May 10th & 11th - Outfits #9 & 10 - Springy Floral and Casual Friday Strips (and Some Shopping)

Miss me? I went shopping after work last night with Mom - our annual outing where I buy her a birthday outfit and then we go for dinner. We had a great time and found her a lovely jacket (Talbots) and top (from The Bay) and some hoop earrings (Reitman's), then we went to a brewpub down on the harbour for a fabulous dinner. After a pint of wheat beer, a special coffee, and then having some wine with L when I got home, I was worn out, so today here's yesterday and today's outfits.

But one more thing: Happy Birthday, Mom! 

I won't say how old she is (she'd kill me), but she was very young when she had me. 

This outfit features another "fresh" item for the May capsule: the first wear of my Desigual t-shirt dress. I've worn this a few times since I bought in the winter, and I've been looking forward to wearing it in the warmer weather. I last wore it here.

I layered a turquoise cami (not in the capsule) under it for less cleavage.

My green cardi makes another appearance (last seen here), as do my awesomely awesome Fluevogs (last seen here, 2nd outfit).

I get a lot of comments on these when I wear them.

I did my turquoise leather wrist-wrap as well.

Dress (Desigual), cami (Esprit), cardigan (Kersh, consignment), shoes (Guide Prepares, Fluevog), wrist-wrap (Shi Studios).


Today, I did two "fresh" items that are getting their first wear:

This wool/angora striped sweater was worn last here (2nd outfit). I love the feel of it - it's very soft and nicely warm and I like the t-shirt style of it...but I don't think it's that flattering on me overall. Too boxy.

Although it's early, this may not make the cut when I assess this month's capsule items. It was only $3.25, so I won't be too heartbroken to see it go. Maybe I'll just wear it around the house.

My denim pencil skirt makes its first appearance in May. I last wore it here (which, oddly is the same link as the sweater, although I didn't wear them together). I love these cowboy boots - they are just the right height on my leg. I last wore a week ago, here.

The stuff:

Lots of leather!

Sweater (Guess Jeans USA, thrifted), skirt (Smart Set, thrifted), boots (Two Roads, consignment), belt/buckle (Shi Studio), airplane cuff (Catalyst Reaction Leather), gears cuff (SkinzNHydez), skinny wrap (Club Monaco), earrings (Plum).


I did pick up a couple of things for myself while Mom and I were shopping. These awesome turquoise denim capris are from Reitman's:

They look killer on - I can't wait to wear them (in July's capsule!). They were $40 and they also had them in a dark red.

I also checked out the sales at Club Monaco. They have some deep discounts on their accessories right now. I found this awesome rhinestone snake bracelet:

It was $9, regular $49.50 (*gasp*).

I fell in love with this crazy metallic scarf:

It is huge and links together with a little metal button.

What I paid:

That's a good price...

Because this is the regular price:

Yow! That's just insane. Who would pay $98.50 for that?

In other news: I got my 10K medal! I got a silver.

Um...yes, I am under my desk. It was a strange morning.

Have a great weekend!

May 9th - Outfit #8 - Brown, Orange, Nickel and Dime

So you'd never know that my theme for May's capsule was blues and greens from this outfit:

This contains one "fresh" item that hasn't been worn up till now: this lovely cowl-neck orange top. I got it for $22.98 on consignment back in February, and I'm totally in love with it.

The rest of the outfit is stuff I've worn already, like this jacket (last seen here).

Vizzini is not that big - it's just perspective. He likes to watch me get ready in the mornings.

This is the second wear of the suede skirt (last seen here), and the shoes as well (last worn here).

But back to the blouse! It's sleeveless, so lovely worn on its own. The colour is really vibrant, and it's polyester - and lined!

Check out the back:

My little bun gets a cuddle before I go to work. He huffs when I pick him up, but he likes it.

There's a nice industrial zipper detail at the back. The best thing, though, is that the top is washable. I just can't handle anything else.

A close-up:

It's Michael by Michael Kors.

Zipper detail:

I think I'm going to get a lot of wear out of this.

The stuff:

A cool belt that Mom got me in London several years ago. I still love big dangly earrings.

