Shoe Shine #12

Shoe Shine is on!

Get your kicks by showing your kicks!

Let yourself shine!

I chose my beautiful green "elf" shoes for this edition of Shoe Shine.

They are called the Half-Truth Tanya, and yes, they are by Fluevog.

They're a good example of the erratic sizing in shoes (not just Fluevogs, although they are crazy erratic). I usually wear a size 9 or 9.5 (Euro 40), but these are size 10 and are perfect.

I have pretty narrow feet and long toes, with a narrow heel, and these just work beautifully on me. I like that the top straps are adjustable over the foot.

These have gotten softer and more comfortable since I got them in March. They've also gone on sale at Fluevog (I really want the purple ones!). Go on... I know you want to go look at them here - my review is there. (Seriously, no kickbacks. I link 'cause I love).

Have you ever bought a duplicate shoe in another colour? I don't think I ever have. 

Would you?

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

Birthday Party Dress Link-Up!

I'm taking a little break - it's been over 6 years since I started this blog and I need a rest. However, I wouldn't leave y'all in the lurch, so I've lined up a few little posts (including a Shoe Shine and my birthday link-up party) to keep you amused until I'm back. 

And I will be back, I promise!

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Today is my birthday! I would love to share my party outfit with you...but no birthday party for me this year. Why? Well, I'm doing something else instead, which will be revealed in time. 

However, I will share all of my previous birthday outfits that I've shown on my blog, first going way way back to 2008:

I still have that suit! But not the belt or the shoes.

In 2009, L and I went to Seattle for the weekend.

"Oh, go on!" In the hotel room just before we went out for dinner.

In 2010, I didn't do a birthday day outfit, but we had a party that weekend, and I wore my vintage disco dress.

Still have that one, and I think this may have been its last wear. Dare I wear it again?

In 2011, I spent my birthday out with my niece Hannah, then went for dinner at the pub with L.

We probably had a party too, but that gorgeous dress is what I wore on my day. Still have it (just unpacked it) and still have those fab boots.

2012 was in the middle of my year-long 30 x 30 x 12 Challenge. Hey, that's the same suit skirt as in the the 2008 picture.

The shoes are gone, but the rest remains.

And last year, in 2014:

Gotta wear leather on one's birthday! 

And you? What will you wear for my birthday? Break out the party clothes! 

Link to a post featuring YOU in some party clothes!

Include a link to Ephemera somewhere in your post (it's only polite). Leave a comment here if you like.

Go to the bottom of this post and click on the InLinks "Add Your Link" button to open a new page.

In the "Next Step," you crop the picture you want to display, and voila!

An InLinkz Link-up

This will be active for a week, so lots of time to plan! 

Don't feel like partying? Then just show your shoes! Shoe Shine is on for Saturday!

Shoe Shine Reminder!

Shoe Shine is this Friday!

See you there!

Busy Weekend: Fringe Green, Ribbon Red, Mod Flowers, Early Birthday and Couch Cat

Woo, what a crazy weekend! Where does the time go? L's mom is in town, so we've spent some time with her and my mom as well. 

But first: Friday!

Work has been rather nutty lately. I'm hoping for a battery re-charge soon! October is usually a good month for that for me.

Linking up to "Visible Monday" over at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style - get yourself over there!

First wearing of my new-to-me sweater, purchased here (way down) in September for $16.00.

It's by Coldwater Creek - I like the nice neckline and the fringe on the sleeves.

My skirt is a year-round item, but gets worn more in the cooler months. I last wore it here (2nd outfit) in June.

Note the awesome heels on my boots.

We still haven't gotten much cold weather, so all I needed in the morning was a thin wool scarf and my long brown leather gloves.

I'm checking a bunch of trends here: midi-length skirt, boots, green and fringe.

The stuff:

L and I went out for dinner after work, having a little early birthday celebration for me. My actual birthday is on Wednesday, but we have other plans and won't be able to celebrate it just the two of us.

The light was waning by the time we got home, so I blew the contrast out on these pictures so that you can see the wonderful embossed pattern on the boots.

Yeah, I know. To die for, aren't they? I last wore them here in March with vintage yellow.

Simple bling.

