Cheating in Leopard

For the very first time since I started this blog, I'm posting the pictures of me in the clothes BEFORE I wore them: L needed the camera today and wasn't sure if I'd be able to do my pictures when I got home. So, I played with the outfit last night and took the pictures then. This is exactly what I wore today:
Right down to which finger I wore the ring on!

I love the bright blue with the leopard, don't you? I used to think this skirt was too dressy for work, but I've worn it about 3 or 4 times. How adventurous I've become!

I like how this cardigan shows off my toned shoulders and arms. I have been doing my pee pushups* since last fall and it's paid off!
Woo! Check out the pipes!

The stuff:

My awesome blue suede shoes and my usual rocker accoutrements. I doubled the single strand neckace around my neck (the top one), and the other one has two three built-in tiers.

A close-up:

My groovy zipper rose from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and the fab "black hole" ring.

Cardigan (Jessica, consignment), top (Ellen Tracy, gift from Caro), skirt (Le Chateau, consignment), shoes (Feet First), belt (Jacob), multi-necklace (Plum), single necklace (Jacob), ring (Le Chateau), brooch (Victoria & Albert Museum).

*WTF? "Pee push-ups"? Yes!

I started these when I noticed that my buh-byes were getting flabby, and that I had the arms of a T-Rex (no upper body strength). Push-ups are the king of the upper body strengthening exercises and are great for your core too...but who who really does them anyway? Not me. Lots of good intentions, but not much doing.

Then it occured to me (because I am supremely lazy...I mean, "efficient"), why not try to figure out a way to do an easy push-up, and work it into my day, AND also have it not feel like I'm working out? That would be great!

So what I started doing is, every time I go to the bathroom, I do 10 push-ups off the counter before I wash my hands. Place hands shoulder width apart on the edge of the counter and aim your boobs at that edge (don't touch it with them, but get as close as you can). Keep your butt in tight, keep your head in alignment with your spine, and hold your core so that your back is nice and straight (this gets easier as you get stronger). You can do this off your kitchen counter or a stable low bookcase, or the back of a park bench.

I mostly do them at work (in my heels and fancy-schmancy clothes), and because I drink so much water, I do about 60 push-ups a day! And it only takes about 15 seconds each time. Sometimes I get strange looks, but I don't really care, and I explain if anyone asks (and then I flash some biceps and they're impressed).

I was really stiff across the front of my chest after the first day, but after a week or so, I really started to notice it. No need to do more than 10 (don't overdo it), just remember to do them. I've noticed that my posture is way better, my shoulders, biceps and triceps and the front of my chest are stronger, and that when I sit, I hold my shoulders and back in better alignment.

Give it a shot! Try it for a week and see how you do!

Wonder Woman

I am not sure about the Wonder Woman re-design - I watched the TV show back in the day (of course! along with "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Bionic Woman"!), and man, I wanted to kick butt (and have an invisible jet) like her! Click here for the funky intro of the show - ah, memories!

I wore my gold bracelets today in case I needed to ward off any stray bullets:
I've only worn this dress once (here), and today was a stressful day, so I'm glad I picked something simple. I'm also keeping with the whackadoo colours earlier this week, with some pink and orange. Woo, look out, I'm crazy!

This is also the second wearing of this belt (previously here). I like the dress better with a belt - this one sure made me sit up straight!

The stuff:
Every winter, I go to toss these bronzy sandals in the consignment bag, but then I remember how nice they are in the summer, with their low heel. I'm glad I kept them.

My Wonder Woman gold bracelets:

Ka-pow! Biff! Zot! Look out, evil doers!

Dress (Talbots, thrifted), shoes (Naturalizer), belt (Dorothy Perkins), earrings (Plum), bracelets (solid, Oscar & Libby, leafy, the Bay).

Embrace Your Geekness

In case you missed it, today is "Embrace Your Geekness" day! I have been a major nerd for most of my life (I'm mostly a word-nerd, but I'm also a Star Trek geek, and a D&D geek - I'm other things too, of course), so I revel in celebrating what makes us unique. Geeks rule!

