Happy New Year's!

I hope you all had an awesome New Year! We had a party, and I spent Saturday on the couch, then Sunday having food poisoning, so I'm getting back into blog life slowly.

I had planned to wear something entirely different, but then had a last-minute spaz and changed into this dress:L had bought me a top for Christmas, but it was too small - I returned it for this, as they didn't have any more of the top in stock at Plum. I fell in love with the dress when I tried it on - such a good fit.

I also found these shoes the other night while I was waiting to get my eyebrows waxed and then have drinks with Elaine:

They're pretty sweet - they were $50 on sale at Aldo (and they're leather).

My spazzitude was carrying over into my pictures (and I was running late with people arriving any minute!) - you can see my frustration.

And yeah, I just left my hair in "mad scientist" mode all night. It was fun.

Kitty always helps when I'm having a bad photo session:

L and I did our "fam" photo with Inigo:

L is so much taller than me (he's 5'10"), so you can't see his top hat, but doesn't he look dapper? Inigo looks awkward.

Oh, but let's move on! Shoes:

Yeah, those are pretty freakin' awesome.

The bling:

Those are my new-ish feather earrings I got while out shopping with Ruth before Christmas. The bracelet is a gift from Toronto from Elaine - I was admiring hers (which is a bit thinner and I think a different colour metal), and then she hauled this out for me! What a sweetie.

It's actually a long loop of articulated metal circles - you can shape it however you want:

Very bendy.

I had a lot of fun playing with it - and because it's metal, it's nice and strong.

I also (finally) printed out the picture that Megan did of me for my birthday (actual outfit seen here) and framed it, so now that is up instead of the Dolphins clock.

Dress (Max and Cleo), tights (Hue), shoes (Aldo), earrings (no brand), ring (Soul Power), bracelet/necklace (gift from Elaine).

Today, I dragged myself out of bed quite late, and L and I went out to our fave diner for lunch. I was all ready to take my casual outfit picture, but someone had other ideas:

He's standing right in my pose spot.

So I hunched down with him:

Silly kitty!

Inigo wouldn't move, so I just stood over him:

Psycho eyes and back-pointed ears! He's not happy.

T-shirt (Upper Playground), purple tee (Kersh), jeans (Seven7, swap from Caro), boots (Miz Mooz).

Out With a Bang! - Sky-High Red Heels

Well! This is my last week of work, and frankly, I have nothing to do. I played Free Cell for two hours this afternoon. Nothing like getting paid for doing nothing. Ha!

I decided that this week will be a theme week: Out With a Bang! I am going to wear a bunch of my most outrageous stuff...'cause when or where am I going to wear some of these things again?

Like these shoes:
Not exactly appropriate in most offices!

This is the second wear of the $3 polka dot top (first worn here, when I formally got notice that my job was over), the fourth wear of this $7 striped skirt (previously seen here), and also the fourth wear of the shoes (seen here).

I like the mix of the two black and white patterns. I also felt very "out there" with my semi-sheer black tights and these open shoes!

Inigo was not so impressed:

He's more like, "Feed me!"

The stuff:

Man, I love those heels!

I wore my classic black and white baubles:

A black rose for a (sort-of) black week.

Top (Majora, thrifted), camisole (Mexx), skirt (Linda Allard for Ellen Tracy, thrifted), shoes (Carvalo), bracelet (Le Chateau), earrings (Plum).

Rusty Blah and a Half-Assed Concert Outfit

I'm running out of enthusiasm this week - I have a lot of social engagements (yes, I do it to myself, I shouldn't complain) and I'm finding a general lack of planning in the outfit department has been the result. Hence, a pretty boring outfit yesterday:
This dress is going into the giveaway pile. I'm tired of it, and it's been ages since I wore it. I've previously worn it here, here, here, and here - I feel like I've gotten plenty of wear out of it. Oh, my Winesday women are going to love me! They always get first dibs before I take stuff to the consignment shop.

This is the second wearing of the jacket (first seen here).

The stuff:

I've worn these shoes a billion times* and still love them.

*numbers may be estimated (hee, that's for you, Steph)

Scrolly leaves!

