Not-So-Casual Friday, Crazy Saturday and Slouchy Sunday Shopping

Where does the time go? Sunday already? Outrageous! 

It was a fun weekend, though - I don't begrudge any of my time. But let's cast our minds back to Friday. This outfit garnered the comment, "You really just don't do the Casual Friday thing, do you?"

Nah, not really.

Any excuse to wear this gorgeous Desigual dress. L and I went out for a nice dinner after work on Friday, and since I stayed downtown, I wanted to be nicely dressed up for him. He wore the floral Dolce and Gabbana shirt I got him last weekend, but I didn't get a picture of it.

I last styled this dress here in January for Megan's birthday, but only had it on for a few minutes. The last time I actually wore it as a real outfit was in the March 2012 capsule (recap here), where I wore it three times.

Speaking of Megan, the other Megan (The Fashionable Bureaucrat) has this same dress - check it out. We both purchased them the same year; she got hers in Paris and I bought mine in London.

"I've got my eye on you."

It's such a gorgeous piece, I should really wear it more.

The stuff:

After work, but before dinner, I shopped for about an hour, picking up things for my niece's birthday. Mostly books - I like giving books. These shoes were most comfortable for all my hiking about. I last wore them in June, here, for Elaine's art opening. Disco Dutch!

Big bling:

Flowers and blue rings.

Dress (Desigual), shoes (Prepare Hi Steady, Fluevogs), earrings (local), lapis lazuli/Fulvia Ring (Wendy Brandes).

Yesterday, we didn't have Ulty, so we met up with friends for breakfast at our diner. I kinda went crazy with my hair.

That's what it looks like when I wake up in the mornings, although this hairstyle is crafted to deliberately look like this. Yeah, sometimes I want to look whackadoo! This is my entry for Patti's "Visible Monday" over at Not Dead Yet Style! Thanks for hosting, Patti!

Green dress! With eyelets! And a hem of boustrophedon ruffles! I last wore it earlier this month (here), also on a Saturday.

The shoes are also somewhat "out there" - they are my Faith Low Reumahs that I last wore here in June with a shoulderless top and swaths of chains. I wore this outfit to our niece's birthday - happy birthday, Sydney! My other nieces were appropriately impressed with the wackiness of the outfit/hair.

Oh yeah, I got some socks for myself while I was out on Friday night.

Hee, owls! These will be fun with boots in the fall.

Today, I got up early and headed down to get groceries. It's still quite hot and after two days of short dresses, I felt like being covered up a bit more.

I had actually planned this to be my Casual Friday outfit, but then decided to dress up more. So why not a soft and slouchy outfit for Sunday? Perfect.

The yellow is one of my camisoles.

I last wore this cardigan on a grocery expedition in April (here), also with a neutral skirt.

This skirt is one of my favourites. I love the mushroom colour and the wrinkled texture. I last wore it here in May while being inspired by nature.

The sandals are my pearlized cream Clarke's, getting very good use this summer. I last wore them here with the green dress above.

I added my cross-body bag for walking around and shopping, and a yellow silk scarf for extra coverage if needed.

Cardigan (Kersh, consignment), cami (RW & Co., consignment), skirt (Club Monaco), shoes (Artisan by Clarke's, consignment).

I headed down to My Sister's Closet consignment shop. There's still lots of summer stuff in the shop, but I found this seasonless dress aka the Black Blob:

I am actually really excited about this black blob! It's finally - FINALLY - a perfect shirtwaist dress. I used to have a turquoise one (this one) that wrinkled way too much, and I got rid of the horribly-coloured-for-me oatmeal one (this one). These are not easy to find second-hand!

I bleached out the colour in the photo so you can see a bit of detail.

It's a cotton/spandex blend, with cuffed sleeves (I'll be able to do L's cufflinks in them, yay!), pockets (double yay!) and buttons up the front from neck to hem. It had an awful plastic skinny black shiny belt (why?? this probably cost new over $100 - why not put a better belt on it?) that I tossed into the donation bag immediately.

