Casual Friday: Coloured Tights and the Fluevog Vizzinis

Yes! Friday! Yes! Yes!

I'm going to whiz through this entry so I can go wake L up from his nap and hang out and play games and drink wine. Y'all will forgive me, I'm sure.

To those who also expressed concern about coloured tights for fall - will they be in? will they not? do we care? - screw 'em, I'm wearing them. Puh-leez. Like I have tights as mondo-cool as these ones and I'm NOT going to wear them. Nuh-uh.

I found these tights in the WIN thrift store a couple of months ago for $2.00 (yes, of course I washed them!). I'm sure that they are either Pamela Mann or Look From London tights, both of which I've purchased new, both of which costs $20-25 a pair. These were fab to wear all day, and my co-workers loved them.

The purple lace dress is one that I've had for about a year. I thrifted it for $9.50 and have worn it 3 times prior - every time with patterned tights. Check it out:

• Last, in December 2013 with burgundy lace tights;
• In June 2013 with leopard tights; and
• Right after I bought it, in May 2013 with my floral Look From London tights.

I have my floofy navy blue sheer Noa Noa underskirt on to give the purple dress a little more length. Even with tights, this dress is short when I'm sitting at a desk.

Vizzini wanted to attack my earrings.

He really wanted to get hold of my shoes...again.

The stuff:

These shoes are the fabulous debut of the Fluevog Vizzinis, named after my own little holy terror, Vizzini! But no, you can't go buy them yourself. Why not? Because although you can buy Fluevogs, you can't buy these ones. 

I. made. them.

Dress (Jacob, thrifted), underskirt (Noa Noa), shoes (Wonders Ayers/Vizzinis, Fluevog), earrings (thrifted).

This is what these pink shoes used to look like.

And in fact, I do have these shoes. I've bought them twice. The first time, using a gift certificate for my birthday from my Winesday Women two years ago. The second time, after Vizzini went in my closet and ATE MY SHOES. Go here to read the heart-rending story of a Cat Out For Vengeance.

So yes, I finally got around to dyeing my shoes. I decided that PINK would be the colour.

I spent less than $20 for supplies from the cobbler.

I trimmed the excess leather off from the missing strap and evened out the other shoe to match.

You can see that Vizzini also had his way with that strap. It's supposed to have 3 more inches of strap for buckling. Grrr. Little beast.

I did kind of a half-assed finish on these.

Heh, I feel better playing with these shoes, knowing they were already destroyed once. Like anything I can do would be worse.

I did a better job on trimming the extra buckle on the side.

All trimmed, in my cardboard box spray area out on the deck.

I am ready to use the Leather Preparer to remove the excess colour.

Whoa, they weren't kidding when they said to do it in a well-ventilated area. My deck was not ventilated enough...

I liked the sort of antiqued finish left around the edges and near the stitching. Next job, tape 'em up.

As a practiced modeler and crafty-type person, I am good at making sure that my half-assed job doesn't look too asstastic.

I even remembered to tape up the buckles! (gives self a pat on the back).

I stuffed an old towel into both shoes so that the insides wouldn't get coated with pink spray.

Blurriness due to inhaled alcohol fumes

I started light coats of pink, first one side, then the other, letting them thoroughly dry between coats.

I kept coating them until I ran out of dye.

In hindsight, I probably should have bought another can of dye to make sure they came out really even, but dammit, I wanted them done!

A rather vivid bubblegum pink, just like Vizzini's little pink tongue.

As there were some areas that took more paint than others, my next thought was to antique them a bit, and take some of that uber-pink edge off.

I tested black and navy blue shoe polish on the pink taped soles. I preferred the look of the navy over the black; the black looked too dirty.

I rubbed the edges, seams and the stitching with navy polish then buffed it off.

I liked the tie-dye effect of it.

To give them a nice polish, I buffed them with clear Woly.

I love Woly. I use it on all my leather shoes.

The clear took a big more of the navy off, and then I removed the masking tape.

Voila! The unveiling of the Fluevog Vizzinis!

I did a good job taping them. Quite proud of myself.

John's signature is still there.

I'll probably wear them like this for a while, and then play with them some more.

How would you customize them? Crystals? Glitter? Another colour? I think the possibilities are vast.

Have a great weekend! I'll be back on Sunday.

