Bigass Thursday, Friday and Weekend Wrap-Up: Concert Velvet, Casual Leopard, Shades of Red, and a Major Shop

Well, that was a longer break than I'd intended, but darn it, life is fun and interesting and I'd rather be living it. So a bigass post for you! Pull up a chair and dig in.

Here's Thursday's outfit. In addition to leading my WW meeting that night, L and I also went to see Dwight Yoakam and two opening bands. 

So I had to factor in all of that - warmth needed (it was still freezing cold all the rest of the weekend), walkable shoes, and oh, better be stylish while we're at it.

• Jacket - Ralph Lauren, thrifted; last seen here in November 2016 with spectacular legs
• Skirt - Jones New York, vintage, thrifted; last worn here in December 2015 with mustard and pink
• Boots - Prepare Map, Fluevog; last worn here (2nd outfit) in November 2016 with a pink wolves dress
• Coat (below) - Hilary Radley, thrifted 

Although I liked this outfit overall, I'm done with this black skirt. It just not interesting enough for me to keep, and although it's a useful item, it's not like I have shortage of black skirts (and - spoiler alert! - I bought another one this weekend).

Let's dig into its history, since I've worn it a bunch, and assess how well I've done with my cost per wear. In addition to this outfit and the "last seen" outfit above, I also wore it:

• In October 2015 here (5th outfit, way down) with purple velvet;
• With a jerkin and fruital here in May 2015;
• In January 2015 with sparkly blue here;
• Here (4th outfit, scroll down) in October 2014 in an equestrian outfit;
• In January 2014 here with sheer copper;
• In September 2013 here (2nd outfit) with black and white stripes;
• For a day of bowling here in March 2013, here (hey, I'm blonde!); and for the first time...
• In March 2013 with a floral cardi here.

I bought it here on a shopping weekend in January 2013 for $4.00, thrifted. Factoid: it's the last item from that weekend's shop that I still own after 4 years; oh wait, I still have that strapless dress, and I did get it tailored! Anyway, I wore it 10 times in four years, so at 40 cents per wear, I am very satisfied. And you know, looking at all of those outfits, it's not all that special. I don't love it.

My WW meeting was hugely busy, and we ran quite late. I walked from there to the arena for the concert and arrived as the first opening act was underway. L was patiently waiting for me there.

Unfortunately, the sound was terrible for the entire show - we couldn't hear any of the lyrics from any of the acts, including Mr. Yoakam, who frankly put on a half-assed show. Yup, greatest hits, little interaction with the audience, nothing special at all. One of the worst shows I've ever seen. Ah well.

I wore my leopard footless tights under all this, along with a vintage slip (the skirt is not lined).

Outerwear:

The usual: Danier toque/scarf and vintage thrifted long wool gloves.

The stuff:

L and I walked home from the arena afterwards, and my dogs were howlin'. Although these are great boots, they were never meant to be worn for 15 hours! The only time I had them off all day was walking to my WW meeting after work. My poor toes were blistered, even though I had socks on and I've worn these boots plenty before and had no issues. However, I'd never get rid of these boots, but this was poor planning on my part for the amount of walking I had to do all day.

Bold bling:

I love that leopard belt. Best $2.00 I spent on a belt.

• Belt - Talbots, thrifted
• Earrings - Aldo Accessories
• Ring - late 90s

I'd intended to wear these shoes here with this outfit for Friday, but due to the state of my feet, I went with a much comfier pair of Fluevogs instead.

Shades of blue and purple for the win! I felt like a million bucks in this outfit. When I don't feel like that about an outfit (like my Thursday outfit) I have to evaluate the pieces because something isn't working.

• Sweater - Rachel Roy, consignment; first seen here in August 2016 with the shoes I'd planned to wear!
• Skirt - Banana Republic, thrifted; first worn here in August 2016 in an age-inappropriate outfit (ha!)
• Shoes - Room 502 Entrance, Fluevog; last seen here in November 2016 with a simple pleather dress
• The Unsafe Polar Bear coat (below) - Apparance, vintage, thrifted

"I approve of this outfit. Gotta go."

I felt awesome in this outfit all day. Legs McGee, that's me! I also love the wide neckline - I have a pale blue camisole on under it (the straps show, as do my blue brastraps).

This is my favourite outfit of the weekend, so this is my entry for Patti's "Visible Monday" over at Not Dead Yet Style. Are you dead? Stylish? Get over there!