It's from Talbot's and was only $28.98 - the white tag you can see at the neck has the little envelope with a spare button, so pretty sure this was never worn! Fine by me - I love being able to find a beautiful quality staple piece for a good price.

I also scored on this gorgeous brown leather belt.

It's wide like an obi in front (and quite rigid), with a narrow buckled back.

It was only $18.98, and it's by Brave Belts.

Italian leather, made in Canada! It's pretty close to their current "Fiano" style (here, linking 'cause I love), which sells for $130, so I think my belt was probably around $100. Score!

Hope your weekend was full of fun and good deals!

Forest Green and Grey with Ruffles

Well, I said I would wear flats today - and I didn't. Nope, I wore heels!

But first - this is really kind of a lazy outfit for me. I first discovered this skirt/jacket combo in the June all-neutral capsule, as seen here with orange as the "pop" colour and kind of a steampunk vibe going on.

I wore them together again here in April (which is when I last wore this grey jacket), with all neutrals in the clothing and the only colour being the purple booties and amethyst accessories.

I last wore the skirt here in May for my steampunk shopping outfit for the Vintage Fair. Such a bad outfit for trying on - but it looked good!

The top is a little above ordinary, although it is t-shirt material - I last wore it here in May (2nd outfit) as part of a casual weekend look. It replaced my last blouse this colour (this silk one) that got all ooky in the pits. I'm keeping my eye out for a replacement one in a different, better quality material. It's a useful colour to have.

It's hard to see, but the fabric of this skirt is striped and runs in all different directions. It's one of the coolest skirts I own. So swooshy!

The stuff:

Recently, Sal asked if we were "go"ers or "matchers" - I admitted that I like both, but matching is certainly the easiest! These shoes are an unconventional colour and shape (but so utterly comfy and commanding!) - they're tricky to match with because of that. I liked how they went with today's outfit and got several "oooh"s about them. I last wore them here in May (non-matching) with my purple lace dress and floral tights.

Bling things (and rings):

Silver as the metal, my one green accessory, and my Wendy Brandes rings. 'Cause they go.

Jacket (LeShop, consignment), skirt (Y Petites, consignment), shoes (Fly London), bracelet (Fossil), bangle (thrifted), earrings (vintage 80s, Joyce's), lapis lazuli/Fulvia ring (Wendy Brandes).

L and I - since we paid off the mortgage last year - have been slowly replacing some of our old furniture. Our current stuff is 15+ years old and rather cat-ravaged. We're hoping - perhaps overly optimistically - that Vizzini will not destroy these if they don't already have cat scent and claw sculptures already in place. He seems to be good with the new couch so far, although I did have to foil the arms for a week (he hates aluminum foil).

In addition to the new couch we got a couple of weeks ago, we went back to the second-hand store and got this awesome chair on Tuesday. It's another one from the Bombay Company (this one - linking for info only). Got it for $450 - and it's brand new! It sells in the stores for $1200! Score!

Someone claimed it right away.

"My chair."

Dr. Tony sits there when we play D&D and he has cats, so maybe that's why Vizzini has chosen it. Or maybe it's because it's in the sun.

Blue, Bone and an Orange Obi

Whew, just home from the gym and all I want to do is crash on the couch! 

Today was another hot one, so here's another dress.

My lovely blue dress, which I last wore back here in April (with blonde hair!) with a cardi over it. I felt good wearing it bare-armed today - after all, I am working my arms at the gym, so I'm liking how they are slightly defined.

As noted last time I wore this dress, it's shorter than I'm used to! I don't mind showing my legs, scars, varicose veins, spider veins, bruises and all. More than my face, my legs are like a map of my life. I had a co-worker today guess I was in my 30s (gawbless 'im!) - haw! I am owning my mid-40s.

