Weekend Roundup - Bowling, Cat and Purchases

Woo, it's been a fun weekend! I wish I were off tomorrow, but I'm sure it'll be dead at work. Now, I'm just going to write this post, then plug in my headphones and do some reading before the groceries are delivered (I know, so decadent!).

On Friday, L and I and 7 of our closest friends met up for lunch downtown. Some of us headed off to go...bowling! afterwards. I had to dress up for bowling. One can't bowl in casual clothes, you know.

This is the second wear of this lovely black wool skirt, first worn here with my floral cardi. I am happy to say I am keeping it - I don't need to put together another outfit to know that it's great quality, a good shape and a good overall black skirt. Being wool, I probably won't wear it much between now and the fall, but you never know.

Can't forget - this is my outfit for "Visible Monday" at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style - get yourself on over there!

The blouse is one I've had since 2010 (first time worn here - some good pictures of the details of it there). I wore it 3 times in the March 2012 capsule (recap here).

I recently saw the same blouse in a different colour mix in a consignment store and was delighted to finally know what brand it is! It's by Point Zero. I do understand why some people cut the tags out of clothes (I was a rabid tag-cutter-outer for many years myself), but I like to know what brand I'm wearing.

I really liked the 50s vibe of this look. The skirt lends itself well to a tucked-in top. I kept this from getting too girly by wearing silver bird skull earrings, two punk-y cuffs, and a bunch of silver rings. Sadly, I lost my silver ear cuff somewhere during the day.

I'm Queen of the Faeries!

The shoes are my wonderful flat "I [Heart] Billy" ones that I wore in the February 2012 capsule (recap here). They are a smidge too small on me, so I'll probably pass them along at some point. For now, I like them.

I wore my full vintage slip underneath everything.

I love vintage lingerie - it's so pretty.

Although it was a wonderful sunny weekend (and still is!) there's a bit of a chill in the air still. Victoria is right on the water, so there's always a cool breeze.

I wore this olive blazer for warmth - don't you love when you can wear a blazer as outerwear? I wore this jacket in the January 2013 capsule (recap here). It's a great versatile topper.

Blazer (RW & Co., consignment), blouse (Point Zero, consignment), skirt (Jones New York, thrifted), slip (vintage, consignment), shoes (I [Heart] Billy), belt (Plum), bag (Danier Leather).

I remembered to pack a pair of socks for my bowling shoes.

All toothy grins after a few pints of cider. My bowling scores steadily declined as I had another couple of pints of beer. Hmmm...could these be linked?

So fast, I'm a blur! I did get a couple of spares and at least one strike. I'm not a great bowler.

After bowling, I stopped at home to feed Vizzini. I walked back down to go for dinner with the last few friends standing.

Blue sky, trees blossoming, and beautiful architecture.

Yesterday, L and I went for brunch with our friend Chris. I set myself a $20 budget to go shopping afterwards. Vancouver was a pricey weekend so I need to behave myself for a couple of weeks.

I couldn't face bare legs just yet (plus I didn't shave my legs, heh), so out came the floral tights.

This is the third wearing of the new-to-me Floating Gold Iceberg t-shirt skirt (previously seen on the weekend in Vancouver and here with floral and teal). My verdict: I'm keeping it. I love the bright coral colour and it's so utterly comfortable. Great skirt!

I've been looking forward to getting this denim shirt back into circulation. It's just the right cut and darkness, and it's not too thick. I'm wearing it semi-done-up over a black shell.

I wore this shirt twice in the May 2012 capsule (recap here), which feels like it was underutilized.

These shoes were made for walking (I last wore them here, with yellow, black and white and grey). Also, since I thrifted them for $4.00 a couple of years ago, I was hoping they would give me good karma on my shopping trip.

I wore my orange leather jacket as my outerwear, so this is how I looked for most of the day.

I got a lot of compliments on all the red/orange/coral mix and the tights (of course).

Jacket (Danier Leather, consignment), shirt (Mexx, consignment), shell (Mossimo, consignment), skirt (Floating Gold Iceberg, consignment), tights (Look From London), shoes (Enzo Angiolini, thrifted), bag (Danier).

