Hello, my friends! We're experiencing an anomalous heatwave on the west coast this week, and it's a reminder to me that I do not like temps higher than the mid-20s. It's been as high as 42 degrees here, with it being in the high 20s to mid-30s most days, and only dropping to around 20 at night. We're melting!
But enough of the weather report - let's get to the clothes! I have Friday's work outfit, a charming vintage dress for Saturday brunch, and I also dared to go shopping in this heat. So let's get it started, shall we?
For Friday, I wanted to be warm enough in our air-conditioned office, but not overly covered for the hot sun.
Most of this is silk, so very light and floaty. I always hum "The Imperial Death March" (aka Darth Vader's theme) when I wear this long duster - I'm Darth Sheila!
- Duster - Emporio Armani, vintage, thrifted; last worn here (2nd outfit) in June 2020
- Top - Melanie Lyne, thrifted; first worn here (4th outfit) with sailor pants five ways earlier this month
- Pants - Pinkertons, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) in May 2020 for a Zoom Happy Hour
- Sandals - Wonders; last worn here last weekend with my JCDC jumpsuit
This thin sleeveless sweater went well with the silk palazzo pants.
They have an elasticized waist, so I like to cover that, even though it throws the proportions off slightly. My legs would look longer if I tucked the top in, but then that elastic would show.
I switched from "duster off" to "duster on" throughout the day as my internal furnace blew up.
Seriously, hot flashes during a heatwave are the worst. I highly recommend a hot water bottle filled with cold water - put it in the fridge to chill it, then use as needed. This has been a lifesaver for me all weekend!
The duster is a burnout (or devore - duh-VOR-ay) silk velvet; there are little velvet squares all over it.
It's super-fun to whip the duster around, and it billows behind me when I walk. I swooshed it at every person I spoke to at work, including the security guard and a DHL driver. They were suitably impressed.
My sunnies are in regular rotation already. How did I live without them?
- Sunglasses - WOOW (it's just a Gucci carry-case)
Wearing my hat for my walk to work.
After work, L and I met up for burgers at Bin 4 Burger Lounge. I've missed their burgers!
Accoutrements:
With my sunnies and mask on, I'm totally incognito.
- Hat - thrifted
- Mask - by Mom
The stuff:
The silk pants are a bit long, so I always need a slight platform.
Colourful bling:
This floral cluster necklace worked so nicely with the pants. Matchy!
- Necklace - thrifted
- Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes
- Gold/amethyst ring - Frances Jewelers, c. 1965, Dad's
- Earrings - made by Sherri, gift
L and I hung out and played boardgames and listened to music while we hid from the heat on Friday night. It has been difficult sleeping in this - most homes in Victoria don't have air conditioning, so we just have a crappy old fan that is normally barely needed. I hugged George the hot cold water bottle all night.
I slept in a bit on Saturday morning, then we met up at the Ruby for brunch with Nick.
Cotton dress - check! Sunblock - check! Sunglasses - check! I am ready for the heat.
- Dress - Marjorie Hamilton, vintage 60s, thrifted; last worn here in July 2020 for brunch
- Shoes - Prepare Guide, Fluevog; last seen here a few weeks ago for a Zoom call with Mom
Although we have a group shopping expedition planned for next weekend, lately I've been yearning for a little shop on my own.
This dress is 100% cotton and stands away from my body.
Perfect for walking around in the heat.
I had L sunblock the "window" in back.
Masked up.
The bubble-print mask matches the "bubbles" on the dress!
Fetch me the Jaguar convertible, L, and take me for a ride!
I don't drive - I'm driven.
The stuff:
I picked shoes that I knew would not give me any issues at all for walking around or for slipping off and on while trying clothes on.
- Purse - vintage late 90s
- Mask - by Mom
Minimal bling:
I just can't wear much in the way of bling when it's this hot.
- Silver/turquoise ring - local
- Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes
- Earrings - vintage fair
At least I'm not wearing a fur coat, though.
"I'm melting."
He's been just flopping down in front of us for tummy rubs. I have to watch my step!
"I will permit the scritching of my tum."
Vizzini comes around and bumps the bathroom door while I'm doing my make-up (I'm holding my mascara in the pic above). I always stop and give him attention when he wants it - I always have time for my kitty.
After brunch, L and Nick headed home, and I went to Flavour Upstairs. I lucked out!
These dark grey boots were in the menswear section. They didn't look like men's boots to me, and I have big feet (Euro 40, US 9.5-10) so small sizes in men's shoes often fit me.
They are kind of a cross between a motorcycle boot (mid-calf) and a cowboy boot. I love the braided ankle wrap and the dip down at the back of the calf.
