Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Merry Christmas!

My friends, we are there! It's Christmas Eve and my boss sent me home early.
I spent the last half hour of my day walking around and hugging all my coworkers. I'm SO not a hugger -it's the only time of year I do it!


  • Sweater - Tatyana, thrifted; last worn here (4th outfit) for a shopping expedition in November
  • Skirt - Mondi, vintage 80s, vintage fair; last seen here in December 2018 in a west coast cowgirl outfit
  • Shoes - Half Truth Tanya, Fluevog; last worn here (4th outfit) with the sweater in November
  • Leather coat (below) - Danier Leather, consignment; last seen here the weekend I bought it, earlier this month


After work, I met L for lunch at a new place, Joie (link here, 'cause I love - it was phenomenal). So good.
And now, we're going to watch some Christmas movies and chill out.

Presents are all wrapped, stockings are stuffed.
I can't fully express my gratitude for you, my friends. Blogging is solitary work, but every comment and interaction reminds me that I'm less alone in my love for colour, vintage, thrifting, shopping and generally being a Visible Woman.
To each and every one of you, a very Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas.Whatever your traditions, whatever you celebrate, may joy be with you.

Oh, yeah, I wore an outfit! I wore this identical outfit two years ago, here, with different tights and coat - and dark purple hair!
 A fun shimmery lame (lah-MAY!) ruffled skirt, with a holly green sweater.


  • Gloves - Parkhurst


Soft, warm leather and bright red gloves.
Whatever shall I wear for Christmas Day? It's hard to top this.

The stuff:
Easy shoes. I walked to and from work in them.

Dotty bling:
The earrings are fun - see what they look like on here.


  • Earrings - vintage fair
  • Onyx/silver ring - Tocara, vintage fair
  • Silver/aventurine ring - consignment
  • Bracelet - thrifted


I managed to grab Mr. Squirmy for a quick picture. Vizzini has lots of fans!
"You're all number one in my heart."

Well said, buddy. See you all soon!

Monday, December 23, 2019

Shiny Paisleys - One More Day!

I'm envious of those of you who are already off for the holidays (L included). Today's done, and I have one more day still to go. 
We're also past the solstice - all those long dark days will start getting lighter. Looking forward to that.


  • Leather jacket - Danier Couture, consignment; last seen here in October with twirly brick
  • Blouse - H&M, thrifted; last worn here in October with a bookish skirt
  • Skirt - Club Monaco, consignment; last seen here in December 2018 with black and sparkles
  • Shoes - Half Truth Veda, Fluevog; last worn here (3rd outfit) for a rainy spooky walk in November
  • Leather trenchcoat (below) - no label, vintage 70s, thrifted; last seen here earlier this month


Our office was pretty dead - only about 40 people were in, out of 250.
It was nice to have it quiet and have time to chat with people about their holiday plans.

My boss put a bottle of Bailey's in the kitchen (it's a creamy liqueur), which is nice.
And he said I could leave tomorrow at noon, which is even nicer!

I'll post tomorrow's outfit and then I'll take a wee break. I tend to post every 3-4 days during this holiday stretch. I'll be around.
But for today, please enjoy my shiny paisley skirt.

Outerwear - it was raining when I left the house, so I also grabbed my cream fedora.
No rain on the way home, fortunately, as I was laden down with groceries.


  • Hat (not shown) - Edward Mann, vintage 60s, thrifted
  • Scarf - thrifted
  • Gloves - Parkhurst


The stuff:
Easy shoes for an easy day.

Simple bling:
Things I love.


  • Eelskin bracelet - faux Gucci, Italy, gift from Mom & Dad, c. 1986
  • Bronze ring - P. Sarpaneva, vintage 70s, vintage expo
  • Spinner ring - Twang & Pearl
  • Amber ring - c. 1996
  • Earrings - Reiss, vintage 60s, vintage fair


Be merry!

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Christmas Tree Skirt; Jolly Brunch; Double-Party Vintage Sparkle

Hello, my friends! I hope you are all having a wonderfully stress-free kick-off to the holiday week! I have had a lovely time, with the usual mix of high- and low-energy activities. 

Now, what's this I see? Party dress, ahoy! 
So sparkly!

We'll get to more of this in a bit; this is my entry for "Visible Monday" over at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style. Get your party on!

But first, here's Friday's work outfit - I knew it would be the final day pre-vacation for about half of my colleagues, so I wore one of my favourite seasonal pieces for them.
You can get a good look at the lovely woven pattern of the skirt there: roses with a background pattern of leaves in a lighter tone.


  • Cardigan - no label, thrifted; no idea when I last wore it
  • Sweater - Judith & Charles, consignment; last seen here in September with a vest and vintage floral
  • Skirt - no label, vintage 70s, thrifted; last worn here in December 2018 with these same shoes
  • Shoes - Aldo, thrifted; last seen here in June with Spanish ladies
  • Coat (below) - Jeno de Paris, vintage 70s, thrifted; first worn here just a few days ago


Friday was rainy again and rather gloomy in the morning.
Doesn't the Castle look cool in the dawn?

I wear this wonderful Christmas tree skirt once a year, to the delight of my coworkers.
Friday was a lot busier than expected, and I was grumpy in the morning.
 It took most of the morning to snap out of it, helped by lunch out with my dear colleague Angie.
The skirt is handmade, and is softer than it looks - see how easily it's scrunched in my hands? That's some soft lame (lah-MAY, darling!).

Outerwear - yes, I wore my new leather coat in the rain, and this wool fedora too.
I felt very Christmassy as I was out and about downtown at lunch and after work.