Happily, I did have good karma! I spent only $26.00 (including a $6.00 shirt for L), so I was pleased with that.

I found this lovely scarf that will go well with some of the pale purples that I've been collecting in my wardrobe lately.

Um, Vizzini, do you mind?

The scarf is by Beechers Brook, which made me laugh, since it was one of the lines that the now-defunct Canadian mall store Fairweather used to carry. I worked for Fairweather for 2 years in the late 90s/early 00s. I loved their clothes!

Vizzini was extremely unhelpful while I was taking pictures.

The scarf was only $2.00 - it's not silk, but is a very good polyester that feels like silk.

I was also thrilled to find this beautiful silk scarf.

The colour is a little washed-out there, sorry. The oranges and greens are a more vivid.

This is my second Remoy d'Urville of Paris silk scarf:

I also have this sunny yellow/orange one - I paid $8.00 for that one. These were handpainted, and were likely made in the 70s. I only paid $2.00 for this one! Both of the scarves were purchased at the St. Vincent de Paul store.

Vizzini-approved.

He was very affectionate after not seeing me all day.

I found yet another obi:

The Women in Need (WIN) store was having a sale on all regular clothing and accessories, so everything I got there was discounted even further! This fabric belt was $6.50 plus 25% discount.

Check out this great 70s-era label from Jac Dale:

A little interwebs research tells me that this was a Canadian company.

I love that emerald is a big colour for 2013 - check out what this tag belongs to:

Not an actual outfit; just showing them on me is better than a hanger 

Love that little V in the waist, and the big pockets (trust me, they're there). That's a majoryly high waist too!

How do I know these are from the 70s? Because that's the last time culottes were in style!

Hey, my arms are looking pretty buff - hurray for the gym!

Aren't they wild? I don't know if these will find a home in my closet, but I'm looking forward to playing with this look for a few outfits.

After all, they didn't cost much.

Yup, only $4.00. Thank you SVdP.

At WIN, I found another emerald item, this fabulous 70s shirt dress:

Again, totally not styled; just showing it on me.

I'll take close-up pictures of the details (buttons, pattern) when I actually wear this, but I fell in love with this dress. It's handmade (can tell by the inside, seams, handstitching), and it's that slinky 70s polyester. It's got a big ol' 70s collar too! I'm totally lucky that whoever made this was almost my exact size. It was $8.50 plus 25% off.

Random cat picture!

When I'm on the computer, Vizinni will often keep me company in the other chair.

Today, L and I cruised downtown with the top down on the convertible, bought groceries (to be delivered - it's free!), then went for brunch. I do like a nice brunch.

I went pretty casual.

One of my layering tees, and a Threadless tee (called "Decay") that I bought about a year ago. This top combo is one that I wear around the house with jeans. I threw on a necklace to disguise the mismatched necklines.

The olive skirt is my infamous "parachute" skirt, featured 4 times in the August 2012 capsule (recap here).

I love the way it billows when I walk.

The shoes were worn 5 times in the September 2012 capsule (recap here). I was originally just going to walk downtown by myself, so I needed walking shoes. My toes were a bit cold but it was worth it!

Tee (Threadless), long-sleeved tee (Esprit, consignment), skirt (Cute Options), sandals (Kenneth Cole Reaction, consignment), necklace (gift from Mom).

I wasn't the only one enjoying the sunshine this weekend - it's warm enough to have our deck open, and that means the big scratching post goes out there.

Looking cute and full of mischief - his eyes are just slits in the bright light.

A flop in the sun is always nice.

I hope your Easter weekend has been full of sunshine!

Third Etro and Disco Dutch

Today was an insane day! I logged over 10,000 steps on my pedometer by 2pm. It was a little quieter in the afternoon, but I was really happy I'd worn comfy shoes today.

It was fitting that I was dressed a little crazy.

Colour! Pattern! Texture! Shine!

The shirt is my lovely vintage silk one, thrifted for $5.00 and worn 3 times in the August 2012 capsule (recap here).

The skirt was featured 4 times in the February 2012 capsule (recap here), and I'm so happy to have it back. I love the shiny velvet, the pockets, and just the way it sits.