No zippers, just pull-on. I have very narrow feet and I know that this brand makes their boots narrow.
1883 Lucchese! I know this company -
my red cowboy boots are by them. And I just realized I've been spelling their name wrong for years! Oops.
Note the strap for pulling them on. Trying them on with bare feet while sweating in the heat was...an ordeal. I nearly fell into a rack of shorts.
The interior is all leather - they are made in Mexico.
M 4641 is the model number. These are called the Camila, and they don't make them anymore.
Nice stamp inside the boot.
They've had some wear on the leather soles - I will probably take them to the cobbler for new soles.
I spy a Talize tag with $24.99 on it (we don't have Talize here)...but these were $59.99 at Flavour Upstairs. That's still an amazing deal - these would have been around $500 new.
I gasped when I spotted these shoes on top of a display rack. Blue leather sandals!
And I know Fluevogs when I see them! Although it would be hard
not to figure that out - all four buckles per shoe are custom with the Fluevog name on them, plus John's stamped signature, the logo on the insole
and more Fs on the soles. The man knows how to brand.
The straps allow for a custom fit.
That's a great heel - these are totally squishy and soft. No rubbing or hard edges.
Barely any wear! They say "F is for all things that give Hope."
These are called the Hopeful Sunny, and I suspect that they're the same era (2012-2013) as my other blue Fluevogs (
these ones) as they are the identical leather.
I put them on so you can get a better idea of how they look on. Never say no to a Fluevog shoe until you've tried it on!
"Never say no when your favourite cat needs some lovin' - got it."
They are extremely comfortable. I have a feeling I'll be wearing these a lot!
"Those straps do look delicious..."
They were $59.99 which is a steal for Fluevogs.
These would have been around $389 new - even on clearance sale, Fluevogs rarely go below $199.
I didn't have a lot of luck with clothes (trying them on was...sweaty!), but did find this cotton bustier top.
I will likely wear it over a shirt, but I couldn't resist the zebra stripes! So cute!
It's by Wrapper, and was made in the USA - it's cotton with a touch of Spandex.
There's nothing online about this company, so it's pre-internet. I suspect it's from the 90s - those adjustable bra-style straps just scream 1995 to me. $19.99 felt like a good price.
I hemmed and hawed over this. It's a black silk tunic/dress with long sleeves.
It has really high slits on either side seam - wearing it as a dress could be dangerous, but maybe with a slim trouser or palazzo pants underneath for a classy boho feel?
How would you style it?
The fabric felt like quality - and yes, my hand was correct: it's silk with Spandex.
Made in Canada, nice! And hand-washable too, "for optimum life"!
I know this brand, Sympli. I used to have a "cold shoulder" top by them (old post from 2014
here).
$34.99 is a very good price - this line is like Eileen Fisher, doing simple (hence the name) pieces that are intended to mix and match. This tunic/dress would have been well over $250 new - they make very little in silk, with most of their product being that gross, bouncy polyester jersey.
Fresh from my exciting bonanza at Flavour Upstairs, I ventured back out into the blazing sun. Many stores and businesses in Victoria do NOT have air conditioning, as we seldom need it for more than a day or two in a summer. I wove my way over to the big WIN (Women In Need) store on Pandora Ave, but it was closed (? on a Saturday?), so I strolled to the Patch, trying to stay in the shade as much as possible.
Neither Flavour Upstairs nor the Patch have AC, but both stores were busy with folks looking for summer dresses and Hawaiian shirts. I did a quick run through both floors of the Patch, basically running my hands along the crowded racks (feeling for real fabrics like silk, leather, cashmere, cotton, wool and linen), looking at the lower sections of each rack for interesting patterns and then pulling out anything that catches my eye or hand. It's a really fast way to find the good stuff without going through every item (which I also like to do, when I have oodles of time).
I found this amazing dress tucked in with a bunch of tissue-thin crappy fast-fashion dresses. It's fully-lined and is cut like a fitted sheath dress.
The fabric is polyester with a crepe weave, but it's that good quality polyester that higher-end brands use. I love the dark blue/black/indigo pattern with the "crackles" of white.
Wait till you see this on - it's a very curvy, almost mermaid fit, with a very flared hem.
The blue Vs I've drawn on show the inside/back of the fabric, and the inset godets (Wiki link
here if you aren't clear what those are). Extra flare, baby! The hem is a midi-length, and flips and swooshes magnificently when I walk.
In addition to using my hands and eyeballs to look for special items, I also have a mental database of "good mall brands", and Talbots is one of them (along with Club Monaco). I've been in Talbots stores so I know how much their clothes retail for (a lot!).
