Saturday, October 6, 2012

Oct 5th & 6th - Outfits #5 & 6 - Plaidurday and Skullurday- and Party Night!

Woo! Happy long weekend! I'm so thrilled to see so many of you dressed up and in your finery for my birthday party tonight! There's still plenty of time - I'll be out all day tomorrow with my niece and won't be doing the party dress round-up until Sun/Mon. 

Please join me: Break Out Your Party Dress!

Please put on your best outfit, and send me a link or a picture no later than end of day Sunday, and I'll do a round-up after I've recovered from the party (heh). I want to see sparkles! Pretty shoes! Anything you think might be a bit too crazy? Not for my party!

Apparently, Saturday is Plaidurday! I didn't get the memo and wore my plaid on Friday.
L and I went for brunch and then I went to Motor Vehicles to renew my government ID (I don't have a driver's license). Had to make sure my picture turned out well, so laid on the make-up, ha! Red lips!

This is my plaid dress that I bought when Plum shut down in February 2011 for $25.00. I first wore it here, with just simple black accessories. I've also previously worn it here in April 2011 (layered with a black wrap so that it looks like a skirt; ugh, bad stair pose)...and I can't find any other instances of wearing it! Which is shameful, as it's such a cool dress.

I'm just wearing a black graphic tee under this (not part of the capsule), with my black leather obi as belt.
I've got pockets!
The shoes are new-to-me, and are by Marc Softwalk. I got them back in June this year at Value Village for $19.99 - brand new! That's probably about 10% of what they would sell for new. They were awesome for walking - super comfy.

I wore my jean jacket for walking around.
My silver hoop earrings and my two leather cuffs were my only other adornment.

Dress (Plum), t-shirt (BCBG Max Azria, consignment), belt (consignment), cuff (Guess, thrifted), studded cuff (vintage 80s), shoes (Marc Softwalk, thrifted), jacket (Ann Taylor Loft).

Today, L and I went for brunch again (it's Birthday Weekend! we even had special coffees, yum yum). I decided to go pirate-y.
I may have slept in after my bottle of wine last night...the sun is all glarey on me (give me coffee, stat!). And my hair went all crazy-ass this morning.

We got groceries for the party tonight: fruit (pineapple, three kinds of melon, raspberries, grapes and kiwi fruit) and veggies (celery, mushrooms, cucumber, red pepper, celery, grape tomatoes, baby carrots), ranch dip, hummous dip, lots of kinds of cheese (including local brie, goat cheese, Stilton, blue) plus crackers (including gluten-free), veggie pate, olives, prosciutto, chocolate cookies (also gluten free), dark chocolate covered almonds, sour wine gums, and about 5 kinds of chips (including baked for those who want to feel virtuous). Did I miss anything?? I think I hit all the food groups.

To drink, I have red and white wine, beer, all the hard liquors, a bunch of random liqueurs (including absinthe for the adventurous), and all are welcome to sample some of my single malt scotches.

Anyway, back to clothes! This is my green bell-sleeved sweater. I got it at Winners ages ago. I think the first wear of it is here in October 2008 (making it 4 years old! wow!). Those shoes were way too tight.

I've also worn it here, in December 2008 with a godawful ruffled blouse, here in February 2009 when I first did aikido, here in April 2009 with a similar skirt (I no longer have it), here for St. Patrick's day 2010 with a mini skirt, here in November 2010 with pants and with a skirt (in one day!), here in January 2011 in full-on whackadoo mode with my Smoking Lily cape, here again for St. Patrick's Day 2011 (2nd outfit, to go to Book Club). I last wore it in December 2011 to do some Christmas shopping (here, 2nd outfit).
The skirt is a little newer - it's by J.J.F. and I think I paid around $30 for it on consignment. It's a heavy cotton, almost a denim, and the hem is black velvet. I got it probably in late August 2011, and first wore it here in September 2011 for my debut at my current office. The only time since then that I've worn it is here in January 2012, with an awesome suede jacket that I need to wear again soon!
The boots were last worn here.