Dress (Le Chateau), jacket (Armour Jeans, thrifted), belt (Dorothy Perkins), earrings (Plum), shoes (Unlisted).

Last night, L and I went to see Leonard Cohen. It's my second time seeing him, L's fourth. It was amazing. He played for over 3 hours.

I wanted to wear my awesome purple combat boots, but I spent half an hour chatting with my mom (hi, Mom!) instead of planning my outfit around them and it shows.

I don't regret talking to Mom at all, of course!

However, "half-assed" is what I call this, and half-assed it is. I'm wearing my black skinny pants, a dark purple cashmere top and my long black cardigan. Not very exciting. And you can't even see the boots, since I was running late by the time I took this one picture.

I had intended to wear this outfit to work today, but I felt so...black in it that I changed it up when I got home (around midnight). I am still struggling with the skinny pants - I may just have to bail on them.

I'm wearing the combat boots today and will do a proper showing of them tonight, I promise!

Cardigan (Express, consignment), sweater (Daniel Bishop, consignment), pants (Kensie), boots (Penny Loves Kenny), necklace (Nine West, gift from Cindy).

Fancy Outfit, a Casual Outfit and Book Blurbs

We went to a special event at the Art Gallery on Friday night. As usual, it was full of arty types (many being obnoxious twits) - I enjoy wandering through the Gallery and checking out the exhibits, but my favourite thing is checking out all the outfits. I spotted 12 pretentious hats and one hat worn non-ironically (our friend Ross, who wears his ball cap everywhere).

I decided to go with black, even though 90% of the women there also wear it. Last time, I wore a very bold outfit, but the time before I did black as well. This is my 3rd wearing of this dress in 3 years (last time here, with pants). That's pretty pathetic, but it's a tricky dress to wear. You can't do a necklace because of the funnel neckline, it's REALLY short, and its's 100% wool, so no stretch. Not exactly versatile.

I do regret walking the 3 blocks to and from the Gallery. My feet really hurt by the end of the night, and no amount of fancy cocktails numbed that.

Dress (Studio Holt Renfrew, consignment), shoes (JLo), earrings/ring (Lavishy).

What I wore to Weight Watchers yesterday: I also wore it out for lunch and for a wee shop around town with L (I bought my winter supply of tights). I wore my black leather jacket overtop.

Sweater (Press), skirt (Jacob Connexion, consignment), tights (Hue), shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction, gift from Cat), scarf (Metrowear).

I finally finished my book yesterday, and read another comic: Magic Teeth Dailies #37 by Gareth Kyle Gaudin, and "Farewell Summer" by Ray Bradbury. Magic Teeth Dailies #37
I have been collecting Gareth's daily comics pretty much from the beginning (I bought issues 1-4 at the same time, and have been picking up the rest since they've been published). I am a big fan of the Perogy Cat, and of Gareth, who is a nice guy (as is his lovely wife and mum, both of whom I know, although I have not yet met his daughter, Enid). All of my copies are signed by Gareth when I buy them, and a few of them have personal inscriptions to me. Someday, they'll be worth something!

Stats: Read this in about 30 minutes November 7, 2010.

Blurb: Same as the other MTDs, the cartoons are typically one-offs. Hilariously foul, inappropriate and funny as heck. Love.

Farewell Summer
I have been a fan of Ray Bradbury since I was a kid. I have 25 of Mr. Bradbury's books and love most of them.

Stats: Hardcover, 210 pages. Started Oct 19th, finished Nov 7, 2010.

Blurb: This is the 50 years later sequel to "Dandelion Wine" the now-classic coming-of-age book that Bradbury is probably best known for. It's a pretty slim sequel (apparently it was originally part of "Dandelion Wine" and his publishers told him to drop this section), but as viewed as part of DW it makes more sense than if read alone. Although I love the feel of his books, this was not his best.

I fall into Bradbury's language and cadence very easily (he is a big influence on my own creative writing), and blasted through this in about an hour yesterday. The only reason it took me so long to finish is that I have been doing crossword puzzles before bed instead of reading.


