Weekend Wrap-Up: Ruffles and Bows, and Suede and Wine

It's the weekend! I'm so happy it's here - it was such a long week for me, and I am now chillin' and watching football and hanging out with L. Boo, I am disappointed that my Panthers are out of the playoffs, but will be cheering on local team Seattle next week!

I pretty much let my hairdresser do whatever she wants with my hair; I tell her what I like and we play with it, but this time it's really short in the back. 

To counteract it: ruffles and bows! And yes, this is the second item of red leather I've worn this week. Adding my link to "Visible Monday" over at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style - get yourself over there!

I have been looking at this jacket and thinking of getting rid of it, but I decided to give it another chance. I quite liked it with the narrowness of the pencil skirt. I last wore this jacket in the February 2013 capsule (recap here) where I wore it twice (last time here over a ruffled-necked dress). This makes it the third time I've worn it, and since I paid $30 on consignment for it, I'm down to $10 per wear.

I adore this red leather skirt. Red leather skirts for everyone! I last wore it here in November 2013 with dark florals.

I love all the back details on the jacket.

The Unsafe Polar Bear coat!

I am really getting my money's worth out of it - it's the best winter coat ever (so snuggly) and it's been good in the rain as well.

The stuff:

Pretty metallic bow shoes, last seen here in December with one really ugly Christmas sweater.

I liked the little touch of red in this pendant.

"Shop"

It's a lady in a vintage dress with a blue bird on her shoulder, and holding a red tulip.

I think I probably have spent time shopping more than that in my lifetime, but I've been good for the past couple of weeks. Next week...hee hee.

Jacket (Not the Same Jeans, consignment), top (Mossimo, consignment), skirt (Ocean West, vintage 80s, consignment), shoes (Jeffrey Campbell), necklace (local, gift from L), earrings (local).

Yesterday, L and I went out for brunch.

It was chilly and pouring rain, so I dressed warmly.

One of my black leather shirts, last seen here in late December 2013 with one of my maxi skirts.

That's my wine-coloured sweater dress under it, which I last wore here in October 2013 with mismatched greens, blues and teals.

L getting his shoes with Vizzini "helping"

The boots are my trusty black riding boots which I've had for about 3 years now. They are soft like buttah, but starting to get some wear on them. I last wore them over Christmas 2013 (here, last outfit with my red plaid dress).

For the rain, I wore the Octo-Coat:

It has a hood, plus it's soft and thick cotton with fleece inside.

Dress (Eric Alexandre), suede shirt (True Character, thrifted), boots (Aldo, consignment), belt (Club Monaco, thrifted), necklace (gift from Tina), coat (Smoking Lily).

And the rest of my weekend has been nothing but football, and a little Arkham Horror! It's been quiet, which I've really needed. Ah...
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By request this week, following my comment about putting together all my outfits for the week on Sunday, I'm going to address these questions from reader Ann:

Hi Sheila, can you talk a bit about how you plan your outfits? Do you have a dress form, or use hangers, or throw things on the bed? Do you right things down, or hang together? Could an unorganized person do this?

I'll be taking lots of pictures of my general process, as well as talking about how each specific outfit is planned. Check back tomorrow for the first post and a look at how my 5 outfits this week are selected.

Urban Cowgirl and Lame in January

It's a twofer! How two months flies by; it is time for another newsletter. I worked late last night (until 10pm, and yes, that's a 13.5 hour day) getting it put together and if I hadn't had a haircut scheduled after work today, I probably would have worked at least another hour and half tonight. So, I'm tired, cranky and hungry. 

But enough whining. Let's get to the clothes, shall we?

It's been dark, rainy and miserable the last two days, and the light has been sucky for taking pictures. I didn't have time in the morning to get my stair picture, so indoors is it.

This is my lovely caramel cotton velvet jacket, last seen here (3rd outfit, after my blonde outfit) the weekend of my birthday in October. 

The striped skirt (the stripes are actually like a corduroy texture) is also cotton, and I last wore it here way, way back in May 2013 and raved about it then. Loved it in winter too! However, it is unlined, which necessitates a slip, so I went my red one (last seen peeking out here at the Unlimited Woman Awards in November). 

Peplum action!

I went to bed as soon as I got home tonight, so no picture of my fabulous Fluevog boots. I last wore them out to lunch on a weekend in early December, here (2nd outfit).

The stuff:

 I love this belt buckle so much.

Jacket (Gap, thrifted), skirt (Morena, consignment), slip (Suzette Lingerie, vintage, consignment), boots (Mini Babycakes, Fluevog), belt (Tony Lama, thrifted), buckle (Shi Studio), ring (Oscar & Libby's), earrings (local).

