Welcome back, my friends! It's Mom-Day time, and we returned to Beacon Hill Park, last visited
here in March - enjoy seeing how things have changed in 7 months! I also swapped my coat closet to fall/winter, so I have a few pics of that to share with you, and of course, I may have had a wee shop on the way home in the afternoon. Settle in, grab a beverage and enjoy.
First up, the outfit.
"Oh yeah!" I crowed when I unbagged my Tsarina vest from my stored-away outerwear. I built the outfit around it.
- Sweater - Karl Lagerfeld, consignment; last worn here (3rd outfit) in March for Saturday brunch
- Skirt - Gunex, thrifted; last seen here (3rd outfit) in that same outfit in March
- Boots - Babycakes Mini, Fluevog; last worn here in October 2022 for my actual birthday
- Plush Tsarina vest - Buffalo by David Bitton, consignment, Powell River; last seen here (2nd outfit) in March for a different Saturday brunch, a Reader Request
I've worn all these components together before - but with different boots.
I had tons of compliments on the vest all day.
It's rather fabulous.
I've always loved embellished clothes. The entire lining of this is thick teddy-bear plush. So snuggly!
Without the vest, which I took off while we had lunch at the Beagle Pub in Cook Street Village.
I love that brown is trending fashion-wise - everything comes around again.
This heavy cotton sweater is always a challenge to wear - those ginormous cuffs don't fit under any of my coats.
My bark skirt is an old favourite, going back to when when I thrifted it in 2014, nearly 10 years ago. This is its 20th wearing!
It's a full circle skirt, see?
It's very swooshy.
It's soft, and yet it can stand on its own.
Forget "bark", it's more like a stump!
I looked like this while I had a browse in the Velvet Crease and MONA.
This was not a good shopping outfit (too many layers, hairclip and necklace), but that forces me to only try on the best things that I really like.
This is how I looked as Mom and I walked through Beacon Hill Park.
I was good while we were in the sun, but chilly in the shade.
I should have worn a long-sleeved tee under the sweater (I had a regular tee under it).
I was glad I'd worn thick socks over my tights!
Accoutrements:
Some old faves.
- Purse - Ted Lapidus, vintage 90s, vintage fair
- Silk scarf - Pierre Balmain, vintage 80s, thrifted
- Velvet gloves - vintage 00s, thrifted
The gloves were not warm enough.
The stuff:
These were good boots for a slow, chatty stroll around the park, followed by a couple of hours shopping and a short walk home.
Brassy bling:
Mom liked how the necklace picked up the greens in the vest.
- Necklace - Plum, c. 2010
- Brass/wood earrings - LA Express, c. 1994
- Jade/brass ring - vintage 70s, Mom's
- Silver poison ring - Mexican, Karen's
- Brass ring - vintage 70s, vintage mall
- Brass/copper cuff - Karen's
- Brass/leather cuff - vintage 70s, Mom's
She spotted "her" stuff right away.
Before Mom picked me up in the morning, I had some time after the cleaners finished up, so I dug out my three bags of winter coats I'd had in storage.
I am letting go of the Unsafe Polar Bear (quite thrashed) and the Unsafe Ocelot (also falling apart), but I'll be on the lookout for replacements.
My coat closet before.
I remove about 10-20% of my coats per season, just the thinnest and thickest ones.
A pile waiting to be folded and bagged.
I reserve the right to change my mind, and add any back, or put more away. See you in 6 months, coats!
Coat closet after.
I spy my Halston and the Grape Ape!
And then Mom arrived, and off we headed.
It was such a lovely day, and so good to spend it together.
We parked near the petting zoo, and headed straight into the park. What a gorgeous blue sky!
That redwood is the Family Tree - we have lots of pics of generations of our family sitting in the branches.
We headed for what I will always think of as the Rose Garden (they moved the Rose Garden years ago, but the brain persists).
We could see a bunch of peacocks gaggling on the far side, near that green bench.
We paused to look at the sundial.
I tried to get both our shadows in.
A woman settled on the bench and dug into her bag.
The peacocks came! I think they know her!
More of them came out of the wooded area behind her.
She fed them from her hand. The birds are rather drab this time of year.
Mom and I skirted the bench and headed into the trees.
Beacon Hill Park is a roughly sculpted park - not as fancy as Butchart Gardens (which was a Jeopardy clue this past week, link
here, all links 'cause I love). I always recommend it to friends who come to town.
Another peacock dashed past us, accompanied by a bouncing black squirrel.
We saw tons of squirrels, digging around in the ground. Many of them approached us.
There are a few roads through the park, for maintenance only.
Lots of paths, some paved, some not.
Hey, Mom, someone's following you!
"Hey, lady, got any acorns?"
We approached one of the lakes and could hear the ducks long before we could see it.
They were squawking and splashing.
Some of the wild areas, full of indigenous plants.
I love the Garry Oaks, the very twisty tree on the right.
What a pretty view.
The fall colours were fading, but there's still lots of green.
The house I grew up in had a giant weeping willow that draped into our backyard, and I've had a fondness for them since.
Lily pads and an arched bridge. The two apartments buildings in the background are up for redevelopment, sigh. They'll probably put in 20-storey towers.
The park was full of people enjoying the sights, and taking pictures of the wildlife. See the person in the blue coat on the far side?