A miniskirt in metallic leopard? Totally appropriate for a chick of my vintage.

Outerwear:

The usual vintage thrifted long wool gloves, and my thrifted fur boa. No hat - didn't feel like it. The Unsafe Polar Bear! The ladies at the WIN store loved it.

The stuff:

My feet were grateful for these shoes, which are not nearly as high as they look. Unfortunately, I had an unexpected issue at the other office to deal with, so I had to walk there and back during the workday. More walking than intended.

Blue bling:

I'd forgotten about those earrings, even though they were in plain sight in my jewelry box.

• Bangle - Glee
• Earrings - local
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes

I met up with L after work for dinner (we had wine and a cocktail, which is why I didn't end up blogging on Friday night as planned). I had about an hour between ending work and dinner, so I indulged in a little retail therapy at the WIN Warehouse store and The Patch. More walking!

Found at WIN - this fabulous statement necklace.

The greens are much more vivid in person. All the stones were intact and it doesn't look like it's been worn much. It was $19.95, which is a bit pricey for thrift, but such a pretty piece! I am in love.

And always nice to find a stamp on a piece - this is by J. Crew.

A little hunting around online reveals that this was $79.00 originally, so that $19.95 is looking like a good deal! Are statement necklaces over as a trend? Do I give a flying fork?

I tried on a few things, but the store seemed to be midway through transitioning out of winter clothes and there weren't too many items that caught my eye. My brain is in "spring!" mode right now, so I'm scouting for things that make me think of warmer weather. I might not get any wear out of stuff for a month or more, but I like snatching up the good stuff before it's gone.

This dress/duster doesn't look like much on the hanger, but it's fabulous on. It's a nice dark floral, with a little bit of pink and purple in it. It's sheer, and buttons to about knee level.

"My butt is more interesting than this dress."

It's by Divided by H&M - not the best quality, but hey, for $9.95, I'm going to just have fun with it for a few wears. I'm feeling a boho floral soft rocker look for me for spring.

And you never know, maybe it will turn into one of those "go figure" wardrobe stalwarts.

At The Patch, I found two things that rang my bell. They have a "buy two, get one free" promotion on right now, but I only found two things I liked. I could have hunted through the sunglasses display, but I was starting to run late for dinner, so two items it was.

One is this wonderful vintage mint green dress.

It's a light polyester weave, and will need a full slip underneath, as it's not lined, but it felt wonderful on, and I loved the Swoosh Factor of the skirt. I am not usually much of a pleated person, but for some reason this dress worked for me.

I found a label down one of the side seams. This is by Doncaster. I am sure this is vintage due to the way it's constructed. The seams are pinked, not finished with a serged edge (no serving anywhere on this, actually). All other seams are full French seams (no edges exposed). It also has those loops that snap around the bra strap at the shoulder - I always like those for anchoring my slip as well as my bra. I couldn't find anything about this particular brand, but I'd guess this is from the late 70s or early 80s (it's pre-shoulder pads)

It was $26.95 - a little pricey, but my purchases tend to balance out. One dress is $9.95, and one is $26.95 - that's about $18 per dress, which is better in my mind. Anyway, if I love an item, the price doesn't matter.

The bomber jacket trend is probably ending, but here I am, late to the party again.

Baby, I'm a star, and this jacket knows it. This is a navy blue Forever 21 piece, is fully-lined and has pockets - it was originally around $50, so I'm happy with what I paid. I think it's cute! Wouldn't it be awesome with my Star Wars shoes?

L and I hung out Friday night, drinking wine and playing board games. We got up early on Saturday for our brunch and walk to town. Football playoffs are on, and we had Winesday/MANsday that night. Things to do!

Red, red and more red. And some wine. And as you can see, it was sunny (but cold!).

• Sweater - Lord & Taylor, thrifted; last seen here in October 2016 with the Lady Garden of Delight skirt (need to wear that again!)
• Skirt - Nine West, thrifted; first worn here in November 2016 with wine and black
• Shoes - Sperry, thrifted; last seen here on Christmas Day, December 2016
• Grape Ape coat (below) - Forever 21, thrifted 

The sweater is a thin merino wool (I'm wearing a fitted camisole under it for warmth), and is a wardrobe basic. I don't love it, but it's very useful to have in one's wardrobe.

The skirt, however...even though it has sequins...