Anyway, moving right along. If you're experiencing deja vu right now, it's because yes, I'm wearing the same bright colour combination as yesterday:
I've only worn the yellow skirt once (here), and the lovely satiny top is such a pretty colour with it, and then I got the grey shoes, and they looked like the perfect neutral. What's a girl to do?

I tried this all on last night (I'm trying to get into the habit of doing that for more complicated combinations) and realized that the waistband was all wonky and that this shirt is really long. Hence the sweater vest! It's perfect nerd-wear too.

The blouse was around $16 and the shoes were a STEAL at $10 on sale. They were majorly comfy all day.

The stuff:
The shoes are a perfect "job interview" type of look. I like the suede and the shiny faux croc. It didn't show up well in the pictures but the heel has a nice outward curve to it. I think they kept the garishness of the colours to a nice dull roar.

The belt was a great match to the shoes (matchy! ah!) and the fabic in the buckle is the perfect match (matchy again!) for the lovely purpley-pink of the top.

A shot of the neckline of the top without the vest getting in the way:

I am showing off some of my graphic novels, because I am also a geek about those. These are from three of my favourite series (from left): The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman; The Invisibles, by Grant Morrison, and; The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman (all not for the faint of heart).

Blouse (Esprit, consignment), vest (Esprit), skirt (Club Monaco, consignment), shoes (Franco Sarto, consignment), belt (Shi Studio), cuff (St. Paul's Cathedral).

Colourful Monday

I like to rotate through my new stuff once it's been a month or so - put together another outfit, trying to pull out the potential. I first wore this skirt here (aw...the day we said goodbye to Othello). I love purple and yellow together, so played that up again today:
I left the side uncropped because Inigo's being cute.

The stuff:

I haven't worn these shoes in ages (yup, it's been a year). I put my sparkly barrette on the yellow scarf, since barrettes never stay in my hair (it's too fine). I feel so kooky when I wear a scarf in my hair for work.

A close-up:

The shiny rhinestone belt I also never wear.

Blouse (Esprit), skirt (Vivienne Tam, consignment), shoes (Jessica Simpson), scarf (thrifted), barrette (Club Monaco), belt (The Bay).

Weekend Outfits and a Book Blurb

Ah, a nice relaxing weekend. I went to Weight Watchers (down 2 lbs! Woo! I worked hard for that!), then played Ultimate for two hours, then went out for a late brunch. Again, I'm making the effort not to go to WW and brunch in my workout clothes, looking like ass.
Another light sundress, easy cardi and the closest thing I have to casual flip-flops. These are not good for running for the bus.

Dress (Kenzie), cardigan (BCBGMax Azria, consignment), shoes (can't read the label anymore).

I also had Winesday last night with my favourite gals! It was hot and sunny out on Cat's deck, so I dressed appropriately:

I swear, Inigo hears the beeping timer and he runs to get in the shot. Damned cat.

Can you believe I've only worn this dress once? Yikes! In 2008!

I did a cream cami underneath, and my lace-up espadrilles (which I took off in favour of being barefoot for the evening).

A shot of the back:

It was so comfy.

I added some springy butterfly clips to the hat:

I got them at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. They're a little girly for me to wear to work.

Dress (Oxmo), cami (Plum), shoes (Tommy Hilfiger, consignment), earrings (Plum), hat (Facinie).

And...I finished another book last week! It was "When You are Engulfed in Flames" by David Sedaris.

Stats: 323 pages. Started June 26, 2010, finished July 6, 2010. This is a Book Club selection - my pick. I'm trying to make up for my last pick that everyone hated (Chuck Palahniuk's "Snuff").

Blurb: If you've read any David Sedaris, you'll love this book of short essays. If you haven't read anything by him, you should. He's great. Very dry and funny. The previous book that I read of his, "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim", actually made me laugh out loud - I woke L up.

Sedaris writes about himself, what happens to him, what happened to him in the past. You see the world as he sees it, through the lenses of someone who sees not quite what is in front of him. His writing can be sad, hilarious, serious and heart-breaking, but when you're finished one of his books, you want to read more. The last section of this book, "The Smoking Section", is about him quitting smoking, and about being in Japan, and about not really fitting in. I loved it, and I can't wait to read more of his books.

Next up: I'm drilling in the Douglas Coupland selections I bought after "Girlfriend in a Coma" - next one is "Life After God", which I should finish this week.