The belt is a suede vintage early 90s Le Chateau, and I'm wearing my Raven's Rest Studio tile pendant, along with snake and spider rings and simple white gold hoop earrings.

It was really warm today, so I just threw on my skull scarf and cross-body bag.
Expression due to hearing Vizzini barfing and L yelling for paper towels. Ick!

Sweater (Max Studio), cami (InWear), skirt (J.J.F., consignment), boots (Marc Softwalk), scarf (Metrowear), pendant (Raven's Rest Studio).

Gotta go clean up for the party and get the food prepped! Can't wait to see all the party clothes!
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Friday, October 5, 2012

30 For 30 Challenge - September Recap

Sorry for the delay - these posts take a long time to write and format!

Eight months down...4 to go! That seems so close! Here's my recap of the 30 For 30 For 12 challenge for September.

[Warning: this is a big post]
Summary of Items with Links to Pictures

Shoes/Boots: 7 pairs

Skirts: 6

Tops: 4

Sweaters/Cardigans: 4

Jackets/Blazers: 3

Pants: 1

Dresses: 5

Other: 0

*Both of these items were/became damaged during the capsule and were replaced by the items listed directly above them.


General Observations on September's Capsule
  • I think this was probably my weakest capsule so far in the challenge. Part of the problem was that I was at the end of the spring/summer clothes in my wardrobe, and was working to fit in as much as I had left in the closet, but still build a cohesive capsule. Although I did give myself permission at the outset to repeat as many items in capsules as I needed (my escape loophole), I haven't done that at all. It's more challenging that way (and I do love a challenge!), but this did make for a difficult month.
  • September was a very changeable month with regard to the weather. Half of the month was still smokin' hot, and half was quite autumnal. This meant that half of my clothes weren't really appropriate for half of the month; linen, light clothes and sandals didn't work at the end of the month, and wool and sweaters were too hot for the beginning of the month.
  • 10 of my items were not thrifted, consignment or swapped. Still liking the high numbers of second-hand items. I am buying (and retaining) higher quality footwear - it's well worth the expense for the comfort!
  • Having two items fail this month was really disastrous. I lacked the brown skirt that layering a brown dress would have given me; although I had the brown pants, I could only wear them with my highest heels. The purple dress that was substituted left me unsatisfied and disgruntled. The teal velvet jacket was a pleasant surprise, but that left me with two teal tops (including the teal cardigan), which wasn't really needed. I needed a functional red top/jacket to replace the damaged red suede jacket, but didn't have another one in my wardrobe available. 
  • Two wardrobe orphans revealed themselves: the Dex swing jacket (never a great cut on me) and the purple skull cardigan (limited for options to go with it). I love both items, but they require a larger pool of clothing to make them more versatile - not so good in a small capsule. 
  • Having 5 dresses in this capsule was fun - I got to do a Dress Week! - but really hampered the versatility of the rest of the capsule (especially after losing two items). Five dresses in one month is a LOT. My dresses all performed as excellent layering pieces (as a top or a skirt) at various points in the month - discovering my own creativity in layering has been a really cool thing. 
  • As I've lamented a few times, I should have tried things on beforehand. *sigh* I'm also carrying about 5 lbs extra from a year ago (keeping in mind I haven't worn most of these clothes for a year or more) and things aren't fitting like they used to. 

What Got Worn the Most/Least
Shoes: The two pairs of flats (the red Fluevogs and the brown/silver sandals) were worn the most at 5 times each, followed by 4 times each for the beige booties, the red suede platforms and the tan fringed platforms. The two pairs of more traditional - and higher -  heels (the teal pumps and the rust/teal t-straps) were each worn 3 times.

Skirts: The denim long skirt was worn the most, at 4 times, followed by the coral pencil skirt at 3 times. All other skirts were worn only twice each, due to the presence of so many dresses.

Pants: The brown trousers were worn twice. I would have worn them more, but they're so long they didn't work with the lower heels/flats in this capsule. 