The jacket is my lovely Etro blazer, last seen here after our Vancouver trip, and previously here for work last week. The tights are pretty old - I've had them since at least 2009.

I've decided after the nuisance with the polls not working yesterday (and I redid them again today; still not working)...no more polls on the outfits. However, I do still want to hear what you think - I'm a Libra, I like to hear all sides - so please feel free to comment!

This being the third wearing of the blazer, I would normally post a poll, but instead, I will give you the results from the previous votings, and then I will reveal my verdict.

Like it: 28

Lose it: 16

Not too shabby. My verdict: I'm keeping it. It's just too cool - it needs to live with me a little longer. It's not a perfect fit, but I really love the details. I'll probably pass it along to a friend at some point and not regret it.

But I know you can't take your eyes off my shoes! I was showing them off to everyone at work today; as soon as my coworker Cory (who KNOWS John Fluevog!) saw them, he said, "Those are like disco Dutch!" and it was The Name. Forget "Prepare Hi Steady", these are the Disco Dutch shoes.

I wore them here briefly, along with the Etro blazer, on the weekend to go for lunch, but today was a full day in them.

As I said, my morning was busy - I ran in these, walked 2 blocks in them while out doing errands, climbed up and down stairs in them, and moved two bookcases. My feet are tired, but not sore - they really held up well. They have maybe a 2" heel once you take off all that platform. Another awesome pair of Fluevogs.

Jacket (Etro, consignment), blouse (Elite, thrifted), skirt (Club Monaco), shoes (Prepare Hi Steady, Fluevog).

First Time Floral, Second Time Coral, Plus Verdicts and a Closet Changeover

Ah, last day of a long weekend. I can't help it - I spend half the day being anxious about it being the last day! So silly.

Anyway, aside from going out to get my hair cut today, I didn't do much of anything. Well, I did clean out my closet. I guess that counts.

But clothes come first.

I walked to and from the hairdresser - it's only 25 minutes each way, and it felt wonderful to get outside and enjoy the sunny weather. Finally! Sun!

This is a new-to-me floral cardigan by Mexx, bought on consignment a couple of weeks ago (here) for $19.98.

I like the interesting pattern of leaves and flowers, and the unusual colour combination (which is probably why someone got rid of it!). I think it'll work well in my wardrobe.

What do you think?

Floral Cardigan (Mexx): Outfit #1

Floral Cardigan (Mexx)
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The skirt is on its second time 'round. I'm not usually down for t-shirt cotton skirts, but I like how this one fits, even over tights (yes, I have tights on - it wasn't that warm).

I layered a teal-y blue cami underneath to hide the skirt's waistband, then did the purple-y grey Chie Mihara flats for walking (last seen here with my pink velvet jacket).

I last wore the skirt twice on the Anniversary Weekend of Adventure (here).

Coral Pencil Skirt (Floating Gold Iceberg): Outfit #2

Coral Pencil Skirt (Floating Gold Iceberg)
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I added my white leather jacket over it, and carried my red Danier Leather purse.

Simple teal and silver earrings and voila! All done. And my hair is now nice and short again!

Jacket (Le Chateau, consignment), cardigan (Mexx, consignment), cami (Ricki's), skirt (Floating Gold Iceberg, consignment), shoes (Chie Mihara), bag (Danier Leather), earrings (Oscar & Libby's).

And now, on to the voting verdicts! So exciting.

First up, the burgundy suede pencil skirt by Danier Leather.

I wore it three times: as in the picture above (here, my personal favourite of the 3), in the crazy pirate-y outfit here, and with my new-to-me Etro jacket here.

And the votes are...

• Like it: 102
• Lose it: 24

Whoa, it's a landslide! And my verdict is: I'm keeping it. It's an excellent colour, a great shape and fit and it cost me a whopping $14.50. I've worn it 6 times total so far, so my cost per wear is under $3.00. Not that cost is a major factor, but that feels good. This skirt is a good basic. 

Done - no more shopping for burgundy pencil skirts, Sheila! I packed it away with my fall/winter items today. Ha!

Next up, this lovely grey suede skirt.