Purples and Golds in Silk, and Cat Undercover

I'm looking at my dresses very critically these days. I tend to collect them.

I wore a vintage slip under this, but I was a wee bit boobtastic in it.

After all, dresses are so cool! But often, there is only so much you can do with them, and then you get bored, and the next thing you know, you haven't worn it in years.

Not so (yet) with this lovely silk dress.

I last wore it here (2nd outfit) in April for a full day shopping and hanging out when my mother-in-law was in town.

It was lovely and comfy today. This is my third wear of it, and based on my usual habits, it will probably be the last for this summer. I will pack it away at the end of September, wear it a couple of times next spring/fall, then give it away. That's just how I roll.

The stuff:

I was sure I'd worn these lavender shoes with the dress before, but nope, must have just been wanting to match them up! I last wore them here last month with grey lace and pink bling.

Bronze bling.

I love that Midzo cuff.

Dress (Club Monaco, consignment), shoes (Camper), cuff (Midzo, thrifted), earrings (Plum), ring (Twang & Pearl).

Just before I left for work this morning, I spotted Officer Vizzini doing some undercover work.

"Shhhh...I'm deep undercover, watching the crows."

We've been pulling all the curtains while we're at work during the day to keep our place from getting too hot. This is the only window in the living room/dining room he can look out of - of course, he can still go past the curtains onto the deck.

As soon as I petted him, he mrowed and came to visit me.

"I'm a secret agent undercover cat!"

I'm sure the crows were amused.

Red and Blue, and Floral Too

Getting through this week is proving to be difficult. Damned slow, that's what this week is! 

I'm starting to look forward and think about my fall clothes - I get excited about boots and tights (are coloured tights still in?) and warm skirts in wool and suede. Of course, I wear wool and suede in the summer too!

Today's outfit was built around this new-to-me blouse, thrifted back here in July for $8.00.

I wore a red cami under it as it's pretty sheer, although you wouldn't know it from these pictures.

I love this blue wool skirt. Thank you, anonymous sewer with the same figure as me!

"I love you, don't go to work!"

Cerulean blue is such a rich and vibrant colour. I last wore it here in May with brown and leopard.

The stuff:

I last wore these clompin' shoes during my "Shoes My Husband Hates" series, here in June.

Blue bling:

These earrings go so well with my Wendy Brandes ring.

Blouse (Liz Claiborne, thrifted), skirt (handmade, vintage 80s, thrifted), shoes (Miz Mooz, consignment), belt (Plum), earrings (local), ring (Wendy Brandes).

Blue As Sky, Green As Grass

These Tuesdays that masquerade as Mondays are evil, I tell you! 

Legs McGee

And these short weeks always feel twice as long. Good thing I have bright clothes to cheer me up!

My lovely deepest sky-blue silk top was last seen here in April with morange lips (ha, on a Tuesday - my WW group will be seeing double!).

The grass green suede skirt is new-to-me, thrifted here a couple of weekends ago for $24.95. It's by Danier Leather and as expected with Danier, it's gorgeous quality. This is from the heyday of suede skirts, when every store in the mall sold them (for as low as $24.95, I'm sure!).

Verdict: love it, but it's short. I'm used to knee-length or longer skirts these days (*granny voice*), and I was very conscious of not bending over in it, and keeping those knees locked together at my desk. I like it quite a lot, though. The colour is stunning and I can see it with some groovy boots in cooler weather.

The stuff:

I played up the two gold zippered pockets in the skirt by wearing lots of gold jewelry. Of course, one must bookend one's blue top with blue shoes. It's the thing to do. I last wore these well-love blue suede shoes here on a Tuesday in July. There must be something about blue on Tuesdays!

Gold bling:

The earrings are real gold; the rest is costume. I love the spectacular statement necklace. It's by D'Orlan, and I thrifted it last year for $20.00.

Blouse (I. Magnin, thrifted, vintage 80s), skirt (Danier Leather, thrifted, vintage 90s), shoes (Feet First), necklace (D'Orlan, thrifted), cuff (Mom's, vintage 60s), earrings (gift from L).

Bigass Weekend Round-Up: Spanish Ladies, Chartreuse Silk and Lavender Brocade (with a Hair Attack!)

