Reader Requests: Loud Leopard and Peacock Blue

Welcome, my friends, to another Reader Request post! I actually fulfilled two requests in this outfit, so yay.

Thanks again to lovely fellow blogger, Ann of Polyester Princess (you know I only link 'cause I love), and other fabulous blogger, Kezzie of KezzieAG, for their input. 

• Sweater - Ralph Lauren, vintage 80s, thrifted; last worn here in January with red plaid 
• Trousers - Gorman, consignment; first seen here in February with black satin
• Shoes - Chanii B; last worn here in January with orange Boss Pants
• Coat (below) - Danier Leather; last seen here in June 2022

Ann requested a repeat of these very loud, in-your-face leopard trousers. I loved wearing them again, and swooshed around the office, visiting my colleagues. 

Coworker Leah took a pic of my outfit to send to a friend who loves leopard. 

Kezzie requested "peacock blue" which is very much open to interpretation, as I see about 20 different shades of that on the interwebz. 

But I've seen plenty of live peacocks, and I know what they look like! 

Teals, dark aqua...that sort of thing. So since I was going to wear these pants anyway...there you go, Kezzie! But I did add more peacock blue when I saw your comment! 

For my second wearing of these trousers (the first paired with a black shirt, yawn), I played "what's beside it on the colour wheel?" and picked yellow.

Two shades of it! 

I bragged to Quebec City colleague Albert (el-BEAR) that we didn't need coats today, but I'm a delicate flower and required one for the morning chill. 

I've had this yellow leather coat since May 2010 - I bought it retail, on sale for $149.00 when L and I returned from our trip to London (with Mom) and Paris (just us). This is the first time I showed it, back in the day when I wore jeans and tees more often and had red hair. 

Post here, and enjoy my pics of Paris and the tale of my lost camera, which involves a very fat kitty named Inigo. 

It's still a great jacket, 13 years later. I'm sure I've worn it a hundred times. 

I have a rainbow of leather coats that are perfect this time of year. Expect to see them all! 

Accoutrements: 

Carried the gloves home, wore the scarf with the jacket open. 

• Gloves - Roeckl, consignment
• Scarf - consignment

The stuff: 

More peacock blue! 

Bold bling: 

I picked this bug brooch to hide the RLL logo on the sweater AND because it's got peacock blue crystals and enamel. 

• Bracelet - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Sidney
• Earrings - consignment
• Silver/onyx ring - Tocara, vintage fair
• Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes
• Brooch - Le Chateau, c. 2008

The aquamarine ring also matches nicely. The earrings are actually blue when you hold them up to the light.

Vizzini has been raring to get into the hallway lately. 

"Yes, let me out, Woman!"

Not today, buddy! But soon we'll have the deck open to him again. 

Red Regret-Me-Nots Altered; Scads of Gold Critters

Today's outfit was built around these new-to-me thrifted trousers that I fished out of the giveaway pile when I was rooting around for my coats last week. Regret-me-nots! 

They were in the giveaway pile because they were too big in the waist on me, so drooped and dragged on the ground. I paid less than $13 for 'em, so I didn't feel too bad. 

• Velvet blazer - Talbots, thrifted; last worn here in January with red ruffles and leopard
• Top - Gilmour, consignment; first seen here in January 2022 with browns
• Trousers - Nanette Lepore, thrifted; purchased here for $12.47
• Shoes - Banana Republic, consignment; last worn here a couple of weeks ago with bronze and a beaded snake

A gorgeous view of the Castle in the morning light. 

It was brisk but sunny most of the day. Windy, as we often are here on the ocean. 

These Red Boss Pants are not to be confused with my red linen pair, which are starting to fray and fall apart at the seams. 

When I noticed that last summer, I put Red Boss Pants on my mental shopping list. 

I was excited when I found these - good brand, okay fabric, Swoosh Factor 10 - but as I couldn't try them on, I had to risk it. 