I was very thankful this morning that I plan all 5 outfits for the week on Sundays. Sweater, skirt, shoes. Easy-peasy.

The light on the stairs went out 5 seconds after I took this, plunging me into darkness. Spooky! With my spectral appearance yesterday, I think I must have a haunted stairwell. Or maybe the light is on a timer, since was 8am. Nah...definitely haunted, hee hee.

I actually really liked this outfit. The sweater was wonderfully warm and cozy, with the bare arms giving me good temperature control. I last wore this fuzzy angora top was last worn here for my New Year's Eve workday last week.

Who says you can't wear lame (and I mean lah-may) in January? I need to have a little chat with them, because this lovely shiny (shiny! caw!) skirt was so fun to wear. Lots of compliments and of course, it is at least a Swoosh Factor 7. I last wore it here with a copper and brown ensemble in mid-December.

The stuff:

My cute 80s Bruno Magli shoes. I love how these feel; although they are a strangely rigid shoe, they are supremely comfortable. I last wore them here in December as a grounding element for some crazy colours.

Bling: at

I totally forgot about this necklace and earrings set. I've had them for about 10 years, purchased at Plum on sale. They tangle with other jewelry easily, so I've had them stashed in a little box for obviously a while! They are gold-plated and real crystal-type stones.

Sweater (Limited, consignment), skirt (Club Monaco, consignment), shoes (Bruno Magli, vintage 80s, thrifted), cuff (vintage 60s, Mom's), necklace/earrings (Plum).

And now, I am off to eat chili and drink wine!

Ghostly Neutrals

Woo, Tuesday! I demand Friday - now! 

It was so dark and gloomy this morning; raining and generally icky. Nothing compared to the rest of the country, but still: rough for taking outside pictures! Our exterior lights were off, and even with the backlight setting on my lil' point-and-shoot, I still came out ghosty.

This is my beautiful cream brocade jacket. See, if my grey jacket that I wore last week was as awesome as this one, I wouldn't have been waffling over it. I last wore this cream beauty here (scroll down, after the yellow shoes) in November.

I'm wearing my brown satin blouse under it, a favourite that I've had almost since I started this blog back in 2008. I last wore it in October here (way down, after the other yellow shoes).

The skirt is my machine wash-tumble dry Skott's Suede one - it's been washed so many times and it only gets softer! I last wore it on that same weekend as the brown satin blouse (here, again way down). How does that happen?

The stuff:

I totally forgot about this amazing belt - I haven't worn it since August (here).

The shoes are my "will I keep them or won't I?" Unlisted cheapos that I got at Winners so many years ago. I always think I'll get rid of them (they are not very well made - I had to do some gluing on them tonight), but then I wear them and they are so cool! And so comfy! Shoes, you may have just survived another round. I last wore them - wow, over a year ago in the November 2012 all-neutral capsule (recap here), where I wore them 4 times. They were on the fence after that month too.

Vintage bling:

My mink rose (aka "cat bait" - Vizzini wants to make sweet love to it...or lick it to death), my Grandma J's necklace, and vintage bracelet and earrings.

Jacket (Le Chateau, consignment), blouse (Esprit), skirt (Skotts Suede, thrifted), shoes (Unlisted), belt (Brave Belts, consignment), mink rose (consignment), necklace (Grandma J, Lisner, vintage 60s), bracelet (Trifari, vintage 60s), earrings (vintage 60s).

Chinese Tunic and Leather Pants

Oh yeah, I went there: red leather pants for work again. Heh, on a day when 8 new people started too! Hee hee!

This was the first day back at work after a few weeks for many of the people in my office, so it was fun to remind them of how whackadoo I can be.

My Tian Art tunic gets another wearing - I last wore it here in October belted and with a long skirt. 

Love that hot pink satin lining! I have a cami and a thin sweater on underneath it for warmth - sending the rest of Canada and the US "hurry up and warm up!" vibes. It isn't anywhere near that cold here on the coast! Stay snuggly, my friends!

Somebody wants me to stay home - me too, bud!

The pants are my fabulous leather ones from the Gap, thrifted for $24.50 and first worn here in early December with ruffles and a whole lot of shine.

The stuff:

The trim on the jacket has a bit of blue in it, so I like popping that off the burgundy. This time, I used these blue-y-green-y shoes (also: flats for Monday were very much needed!), which were last seen here (2nd outfit) with navy and my Leia jacket.

Big bling:

I'd forgotten about those Shi Studio earrings - they were a gift from my friend Sherylyn a few years ago.

