Queen of the Jailbirds

If you're interested, please check out the edited entry for the weekend - I added a couple of pictures of the rubber outfits from the fashion show (thank you, Elaine!)

Today, I wanted to wear one of the pieces I thrifted on the weekend, this funky striped cardi:I tied the loose ends up, but they can also be worn hanging down. This was all of $9.99. Score!

I love this blue skirt - it's the colour of robin's eggs. I last wore it here.

The outside shot: I really like how this almost-pastel shade worked with the grey.

I just layered a camisole underneath:

And wore these shoes again (last seen here).

The stuff:

I love the stripes with this too.

A close-up of the accessories:

My Shi Studio cuff, my grandmother's jet bead necklace and some stone earrings.

Cardigan (Express, thrifted), skirt (Cabri, thrifted), camisole (RW & Co.), shoes (Qupid), cuff (Shi Studio), necklace (Grandma J's, vintage 1950s), earrings (The Cobbler).

Weekend Outfits - WW and Fashion Show

Edit: These are some pictures from the fashion show, of the outfits made out of rubber tubing mentioned below.

The male model's entrance:
Amazing body paint (although he did have a six-pack in real life).

He started singing opera to the female model:

Every detail on their outfits is made of rubber!

Then he took off a piece of his costume and passed it to her:

I kept the lady's head in so you can see the entire outfits. Amazing, isn't it?

In retrospect, I showed a lot of leg this weekend. What the heck, I'm only 43!

On Saturday morning, I got up early and headed off to my WW group (my regular "as a member" meeting). I wore a nice light dress and some funky shoes:
I wore my long drapey cardigan over this, but it wasn't really needed. I last wore this dress here back in February in a winterized version, and these shoes here (I'm getting a lot of wear out of them!).

I ate a peanut butter and banana sandwich before I left:

Mmmmm....good.

The outside shoe (with sandwich):

After my meeting (I've finally managed to shake the last 3-4 lbs that I've been struggling with for the last year - yay!), L and I went for lunch, then I picked up a jewelry repair (my 40th birthday ring had cracked) and did some thrift shopping. These shoes were awesome - my feet were only a little sore after 4 hours, even after walking home from town!

Dress (Gap, consignment), shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction, consignment), earrings (locally made), peanut butter and banana sandwich (Sheila).

I had a nap to refresh myself for my evening out with my dear friend Elaine. She's my "friend for doing artsy stuff with" - we had tickets to the "Art Attire" event at the Art Gallery last night. Of course, I had to wear my piece of art Desigual dress:

My usual photo spot had been co-opted by L, who was building Magic (the Gathering, yes, more geekiness) decks for his own fun-filled evening. This is our deck, facing east.

I got tons of comments on the dress - many people asked if I'd made it (no! just a good eye for a beautiful dress, thank you) and I was asked to spin many times to show it off. I last wore it here (winterizing it in same link as above!).

I had been expecting to pay for my ring's repair - but to my surprise and gratitude, the shop did it for free! They gave it a lovely polish too.

With the money I'd set aside for the repair, I moseyed around the mall and looked at shoes. I know, I shouldn't do that! But do you see these works of art on my feet?

All together now: Ooooooh....ahhhhhh....They are by Locale and I found them at Feet First for $120 (they had the black ones on sale for $79.99 but the red called to me). They are leather uppers and inners and they are a suede finish.

I like how they make diamond shapes on the foot:

That high wedge was ultra-comfy - I walked to and from the Art Gallery in them with no soreness at all. I'll be wearing them again this week and will do close-ups then.

Dress (Desigual), shoes (Locale), cuff (Club Monaco), earrings (Aldo Accessories).

The Art Attire event itself was amazing. We hadn't actually realized it would be a full-on fashion show, with a runway, music and lights! Everyone was dressed up - it was so nice to be in a room with people who love fashion, instead of being the one "weird" one in the crowd! We met some amazing people, artists and performers. Check out this amazing piece (I voted for it as best in show - look at the close-ups!) - there were a few steampunk-inspired artists there.