But what's that, you say? I only wore it twice? Yes, indeed, your powers of observance are very keen. I wore it with black and white striped and yellow accents (here) and in the corseted rocker outfit (shown above, here).

Well, let's see what the voters said:

• Like it: 53
• Lose it: 14

And it's another blow-out! However, my verdict is: I gave it away. Don't get me wrong; I adored this skirt. Love the colour, the cut, the suede is to die for...but it was a size too big. I knew that it would look amazing on one of my coworkers so I gave it to her last Thursday.

Someone commented (forgive me, I don't recall who) that I seem to make up my mind about my items completely independently of the voting. Yes, I do. I see things that the camera doesn't pick up (good and bad), and I'm the one wearing it - so I know pretty quickly whether it's going to work or not.

Someone else (again, memory like a sieve here) mentioned that most of the items are getting "like it" votes. I think that's entirely to be expected - I don't buy stuff I don't like, and I know how to put together adequate outfits to show off items. Why I'm doing this is because I like to see how people vote when it's anonymous (you guys are honest!), and see what you REALLY think.

It's also an interesting experiment to see if I can turn something I'm not terribly fired up about into something worth keeping, and ideally into something that I love.

Anyway, enough of my babble. Last item: this rusty-orange blouse:

I didn't actually wear this three times either, but the two times I did were enough for me to make up my mind (plus it's in the wash, and I don't do laundry all that frequently, heh). 

I wore it as pictured above, here (in a pinch, I guess you could say that was two outfits - I did change my shoes for boots), and here, layered under a leather dress with turquoise accents.

And the voting is:

• Like it: 41
• Lose it: 22

Ooh, pretty close! My verdict is: I'm keeping it. I love the colour and the fit and it's an excellent colour in my wardrobe.

I hope you enjoyed voting for these items as much as I enjoyed wearing them. 

And now onto the closet portion of my day. I had to stop partway through my clean-out to go to the hairdresser, and then I napped when I got home, and then L and I went to the gym, so there was a large gap between when I started and when I finished. 

I pull everything out, vacuum and dust, and then decide what's staying and what's going. I cleaned out a bunch of things that I'd forgotten about, that I didn't love or that just didn't work for me anymore. I also pulled out heavier-weight items, winterish and autumnal clothing, and most of my boots. I'll do the reverse at the end of September.

I have the most fun looking at my shoes. These are the ones I pulled out as being the most spring-summer:

I count 33 pairs there. I do have a couple of pairs of booties for colder times (September can be cranky, weather-wise), and even there, I see 6 pairs of shoes that I still haven't worn in over a year. I promise, they will be worn! Some of them are party shoes, so not good for my feet for a whole day's work.

And on the other side of the room, we have the more winter-fall shoes. A lot of these go back into the closet (it holds a lot), but I did pack up about 2 dozen pairs to go into storage. It's always so fun to pull them out again. "Oh yeah, I forgot about these!"

Not including my two pairs of walking runners in the upper left corner, there are 22 pairs of shoes here. There are 4 pairs that didn't get worn, so I'll see if I can work them into a party outfits at some point.

Although I didn't get rid of any shoes, I am debating a few pairs that I don't completely love. I'm more likely to keep shoes, especially really cool ones or Fluevogs!

Pile o' boots (10 in total):

I did pull out two pairs of boots to donate: the brown suede ones that don't go over the knee, and the black ones. I was really annoyed that the brown boots didn't stay up (and I already have two pairs of great brown boots), and the black ones are too big in the calf on me, plus I have two good pairs of black boots already. There is one pair of boots that I didn't wear in capsules - a pair of Fluevogs! - but I'll be wearing them soon. 

That's 66 pairs of shoes/boots, and I didn't even include the 16 pairs of summer shoes that I unpacked. Ulp, my total is 82 pairs of shoes. Move over, Imelda! In case you were wondering, I have 21 pairs of Fluevogs, easily the most of any brand. I'm a Fluevogaholic, I admit it.

Vizzini helped me clean by supervising from below:

I kept an eye on him - no more chewing on my shoes!

Thank goodness this is a short week - so looking forward to another long weekend, although I don't get Easter Monday off (it's not actually a statutory holiday in my province, boo).

