Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Birthday Week Kick-Off: Snakes and Rainbow Houndstooth; Shopping Finds; Birthday Party Mixed Metals

Hello, my friends! My birthday is next week, so the Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up officially kicks off Birthday Week, and this weekend that included my birthday party that I throw for myself every year. 

An easy outfit for a busy Friday. 

I loved the bright coral orange and coral red book-ending the rainbow houndstooth pattern of this vintage wool skirt.

This is my entry for "Visible Monday" over at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style. Go!

• Sweater - Lord & Taylor, thrifted; first seen here (2nd outfit) in June with silver pants
• Skirt - Simon Chang, vintage 80s, thrifted; last worn here in February with bad red booties
• Shoes - Truths Pilgrim, Fluevog; last seen here in February with yellow and florals
• Sleeveless coat (below) - Only, thrifted; last worn here in April

This sweater is 100% merino wool - it was perfect for early fall.

I like the boxy cut of the body with the contrast of the tight sleeves.

It's longer in the back than the front.

 Mullet sweater!

The weekend is here!

 In case you're wondering, bare-legged season is over. I'm back to my beige nylons.

This sleeveless coat is awesome for the "shoulder" seasons.

 It's not quite cold enough to need arms on my coats every day.

The stuff:

This heel family (the Truths) are one of my favourites with Fluevog - it's a great walking heel. The lipstick red of these shoes makes me happy.

Snake bling:

 The necklace was very popular at work - I unclipped it a few times to show to people.

• Necklace - vintage 80s, vintage expo
• Cuff - Whiting & Davis, vintage 70s, vintage fair
• Earrings - thrifted

L and I had dinner out after work, then spent the evening chilling out from a stressful week by playing board games and listening to music. My favourite kind of evening!

On Saturday, we were up early for breakfast at the Ruby. I went thrift shopping after, and picked up some extra goodies on the way home for the party that night.

In addition to being nylons season, my tights are back in rotation.

• Sweater - Banana Republic, thrifted; last seen here (3rd outfit) in January over sparkle leopard
• Skirt - Dolce & Gabbana, thrifted; last worn here in February with green bookends
• Shoes - Truths Makena, Fluevog; last seen here on our March anniversary adventure in Vancouver
• Leather coat (below) - Danier Leather; last worn here in April

This sweater falls into the weekend category most of the time. It has lovely knitted detail, and is a medium thickness. I have a cami underneath.

The skirt is one of my best thrift finds: it was $6.00 in the St. Vincent de Paul several years ago.

It's grey wool tweed, lined in silk and trimmed in Persian lamb.

Since I knew I'd be shopping, both the sweater and skirt were chosen for easy-off/on-ability.

I am a gal who plans ahead.

I also planned on wearing a leather coat over this, so I knew few people would see me like this.

I do like colourful outerwear.

 I'm mostly pedestrian, and I like to be visible as we roll into the grey days of autumn.

I tucked my silk scarf into my bag, along with the gloves, for easier shopping.

A close-up for you - I am all about the details. Those are little leather bows on the gloves.

• Scarf - fake Louis (Lewis!) Vuitton, thrifted
• Leather/wool gloves - vintage, thrifted

The stuff:

My uber-comfy shoes are made even more so with the addition of cushy inserts.

Simple bling:

Nothing that can snag or get in the way.

• Earrings - Glee

I went to Flavour Upstairs first.

I checked out the belts and the jewelry case first.

I like this bright red snakeskin belt by Emmanuel. It was made in Canada.

It has a little bit of wear, but was only $12.00 for a lovely leather belt that's right on-trend.

I really like this fun multi-colored floral necklace.

I suspect it is Banana Republic - it has that look. It was only $10! I know the big statement necklace is "so 4 years ago" but I don't care. Look at those pretty colours!

I really like this browny-burgundy coloured skirt. It's not quite pleated and has a lot of movement.

 You know I need my Swoosh Factor!

It has a slit at the side front.

It's 100% polyester but feels very silky.

It's by Club Monaco, and what a score for $17.99!

Add another zero to that for the retail price.