Tops: My tops were hit and miss this month, with the kimono-style top getting the most at 3 wears. The brown peacock blouse and the red Chinese brocade top were each worn twice, and the ill-fitting gingham top was only worn once. It was not a good month for tops, overall, I feel.

Sweaters/Cardigans: I had a large total of sweaters/cardigans and jackets/blazers combined, which meant less wear in each category than in previous months. The cobalt blue cardi was worn thrice, and the teal cardi and the orange leopard cardi were each worn twice, with the aforementioned wardrobe orphan skull cardi only being worn once.

Jackets/Blazers: The loss of the red suede jacket/top meant I ended up with a brown/teal imbalance in my completer pieces, not to mention that the Dex swing jacket didn't really work that well in this capsule. I only wore it once, followed by two wears of the teal velvet jacket, and three wears of the good ol' basic brown blazer. Don't mess with the classics! 

Dresses: Much as I love dresses, this was too many - although as I said, I'm really glad to have been able to slip a Dress Week into this yearlong challenge. Both the Spanish ladies dress and the polka dot dress were worn 3 times each, followed by two times for each of the other dresses. 

Other: There weren't any "other" items this month. Didn't miss 'em.

What I Would Do Differently Next Month
  • 7 pairs of shoes did prove to be the magic number. It allowed me to have walking/shopping shoes, a variety of heel heights and colours, and a mix of openness in the styles to accommodate the weather. Next month (October) will be an adjustment to incorporating boots into the capsule.
  • TRY THINGS ON. It was hugely frustrating to go to wear things and find out they were tight (not to mention it made me feel bad). 
  • For September's capsule, I didn't do enough planning around wardrobing each item, to make sure that pieces went together (I'm looking at you, swing coat). Hopefully, my marathon try-on session before the October capsule debut took care of that.
  • Less dresses, and more mix and match pieces. Layering things as the weather gets cooler will be a bigger deal.

What is Leaving My Closet
  • The gingham blouse. It doesn't fit. Why did I even buy it?
  • The purple dress. It also doesn't fit (it's too big). I think I bought it for the colour. Better that it goes to someone else. 
Oddly, not a lot is leaving my closet this month. I like a lot of the items in this capsule; they just didn't all work together the way I wanted them to.

What's on the Fence
  • The beige short booties. Like, don't love 'em. The rocker style is maybe something I'm over.
  • The swing coat. I love everything about it, except for the cut. 
These are back in my wardrobe for now, and may be removed after I've "rested" from them.


Looking Forward to Wearing Again
  • The red suede platforms. These are rock stars in my wardrobe. They kick ass.
  • The red Chinese brocade top. I love this top so much. It's such a great fit, and so unique.
  • The Spanish ladies dress. It's probably the coolest dress I own. And it reminds me of going to Camden Town near London (England), where I bought it.

How I'm Feeling About the Year-Long Challenge So Far
Another not really fun month in my challenge. I fought with myself, my clothes and my outfits. I found myself getting frustrated with the things I'd put together and not really wanting to wear any of it. I questioned sticking with the challenge, but focused on looking forward. Unpacking my fall/winter clothes and putting away (and clearing out) some of my spring/summer clothes gave me a fresh appreciation for those items.

Again, I didn't have any black in my wardrobe this month - not that I need black, mind you - and I wanted it. Making sure I have a balance of neutrals in each month is something it's only taken me 8 months to figure out (ha!). I had the white skirt (didn't utilize it to its fullest potential), and the brown pants (hardly worn), but denim was the real workhorse this month.

Not having jeans or casual wear in these capsules (no jeans since the cropped skinny ones in the February capsule) means that I dress up more - and I like it! I don't miss the layered rocker t-shirts and jeans on Fridays. It's just not a look that I'm wanting to do, and I don't miss having those clothes in my capsules. Maybe the "rocker" look is something I'm past. I mentioned this in last month's summary, and it still feels right. I do wear that stuff around the house, by the way. It's not like those t-shirts are gathering dust, heh heh.