Elaine took a bunch of pictures so I'll post a few when she sends them to me. My favourite overall art piece of the night was a two-man collaboration. They made these post-apocalyptic/fallen angel sort outfits out of recycled rubber (bicycle inner tubes, larger inner tubes). The female model came out in hers, then the male model (complete with codpiece!) came out in full white/black body and face make-up and sang an operatic solo to her! It was incredible. We got to meet and chat with them, and I gave them my blog card - if you're reading, I want to model a rubber ball-gown for you!

Casual Friday - Urban Cowgirl

Woo! Happy Friday, everyone!

Today, I really wanted to wear this new skirt that I got at Dots (same time as these awesome polka dot pants):
I'll be wearing this under other skirts come cold weather, but it's fully lined and was wonderfully breezy and cool to wear today. I love the sheer strips layered with the solid strips (you can see them a bit in the above picture).

The skirt (like the polka dot pants) is also Noa Noa (I'm a total convert - their clothing is superb quality), and it was also $18. It was regular Dots price of $49.99, and regular retail of $125.

Check this out - it was a salesman sample:
I love the colour names. This skirt is Honor and I bet Jeep is an olive green. What colours do you think Cadet, Memoria and Sweetheart are?

The outside shot:

Isn't that a lovely blue?

The blouse is this one (lots of detail pictures - I'm Queen of Faeries!), and this is one of my denim vests (last seen here).

The stuff: I liked how the "urban" accents in the accessories kept this outfit from looking too country or too girly. I last wore these boots here.

Vest (Bisou Bisou, consignment), blouse (no label, consignment), skirt (Noa Noa), belt (Gap), shoes (Libby Edelman), bracelet (Jacob).

The Megan Skirt

I love having the same clothing item as a fellow blogger - it makes me feel connected to them. I bought this same skirt for Megan a month or so ago after she admired it on me. Look how stylin' she is in it (here and here)!

I can hardly measure up, hee!
I adore yellow, almost any shade, always have. It's one of my power colours, for sure. I first wore this skirt here, and this fab top here.

I liked how the dark red of the shoes and belt pulled that colour out in the top.

The outside shot:
Considering how cheap the quality of these shoes are (not leather) and how cheap they were ($18), they are superbly comfortable. I've had them for years.

The stuff: I just wore plain silver double hoop earrings with this.

Off to a Strata meeting!

Blouse (Jones New York), skirt (BB Dakota, consignment), belt (Plum), shoes (Predictions, consignment).

Orange You Glad For Summer?

I know, it's a groaner of a title, but I do love orange and I'm very happy that summer appears to be on the way, because it means I get to haul out my very favourite summer shoes.
Kitty is blocking the shoes! Bad kitty!

I really need to get some more orange and turquoise in my wardrobe. I am, however, quite full up of white/cream/off-white skirts - it's almost as bad as my black skirt collection, or my black dress collection (so kindly referenced by Kasmira here - thank you!).

This skirt is off-white velvet (last seen here), and along with yesterday's cream skirt, I also have this one and this one hiding under my dress (it's usually worn as a layering piece).

I only have one orange top, though, and this cardigan is it (last seen here).

Outside:
I love the definition my legs get in the spring/summer from playing Ultimate - it's all that running around. Makes me strong like bull!

I can't stop looking at my own shoes:

In case you're wondering, they're a total of 5.5 inches. Woo! I'm tall! I like being 5'9.5".

The stuff:

I didn't put much effort into accessories with this - I just let the colours do the talking. Those are the most glorious shoes - they're called "Summer Fling."

Cardigan (Press), skirt (B.U.M. Equipment, consignment), shoes (Poetic License), belt (Nygard).

Pale and Tired

Tuesdays are rough days for me. First of all, I have a lot to do at work on this day. Secondly, I leave for two hours in the middle of it to do my downtown WW meeting. Thirdly, I have to race home to get to my other WW meeting for 6 o'clock. Fourthly, I get home at 8 pm and play D&D with the guys. And now here it is, 11:30 and I'm bagged.