I was disappointed that they didn't work out, so when my eyes alit on them last week, I pulled them out and thought, "I can fix these, or at least make them wearable for me."

If you look carefully, you can see two small pleats at the waistband. 

They're still not the greatest quality - I have not yet achieved Best Red Boss Pants! 

Oh, yeah, the outfit. Did you notice the tiger on my shoulder? 

Did you spot the snakes at my neck and on my wrist? My colleagues had fun discovering all my gold critters. 

Back to the pants. I folded over a small pleat on each side of the centre seam at the front, and sewed the top part together securely. 

It tightened the waist by about 2 sizes, which pulled up the hems to a perfect length. I was pleased with the results. Go, me! I wouldn't spend the money to alter these, but that's good enough to make these wearable. 

My "Please stop, thank you for not hitting me!" at crosswalks. I aim to be bright! 

No coat needed, so no risk of Velvet Rage. 

Accoutrements:

The scarf wafted around me in the breeze on the way home.

• Scarf - fake Louis (Lewis!) Vuitton, thrifted
• Gloves - Parkhurst

The stuff: 

I'm glad I kept these leopard shoes (another regret-me-not), although I still dislike the loafer style in general. That's a good heel. 

Gold animal bling: 

Three snakes and a tiger! 

• Necklace - vintage expo
• Snake bracelet - Whiting & Davis, vintage 70s, vintage fair
• Bracelet/earrings - Alexis Bittar, consignment, gift from L
• Snake double ring - consignment
• Brass ring - vintage mall
• Creeper tiger brooch - consignment
• Belt - thrifted

Blasted Buttons, Plus More Copper

I did a bunch of mending and repairs over the weekend, including finding a new button for this recently-thrifted plaid skirt.

And many of you were enthusiastic about seeing it right away, so there you go.

• Leather jacket (without lining) - Boss by Hugo Boss, consignment: last worn here earlier this month for a Mom-Day at Finnerty Gardens
• Sweater - Intimates, vintage 1960s, thrifted; last seen here in December 2022 with orange, copper and sequins
• Skirt - Brooks Brothers, thrifted; purchased here for $9.50
• Shoes - Big Presence Desmond, Fluevog; last worn here (3rd outfit) in September 2022 for Vero's birthday party

I tend to steer clear of patterns that are only two colours because they really limit what you can mix with them. 

I wore...blue and brown with my $9.50 woven-in-England wool skirt. 

Shocker. 

It's a lovely skirt, which is to be expected, as every piece of Brooks Brothers I've ever owned has been beautiful quality. 

I didn't take the jacket off at all, but I couldn't toss these pics. 

"Isn't this the point? Pictures of me?"

This is a vintage sweater, likely older than me (so, over 55). They don't make 'em like this anymore! 

I have at least 3 cobalt pullover sweaters - I can't resist them. 

"You know what else you can't resist? Me!"

You can see how nice the skirt fits in these pics. I really wanted to love it...

Oops, forgot to take my outerwear pic until I was almost ready to walk out the door! 

I get so discombobulated on Mondays. 

• Shoes - Geox, consignment

Accoutrements:

I snagged L's vintage silk fringed scarf from the Scarf CD Shelf. 

• Scarf - vintage, thrifted - borrowed from L
• Gloves - Parkhurst

The stuff: 

I was flabbergasted to see that I haven't worn these shoes since September?! Outrageous! I do keep them out all year round. 

Copper bling: 

More of my copper collection. 

• Necklace - vintage 1960s, consignment
• Wide mesh bracelet/skinny link/hinged cuff bracelets - all Renoir, vintage 50s, either thrifted or vintage fairs
• Earrings - vintage expo
• Silver/sodalite ring - Scotland, 1995
• Copper ring - consignment
• Shiny copper ring - Glee

As I was about to leave the house this morning, I reached down to pick up Vizzini for a final cuddle and POW! ZIP! two of the buttons flew off the skirt. I cursed and crawled on my knees to dig them out from under the bed, and quickly grabbed a needle and spool of navy thread and tossed the blasted buttons into my bag. I grumbled all the way to work, as I held the suddenly VERY high side slit closed. I quickly sewed both buttons on at my desk first thing.

