Black for Grandma, and the Funky Chicken

Yesterday, L and I spent the day going to to his grandma's memorial. It was a 3 hour drive, then over an hour on the ferry (and of course, you have to wait for the ferry) - each way! We got up at 5am and didn't get home until 10pm. I'm still exhausted.

I like to wear mostly black for memorials/funerals:
I've only worn this dress once (here) - I know, shameful. It's a wicked dress.

Because Grandma was a Wonder Woman, this one's for her!

The dress has a tie belt, which I've tied into a bigass bow. Usually, I toss such belts and use my own, but I really like the look of the bow.

I added the blue suede shoes, my Dad's scarf, and my yellow jacket in case it got chilly:

It did not, but I looked very chic carrying around my yellow jacket all day. I tied the scarf to the strap of my black bag.

Dress (Esprit), jacket (Danier Leather), shoes (Feet First), scarf (60s vintage), earrings (don't remember), cuff (St. Paul's Cathedral, London).

Today, back to work. I picked up this dress for $9.99 at Dots while I was waiting for the bus to get my hair cut on Monday night:

Classic! I am also thrilled that it does not wrinkle (and it's 100% cotton, go figure) across the bum from sitting at my desk.

I layered my floopy skirt under it (worn layered before here and here) for fun and to show off my awesome yellow boots (as previously seen here, here, here, here, and here).

It was only when I realized that I sort of resembled a chicken. Bu-kawk!
I'm a bit more Super Chicken than Wonder Woman today!

The skirt floofed out when I walked:

I felt like dancing!

The stuff:

Yep, those are yellow boots! Yellow boots!

A close-up:

The leather cuff is new too. It was $3.99 at Dots.

Dress (Coupe), skirt (no label, consignment), belt (Plum), boots (Aldo, consignment), cuff (Dots), earrings (Shi Studio).

Floofy and Poofy

Gotta be quick today - I haven't eaten dinner yet, and I have to get up really early tomorrow morning to travel to go to L's grandma's memorial.

I wasn't pleased with this outfit - both pieces are too floofy and poofy. I should have had a slim bottom (like here) or a more fitted top (like here). Ah well, live and learn.
I got my hair cut after work - pow!

Sorry about the weird light - it's later on than I usually take my pictures.

The hair:

My ultra super-power cuff!

The stuff:

Colour for my blah mood today.

Close-up:

Yellow is my happy colour.

Be back on Wednesday night!

Blouse (Nine West), skirt (Club Monaco), shoes (Tsubos), cuff (thrifted), earrings (Le Chateau).

Weekend Stuff and a Book Blurb

It's been a tiring weekend, and all I want to do is nap.

What I wore to Weight Watchers:
Arms akimo, Wonder Woman! Best news I'd had all week: I only gained 0.2 pounds over the last two weeks!

Dress (no label, consignment), sweater (Jacob), shoes (Wild Diva, gift from Caro).

We had an exhausting game of 4 on 4 Ultimate on Saturday, after which I napped, then went to Winesday. Thank you, Marian, for firing up the hot tub! I really needed that soak.

I wore various bits and pieces of this outfit over the course of the evening, but back to this for the cab ride home late last night.

Cardigan (Express, thrifted), cami (Reitman's, consignment), skirt (Club Monaco, consignment), scarf (MetroWear), boots (Miz Mooz), belt (Gap).

Today, I spent 4.5 hours walking around town:

Inigo waltzed into this - I didn't even know he was there until I felt him brush my leg after the camera went off. Silly kitty!

Dress (Do & Be), shoes (Rinaldi), cardigan (Express, thrifted), belt (consignment).

I finished a book earlier this week: Stephen King's "Under the Dome":

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a big fan of Stephen King. I used to buy his books for my Dad for birthdays and Father's Day. Dad was dyslexic, so he struggled to read entire books, but he got hooked on the plots of Stephen King novels so they were easier for him. And once he finished with them, they came back to me. Many of my King books say things like, "Happy Birthday, Dad, love, She" inside them. I have nearly every book he's written.

Stats: 1000+ pages of interesting characters getting up to no good shennanigans. Started August 8th, finished August 17th. I toted this massive lug of a hardcover up-Island and back.

Blurb: As I said, I've been a fan of Stephen King's for ages (since at least the early 80s). I have a new hardcover original of "'Salem's Lot". I expect complicated interrelationships, gory deaths, and seeing what happens to his characters (literally dozens of them in this one) when something unexpected happens to them. Like, oh, say, a dome pops up around a small town in Maine and the bizarre stuff that ensues.

If you like Stephen King, you'll like this one. It's much like "Lord of the Flies" in that it puts people in a closed environment and then sees what they do. I'd say it's in the top half of his books, but closer to the bottom of the top half, if you know what I mean. If you don't like Stephen King, don't bother.