Whew! Thank goodness for long weekends! I need today to recover from the rest of the weekend. It's BC Day (a nothing holiday), so my Monday will be spent in pleasant relaxitude with L. 

But back to Friday!

As previously mentioned, I had to get ready quickly after work on Friday, to walk to town with L, meet up with Yvonne and Randall (hello!) for dinner and drinks, then cab out to our friends Chris and Alli's place for a wee soiree. We got home around midnight, happily sloshed and full of homemade sushi.

Weekend hair, of course, was in order.

I'm still figuring out how to do my hair up. This time I kind of swooped the back portion into a duck-tail (hey, I'm Fonzie!).

The glorious dress is my Spanish ladies piece - much-loved but usually worn as a work outfit. L was pleased that I'd worn it out on its own so it could be enjoyed by all (mostly him). I last wore it here in May with shades of blue and orange.

The stuff:

All oranges and yellows, aside from the little turquoise earrings. These Kraft Dinner Tsubos were good for a night of carousing, although I have small blisters on my toes from rubbing in the heat. It's been hot hot hot here all weekend! I last wore these shoes here (2nd outfit) with a vintage dress and hat in May for my nieces' dance recital - that dress ended up being one of those stinky vintage ones, so I got rid of it.

Citrus bling:

Leftover yellow from Friday's daytime outfit. None of the pictures above show me wearing the cuff as I decided to wear it at the last minute, after I'd taken all my pics.

Dress (Lirub), shoes (Tsubo), belt (vintage 80s, thrifted), cuff (thrifted), earrings (local).

L and I were quite the colourful couple that night!

His shirt is Dolce & Gabanna - I found it in a women's consignment store (it's a men's shirt). He has green Fluevogs on too!

Not enough people for Ultimate on Saturday morning, so L and I just went for brunch on our own.

Another hot day, and you know I hate wearing sunscreen. Physical sunblock was supplied by this chartreuse dress.

I do sunblock up the exposed parts.

As we were wandering downtown after, a woman in a convertible at a crosswalk yelled at me, "You look great! Really!" Aw, thank you, I said.

L and I laughed at the "Really!" part, as if she thought I might not have believed her otherwise. Still, doesn't it seem like compliments from strangers are somehow more valid and believable?

I do love this dress, though. I haven't worn it for a while (I'm always afraid of getting wet 'pits and then having to risk washing it). I last wore it here in February (eek!) with tights, scarf and boots - the whole shebang!

The stuff:

I still haven't worn these shoes for walking more than 15 minutes at a time. I'm still leery of the between-the-toes thong. Not a fan of that, so I'm not risking blisters by wearing these on a Major Shopping Expedition until I'm sure they won't destroy my feet. So far, so good, I'm happy to report. I last wore them here (2nd outfit) in July for pre- and post-Ulty.

Hoopy bling:

Bigass hoops!

Dress (Mary Jo Bruno, vintage 80s, consignment), shoes (Born, consignment), belt (Mom's, vintage 60s), earrings (real gold, gift from L in 2002).

Mr. Vizzini has been coping with the heat by flopping in cool places.

"Paparazzi! Let me nap in peace!"

He loves sitting in the little bed that the blue sofa's back cushions make.

"I lounge like a boss."

Of course, I stirred him up with snuggles. What? He does it to me at 5am! Fair play!

Saturday night, L and I hung out at home and played "Arkham Horror" and listened to music. It was some much-needed downtime.

We slept in a bit on Sunday, lounged about, read, browsed the Interwebz, then got ready to head to town for Nick's annual birthday good times at a downtown pub. Just us and 15+ of our best friends! (last year's outfit here, 3rd one down, my strapless 80s dress).

Va-va-voom! I loved this outfit and felt awesome all day/night in it.

We walked to town, so I had my trusty paper hand-painted parasol instead of sunblock.

I got the curl on my hair just right this time - I rolled it into a tube. The meme of the night was that I really really need a little surfer on a surfboard to "shoot the curl" in my hair! Also, this great idea: little surfer on surfboard, little palm tree, and blue and white feather shooting out the back like waves! Wouldn't that make an awesome surf-fascinator? Hee, riding the waves!

I really tried to wear a hat so that I could participate in Judith's "Hat Attack" over at Style Crone, but nothing quite worked (must find a surfer!). So, I'm counting my hair as a "Hair Attack" instead. Please, go check out all the awesome bloggers and their beautiful chapeaux!

