Orbs, Sequins and Kendra Adieu Flashback

Woo! It's Friday - bring on the weekend! 

I'm still digging into the not-yet-worn items in my spring/summer wardrobe, and today brings us the Orb jacket, the Victorian blouse and the Kendra Shoes. One of these items is leaving my closet - BUT WHICH ONE?

• Orb jacket - no label, vintage, thrifted; first worn here in November 2019 with gold and cream
• Blouse - Renuar, thrifted; last seen here in March for our Vampire Anniversary
• Skirt - Banana Republic, consignment; last worn here in May with mustard
• Shoes - Elegant Conversations Kendra, Fluevog; last seen here in September 2019 with greys
• Leather coat (below) - Jeno de Paris, vintage 70s, thrifted; last worn here in June

I picked up this cool blazer last year for cheap (under $10) - it's vintage and the silvery-gold orbs on it are woven into the fabric, not printed on.

The style is very ladylike, but the pattern is very funky. 

It has no label, nothing other than being quite amazing. 

My Victorian blouse gave me dramatic cuffs and a high neckline. 

My skirt is fun to play with. Sad face - it's raining! 

Happy face - oh, yeah, I like rain and I have a good collection of rain gear. I spelled out my delivery guy's name on it: JIM. He was tickled. 

Masked up and buttoned up. 

I wear my mask for about 4 hours a day, but I wore the jacket done up for exactly 30 seconds, while I took this picture. It's a boob-smusher. 

Outerwear - my lovely green leather trenchcoat is back! 

New-to-me gloves, purchased here in June for $35.00. 

• Hat - Edward Mann, vintage 60s, thrifted
• Scarf - vintage 60s, Dad's
• Gloves - consignment

The stuff: 

Did you guess these shoes as the departing item from my outfit? They are just too high. I had to go fetch my resoled boots, and run a couple of other errands, which involved walking about 3 blocks, and my feet were aching so badly, I had to change back into my Doc Martens (which I'd worn to walk to work). I can't keep shoes that hurt my feet. 

Pearly bling: 

While I was in the mall, I saw that the downtown Aldo (shoes + accessories) is closing. Aw...not that I shopped there regularly, but I did pop in every year or so to see what was on sale. 

• Necklace/earrings - Aldo
• Ring - Erth, consignment
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
• Silver/crystal ring - Uffizi Gallery gift shop, Florence, Italy

Flashback: Elegant Conversations Kendra Fluevogs

I am sad to say goodbye to these shoes, but they are way too high for me these days. They were one of the two pairs of shoes that L bought for me on our anniversary Fluevog pilgrimage to Vancouver in March 2016 (here), for $379.00. Fluevog still carries these, and they've never gone on sale.

They are going to the great Giveaway Pile, and I'll either give them to a coworker or friend who loves them, or I'll wait till the local store is able to run their Swap & Shop event and trade or sell them to fellow 'Vog fans.

They are so lovely, and while I've enjoyed all the outfits I've worn them in, I just can't keep shoes in my closet that hurt my feet.

So...let's say goodbye and celebrate how awesome these are! I never thought I would love a cream/grey floral shoe; aside from that heel, these were awesome. John (I can totally call him that, as we've met...twice!), would you make a version of this with a ONE inch heel?


My first outfit with them was right away, in March 2016.

Recognize the shirt? I like how the shoes read as my leg colour.

I wore them with more florals a month later, in April 2016.

Now the only thing I have left from this outfit are the blue earrings.


I like this pastel mix in May 2016.

The skirt is vintage Mackage, and was made in Canada - I see that brand at Turnabout sometimes and the prices are exorbitant (and the garments aren't made in Canada). Mine was thrifted, ha ha!

I love this fun and wacky outfit - I wore this to see "Spamalot" with Mom in September 2016. Aw, I miss live musical theatre! I remember being the dressiest person there, heh heh.

That is a pewter leather skirt, by the way. Pretty funky, eh?

This is a very classy look, also in September 2016.

The moths got that skirt, sadly, but I still have the belt and blazer.

Using the shoes as a neutral here in June 2017.

That flower popped off while I was wearing it. Poof! gone!

These shoes lent themselves to classy outfits. This is another pretty one.  

This was in October 2017.

I had a major fail with this annoying taupe-coloured wrap skirt in November 2017.

At least my vintage Dior slip is classy.

I like this drapey look from April 2018.

That skirt is so fun. I passed along the Helmut Lang blazer.

This is a familiar outfi; we've seen it in both the trouser Flashback and the blazer Flashback.

One more time - in June 2018.

This is a cool look, from August 2018.

I spent too much on that silk blouse (eh, it went to a good cause), and this is one of the few times I wore it. The belt is a vintage one from the 70s (Mom's, liberated by me in the 80s), and the suede skirt is part of a suit I still have.


My "metal" dress with a baby blue blouse underneath, in September 2018.

Showing the nice line of the heels from the back.

More drapey action in February 2019.

The frequency of outfits featuring these shoes dropped dramatically as of 2019, as I started to experience more foot pain. Years of wearing poor quality, too high shoes for far too long have taken their toll on my poor feet.  

This is my last outfit with these shoes, in September 2019.

A fabulous look, however! 


Mathy stuff: Because Fluevogs are so expensive, I like to wear them as many times as possible, to really get that cost-per-wear down. I have only worn these 15 times in 4.5 years, but that still works out to $25.27, which is not as bad as I feared! I know they will eventually go to a good home and get worn more. No regrets! And my feet will thank me. 