Casual Friday - Long Demin and Caro Shoes

Last night was Book Club, so I didn't have time to do my blogging. I'm getting caught up today. My dear friend Caro gave me these amazing shoes! She ordered them online and they are huge on her (they're a size 8.5), but they fit me perfectly, so she just gave them to me. What a sweetheart! The long denim skirt is new - I got it last week while we were up visiting the in-laws. My mil insisted on paying for all the stuff I bought - this was a whopping $3, on for half price, so it was $1.50. How will I ever repay her? Ha!

I like the trend of long skirts coming back (I've always been a fan), and this one hit me right in my sweet spot: slim cut, not too low in the waist, not slit too high in the back, cool details. The waistline has no button - it's a ragged finish. I also really like the "cuff" look at the bottom. I'm pretty sure this has never been worn.

It's a little snug at the top, but that's okay - just makes me sit up straight! Wonder Woman!

I love this blouse, which I have not worn enough - just the once here (lots of close-ups of the details on it - it is amazing, check it out).

Oh, this was funny. L bought me flowers yesterday (he's sweet that way), and Inigo spotted the raffia bow while they were lying on the kitchen counter:

Rar! Kitty attack!

The stuff:

Awesome shoes! My mom's 70s necklace and my leather cuff (with airplanes!).

A close-up:

Fly away to the weekend!

Blouse (unknown, consignment) , skirt (Manager, thrifted), cami (Jacob, gift from Ruth), shoes (Wild Diva, gift from Caro), belt (Plum), cuff (Catalyst Reaction Leather), necklace (Mom's, vintage 70s).

Hectic Thursday - Neutrals

In keeping with my "determined to be positive" attitude, I dressed yesterday for how I wanted to feel. Forcing my mood from the outside in, I guess you could say.

Actually, I just really wanted to wear this belt that I got a couple of weeks ago, and I haven't worn this skirt for a while (only once, here). Hee.
Distinctly less "lumberjack" this time. I also went for lunch with Mom and wanted to look nice.

I liked how the high-waisted skirt looked with this (worn once here):

Wonder Woman! Wearing my power cuff again, too.

The weather has turned here - it's in the low 70s/low teens now. Brr...this meant a jacket was required:

My cheapy boyfriend jacket that I got in a thrift store months ago.

The stuff:

One of the most comfy pairs of kitten heels I own. I've worn them so much the brand has worn off. I've had them for about 4-5 years.

I got the belt at the Gap (I never shop there, but Ruth and I went to the Mall and she wanted to go in). It was regular $42, marked down to $19.99, then marked down to $12.99, then had an extra 30% off. Score! For leather, too.

Close-up:

Black, gold, silver sparkliness!

Oops, missed putting my ring in the picture!

Blouse (Vintage DC Missy, consignment), skirt (Bedo, thrifted), shoes (don't remember), belt (Gap), cuff (Aldo Accessories), earrings (The Cobbler), ring (Club Monaco).

The Bad Bangle

I've been meaning to wear this dress again (previously worn here, and here), and today just seemed like the day.
In keeping with the Wonder Woman theme for August (don't forget!), I did a ton of bracelets to deflect the bullets of negativity!

Since I'm feeling positive, I only needed bracelets on one arm. Fewer bullets. Hee.

I also wanted to get another wear of these shoes in before I pack them away:

They just don't work with nylons or tights (or socks), so they are strictly bare-leg/toes wear. I haven't worn them a lot, so they are still in really good condition, even though I've had them for around 4-5 years now. Previous wearings here, here, here, here, here, and here. Yup, looks like I've worn them twice a year.

One risk with an armload of bracelets is the racket you make. I irritated my co-workers (sorry, guys!) until I figured out that I had a Bad Bangle in the mix. It's the one on the right:

It's hollow, so it really made a lot of noise against the other ones. Once I slipped it onto the other side of the cuff, it was fine and I was a lot less jangly.

Dress (Smoking Lily, consignment), cami (InWear), shoes (Franco Sarto), cuff (Club Monaco), brass and brown bangles (Aldo Accessories), ivory bangles (some import shop).

It's Easy Being Green

Thank you, everyone, for your kind words about my job situation. I'm going to try to stay positive (and collect my paycheque!), and take life as it comes.

For now, one of my favourite colours - GREEN!
All a bunch of remixy stuff - I won't be buying much for the next few months! I've worn this skirt a couple of times (here and here).

I actually wasn't that happy with the vest. I got a new/consignment black velvet one (this guy) to replace this! Why isn't this one gone? Why am I not wearing the velvet one? Good gravy, Sheila, time to clean out the closet!