The most wonderful lavender brocade dress! This is its first wear - it was purchased here last weekend for $13.97.

And...kick!

The inside seams were quite itchy with that lame (lah-MAY!), so I wore a vintage slip underneath the whole ensemble. The slip itself was too long, so I safety-pinned the sides up. I'm crafty that way.

Blurry, but check out my one lavender pointer finger and pinky.

That's the closest I ever get to a manicure: 60-second nail polish. That's the colour I did my toenails in about 2 minutes flat.

The stuff:

I didn't mean to lie - I did intend to wear the lavender booties featured on this edition of Shoe Shine! But it was so hot, and I couldn't walk to town (and back) in them, so I swapped out to these pewter gladiator sandal kitten heels. I last wore these shoes for my work quarterly meeting with a crazyass Hawaiian dress last month, here.

The stuff:

I'm always so inspired by Wendy Brandes' innovations when it comes to jewelry. She's been championing the one-off odd earrings lately, so I put my own spin on it by deliberately mismatching mine. I figured this worked well due to the earrings being similar shapes, with the graduating drops.

Dress (vintage 60s, D'Allaird's, thrifted), shoes (Enzo Angiolini, consignment), cuff (thrifted), bracelet (vintage 60s, Mom's, Coro), long earring (gift from Lise), shorter earring (Jacob), round ring (Nine West), Death Star ring (Soul Flower).

Before we left the house, I tracked down Officer Vizzini.

"Hey, I'm on a break!"

He has been very remiss in chattering at the crows nesting in the oak trees. He much prefers the cool tiles out on the deck.

He was transfixed by the reflections from my ring and vintage bracelet.

What a pretty boy! I love the warmth of his fur in the sun.

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

Sheila's Shoe Shine #7

Shoe Shine is on!

Get your kicks by showing your kicks!

My choice for  Shoe Shine #7 are shoes I don't wear very much. Lavender booties!

They are just so...all the things. Crazy, cool, ugly, gorgeous. They are by Feud, and I bought them new at She She shoes here (more pictures) in December 2012 with a gift certificate from L.

They mesmerize me. I'll be wearing them this weekend! 

Got any fugly shoes? Do you have a love-hate relationship? 

It's your turn! Show us your shoes! 

Want to play? It's super-easy. Anyone can join.

1. Link to a post featuring a fabulous pair of footwear!
2. Include a link to Ephemera somewhere in your post (it's only polite). Leave a comment here if you like (note that comments continue to be moderated).
3. Go to the bottom of this post and click on the InLinks "Add Your Link" button to open a new page.
4. In the "Next Step," you crop the picture you want to display, and voila!
5. Show your Shoe Shine spirit by grabbing and displaying the button in the sidebar. -->

An InLinkz Link-up

Casual Friday: Bustier and Hot Pink Leather

It's Friday! I need to get this post done, write and schedule the Shoe Shine post for tomorrow morning, change my 'do to "weekend hair" and change my outfit. Time to party!

Yes, this is my Casual Friday. I don't do Casual Friday like most people.

This outfit was built around two new-to-me pieces that I picked up in thrift stores here last weekend: the denim stretch bustier and the pink leather skirt.

Review of the denim bustier: I need a size down. I was pulling it up all day. Maybe it will work better over a jacket or a thicker blouse. I'll give it at least one more outfit. B+

The blouse is so fun to wear - I adore big swooshy cuffs. I last wore it here (3 outfit, after cat pictures) with blue in July.

Butt shot! I loved wearing this pink skirt all day - it is quality, thick and soft. My lipstick matched!

The stuff:

I wore the black belt so that I wouldn't have to wear a lanyard for my keys at work (I hate those), but didn't like it at my waist (the high waist of the skirt interfered). And I wore black shoes because black belt. I last wore these uber-comfy kitten heels here in June with a mod skirt.

Minimalist bling:

Love the curve of those earrings!

Blouse (CAbi, consignment), skirt (Evan Davies, vintage 80s, thrifted), shoes (Town Shoes, thrifted), belt (Bianca Nygard), earrings (vintage 80s, Joyce's).

Have an awesome weekend! 

Stay tuned for tomorrow's Shoe Shine linky party, 

open all week!