Jacket (Pelican Cove, consignment), blouse (Michael by Michael Kors, consignment), skirt (Danier Leather, consignment), belt (gift from Mom), earrings (Plum), shoes (Hale Bob).

I went for a power walk when I got home from work today. Check out what I found on the sidewalk:

The coin on the left is a Canadian nickel/5 cent piece from 1920, and the one on the right is a dime/10 cent piece. The nickel has King George V and the dime has King George VI (Queen Elizabeth's dad, he was the king in "The King's Speech").

The backs:

I've been an amateur numismatist since I was a kid. I have a big box of coins and paper money from all over the world. Most of it is "found," meaning I got it from circulation instead of purchased from a store, although a bunch of it is from my Mom & Dad's travels over the years. I have some pretty interesting stuff, including a buffalo nickel (US) and some German WWII coins with swastikas on them.

This nickel is the oldest in my collection now - the previous oldest one is a bigger sized nickel (same size as the US coin and all current Canadian coins) from 1929 (also George V). My oldest dime is from 1939.

I also collected stamps for many years when I was a kid - I actually entered exhibitions and won trophies! Do you or did you ever collect coins or stamps?

May 8th - Outfit #7 - Snag Monster!

I'm so happy not to see that yellow shirt at the top of the blog anymore. Yes, I'll probably wear it at least one more time in this capsule (no swapping out just because I don't like something), but phew! I'm glad it's going to be going. Funny how that is - I guess this challenge is working!

I liked today's outfit much better. 

I felt all sparkly and lady-like (said like Eliza Doolittle - I'm a lie-dee, hee hee).

I first wore this sweater here (scroll down) back in July), and it's a really nice sweater. Why have I not worn it more?? Oh wait, I did here, in October.

The skirt is an 80s vintage Alfred Sung that I bought on consignment back in 2009. Last wore it here.

I like the glass button detail up the back of the sweater.

The skirt is a stiff metallic lace, and the edges are raw. They tend to ravel a bit, and they snagged the heck out of my nylons, especially the backs of the knees, which now have little puffs of snaggedness nested back there. Arg. These microfishnets aren't cheap.

The shoes are awesome - easily one of the most comfortable pairs of 3+ inch heels I own. I last wore them here.

Added to the snagtastic excitement was this stretchy rhinestone bracelet:

It belonged to my mom, so it's probably vintage 50s. The earrings were also hers, and I remember buying them for her for Christmas at Birks one year in the 70s with Dad. L bought me the necklace for Christmas a few years ago.

Everything I wore today, except for my rings, was second-hand. Cool.

Sweater (Plum, thrifted), skirt (Alfred Sung, vintage 80s, consignment), shoes (Hilary Radley, consignment), necklace (vintage 50s, gift from L), bracelet (Mom's, vintage 50s), earrings (Mom's, vintage 70s).

May 7th - Outfit #6 - Uncomfortable Colour

I was unhappy with today's outfit.

Much as I love this shirt (the yellow! the stripes! the yellow!), it is not staying in my wardrobe after this month. I can't button it over my boobs! When I bought it back in early 2011, I mostly wore it underneath other stuff, and I'd forgotten how snug it was.

Fortunately, I was able to get away with it by doing a bright blue cami underneath (not part of the capsule).

And this skirt...also not going to be staying in my wardrobe (last worn here). I bought it new when I saw it on sale in Jacob. I adore the rich dark purple, and I was hankering for coloured pencil skirts. But it's not lined, and it's cotton, so it grabbed onto my fishnets and drove me insane all day.

The one thing that I am keeping out of this outfit are these fabulous blue suede shoes.

I've had them for a couple of years, and last wore them here in October. Picked them up at Feet First on sale for $49.99 and they've lasted well.

Well, although I was uncomfortable in my clothes today, at least I was visible! Check out Visible Monday at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style!

Shirt (Ralph Lauren, thrifted), cami (InWear), skirt (Jacob), shoes (Feet First), necklace (Lavishy).

May 4th & 5th - Outfits #4 and 5 - Casual Cowgirl and Weekend Stripes

Happy Weekend! I hope everyone's having a great time. 