I am a sucker for plaids - this red one reminds me of the early 90s quite a lot.

It's a lovely 100% wool, cut on the bias.

It's by Luisa Spagnoli, and was $14.99.

 Oh, my. Their "tube" skirts start at $289.00 US! I got a bargain!

I also found this wonderful plaid shirt that fits me perfectly.

 It doesn't have a single label on it.

It was $17.99.

It very much reminds me of the Madras plaid I owned in the mid-80s. I will probably stash this right away, into the spring/summer stuff.

I loved this magnificent shirt.

I had a paisley shirt similar to this in the 90s, but this is not from then.

It's a double-knit nylon, by Lansea for Pant-Man. What a fun label - I love the little red "kiss-print" on the "Man".

 It was $19.99.

We have a couple of clues as to the age of this shirt, aside from that groovy label: one is the sizing, which is pre-Great Size Shift of the late 80s. This 12 is equivalent to a modern size 8.

It also has laundry symbols on a tag down the side seam - these weren't common in North American brands until the 70s, so this psychedelic shirt is likely from the late 70s/early 80s, and I am leaning to the early 80s due to the lack of giant pointed collar. 

I felt this shirt/jacket and gasped. The fabric is amazing.

 I think it's from the late 90s/early 00s.

Remember when we were all into the contrasting backside of the fabric?

It's red with a hint of black on the front, and the reverse is black with a hint of red.

Ooh, nice detail on the back shoulder.

I dig the almost-bell shape of the cuffs too. The back has great seaming.

My eyes opened wider when I saw the label.

Pierre Balmain Paris! For only $22.99! I'm pretty sure it's authentic - Balmain labels have changed frequently over the decades - although I didn't find anything similar to this by searching online. You don't find a lot from the 90s online - we had no computers back then!

The period of the late 90s/early 00s is when Oscar de la Renta was in charge of the House of Balmain. I like knowing that.

It's marked size 8, so it's definitely past the 80s. The care/content/original label has been ripped out, pulling apart the stitching a bit at the neck to the left. I bet it was itchy and bothered the previous owner.

It does up with a series of hook slides up the front. Very 90s.

The fabric is super-stretchy and feels like a polished cotton with a strong dose of Lycra.

It's a snug fit - it looks good worn open.

 I'm excited to wear this!

From Flavour Upstairs, I went to the WIN store on Pandora, and spent about an hour poking around.

I really liked this acrylic cuff. It looks like it's been cut out, rather than molded.

The back is silvery-white and the outer layer is orange-copper.

It was $5.95. I love the intricate design.

I found a great basic piece, this cream turtleneck sweater.

It's not super-exciting, but I'll probably wear it a lot.

It's by Wanko, and was $7.95.

 They appear to be a Hong Kong brand.

This sweater is a wool/acrylic blend, which means it will wash well, even though the label says it's dry clean only. I will risk it!

I did get a chuckle out of the size though: F. Proof that sizing is completely arbitrary.

Tired from my shopping, I had a nap before getting ready for our guests. We had about 20 of our friends over for a night of chatting, dancing and eating and drinking. It was a blast!

I wore this lovely dress that I picked up a few months ago.

I know, black, how unlike me!

• Dress - Simon Chang, consignment; purchased here for $31.50
• Shoes - Sol Sana; last worn here in August with a clash of patterns

The dress is bias-cut so it has lots of room for dancing (and eating chocolate!).

 My closet light is on (I always end up there with a few of my friends!).

Oops, one of the rear straps is trapped on my bra strap.

I didn't feel like a fussy outfit. Just a dress - easy!

Comfy platforms for standing around and dancing. I lasted till about 2am in these.

L and I crashed into bed around 3am. Woo, what a fun evening!

The stuff:

Since the pattern on the dress is mixed metallics, I went with mixed metals in all my accessories, starting with the silver ferns on the suede shoes.

Multi-bling:

I put the new-to-me cuff on to show someone, and left it on all night.