And now, my friends, I am off to start my weekend by giving this fellow a good brushing. 

"I love the brush - it's very tasty."

I'll be back on Sunday with tales of adventure! Thank you so much for stopping by! 

Mom-Day: Blues, Floyd's, Masks

Unlike my usual sleep-in, today I woke up at 8am and actually got up (vs. going back to sleep). Determined to get an early start on my groceries/Mental Health Walk, I was just about to leave when Mom called. 

"Let's go for brunch, and then you can come over for a visit!"

Stellar idea, Mom! I called her when I got back, and we hung out for the afternoon, until she dropped me back home to await the grocery delivery. 

• Cardigan - Ports, vintage 80s, consignment; last seen here in June over Etro paisley
• Blouse - Sanctuary, thrifted; last worn here in July 2019 with reddy oranges
• Trousers - H&M, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) in April for an early pandemic outing
• Boots - Gabor; last worn here (2nd outfits) in pre-pandemic March with blue leopard

I love my blue cardigan - it's 100% wool and is so snuggly. 

And it matches my boots, which I was not surprised to see I haven't worn all season. I kept them out for these very early fall days. 

I forget about things that I can't see, like this windowpane blouse which resides in a drawer in my lingerie chest. 

My space pants are nice and stretchy, plus, duh, they're silver. Why not wear silver pants?

Although I left the cardi on all afternoon, here's the outfit without it. 

I like the layers in this top. 

Masked up. 

You may have noticed my subtle hints about needing more masks...Mom did too. 

I added another one of my scarves to the outfit for visual interest. 

A little leopard is always welcome. 

• Scarf - thrifted

The stuff: 

I knew I'd be tromping around Mom's garden at some point. These boots were made for trompin'!

• Earrings - local
• Lapis lazuli ring/Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

But first, brunch at Floyd's Diner! 

This location is too far from town for L and I to visit, but it's close to Mom's house. 

We had one of our old servers from the downtown former location, Josh. It was so good to see him. 

Mom is looking snazzy in her cropped navy trousers, striped top and red faux leather jacket. She also has a very groovy "volcano" necklace on from the 70s that I covet (it has matching earrings). 

She's having work done on her house and has been dying to show it off. 

She's getting new decks and new fascia boards around the peaks of the roof. See the dude up there behind the tree on the right?

We walked around, checking everything and looking at the garden. 

Those red coral bells are from a plant that was at the house my mom was born in, in 1942. Isn't that amazing? They have moved with Mom to every house - I remember them from the garden of the house I grew up in.

I've already forgotten the name of these flowers, but they are making a break for the lawn. 

Run! You can make it! 

Mom's snazzy new rear deck. 

Oooooh....so nice! 

So yeah, my hint about masks have unleashed a monster! Mom has gone into production! 

She let me have my pick - yay! 

I took the two rows on the left, below. 

We'll have a better look at those in a minute. 

I spotted the pictures behind Mom's head in the hallway in the above picture. These are small, only 5 x 7" canvasses. 

My brother painted the top one, and I did the bottom one - we were both in my mom's summer kids painting classes that she ran out of our house from the early 80s (she actually still does it, but for fewer kids). 

I remember that I painted it in about 3 hours, and didn't have any help doing it. I was about 12 years old - this painting won a ginormous rosette at the Saanich Fair that summer. "It was bigger than the painting," noted Mom. 

Sharing an atrocity with you that I made c. 1978 in Grade 6 in Art class, probably for Mother's Day.

I drew the pictures in clay (a bee, butterfly, dragonfly and flower), and did the macramé too. Mother, this is hideous. Get rid of it! 

Mom wanted to show me her newest clothing purchases (I approved), and I was freaked out by these dolls in her bedroom. 

The doll on the left was my grandmother's; the one in the middle was Mom's (I also played with her); and the one on the right was mine. Her name is Nancy and she is in her original "Scottish" outfit, minus her red socks (I recall being very adamant that I wanted a doll with socks). She is by the Spanish doll company Formosa, and I probably got her in 1976 or 1977. I trimmed her hair into bangs (guilty).

Gah! Nightmare fuel! 

Most creepy doll ever. 

Mom found a little something in the closet - an old vintage hat of hers.

I'm modeling it - it's mine now! 

Here it is in its 1963 glory. 

Mom says she always wore it with the brim up like this. 

She bought it with her "first real paycheque" when she became a teacher in 1963, at Miss Frith's, a swanky boutique store that was in downtown Victoria from before the 1920s up till the early 1980s. Her/my wedding dress was from their bridal boutique that was accessed via a grand staircase. 

No label, but likely made in Canada, perhaps even specifically for the store. It's lined in a minty-green polyester satin. The inner crown has a stiff rim to help the outer crown achieve its "dip". I can't wait to wear this - I have an old vintage coat of Mom's from the same shop (old pic of me showing it off here), and I should really reunite them. 

Here's a better look at the masks I selected. 

On the left, from top: a tree scene, a light version of leopard, purple with black and shiny gold, blue snakeskin, navy blue with gold pattern. 

On the right, from top: black with grey cats, black with silver snowflakes, grey snakeskin, red and white floral (fabric from France!), black/white/red stripes and zebra print.

A better look at the kitty one. 

A whole bunch of cats! I love it, and love them all. Thanks so much, Mom! 

We built another pile of fabrics that I liked for more masks (MORE MASKS). 

Mom in her studio, surrounded by fabric and paintings, art amid chaos. Yeah, sounds about right. Love you, Mom.