Verdicts In and a Bit of Shopping

Ah, this weekend has just flown by!

Here I am being blown about by the wind this morning.

I re-bleached my roots and will be dyeing over this bleach-y blonde soon.

I actually wore nearly the same outfit yesterday, but L and I slept in and were running late to join friends for lunch, so I didn't have time to photograph it. After brunch, we all went to the museum to see an exhibit of wildlife photography, which was wonderful. Then home for a nap, then up late again with Cat and Ross and a rousing game of Arkham Horror.

Today, I'm wearing a thin grey long-sleeved tee (yesterday's was burgundy), my Smoking Lily moose tee, knee high socks and my black riding boots.

I strolled down to get groceries in this, then ventured over to My Sister's Closet for a poke around.

This is the third wearing of the flouncy skirt, so let's down to business. In addition to today's outfit, I also wore it here and here. The voting results:

• Like it: 49
• Lose it: 49

Wow, a tie! This is a first! The verdict is: I'm keeping it. But it's going to go with my less-worn stuff that I don't wear very frequently, like my costume pieces. I like this skirt; the style is so unusual, but I'm a little tired of it right now - but I know I'll never find anything like it again. So, narrowly, it squeaks through and stays in my closet.

It's still quite chilly out, so I needed my suede jacket and fingerless gloves.

Jacket (Le Chateau), moose tee (Smoking Lily), grey tee (Jacob, consignment), skirt (Dolcezza), boots (Aldo, consignment).

We're also ready for the verdict on the blue and white silk blouse:

I wore it here, here and here. The votes are:

• Like it: 110
• Lose it: 54

And the verdict is: Like it - I'm keeping it. And I think we all agree: wear it tucked in! This top is a classic case of an item that I didn't really try that hard to style when I first got it. It's great quality and lovely fabric, but I didn't know what to do with it. Forcing myself to try different options to make it work for me and my body type results in me keeping a blouse that I otherwise might have just passed along (sorry, Kara!).

Well, that was exciting. I do enjoy seeing how people have voted.

Moving right along, here's what I bought shopping today:

This cardigan caught my eye - I love the pattern, the rust/teal and pinky tones in it. It's a great cut and fits well. It was $19.98 and is by Mexx.

I loved the swooshy silk of this skirt:

Also, hello! Bright orange,purple, olive and brown? Great colour combo - I can't wait to wear this! It was $22.98 and is by Corey Lynn Calter (link to website's "About"). I've never heard of this designer before, but I really love the colours in this skirt.

And how's your weekend been? Full of good things, I hope!

Verdicts, Hockey and Tiki, and More Ruffles

What a busy weekend! Friday ended with a hockey game organized by the Social Committee at my work - we went out for beer and appies before the game, then watched the home team win! Huzzah!

Naturally, I dressed for a hockey game.

I prefer a dressy Casual Friday.

I took the bus home and swapped out these shoes for flat black boots for walking to and from the game.

I'm doing the "lock and load" here with the jacket done up, but I wore it unbuttoned except when I put my coat on over it. This is my lovely stretchy denim jacket that I wore twice in the February 2012 capsule (recap here) - I also wore these black Cydwoq shoes that month (worn 4 times). Ha, I actually wore this same jacket to a hockey game last year too!

Ah, that's better unbuttoned. I wore this lovely cowl sleeveless blouse (last worn here for the September 2012 Wild Card outfit). I did rusty-brown ribbed tights to go with the pattern of the skirt - a half-slip kept them from clinging.

This is my outfit for Patti's "Visible Monday" over at Not Dead Yet Style. Check out all the gorgeous participants!

I like the fit of the jacket done up, but it was bulky over my mass of access cards and keys and pedometer.

And this makes this the third wear of the tiki skirt, previously worn here and here. I'm not going to keep you in suspense - here are the results from the first two votes:

• Like it: 91
• Lose it: 19

It's a blow-out! The verdict: I'm totally keeping it!

As a few people noted, it's a bit big on me, so I might splurge and get it taken in a smidge, but I'm quite lazy so it will probably stay as is. It's unlined and a thin cotton, so like the Smoking Lily Holy Ship! dress, it's more of a summer item than winter wear.