I even looked tired in the morning:
I actually really liked this outfit. I love this skirt (it's such an awesome cut with the super-high waist), but I tend to only wear it in the warmer months (last seen here).

The jacket was worn fairly recently (here), but the top underneath that hasn't been worn in a long time. Here is it without the jacket:

I kept the jacket on all day. Yup, it's been nearly a year since I wore this top last! And only once before that, in 2009!

The stuff shot was hampered by L using my usual posing table when I got home.:

Inigo immediately attacked my shoes and started gnawing on the belt.

I had to take this picture quickly before he made off with an earring:

The earrings are new-to-me - I picked them up for $6 a few weeks ago. They're locally made - I think they are old buttons that have been soldered onto earring hangers.

Off to bed!

Jacket (Arthur S. Levine for Tahari, thrifted), top (Ann Taylor, consignment), cami (Plum), skirt (Bedo, thrifted), shoes (Aerosoles), belt (Plum), earrings (local).

Party Dress and Lazy Monday

I am exhausted - that was quite a weekend! I was too tired yesterday to post my party dress from L's birthday (we were very busy watching Season 1 of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" again, I'm sure you understand, heh), so here it is:
I picked this up for $20 at Dots last fall, on the same "any dress for $20" special as when I got this leather dress. It was far too summery for winter wear, so it's been sitting in my closet for over 6 months, waiting for the right occasion.

It's bias-cut, so very forgiving. I'm not terribly taken with the neckline (it dips down in a V in the back) as it makes my boobs look saggy (the horror!), but I love the chartreuse colour, the soft silk and the flowy factor.

I'm trying to show how swirly the bottom hem is here, but someone is in the way:
I managed to last all of half an hour in these shoes for the party before I gave up and went barefoot (at least I had a fresh pedi!). My poor feet were so sore from wearing soccer cleats and playing Ultimate that I couldn't bear to subject them to more shoe torture.

The outside shot:

I'm wearing the same bigass earrings I wore here (those are the same shoes too - my regular party shoes!), and that's a new Club Monaco bangle that I bought a few months ago (regular price: $79, sale price: $9 - that's more like it!).

The dress also has beading all down the front of it, including little clusters of beads here and there. I felt very comfy and pretty in it...right until I went to bed at 3am.

Dress (Papillon), shoes (Guess), earrings (Aldo Accessories), bangle (Club Monaco).

And....I dragged my butt out of bed this morning to head back to work. Ah, why can't all weekends be long? It's just not fair.

I went with a lazy outfit for Monday:

Skirt (last seen here) and top (last seen here) and a few sparkly bits. Easy peasy! The tricky part was mixing all the fun textures. I didn't really think about it too much, actually. I wanted to wear both pieces again.

The stair shot:

I liked how the shoes went with this. I haven't worn them in a long time (last time here).

The stuff:

I love these shoes - they are super comfortable.

The sparkly bits:

The cuff is my mom's (probably early 60s), the necklace was a gift from L many years ago, and the earrings are also my mom's (my brother and I picked them out at Birk's for her for Christmas one year in the 70s).

Top (Talbots, thrifted), skirt (Alfred Sung, vintage 80s, consignment), cami (InWear), shoes (Hilary Radley, consignment), cuff (vintage 60s, Mom's), necklace (vintage 50s, gift from L), earrings (vintage 70s, Mom's).

Heh, She Said "Pants" Week - Polka Dots (and A Couple of Other Outfits)

Sorry for the delay - Pants Week wasn't quite done. As you can see, I saved the most fun pair for last:
Yep, those are navy blue satin polka dot trousers. With pink polka dots. And pink trim on the cuffs.

Check out the back:

They were $18 at Dots (I had a coupon) regular $59.99 Dots price. As they're Noa Noa, I'm sure the regular retail was even higher.

I did them with my thin pink sweater (last seen here), and my fabulous Fluevog Listen Ups:

I last wore them here, for Fluevog-A-Day. Heh, guess whose tail that is?