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As I will be officially out of work next week, and not dressing up on a daily basis as much, I'm open for questions, suggestions and requests! Tell me what you'd like to see, throw some questions at me, and I'll do my best to create an outfit, answer your request or address your burning questions in a post!

Birthday Booty - and Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!

Whew! This lovely extra-long weekend is nearly over, sadly. But I packed as much into it (including the valued nap time) as I could.

Before I forget...I got a call-back from the phone interview! They were "so impressed" with my phone manner that they want to interview me in person for BOTH jobs that I applied for (hey, I give good phone, what can I say)! I will be doing multiple interviews AND a technology test all afternoon on Thursday. Woo hoo! I'm so excited!

Anyway, I was pretty much on cloud 9 for my actual birthday, as you can guess. I received $200 from my m-i-l (love her!), and L gave me his presents Saturday morning: How spoiled am I? Clockwise from top left: a handmade bracelet from India, a Tori Amos CD ("Little Earthquakes"), the next book in the "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" trilogy, and a new wallet (SwissGear) stuffed with $100.

We went out for lunch to our favourite diner, where the owner Peter treated us to lunch on the house. They also made me a card: Eggs, potatoes and bacon - it looks like a face! (I had an omelette, salad and toast).

We tidied up the house and I got ready for the party. Face:
I did gold eyeshadow and red, red lips. Fresh-dyed hair too! With my specs, and my little workhorse of a camera. I also did my nails - I rarely do them (I think I was channeling Hillary again). I got these new Sally Hansen nail pens, so I did both hands and toes, then drew designs on my left-hand nails:
Those are the boxes in the background - they were only $3.99 each at London Drugs. I did every nail different, just to play with designs.

And here's the whole package:
This is the second wearing of this dress (worn for New Year's Eve last year here). I found a tube-shaped body slimmer to take out some of lines (this fabric shows everything).

I felt like a disco queen!

The dress is a very bright true red - not the pinky or coral shade it looks like.

The stuff:
My classic gold sandals. I don't even know how long I've had these. The ring and earrings are new, both on sale (less than $10). I love the look of them.

A close-up:

The ring has no loose end - it's like a double set of springs.

Dress (Lori Ann Montreal, thrifted), shoes (Guess), earrings and ring (Aldo Accessories).

I got a couple of other gifts:
A very generous present of scotch from Spence and Kim.

And Mom gave me this awesome Marks & Spencers necklace she picked up while thrifting (way to go, Mom!), and this lovely brooch she found in London (you're so sneaky): She also gave me $100, so I think I'm going to have to go find that pair of over-the-knee boots that have been calling my name...

Happy Thanksgiving, my fellow Canadians! I hope you enjoy your turkey and pumpkin pie!

Purple Pops and Some Catching Up (and a Book Blurb)

Okay. The Dolphins are playing right now, so this is going to be fast! My birthday is this week (Saturday!), and so I'm going to be wearing some of the my favourite things this week, as well as some gifts.

Today, I wanted to wear these purple shoes that L got me for my birthday last year (well, a gift certificate - I bought them):
Eeee, purple goodness! I'm also wearing a new purple cami under this wrap top - it's getting its second wear (last seen here, also with purple - ha!). And I do love this skirt.

I've worn the skirt a couple of times since I got it (here and here). Both it and the top were thrift store finds - a total of $20 for them.

The stuff:

A bit of a drool over the shoes when I first got them here (have you been doing your push-ups?).

Top (Talbots, thrifted), skirt (Bedo, thrifted), cami (InWear), shoes (Friis and Co., gift from L), earrings and bracelet (Fossil, gift from L).

What I wore to Weight Watchers:

The belt weighs a ton - it's glass beads and is all hand-sewn. Of course, I took it off before I got weighed! It velcros together in the back so you can adjust the length. I paid $20 for it on consignment in Feb '09.

L and I had a memorial service to go to for a gentleman whom we were acquainted with, so I wore a jacket so that my sparkly belt wouldn't be too much:

L wore a suit. When we went to our usual diner for brunch after WW (but before the memorial), our waitress was stunned to see us in "grown-up clothes". Heh, I love messing with peoples' perceptions, don't you?