• Fascinator - Heart's Content
• Necklace - Renoir, vintage 60s, vintage fair
• Acrylic cuff - thrifted
• Studded cuff - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Vancouver
• Onyx/silver ring - Tocara, vintage fair
• Crystal/silver ring - Soul Flower
• Earrings - thrifted

My friends were so generous!

So much love! Thanks to my Winesday gals for the Fluevog gift card, Caro for the toque, Terry for the chocolate and Petra for the wooden box and earrings. I also got warm chocolate chip cookies from Sofia, but I put them out for eating right away. Cookies are dangerous!

Petra's husband took the picture on the card.

The earrings are vintage screw-on by Coro.

I am wearing the toque now, while I create this post.

 My team won today!

Vizzini came out late in the party and was lurking around the party food. I think he stole a cracker.

"Lies! I was merely inspecting for quality."

He's grumpy because we've brought his post in off the deck for the season.

"I can't even look at you. I should be out there!"

Sorry, buddy! 

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! Thanks for coming by! 

Crocheted Cowgirl

The landlords of our office building hosted a Country Cookout Tenant Appreciation lunch today - I had to be "on theme"!

"Cowgirl" has always been one of my favourite looks. Cowgirls are take-charge, full of grit, and get things done! Just like me.

• Blouse - Jella Couture, thrifted; purchased here for $3.50
• Skirt - Le Chateau, thrifted; first worn here in March with a corset top
• Boots - 1883 Lucchesse, consignment; last seen here in May with a swooshy maxi
• Suede coat (below) - Pioneer Wear, vintage 80s, thrifted; last worn here with the boots in May

First wearing of this new-to-me top and I quite liked it - the crocheted lace at top is nicely done (not cheap-looking), I like the neckline on me and it was a fairly good cut on me.

 It was very sheer, though, so I had to layer an olive camisole under it. It's also polyester and was a little warm, especially walking home. At least it's washable!

I struggled with this skirt the first time I wore it, but not this time - these two pieces worked so well together.

The skirt is a fine cotton velvet, cut in petal shapes and crocheted together with black floss (pic here), and then lovely crocheted swoops for the hem (close-up here). It's a very swingy skirt, with lots of movement.

L and I have been watching Ken Burns' "Country Music" documentary series (it's awesome, by the way), so I felt in a very country mood in this.

Especially in my authentic Texas-made boots. I'm showing off my belt-buckle there - we'll get to that in a second.

Some of you may remember this jacket - it's a thick cow hide suede and it's fringed.

Check out my enormous 80s shoulders!

The arm fringes have coloured pony beads.

It's one of my treasures.

• Fur scarf - Danier, thrifted
• Wool gloves - Parkhurst

I didn't need the scarf and gloves by the end of the day; in fact, I forgot them at work.

The stuff:

I love my cowboy boots. They're so comfy I can wear them barefoot.

Cowgirl bling:

I bought the buckle and belt separately at a Shi Studios sample sale ten years ago, in Sept/Oct 2009 (first cowgirl outfit here featuring the buckle).

• Buckle - Shi Studio
• Belt - Shi Studio
• Silver ring - vintage mall
• Silver/onyx ring - vintage fair
• White gold earrings - 10th anniversary gift from L

While I used to have a lot of Shi Studio jewelry, I now four belt buckles and a bolo tie. Their specialty is fabrics pressed between glass in metal "frames". They're all locally made.

I think those cowboys are either going to punch each other or kiss each other.

I was a hit at the cookout! My colleagues Lada, Jenn and Camille all got thematic with me in Western gear (the hats, frame and ukelele are props from the photobooth).

The food was amazing, and they had a bluegrass band - so fun!

And now, I'm tired and need some couch time. I'll leave you with this shot of my two guys from this morning.

"I thought I was the star of this fam. Why is the Man in my picture?"

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! I'll be back on Sunday with tales of adventure - thank you so much for stopping by.

Frilly Flamenco and Old Velvet

I spent some time last night, playing in my closet - I have a bunch of new-to-me items, and the best way to build outfits is to incorporate them into some of my oldies-but-goodies. 

Like this embroidered velvet blazer, which I've had for ages.