Wonder Woman!

I did my pictures before I fed Inigo. Bad move:

Eyes of death! But he forgave me.

The stuff:

I liked the black and white pinstripe in the vest echoes in the white stitching on the shoes.

A close-up:

Mom's green bead and gold necklace. I think it's from the 70s? The ring is also hers, and I'm probably going to get a phone call and her saying, "So that's where that ring got to!" It's a real jade ring set in some gold-toned metal that turned my finger green.

And something for the nail polish people:

I love that colour. Hee, my feet are pink from my walk home (and I can see sock marks on the right foot, ha!).

Vest (Oxmo), shirt (Pink Martini, consignment), skirt (Banana Republic, consignment), shoes (Jones New York, consignment), necklace and ring (vintage, Mom's), earrings (Plum, gift from L).

Polka Dot Power

Well, I had "the talk" today - my last day will be November 12th. *sigh* It's just weird. I admit I have a lot of anxiety about finding a new job - I really like having stability.

Anyway, I wanted to wear something powerful so that I could use my favourite motto: Fake It Till You Feel It! What's more powerful than some wicked heels and polka dots?
Some vintage Grandma J accessories lent me her power as well.

That's my new spotty top from my trip - it was a whopping $3 in a thrift store.

Obligatory WW pose:
And because I am Powerful, I wore my copper cuff to ward off Corporate Evil (fortunately, there wasn't any - my corporation is actually pretty decent).

The stuff:

These shoes make a lot of noise when walking on tile. I deliberately stomped around, making my presence known. Heh.

A close-up:

That's all Grandma J's jewelry. Those earrings are ones I remember Grandma wearing - they have heavy wear patterns on the back. I think I last wore them here. Hey, they are called the "Galaxy" earrings - this site has a ton of Renoir pieces - and there's my cuff down at the bottom (with enamel). My necklace isn't stamped, nor are its earrings, but looking at all those necklaces and the chain/ball/hook closures, I am pretty sure it's Renoir as well.

Top (Majora, thrifted), cami (Esprit), skirt (Ann Taylor, thrifted), shoes (Guess), necklace and ring (vintage 40s, Grandma J), earrings (Matisse by Renoir, Grandma J), cuff (Renoir, Grandma J).

Special Occasion - Nick's 50th Birthday

So, I'm back from our brief 48 hour holiday to see L's folks. I didn't take the camera, so if you're interested what the West Coast looks like, click here to see the pictures I took two years ago (it hasn't changed). It was smokin' hot (for us) - around 30 degrees (80+ degrees) the whole time.

I got to raid my mil's garden for fresh blueberries, strawberries, peas, green beans, cherry tomatoes and carrots. Yum!

We made it back in time to have a nap before our dear friend Nick's 50th birthday party last night - I can't believe I have a friend who's 50! Ha ha! I saved this dress from our trip to Paris and London back in May for this most special occasion:
Aw yeah! It's definitely 80s. The zip is how you get it on and off, and it looks cute with a bit of it unzipped to give a V in front (which I did later on as it got warmer).

I got the dress on the Champs Elysees, at Naf Naf, about a block from the Arc de Triomphe, while we were on the way to the Louvre. Gee, I sound like I'm name-dropping.

I was in full-on Wonder Woman mode with my bracelets:

Ready to kick some butt!

A shot of the back:

Now, I feared that, as a 42-year-old, that this was maybe a titch too tight, but I was assured by all the men at the party that it was just fiiiiine. Hee. And frankly, screw it - I don't care if it's age-inappropriate. I felt great.

My hair was a little messy since I'd slept on it - I just kept mussing it up. Classic WW pose:

The boots were so freakin' hot. I kept them on for all of 20 minutes before I caved and spent the rest of the party barefoot.

The stuff:

I do love those boots, though. I've had them for about 5 years (here, here, here, and here).

A close-up:

I strung the feather necklace charm onto one of my hoops to be a little more 80s. I loved the bigass cuffs.

Dress (Naf Naf), boots (Bronx), leather cuff (old), studded cuff (Aldo Accessories), feather charm (second hand), earrings (gift from L).

Eight Questions, Eight Answers

Lesa over at Always Summer tagged me with one of those "question/answer" thingies - I'm not so much into passing those along (I also don't pass on those "send this to your 6 best girlfriends!" emails), but I like to talk about myself (let's be honest here, hee).

I'm supposed to answer her 8 questions and then ask 8, but I like the 8 she answered so I'm going to answer those as well - I'm such a rebel.

If you feel inclined to play along on your own blog, or in the comments, please consider yourself tagged! You're it!

