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).

Happy Friday! Plaid Casual

My new company does jeans day, so I wanted to ease them into Casual Friday, Sheila Style:
Plaid dress (first seen here), skinny jeans and my good ol' black boots.

The fabric on this dress is so thin it layers easily over my pants.

I did my rocker cuff and my crazy black chainlink necklace for some pizzazz.

Today, I also debuted my new messenger bag:

I had to wrap up the ends of the strap with some hockey tape so it didn't flap around, but isn't that front panel amazing? The design is called "tattoo" - the bag itself is by Licence 71195 and was on for half price at $29.50.

Gotta dash! Have a great weekend!

Dress (Kensie), jeans (Jackpot, swap from Caro), boots (Aldo, consignment), earrings (Aldo Accessories), necklace (Club Monaco), cuff (vintage).

St. Patty's Day Greens

I love having a holiday that begets dressing up right when starting a new job. It's my excuse to break out a little. Today, it was colour mixing and a touch of bigass: This is a new-to-me Talbot's shirt - it's 100% cotton and wrinkles if I even look at it, but I love the slightly olive tone to it and the tux details on the front. It was $10.50 thrifted.

I just now realized that the skirt is also a Talbot's item - I've had it for about 3 years and just love it (last seen here).

A close-up of the top half:

The collar of the shirt is actually mandarin - I folded it down to make a V to show off the (doubled up) necklace).

My bigass-ery is the rose and the shoes (naturally).

The stuff: You can see a bit more of the ribbon trim on the tux front of the shirt there. This is the second wear of the shoes (last seen here).

Close-up of the bling:

I did a mix of copper, orange and green. And isn't that a realistic-looking fabric rose?

Blouse (Talbot's, thrifted), vest (Vero Moda), skirt (Talbot's, consignment), shoes (Marc Fisher), rose (Roberta's Hats), necklace and earrings (Plum), jade ring (vintage, Mom's).

I miss being able to leisurely browse all your blogs - thank you so much for continuing to read and comment! - but I am back to minimal non-work computer time. And tonight, I have to dash off to Book Club.

I changed, since I'm walking there:

Of course, green boots are required!

Sweater (Max Studio), cami (Smart Set), jeans (Jackpot, swap from Caro), boots (Pegabo), same jewelry as above.

The Wednesday Group, a Crazy Aunt, and Sad Shopping News

As well as my Tuesday At Work group for Weight Watchers, I'm taking on a Wednesday group until I have a full-time job again. Since both meetings are at lunch and only take an hour, I'm sure I can negotiate maintaing at least one of them while also working, and just make up any extra time I need to.

Anyway, I accompanied the Wednesday group's leader to the meeting and introduced myself as their new leader. "But Kim's like our big sister!" they protested.

"Just think of me as your crazy aunt, then, " I said. We'll see how it goes, ha!

This is what I wore: I knew I'd have to wear low heels, as I had to run a few errands. I thought I'd go with a safe pencil skirt like I did on Tuesday, but went with a bold plaid this time (last seen here).

I wore the jacket unbuttoned whenever I had my outerwear off:

I love my shiny ruched brown blouse - it's machine washable!.

The stuff:

Plaid-y goodness!

Accessories:

I do love a thick leather belt.

The earrings are from Plum - and on Tuesday night, I got the bad news: my local Plum store is closing!

I've gotten so many lovely items from them over the last fifteen years (I shopped there when I was 50 lbs heavier too), and I am going to be so sad to lose their presence in my city. I have always supported them as a Canadian-owned company that sold Canadian desiged and made clothing. A fond farewell to all the staff, too - they always knew my name and recognized L when he came in shopping for gifts. That's quality service. Goodbye, Plum!

However, theyare going out with a bang (like I did) and have a clear-out sale on - and of COURSE I stopped by yesterday and spent my Christmas money from my dear inlaws. I'll have to be making special trips to Vancouver now to feed my addiction!

Jacket (Jacob, consignment), blouse (Esprit), cami (InWear), skirt (Casual Corner & Co., thrifted, vintage 80s), shoes (Outline, consignment), belt (Gap), earrings (Plum).

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!

Out With a Bang! - A Whole Lotta Frosting

Okay, have to make this quick as we have to eat dinner and go to our Strata AGM. The joy.