Aren't the shoes amazing? They are of course Fluevogs, my Listen Up O'Haras. They are quite high - a good 4" heel - so I don't wear them very often. I haven't actually worn them since the June 2012 capsule (recap here), but I consider them a spring/summer shoe, so they were just unpacked for the season in March. Still, I don't wear them much, but they are pieces of art.

The stuff:

As you can see, the leather of the shoes is totally soft and collapse-y (totally a word). I like that they are a bone white instead of a cream or a glarey true white.

I loved how the orange obi tie-belt looked with this - it's one of Megan Mae's creations, and is made from at least one of Ally's ties! I love having my blogger stuff on.

Bling things:

My galaxy brooch - or is it a Flying Spaghetti Monster? Maybe the ring is.

Dress (Ann Taylor Loft, thrifted), obi belt (MMD), shoes (Listen Up O'Hara, Fluevogs), lapis lazuli ring/Fulvia ring (Wendy Brandes), earrings (Plum), brooch/ring (vintage/thrifted).

Someone found a sweet sun spot for lolling about in:

Aw, such a cutie!

Wool, Leopard and Blue

Woo, it's a hot one today - all the way up to 24 (about 80 on that other scale)! That's hot for little ol' Victoria, so call me a delicate flower if you must. 

I wore a sweater and a wool skirt, that's how delicate I am.

This leopard beauty is one of my favourite statement cardigans. I last wore it here in April with my high-waisted olive suede pencil skirt.

I wanted to get a wear out of my summer-weight wool grey pencil skirt while it was actually, you know, summer. It was quite comfortable, although I do work in an air-conditioned office. The walk home (where I also have on my jean jacket for sun coverage) was sweltering - the sweater was way hotter than the skirt.

I last wore it here in May with a "power 80s" look.

I could have gone all neutrals with this outfit, but I wanted a belt and black just seemed so predictable. I love this bright blue Danier Leather belt, so of course I had to match with the cami.

The stuff:

My white Aerosoles were absolutely heavenly to wear today. No rubbing or anything. They will be worn until they fall apart. They were last seen here in a whiter shade of pale outfit in late June (and my 1500th post).

Big bling:

I felt like playing up my rocker chick side instead of my girly side, so punk cuffs, zipper rose and my skull earrings. Badass!

Cardigan (XXI, consignment), cami (InWear), skirt (Bianca, vintage 80s, thrifted), shoes (Aerosoles, thrifted), belt (Danier Leather), black cuff (Guess), studded cuff (vintage 80s), rose pin (Victoria & Albert Museum gift shop), earrings (local), ring (Wendy Brandes).

Emerald and Navy, and Armfuls of Silver

Hey! Happy Monday, all! 

I know, it's not the usual staircase pose, but culottes don't like the sideways plank on the stairs, so my contemplative hunker-down is what you get.

Of course, these are the Culottes of Wonder, last seen here in May doing double duty as a work outfit, then as a "going to see Beauty and the Beast at the theatre" outfit.

Had to wear my new-to-me top (purchased yesterday for $26.00) - I had several compliments on the rich navy blue of it. It has a bit of green in it, plus contrasts with my Woo! newly-dyed hair.

I tucked the shirt in and obi-ed over top of the culottes' high waist. This made things very creative in the washroom, I tell ya. I shall say no more.

The stuff:

Lovely laser-cut navy obi, plus oodles of silver. The shoes are getting rather scruffy, but I'm going to get as much wear out of them as I can. I last wore them on the Canada Day long weekend here, with my retro Hawaiian long dress.

Bling things:

I loaded on the silver, and had a ring on every finger (except thumbs). I felt like a gypsy.

Blouse (Mexx, consignment), culottes (Jac Dale, vintage 70s, thrifted), shoes (Enzo Angiolini, consignment), belt (shop in Fan Tan Alley, ethically sourced), green glass bangle/rattle bangle/stretchy metal bracelet (all thrifted), steel cuff (thrifted), filigree cuff (St. Paul's Cathedral gift shop), earrings (local), spoon ring (About Tine), blue leaf ring (handmade in Scotland, 1996), lapis lazuli/Fulvia ring (Wendy Brandes).