My shopping has gotten much more focused and refined. I'm buying a lot more basics in solid colours, and patterns with good versatility. I've been able to see where I have holes in my wardrobe (basic bottoms, sweaters, tops, blouses) and shop for those. I've made more careful purchases that are more considered as to how I'm going to be wearing them, and less impulse purchases.

As the months go by (and they go so fast!), I am seeing the clothes that aren't getting selected start to pile up. I'm cleaning out my closet little by little every month, and clearing out things that have just been sitting there. It feels good, both that my closet is getting such a thorough weeding, and that every item is being looked at and scrutinized for its functionality and place in my wardrobe.

October is my favourite month of the year, and I'm really excited about the capsule I've put together for it. Onward! Four months to go!

--------------------------------
Now...To refresh your memory, here are all the outfits together. I didn't have as many outfits this month (only 28), so yay! I can make the thumbnails bigger.You can click to embiggen them further, and click on the captioned dates to go to the original posts for more pictures.
Sept 1st
Sept 2nd
Sept 4th
Sept 5th
Sept 6th
Sept 7th
Sept 8th
Sept 10th
Sept 11th
Sept 12th
Sept 13th
Sept 14th
Sept 15th - Pt. 1
Sept 15th - Pt. 2
Sept 16th
Sept 17th
Sept 18th
Sept 19th
Sept 20th
Sept 21st
Sept 22nd
Sept 23rd
Sept 24th
Sept 25th
Sept 26th
Sept 27th
Sept 28th
Sept 29th
Vote! You can vote for your favourite outfits here (you can select more than one outfit, it's okay!):

Click for your favourites!
  
pollcode.com free polls 
What About the Wild Card Outfit?

I used my September Wild Card for this outfit here (scroll down to Kim Cattrall's suit), which I just wore this weekend to go out for dinner with Elaine. 

At the end of the challenge year (next January), there will be a vote for Best Wild Card.
------------------------------

I hope you enjoyed seeing my capsule and reading the recap! Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for reading if you made it this far!

Cheers,
Sheila
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Thursday, October 4, 2012

Oct 3rd & 4th - Outfits #3 & 4 - Perfect Pencils

Holy moly, it's been a couple of crazy days! Sorry to have missed posting yesterday - it was my company's Canada-wide fiscal year-end dinner/party, which I work at. I man the sign-in table, help out with draw prizes, give out drink tickets - oh, yeah, I'm the one you want to see, ha ha!

Anyway, the fun went on and I went out for drinks with my Burnaby co-workers (hi!), and I had to go back to the office afterwards to do some tidying up, so I didn't get home till late. 

I put on my very professional look:
All new-to-me stuff, aside from the boots, which are my Fluevog Coffee Kope Tiams. I've had these for a year and a half - got them in March 2011 at Gravity Pope in Vancouver on one of our anniversary trips. They were $99, which is a bargain for Fluevogs! I first wore them here with my lovely yellow wool skirt (better pictures of the booties there).

I've also worn them in September 2011 here with my leopard tights, here in October 2011 (with a dress and top I no longer have), and I last wore the boots with my leather pants last December here, for Neutrals Week.
The blue sweater, the gold blouse and the plaid skirt were all purchased just this past weekend here. $7.50 for the skirt, $10.50 for the blouse and $6.00 for the sweater. Sweet!
A shot of the back to show off the little kick-pleat. This skirt was a gem to wear - so comfortable and such a beautiful fit. I feel lucky to have thrifted this! It was really a perfect pencil skirt.

I had an arm party and all my fingers were invited!
I kind of loaded on the bling.

The heavy bracelet and the two blue rings are modern, but the rest is vintage.
The bottom bracelet belonged to my Mom, I think. It may have been "liberated" from her jewelry box in the mid-80s. (hi, Mom!)

Sweater (Smart Set, thrifted), blouse (Gap, thrifted), skirt (Julius, vintage 50s, thrifted), booties (Coffee Kope Tiam, Fluevogs), chain bracelet (Club Monaco), pearl/gold bracelet (Trifari, vintage 60s, Mom's), earrings (vintage), gold/blue ring (The Louvre Museum gift shop), blue/silver ring (Wendy Brandes), gold burst ring (Sarah Coventry, vintage 70s).