I've also got my Smoking Lily obi on (this one), and I topped it with this cool jacket when I was outside:

I last wore the jacket here. I got a few "wow" comments on the pants, but I think most people just looked at me askance. Heh.

I know the pants look like pajamas, I know, but they are more like a throw-back to the mid- to late-90s palazzo pants (anyone remember those? I had floral ones!). Also, they do have a waistband and zippered fly:

As always, superb construction on the Noa Noa brand products. Look at that lovely waistband.

I wore some of my vintage jewelry:

My mom's bracelet and my grandmother's necklace.

Sweater (Esprit, consignment), obi (Smoking Lily, consignment), pants (Noa Noa), shoes (Listen Up O'Haras, Fluevog), necklace (Grandma J, 80s), bracelet (Mom's, 60s).
After work on Thursday, I shopped for L's birthday presents, and then L and I headed down to the local pub for dinner. Although the Fluevogs were fine to wear around the office, they were not friendly to my feet for an extended shopping trip, so I changed for dinner:

Much better! This is my leather vest (last seen here), my plain cream sweater (last seen here), and my tiered flowy skirt, which I don't know if I've worn before here...I thought I had! Well. I got it a couple of months ago for $11.99 on clearance at the Bay. The shoes are my Kenneth Cole Reaction flat sandals. Love!

Vest (CAbi, consignment), sweater (Trina Turk, consignment), skirt (Jones New York), shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction), bag (Matt & Nat, consignment).

On Friday, L did his annual day off for his birthday - Happy Birthday, love! We met up with Nick, Casey and Cat and wandered around town. It was lovely. We had breakfast out (with special coffee), drank some beers and ciders, played a little pool, met up with Caro and Ronnie, and were finally joined in the evening by Karen for drinks at a rooftop restaurant as the sun went down over the mountains. I vaguely recall going to bed at 2am.

Anyway, this is what I wore all day:

Comfy shoes again!

Jacket (Banana Republic, thrifted), t-shirt (Montmarte, Paris), jeans (Jackpot, gift from Caro), shoes (Kenneth Cole Reaction).

Today, we played Ultimate for two hours in the hot sun, then grocery shopped, and then cleaned house, as tonight is the big birthday party! I have a lovely dress that I bought last fall that I'll be wearing. Pictures tomorrow!

I'm off to array the food attractively. Have a wonderful weekend!

Heh, She Said "Pants" Week - More Plaid and Some Yellow

Only one more day of Pants Week after today, and I'm saving the best for last tomorrow! I have Friday off for L's birthday - I'll include that outfit with my weekend post, which will include the dress for his birthday party. Woo! Party weekend! Can't wait!

Today, I wanted to wear this awesome yellow top that I got on the weekend: It was only $7 on consignment on the half-price rack. This jacket has been a good investment - it was $20 in late 2009 and I've worn it a bunch of times (last time here, here, here (check out the video of me and Inigo!), here, here and here.

The outside shot:

I love a patterned pant, especially a plaid. I actually don't own any striped pants (I have in the past, I just don't right now), but I would wear them. I last wore this pair here, for Leopard Week.

A shot of the top without the jacket so you can see the shape:

It's a fairly loose fit, but I like that a) it's sleeveless b) it's not too low-cut c) it can function like a camisole and d) it's washable! And it's going straight into the wash because my right armpit gets hot flashes (thank you, peri-menopause). TMI? sorry!

The stuff:

My cool shoes - I liked the mix of the snakeskin print with this outfit. You can also see a bit of the fold detailing on the shirt and the nice row of buttons down the front.

A close-up:

My mom's vintage 60s choker that she got "from some hippie" (ha!) and my own "vintage" early 90s earrings from a store I used to work at back in the day.

Jacket (Pelican Cove, consignment), top (Reitman's, consignment), pants (no label, Dots), shoes (Fergalicious), choker (vintage 60s, Mom's), earrings (early 90s, L.A. Express).