A Mess O' Colours

September weather is goofy on the West coast of Canada. It's warm, but it's rainy. It could be sunny one minute, and cloudy the next. It's windy, then it's foggy. The older I get, the more I want to wear my hair really short because the humidy does crazyass things to it.

Anyway, what I meant to get at was that it's hard to figure out what to dress for when it's so changeable.
Blouse, tweed skirt and bare legs. I roasted in my thermal jacket on the way to work (I walk to and from work in workout wear), but was happy to have it when it poured all the way home.

I've worn this blouse twice (here and here (beware, vacation pictures)) since I got it. I really love the cut and drape of it.

Hee, I'm blurry in that picture because I'm waiting for the camera timer to go off. Try holding your balance like that for 10 seconds!

I also like that it has purple, pink, orange, green AND black in it - it's fun to pull out the various colours. I was surprised to see how well it went with this orange skirt, which is an old workhorse in my wardrobe, and the burgundy cami I have on underneath.

The stuff:

I've worn the shoes 5-6 times since I got them.

The sparkly bits:

Got those on sale at Plum many years ago - real gold and crystals.

Blouse (Nolita, thrifted), cami (Jackpot), skirt (Talbot's, thrifted), shoes (Hilary Radley, consignment), necklace/earrings (Plum).

I See Stars

Aw, I have a tough time with skinny pants. First I tried to do them with a jacket (not so much), then I followed everyone's suggestions and did flats/kitten heels and a long tunic (better), but it didn't feel like me.

And even though today's outfit feels more like me, I feel self-conscious about my thighs:
Sheila! Stop covering them up! You don't have thick thighs - you have strong thighs! Thighs that got you through a marathon. Thighs that get you through 300 stairs a day! Thighs that have power!

And still, I feel silly about it, and I know I don't have gigantic thighs...

I don't wanna look at the camera...look at my shoes instead. See my pretty shoes? My nice boyfriend jacket, my lovely green shirt? Anything but the thighs.

But NO. I will not listen to that voice in my head. I will not hide my so-called "worst" feature. For I am...

Wonder Woman! And I will not deny that!

[intermission while I collect myself...la la la...doo de doo]

The stuff:

My JLos are nearly 3 years old now - when I bought them, this was an outrageous style! Now you see it everywhere.

That's all gold jewelry, by the way. The lighting in this room is going wonky now that the sun's going down earlier (booo).

A close-up:

Both the ring and the star bracelet were purchased in museums - you can find some amazing stuff in museum gift shops!

Jacket (Banana Republic, thrifted), silk top (Jacob, consignment), pants (Kensie), shoes (JLo), gold hoops (gift from L), gold chain worn as bracelet (Grandma J's, 70s vintage), star bracelet (Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC), ring (The Louvre, Paris).

Get Back on That Fashion Horse

After yesterday's deep-fried oatmeal and pistachio disaster, clearly, I needed to regroup. I needed the fashion equivalent of comfort food (mmmm....food...comfort...). Basics, familiar colours and patterns, put-me-in-a-happy-place shoes.

No, don't make me look at that awful dress again!
Gadzooks! It's like a happy soupy stew of Sheila's Favourite Things. We've got brown and turquoise, something bigass, a dash of leopard, and some killer shoes.

See? Anyway, I do have fashion bad days, but you've just gotta get back in the game. Feel better? I do.

The stuff:

This is only the second time I've worn these earrings (last time here). They make wind-chime noises.

Sweater (Kersh), skirt (Kensie), shoes (Fergalicious), belt (Plum), cuff and earrings (Aldo Accessories).

Schlumpy Monday - Hated It

Gah. I bought this dress on Friday night - I love the brand (Noa Noa), and I love the fabric and I love the cut of it (it's very 50s housewife). However, what I do not love:
This dress on me. Wow, what a bad purchase! And there I am, trying to pose it into looking better. Yeah, NO.

I thought, "I can layer this! Put different coloured slips under it! Wear a really cool belt with it!" Believe me, I tried. I tried the red slip, the navy slip, the cream slip - none of them looked right. I ended up going with a cream half-slip and a pink cami. And a black bra. Whatever possessed me to wear a BLACK bra under a see-through brown lace dress is beyond me.

And the hem! It does a weird bubble thing! At an unflattering length too, I might add. And the dress is too wide in the shoulders, and the waist is all wrong, and I look like I've gained about 30 pounds.