Done with it. I paid $6.00 for it, and got two wears out of it. Good enough.

Outerwear and my photobomber silly husband.

Me: "Coffee is good." L: "Photobombing you, yo!"

That just makes me happy. What a goofball.

The stuff:

Now, these are fabulous walking shoes! Walked to and from town in these, bought my groceries, and shopped in them for two hours.

• Earrings - Glee

Yup, more shopping. I was craving the downtime and the slow Zen experience of going through some racks of clothes. I went to the St. Vincent de Paul and Flavour Upstairs.

I might have found a few things...I liked the bags together. The "Get Home Safe" is a liquor store bag, and Flavour has these nice paper shopping totes.

I found a Major Score at the StVdeP:

Hung on the bathroom door due to lighting conditions.

That, my friends, is a sheer silk and velvet burnout duster jacket/topper thing. It has a high neck, and buttons from the neck to about the waist. Oh, hells yes.

The front of it is slightly higher than the back.

Major DRAMA. Just picture this billowing out behind me as I stride about, bragging about my shopping finds.

And brag I shall!

Yes, indeed I shall. This is made in Italy, by Emporio Armani and was $7.00! Seven bucks! I can't find this particular topper online anywhere, but it had to cost WAY more originally. Score!

I also found L a work shirt for $5.00 (I always look for him when I shop), then headed over to Flavour Upstairs. They often have good accessories, so I scout those out first.

I really liked the frosty blue "pearl" necklace and this leather wrist-wrap.

A better look at the beads.

A nice closure, and $10 seemed pretty good. It's well-made and looks nice on.

The wrist-wrap was only $4.00. I also spotted a mark on it: Kipling and a little monkey logo.

Browsing around the Kipling site, this was probably around $20 new. Awesome!

This top (sorry, blurry) is one I'd looked at and tried on before. It's a navy blue knit with a shine in the wool.

It has a slight sweatshirt look to it, with banded cuffs, and a strip of non-shiny fabric on the sides.

It's by Gap, and was $9.99. $17.99 was too pricey last time I saw it, but $9.99 is enough to encourage me, heh. One of the reasons I love Flavour Upstairs is that their stock turns over fast, and they mark things down. I wish more consignment/thrift stores would do this.

You can see the contrast of the sparkly and the neckline there better.

As with most Gap, J. Crew and Banana Republic garments, if you go down the side seam to the content/care tag and look behind it, you'll find this little tag. This is how I know that my Gap leather pants are 17 years old - they have one of these tags too.

And now we know how old top is. It's called the "Allover Foil S Navy Uniform" and is from Holiday 2013. Only three years old, and now it's mine!

Don't put a Muppet top near me and not expect me to buy it!

This is actually nearly a neon yellow, with a hint of green in it. So springy! I'll look like an Easter chick.

Yeah, for $12.99 it doesn't take much convincing for me to purchase it.

Flavour Upstairs gets quite a bit of Vero Moda - I find a lot of trendier modern items there, in addition to vintage.

Did I mention I'm not much of a pleats person? 'Cause apparently I am a liar, because here's another pleated skirt.

Pretty painty flowers! And so flowy! High Swoosh Factor.

And it was marked down to $9.99! I had to!

The brand is Jack, which is a sub-brand of BB Dakota, a boutique brand I've seen in stores here. Their skirts run about $80-90.

Does it seem like I'm on a floral kick? I don't normally do flowy blouses like this, but I loved the colours and how it looked on.

It's olive green, with wine, pink, baby blue and soft green. It has a drawstring waist and butterfly sleeves. The brand is in Chinese, and I can't quite tell the content from feeling it - it's either silk or a very good polyester.

The floral design is on a sheer olive background, and is slightly dimensional - you can feel the velvety edges of the flowers.

Everything but the sleeves is lined. And for $12.99? Yes, get in my basket.

Okay, I know this not to everyone's taste, but I put it on and giggled with glee. Yes, this looks like a garbage bag.

It's a short black vinyl skirt with humongous pleats so it sticks right out in a pouf. And it has pockets!!

The PVC finish is quite thin on a fabric backing, so this isn't a thick material.

It also has bubbled designs so that there are thin raised patterns on it. What a cool piece!

And squee! I found a designer piece! It's by Kenzo.

A little searching around has me catching my breath. This is called the "Monster Foiled Skirt" and zoiks! It was originally $950.00! No, I did not add an extra zero. Nine hundred and fifty dollars.  