I have had a very busy weekend so far. On Friday night, I hosted a "Swap & Sip" at my office. I work for an IT consulting business; out of 150 people in my office, there are only 35 women. Most of them don't know each other that well, so what better than a clothing swap, some wine and nibblies for all the women to get acquainted?

I did casual, but wore clothes for trying things on.

This is another new Smoking Lily dress, that I bought in February at the sale at the downtown store. The dress is called the "Garden State" and originally sold for $108 - I paid $30 for mine! Score!

The shirt is my denim button-down, last worn here, back in March 2011! I also wore it here in August 2010, and here in June 2010. I must have bought it some time around then - I picked up on a consignment clearance rack for less than $10, I recall.

The dress is a thick, sort of fuzzy jersey, not quite t-shirt, not quite sweater. Very soft and again, like pajamas!

The cowboy boots were purchased back in December for $32.99 on consignment. I last wore them here in January. And yeah, I'm wearing striped socks with them instead of tights, heh.

Here's the pattern screened on the bottom side hem:

Pretty!

The stuff:

My feather charm. The belt was one of the items we thrifted for our steampunk costumes - it's leather and the silver pieces are really heavy. It was $1.00 in the children's section (I don't think it's a kids' belt, though).

Dress (Garden State, Smoking Lily), shirt (Mexx, consignment), belt (thrifted), boots (Two Roads, consignment).

I took two bags of stuff to the Swap & Sip (which was a great success, thanks for asking). I got 3 items back. I'm pretty fussy - I'm not going to take anything unless I really like it.

I got this coral Alfani top:

It'll be a nice layering piece - good colour. I also snagged that lovely silver and stone necklace in all my favourite colours: red, cobalt and turquoise.

But the real score were these Airwalk sneakers:

Aren't they awesome? And they've never been worn - they were still in the box! Good thing I'm the only size 9 1/2 in my office! 

On Saturday, I got up early to go work Reception at the early WW meeting:

As I would be joining the Ultimate crowd right after work, I have my sports bra on, and I'm wearing loose layers that I can change out of at the field.

This is my emerald green striped Banana Republic sweater. It's a cashmere blend - got it for $11 out thrifting  in April 2011 (only worn once, here, scroll down).

It's a top that doesn't photograph well - I love the fit and the feel and the stripes are so vivid.

That's my thrifted Desigual skirt, last seen here. This is only the second wear for it as well. See? All these great things in my closet and I never wear them! This is one of the reasons I'm doing this year-long challenge:  what do I love enough to fit into a 30-item capsule?

Second wear of my Prepare Guides (last time here). Yes, a repeat item already - I adore these shoes. Holy smokes, they are the most comfortable shoes ever!

I wore my white leather jacket as outerwear - it was actually a little bit sunny out this weekend!

Jacket (Le Chateau, consignment), sweater (Banana Republic, thrifted), skirt (Desigual, thrifted), shoes (Prepare Guides, Fluevog).

After Ulty, we went for lunch (more showing off of the shoes, hee), then I had a nap, and then Winesday was at my house. Woo, a very late night! Much fun was had by all.

I got a kick out of the label on one of the bottles of wine:

Too bad they spelled "Sheila" wrong! Arg! I hate that!

May 3rd - Outfit #3 - Kermit Shoes

I loved today's outfit:

This is my green Kersh cardigan, last seen here. I get all my Kersh at Dots - when I find a piece on consignment, like this one, I know it's from there. They have every seasonal line, all kinds of samples and one-of-a-kind pieces, all marked way down.

The skirt is chocolate brown suede (of course, I have to have a piece of leather/suede in the May capsule!), and was last worn here.

It's a classic mermaid shape, with a slim fit through the hips, flaring out at the hem. It's also machine washable, no lie.

The thing that looks like a blue scarf is my blue jersey top, last worn here.

It's a cowl neck.

I also have a cami on under that. It's not part of the capsule.

The stuff:

The first time (here) I wore these shoes, I said they reminded me of Kermit the Frog. Obviously, they are my Kermit shoes!

That's my Grandma J's copper 1950s cuff:

I got the earrings at a vintage fair. Both them and the cuff are stamped "Renoir."