1. Who has been the biggest influence in your fashion life?

My mom, easily! As I think I may have said before, my mom is an artist, so I get my love of colour and texture from her exposing me to art at a very young age (some day, I'll dig out some of my old art and photograph it - I have stuff all the way back to kindergarten). She was also a pretty snazzy dresser when I was a kid, and when I hit my teens, I raided her closet and jewelry box on a regular basis.

However, she is my biggest influence because of one piece of advice: "Wear whatever you want, but wear something different every time." I love changing up my look, and challenging people's expectations of who I am by wearing different things all the time. I don't think I have ever repeated an outfit exactly since I was 17 years old. To this day, I can still remember what an impact her words had on me. They changed my life. Thank you, Mom.

2. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?

I would live in the city I live in now - it's by the ocean, the weather's pretty good all year round, it's not too big, not too small, I can walk most places (or get there by bus or cab if I can't), and it's beautiful.

If I had unlimited resources, I would live in a giant rooftop condo with a huge outdoor garden (that someone else would maintain for me), that I could let my kitty roam in safely. It would also have a view of the harbour and mountains, and a garage/elevator that L could drive the car right into and bring it up to our house. It would have a huge, custom-built closet for me (and one for him), and oh...lots of other custom stuff.

3. Are you okay with alone time and quiet or do you prefer to be around people and noise?

I like a bit of both. I need quiet, alone time to re-charge my batteries, but I like being around and interacting with people on a limited basis.

4. What is your favorite piece of clothing that you own or have owned in the past?

I don't really have one favourite piece - more like dozens over the years! I am not hugely attached to any of my clothes or shoes...having gotten rid of my entire wardrobe when I lost weight, as well as doing a full year of "one in, one out", cured me of most sentimental attachments to my clothes.

My most treasured items are probably in my jewelry box, actually - my Dad's ring, my Mom's pieces, gifts and inherited pieces from both of my grandmothers. In a fire, those are what I would save.

5. What is the best gift you have ever received?

That would have to be my lingerie chest. Not because it was such a fabulous gift (it was, I needed somewhere to put my delicates), but because of how it was given. This is the chest (this is NOT my bedroom):

The bottom four drawers are actually double (so they are way deeper than the top 2).

This is what L gave me:

That is about 4 inches tall, made of balsa wood and paper. He made it out on the deck in the middle of winter, cutting, glueing, sawing and painting after work, before I got home.

Check it out: inside, there are rests for each drawer, and the front it cut out so that the drawers fit:Three of the drawers had notes in them:

"This is proof positive why I'm not a carpenter."

"Underthings go here - tee hee - "

The limerick he wrote to go inside. When I opened it up, I laughed and then I nearly cried when I realized how much work had gone into this little thing. We spent Christmas at his folks' place, and when we got home, the chest was at our neighbours' waiting for me to come and get it.

I treasure that little rough chest more than the actual functional chest.

6. What is your favorite TV show?

I have lots of favourites, can't pick just one. Fawlty Towers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Babylon 5, True Blood, Dexter, Jeopardy!, Star Trek, M*A*S*H*, to name a few.

7. If you could splurge on one piece of clothing, shoes or accessory, what would it be and why?

It would either be a pair of Fluevogs, or some beautiful, one-of-a-kind handmade thing. Could be a coat, a dress, a piece of jewelry...whatever catches my eye and calls my name. The "why" would be that I'm drawn to exquisite detail and quality workmanship.

8. Leave us with a few words of wisdom.

Here's someone else's words: Desiderata by Max Ehrmann. I try to live this way.

9. Would you rather get dressed up for a fancy party or hang out in jeans with a few friends?

Fancy party! All my friends will be there, anyway.

10.What was the last book you have read? Did you love it or hate it?

I believe I covered this yesterday.

11. Jackie O or Marilyn Monroe?

I'm not particularly bothered by either of them. I'm a big fan of Mae West, though!

12. Favorite band/singer of all time?

Favourite band of all time: Blue Rodeo, since the very beginning. I have every album by them and have seen them live a couple of times. They are awesome.

13. Do you like thrift shopping or getting great deals at the mall? (you can only choose one)

Thift shopping. Easy question!

14. What is the greatest/most interesting place you have ever been?

In Scotland, halfway between Stirling and Inverness, down a dirt track to a field in the middle of nowhere. There's a circular burial cairn, surrounded by a ring of standing stones. L and I went inside the cairn, through a short tunnel. The centre was open to the sky. It was one of the most powerful places I've ever experienced. I got the willies.

15. Would you wear vintage? Why or why not?

Would, have, and do. It's different, unique and quality. Not unlike me, heh heh.

16. What is the predominant color in your closet?

Can I count "pattern" as a colour? Hee. I don't have a dominant colour - I have ALL colours!