The bottom button is from my stash and replaces the missing button - I only had this one, which is a drag, as it's nicer than the originals.

One of my repair/mend missions was to touch up the flaked black paint on the original buttons with permanent black marker. It worked...but rubbed off, although it's slightly less flaky-looking than previously. 

Grievances:

• The fabric stretched out around the buttons and didn't lay flat.
• There's no reason for this to be a real wrap skirt. Sew the damn front closed and put in a hidden side zip (and pockets, while you're at it!). 
• Flaky paint on the buttons. 
• Limited colours for matching. 
• 3/8 buttons missing or off within first wearing. 

This skirt hit its limit with me today, so it's off to the giveaway pile. Good riddance! 

Weekend Wrap-Up: Reader Requested New Pattern Mixing

I hope you are all having a marvelous weekend, my friends. Ours has been rather quiet, as L had to travel all day on Friday and didn't arrive home until Saturday, just in time for us to go to brunch at the Ruby. 

I'm still working through the remaining Reader Requests for final outfits of my fall/winter season (you're always welcome to make any requests, gentle souls), and this one is for reader/met-in-person friend, Laurie, who asked for a new pattern mixing. 

• Thermoplastic jacket - Fiorucci  X Adidas, 2019, consignment; first worn here a couple of weeks ago with the Dress of a Thousand Nipples
• T-shirt - Adidas Farm, thrifted; purchased here for $6.47
• Skirt - Kate Spade, thrifted; last seen here in January with pink and lime green
• Boots - Warhol F-Trip, Anna Suit X Fluevog; last worn here (2nd outfit) to visit Mom in December 2022

I fear Laurie will be disappointed, as she's not a fan of my Adidas sporty pieces. Sorry, Laurie! 

But you did inspire me to mix houndstooth, swirls and the abstract pattern of the t-shirt. 

Would I have worn these together without your request? 

Maybe? 

Without the jacket, which I took off briefly while we ate. 

I loved the t-shirt with the houndstooth - it dressed it up quite a bit. 

I had a lot of comments from folks at the Ruby as we waited for a table. 

I was probably the funkiest person in the grocery store too! 

Bundled up. It was sunny but cold. 

The jacket retains my body heat, so it's warmer than you'd think a thin plastic coat would be. 

Incognito. 

I was ready to just go home and chill out after that. L and I read, listened to music and played games all afternoon and evening, including a long nap in there before dinner. 

Accoutrements: 

I was mad at myself for forgetting to wear my new-to-me orange puffer purse, which would have been excellent with the outfit. Ah, well, another time. 

• Purse - Rebecca Minkoff, consignment
• Silk fly scarf - Smoking Lily, vintage mid-90s, consignment
• Gloves - Danier Leather

The stuff: 

I love these boots - they are rather spectacular. 

Bold bling: 

The bracelets were worn outside the jacket, as the cuffs didn't fit over them at all. 

• Black and white cuff - vintage fair
• Bakelite black and red cuff - vintage mall, gift from L
• Earrings - Mom's, Bermuda, c. 1990s
• Silver/onyx ring - Tocara, vintage fair
• Anneke & Lars ring - vintage mall

On Sunday, we did more of the same, reading, chilling, snoozing. 

"Arguing over who gets me..."

Vizzini slept on me for a bit, then moved over to L's lap. 

"I might sleep on you more later, Woman."

He'll be crashed on the warm laundry, more like it! 

That's it for my weekend, my friends! Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting my little corner of the blogosphere. 

Fancy Friday: Sporty Pinks and Greys; Art Project Complete: Pink Freedom Fluevogs

Hello, my friends! Happy Fancy Friday - I hope you all get your fancy on! I've got a quick outfit to show you and it just so happens to feature my arted-up Fluevogs, all finished! Wrap up below.