• Blazer - Le Chateau, consignment; last worn here (2nd outfit) in November 2018 for a wee shopping trip
• Sleeveless top (underneath) - Jacob, thrifted; last seen here (4th outfit) in August 2018 with chartreuse and green
• Skirt - no label, handmade, consignment; purchased here for $38.00
• Shoes - Channi B; last worn here in January with glitter galore

This is the 17th or 18th wearing of this lovely blazer, which I first wore here back in Feb 2011. I paid $40 for it, so I'm at just over $2 per wear, not bad over nine years!

I love all the colours in the embroidery: rusty-brown, tan/pale yellow, green, purple and blue. It goes with everything.

The skirt was oodles of fun to wear, swooshing and ruffling as I walked. When I steamed it last night,  I turned it inside out to steam the lining and discovered a big seam pulling the front ruffles higher so that they wouldn't peek out at the front hem.

So I think this skirt was handmade, and I think it was definitely someone's dancing skirt.

Flamenco, anyone?

 As it has no label, henceforth, it shall be the Flamenco Skirt, so that I can search for it here on the blog. Swoosh-tastic, and so darned frilly!

Bundled up for the chilly morning and evening.

It's not quite full-on coat season yet, so I layered a brown fur scarf under the neckline of my blazer, added the purple wool beret (in case of rain) and the matching gloves.

• Beret - consignment
• Scarf - thrifted
• Gloves - Danier Leather

The stuff:

These shoes are such a luscious teal colour, and dig the sparkly trim (and the pink leather lining!). They are extremely comfortable.

Odd bling:

I often wear my old velvet blazer belted - this one went well.

• Belt - Club Monaco
• Earrings - vintage fair
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
• Aventurine/silver ring - consignment

Chartreuse Cheater and Superhero Leather

Okay, this might sound weird, but my wardrobe has stymied me! It's just too much, and feels so overwhelming. I need some "play time" in there to try stuff on and see what works this year for me. I have participated in wardrobe challenges in the past to spur my creativity, but those can also be a lot of work, and can feel like a chore over time. 

So, what do you do when you're stuck for an outfit? 

Wear a dress! "But wait," I hear you thinking, "That's a top and skirt!" Nope, it's a dress.

• Dress - Phoebe Couture, thrifted; last worn here in November 2018
• Shoes - Ioni Poser, Fluevog; first seen here in June with PANK
• Leather jacket (below) - Burberry, consignment; last worn here in April

I've always referred to two-in-one garments as "cheaters" - I would prefer just the skirt, but like most dresses, it's "one and done", baby.

 It's easy and I felt good in it. Plus, pockets!

I like that the embroidered pattern on the "belt" goes all the way around. Picture of it here.

I am all about the details.

The round shapes of the necklace echo the rounded pockets.

The pattern around the pockets, which is embroidered, beaded and has paillettes! Picture here. Did you notice that the little purple divots in the embroidery look just like the vamp on my shoes?

I wore this wonderful metallic shimmering bronze patent leather jacket with this dress the first time I wore it. Had to do it again.

Fall is leather weather! Expect to see lots of leather jackets on me in the next few weeks - I have a big collection.

None of them are this good, though. I feel like a superhero in it.

First gloves of the season. These are purple leather, lined with cashmere. They match the shoes really well.

• Gloves - Danier Leather

The stuff:

There's my fuzzy beauties! I love the brocade heel and the deep purple wooly texture. Several of my coworkers petted them.

Round bling:

These earrings were liberated from Mom's jewelry box around 1984; I removed the clips and added fishhooks back then. The coins have a lady's head on them.

• Necklace - vintage 1984, gift from Mom & Dad
• Earrings - vintage 70s, Mom's
• Chain bracelet - thrifted
• Amber ring - c.1996
• Gold/amethyst ring - Francis Jewelers, c. 1965, Dad's

I think Mom and Dad bought me this necklace as a birthday? Christmas? present around the same time. I was very experimental with fashion in high school, and wore this set with a gold chain belt (which I still have, although I altered it back in the day), which was also liberated from Mom.