My two-sided green obi: silk on one side, cotton on the other. Doing the one-earring trend again.

Sweater (Coldwater Creek, thrifted), skirt (OptionElle, consignment), boots (Babycakes Minis, Fluevog), obi (thrifted), earrings (both local), Fulvia Ring (Wendy Brandes). 

I busted my coworkers on Friday morning, who were balloon-bombing my desk:

Voila! I had to pop most of them so that i could actually work. What a lovely thing to do! Thank you so much to Eryn, Emily and Nicole.

This is something I do to most of my colleagues:

"My eyes, watching you!"

I see all. 

L gave me his presents when we got home from dinner:

The final Rachel Morgan book, a $200 gift certificate to She She Shoes (woo!), and a giant anatomical heart necklace.

Check that out:

Mmmm...veiny.

The back says "Defy." Don't mind if I do.

I love the heft of it.

It's a locket!

Aw, L knows me so well - it's my boyfriends, Hugh Jackman an Vin Diesel. Hee hee!

We had probably our last game of Ultimate on Saturday morning. I have fewer loose dresses for wearing to the field, so have to go with separates.

It started out a bit rainy, but ended up a really nice day - definitely a good day for Ulty, weather-wise. We had a really hard game - a lot of running.

A simple thin red sweater (last seen here in June with the same necklace) works over my sports bra.

My ribbon skirt is a favourite. It has wonderful swoosh.

I dig an uneven hem. I last wore this here almost exactly a year ago, in October 2013 for my birthday week.

The stuff:

My black riding boots have gotten a good couple of years of hard wear (I wear them a lot in the cold weather), as they are great walking boots. I need to look for a replacement pair. I last wore them here in March, just before they were packed away.

Copper bling:

I love my vintage pieces.

Sweater (Talbots, thrifted), skirt (MNG, consignment), boots (Aldo, consignment), necklace/earrings (Renoir, vintage 60s). 

After brunch, we ran some errands, then L collected his mom from her hotel and we went out for dinner. I did a slight variation on my outfit.

The sweater had gotten a bit stinky from wearing it after the game in the morning, so I swapped it out for a red cami and this brown fitted jacket, last seen here in September. I also changed up my earrings and put on two of my copper cuffs.

Jacket (Elie Tahari by Arthur C. Levine, thrifted), earrings/cuff (Renoir, vintage 60s, Grandma J's), bracelet (vintage 60s).

Vizzini decided to perch on the caramel couch for a change.

"What? I can't change my routine?"

By the time we were back from dinner, he'd gone back to his usual spot on the blue couch.

"Yawn, I was sleeping fine before you got home."

I love how he must have all of his feet together.

"Officers have to be flexible."

His tail is in there somewhere too.

"Enough of your papparazzi!"

This morning, we went for brunch with L's mom and my mom. It's a lovely sunny day, so this is all I wore.

I love still having bare legs in October! Such a treat.

This is my second wear of this navy blue floral blouse, first worn here in August.

Pocketses, precious!

I am thrilled to have this lovely red wool jumper dress back. The mod shape really appeals to me. I last wore it here in March layered under an olive jacket.

We had a lovely brunch, and are now doing chores again. The goal: a chilling evening.

The stuff:

I kept these bronze-y shoes out for fall/winter, even though they aren't really a tights shoe (they snagged my nylons a couple of weeks ago), but I kept them out because they work well in the "shoulder" months of October and March, when the weather is nicer and I have bare legs. I last wore them here in September with my other red dress.

Blouse (Liz Claiborne, thrifted), dress (The Limited, thrifted), shoes (Modern Vintage, thrifted), necklace (local, gift from L).

I hope you had a fun and sunny weekend!

Tie Thursday and a Watch

Whew, another late night and I am just beat. Is the weekend here yet? No?

Well, how about Tie Thursday? My office is about 80% men, and some of the younger hipsters have taken to wearing ties on Thursdays. I'm so all over that! I love wearing ties!

This is actually what I wore all day. I'm a little pit-sy and this shirt shows it, so I kept the jacket on. I liked how the cropped fit offset the fullness of the skirt and framed the tie. I had tons of compliments on the outfit, although while running an errand, some guy (in paint-spattered clothes; no sartorial splendour there) felt that he had to comment that my glasses don't match my outfit.