Very sombre here.

There was a "no snivelling" request in place (the gentleman was quite a funny guy), but of course, I cried. I always cry.

A close-up of the belt:

Pretty awesome.

Dress (BCBG Max Azria, gift from Ruth), jacket (Mac & Jac), shoes (Fluevog), belt (Birks, consignment).

And I finished a book a couple of weekends ago! It's "The Crazy Years" by Spider Robinson:

I've been a fan of Spider's science fiction novels for years (he's a huge Robert A. Heinlein fan, as am I). I've read most of his Callahan novels - they're a lot of fun.

Stats: 294 pages. Started July 12, 2010, finished September 25, 3010.

Blurb: As you can see, this one took me a long time to finish. It's a collection of Spider's short essays that he wrote for Toronto's Globe and Mail newspaper from 1996 - 2004. The essays are grouped by theme (there's a chapter on computers, one on Canada, one on space), and are nice and short - good bedtime reading. Spider is a "small l" liberal, which I like. Although I enjoyed reading these, I read them very slowly, to let them sink in. Hence, the long time period.

I don't read a lot of non-fiction - I like my books to be escapist - but since I love his novels, I thought I'd give his non-novel a shot. I'm glad I did.

My copy is a publisher's advance copy, before the book was for sale. It has a letter in it from the publisher. Cool.

Go Big or Go Home

Today's red is a tomato-y red, with deep orange tones. I like all shades of red, however. I wanted to wear this dress again:
The Pouffiest Dress Ever returns! I took Steph's advice from last time I wore it and safety-pinned the top of it to my bra. The things we do for fashion.

And as per the title, this outfit is all about The Big. Big dress, big necklace, big belt, big shoes.

I think I could stash about 16 bags of marshmallows in the skirt alone!

The stuff:

Ah, sweet giant shoes. Maybe you won't believe me, but these do not hurt my feet at all. Still, I'm very careful when I walk in them.

Dress (Vita Boutique Couture, thrifted), cardigan (Kersh), belt (Gap), shoes (Carvela), necklace (Club Monaco).

Ruby Slippers - and Best Thrift Ever!

So I kind of have a theme going this week: red. I just feel like wearing my power colour, and yes, I am feeling a little festive (October is always a majorly good month for me because of my birthday). Plus, you know how it goes - you get a few new things in the same colour family, and pow! You have a theme.

Yesterday, it was the jacket, today it is the blouse: Which we will discuss in a minute. I've worn this strapless dress every way BUT strapless (last seen here and star of the 3rd Wardrobe Challenge here). I just love the look of it over top of a button-down shirt.

I pushed it with the lacy tights, but I've been dying to wear tights, even though it's been too warm the last few days.
Okay, the blouse. I got it at Value Village for $3.99. I spotted the fabric initially. When I thrift, I scour the racks visually for colours and patterns that appeal to me, then I touch them to see if they are a good quality (I remember being taught about "the hand" of a garment to test for quality when I sold women's clothing). This one leaped out at me - it's a very soft polyester (yay! washable!) and I love the mini check.
It had no label, aside from the care/fabric tag (which is really faded), but it fit (a wee bit snug in the chest, but otherwise, lovely), and the price was right. But, because I'm all about the details, I checked out the snaps.

Don't you just love snaps over buttons? They're so much better. Especially these snaps: Yes, that says what you think it says: PRADA. And the care tag says "Made in Italy". Are you kidding me? I found a Prada blouse in Value Village for $3.99?? This is my best thrifting find EVER. I am so tickled.

Let's calm ourselves and look at the stuff:
Not even taking into account the PRADA blouse, I love all these pieces. My wonderful shiny red Fluevog "Listen Up" Audrey shoes.

A close-up:

The zipper rose that I got in London, my stud cuff and black bangle, and my trusty red belt.

Dress (Club Monaco, consignment), blouse (Prada, thrifted - hee!), belt (Plum), shoes (Fluevog), brooch (V&A Museum), cuff (80s), black bracelet (Le Chateau).