I was happy with this outfit. After all the cake and frosting discussion (and strangely, I am not craving cake AT ALL) yesterday, I resurrected this "cake" dress:
Can you believe I haven't worn this in a year? What's wrong with me? Clearly, I am deranged.

I enjoyed playing with layers with this - button-down shirts (this one was first worn here), once my sworn enemy, are now a staple for layering under my sweater dresses (and are good for showing off L's cufflink collection).

I felt too exposed in the middle (and lumpy) from the shirt, so I added the bustier over it (last seen for Hallowe'en - look out, costume pictures), and my bigass belt. I love the striped tights with the plaid.

Iced it all with the shiny shoes, two necklaces and the cufflinks:

This just didn't look right to me without all that blingy goodness.

The stuff:

The shoes were last worn in May with my groovy London dress (here). They are up high in my closet and I totally forgot about them!

The shiny stuff:

I've worn that pair of necklaces together for years.

The cufflinks are from the 50s-70s and feature hematite (known as "Alaska black diamond" back in the day, I believe).

They are stamped "Senator" which was by Sherman:

Nice.

Dress (Vero Moda), shirt (Ann Taylor, thrifted), bustier (Le Chateau, consignment), tights (Filodoro), shoes (BCBGirls), necklaces (Plum and Jacob), earrings (Aldo Accessories), cufflinks (Senator by Sherman, vintage).

Old Lady Chic?

I found this awesome skirt in a thrift shop on Friday afternoon. It's Precis Petite, which happens to be the same brand as this jacket (I have the skirt that matches the jacket too - seen here with the same blouse, belt and flower). This lovely camel skirt was only $7.50, which is oh, about $150 more than what I paid for the jacket/skirt suit and they were on sale 70% off!

The skirt is an interesting length, but I think it's saved by the slight flare at the knee - it reminds me of those 50s "wiggle" dresses. It's a very soft faux suede.

I haven't worn this jacket since last December, as it's rather warm. This is the first time I've done it without the faux fur collar.

I felt a little weird about the leg business, since these are actually...get ready for it...

*gasp!* Knee highs! I'm officially an old lady, haha!

Actually, when I bought these at Winners my intention was to wear them like socks. The cuff at the top is a really nice lace, and the knee-highs themselves are quite thick, without a lot of stretch. Check 'em out:

It's a nice olive green sort-of plaid pattern.

The stuff:

My lovely thrifted shoes and blouse (that was $2 some months ago).

Jacket (Precis Petite), blouse (no label, vintage, thrifted), skirt (Precis Petite, thrifted), knee-highs (Winners), shoes (Steve Madden, thrifted), belt (Nygard), rose (Roberta's Hats), earrings (Renoir? vintage, Grandma J).

Marigold Repeat and Snakes

Even though it hasn't even been a week, I'm wearing this sweater again:
Reason? I only wore it for a few hours on Friday night, the restaurant was dark and dammit, no one saw it. Yes, I'm vain - I have a fashion blog, ha ha! I have no issue with that.

I almost forgot about this skirt - it is one of my favourites and I've only had it a year (last worn here, with links to previous wears). I have a lot of skirts in my closet, so sometimes they get lost in there.

It's a bit hard to tell, but I'm wearing purple tights. Of course.
Inigo and I have a moment.

The stuff:

My fab shortie cowboy boots.

The punky stuff:

Snakes abound! My vintage 80s (*choke* I can't believe I just called the 80s "vintage") ring and pin. I pinned the snake brooch over the tab on the collar of the sweater.

Sweater (Pria), skirt (Le Chateau), boots (Miz Mooz), belt (Jacob), cuff (old), ring (80s), pin (gift from Mom & Dad, 80s).

S.U.C.E.B.W.E.

I felt like my outfit was very Style Underdog today - not really sure why, but what the hell! It's S.U.C.E.B.W.E.:

Style Underdog's
Color Explosion Birthday Week
Extravaganza!
S.U.C.E.B.W.E

Happy S.U.C.E.B.W.E.! (edit: I am so bad with acronyms. I think I have them all correct now)

I felt great in this outfit all day, aside from forgetting every time I wear them that these shoes always slip in the heels. Must remember to buy heel grips!

I just love the leopard top (first seen here), and this is also the second wearing of the royal purple pencil skirt (previously here).

