.

I layered my floopy skirt under it (worn layered before here and here) for fun and to show off my awesome yellow boots (as previously seen here, here, here, here, and here).

It was only when I realized that I sort of resembled a chicken. Bu-kawk!
I'm a bit more Super Chicken than Wonder Woman today!

The skirt floofed out when I walked:

I felt like dancing!

The stuff:

Yep, those are yellow boots! Yellow boots!

A close-up:

The leather cuff is new too. It was $3.99 at Dots.

Dress (Coupe), skirt (no label, consignment), belt (Plum), boots (Aldo, consignment), cuff (Dots), earrings (Shi Studio).