Last night while I was surfing around and L was working on a dragon, Vizzini climbed up on the back of L's chair and attacked a painting!

A piece of the backing was hanging down, so he was after that. Silly kitty!

Casual Friday, Sailing Adventure, Cat Pictures

Well, I'm about ready for another weekend! Boo, this weekend went so fast!

Let's get 'er started - lots of pictures! Here's my Casual Friday outfit.

Of course, I had to build an outfit around the necklace that Tamera gave me! The necklace has a lot of pink in it, so I went with this pink linen sundress, which was last seen in the August 2012 capsule (recap here), where I wore it 3 times.

I'm linking this outfit up to Patti's "Visible Monday" over at Not Dead Yet Style. Get over there!

I layered a turquoise cami underneath it (cleavage-o-rama!), and then layered this teal cardi over it. I last wore the cardigan here with my ampersand dress on the Victoria Day long weekend in May.

Vizzini approved of the colours, although whoa, major wrinkly butt! Linen...*grumble*...

Did you notice I wore three belts? I started with the yellow one for contrast, but then it would have been too loose to hang my access card/keys from, so I added the turquoise one. But two belts was too even, so I dug out this purple one. I liked how they all looked together. What do you think?

Purple shoes! And they are the most comfy purple shoes ever. I last wore these Campers back here in April, when I accidentally dyed my hair dishwater blonde. I'm actually dyeing my hair right now - a nice vivid red again!

The fabulous rainbow-hued accessories:

I remembered that I had these earrings made from the same kind of beads - they were perfect! I was kind of disappointed with how few people at work knew who Frida Kahlo was.

Cardigan (Kersh, consignment), dress (Ann Taylor, thrifted), shoes (Camper), yellow belt (Aldo), turquoise belt (Bianca Nygard), purple belt (Plum), necklace (handmade by Tamera), earrings (handmade by Elaine), lapis lazuli ring/Fulvia ring (Wendy Brandes).

 I dashed home after work and changed into sailing garb!

"Ahoy-hoy!"

I also wore a cardigan over this, and my orange raincoat over that. Even in July, it's cold out on the Pacific Ocean. Three of my co-workers and I all headed down to the Royal Victoria Yacht Club to go for a sail. Liz and her husband Nigel own a sailboat - what a generous offer to take us all sailing!

I love the look of masts and the ripple of the reflections on the water. There were a lot of massive yachts moored at the docks, but our boat was tied to a buoy offshore.

We waited with our food, drinks and gear at the dock for Nigel to kayak out to the sailboat and then bring it around to pick us up.

Here he comes!

It was a perfect day for a short trip - it was warm with a very light breeze.

Closer...

The sails were not up at this point. Note the huge houses in the background; that point has a lot of very expensive real estate. Such a view!

Looking south to Washington State as we sailed out of Cadboro Bay - hello, Port Angeles!

Liz climbing around to get help unfurl the two sails.

Nigel doing something with ropes.

I'm not a sailor - I don't know the proper terms for these things!

Looking into the small cabin as we get out to the open water.

I see my shadow!

About this time, I stopped taking pictures. The inflatable kayak was being towed along behind us, and as we got further out, and the waves got choppy, it flipped over! The pump for it fell out and was bobbing in the water. Those aren't cheap, so we turned and made a pass for it - missed it!

Back around we came, another reach...missed it again! By now the sails were flapping and the boom (I know that name) was swinging around. Emboldened by my wine (sucked through a straw in a travel mug), I noted that this was the point in a movie where someone gets hit in the head and falls in the ocean and DIES. There were a lot of ropes snapping, and seawater spraying at us.

While I cheerfully encouraged everyone with a chorus of, "We're all going to die!", Nigel tacked back around, we grabbed Aleks by her jeans beltloop, she hung off the side of the boat head-first, and snagged the pump from the water! Rescued!

