Flowers and Denim on a Weekday (Oh, and A Butt Shot)

Today, there were glimpses of sun, and not just on my lapel:

I do like to make my own sunshine. And as you can see from the glare on my picture, it's actually light outside! Will wonders never cease?

This jacket is new-to-me: it's another Smoking Lily item (I adore their clothing - here's a post with links to my Smoking Lily items). It was $26.95 in a consignment store and you can bet I snatched it up! It's a stretchy denim with aqua denim piping all around the edges, and aqua on the cuff linings:

The skirt is my mystery skirt - I thrifted it in Seattle a few years ago. It doesn't have a label, just a little tag with a leaf on it. I love the heathery green tweed of it and the embroidered flowers on the bottom.

I'm wearing a red top underneath to tie in with the red in the flowers. My second day with no neutrals! Colours are the new neutral!

Detail of the jacket:

Hand silk-screened detail on the inside back.

The stuff:

I would love to show when I last wore these, but it's nearly impossible to search on a brand called "Me Too". Actually, I think I remember when I wore them last...yup, here. Hmmm...I need to wear that skirt again.

A close-up of the bits:

That is a most excellent flower. The earrings were a gift from my dear friend Sherylyn.

Note: no kick-backs from Smoking Lily - I link because I love.

Jacket (Smoking Lily, consignment), top (Planet), skirt (mystery, thrifted), shoes (Me Too), flower (Roberta's Hats), earrings (Shi Studio, gift from Sherylyn).

Oh, and yes, that is my butt over on Wendy Brandes' blog, doing an imitation of a Loverboy album cover. I was browsing online late the other night and well...the rest is history:

I guess you could say I got lucky!

Weekend Outfit - WW Meeting

Went to my regular WW meeting for the first time in a couple of weeks. As always, I wore something nice and lightweight:
My new-ish teal cardi (last seen here, ha, with the same tights), my bright orange corduroy skirt (last seen here, scroll down - I am wearing that same necklace today, too), and flat shoes for walking.

I also wore my chartreuse jacket (last seen here) because it went so well with my new purse.

I also had long brown leather gloves on for the morning.

A shot of the purse:

The handles and the bottom of it are wood. It was on for 50% off, so I got it for $12.50.

Check out the cool pattern:

I think that green blob is supposed to be a dragon - rar!

Jacket (Alison Wonderland, consignment), cardigan (Kersh), skirt (Jacob Connexion, consignment) , shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction, swap from Cat), necklace (Lavishy), earrings (gift from L).

Well, my exciting news for this weekend was going to be that we got a new kitten companion for Inigo, but it was not meant to be: no kittens at the SPCA for another month. I'm disappointed, but we'll go next month and get a new family member.

In the meantime, as I type this, Mr. Drooly-pants is sitting on my lap. Here he is when we got home last weekend and unpacked our Fluevogs:

Kitties and tissue - an unbeatable combination.

Heh, he's digging for mice:

There must be one there somewhere, buddy!

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.

Best Weekend Ever!

So, following yesterday's outing to drop off my signed offer at my new job (!), I headed downtown to look for a Desigual jacket - I really wanted one like my dress so I went to two stores that usually have a few.

Not much selection, sadly, but then I remembered another store that I'd seen them in last summer - and I found an amazing jacket there! Yay!

I caught a bus home, then quickly realized it wasn't going where I thought it would, so I hopped off and headed for another bus stop. On my way, a woman stopped me and asked if she could take my picture. She does a Twitter thing where she takes pictures of people on the street that she thinks are well-dressed. Well, how cool is that?? Shout out to Missy - I've forgotten the name of your Twitter account, so if you drop by, leave me a comment.

As I was standing at the bus stop, I waved to the bus driver so that he'd stop (they're touchy that way sometimes), and some random person started waving at me down the block. It was Ruth! And G! And they had just picked up Ruth's engagement ring! We celebrated the good fortune of all of us with a few drinks. How cool that we all got to have a nice moment together. Awwww.

Which brings us to today:
I do like to dress when I'm going out, even if it's just to the regular ol' diner for brunch. This is my purple cashmere sweater (last seen here) and long denim skirt (last seen here), along with my purple combat boots (last worn here).

But no one looked at that stuff. This was the star:

Let's take our time and fully enjoy this beauty. It's Desigual and it was $489.00. Yes, I choked a little bit when I heard the total, but I'm in love and it's worth every penny - this is a piece of art and I can tell a lot of hand-work went into it. Plus, I paid cash so I don't feel a smidge of guilt. I will always own this jacket.

Fully buttoned-up (except for the collar):

Like on my dress, every button is unique. I love all the emerald greens with the turquoise. The black sections are a felted wool. That sort of pebbly texture at the cuffs and on the centre panel is the same as the back panel on my dress (although the dress has black beads sewn on it). And yes, that's a peacock embroidered on the front!

Someone is helping me show off the back:

Hee, he always looks so startled when he's listening to the camera timer.