The stuff:
I was so glad I'd worn flats - I run around a lot in my office.

Gold bling:
Shiny things!


  • Necklace - Trifari, vintage 60s, thrifted
  • Earrings - vintage fair


As you can see, my toes of my shoes were still wet there from the rain. These are fabric shoes, but they'll be fine.

My coworker Kirsty loved my outfit so much, she asked to take a couple of pictures. Here I am in my daily environment, walking around my office and keeping an eye on everyone.
My coworker Joel in the background, talking to my IT guys.

You can see I have a pen in my hand - I'm hiding copies of the floor plans behind me as I lean against the red post.
The "I would like to go home now" face! Thanks so much for taking these, Kristy!

L and I had a quiet Friday night, playing board games, and were up early for brunch on Saturday - we walked over to Shine diner for a change.
Let's just wear all the red! It makes me feel jolly.


  • Sweater - RW & Co., consignment; last worn here (2nd outfit) in November for a post-brunch shop
  • Leather dress - Truly by Part Two; last seen here in October 2018 with light florals
  • Booties - Arnold Churgin, thrifted; last worn here (3rd outfit) for Winesday in November
  • Coat (below) - Denny Rose, consignment; last seen here in November for a seasonal Vintage Fair


I did my Mental Health Walk in the morning - the past two weeks I've missed it to due to health issues, but it felt great and there was actually a bit of sun mixed in with the clouds.
L getting his shoes on.

This is actually a leather dress, not a skirt that I have on here.
 I usually wear it with a blouse under it, but I like it with the sweater over.
I have my mug of coffee (number two, for being nice to the public), and hand in pocket.

See? It's a dress!
 I have a vintage 100% silk thermal shirt on underneath for warmth.

Outerwear - this coat was the star.
I tend to wear it with red, for obvious reasons.

I forgot to "unzoom" my camera, so here's a close-up of the design.
 The pockets are lined up with the stripes.


  • Gloves - Cejon, thrifted


The stuff:
Comfy shoes - I knew we'd be doing a lot of walking later that night, so babying my feet.

Spiky bling:
I love this wonderful pendant - one of the best pieces that L's ever picked out for me.


  • Necklace - Robert Larin, vintage mall, gift from L
  • Earrings - Glee


Finally! Here is the sparkly striped vintage dress!
Mom and I were supposed to go to the theatre on Saturday night, but she's down with a cold, and wants to be well for Christmas, so we canceled that and dinner after. Take care of yourself, Mom! Dr. Sheila prescribes chocolate!


  • Dress - Ian Peters, vintage 70s; purchased here for $28.00
  • Shoes - Cardinal Super Fine, Fluevog; last worn here in November with orbs
  • Coat (below) - Hilary Radley, thrifted; last seen here a few days ago


This weekend often ends up being a double-party weekend for us.
Karen and Nick always have a Christmas party on this Saturday, as do Terry and Sandra. Of course, I go to both!

I have been hanging onto this gorgeous vintage lurex striped dress for just this occasion.
 It's deliciously stretchy and comfy to wear.

Can you tell I feel like a kajillion bucks in this?
 Wearing contacts with my heart sunglasses to play up the 70s vibe. I wore them perched on my head for most of the night.

If you took a look back at the pictures from when I bought it at the Vintage Fair, this looks like a long skinny dress (here).
 But it's got lots of room.

And the fabric is light and swingy.
I took pictures of this outfit in the daytime so that I'd have decent light. It was a wonderful dress to party in, and had many admirers. Not bad for $28.00.

Outerwear - the Unsafe Ocelot for the walk to Terry/Sandra's, then the walk to Nick/Karen's, then the walk home at 1:30 am.
 Like I said, a lot of walking.


  • Scarf - thrifted
  • Gloves - Parkhurst


Hello, darlings! Party time, Sheila's here!
I wore my pink sneakers for all the walking and hiked the dress' skirt up more around my waist so that I wouldn't step on it or drag it on the sidewalks.

The stuff:
I needed a slight heel for the length of the dress, but not too high for standing around gabbing and laughing all night.

Gold bling:
I do like a whack of gold for that 70s glamour look!


  • Belt - vintage, thrifted, Powell River
  • Sunglasses - the Patch
  • Earrings - vintage fair
  • Bronze ring - P. Sarpaneva, vintage expo
  • Amber ring - c. 1996
  • Crystal ring - Uffizi Gallery gift shop, Florence, Italy
  • Dome bracelet - Butler Fifth Avenue Collection, consignment
  • Chain bracelet - thrifted

Here's L in his finery:
"What about me?"

L is wearing a blue/grey floral shirt, with an English Laundry embroidered vest, and a set of vintage Christian Dior tails (thrifted!). His trousers were consignment, and his belt buckle was thrifted. The pin on his lapel depicts a rique nude lady (gift from me, vintage expo), and his shoes are very funky Fluevogs.

"Now, smile! Don't look so grumpy!"
"You should give me my treats early!" 

Vizzini was being quite the whiner, but 6:30 pm was too early for his treats. He was rather yowly when we got home 7 hours later.

And here's L and I, ready to enjoy our evening.
"I'd enjoy my evening more with food."

On Sunday, L and I chilled out with Vizzini and watched football all day.
Ah, what a perfect weekend. And only 2 more days of work until I'm off!

Vizzini's been mostly snuggly this weekend.
"Go away, Woman, I'm snoozing."

Good idea, buddy. I think I'll have a nap too.

Thanks so much for stopping by!