Tunic (Tian Art, thrifted), pants (Gap, thrifted), shoes (Nine West, thrifted), cuff (St. Paul's Cathedral gift shop), earrings (Shi Studio), red ring (Oscar & Libby's), Fulvia Ring (Wendy Brandes).

Quiet Weekend Wrap-Up

Ah, a nice quiet weekend. As we are in the NFL playoffs for the next few weeks, most of our weekend time is spent watching the games (my beloved Carolina Panthers are in the hunt!).

On Saturday, L and I went out for breakfast to our favourite diner. 

It was cold, but sunny - hey, at least you can see my groovy tights' pattern!

This is my black shirtdress, last worn here (3rd outfit) for a pre-Christmas shopping day with Elaine in December.

My be-flowered Neosens get their second outing; it was last seen here with my space-y jacket and this same obi.

In addition to the tights, I have a camisole on and a half-slip (showing, because I don't care) for added warmth. I have on a pair of L's cufflinks as well, and a pair of gold starburst earrings.

"Hey, are you leaving again?" wonders my photobomber.

Since my dress has pockets, I can wear my pocket-less coat.

Dress (Talbot's, consignment), shoes (Neosens), obi (Smoking Lily), earrings (local), coat (Renuar, consignment), gloves (Parkhurst).

On Saturday night, we met up with our friends Chris and Alison for dinner, followed by a concert at the local arena. Since it's still hockey season, they just cover the ice with a flooring, so I was anticipating a cold venue.

Wrong! It was boiling. And although I'd worn layers, I ended up fanning myself with my ticket all night. We went to see Blue Rodeo, my favourite band (I've been a fan for 25 years!), for the 3rd time. The two singer/songwriters of the band, Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor were just named to the Order of Canada last week! (that's a big deal). Here's the local paper's review, and you can also read L's review of their new album and the concert over here at his blog.

Blue Rodeo is a pretty mellow alt-country-blues-rock band, so it wasn't a super hoppin' affair. However, a good time was had by all.

I wore my unofficial concert sweater, last seen here when we went to see Lindi Ortega in November. Coincidentally, Devon Cuddy, who opened for Lindi, also opened for Blue Rodeo.

I also wore my extra-long brown wool skirt (last seen here, 2nd outfit, for the November Winesday), my Docs (last seen here on our trip to PR), and my crackle leather coat, along with fingerless gloves and a silk Ralph Lauren scarf.

Sweater (Wilfred, thrifted), skirt (Animale, consignment), Doc Martens (consignment), coat (Danier Leather, thrifted), scarf (Ralph Lauren, consignment), gloves (Parkhurst), earrings (local).

And now, back to the games!

Casual Friday - Grey Brocade

Well, TGIF! Don't you just hate those mid-week stat holidays? Bring on the weekend!

Formal Friday! Boots, long skirt and a funky jacket (with a little velvet cami-top), that's the ticket.

I love this brocade jacket, but I almost never wear it. In fact, I haven't worn it since the February 2012 capsule (recap here). I wore it twice in that capsule: once with a purple skirt and once with a grey skirt. Before that, I'd only worn it just after I bought it (here, in November 2011).

What do you think? Keep? Or donate?

The skirt is one of my favourite denim pieces. I last wore it here (3rd outfit) in November, with my cream brocade jacket. This skirt just demands brocade.

The stuff:

My lovely Marc boots, and feather earrings. I last wore the boots here in October for my Monster Bash costume.

Jacket (Naughty), skirt (Optionelle, consignment), cami-top (Bianca Nygard, consignment), boots (Marc), earrings (local).

Happy weekend!

Black Leather and Yellow Power Lines

Look at that - it's another year. Well, moving on...

Classic me: bright colours, leather and rock accessories. I resolve to wear more of all of these in 2014. I also resolve to participate in "Hat Attack!" over at Style Crone! (I'm cheating and calling my fascinator from NYE a hat).

This yellow sweater is such a nice cheery bright colour - perfect for the dreary rainy day we had. I last wore it here (3rd outfit) the weekend I bought it in early December.

It's a little hard to see, but this black leather skirt (purchased here on the weekend) has contrasting white stitching down the front and back.

I know, the tights are boring ol' plain black, but it felt like Monday this morning! Too...much...effort...

The stuff:

White stitching on the skirt, white stitching on the shoes. Could I get any more matchy? The answer is none: none more matchy.

I last wore these shoes here in November while violating my company's dress code. Heh. I'm a rebel that way.

Big black bling:

Critters and my new belt buckle.

A close-up:

Power lines! Transformers! Electricity! Zot! Bam! Pow!