Ooh, the purple, the floral patterns, the line of embroidered roses across the waist! Like my dress, this also has the large panel at the top. It reminds me of how guys would put a "back patch" (like an Iron Maiden one or something) on their jean jackets back in the day. Heh.

As with all of Desigual's pieces, the attention to detail is wonderful:

Emerald green satin lining and the backing of the front edge is a fine turquoise and brown dot pattern. There are two hidden pockets on the front as well (you can see my hand in one above) and both are lined...with different fabrics. Attention to detail is my thing, man, and this jacket goes to 11.

Here are some detail shots:

The inside back lining. It's two fashionable ladies having a stroll in some overgrown gardens. I am too old for such short shorts/skirts.

The front of the jacket:

Click the pic to enlarge a bit.

The wonderful mix of fabrics, patterns and textures...my heart is happy. The peacock is sewn with metallic thread.

The back patch:

It's some sort of crazy abstract art composition. The entire patch of fabric is fuzzy, like bouclé wool. And check out the purple lamé section across the back of the neck! Caw! The crow in me loves this.

I had to take a picture of this button - it's the bottom one:

Just like with my dress, I've always got my eye on you.

Anyway, the jacket caused a stir (well, duh), and my favourite waitress at the diner bought me mimosas to celebrate my employment, so lunch was delightful.

But best of all, tonight it's Winesday and I'm going to surprise my lovely women (whoever hasn't read my blog in the last 24 hours, ha) with my exciting news and we will eat and drink and be merry and swap clothes.

Best. Weekend. Ever.

And because it's not a great weekend without another cat picture:

Such cuteness!

Jacket ("Abrig_Colette", Desigual), sweater (Daniel Bishop, consignment), skirt (InWear, consignment), boots (Penny Loves Kenny), earrings (gift from L).

Leopard Week! Some Casual Leopard

Welcome to Leopard Week! Go here for links to participants.

Now, leopard is not to everyone's taste, but it sure is to mine! I love the luxurious look of it, and it makes me feel like a 40s movie star. I also like that it's a pattern found in nature. Many people have associations of leopard as being "too old" or connoting some crazy old lady who draws on her eyebrows (wait a minute, I draw on my eyebrows!). But give leopard a chance and it can add some zip and zing to an otherwise blah outfit!

Today, I'm busting out my furry leopard skirt:
Last time I wore this (and the time before that), I did a more dressy look, so this time I thought I'd try to do more casual. This outfit would be a kind of dull with a denim skirt, which is what I would normally wear, don't you think?

Oh, and this is a fist-pump:

Second round of interviews is on Thursday! Woot!

As seen above, this leopard pattern has light and dark banding, like on an actual leopard. I felt like I had a full food chain on me: Leopard eats the birds (on the tee), birds eat the bug (in the necklace). Ha!

I also dug out my black velvet gloves with the leopard trim to add a little dash to my outerwear:

I felt very posh as I strolled to town to get groceries.

And of course, one must have some luxury in one's house clothes too:

Leopard slippers!

The stuff:

Comfy boots, leather cuff and necklace.

A close-up:

That's a real beetle encased in the drop (and it glows in the dark!).

Long-sleeved tee (Plum), graphic tee (Truly, Madly, Deeply, consignment), skirt (S&D, thrifted), boots (Indigo by Clark's, consignment), cuff (Catalyst Leather), necklace pendant (some gift shop), leather jacket (work swag), gloves (gift from Elaine).

Shades of Green - Interview Outfit

Did I mention I'm also sick? Some sort of sinus/coughing cold thing - gah! Enough already with the sicky-ness! I doped myself up with coffee and cold medication and pretended I was not sick.

So I had my interview - I think it went well. It was for a Project Admin for an IT company. The admin side I'm a pro at, IT not so much, but hey, it's a new challenge, and I do like challenges. We'll see what happens.

At least I know I looked properly professional:
I liked how the two shades of olive/khaki looked together. Jacket last worn here (ha, for an interview!), skirt last worn here (scroll down).

I'm totally layered up for warmth with a cami, the shirt and the sweater vest underneath the jacket.

Blouse and vest last worn together here.

The stuff:

Of course, I did not brave the snow and icy sidewalks in these shoes! I wore little runners and socks and changed just before I got off the bus. I'm so sneaky!

I only wore crystal stud earrings with this - no jangly bits of jewelry.

Jacket (RW & Co, consignment), shirt (Nicole Beniste for Point Zero), vest (Le Chateau, gift from Ruth), skirt (Club Monaco, consignment), shoes (Jessica Simpson).

Weekend Outfits - and Some New Stuff

Whew! Monday already! Where does the time go?

I got dressed twice this weekend (aside from lounging around in my robe). Once, for my Weight Watchers meeting and weigh-in:
Down 0.6! Woo hoo!

I've worn this dress a billion times...okay, I may be prone to exaggeration. Those are my Tsubo Acreas (last worn back in July). I wore them walking around town all afternoon (I hit two more thrift stores and have all kinds of cheap goodies).