Casual Friday: I'm a Lumberjack and I'm Okay

When I go shopping, I never have a problem findind skirts or dresses, but tops? I have a really tough time because I'm small-boned but booby. I especially hate button-up tops because they usually gape. And since 80% of my shopping is second-hand, consignment or thrift, and I don't buy online, I am limited to what I can find.

Last weekend, I focussed on tops and found 3, one of which was the green silk top I wore on Tuesday. This is another one:
I've seen plaid making a comeback (hello, grunge!), and while I'm not going to wear a lumberjacket (ever!), I do love the nice Canadian look of a strong check plaid shirt. I love the double row of flat ruffles down the front of this one - I usually can't wear ruffled-front shirts due to the aforementioned boobular action.

And this was only $16! Not too shabby. The shorts are ones I picked up last year, I think.

The stuff:
I kept everything really simple since it was a smokin' hot 30 degrees again today.

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!

Cheers,
Sheila

Blouse (Vintage DCC Missy, consignment), shorts (I.N.C., consignment), belt (Nygard), shoes (Joan & David, thrifted), earrings (gift from L).

Maybe My Favourite Outfit?

Mom and I went for lunch today, plus I thought I was going for drinks after work (didn't happen), so I took the bus to give my feet (and knees) a rest. They feel much better!

Anyway, I spent a little time last night actually trying on today's outfit and deciding how to throw it all together, and I feel it paid off: This is the dress I wore last month here. Once again, it was deliciously floaty and cool, considering it was so hot today!

I found this amazing vintage slip in my favourite consignment shop last weekend, and knew it would look fabulous under the sheer dress. The flounded hem of the skirt needed to be shown off properly so I thought of pinning up a bit of the dress on the side with a brooch. I felt so clever.

I don't usually show my underthings, but this slip fits so perfectly (and covers everything). Check it out:

Isn't that beautiful in the waist? It was priced at $39 but it had a couple of wee holes in it, so Annie gave it to me for $24. The label says "Suzette Lingerie" - the only Suzette Lingerie I could find online was a costume place in Yonkers, NY.That looks like a vintage label to me, though, plus it has a metal zipper on the side. Definitely not new.

Now, normally, I would chuck on the red belt and that's that, but I didn't like the way it looked with the silver modern buckle at the waist with the rhinestone pin so close. I did like how the brown belt blended in with the dress, while still giving it waist definition, and also had rhinestones. So I moved the buckle off to the side to draw the eye to the pin on the skirt.

Then I felt really clever. I still wanted a bit more red with the outfit, so I wrapped the red belt around my wrist and made it into a cuff:
Then I put on my new shoes - Fergalicious by Fergie (ha!) - that I got last week for $45 on sale at the Bay (score).

I wasn't sure about them when I saw them, but Ruth convinced me. The style is a little "out there", but they are growing on me. I figured the best way to get used to them was not to have them as the main focus in the outfit. Next time!

The stuff:

Oh, sweet pythony goodness! These were super comfortable all day.

A close-up of the other bits:

The big belt buckle on the brown belt, the red belt/cuff, the pin (I pinned it on the diagonal on the skirt to give it a nice gather), and my mom's rhinestone clip-on earrings (liberated from her jewelry box in the 80s).

Dress (no label, consignment), slip (Suzette Lingerie, vintage, consignment), shoes (Fergalicious), belts (both Plum), pin (The Bay), earrings (Mom's, vintage 70s).

Green and Zebra

Woo! It's finally hot and summery! In preparations for this nice weather, I went with simple, loose pieces:
Inigo totally blocked the shoes.

I got the top for $16 - it's brand new (still had the tags on), and is silk, but it's washable. I checked before buying since I hate to pay drycleaning on a blouse that I'm going to get pit stains on every time I wear it.

The shape of the top was a stretch for me, since I usually go for very tailored cuts vs. this, which is elastic at the bottom. I don't mind the cowl neck either, even though they usually make me look uber-booby.

The skirt is also new! It was $35 on sale at Plum. I almost snagged a sheath dress in this fabric (a nice cotton/Lycra blend) but another woman grabbed it mere seconds before me! I was tempted to say that it looked bad on her, but it didn't. At least it went to a good home - and maybe I'll find it in a consignment shop in a year when she's tired of it (or only wears it once).