What? You mean purple's not a neutral? Gee, thanks.

Anyway, I liked this outfit a lot too, and loved wearing the tie all day. The jacket is my wonderfully buttah-soft Danier Couture leather one, last seen here in August with striped pants.

The shirt is striped grey. I'm really feeling this mid-tone grey this season. I'm not usually a grey person, but I'm still wanting to rock the brights, and it's a nice way to pop them. I last wore this shirt here in February (yikes!) with a backless dress (and a tie!).

I know, isn't the skirt amazing? It was a dream to wear - loved the pockets and made everyone feel the wool and cashmere. It's by Hourihan and was made in Ireland. I'm still boggled that it was $17.99. I bought it here last month.

This outfit was a little on the warm side. Like Curtise over in the UK, our mornings and evenings have been chilly, but it's been sunny and warm during the day. I'm still going bare-legged!

The stuff:

My much-adored grey wool "elf" scrunchy wool boots. If I were to do a fall/winter edition of "Shoes My Husband Hates", I'm sure L would include these!  I last wore them here in April with studs.

Menswear bling:

I did a lot of accessories with this outfit, from the belt (with cool pressed-glass and fabric buckle), to the tie, to the cufflinks. I didn't actually notice that I had two different cufflinks on until I got to work, ha!

And yes, the dudes at work were very impressed with my tie!

Jacket (Danier Couture, consignment), shirt (Club Monaco, consignment), skirt (Hourihan, thrifted), boots (Prepare Guides, Fluevog), belt/buckle (Shi Studio), tie (Tommy Hilfiger, was L's), cufflinks (vintage, L's), spinner ring (local), death star ring (Stone Roses), earrings (don't recall).

I haven't worn a watch in decades, but I got it in my head that I needed a watch. I don't have a cell phone, iPhone, iPad, laptop or other device which tells time (that part is incidental to not having a device - I choose to be unconnected except for this blog and email). I'm a bit of a control person and details person and a watch exacerbates those qualities in me, and can cause me anxiety, but I'm feeling the need to have one.

I looked around at The Bay department store - nothing really grabbed me, and I had a bit of sticker shock (this comes from thrifting everything). I remembered that I walk past a little mom & pop watch repair place every day, and decided to check there. I'd rather give a small local business my money anyway.

This is what I found!

It is a men's watch (big face), but it fits me on the smallest hole.

It's a Lorus, is water resistant, glows in the dark, and I just really like the look of it. I also like the leather band. It was $65.00 marked down - it ended up being $50 with all the taxes. I was thrilled. Happy birthday to me.

Purple Velvet and Granny Shoes

Gah, I am so tired. I worked until 7pm, came home and made dinner, cleaned the kitchen and then crashed on the couch (cold weather = kitty on lap...ah...).

I'm having so much fun with my new-to-me clothes! Purple velvet!

So glad I still have morning light for the stair picture. The inside light is getting crappier and crappier. It's nearly dark in the morning! 

Well, that's fall, I guess. Also fall? This fab purple jacket. I thrifted it after work a few weeks ago here in September for $17.50.

The leopard blouse is a favourite for the past few years. I last wore it here in February while telling my black leather dress and thigh-high boots to calm the f**k down.

The skirt was thrifted a couple of years ago. It's a washable suede - gotta love that! I last wore it here in January with all neutrals.

The stuff:

I am a sucker for granny shoes! I've owned several pairs over the years - these ones are a lovely toffee brown, with a round toe and chunky heel. I bought them on consignment here in August for $28.00; they are by Nine West. Considering the height of the heel, they were quite comfortable, even after an 10.5 hour day.

Purple and gold bling:

The necklace is one I made many years ago - the large purple glass beads are from my great-grandmother (? not 100% sure, but they are old).

Jacket (Dex, thrifted), blouse (Planet, consignment), skirt (Skott's Suede, thrifted), shoes (Nine West, consignment), necklace (by me), earrings (thrifted), spinner ring (Twang & Pearl), pinky ring (Pentti Sarpeneva, vintage 1970), ring w/stone (Dad's, vintage 60s, Francis Jeweler).