I built this outfit around this new-to-me Adidas jacket. 

• Blazer - Adidas, thrifted; purchased here for $19.95
• Pink shirt - Denver Hayes, consignment; last seen here in January with black and white
• Black sweater/tank - INC, thrifted; last worn here in October 2022
• Skirt - Eliza Faulkner, consignment; first seen here in February with faux fur
• Shoes - Freedom Suki, Fluevog, early 00s, thrifted; last worn here in June 2022 with pink and pattern

I riffed on the preppy vibe of it, and did a collared shirt, vest and tie. 

Menswear on the top, femme on the bottom. This was a really comfy outfit for a busy Friday.

I had a lot of positive reactions from my colleagues. 

A lot of "ooh!"s.

The skirt is a comfy thick fleece. 

The hem popped, so I did a quick staple at my desk. KLASSY. I'll sew it eventually.

Done up. The lapels don't like to lay flat, so I might tack them down with a quick stitch.

The skirt has excellent pockets.

Outerwear.

My sleeveless coat is perfect for this time of year. 

It was sunny, windy and rainy. 

Whatever! It's Friday! 

Accoutrements: 

The Muppety boa was snuggly warm as I walked home in the cold wind. 

• Fur boa - thrifted
• Gloves - consignment

The stuff: 

The shoes turned out really cool. I'm very happy with them.

Maximal bling: 

Did you spot the crystal necklace? It's on top of the tie knot. 

• Tie - Escada by Margaretha Ley, vintage 80s, thrifted
• Necklace - Alain, vintage 1950s, gift from Alison
• Bangle - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Sidney
• Steel/crystal bracelet - Juicy Couture, consignment
• Anneke & Lars ring - vintage mall
• Silver/onyx ring - Tocara, vintage fair
• Earrings - thrifted
• Pink shoe clips - came with these pink shoes
• Zipper rose - Victoria & Albert Museum gift shop, London

The tie says "Has a Love Letter Won Your Heart." 

Art Project: Pink Freedom Fluevogs

I finally got around to finishing my "Pink Freedom" Fluevogs this week, go, me! I previously showed progress pics here, and started working on them here, 

I did wear them twice as is, since I first thrifted them here in February 2022 for $9.95 (yes, you read that right!). 

This was the first, and not entirely successful, outfit, in February 2022. 

The only things I've kept are the shoes and the velvet skirt. 

I was much happier with this more summery outfit, in June 2022.

It did make me realize I can use a pink shoe like this in my wardrobe. 

Here's a reminder of what they looked like when I bought them. 

I'm wearing those rosette shoe-clips on my blazer today! I figured out quickly that they were removeable - they were not originally included with the shoes. 

And here's how they turned out!

Such a funky pattern! 

This is where I'd gotten to on my last update.

The most nerve-wracking part of drawing on clothes and shoes is the drawing part. What if I fork it up? And of course, I made many "mistakes" when I drew the lines, the concentric circles and the Vs.

Cool, eh?

Letting go of the wee errors is all part of the process. No one will notice. 

Each of the circles took around 30 minutes to do, and there are 14 per shoe, so 14 hours in colouring alone. Add in another 2-ish hours for the planning, drawing the lines, circles and Vs, and all of the touch-ups. 

I coloured over the white lacing, making it all black. I also planned my colouring to cover any dings, scuffs and scrapes. You can't see them now unless you're looking for them.

I signed one shoe, "S. Lastname" and "Pink Freedom, 2023" on the other. 

And there you go, all ready to wear. 

Another look at them. My coworker said, "You could sell those!" but once you do the math - what IS my time worth? 

This was a fun and relatively quick project, though - I liked doing this pattern and happily add it to my arsenal of tricks for future projects. 

Tools: Staedtler permanent black markers; Tombow art pen (alcohol-based). 

Next up: Back to L's Blue Oyster Cult Jacket! 

Have a great weekend, my friends! May all your skies be blue.