I paid $19.99. High fives all around!

I hate walking to and from work in runners. I much prefer a stylish shoe. How about a pair of white leather floral Doc Martens?

Yes, please! Me me me! I want them!

Perfectly broken in, my size!

And barely any wear?!

They were $64.99, which is a chunk of change for a second-hand item, but hey, look what I saved on that Kenzo skirt! Docs are about $150 new. Walking to and from work every day will get the cost-per-wear down to pennies too.

I also spotted these fabulous lace-ups on a display. I always examine displays carefully for hidden gems; that's what displays are for - selling the items in them! Never be shy about asking for something in a display, fellow shoppers.

Wasn't that white sole thing a...thing? Some designer was doing it last year or the year before? So I'm on trend, right?

The edges of the black patent leather are white, so that's what the piping is on these.

I love the funky look of these - and so comfortable!

Ah, I should have known: Miista! These are called the Miley brogues.

These were probably purchased here in town at She She Shoes or Footloose Shoes, which is where I've bought my two pairs. They run at least $200 new.

I paid $27.99 for mine.

They have a bit of use but it looks like more because of the white soles, but if you look at the wear area (back of the heel), it's minimal. And although the patent tops show bendy wear, they still have a fair bit of that "still new" stiffness. I bet these didn't get worn much. I also know that Miista runs small, so a size 10 is just right on me.

Saturday night was Winesday, so put on something comfy. I took my pictures early while there was still light.

Not quite enough, apparently.

• Blouse - unknown brand, thrifted; purchased above for $12.99
• Skirt - no label, thrifted; first worn here in October 2016 with more shades of wine
• Boots - Doc Martens, consignment; last seen here for 4 days straight in December 2016 during our trip to Seattle
• Grape Ape coat (below) - Forever 21, thrifted 

I like to wear my new-to-me things right away to make sure they're keepers. I loved this pretty blouse, and it felt wonderful (and also let me show off my ink to my Winesday ladies).

"You need more pictures of me licking my butt, Woman."

I'm done with this skirt. It was comfy, I love the colour, the fit is okay, but I don't love it. I only paid $6.00 for it, and I wore it twice, so I'm good with that cost-per-wear. Wow, three skirts out of my closet in 3 days!

"Brrrr, it's cold" outwear:

I cabbed to Winesday, as my groceries were delivered later than usual, and I had to make deviled eggs - I was in a rush. I walked home in this fuzzy coat, and my usual Danier fur toque/scarf and my long wool vintage gloves (thrifted).

 The stuff:

I'd intended on wear the white Docs, but they didn't look right with the dark brown tights, so I wore my other floral Docs. Can one have too many floral Docs? What if I found a black pair? I might have to buy them too!

• Earrings - late 90s

So, my friends! Happy Sunday! I am off to watch football playoffs. I hope you all enjoyed your weekends.

Unplanned Outfit Change: Flats, Stripes and Red Leather Pants

In spite of my planning this past Sunday, and putting together a week's worth of outfits, life intervenes. My feet were still feeling tender from my shoes yesterday - there was no way I was subjecting them to another pair of heels today.

So, here we go - a whole new outfit pulled together in about 2 minutes this morning. 

It's in the same colour family as what I'd planned to wear - this - so I didn't have to consider anything but black, white and red.

• Sweater - Jones New York, consignment; first worn here in October 2015 with that skirt from Monday's outfit
• Leather pants - Gap, Fall 2000, thrifted; last seen here in March 2016 with leopard
• Shoes - Noa Noa, consignment; last seen here in November 2016 with red pants and a cowgirl coat
• Coat (below) - Hilary Radley, thrifted

I really like this sweater, but the pants are low-waisted (hello, late 90s/early 00s) and the sweater is short, so I wore a long camisole under it for warmth and to keep my waist-flesh (mmm...such an image) from oozing out.

A lot of people (men and women) check me out in these pants. I have the same pants, but in a longer length in a wine-merlot colour (here). They are from Gap's Fall 2000 line, so they will be 17 years old this year!

I wear them with the cuffs turned under once (they stay that way), and look at me, I am right in style with the straight-leg, slightly flared, cropped pant that is all trendy right now. It took nearly 17 years, but this style came around again! These were awesome in the cold/wind today. Leather cuts winds really well.