This dress is going straight into the consignment bag. Hopefully, I'll get a good return on the $45 I spent. Bah! Bad dress, bad, bad dress!

The stuff:

Not even normally good stuff worked. The rose was the wrong colour and looked asstastic. The shoes were wrong. The scarf-as-belt: *buzzer noise*.

Okay, it's going to take a serious effort to wash the taste of this out of my mouth tomorrow. What will it be...? What would YOU wear?

Dress (Noa Noa), cami (Jackpot), scarf (thrifted), rose (Roberta's Hats), shoes (Circa Joan & David, thrifted), half-slip (thrifted), necklace (Plum), pearls (Eaton's, 80s), ring (Guess).

Weekend Things, Including a Blacksmith

Did you all have a good weekend? I had a very relaxing one - I spent all day Sunday watching football (for me "watching football" means I am up and down and doing things while I keep an eye on the game. I only actually sit through about 75% of the game).

I also went out for lunch and a bit of a shop with my gals. I wore this dress:
Previously worn here (and I noted that it would be too short for bare legs, but obviously, I'm over that!). There's a bit of coolness in the air now, so I have to dig out my boot collection from the depths of the closet. Anyway, this was nice and light and comfy to wear.

Dress (Papillon), cardigan (Express, consignment), boots (Aldo, consignment).

I read another "Walking Dead" (last one was back in January):

This volume is "The Walking Dead: Vol. 12: Life Among Them" by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn.

Stats: It's a graphic novel, so it took about 40 minutes to read. I started and finished it on Saturday, September 11, 2010.

Blurb: If you've read any other "Walking Dead", you know the basic plot: zombies have taken over and a rag-tag group of people are trying to survive and find safety. Lots of people (and zombies) die, in gruesome ways. The series starts out like the movie "28 Days Later" (which L and I just watched again recently), but continues on, and on and on (hey, we are at 12 volumes, after all). This particular volume is a change of pace and brings in a large new set of characters...but the "to be continued" at the end is frustrating, as I've been accustomed to how each of the graphic novel volumes wraps up neatly at the end. I can see several key bits that will be playing out in the next volume (due for release in November, so maybe I'll get it for Christmas, hint, hint, L!).

Part of my 25% of non-football watching yesterday was spent doing some painting. I've taken quite a hiatus from my painting over the last few years - I used to spend several hours a week on it, completing 1-2 figures a week. These days, it's months between them. I've also been working on a very large project that I hope to get finished soon...it needs about 6 more hours of work, though, before I'm done.

Anyway! This guy has been sitting patiently waiting for me to finish him for some months:

He's about 1.5" tall. I paint most of my figs with brushes ranging in size from a 4/0 to a 10/0 (the smallest; used for eyes). Here's a close-up of his eyes: The eyes are the hardest to do on these figures! Neither L nor I use a magnifier to paint, so this is all done with the naked eye. I had to redo this guy's right eye once, as I blopped a gob of black paint when I tried to do the pupil. Arg. That's the worst - you're so close to finishing and you have to redo!

Side view:

Hammer, tongs and anvil - all set for some smithing.

Back view:

I like how his pants came out.

Other side view:

He will make a good addition to our Christmas village this year. I can't wait to get it set up and take some pictures of it.

Front view again:

This figure probably took about 6 hours total, from start to finish. If you're interested in seeing some more of my painted figures (I've posted lots of them over the years), click here.

Casual Friday: Back to School - Suede Skirt!

Today, I'm excited, despite the "I am not amused" look on my face.

Yes, it's the weekend, yes, there is football (I'm a huge fan - I've been in a fantasy league for over 10 years. My team is the Carolina Panthers, although L's is the Miami Dolphins, so I also love them.), but mostly I am excited about this skirt:
That is an olive green suede skirt, people. It makes a rippling sound like sails in a strong wind when I walk. It is soft, like "buttah" and I can't stop petting my legs (and making all my co-workers touch it).
But there are two awesomer (and you can tell I'm even more excited because I'm using a non-word like "awesomer") things about this skirt:
1. It was $19.50. I know. Steal. It's Danier Leather and it probably originally sold for over $80 new. This is one of my best thrift store finds ever.
2. When I found this at the thrift store, of course I checked the label:

It's machine washable and machine dryable! I've washed it and dried it and it worked! Why aren't more leather/suede items made like that?