The stuff:

I love Cydwoq shoes. I'd love another pair but the store here that used to carry them only gets a few styles in - rarely the really cool vintage-looking boots that they make. I'll need to save my pennies for a pair of those.

I really liked the copper pieces with this outfit:

The earrings are vintage Renoir, and the pin was thrifted about a month ago for $3.00.

Jacket (Bisou Bisou, consignment), blouse (Michael Kors, consignment), skirt (Smoking Lily), shoes (Cydwoq), pin (vintage, thrifted), earrings (vintage 60s, Renoir, thrifted).

Following the last wear of the black suede maxi skirt, I also have a verdict for it!

My favourite look with it so far

I wore it here, here and here.

• Like it: 69
• Lose it: 41

Ooh, a close one! And the verdict is: I'm keeping it.

I know, it's just a black maxi skirt, but I adore the thick suede (seriously, it weighs about 8 lbs), the shape and the pockets. It's a gorgeous skirt and will work well as a cold-weather basic in my wardrobe.

I also have the verdict for the red and white roses top:

I really like this outfit

I previously wore it here and here.  The votes are:

• Like it: 60
• Lose it: 13

Another sweep for the Like its! My verdict is: Lose it.

Yes, I'm not keeping it. I spent a little time yesterday putting together outfits for next week (lots of new items up for voting!), and I just couldn't get inspired to find another outfit for this top. I love the cut, the fit, the shape...but the pattern is too big for so much seaming, and the colours pretty much limit me to wearing red and green with it. Blah. So out of my wardrobe it goes!

On Saturday, L and I did our usual brunch out, then we split up and did our own thing for the afternoon. I knew I'd be shopping and wearing a coat for most of the day, so I kept my outfit simple.

 It's the return of the ruffled skirt!

This is a plain brown merino wool sweater by Club Monaco that I thrifted in 2010 for $12.00 - I wore it in the February 2012 capsule (recap here) three times - and I'd say that it was the neutral piece that started to open up my eyes about having good quality neutral basics in my wardrobe to go with all the kooky pieces I have.

This is the second wear of the ruffled patchwork skirt, last worn here.

Olive and Red Patchwork Skirt (Dolcezza): Outfit #2

Olive and Red Patchwork Skirt (Dolcezza)
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I'd forgotten about these brown boots:

They also featured heavily in the February 2012 capsule (recap here), worn 5 times, which was the most of any of my shoes that month.

I wore this comfy outfit to Winesday with my gals last night too - I ran for the bus in these boots! Gotta love a pair of boots you can run in!

My most favourite coat ever. I'm all over this "leather for spring" trend, man. I can't wait to bust out some of my spring/summer pieces!

Jacket (Danier Leather), sweater (Club Monaco, consignment), skirt (Dolcezza), boots (Miz Mooz), choker (Mom's, vintage 60s).

I didn't find anything at the thrift stores this time. My favourite thrift store is selling off wedding dresses right now, so their stock is quite low. I cruised over to the Velvet Crease and found a couple of wonderful pieces.

This skirt called to me.

It's a gauzy stone-coloured cotton with a t-shirt material waistband. There are two layers of skirting, with the top layer having visible seams. It's by Lapis and was $30.00. I can see this worn underneath another full skirt as a layering piece, or with a fitted top, or even with the waistband folded up to make it a strapless (although I'm a bit booby for that look).

I also fell hard for this blazer.

It's a thick denim twill with a faint textured stripe.

The lapels are silk, like a men's tie material.

The buttons are covered in the same fabric. It has black, white, gold and burgundy in it.

As does the lining!

Wow! I love that.

It was just a bonus that it's by Etro.

Etro is known for featuring paisley designs in their clothing - the label is shaped like a paisley swoosh.

Sweet! A high-end designer piece for $42.00. That's a score! I'm sure this would have been $300-400.00 new. I'm looking forward to playing with the tux-like styling of it.

Speaking of tuxes, the Chairman of the Board has a few words to share:

"I'm feeling more laid back today."

He wasn't happy with us being out all weekend.

"Either play with me or I shred the curtains."

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!