Outerwear:

"I hear the wind howling. Are you sure you don't want to stay home and cuddle?"

My usual stuff: fur Danier toque/scarf and leather gloves. I was still freezing all day. I hate this cold winter! Our city is not built for extreme temperatures!

The stuff:

"Don't worry, Sheila, we'll take care of those feet."

Ah, sweet shoes of non-heels, you were much appreciated today. And yes, I did go barefooted with these, so some of that freeziness is my own fault.

Boring bling:

I forgot I had those earrings - they were hiding in my jewelry box.

• Leather cuff - Guess, thrifted
• Bangle - Glee, local
• Earrings - Tania Gleave

I have another event to go to tomorrow night after my WW meeting, but I'll be back on Friday with a two-fer for you!

Corporate in Giraffe, Black and Magnenta

Brrr! Today has been a freezing cold day - I just got home from my corporate event and it's hovering around -9 Celsius and it's crazy windy out. I need to hide under some warm blankets with a kitty and a bowl of soup. 

But here we go - this is what I wore today.

For me, this is about as "normal" as I get. I mean, considering I have purple hair. Thank goodness for the magenta shoes or my coworkers would be worried about me.

• Sweater - Rino Rossi, thrifted; first worn here in Feb 2015 with burgundy and shoes from last week 
• Skirt - Lida Baday, thrifted; first worn here in late September/early October 2016 with a vintage 80s jacket
• Shoes - Coclico; first worn here in December with culottes
• Coat (below) - Hilary Radley, thrifted

This is the second wearing of every piece - I didn't even realize that. I liked this outfit (especially the soft warm sweater and the thick warm skirt) and got a lot of compliments on it from my colleagues. I know when I get kudos from some of my female coworkers that I've hit that sweet spot of "I would wear this" with them. Better shake it up tomorrow! Or not...it is going to be another black skirt!

I was one of the presenters at our event - I spoke on social responsibility and giving back to the community; my pet project on our committee this year was serving hot breakfasts at the homeless shelter, which I organized twice last year. I also presented on our Movember team (I have been a Mo-Sistah for years). All the feelz!

Outerwear:

 Although these pink wool/angora gloves and scarf (thrifted as a set) look great, they weren't as warm as I needed. Thank goodness for this Danier fur toque. And the wind blew right through my coat! It was not a pleasant walk home.

The stuff:

For today, these were too high. My feet are sore. But dang, don't they look good??

Simple bling:

Really basic accessories.

• Cuff - Glee, local
• Earrings - late 90s

Off to warm up!

Teal and Floral Velvet - Mojo Building

It's Monday, and I am just feeling too clever for my own good! I love having my outfit already put together. So easy to get dressed! 

I should do this more often. And so maybe I will. I can feel my mojo improving already.

• Jacket - Le Chateau, consignment; last seen here way back in December 2015 with Versace "mom" jeans
• Top - Jacob, thrifted; last worn here in December 2016 with sparkly dots
• Skirt - Leifsdottir; last seen here in October 2016 with stripes and buckles
• Shoes - Channi B; last worn here (2nd outfit) in my authentic 1930s outfit for Urbanite
• Coat (below) - Samuel Dong, thrifted

And here we go.

I was quite happy with this outfit on this very busy day. Everything stayed in place, nothing spun around, snagged, untucked or annoyed me. I'm rather surprised that I haven't worn this amazing velvet embroidered jacket in over a year, but I do have a few clothes...It's a game of survival in my closet, but this gorgeous piece keeps making the cut, year after year.

This suede skirt also earned a reprieve. It didn't bother me at all (aside from the hook at the top of the zipper grabbing at my hole-y tights once).

Outerwear:

More teal! It is slightly less cold, and has been raining off and on - this is our typical winter, not that "snow" stuff. My accessories are all grey (I like to match): the hat is Liz Claiborne (thrifted), the gloves are Parkhurst (made in Canada) and the fur boa was thrifted.

The stuff:

I love these shoes. I was happy that I'd picked this outfit (and therefore these shoes) as I gave 3 separate tours of our office to all of the new people who started today.

Colourful bling:

More matchy!

• Belt - Plum
• Amber ring - late 90s
• Gold/purple ring - Frances Jewellers, vintage 1960s, Dad's
• Earrings - local

Vizzini and I had some cuddles this morning.

"I'm matching my golden eyes to this chair."

He's become quite the cuddler. Must be the cold.