Okay, a shot of the shoes, sans Inigo:
My Manolos! I regretted wearing these, though, since my feet were still a bit stressed from the purple shoes yesterday. These are easily my highest heels. I'll wear lower heels tomorrow, feet, I promise!

The stuff:

Oh sweet Manolos, how lovely you are. I liked all the textures of the cream and brown (the skirt background is white but close enough).

I also got these new earrings at Plum:

I love swirly patterns and leaves.

Blouse (Jacob, consignment), skirt (Plum), shoes (Manolo Blahnik), cuff (Club Monaco), earrings (Plum).

Kasmira's Olive Skirt

This was one of those frustrating days when none of my pictures quite came out how I wanted them to. I use the timer on my camera (it sits on our desk) and then hustle over to pose. The darned pictures all look like I've been sucking on sour lemons (not true!).

Anyway, I picked up an olive skirt over the weekend. I think secretly I've been pining for one like Kasmira's (shown in multiple incarnations here).

I found my skirt at my favourite consignment store, marked down to $8:
It was $24, marked down to $20, marked down to $12, and I've seen it there a gazillion times, and never tried it on. It's Club Monaco, for goodness sake, I love their stuff. It's a fine wool blend with a bit of stretch, so not too hot for summer.

I had originally planned to do a little flouncy thing at the bottom (a dark inigo thin crinoline that I got last Friday), but when I put the outfit on in the bathroom at work this morning, the skirt was actually too long for it. Ah well, that's what I get for not trying outfits on!

This skirt has a super low waistband - it sits just at my hip-bone:
Oh, and there you can see the front kick-pleat better - there's one in the back as well, so it has lovely motion when I walk.

I was pleased with how the untucked top looked with the low waist. Had to do a cami, of course, a nice long one.

The stuff:
I was really grooving on how the pinky red and the purple went with the olive today. Those shoes are lovely, but after a day they feel good to take off!

A close-up of the jewelry:

Sparkly!

Blouse (Nolita, thrifted), cami (Jacob, gift from Ruth), skirt (Club Monaco, consignment), shoe (Friis and Company, gift from L), jewelry (Myka, gift from L).

The Forgotten Day, and a Waitress

I hit my favourite consignment stores yesterday. I found a bunch of nice things, including this lovely pale yellow dress:
Ruth said I looked like a waitress in this. I guess it does look a little like, "Fill up yer coffee, hon?" Ha! I love the nice cotton of this dress. It's by Grace & Cello, a Montreal designer who does ethical, sustainable fashion - the dress is organic cotton. Considering that I only paid $24 for it, and got it consignment, I think I am doing my part by not buying it new, hee hee. Go green!

Anyway, I knew the dress was short, and that a belt would haul it up that smidge higher, so I am really glad I decided to put my half-slip in my bag last night when I packed. Yikes, it was short! I had to roll the waistband of the slip too, although I don't mind the bit of lace peeking out from the hem.

I'm doing the la-di-dah-I got my hair cut pose. She cut a lot off, but I'm cool with it. We're supposed to have a heat wave this week (this morning it was freakin' 13 degrees out [low 50s]! In July!), so short hair will be cooler. I will definitely be happy if it goes up to 30 like it's supposed to.

A close-up of the coif:
It's a bit messy as L picked me up in the Miata with the top down, but whatever. Don't you just love the little bows on the sleeves of the dress?

The stuff:

The shoes and belt are the same in this outfit here, when I worked it with my turquoise 50s dress (which I think I either consigned or it's in the giveaway pile, I can't remember). I like the colour combo of this pinky red, turquoise and pale yellow.

A close-up of the goods:

The turquoise ring is new ($14 on sale at Plum) - real turquoise. I put the outfit together from holding it up against all the new stuff I bought, then pulled things to go with it (the belt tied it all together).

Dress (Grace & Cello, consignment), slip (thrifted), belt (consignment), shoes (Fluevog), earrings and ring (Plum), necklace charms (some old key, S from Mom and Dad years ago).

When I went to upload my pictures, I found another outfit from the weekend!