The sun was starting to go down, so we headed back for the docks.

A pretty pinkness filled the horizon.

There's the red kayak behind us, and you can see the chop on the waves.

Coming back around to the docks...but there was no room for us to pull up!

It would have to be ferrying by kayak to shore with all our stuff.

I went first - I took this from the kayak.

Emily, Liz and Aleks on the deck of the "Windbag" (great name).

I arrived safely at shore without getting too wet (although I did miss the mat in the kayak and ended up with a wet butt).

That heron hissed and chased away the Canada geese, which you can just see heading away past that tree.

Nigel headed back out to get the others.

Some awesome paddling and sailing, Captain! Thank you!

There's the kayak pulled up to the boat.

The sea and sky were a lovely lavender shade.

 Nearly ashore...

And Aleks and Emily are safely on solid ground (almost).

One more trip for Liz and we all headed home. What a great adventure!

I woke up slightly hungover on Saturday morning, craving coffee. L and I headed out to our diner to meet up with our Vancouver friends, Spence and Kim and their 8-month-old daughter Rosie.

I planned to do a little consignment/thrift shopping after, so I wore comfy shoes and a dress.

As an homage to my sailing adventure, I wore my Smoking Lily canoe/ampersand dress, last seen here in May with the teal cardi above.

I wore a black vintage half-slip under it, just to keep everything nice and smooth. I like how a bit of the lace peeks out.

My fabulous Prepare Guides were last seen back here in early June, with my aqua strapless dress.

To cut down on my sunblock, I wore the cardi over it all. The cross-body bag was good for hands-free shopping.

Big bling:

Cheapy vintage fair necklace, and my chain bracelet.

Cardigan (Kersh, consignment), Tessroc dress (Smoking Lily), shoes (Prepare Guides, Fluevog), necklace (vintage fair), bracelet (Club Monaco).

I didn't have much luck thrifting, but I did find this insanely flattering top at The Velvet Crease:

It's by Mexx and is a lovely rich navy blue, a colour I don't have much of in my wardrobe. The neckline is micropleated ruffles, and the fabric is polyester (washable, yay!). It was $26.00.

As I was heading out of the store, I realized I'd missed the back of the rack - of course, I had to check it out, and good thing I did, because I found this gem:

Glorious colour! And the coolest thing? It's actually a man's shirt - it has the neck sizing - so woo! A new shirt for L.

And it's Dolce & Gabanna! It's a wonderful fine lawn cotton, and the construction of it is just perfect. Every seam is double-sewn and it's in perfect condition. And only $30! L loved it.

I also stopped in at one of my favourite local shops, Leka. They make their own line of clothing in the store, and also sell other Victoria artists' creations. You can find Trapper Jane, Morena and Floating Gold Iceberg here, as well as some stunning local jewelry. They are dedicated to ethically-produced fashion (they even have hand-made underwear!) - LOVE! I've linked because I love - if you are ever in Victoria, this is a wonderful shop to visit.

I like the rough, squared off edges

I bought this sterling silver pinky ring (they have sizes as small as 2 for mid-finger) for only $29.99 - it's by Bauxo. I think I have to go back for some of the mid-finger ones.

This link also has some great pictures of the store and some of the funky items they carry - I got my mom some of those colourful hand-knit socks for Christmas last year. I would like a gift certificate from there for my birthday (hint hint, L).

The rest of my weekend was spent pleasantly hanging with L and Vizzini. Vizzini has found himself a little snuggly area on the new couch:

He likes to be in slightly enclosed spaces. I think he feels safe there. Plus the cushions are nice and squishy for napping.

He hung out on the arm of the couch while we played board games on Saturday night.

He's on high alert for elastic bands, the little thief!

Then he lolled about on the carpet in the dining room.

"If you drop any food, it's fair game"

 This morning, I found him nestled back in the couch.

I hope your weekend was full of adventures, fun and comfy naps!