I tried to emulate SU's brilliant posing:
Hmmm. I need sunglasses.

I haven't worn these shoes in over a year! Wow, that was an oversight.

The stuff:

Mmm...those are such a nice shape. I love my Calvins.

The shiny stuff:

Mom's vintage chain belt, my spring ring and my classic real gold giant hoops. Love.

Jacket (Banana Republic, thrifted), blouse (Planet, consignment), skirt (Jacob), shoes (Calvin Klein "Gabby"), belt (70s, Mom's), ring (Aldo Accessories), earrings (gift from L).

Friday Hallowe'en Madness

Well now. I am a fan of Hallowe'en and dressing up in general (check out my Alice Cooper concert-wearing outfit here, and last year's non-costume outfit for Hallowe'en here).

My Book Club meeting was last night (check out Sherylyn's Severed Foot Cheeseball recipe over at Yummyland!) and we decided to do a theme night in honour of Hallowe'en: come as a literary character. I chose the Mad Hatter from "Alice in Wonderland":
I also decided that, despite the lack of morale in my department at work lately, I would dress up for work today in the same costume. Some of these pictures I took last night and some are from this morning.

The full costume:

The coat is the only thing I've never worn on the blog. It is Noa Noa and I got in the spring (it's been too warm to wear it up to now). It was regular $375, marked down to $79.99, with an extra 30% off, so $56.00. Not bad!

Last night, I used my shiny black purse to carry my book to the meeting:

All done up. I got some strange looks on the bus on the way there!

The thing I like about my costume is that I didn't buy a single new thing for it - I had all this stuff in my wardrobe or in the house. For me, that makes it more creative and special than going out and buying a costume. Here's how I built it ('cause I know you guys like to see how it's all put together).

First, I did my stripey tights (previously seen here) and my red vintage slip (seen here):

Then I added the blouse I wore to the interview a couple of weeks ago, and my flouncy Noa Noa skirt (seen here):

I gathered the black skirt up and pinned to the red slip to show off the red more. I also scrunched my hair up with a glob of volumizing mousse.

Then I added my plaid bustier (last worn here) for a nice smooth look:

Lastly, I put on my coat, tied a long scarf-belt (from an old skirt) around my neck as a floppy bow-tie, and put my hat on. And I added the boots (last seen here with the same black skirt):

I tied a long length of ribbon across my body, and draped a measuring tape around my neck.

Here's a close-up of the upper body details:

I copied Johnny Depp's makeup from the recent movie (it's not very good, by the way, but pretty to look at). Those are my lace cuffs from my "Never Seen" series (here). I raided my knitting box for various pins with fancy heads, my seam ripper and scissors (in the breast pocket). I also had a big needle threaded through the measuring tape, which was wrapped around the brown ribbon.

Some coat details are needed! The back is embroidered in cross-stitch: As is the breast pocket:

So amazing. I love details like that. I looked at this coat for weeks before I finally bought it - when I had that "what if it's sold?" panicky feeling, I knew I had to bite the bullet and buy it.

Here's how I decorated my vintage 80s top hat:

I tied my Smoking Lily obi around it, then started pinning things. I cut out a sticky note and wrote 10/6 on it (it's the one feature I made). I've had the feathered eidelweiss pin and the bug pin for ages. You can also see that I hung needle threaders on my hoop earrings. The starburst pin is the one on my skirt.

I also pinned one of my butterflies that I got at the Victoria & Albert Museum gift shop in London on the hat (seen on another hat here), along with a couple of straight pins:

I like how the ends of the obi looked:

Mom's old kilt pin (noted in the "Never Seen" accessories post linked above).

Here's a shot of the lace cuffs and my red fingerless gloves (it's a little chilly today). The gloves looked great with this.

And the tape measure...for good measure.

I hope you have a safe and spooky Hallowe'en! Let me know if any of you posted costume pictures - I'll link to them if you like.

By the way, I won my company's Best Costume contest today! I got a $35 Visa gift card.

Coat (Noa Noa), bustier (Le Chateau, consignment), blouse (Esprit, consignment), black skirt (Noa Noa), red slip (vintage, Suzette Lingerie, consignment), tights (Hue), boots (LaTianna, consignment), top hat (vintage 80s, Le Chateau, L's boss' wife).