Cardigan (Kersh, consignment), top (Oxmo), cami (Smart Set), skirt (Danier Leather, consignment), shoes (Poetic License), cuff (Grandma J's, vintage 50s, Renoir), earrings (vintage 50s, Renoir).

Yesterday, Megan at The Fashionable Bureaucrat, said she wanted to take a picture of herself under her desk. I said I would do it if she did it - and she did!

I feel positively impish.

I have a nice big desk and double monitors - love! I'm a visual organizer, so I need everything laid out where I can see it. I'm the sticky note queen! As receptionist, I greet everyone who comes off the elevator - if it's someone I like, they get a cheer! Yay!

I got my haircut after work, and it was still light on the walk home. I adore this house and I'm so glad I got a picture of it in good light.

Lavender is the new neutral! Don't you love all the colours?

All the trees are coming out in full leaf:

This is a massive chestnut tree - I cropped out a ton of it. My grandad taught me that the spikes of blossoms are called "candles." That's where the giant chestnuts grow - when those start falling from the trees in the autumn, they can hurt!

May 2nd - Outfit #2 - A Dividing Shoe

Two days in and I am loving all the blues and greens:

This is my Smoking Lily dress that I bought in Vancouver in March; it's called the "Emma" dress and it was $68.00. It felt like I was wearing pajamas all day! I wore a full-length navy vintage slip underneath this to keep the dress from clinging to the tights.

The jacket is one I've had for a long time, since November 2009.

I last wore it here - yikes - last July! (scroll way down). It's unlined, stretchy and a nice slim cut, so it's a great layering piece. It came with a brown ribbon tie for the two giant grommets on the front, but I can't find it (I suspect Vizzini stole it), so I used a piece of blue ribbon.

But I know you're looking at the shoes!

These are my Prepare shoes, from the Guide family, made by Fluevog*. They are extremely polarizing shoes: people either love them or think they are the weirdest things ever. They were called "Smurf Shoes" and Dutch clogs at work today - I had a blast showing them off. They were supremely comfortable (seriously, like wearing flats), even when I went out to do some errands mid-day.

*I link because I love. I receive no compensation, discounts, free stuff or acknowledgement from Fluevog for linking to their awesome shoes.

The stuff:

I just love those shoes.

I did sort of a nature theme in my jewelry:

My bug pendant, my bird wrist wrap. Of course, I wore my Wendy Brandes ring!

Here's a shot of the dress' silkscreened pattern:

The top flower is the same one as on my periodic table of awesome skirt. Megan Mae, the bees are for you!

Dress ("Emma", Smoking Lily), jacket (Pelican Cove, consignment), shoes (Prepare Guides, Fluevog), bug pendant (Heart's Content), wrist wrap (Shi Studio), ring (Wendy Brandes).

May 1st - Outfit #1 - Old Green and Orange

One of the reasons I started doing this 30 for 30 for 12 Challenge is that I wanted to rediscover my love for my old clothes.Because I don't own anything more than 5 years old (due to my 50lb weight loss), the means pieces that aren't really all that old by most people's standards.

My Day 1 outfit is comprised of all "old" pieces:

I've had this green tuxedo-ruffled cotton blouse since at least 2008.

I first wore it on the blog here in Jun 2008, here in Sept 2008, here in Oct 2008, here in Feb 2009, here in March 2009, here in Aug 2009, here in Sept 2009, here (and here and here) in June 2010 for a wardrobe capsule challenge, and here in June 2011. Pretty sporadic for the last couple of years - it was even in the giveaway pile for a few months! I just can't seem to part with it. It's such a useful colour.

The vest was given to me by my co-worker Ruth at my old job.

I've had it since at least 2009. And the skirt has been a wardrobe stalwart since I bought it on consignment in February 2009.

Added the fabric rose:

And some sparkly bits.

The shoes have been in my closet since June 2008.

I last wore them here.

And yet, I've had all these pieces for at least 3 years together, and never worn them together! How about that?


Blouse (Esprit), vest (Le Chateau, swap from Ruth), skirt (Talbot's, consignment), shoes (Hale Bob), rose (Le Chateau), bracelet (consignment), earrings (Plum).