That says $24.95 - this would have likely retailed for at least $150.00. Looking forward to wearing this!
I'm always on the lookout for gowns - I love long dresses, and with things looking very promising for BC's Stage 3 next week (a good visual
here of where we are in our province), I might actually be able to wear this for a special occasion, party or event soon! Not during a heatwave, however - I'll be wearing natural fibres all week!
*sigh* Isn't she magnificent? The fabric's pattern reminds me of marbled paper. There is no designer label in her, so she'll be the Marble Gown so that I can find her on the blog.
The cuffs and waistband are smocked with elastic. There's a zip up the back and two hooks at the high, ruched neck - there's a big swatch of fabric for a ginormous bow in the front!
I love the baby blue shade, and the mix of amber, wine, grey, blue and white in the sheer portion. It's fully lined (except for the sleeves) in more baby blue. I am picturing it with my big caramel Fendi belt and caramel platform sandals.
There's no brand label, but I did find the "DC Dry Clean Only" tag and the content tag (100% nylon, "exclusive of ornamentation").
You can see the baby blue lining here.
I also spotted the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) "Union Made" tag, which helps me date this garment. The red/white/blue label was in use from 1975-1992 (source
here), and I checked the other side of the seam and found the (R) trademark, and "Made in the USA."
Middle back zippers were standard in the 1970s (the zip on this one is plastic, as you can see in the pic before the above). The "Dry Clean Only" tag means it's after 1971 when manufacturers were obligated to put in garment care labels.
I carefully examined the dress after I tried it on - vintage dresses often have issues, but I'm less scared of them than I used to be. It's not a huge deal for me if I find some wear and tear, especially if it's fixable or not in a visible spot.
This is melting damage on the fabric in the neck bow, likely from either a candle or a cigarette. Can't you picture our stylish former owner having a ciggie with a cocktail in this? The melt-holes are easily hidden in the bow.
Sadly, there's some really noticeable damage and subsequent repair on one of the sleeves, circled below, where someone's roughly sewn up more melted patches. Imagining our former owner being a crowded room of smokers and someone touching her sleeve with an ember, or perhaps getting too close to a candle?
Isn't that print just swoon-worthy? I don't mind this repair, even though it's visible - this dress has Seen Things, and it's part of her history.
I also found the Lot tag, which has the size on it. Lot numbers (although none are listed on this tag) were used by manufacturers to keep track of their garments, and stopped being used in 1979, so this means this dress is pre-1979. The vintage sizing of 13/14 is roughly equal to a size 10 modern. Some good tips for dating clothes
here (all links 'cause I love, of course).
The Patch's tag is incorrect; this is not from the 80s, it's from the 70s. I asked for a discount due to the visible damage on the dress, and they were nice enough to give me $7.00 off, marking it down from $29.95 to $22.95. It doesn't hurt to ask, and I would have still bought it for $29.99, which is still a good price.
I staggered home in the sweltering heat, flush with my shopping victories. Chris and Alison came over for an evening of Arkham Horror. It was so hot that we (Ali and I, both "enjoying" menopause) sat with wet facecloths on our necks, and I alternated putting George (the cold water bottle) under my feet, on my lap or hugging it to cool off. L and I slept with a fan pointed right at us all night, but there wasn't even a tiny breeze!
On Sunday we were forecast for over 40 degrees (it's 34 degrees and climbing as I write this), but thank goodness we have a breeze again, so it's bearable. We had a moment of panic when we couldn't find Vizzini, but soon discovered his New Hiding Spot.
"Heh, heh, they will never find me!"
He is hiding under my "art chair" on the deck. What are you doing under there, bud?
"Well, I WAS having a pleasant snooze, Woman!"
He came out and flopped on my foot. The sun is just starting to hit the deck, and it will turn into a hothouse by later afternoon. It was over 40 degrees on the deck on Saturday!
"What are you waiting for? Rub my tum!"
We solely exist to provide pats, rubs and scritches. My fellow "owned" humans know this!
"Ah, that's the spot."
And now, my friends, I'm going to collapse and try not to move for the rest of the day! Stay cool, stay safe, and thank you so much for stopping by!
It's also 100% cotton, so it breathes well. Because today was another hot one with temps up to 40, which is just ridiculous for us here on the west coast of Canada. It's usually around 20 this time of year, and as previously mentioned, no one has AC in their homes here. 
Just the thought of putting a coat on is unbearable. We barely slept last night due to the heat - it usually cools off drastically overnight here with cold breezes coming in off the ocean. 
A hat and my paper parasol! I prefer a physical sunblock over chemical goop. 