Aren't the willows amazing?
Some ducks came over to see if we had any food.
Sorry, guys.
It was far too cold to see any turtles this time of year, and we didn't see a single heron.
I saw a bald eagle circling as we were driving into the park, though.
This poor tree has seen many declarations of love.
Some people...
I tromped over the mushy grass to see what all the little lumps were near the water.
They were tree roots.
Looking back at the stone bridge, another site of Angsty Teenage Poetry-Writing.
Beacon Hill Park is a great place to just go and sit.
This is the turtle log (pic
here from March).
This time, only ducks were on it. That swirl of ducks on the left were diving underwater, one after the other.
The sun hit just on the fountain.
Those are the trees we saw the herons in last time. No herons in October!
Looking back - ahhhh, such beautiful colours.
I'm so lucky to be able to visit here whenever I want.
Thank you for suggesting it, Mom!
She's posing at the Emily Carr bridge - this is where Emily would cross to go from her house in James Bay to spend time in the park. About Emily
here.
These two ducks were sleeping at the lip of this small waterfall.
The mallard cracked an eye at me.
A picturesque trickle of water amongst the cedars.
So pretty.
A bench for viewing the Moss Lady.
The what?
The Moss Lady.
She's not very mossy right now.
Such colours.
My stomach's rumbling, time for lunch!
We ambled back to the car.
A big cluster of cedars.
And a fat black squirrel, giving me the eye.
"You may pass."
We crossed the grass - it's easier to walk on than the hard concrete.
So much beauty around us.
This peacock wouldn't pose for the woman on the right.
But he headed right over to Mom and me.
Look how close!
He's nearly standing on my shadow.
Mom at the pub. This is another new top of hers from a recent shop. It's Wedgewood blue, with full sleeves in a nice silky knit.
The neckline is trimmed with bugle beads, and has a tie to play with and adjust the neck. You look awesome - I love you, Mom!
Mom dropped me off near Fort Street and I had a poke through the Velvet Rose consignment shop. They still have 20% off everything, with some 50% off items. I got these old new-in-package nylons for $2.40 a pair.
The Life brand ones on the right are from Shoppers Drug Mart.
The Cameo brand pair (which are in an "oyster" shade) are quite aged.
1991! Ha! I wonder if the Lycra has any zing left?
I also found this gorgeously tactile VELOUR top.
It's a slightly cropped shape with a wide neckline.
The sleeves have been ruched/elasticated not once but TWICE!
Bastard massive sleeves!
It's by Juicy Couture and retailed for $79.00 (it's a modern design, not vintage).
I paid $34.40. I love it - it's the cosiest, thickest velour ever!
I nearly put this back. "I have an awesome orange blazer already," I thought. But I don't have an orange faux leather SUIT, do I?? Nope, I do not.
The pants are pull-on and more like a legging with a seam down the front. Note the splits on the front of the hem. These look very cool with some of my funky shoes.
This is also current merchandise - proof you can find recent/on-trend clothes second hand. This is an oversized blazer, but in a size small, so it's more of a snug fit.
The suit is currently available at the Bay department store - it came in orange and emerald green.
Real pockets, and a generous size too! There are no pockets on the pants, boo.
A brown button. I am not usually a fan of faux leather, as it doesn't age well, but this is really nice quality.
Both the pants and the jacket were new-with-tags, never worn. The lining is made from recycled polyester.
It's by Only, and was originally $105 for the blazer, then marked down to $42.96.
The pants are a size XL, which I like so that they are not skin-tight (which I do not like).
They were originally $59.00, marked down to $29.96. I did the math and pointed out to the lovely lady helping me that the Velvet Crease was charging MORE than these sold for retail. "But you're getting an extra 20% off!" she said - and so this suit was only $60.00. I'm not complaining - I'd rather support a local business any day!
I had a quick schmooze around in MONA next door and fell in love with these glorious pistachio trousers.
They are modal and polyester and have massive wide swooshy legs. There are two side slash pockets (yay!) and a pocket on the bum that's stitched closed (I'll leave that done up).
They're by Zara and they were $36.00.
They're very thin and flowy, so they've been stashed away for next spring - they'll be a nice surprise when I pull them out of hiding!
Speaking of hiding, someone retreated under my bathrobe all day...
"George and I are having a moment, do you mind, Woman?"
George is the hot water bottle - it was like a sauna under there! Stay warm, Vizzini, we're in for freezing temps!
Although the skirt has had a bevy of unique tops, sweaters and jackets worn with it. 
The skirt delights me to wear - it's very soft and swooshy and swoopy and is multiple layers of netting and dotted mesh. It's also a leaf and twig magnet and is getting a bit ratty at the edges. I discovered a maple leaf and some sticks attached to me when I arrived at work.
Wearing a cape requires planning - I never just "throw one on." I usually plan my outerwear and accoutrements when I plan my outfits. I like it all to go together harmoniously. 
I did a bit of shopping after work and ended up being overly warm - I stuffed my toque and scarf into my tote bag. 
I wear my purse cross-body UNDER the cape. Capes are not purse or pack friendly. 
I walked to work and back in my boots (they are that comfy). The laces flap around dramatically - very fun. 
Black cats, anatomical hearts and Mighty Cthulhu himself. 
This always makes me laugh. 