Sweater (Spense, consignment), skirt (Danier Leather, thrifted), shoes (Bata, vintage, consignment), belt (Leather World), buckle/earrings (local), necklace (Raven's Roost Studio), rings/studded cuff (80s vintage), leather cuff (Guess, thrifted).

Happy New Year! Here's to 2014!

And with a pop of the champagne cork, just like that, one year is over and another has begun! 

From my fam (including photobomber Vizzini) to yours: Happy New Year!

L put together his outfit - with a minor polish/bit of feedback from me. He is getting very good at his own styling! His wonderful orange satin pants are Versace (purchased second-hand in Vancouver for $75.00), the shirt is a vintage 70s ripple-pattern that I thrifted for around $10, the jacket is a vintage linen one (thrifted by me for $9.99), and his shoes are Fluevogs. The shirt has waves of baby blue in it, matching the shoes.

L and I continued our tradition of partying the year out with our good friends. We often go out for a posh dinner, then back to a residence to continue the party. Last night, the restaurant we went to took over 3.5 hours to serve us our 5-course meal (seriously, we finished our meal after midnight!), so we missed seeing in the New Year at Cat and Ross'. However, we did get to take most of the restaurants' helium balloons home!

What I wore:

My lovely shimmery red/black taffeta dress, purchased on consignment here in early December for $38.98.

Vizzini has decided that the hallway is the trendy place to be in 2014 

I added my black stomacher with a caramel belt over it, and I have a black lacy slip under the skirt of the dress (it has a liner and a puffy crinoline, but I wanted a little extra warmth). I liked my "holey" tights.

I also wore sparkly false eyelashes:

And my black feather fascinator. Isn't that shoulder bow awesome?

And who loves to come out for a fun time? The Unsafe Polar Bear!

I had a blast dashing across traffic-less streets, and encouraging others to do so. Traffic lights and walk signs are guidelines, people! Hee hee, don't worry, Mom, I didn't do anything stupid.

We partied till the wee hours - my head didn't hit the pillow until 4am.

The stuff:

My lovely Qtee Minis, last seen here in December with my wonderful red suit. I walked to town, and to Cat/Ross', then L and I walked Elaine home, then finally back to our place early this morning.

The bigass bling:

I love that cuff.

Dress (Bellissima, consignment), stomacher (InWear), belt (Club Monaco), fascinator (Heart's Content), shoes (Qtee Mini, Fluevog), earrings (Plum), spinner ring (Twang & Pearl), cuff (Midzo, thrifted).

As I wrap up my 6th year of blogging (seriously, I started in 2008! That's insane!), this isn't the first New Year's Eve outfit I've posted. Here's a little retrospective of my blog NYE get-ups of the previous five years (some of the posts linked also have pics of L's outfits, and aw, some pics of my old kitty Inigo).

New Year's Eve 2008:

My Betsey Johnson dress, purchased new at half price for $400 (at the time, I didn't disclose the price because I didn't want L to know how much it was). I still have the dress, but I'm about 5 lbs away from comfortably wearing it. I last wore it here in 2010 for my Day With Auntie Sheila for my niece Zoe's 11th birthday, with a t-shirt under it and rocker accessories. I need to wear it again - that's a good goal!

I'm in my wacky hair phase where I enhanced the natural curl. I thought the pink tights were really outrageous at the time. I still have those shoes too - I last wore them for my birthday in 2012, here. I still have those same pink tights, too! They've lasted well!

New Year's Eve 2009:

I bought this dress for $8.00 at the WIN thrift store - it's pretty awesome and deserve another wear! I last wore it in 2011 here for my birthday party.

I don't have those shoes anymore - I never liked how they looked on. That big ruffle down the front made my feet look chunky. I am glad my hair is shorter now too.

New Year's Eve 2010:

Such a cool dress! I gave it away in 2013, as I'd only worn it a couple of times - it was pretty limiting for changing up the look. I do still have those shoes, though! Some goofy hair going on there!

New Year's Eve 2011:

Love this dress! I also love the amped-up crimped hair and the crazy furry bag (I gave that away this year too). I still have the dress - it was last seen here in December 2012 with those same pink tights. I still have the shoes (which I wear all the time, last time here in November).

New Year's Eve 2012:

I still have all the elements of this outfit: the pewter leather skirt (here, Sept 2013), the floral blouse (here, December 2013) and the leather bustier (here, with the Traveling Yellow Skirt in November 2013) and my Marc boots (here, October 2013). Even the top hat and the floral necklace are still with me!

Anyway, I'm off to make the first dinner of 2014 (spaghetti), and then am going to settle back on the couch for some quality time with my sweeties (L and Vizzini). Back to work tomorrow!