I was kind of hoping it would shrink a bit, as it sits really low on my hips and I'm in danger of revealing some plumber's crack, but no such luck.

The stuff:

The last of the Oxford-style shoes for this week. These ones have a great little peep-toe and I love the stitching and two-tone colour. I've had these for nearly 3 years and wear them a lot.

I forgot about this belt. It's much more useful since I poked another hole in it.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Blouse (no label, vintage, thrifted), denim vest (Bisou Bisou, consignment), skirt (Danier Leather, thrifted), shoes (Unlisted), belt (Aldo Accessories), cuff (don't remember), earrings (Plum, gift from L).

Back to School - The Keys to Education

Football season has started, so I must be quick!

New jacket, nice and plaid-y:
The jacket is cotton with Spandex, unlined and really stretchy. I liked that I could shove the sleeves up. It was $6 in a thrift store.

I wanted to wear it done up, but it's been warm today. But see how nicely it hugs?

I haven't worn this skirt since last December! Crazy.

Check out the back of the jacket:

I love how it dips down a bit, like an English riding jacket.

The stuff:

The vintage mink pin was worn on the back of the jacket (see it in the picture above?).

I had many people ask me today if those keys opened anything. What is it about keys?

When I got this jacket, it only had two buttons on the front - and they were held on with safety pins! I rooted around through my button tin (everyone has some sort of button tin, right? Where you put all the extra buttons?) and found these:

The bottom one is an original, the one on the right is brown, and the top button is a dark red (the plaid has a brown and dark red thread in it). I hate sewing, but it was necessary!

Jacket (Armour Jeans, thrifted), lace top (Noa Noa), cami (InWear), skirt (Planet), shoes (Steve Madden, thrifted), necklace (Aldo Accessories), key earrings (some gift shop), brooch (vintage, thrifted).

Back to School - "A" Student

I'm actually featuring all Oxford-style shoes this week, to go with my "back to school" theme. Of course, that includes these wicked Fluevogs:
Kitty matches!

Nothing new in this outfit; worn the cardigan many times (here, here, and here), and the skirt twice (here and here - getting good value on it, considering it was only $7).

I was an "A" student, by the way. I was on the honour roll in Junior High (grades 8-10), but not in High School (I still got As, though). I couldn't be bothered to work so hard just to get my name up there. I was really good at English, Algebra, French and Art all the way through school - back when we had "enriched" programs, I was in all of them. I also graduated "with distinction" on my BA, meaning that I had an A- average for my courses in university (I even got a couple of A+s that I'm really proud of).

Were you an academic student?

The stuff:
Glorious shoes! I've had these for over 5 years - they are one of the few shoes I have from when I was heavy. They've held up really well over all the wearings.

The jewelry:

My Shi Studios set that Mom gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago.

Cardigan (Future Paradise, consignment), shirt (Vero Moda), skirt (Linda Allard for Ellen Tracy, thrifted), shoes (Listen Up "Harlow", Fluevogs), belt (Jacob), necklace & earrings (Shi Studio, gift from Mom).

Back to School - Oxford Comma

I did say I would participate in the Fashionable Academics "Back to School Conference," but I felt guilty because I'm not going back to school in any way, shape or form. I haven't been a student in over 10 years!

However, this doesn't stop me from playing with a student-y academic theme this week:
I kind of threw everything but the kitchen sink into this. I'm not sure if it works, but I liked it.

I liked the mash-up of the menswear items (velvet vest, button-down, L's bright red tie) and the girlier things (brooch, necklace, bracelet), especially these shoes:

They're the ones I got in Paris in May, and I've only worn them once.

A shot of all the chestal business:

The necklace is a double-strand. I hooked one of the strands through the pin on the cross brooch to evoke a watch-fob and chain sort of vibe.

The stuff:

Funky shoes, eh? I liked all the different patterns and textures in this: the window-pane plaid pants, the deep black velvet vest, the grey striped shirt, the spotted and striped tie, and all the swirly patterns in the jewelry.

A close-up:

The little cross brooch is the other thing of Grandma W's that I took (from her memorial table). It's missing a little seed pearl, but I like the bright blue stone. It's not top-of-the-line quality, but it's a solid little piece and I love it.

Vest (Surrey Classics, consignment), shirt (Club Monaco, consignment), pants (Esprit), shoes (Belle Women), tie (L's, Tommy Hillfiger), necklace (Plum), bracelet (St. Paul's Cathedral), brooch (Grandma W's).