Dress (I.N.C.), shoes (Tsubos).

L was out of town this weekend, so Elaine and I went to see "Black Swan" (I loved the campy, over-the-top feel of it), and then went for drinks after. To go with the overwrought drama of the movie, I went with this slinky sequined tank dress:
It's one of my Plum deals from the clearance - it was regular $129.00 and I got it for $20!

(See who I'm looking at? I see a wee little head just peeking in the bottom of the picture).

I'm wearing a new-to-me cornflower blue cotton/Lycra tee that I picked up in a thrift store for $9.50 (which is probably a bit too much for H&M, but at least the tee has never been worn).

Dontcha just love the ruched sleeves?
Sorry that the photos are dark - black is the hardest to photograph at night and the flash looked ass.

Here's a better shot of the top:

I layered the tee under the dress for a bit more coverage - the necklines are the same.

But I know you're all squinting to see what the shoes look like. These are one of the sale pairs I got for $40 back in December:

Oh, *swoon*! Look at that rich purpley-blue! That part is suede, the black patent parts are patent leather. I love the stitching in the "fan" shape and the black ribbons.

The ribbons end in black leather hearts:

I had to double-knot the bows to make them stay done up.

The original price on these babies:

$139.95! Sweet! This brings my Poetic Licence collection to one, two, three, four, and now five.

Dress (Esprit), tank (H&M, thrifted), shoes (Poetic Licence).

Wednesday WW Group - Beech Butt

Today was my first meeting with my Wednesday group, after meeting some of them last week. I was a little sedate (for me) last week. Today, I went "Full Sheila":

Crazy Aunt whackitude! Woo! I felt like some sort of Robin Hood-esque hippie in this, which was fun. It's all about the skirt.

The drama!

Check. Out. That. Skirt. Seriously, isn't that cool? It's Smoking Lily from a season or two ago. I found that in a consignment store for $38.50 (it was on an extra 20% off). Then I walked up the street and found nearly the same skirt in the store for $96. Sweet!

I am planning to include this skirt in the Fourth Annual Capsule Wardrobe Challenge that Jane over at The Small Fabric of My Life is hosting this year. Although there are tons of wardrobe challenges, "diets" and capsules out there (I did my own year of not buying any new clothes or shoes), this has always been my favourite one because it's so few items (10 clothing/shoes, 5 accessories). I've done them all (2008, 2009, 2010)! Are you going to try it?

Oh, and FYI, I'm not getting any kind of kick-backs from Smoking Lily - I just love the quality of their items and own a lot. I have the Chair Skirt, the Dotty Dress, a maroon/grey silk obi, a pink/olive silk obi, and a silk bug scarf by them. Every piece except for the bug scarf was bought on consignment - I even found a black velvet cotton skirt by them with a silk-screened white flower in a thrift shop for $10.50 that I bought for my friend Cat, who shares my love for the Lily.

If you clicked the link for a similar skirt, you'll see that this skirt is actually a cape! Ooh, I can't wait to try that out! Mine is a thick but drapey tweed, and is fully lined in a beautiful, thick pewter satin. I love the uneven hem, the major (may-jah!) zipper, and the silk-screened pattern on my butt:It's a beech tree trunk! While I may never again have a "beach bottom," at least I can have a beech butt, hee hee.

Because of the uneven waist and the fullness of the skirt, I wanted to wear a slim-fitting top with some colour. I started out with the mustard top and trying on jackets over it, but they didn't look quite right. So I layered this long green sweater (last seen here) and loved how it worked. The mustard cuffs peeked out. This was snuggly and warm all day!

It was a bright, crisp day today, weatherwise, so I just wore my suede jacket (last worn in September) over it all:

As you can see my right boot has a habit of slouching, while the left does not (compare in the top picture, which I took first). I wore my brown stripey socks to help it stay up and ensure that even if it didn't (it didn't), I would still have a consistent boot shape there and I wouldn't look uneven. Boots last seen here (4 months ago? that's atrocious!).

Here's a detail of the skirt's pattern:

The name and the flower are silkscreened on the lining at the bottom of the point. For you sewers out there, dig the lovely finish on the lining edges - it's all sewn down all the way around.

The stuff:

These boots are devilish on the bottoms of my feet, and I walked in them more than I thought would have to today, so my poor dogs are howlin'. I put insoles in them when I got home. Low heels tomorrow, I promise, feets.

A close-up:

I've had that necklace for about 7 years - I bought it at Plum. It used to have matching earrings, but they killed my ears so I got rid of them. I also removed the little crochet-covered balls that were in the necklace - they didn't look right.

Coat (B.U.M. Equipment, thrifted), sweater (Max Studio), mustard tee (Mexx), skirt (Smoking Lily, consignment), socks (can't remember, got them at The Bay over a year ago), boots (Le Chateau, consignment), belt, necklace and earrings (Plum).