This is what I wore to Weight Watchers on Saturday morning. I take the bus out to the meeting, then I go play Ultimate for 2 hours.

I have decided to try to carry on my personal style in more aspects of my life (i.e. not going to WW in my workout clothes), so I am wearing stuff that I can quickly zip out of in public and change into my shorts, t-shirt and cleats. I slip the shorts on under the skirt, and I have my full-cover sports bra underneath, so it's no biggie to change tops (I play Ulty with a bunch of friends - they're not bothered by my cast-iron bra, haha).

I can change back into this when the game is over, and then I look nice for lunch as well. I just can't subject the staff at the diner to my ass-tastic workout clothes anymore!

I also found this picture:

Aw! Captain Purrypants.

T-shirt (Upper Playground), cami (Mexx), skirt (Banana Republic, consignment), shoes (Rinaldi).

The Real Friday (and a Couple of Other Days)

Well, I'm back - it's been a busy few days, but now the real weekend is here! A very happy 4th of July to our US neighbours! And a rousing "Happy Canada Day!" to my fellow Canucks - I hope you had a good one!

On Wed night, L and I went to see "Toy Story 3". I'm not ashamed to admit that I wept like a baby during the last 15 minutes. Knowing this, I took all my makeup off before we walked to town:
Also, it's still chilly out in the evenings, so I layered up.

Cardigan (Express, thrifted), t-shirt (don't recall - it's one of the crappy ones I wear around the house), skirt (Club Monaco, consignment), shoes (Stonefly, thrifted), belt (Plum), scarf (belt from a skirt).

For Canada Day, L and I went to his boss' barbecue. Of course, I had to look patriotic: As I've been to these BBQs in past years, I ate before I went (ha!). No, seriously, it's a good plan for me, since then it's easier to avoid things like cake and hot dogs and chocolate chip cookies. I ate a plain (overcooked) hamburger patty, a ton of tomato slices, a smidge of coleslaw, and three Coors Lights (hey, it's a necessary social lubricant).

I got a lot of compliments on the dress:I was hoping the sun would come out so that I could take the shrug off but no such luck.

Dress (Vero Moda), shrug (Debut), belt (Plum), shoes (Tommy Hilfiger, consignment), purse (Ollie & Nic).

Friday, I had to work (gotta save up my vacation days), but it was totally dead. All my US colleagues were out of the office, as were my US clients. Half my department was empty. I planned to go shopping after work, so I wore my "shopping uniform": easy to slip on/off dress, slip-on shoes, non-bulky jacket (yeah, still not sunny), and minimal jewelry.

Dress (Jacob, gift from Elaine), jacket (Ann Taylor Loft), shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction, gift from Cat), cuff (old).

Ruth and I headed off to the mall for a long lunch - I got a pair of shoes. I had poor luck shopping after work, though. A woman nabbed a leopard sheath dress with a bigass zipper right out from under my nose (it did look fabulous on her, I had to grudgingly concede), but I found a skirt and a couple pieces of jewelry at Plum. I headed off to Dots with my "extra 50% off" coupon, but I didn't find anything I liked. I ended up with a new stock Noa Noa skirt.

I'm loving all the fall stuff coming in - ha! Is that wrong? We haven't even gotten summer yet, and I'm looking at autumn!

Another Friday!

Tomorrow is a holiday (Canada Day!), so today felt like Friday. Woo! I'm so happy to be home! We're going to go see "Toy Story 3" tonight to celebrate.

As I mentioned yesterday, my VP was disappointed in my shoes yesterday, so today I kicked it up a notch or three:
I basically just matched up stuff to the shoes. Easy-peasy. I need more orange and turquoise in my wardrobe.

This skirt is great, but extremely see-through, as is this thin sweater. I had to wear a full slip underneath the whole outfit. Fortunately (or not), the weather is still not in summer-mode, so I didn't boil to death in all the layers.

Yeah, but it's all about the shoes! Who cares about the rest!

The stuff:

I was pleased with the jewelry with this, actually. I love these pieces.

A close-up:

The earrings are heavy, but I love all the colours in this set.

Sweater (Kersh), skirt (Ann Taylor, thrifted), shoes (Poetic Licence), jewelry (Lucky Brand, gift from L).