Mondo Weekend Edition! Vero's B-Day, the Fair, and Some Books Blurbed

I always know that when things get you down, there's only one solution: GO DANCING!
Saturday, ten of us got together for Vero' (and Tracy's) birthday. We had drinks, then went for dinner, then went dancing.

I did a lot of walking (to town, from place to place) and then did a whole lot of shakin' of the tailfeathers. These shoes were wonderful! I had no sore feet the next day...although my head was another matter...

Wow, I haven't been out dancing* since my 40th birthday (nearly 3 years ago, in case you're counting). It was so fun!

It was a great opportunity to showcase this awesome dress again (worn twice, here and here). It had many admirers throughout the evening.

I also had compliments on my outerwear:

Just right for keeping me warm on a cool summer evening.

*Actual dancing is much groovier, thrashier and punkier. I'm trying to look sedate here (stop laughing, L).

Dress (Desigual), shoes (Tsubo "Erebus"), bag (Ollie & Nic), jacket (The Gap, consignment), cuff (thrifted), gold hoops (gift from L).

After a full day of doing nothing, I was ready to go to the Fair today. The Fall Fair is an annual Labour Day tradition. I used to enter all kinds of art, home-grown vegetables, sewing, and baking into the competitions at the Fair when I was a kid. It was cool to hang with my Mom, my bro, Dave, and my nieces, Zoe, Hannah and Sidney...and even cooler that Mom, Zoe and Hannah all won prizes! Well done!

Because the Fair is outside and there's dirt and animals and tractors all over the place, I have to go ultra casual:

My poor Vans are on their last legs. I'm going to take them to the consignment store soon, I think. Aw...sad...

I thought I was prepared for the weather:

Just like last year, it poured rain the whole time we were there (both outfits are a lot more casual than what I wore two years ago! I've learned my lesson). I was freezing and very, very happy for this scarf. I only wished I'd brought gloves and a toque!

I had a blast going on rides with Zoe and Hannah (and Mom on the Tilt-a-Whirl)!

Someone was not very happy that we spent the day at the fair, though:

See him on the side of the two pictures above?

Look at the cuteness!

Sitting on my coat and hoping we don't go.

Coat (B.U.M. Equipment, thrifted), tee (Plum), striped tee (Majestic, gift from Caro), jeans (Seven7, gift from Caro), belt (gift from Ruth), shoes (Vans), scarf (Club Monaco).

So! I read a lot this weekend and finished off quite a few things, including my latest batch of Magic Teeth Dailies:

Perogy Cat rules! Gareth is an acquaintance of ours - he's a great guy and knows more about comics than pretty much anyone. Yes, that much.

Anyway, loved these ones. If you're in my neck of the woods, you need to buy these.

I got the next graphic novel on Gareth's recommendation:

"The Unwritten: Vol. 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity" by Mike Carey and Peter Gross. It took a really cool idea (what if a child who inspired a Harry Potter-like literary character grew up and sort of lost the boundary between himself and the character?) and turned it around and went in an unexpected way. If you like graphic novels like "Fables", you'd probably like this.

And I finally finished this Book Club selection, Steig Larsson's "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo":

Everyone and their dog (and cat) is reading this book right now. I saw the movie last year in the theatre and recommend it (please rent the original movie before they remake it...yes, it has subtitles). The movie follows the book quite nicely, although the book has a lot more plot around the corporate intrigue - I kept thinking the book would be over when the thriller part wrapped up, but no, it went on for another 80-odd pages. Note: the movie gives away a key point that I think is going to be revealed in the 2nd book.

Stats: Speaking of pages, there are 841 of them. However, this is one of those new-fangled brick-shaped paperbacks where the text is centered on the pages with huge borders. Feels like you breeze through it. Started August 23rd, finished September 5th.

Blurb: The two main characters, Mikael Blomqvist and Lisbeth Salander, are fairly thinly sketched. Lisbeth is really the central character over the trilogy (I plan to read the other two books), and you can see that the author wants to hold back a lot of her background, and not put it all up front for the reader, which is nice. I expect that we'll find out more about Mikael as well as the series goes on. Anyway, I had read a couple of reviews of this and had expected it to be worse, so it was a pleasant surprise. It's a fairly light read, and there will be lots of second-hand copies in the bookstores soon, I'm sure, so I'd recommend it.

Hope you all had a fabulous long weekend!