Today is my Friday! I took tomorrow off so that I could really enjoy my long weekend and birthday party. It's also Thanksgiving here in Canada on Monday, so wee! Four days off!
This is one of my very favourite blouses, worn under a black wool sweater. The skirt is new-to-me (purchased here).

The blouse has been worn a lot, starting from when I bought it in January 2011 for a whopping $4.50 (hurray for thrifting!). The brand is Marcona. I first wore it here (with a grey dress and shoes I no longer have), with the same necklace that I'm wearing today!

I've previously worn it with my long black and white frock coat here in March 2011 in May 2011 (here, with red legs!) last September (3rd outfit here, watch out for the cat sandwich!) with a grey skirt (and the same necklace), in November 2011 with thigh-high boots (again) and a mini skirt, and here in December 2011 (with my awesome black leather pencil skirt). I last wore it in January of this year when it snowed (eee! snow pictures!) - ha, with the same necklace AND shoes! I'm not very original with accessorizing it!

That's 8 wears including today, so I'm down to 56 cents per wear. Awesome!

The sweater is a wool Jacob sweater that I bought on consignment about 2 years ago. It's a good layering piece.
I know, you're looking at the shoes (and the fun tights), right? Those are another pair from the Fluevog Minis family. These ones are called the Qtee, and they're still made by Fluevog (here*), but they change up the colours every year. Mine are caramel, navy and red, but the navy reads as black so they're quite versatile.
*I link 'cause I love.

 I've worn them a few times since I bought them in September 2011 on consignment for $99.00 (really, that's a score - the full price new is $285.00), including here (second outfit, with a casual look. Lots of pictures of the shoes/heels too). I also wore them to the Art Gallery in November 2011 (second outfit here, with the Chinese brocade blouse from last month's capsule), and as noted above, with this same blouse here in January.

My walkin' to work stuff:
White leather jacket that I got on consignment over a year ago (probably free on trade-in). We've been having amazingly good weather; it's cool in the mornings, but is in the high teens/mid-70s during the day, and clear and sunny! I love it!

The stuff:
The infamous red necklace, plus a couple of silver rings (yes, that's a spider), and my coral earrings.

Sweater (Jacob, consignment), blouse (Marcona, thrifted), skirt (Le Chateau, consignment), shoes (Mini Qtee, Fluevog, consignment), necklace (Plum), ring (Oscar & Libby's), spider ring (vintage 80s, gift from Mom & Dad), earrings (locally made).

I'm going to try to get my September recap post done tomorrow/Saturday. Don't forget...

Reminder: This Saturday, October 6th is my birthday party (my birthday is actually early next week) - all my friends will be there and there will be food, drinks and dancing. Everyone will be in their party clothes.

Well, it wouldn't be a party without all of you bloggers and readers, so please put on your best outfit, and send me a link or a picture no later than end of day Sunday, and I'll do a round-up after I've recovered from the party (heh). I want to see sparkles! Pretty shoes! Anything you think might be a bit too crazy? Not for my party!


Please join me: Break Out Your Party Dress!
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Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Oct 2nd - Outfit #2 - Secret Octopi

Ooh, I love the beginning of a capsule, when everything feels new!
I enjoyed this outfit - I forwent a fitted waistline and did comfort. I have a very busy week ahead, and today I needed to feel loose. I also liked all the tones of reds, oranges and browns.

This is my orange velvet blazer, which I got back in January for $18.00 on consignment. I've only worn it the one time, here. The top is a cami-style, with lots of beading around the front of the V-neck. My co-worker Kara gave it to me - thank you so much! This is its first wear.
The skirt is new-to-me - yes, of course, it's a Smoking Lily, and it was $25.00 at Regalia Boutique in Fan Tan Alley in June (purchased here).
Woo! And look at those sweet, sweet heels on those sweet, sweet boots. These are Fluevogs' Babycakes Minis. This is a link to the Minis family on the Fluevog website (I link 'cause I love). They don't make the brown/embossed colour anymore. I adore this boot, and they are so comfortable - I actually walked out and about downtown today in them, and they were awesome.

I bought them in late March of this year, and first wore them as part of my steampunk weekend here (beware of long post - it's the second outfit). I also wore them here for L's birthday party, with my tiki vintage dress and my crazy steampunk leather gauntlet.

I'm wearing my red coral bracelet and earrings again. See how I'm wearing my steampunk octopus mahjong tile necklace? (no? click here for a picture) - it actually has a match elsewhere in the outfit:
Secret octopi! I love how Smoking Lily throws in little secret details like that. Those are the same octopus prints as on my coat (close-up picture here).

 Blazer (Jackpot, consignment), top (Spencer Jeremy, gift from Kara), skirt (Smoking Lily, consignment), boots (Babycakes Minis, Fluevog), bracelet (Plum), earrings (locally made), necklace (Raven's Rest Studio).

Reminder: This Saturday, October 6th is my birthday party (my birthday is actually early next week) - all my friends will be there and there will be food, drinks and dancing. Everyone will be in their party clothes.

Well, it wouldn't be a party without all of you bloggers and readers, so please put on your best outfit, and send me a link or a picture no later than end of day Sunday, and I'll do a round-up after I've recovered from the party (heh). I want to see sparkles! Pretty shoes! Anything you think might be a bit too crazy? Not for my party!

Please join me: Break Out Your Party Dress!
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Monday, October 1, 2012

Oct 1st - Outfit #1 - Blinged Out Down on the Farm

Happy October! This is my favourite month of the year (my birthday is coming!) and I've saved some of my most favourite things to wear this month. 

So, let's get down to business (because it's 8pm, and I just got home from boot camp and I'm starving!).
Red cardigan - I think I got it last year. It's had all its tags and labels removed, but I know I bought it on consignment and it would have been cheap. I found one wearing of it here last November, because I remembered wearing it with this cool skirt. I have a brown cami on under it here (not part of the capsule).

I'm linking up to Patti's "Visible Monday" at Not Dead Yet Style. Please do check out all the fabulous visible bloggers!

The skirt is new-to-me, thrifted back here in July for $14.50. It's 100% silk and is by the Gap. I am pretty sure it's well over 10-15 years old as it's a size 14.
The print on the skirt inspired all my bling: I went full cowgirl on this!

But first, those are my Marc Softwalk boots, purchased last December (they were on sale for around $199).  I wore them as part of my steampunk Wild Card outfits here in April, and also in late January 2012 here, just before I started this challenge. I am thrilled to be wearing them again - as the name implies, they are so soft to walk in!

Back to the bling:
Ignore the starey-face - I haven't had any coffee
I thought "urban western" and pulled all my accessories that made me think of that: leather, two wooden rings, a horseshoe nail ring, turquoise and silver.

A better picture of the stuff:
Of course I had to wear my cowboy belt buckle!

Here's a better shot of the pattern on the skirt:
It reminds me of the inside of sleeping bags we had when we were kids (I distinctly remember one sleeping bag had pictures of a hunter shooting a bear).

Cardigan (no label, consignment), cami (Esprit), skirt (Gap, thrifted), boots (Marc Softwalk), belt/buckle (Shi Studio), brown cuff (SkinzNHydez), black cuff (Guess, thrifted), earrings (local), wood ring (Dots), square wood ring (consignment), necklace (Plum), horseshoe nail ring (Club Monaco), lapis ring (Wendy Brandes).

 Okay, here's my next participation happy fun thing: Break Out Your Party Dress! This Saturday, October 6th is my birthday party (my birthday is actually early next week) - all my friends will be there and there will be food, drinks and dancing. Everyone will be in their party clothes.

Well, it wouldn't be a party without all of you bloggers and readers, so please put on your best outfit, and send me a link or a picture no later than end of day Sunday, and I'll do a round-up after I've recovered from the party (heh). I want to see sparkles! Pretty shoes! Anything you think might be a bit too crazy? Not for my party!

Please join me: Break Out Your Party Dress!
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